What Are Parts of Speech?

Please note: The grammar rules, spelling conventions, and examples in this article refer specifically to the German language and are intended for use in German-language primary school classrooms.

Every word in the German language belongs to a group — a part of speech. These groups help us understand the role a word plays in a sentence. For primary school children, this is an important first step towards conscious engagement with language.

The three main parts of speech in German primary school

German primary school usually introduces three parts of speech:

• Nouns (German: Nomen, also called Hauptwörter) name things, living beings, places, and concepts. In German, all nouns are capitalised — a unique feature of the German writing system. Examples: Hund (dog), Schule (school), Freude (joy), Stadt (city).
• Verbs (German: Verben, also called Tunwörter — "doing words") describe actions, processes, or states. They answer the question "What does someone do?" Examples: laufen (to run), schlafen (to sleep), denken (to think), sein (to be).
• Adjectives (German: Adjektive, also called Wiewörter — "how words") describe how something is. They answer the question "What is something like?" Examples: groß (big), schnell (fast), blau (blue), freundlich (friendly).

Why parts of speech matter

Children who understand parts of speech understand sentences better — and can construct better sentences themselves. A child who knows what a verb is can revise their own writing more purposefully: Are my sentences monotonous? Have I used a variety of verbs? Knowledge of grammar is not an end in itself — it is a tool for greater linguistic awareness.

First steps in the classroom

The best starting point is what children already know: the objects around them. "What do you see? — A table. A chair. A board. These words are called nouns." This makes the first encounter concrete and visual.

In the next step, children can discover verbs through movement: jumping, clapping, turning — and naming the word for each action. Adjectives can be introduced through description games: "I'm thinking of something soft, round, small..."

Colour-coding as an anchor

A well-established convention is to colour-code parts of speech: nouns in blue, verbs in red, adjectives in yellow. Applied consistently across all materials and exercises throughout the year, this creates reliable visual anchors in children's minds — and makes grammar visible on the page.

Conclusion

Parts of speech are not dry grammar content — they are the beginning of a living conversation about language. When children understand that words have different jobs, they begin not just to read sentences but to truly understand them.