How to Say 'This is my friend Sam' in German: Introducing Other People
Learn to introduce a friend in German with Das ist mein Freund Sam, including possessive forms, gender agreement, and how introducing someone else differs from introducing yourself.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
Introducing yourself in German uses a small set of fixed phrases, but introducing another person requires a different structure: you need a demonstrative opener, a possessive article that agrees with the other person's grammatical gender, and often a short detail about them. This lesson teaches the core pattern Das ist mein Freund Sam and its feminine counterpart Das ist meine Freundin Sam, plus how to add one simple detail so the introduction sounds natural rather than abrupt.
By the end, you can…
- introduce a friend to someone in German using Das ist ...
- choose mein or meine correctly based on the friend's grammatical gender
- add one short detail about the person I am introducing
- distinguish introducing someone else from introducing myself
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Das ist mein Freund Sam.
This is my friend Sam. (male friend)
dahs ist mine froynt sam
Use Freund for a male friend. In standard German, mein does not change here because Freund is masculine and the sentence uses the nominative case.
Das ist meine Freundin Sam.
This is my friend Sam. (female friend)
dahs ist MY-nuh FROYN-din sam
Use Freundin for a female friend. The possessive becomes meine because Freundin is feminine. Many names, including Sam, can belong to any gender, so the noun ending carries the information.
Er ist sehr nett.
He is very nice.
air ist zair net
A short, safe detail to add after introducing a male friend. Sehr nett is common and neutral in register.
Sie ist sehr nett.
She is very nice.
zee ist zair net
The same detail for a female friend. Sie here means she, not the polite you.
Wir arbeiten zusammen.
We work together.
veer AR-by-ten tsoo-ZAHM-men
A useful detail that explains the connection between you and the person you are introducing.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is Das ist + possessive article + noun + name. The possessive article must match the grammatical gender of the noun, not the natural gender of the person: Das ist mein Freund Sam (masculine noun, mein) but Das ist meine Freundin Sam (feminine noun, meine). If you add a detail, use a full short sentence: Das ist meine Freundin Sam. Sie ist sehr nett. German does not stack the detail into the same clause the way English can.
When to use it
Use Das ist ... in everyday spoken German when you point someone out or bring them into a conversation. It works in neutral and informal situations: Das ist mein Freund Sam. For a more formal introduction, for example to a boss, you can say Darf ich vorstellen: mein Freund Sam, which literally asks permission to introduce. In Austria and parts of southern Germany, you may also hear grüß dich instead of hallo as the greeting that follows the introduction, but the Das ist pattern itself is standard everywhere.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Hallo, Lena. Das ist mein Freund Sam.
Hello, Lena. This is my friend Sam.hah-LOH LAY-nah. dahs ist mine froynt samHallo, Sam. Freut mich.
Hello, Sam. Nice to meet you.hah-LOH sam. froyt mikhEr ist sehr nett. Wir arbeiten zusammen.
He is very nice. We work together.air ist zair net. veer AR-by-ten tsoo-ZAHM-menAh, interessant. Und wo arbeitet ihr?
Ah, interesting. And where do you two work?ah, in-teh-reh-SAHNT. unt voh AR-by-tet eerA little context goes a long way
German introductions often move quickly to a short factual detail, such as where you know the person from or what you do together. Adding one sentence like Wir arbeiten zusammen is usually welcome, while long personal praise can sound excessive in a first introduction. Note also that Freund and Freundin can mean a romantic partner depending on context and stress; if you mean just a friend, the situation or a clarifying detail usually makes that clear.
One thing to watch for
Das ist mein Freundin Sam.
Try this instead: The possessive must agree with the noun's grammatical gender. Freundin is feminine, so use meine: Das ist meine Freundin Sam. Use mein only with a masculine or neuter noun, as in Das ist mein Freund Sam.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you introduce a female friend named Sam?
Show a sample answer
Das ist meine Freundin Sam.
Freundin is feminine, so the possessive article is meine. Das ist meine Freundin Sam is the standard form. If you were introducing a male friend, Das ist mein Freund Sam would be correct instead.
2Which word changes if you introduce a male friend rather than a female friend?
Show a sample answer
The noun and the possessive article: mein Freund for a male friend, meine Freundin for a female friend.
German marks grammatical gender on both the possessive article and the noun ending. The opener Das ist stays the same in both sentences.
3Add one short detail saying that you work together.
Show a sample answer
Wir arbeiten zusammen.
This is a complete short sentence and can follow the introduction directly. Other valid details include Er ist sehr nett or Sie ist sehr nett, depending on the person.
Use Das ist mein Freund Sam for a male friend and Das ist meine Freundin Sam for a female friend, then add one short sentence such as Wir arbeiten zusammen to make the introduction natural.
Progress is saved on this browser.
Practice real time conversations on Yapr for faster learning.
Put today’s German into a conversation with an AI tutor. Speak, make mistakes, and try again.
Practice on Yapr