“Groß und Klein” — Big and Small Song in German for Kids
In “Groß und Klein” (Big and Small), kids sing key German words like groß, klein, lang and kurz, going back and forth between English and German, so the meaning is never a mystery. It's a early-learner (A1) song from Unit 23: Opposites, 2:02 long, made for ages 2–8.
- 🇩🇪 German
- Level: A1
- Unit 23 · Gegenteile
- ⏱ 2:02
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“Groß und Klein” lyrics with English translation
Every line as it's sung, with its meaning beside it. German is shown in teal.
| Sung | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Big! | Groß! |
| Groß! | Big! |
| The big elephant! | Der große Elefant! |
| Der große Elefant! | The big elephant! |
| Small! | Klein! |
| Klein! | Small! |
| The little mouse! | Die kleine Maus! |
| Die kleine Maus! | The little mouse! |
| The elephant is big. | Der Elefant ist groß. |
| Der Elefant ist groß. | The elephant is big. |
| The mouse is small. | Die Maus ist klein. |
| Die Maus ist klein. | The mouse is small. |
| Big and small, groß und klein! | |
| Say it once, then say it again! | Sag es einmal, dann sag es noch mal! |
| Big! | Groß! |
| Groß! | Big! |
| Small! | Klein! |
| Klein! | Small! |
| Groß und klein, come sing along! | |
| Big and small in our learning song! | Groß und klein in unserem Lernlied! |
| Long! | Lang! |
| Lang! | Long! |
| Short! | Kurz! |
| Kurz! | Short! |
| Lang und kurz, we know the words! | |
| The long snake! | Die lange Schlange! |
| Die lange Schlange! | The long snake! |
| The short worm! | Der kurze Wurm! |
| Der kurze Wurm! | The short worm! |
| The giraffe is tall. | Die Giraffe ist groß. |
| Die Giraffe ist groß. | The giraffe is tall. |
| The penguin is short. | Der Pinguin ist klein. |
| Der Pinguin ist klein. | The penguin is short. |
| Heavy! | Schwer! |
| Schwer! | Heavy! |
| The hippo is heavy. | Das Nilpferd ist schwer. |
| Das Nilpferd ist schwer. | The hippo is heavy. |
| Light! | Leicht! |
| Leicht! | Light! |
| A feather is light. | Eine Feder ist leicht. |
| Eine Feder ist leicht. | A feather is light. |
| Big! | Groß! |
| Groß! | Big! |
| Small! | Klein! |
| Klein! | Small! |
| Groß und klein, come sing along! | |
| Big and small in our learning song! | Groß und klein in unserem Lernlied! |
| Long! | Lang! |
| Lang! | Long! |
| Short! | Kurz! |
| Kurz! | Short! |
| Lang und kurz, we know the words! | |
| The snake is long. | Die Schlange ist lang. |
| Die Schlange ist lang. | The snake is long. |
| The worm is short. | Der Wurm ist kurz. |
| Der Wurm ist kurz. | The worm is short. |
| The hippo is heavy. | Das Nilpferd ist schwer. |
| Das Nilpferd ist schwer. | The hippo is heavy. |
| The feather is light. | Die Feder ist leicht! |
| Die Feder ist leicht! | The feather is light. |
| Now switch it round—your turn, your turn! | Jetzt andersrum — du bist dran, du bist dran! |
| Big! | Groß! |
| Groß! | Big! |
| Small! | Klein! |
| Klein! | Small! |
| Groß und klein, come sing along! | |
| Big and small in our learning song! | Groß und klein in unserem Lernlied! |
| Long! | Lang! |
| Lang! | Long! |
| Short! | Kurz! |
| Kurz! | Short! |
| Lang und kurz, we know the words! | |
| Big, groß! Small, klein! | |
| We learned them all—let’s sing again! | Wir kennen alle — singen wir noch mal! |
Key German words in this song
The 10 words and phrases this song is built around.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| groß | big |
| klein | small |
| lang | long |
| kurz | short |
| schwer | heavy |
| leicht | light |
| der große Elefant | the big elephant |
| die kleine Maus | the little mouse |
| die lange Schlange | the long snake |
| der kurze Wurm | the short worm |
How to use this song with your child
- 1
Count the “groß”s
“groß” means “big” and comes up on 11 lines. Keep count on your fingers together; older kids can try to predict when it's coming next.
- 2
Split the parts
Once the song is familiar, you sing the English lines and your child sings the German ones, then swap. It turns listening into speaking.
- 3
Make it a routine
At 2:02, play it once a day at the same moment for a week. Play the opposites game: you say one word, your child says its opposite.
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