“Das Gegenteil-Spiel” — Opposites Game Song in German for Kids
In “Das Gegenteil-Spiel” (The Opposites Game), kids sing key German words like fröhlich, traurig, laut and leise, 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, 2:43 long, made for ages 2–8.
- 🇩🇪 German
- Level: A1
- Unit 23 · Gegenteile
- ⏱ 2:43
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“Das Gegenteil-Spiel” lyrics with English translation
Every line as it's sung, with its meaning beside it. German is shown in teal.
| Sung | Meaning |
|---|---|
| I say happy! — Du sagst: fröhlich! | |
| Happy heute, fröhlich sein! | |
| I say sad! — Du sagst: traurig! | |
| Bist du traurig? Komm, lach mit! | Are you sad? Come laugh with us! |
| I say loud! — Du sagst: laut! | |
| Laut wie’n Hahn: Kikeriki! | Loud like a rooster: cock-a-doodle-doo! |
| I say quiet! — Du sagst: leise! | |
| Leise schleicht die Katze vorbei. | Quietly the cat creeps past. |
| I say, you say — ich sage, du sagst! | |
| Wort für Wort, bis du’s schon kannst. | Word by word, until you know it. |
| Happy, fröhlich! Sad, traurig! | |
| Komm, wir spielen — du und ich! | Come on, let’s play — you and me! |
| I say, you say — ich sage, du sagst! | |
| Dreh die Wörter, klatsch im Takt! | Turn the words around, clap to the beat! |
| I say day! — Du sagst: der Tag! | |
| Guten Morgen, schöner Tag! | Good morning, lovely day! |
| I say night! — Du sagst: die Nacht! | |
| Gute Nacht, schlaf gut gemacht. | Good night, sleep tight. |
| I say old! — Du sagst: alt! | |
| Opa ist alt, sein Witz ist toll. | Grandpa is old, his jokes are great. |
| I say young! — Du sagst: jung! | |
| Das kleine Küken ist noch jung. | The little chick is still young. |
| I say, you say — ich sage, du sagst! | |
| Wort für Wort, bis du’s schon kannst. | Word by word, until you know it. |
| Day, der Tag! Night, die Nacht! | |
| Komm, wir spielen — klatsch, klatsch, klatsch! | Come on, let’s play — clap, clap, clap! |
| I say, you say — ich sage, du sagst! | |
| Dreh die Wörter, klatsch im Takt! | Turn the words around, clap to the beat! |
| Are you awake? — Bist du wach? | |
| Yes, I’m wach! — Ja, ja, ja! | |
| Are you sleepy? — Bist du müde? | |
| No, not yet! — Nein, noch nicht! | |
| Hot! — Heiß! Cold! — Kalt! | |
| Fast! — Schnell! Slow! — Langsam! | |
| Yes! — Ja! No! — Nein! | |
| Wach! — Awake! Müde! — Sleepy! | |
| I say, you say — ich sage, du sagst! | |
| Wort für Wort, bis du’s schon kannst. | Word by word, until you know it. |
| Laut! — Loud! Leise! — Quiet! | |
| Fröhlich! — Happy! Traurig! — Sad! | |
| I say night! — Du sagst: der Tag! | |
| Oops, die Nacht! Jetzt weiß ich’s ja! | Oops, the night! Now I know! |
| I say fast! — Du sagst: langsam! | |
| Nein, ganz schnell! Wir lachen laut! | No, really fast! We laugh out loud! |
| I say sleepy! — Du sagst: wach! | |
| Oops, bin müde! Gute Nacht! | Oops, I’m sleepy! Good night! |
| Fröhlich, traurig, laut und leise — | Happy, sad, loud and quiet — |
| Du sagst Deutsch, ich sag’s auf Englisch! | You say it in German, I say it in English! |
Key German words in this song
The 14 words and phrases this song is built around.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| fröhlich | happy |
| traurig | sad |
| laut | loud |
| leise | quiet |
| der Tag | day |
| die Nacht | night |
| alt | old |
| jung | young |
| wach | awake |
| müde | sleepy |
| ja | yes |
| nein | no |
| ich sage | I say |
| du sagst | you say |
How to use this song with your child
- 1
Count the “du sagst”s
“du sagst” means “you say” and comes up on 17 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 2:43, play it once a day at the same moment for a week. Fill and empty a cup of water as the song sings full and empty.
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