Home › German › Glossary › to be
German vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "to be" in German?
sein
In German, "to be" is sein.
Listen to the pronunciation:
Free German learning game. No sign-up, play in browser. See all games
Pronunciation
Zyhn. This is pronounced like 'zine', with a soft 'z' sound.
Grammar notes
Sein is infinitive. Present forms: ich bin, du bist, er/sie/es ist, wir sind, ihr seid, sie sind.
Example sentence
Ich bin ein Lehrer.
I am a teacher.
Test your German knowledge in our free browser games.
How to remember sein
Sein is the most common verb in German. It appears in countless sentences.
Related words
- climb up klettern
- close schließen
- hold halten
- rest ausruhen
- sing singen
- stand stellen
- switch off ausschalten
- take machen
- talk sprechen
Browse all German words in the glossary.
Questions about sein
How do you say "to be" in German?
In German, "to be" is sein. It is a noun.
How is sein written in German?
sein is written using the standard German script.
How is sein used in a sentence?
Use sein as you would use the equivalent noun in English. For example: Ich bin ein Lehrer. (I am a teacher.).
Where can I practice German words for free?
You can play free German minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the German glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"To be" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the German language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation.
Noun Town on PC, Mac & VR
These browser games are just a taste. The full Noun Town is a bigger, deeper 3D world: explore a living town, talk to its characters and learn thousands of words in immersive VR, Mixed Reality, or on your computer. It's an award-winning game with 590+ reviews on Steam and 12 languages to learn.
See the full game ▶Spot an error? Email us at contact@noun.town