Drew Speaks German

Drew has started speaking a lot more German in the last week or so.  When we are at his Kindergarten pick up or at the playgrounds out in town, he tends to speak in his own type of German.  He wants to fit in!  We ran into a Kindergarten friend at Lidl so I got to hear how Drew speaks to his little friends.  It mostly sounds like gibberish, with German words thrown in.  I think it must be what his friends sound like to him.  He does have several phrases down pat though.  I wanted to write down what he is saying so I don't forget!

*"Guck mal, Mama!" is a phrase that we are hearing more often now than "Look!"  It is used predominantly  in southern Germany.  In the north, they say, "Shau mal!"

*"Wo ist ______?"  ("Where is _______?)  When we were at the playground the other day, Drew noticed Daddy had left and called down to me, "Wo ist meine papa?"  

*When I arrived to pick Drew up from school, he said to his teacher, "Meine mama kommt!"

*Short phrases using "machen" (to make).  We used to joke with our German teacher that Germans don't "do" things--they "make" things.  "To do" is a verb that is used so often in English, but not very often at all in German.  They use "machen" for most of these phrases.  While we do exercise, they make exercise.  While we take a walk, they make a walk.  We take a break, they make a break, etc.

Drew has been saying, "kaput machen" when something breaks.

He came home from school with a cut on his hand and said "Owa gemacht" (gemacht is the past tense of "machen").

*The adjectives "kleine" (small) and "grosse" (big)
He shows his friends a stick and says "eine kleine stock."
When we were at the bakery the other day, he asked the bakery worker for "kleine Quarkini" (a type of donut here).  He showed her what size he meant with his hands.

*A woman peeked in our stroller and said, "Dein baby shläft!" (Your baby is sleeping!)  Drew said, "Ja, schlafenzeit."  (Yes, sleeping time.)