“Die Tiere” — Animals Song in German for Kids

In “Die Tiere” (The Animals), kids sing key German words like Tier, groß, klein and Elefant, going back and forth between English and German, so the meaning is never a mystery. It's a beginner song from Unit 4: Animals, 2:37 long, made for ages 2–8.

🇩🇪 German
Level: Beginner
Unit 4 · Die Tiere
⏱ 2:37
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“Die Tiere” lyrics with English translation

Every line as it's sung, with its meaning beside it. German is shown in teal.

Song lyrics with translation. German lines are shown in teal.
Sung	Meaning
Ready? Los geht’s!
Are you ready? Ja!
Animal! — Tier!
Tier! — Animal!
Big! — Groß!
Groß! — Big!
Small! — Klein!
Klein! — Small!
Say it once more: big and small!	Sag es noch einmal: groß und klein!
Groß und klein! Groß und klein!	Big and small! Big and small!
Elephant! — Elefant!
Elefant! — Elephant!
Big elephant! — Großer Elefant!
Big elephant! — Großer Elefant!
Animal! — Tier!
Tier! — Animal!
Learn a word, say it again!	Lern ein Wort, sag es noch mal!
Noch einmal, my friend!
Dog! — Hund!
Hund! — Dog!
Cat! — Katze!
Katze! — Cat!
Bird! — Vogel!
Vogel! — Bird!
Fish! — Fisch!
Fisch! — Fish!
A small cat! — Eine kleine Katze!
A small cat! — Eine kleine Katze!
A big dog! — Ein großer Hund!
A big dog! — Ein großer Hund!
Where’s the bird? — Da ist der Vogel!
Where’s the fish? — Da ist der Fisch!
Elephant! — Elefant!
Elefant! — Elephant!
Big elephant! — Großer Elefant!
Big elephant! — Großer Elefant!
Animal! — Tier!
Tier! — Animal!
Learn a word, say it again!	Lern ein Wort, sag es noch mal!
Noch einmal, my friend!
Mouse! — Maus!
Maus! — Mouse!
Horse! — Pferd!
Pferd! — Horse!
Big horse! — Großes Pferd!
Small mouse! — Kleine Maus!
Tier! Animal!
Klein! Small!
Elephant! — Elefant!
Elefant! — Elephant!
Big elephant! — Großer Elefant!
Small cat! — Kleine Katze!
Big dog! — Großer Hund!
Animal! — Tier!
Tier! — Animal!
Groß und klein, say it again!
Big and small, sing with a friend!	Groß und klein, sing mit einem Freund!
Tschüss, little friends!
Goodbye! Auf Wiedersehen!

Key German words in this song

The 4 words and phrases this song is built around.

German	English
Tier	animal
groß	big
klein	small
Elefant	elephant

How to use this song with your child

1
Count the “Elefant”s
“Elefant” means “elephant” and comes up on 11 lines. Keep count on your fingers together; older kids can try to predict when it's coming next.
2
Pause between the call and the answer
The song moves back and forth between English and German. On a second listen, pause after an English line and let your child try the German answer before the song sings it.
3
Make it a routine
At 2:37, play it once a day at the same moment for a week. After the song, say an animal sound and let your child answer with the German name.