Basic German words when Traveling (2023)

FAQs

What German phrases should you know when traveling? ›

Try hallo (hello), guten tag (good day), auf wiedersehen (goodbye), danke (thank you), bitte (please), ja (yes) and nein (no). And having a few numbers under your belt – eins (one), zwei (two), drei (three) – should come in handy when buying tickets. Or beer, of course.

However, how many words are necessary to speak German? Although not as many as you may expect, you do need some words. For survival, a few hundred words are already sufficient, and with 2,000 words, you can essentially express anything (not in the most correct or natural way, of course).

it's “ich fühle mich jetzt genug besucht.”

If you want to reach C1 level of proficiency in German, you'll need an active vocabulary of at least 5,000 words. Don't worry, our advanced German vocabulary lists are not that long.

It's generally considered that reaching B2 is having basic fluency. You'll have a vocabulary of about 4000 words. In fact, the standard requirements at German universities are levels B2 to C1, so if it is enough to get you into a German-speaking university, it is enough to be able to communicate.

So, how long do you need to learn German if you want to reach this level of fluency? According to the U.S. Foreign Service Institute (FSI), you'll need about 750 hours of study to become fluent in German. This means that if you study 12-15 hours a week, you'll be able to speak like a pro in just a year!

In regular German word order, German follows the rule of Subject – Verb – Object, which means, the subject usually comes first, then the verb describing what the subject is doing, then the object that is being “verbed”. This is the same in English.

How do you respond to Danke? ›

When someone says danke, the standard response is bitte. This normally means 'please', but within the context of responding to a 'thank you', it means 'you're welcome'. If instead they say danke schön, then you should reply by saying bitte schön.

A simple sorry is enough to acknowledge the mistake. In German, you can say “Entschuldigung” or use the more informal abbreviation “'Tschuldigung”. The English word “Sorry” works, too. You'll hear it a lot, especially among younger people.

Tschüss – 'Bye' in German

It's short, sweet, and casual and you'll usually hear it used among friends and family. Contrary to popular belief, Germans really like cute words, so they'll also say Tschüss Tschüss, which means “bye bye” or Tschüssi, which is literally a “little goodbye”.

"Ja" Is the German "Yes"

You may have heard it before, but "ja" is the short and simple word in German for "yes." As in most languages, in German, there are multiple ways to say it.

The 'zh' sound in words such as 'pleasure' and 'measure' is often difficult for native Germans to pronounce. The result is often a break in the middle of the word which makes it sound more like 'mease-her' than the English 'z' sound.

The first words you may want to learn before your trip to Germany should include: 'Ja' (yes) and 'Nein' (no), greetings such as 'Hallo' (hello), 'Guten Tag' (good day), 'Auf Wiedersehen' (good bye) and a couple of words to sound polite such as 'Bitte' (please), 'Danke' (thank you), 'Entschuldigung' (sorry, though many ...

The German word bitte means so much more than “please” or “you're welcome.” In some ways, it's a go-to word like “pardon.” Keep reading to find out more about bitte and how you can incorporate it into your daily German vocabulary.

When answering the phone in Germany, state your name (or just your surname) followed by a greeting of Guten Tag. Example: 'Josef Neumaier, Guten Tag'. Some people say something more casual, like 'Hallo, Neumaier', and others just state their surname: 'Neumaier'.

6 – Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof

This phrase literally translates to 'I only understand train station', but is equivalent to 'It is all Greek to me'.