From Wikitravel
German(Deutsch) is the official and main
language of Germany, Austria, and Liechtenstein. It
is also an official language of Switzerland, and Luxembourg and spoken as a regional language
in Namibia. Furthermore,
German is spoken in the French regions of Alsace (German: Elsass) and Lorraine (German:
Lothringen), in the northern Italian province of South Tyrol
(German: Südtirol, Italian: Alto Adige or
Sudtirolo), and in a small part of eastern Belgium and southern Denmark. Standard German (Hochdeutsch) is also
generally spoken by many as a second language in much of
East-Central Europe. Small groups of native German speakers can be
found in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania.
This is due to the historical influence of Austria - the former
Austrian Empire, and Germany over the region and the radical border
changes put into place in Europe after WWII. Furthermore, small
isolated communities can be found in Russia, the Central Asian
Republics, Australia, and in North and South America.
Grammar & Dialects
In common with many other European languages, German has two
"you" verb forms which denote the relationship the speaker has to
someone else. To express familiarity, one uses the du
form; for formality, the Sie form. As a general rule the
Sie form is used when one might address someone as "Madam"
or "Sir". If on first name terms, one uses the du form.
Grammatically, the Sie form takes the 3rd person plural
ending.
There are 3 different noun genders: masculine, feminine and
neuter. The article of a noun depends on the gender: der
(m), die (f) and das (n).
Furthermore, German nouns are declined. There are four
grammatical cases: nominative (subject), accusative (direct
object), genitive (possessive), and dative (indirect object) Each
varies depending on the noun's gender and whether it is singular or
plural.
An orthographic peculiarity is that all nouns, even those in the
middle of a sentence, begin with a capital letter.
There are very strong accentual and dialectic differences in
German-speaking countries. A German from the north and one from the
south of the country can have great difficulty understanding each
other's dialects. Standard German, or "Hochdeutsch", is universally
known and taught, although not everyone speaks it well. Generally,
the further south one travels, the broader the influence of dialect
on standard speech. The Main River serves as a rough "border"
between the northern and southern German speaking cultural worlds.
Switzerland, in particular tends to use its own form of German,
even often in the media. As a rule, one should not expect all
people one encounters (especially in the rural areas) of Alsace,
Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Austria, South Tyrol and Switzerland to
speak standard German well but dialect instead.
In the north of Germany, some people speak a related language
called Plattdüütsch or Low German ("Plattdeutsch" in
German). It is strongly related to Dutch or Danish. All Platt speakers will
understand standard German.
The German spoken in Switzerland is referred to as
Schwyyzerdüütsch. There are various varieties of Swiss
German depending on the region and it is even widely used in the
media. Dialects are not usually used in the media in Germany,
Austria or Liechtenstein except for regional programming. Thus this
is rare in the German speaking world, as "Hochdeutsch" is more or
less the sole language of media outside Switzerland. The German
dialects spoken in Vorarlberg (Austria), Baden-Württemberg,
(Germany) and Alsace (France) are related to Swiss German.
In the Italian South Tyrol, like in most of Austria,
Switzerland, Liechtenstein and southern Germany most people speak a
local dialect. However standard German and Italian are taught in
the schools. The German spoken in South Tyrol is very similar to
that of neighboring Austria and Bavaria to the north.
Pronunciation guide
German pronunciation is relatively straightforward, although
spelling is somewhat more involved.
- a
- like 'u' in "cup", 'a' in "target"
- e
- like 'e' in "ten", 'a' in "bake"
- i
- like 'i' in "bingo"
- o
- like 'oo' in "door", like 'o' in "mole"
- u
- like 'ou' in "you"
- ä
- (Umlaut, transcribed as 'ae') like 'e' in "ten", 'a' in
"band"
- ö
- (Umlaut, transcribed as 'oe') like 'i' in "Sir"
- ü
- (Umlaut, transcribed as 'ue') like 'y' in 'Tyrell'
- y
- same as 'ü', but also consonant "j" in words of foreign origin
("Yacht")
Length of Vowels
A vowel is shortened when followed by a double consonant.
A vowel is lengthened by a subsequent 'h', or by a double vowel,
depending on the word. An exception is 'i', which is lengthened by
a following 'e' or 'eh'.
Examples: the h in Hahn makes the a
long; the aa in Haar is also long, the e
in Tier makes the i long. (See below for
"Diphthongs".)
Consonants
Consonants are pronounced quite strongly (except perhaps the
'r').
- b
- like 'b' in "bed"
- c
- like 'ts' in "bits" before 'i' and 'e'; like 'k' in "kid"
else
- d
- like 'd' in "dog"
- f
- like 'ph' in "phone"
- g
- like 'g' in "go" (never as in "giraffe")
- h
- like 'h' in "help"
- j
- like 'y' in "yoga"
- k
- like 'c' in "cat"
- l
- like 'l' in "love"
- m
- like 'm' in "mother"
- n
- like 'n' in "nice"
- p
- like 'p' in "pig"
- q
- like 'q' in "quest" (always with "u")
- r
- like 'r' in "arm", like 'r' in "feather". Terminal Rs are
almost silent but with the hit of an "r" sound. Rs beginning a word
or syllable are pronounced from the back of the throat, almost as
in French.
- s
- like 'z' in "haze"
- t
- like 't' in "top"
- v
- like 'f' in "father", or like "v" in "victory"
- w
- like 'v' in "victory", never like 'wh' in
"whisky"
- x
- like 'cks' in "kicks"
- z
- like 'ts' in "bits"
- ß
- like 'ss' in "hiss"
Common diphthongs and other
digraphs
Note: these combinations are not always used as diphthongs. At
syllable boundaries and sometimes even in a syllable, they are
spoken as separate vowels (e.g. soeben —
zoh-AY-ben)
- au
- like 'ow' in "how"
- ae
- transcription for 'ä' if not available on a keyboard or in
URLs
- ah
- like 'a' in "bar", longer than 'a'.
- äu
- like 'oy' in "boy"
- ei
- like 'i' in "wine"
- eu
- like 'oy' in "boy"
- eh
- long 'e'
- ie
- like 'ee' in "week", longer than 'i'.
- ieh
- like 'ee' in "week", longer than 'i', fundamentally no
difference to 'ie'.
- oe
- transcription for 'ö' if not available on a keyboard or in
URLs
- oh
- like 'oo' in "door", longer than 'o'.
- ue
- transcription for 'ü' if not available on a keyboard or in
URLs
- uh
- like 'ou' in "youth", longer than 'u'.
- ch after 'a', 'o' and 'u'
- like 'ch' in Scottish "loch", spoken in the throat, like 'j' in
Spanish
- ch after 'i' and 'e'
- like 'h' in "huge"
- ch at the beginning of a word
- like 'ch' in "character"
- ck
- like 'ck' in "blocking"
- ng
- like both 'ng' in "singing", never like 'ng' in
"finger"
- ph
- like 'f' in "fish"
- sch
- like 'sh' in "sheep"
- sp at the beginning of a word
- like 'shp' in "fish pool"
- ss
- like 'ss' in "hiss", in contrast to 'ß', makes the preceding
vowel shorter. Also used as transcription for 'ß' in URL or on
foreign keyboards.
- st at the beginning of a word
- like 'sht' in "ashtray"
Phrase list
The following phrases are for Standard German, and will
generally be well understood across the German-speaking world. See
the Swiss-German phrasebook for the
local variety spoken in Switzerland or the Austrian-German
phrasebook for the variety spoken in Austria.
- Good day.
- Guten Tag. (GOO-ten tahk, formal) better: Hallo
(informal)
- How are you?
- Wie geht's? (vee gayts?) used as a real question,
not a form of greeting.
- Fine, thank you.
- Danke, gut. (DAN-keh, goot)
- What is your name?
- Wie heißen Sie? (vee HIGH-sen zee?)
- My name is ______ .
- Ich heiße ______ . (ick HIGH-seh)
- Nice to meet you.
- Nett, Sie kennen zu lernen. (net zee KEN-en tsoo
LER-nen)
- Please.
- Bitte. (BIT-tuh)
- Thank you.
- Danke sehr. (DAN-keh zayr)
- Thanks.
- Danke. (DAN-keh)
- You're welcome.
- Bitte sehr! (BIT-teh zayr)
- Yes.
- Ja. (yah)
- No.
- Nein. (nine)
- Excuse me. (getting attention)
- Entschuldigen Sie. (ent-SHUL-di-gen zee)
- Excuse me. (begging pardon)
- Entschuldigung. (ent-SHUL-di-goong)
- I'm sorry.
- Es tut mir leid. (es tud mir lait)
- Goodbye
- Auf Wiedersehen. (owf VEE-der-zay-en)
- I can't speak German (well).
- Ich kann nicht [so gut] Deutsch sprechen. (ikh kahn nikht
[zo goot] doytsh shprekhen) better: Ich spreche kein Deutsch
(ish spresh-uh k-eye-n doitsh)
- Do you speak English?
- Sprechen Sie Englisch? (shprekhen zee ANG-lish?)
- Is there someone here who speaks English?
- Gibt es hier jemanden, der Englisch spricht? (gibt ez heer
yeh-MAHNT-en dare ENG-lish shprikht?)
- Help!
- Hilfe! (HILL-fuh!)
- Good morning.
- Guten Morgen. (GOO-ten MOR-gen)
- Good evening.
- Guten Abend. (GOO-ten AH-bent)
- Good night.
- Schönen Abend noch. (Shur-nen AH-bent nokh)
- Good night (to sleep)
- Gute Nacht. (GOO-tuh nakht)
- I don't understand.
- Ich verstehe das nicht. (ish fur-SHTAY-uh dahs
nikht)
- Where is the toilet, please?
- Wo ist die Toilette, bitte? (voh ist dee twah-LET-uh,
BIT-tuh?)
- With pleasure.
- Gerne (GUER-nuh)
- Do you know where ... is?.
- Wissen Sie, wo ... ist? (vissen zee voh ... ist)
- Leave me alone.
- Lass / Lassen Sie mich in Ruhe . (LAHS(-un zee) mikh in
ROO-uh)
- Don't touch me!
- Fass / Fassen Sie mich nicht an! (FAHS(-un zee) mikh nikht
AHN!)
- I'll call the police.
- Ich rufe die Polizei. (ish ROO-fuh dee
poh-lee-TSIGH)
- Police!
- Polizei! (poh-lee-TSIGH!)
- Stop! Thief!
- Halt! Ein Dieb! (HAHLT! ighn DEEB!)
- I need your help.
- Ich brauche deine/Ihre Hilfe. (ish BROW-khuh
DIGH-nuh/EE-ruh HILL-fuh)
- It's an emergency.
- Das ist ein Notfall. (dahs ist ighn NOHT-fahl)
- I'm lost.
- Ich habe mich verirrt. (ikh HAH-buh mikh fer-IRT)
- I lost my bag.
- Ich habe meine Tasche verloren. (ish HAH-buh migh-nuh
TAH-shuh fer-LOH-run)
- I lost my wallet.
- Ich habe mein Portemonnaie verloren. (outdated) (ish
HAH-buh mighn port-moh-NEH fer-LOH-run)
Note: Portemonnaie is of French origin, but usual in
German.
better: Ich habe meinen Geldbeutel verloren. (ish HAH-buh mighn
geh-ld-boy-tehl fer-LOH-run)
- I'm sick.
- Ich bin krank. (ish bin krahnk)
- I've been injured.
- Ich bin verletzt. (ish bin fer-LETST)
- I need a doctor.
- Ich brauche einen Arzt. (ish BROW-khuh IGH-nuh
ARTST)
- Can I use your phone?
- Kann ich dein/Ihr Telefon benutzen? (kahn ish dighn/eer
tay-lay-FOHN buh-NOOT-sun?)
- Can I use your mobile?
- Kann ich dein/Ihr Handy benutzen? (kahn ish dighn/eer handy
buh-NOOT-sun?)
Numbers
In German, the roles of dot and comma are swapped compared to
their English counterparts. The grouping separator in big numbers
is a dot (.), not a comma(,); the separator between decimal
fractions and integer is a comma (,), not a dot (.).
E.g.: 1,000 in English is 1.000 in German; 3.14159 in English is
3,14159 in German.
Note that numbers above twenty are said "backwards". Twenty-one
(einundzwanzig) is literally spoken as "one-and-twenty". This takes
a bit of getting used to, especially in higher regions. Eg. 53426
(dreiundfünfzigtausendvierhundertsechsundzwanzig) is spoken as
"three-and-fifty-thousand-four-hundred-six-and-twenty".
- 0
- null (noll)
- 1
- eins (ighnss)
- 2
- zwei (tsvigh)
- 3
- drei (drigh)
- 4
- vier (feer)
- 5
- fünf (fuunf)
- 6
- sechs (zekhs)
- 7
- sieben (ZEE-ben)
- 8
- acht (ahkht)
- 9
- neun (noyn)
- 10
- zehn (tsayn)
- 11
- elf (elf)
- 12
- zwölf (tsvoolf)
- 13
- dreizehn (DRIGH-tsayn)
- 14
- vierzehn (FEER-tsayn)
- 15
- fünfzehn (FUUNF-tsayn)
- 16
- sechzehn (ZEKH-tsayn)
- 17
- siebzehn (ZEEP-tsayn)
- 18
- achtzehn (AHKH-tsayn)
- 19
- neunzehn (NOYN-tsayn)
- 20
- zwanzig (TSVAHN-tsikh)
- 21
- einundzwanzig (IGHN-oont-tsvahn-tsikh)
- 22
- zweiundzwanzig (TSVIGH-oont-tsvahn-tsikh)
- 23
- dreiundzwanzig (DRIGH-oont-tsvahn-tsikh)
- 30
- dreißig (DRIGH-sikh)
- 40
- vierzig (FEER-tsikh)
- 50
- fünfzig (FUUNF-tsikh)
- 60
- sechzig (ZEKH-tsikh)
- 70
- siebzig (ZEEP-tsikh)
- 80
- achtzig (AHKH-tsikh)
- 90
- neunzig (NOYN-tsikh)
- 100
- (ein)hundert ([ighn]-HOON-dert)
- 200
- zweihundert (TSVIGH-hoon-dert)
- 300
- dreihundert (DRIGH-hoon-dert)
- 1000
- (ein)tausend ([ighn]-TOW-zent)
- 2000
- zweitausend (TSVIGH-tow-zent)
- 1,000,000
- eine Million (igh-nuh mill-YOHN)
- 1,000,000,000
- eine Milliarde (igh-nuh mill-YAR-duh)
Note the difference to American English numbers, often
mistranslated!
- 1,000,000,000,000
- eine Billion (igh-nuh bill-YOHN)
- number _____ (train, bus, etc.)
- Nummer/Linie _____ (NOO-mer/LEE-nee-uh)
- half
- halb (hahlp)
- the half
- die Hälfte (dee HELF-tuh)
- less
- weniger (VAY-nihg-er)
- more
- mehr (mayr)
Ordinal Numbers
- 1.
- erster (ayr-stayr)
- 2.
- zweiter (tsvigh-tayr)
- 3.
- dritter (dri-tayr)
- 4.
- vierter (feer-tayr)
- 5.
- fünfter (fuunf-tayr)
- 20.
- zwanzigster (TSVAHN-tsikhs-tayr)
- 100.
- (ein)hundertster ([ighn]-HOON-dert-stayr)
- 101.
- (ein)hunderterster ([ighn]-HOON-dert-ayr-stayr)
- now
- jetzt (yetst)
- later
- später (SHPET-er)
- before
- vor (for)
- morning
- Morgen (MOR-gen)
- in the morning
- morgens (MOR-genss)
- tomorrow morning
- morgen früh (MOR-gen FRUU)
- afternoon
- Nachmittag (NAHKH-mit-tahk)
- in the afternoon
- nachmittags (NAHKH-mit-tahks)
- evening
- Abend (AH-bent)
- in the evening
- abends (AH-bents)
- night
- Nacht (nahkht)
- in the night
- nachts (nahkhts)
Clock time
In German speaking countries as in many other European
countries, it's usual to use a 24 hour clock, ranging from 0.00 to
24.00. Okay, 24.00 is actually the same as 0.00, but one day
later.
- one o'clock AM
- ein Uhr (IGHN oor)
- two o'clock AM
- zwei Uhr (TSVIGH oor)
- noon
- zwölf Uhr or Mittag (TSVOOLF oor or
MIT-tahk)
- one o'clock PM
- dreizehn Uhr (DRIGH-tsayn oor)
- two o'clock PM
- vierzehn Uhr (FEER-tsayn oor)
- midnight
- Mitternacht or null Uhr or vierundzwanzig Uhr
(MIT-er-nahkht or NOOL oor or
FEER-oont-TSVAHN-tsikh oor)
Expressing "fractional hours" differs slightly among various
regions of Germany. The "normal" way of doing it is:
- Quarter past one - Viertel nach eins or Viertel
zwei
- Half past one - Halb zwei (half two)
- A quarter to two - Viertel vor zwei or Dreiviertel
zwei
Duration
- _____ minute(s)
- _____ Minute(n) (mih-NOO-tuh [mih-NOO-ten])
- _____ hour(s)
- _____ Stunde(n) (SHTOON-duh [SHTOON-den)
- _____ day(s)
- _____ Tag(e) (TAHK [TAH-guh])
- _____ week(s)
- _____ Woche(n) (VOKH-uh [VOKH-en])
- _____ month(s)
- _____ Monat(e) (MOH-naht [moh-NAH-tuh])
- _____ year(s)
- _____ Jahr(e) (YAHR[-uh])
- in _____
- Im Jahr _____ (im YAHR _____)
Days
- today
- heute (HOY-tuh)
- the day before yesterday
- vorgestern (for-GESS-tern)
- yesterday
- gestern (GESS-tern)
- tomorrow
- morgen (MOR-gen)
- the day after tomorrow
- übermorgen (uuber-MOR-gen)
- this week
- diese Woche (DEE-zuh VOH-khuh)
- last week
- letzte Woche (LETS-tuh VOH-khuh)
- the week before last week
- vorletzte Woche (for-LETS-tuh VOH-khuh)
- next week
- nächste Woche (NEX-tuh VOH-khuh)
- the week after next week
- übernächste Woche (uuber-NEX-tuh VOH-khuh)
The week is considered starting on monday in germany.
- Monday
- Montag (MON-tahk)
- Tuesday
- Dienstag (DEENS-tahk)
- Wednesday
- Mittwoch (MIT-vokh)
- Thursday
- Donnerstag (DON-ers-tahk)
- Friday
- Freitag (FRIGH-tahk)
- Saturday
- Samstag (ZAMS-tahk), in some regions "Sonnabend"
(ZON-ah-bent)
- Sunday
- Sonntag (ZON-tahk)
Months
- January
- Januar (YAH-noo-ahr), in Austria "Jänner"
(YEH-nna)
- February
- Februar (FAY-broo-ahr.), in Austria "Feber"
(FAY-ber)
- March
- März (mehrts)
- April
- April (ah-PRILL)
- May
- Mai (migh)
- June
- Juni (YOO-nee)
- July
- Juli (YOO-lee)
- August
- August (ow-GOOST)
- September
- September (zep-TEM-ber)
- October
- Oktober (ok-TOH-ber)
- November
- November (noh-VEM-ber)
- December
- Dezember (day-TSEM-ber)
Writing Time and Date
In the clock time, hours and minutes are separated by a '.'
instead of ':', but the latter is also widely used. Another usual
way is to write the minutes raised like an exponent.
The date is always written in the order day, month, year,
e.g.:
12/24/2003 is in German 24.12.2003. 24th of December 2003 is in
German 24. Dezember 2003
Don't get confused about that, especially if you're an
American!
- black
- schwarz (shvahrts)
- white
- weiß (vighss)
- gray
- grau (grou) - rhymes with "cow"
- red
- rot (roht)
- blue
- blau (blou) - rhymes with "cow"
- yellow
- gelb (gelp)
- green
- grün (gruun)
- orange
- orange (oh-RAHNGSH)
- purple
- purpurrot (PURR-purr-rhot), violett
(veeo-lett) or lila (LEE-lah)
- pink
- rosa (ROH-zah) or rosarot (ROH-zah-roht)
- brown
- braun (brown)
- silver
- silber (zsil-bur)
- gold
- gold (gold)
- light -
- hell- (hell) as in hellblau
- dark -
- dunkel- (dune-kel) as in dunkelblau
Transportation
Bus and Train
- How much is a ticket to _____? (bus, train)
- Was kostet eine Fahrkarte nach _____? (vass KOSS-tet
igh-nuh FAHR-kahr-tuh nahkh _____?)
- How much is a ticket to _____? (airplane)
- Was kostet ein Ticket nach _____? (vass KOSS-tet ighn
TICK-et nahkh _____?)
- One ticket to _____, please. (bus, train)
- Bitte eine Fahrkarte nach _____. (BIT-tuh IGH-nuh
FAHR-kahr-tuh nahkh _____)
- One ticket to _____, please. (airplane)
- Bitte ein Ticket nach _____. (BIT-tuh ighn TICK-et nahkh
_____)
- Where does this train/bus go?
- Wohin fährt dieser Zug/Bus? (voh-hin FEHRT dee-zer
TSOOK/BOOSS?)
- Where is the train/bus to _____?
- Wo ist der Zug/Bus nach _____? (VOH ist dayr TSOOK/BOOSS
nahkh _____?)
- Does this train/bus stop in/at _____?
- Hält dieser Zug/Bus in/bei_____? (helt DEE-zer TSOOK/BOOSS
in/by _____?)
- When does the train/bus for _____ leave?
- Wann fährt der Zug/Bus nach _____ ab? (VAHN FEHRT der
tsook/booss nahkh _____ ap?)
- When will this train/bus arrive in _____?
- Wann kommt dieser Zug/Bus in _____ an? (vahn KOMT dee-zer
TSOOK/BOOSS in _____ ahn?)
Directions
- How do I get to _____ ? (cities)
- Wie komme ich nach _____ ? (vee KOM-muh ikh nahkh
_____?)
- How do I get to _____ ? (places, streets)
- Wie komme ich zum/zur _____ ? (vee KOM-muh ikh
tsoom/tsoor _____?)
- ...the train station?
- ...zum Bahnhof? (tsoom BAHN-hohf?)
- ...the bus station?
- ...zur Bushaltestelle? (tsoor
BOOSS-hahl-tuh-shteh-luh?)
- ...the airport?
- ...zum Flughafen? (tsoom FLOOG-hah-fen?)
- ...downtown?
- ...zur Stadtmitte? (tsoor SHTUT-mit-tuh)
- ...the youth hostel?
- ...zur Jugendherberge? (tsoor
YOO-gent-hayr-bayr-guh)
- ...the _____ hotel?
- ...zum _____ Hotel? (tsoom _____ hoh-TELL)
- ...the American/Canadian/Australian/British
consulate?
- ...zum amerikanischen/kanadischen/australischen/britischen
Konsulat? (tsoom
ah-mayr-ih-KAHN-ish-en/kah-NAH-dish-en/ous-TRAH-lish-en/BRIT-ish-en
kon-zoo-LAHT?)
- Where are there a lot of...
- Wo gibt es viele... (?) (VOU gipt ess FEE-luh...)
- ...hotels?
- ...Hotels? (hoh-TELLSS)
- ...restaurants?
- ...Restaurants? (rest-oh-RAHNTS?)
- ...Bars? (bahrss?)
- ...bars? (pub)
- ...Kneipen? (KNIGH-pen?) (pronounce the K)
- ...sites to see?
- ...Sehenswürdigkeiten?
(ZAY-ens-vuur-dikh-kigh-ten?)
- Can you show me on the map?
- Kannst du/Können Sie mir das auf der Karte zeigen? (kahnst
doo/KOON-en zee meer dahss ouf dayr KAHR-tuh TSIGH-gen?)
- street, road
- Straße (SHTRAH-suh)
- left
- links (links)
- right
- rechts (rekhts)
- Turn left.
- Links abbiegen. (LINKS AHP-bee-gen)
- Turn right.
- Rechts abbiegen. (REKHTS AHP-bee-gen)
- straight ahead
- geradeaus (guh-RAH-duh-OWSS)
- towards the _____
- Richtung _____ (RIKH-toong)
- past the _____
- nach dem(m)/der(f)/dem(n) _____ (nahkh daym/dayr/daym
_____)
- before the _____
- vor dem(m)/der(f)/dem(n) _____ (for daym/dayr/daym
_____)
- Watch for the _____.
- Achte/Achten Sie auf den(m)/die(f)/das(n) _____.
(AHKH-tuh/AHKH-ten zee ouf dayn/dee/dahss _____)
- intersection
- Kreuzung (KROY-tsoong)
- north
- Norden (NOR-den)
- south
- Süden (ZUU-den)
- east
- Osten (OST-en)
- west
- Westen (VEST-en)
- uphill
- bergauf (bayrk-OUF)
- downhill
- bergab (bayrk-AHP)
- Taxi!
(TAHK-see)'''
- Take me to _____, please.
- Bitte bringen Sie mich zum/zur/nach _____. (BIT-tuh
BRING-en zee mikh tsoom/tsoor/nahkh _____)
Note: Use 'zu(m,r)' for streets and places and
'nach' for cities and villages.
- How much does it cost to get to _____?
- Wie viel kostet es bis zum/zur/nach _____? (vee feel
KOSS-tet ess biss tsoom/tsoor/nahkh _____?)
- Take me there, please.
- Bringen Sie mich bitte dahin. (BRING-en zee mikh BIT-tuh
dah-HIN)
- Do you have any rooms available?
- Sind noch Zimmer frei? (ZINT nokh TSIM-mer
FRIGH?)
- How much is a room for one person/two people?
- Wieviel kostet ein Einzelzimmer/Doppelzimmer? (vee-feel
KOSS-tet ighn IGHN-tsel-tsim-mer/DOP-pel-tsim-mer?)
- Does the room come with...
- Hat das Zimmer... (HAHT dahss TSIM-mer...)
- ...bedsheets?
- ...Bettlaken? (...BET-lahk-en?)
- ...a bathroom? (toilet)
- ...eine Toilette? (igh-nuh to-ah-LET-tuh?)
- ...a bathroom? (shower)
- ...eine Dusche? (igh-nuh DOO-shuh?)
- ...a telephone?
- ...ein Telefon? (ighn tell-eh-FOHN?)
- ...a TV?
- ...einen Fernseher? (igh-nen FAYRN-zay-er?)
- May I see the room first?
- Kann ich das Zimmer erstmal sehen? (kahn ikh dahs TSIM-mer
ayrst-mahl ZAY-en?)
- Do you have anything quieter?
- Haben Sie etwas Ruhigeres? (HAH-ben zee ET-vahs
ROO-ig-er-ess?)
- ...bigger?
- ...größeres? (GROO-ser-ess?)
- ...cheaper?
- ...billigeres? (BILL-ig-er-ess?)
- OK, I'll take it.
- OK, ich nehme es. (OH-kay, ikh NAY-muh ess)
- I will stay for _____ night(s).
- Ich bleibe eine Nacht (_____ Nächte). (ihk BLIGH-buh
IGH-nuh nahkht/_____ NEKH-tuh)
Note: The plural of 'Nacht' is 'Nächte'
.
- Can you suggest another hotel?
- Können Sie mir ein anderes Hotel empfehlen? (KOON-en zee
meer ign AHN-der-ess ho-TELL emp-FAY-len?)
Note: It's not a good idea to say this, as it may be taken in an
insulting manner. Try saying "Gibt es hier in der Nähe ein
Reisebüro?" ("Is there a tourist agency nearby?") instead.
- Do you have a safe?
- Haben Sie einen Safe? (HAH-ben zee IGH-nen SAYF?)
- ...lockers?
- ...Schließfächer? (SHLEESS-fekh-er?)
- Is breakfast/supper included?
- Ist Frühstück/Abendessen inklusive? (ist
FRUU-shtuuk/AH-bent-ess-en in-kloo-ZEE-vuh?)
- What time is breakfast/supper?
- Wann gibt es Frühstück/Abendessen? (VAHN gipt ess
FRUU-shtuuk/AH-bent-ess-en?)
- Please clean my room.
- Würden sie bitte mein Zimmer saubermachen? (VUUR-den zee
BIT-tuh mign TSIM-mer ZOW-ber-MAHKH-en?)
- Can you wake me at _____?
- Können Sie mich um _____ Uhr wecken? (KOON-en zee mikh oom
_____ oor VECK-en?)
- I would like to check out.
- Ich möchte auschecken. (ikh MOOKH-tuh
ows-check-en)
- Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars?
- Nehmen Sie US-Dollar/australische/kanadische Dollar?
(NAY-men zee OOH-ESS DOLL-ahr/ouss-TRAHL-ish-uh/kah-NAH-dish-uh
DOLL-ahr?)
- Do you accept British pounds?
- Nehmen Sie britische Pfund? (NAY-men zee BRIT-ish-uh
PFOOND?)
- Do you accept credit cards?
- Kann ich mit Kreditkarte zahlen? (kahn ikh mit
kray-DEET-kahr-tuh TSAH-len?)
- Can you change money for me?
- Können Sie mir Geld wechseln? (KOON-en zee meer GELT
WEKHS-eln?)
- Where can I get money changed?
- Wo kann ich Geld wechseln? (voh kahn ikh GELT
WEKHS-eln?)
- Can you change a traveller's check for me?
- Kann ich hier Travellerschecks einlösen? (kahn ikh heer
TREV-el-er-shecks IGHN-loo-zen?)
- Where can I get a traveler's check changed?
- Wo kann ich Travellerschecks tauschen? (voh kahn ikh
TREV-el-er-shecks TOW-shen?) (TOW rhymes with "cow")
- What is the exchange rate?
- Wie ist der Wechselkurs? (vee ist dayr
VEK-sel-koorss?)
- Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)?
- Wo ist ein Geldautomat? (voh ist ign
GELT-ow-toh-maht?)
- A table for one person/two people, please.
- Ein Tisch für eine Person/zwei Personen, bitte. (ighn TISH
fuur IGHN-uh payr-ZOHN/TSVIGH payr-ZOHN-nen, BIT-tuh)
- Can I look at the menu, please?
- Ich hätte gerne die Speisekarte. (ikh HET-tuh GAYR-nuh dee
SHPIGH-zuh-kahr-tuh)
- Is there a house specialty?
- Gibt es eine Spezialität des Hauses? (gipt ess igh-nuh
shpeh-tsyah-lee-TAYT dess HOW-zess?)
- Is there a local specialty?
- Gibt es eine Spezialität aus dieser Gegend? (gipt ess
igh-nuh shpeh-tsyah-lee-TAYT owss DEE-zer GAY-gent?)
- I'm a vegetarian.
- Ich bin Vegetarier. (ikh bin vay-gay-TAH-ree-er)
- I don't eat pork.
- Ich esse kein Schweinefleisch. (ikh ESS-uh kign
SHVIGN-uh-flighsh)
- I only eat kosher food.
- Ich esse nur koscher. (ikh ESS-uh noor KOH-sher)
- Can you make it "lite", please? (less
oil/butter/lard)
- Könnten Sie es bitte nicht so fett machen? (KOON-ten zee
ess BIT-tuh nikht zo fett MAHKH-en?)
- fixed-price meal
- Tagesessen (TAHG-ess-ess-en) / Menü (meh-NUU)
- Note: While "Tagesessen" should be used in pubs and taverns,
"Menü" is the correct word in classic restaurants.
- Without, eg. I would like spaghetti without cheese
- Ich möchte die Spaghetti, ohne Käse (Ikh merkhte dee
schpagetti, ohna kayze), "Ohne" being the key word here.
- à la carte
- a la carte (ah lah KAHRT)
- breakfast
- Frühstück (FRUU-shtuuk)
- lunch
- Mittagessen (mit-TAHK-ess-en)
- tea (meal)
- Kaffee (kah-FAY)
- supper
- Abendessen or Abendbrot (AH-bent-ess-en or
AH-bent-broht)
- Note: "Abendbrot" is mainly used in rural areas. Most Germans,
even the non-English speaking, understand dinner as
well.
- I would like _____.
- Ich möchte _____. (ikh MERKH-tuh)
- I would like a dish containing ____
- Ich möchte etwas mit ____ (ikh MOOKH-tuh ett-vahss mit
_____)
- chicken
- Huhn (hoon)
- beef
- Rindfleisch (RINT-flighsh)
- fish
- Fisch (fish)
- ham
- Schinken (SHINK-en)
- sausage
- Wurst (voorst)
- cheese
- Käse (KAY-zuh)
- eggs
- Eier (IGH-er)
- salad
- Salat (zah-LAHT)
- (fresh) vegetables
- (frisches) Gemüse ([FRISH-ess] guh-MUU-zuh)
- (fresh) fruit
- (frisches) Obst ([FRISH-ess] OWPST)
- bread
- Brot (broht)
- toast
- Toast (tohst)
- noodles
- Nudeln (NOO-deln)
- rice
- Reis (righss)
- beans
- Bohnen (BOH-nen)
- May I have a glass of _____?
- Könnte ich ein Glas _____ haben? (KOON-tuh ikh ighn glahss
_____ HAH-ben?)
- May I have a cup of _____?
- Könnte ich eine Tasse _____ haben? (KOON-tuh ikh IGH-nuh
TAH-suh _____ HAH-ben?)
- May I have a bottle of _____?
- Könnte ich eine Flasche _____ haben? (KOON-tuh ikh IGH-nuh
FLAH-shuh _____ HAH-ben?)
- coffee
- Kaffee (kah-FAY)
- tea (drink)
- Tee (tay)
- juice
- Saft (zahft)
- (bubbly) water
- Mineralwasser or Sprudel(-wasser)
(mee-ne-RAHL-wah-ser or
SHPROO-del-[wah-ser])
- water (tap)
- Leitungswasser (LIGH-toongs-wah-ser)
- Note: Tap water is quite uncommon in German restaurants.
- beer
- Bier (beer)
Note: At least in Germany and Austria, you better say what kind
of beer you want. There are: Export (EKS-port), known
as 'Helles' (HELL-as) in Bavaria and as 'Lager'
(LAH-ger) in Switzerland; Pils (pilss);
Hefeweizen (HAY-fuh-vigh-tsen), known as 'Weißbier'
(VIGHSS-beer) in Bavaria; dunkles Hefeweizen
(DOONK-less HAY-fuh-vigh-tsen); Alt (ahlt) in
the Düsseldorf region; Kölsch (koolsh) in Cologne
and probably most of the other Rhineland; Bockbier
(BOCK-beer) sometimes in the South of Germany. If
you only say beer, you will get a Pils on most
cases.
- red/white wine
- Rot-/Weiß-wein (ROHT-/VIGHSS-vighn)
- May I have some _____?
- Kann ich etwas _____ haben? (kahn ikh ET-vahss _____
HAH-ben?)
- salt
- Salz (zahlts)
- black pepper
- Pfeffer (PFEF-er)
- butter
- Butter (BOO-ter)
- Excuse me, waiter! (getting attention of
server)
- Entschuldigung! (ent-SHOOL-dih-goong)
- I'm finished.
- Ich bin fertig. (ikh bin FAYR-tikh)
- It was delicious.
- Es war hervorragend. (ess vahr hayr-FOR-rah-gent)
- Please clear the plates.
- Würden Sie bitte abräumen? (VUUR-den zee BIT-tuh
ahb-ROY-men?)
- The check, please.
- Zahlen, bitte. (TSAH-len, BIT-tuh)
- Do you serve alcohol?
- Haben Sie alkoholische Getränke? (HAH-ben zee
ahl-koh-HOHL-ish-uh guh-TRENG-kuh?)
- Is there table service?
- Kommt eine Bedienung zum Tisch? (kommt IGH-nuh
buh-DEE-noong tsoom TISH?)
- A beer/two beers, please.
- Ein Bier/zwei Bier, bitte. (ighn beer/tsvigh beer,
BIT-tuh)<brSee note in previous section.
- A glass of red/white wine, please.
- Ein Glas Rot-/Weißwein, bitte. (ighn glahss
ROHT-/VIGHSS-vign, BIT-tuh)
- A quarter/eighth of red wine, please.
- Ein Viertel/Achtel Rotwein, bitte. (ign FEER-tel/AHKH-tel
ROHT-vign, BIT-tuh)
Note: It's usual to order wine by quarters or eighths (of a
liter).
- A little/big beer, please.
- Ein kleines/großes Bier, bitte. (ighn KLIGH-ness/GROH-sess
beer, BIT-tuh)
- Half a liter, please. (of beer)
- Eine Halbe, bitte. (IGH-nuh HAHL-buh, BIT-tuh)
Note: This probably won't be understood in the North of
Germany.
- A bottle, please.
- Eine Flasche, bitte. (IGH-nuh FLAH-shuh, BIT-tuh)
- Rum and coke, please.
- Bitte eine Cola mit Rum. (BIT-tuh IGH-nuh KOH-lah mit
ROOM)
Note: In German, the mixer comes first.
- whiskey
- Whiskey (VIS-kee)
- vodka
- Wodka (VOT-kah)
- rum
- Rum (ROOM)
- water
- Wasser (VAH-ser)
- club soda
- Mineralwasser (Mee-ne-RAWL-vas-ser)
- tonic water
- Tonicwater or simply Tonic
- orange juice
- Orangensaft or simply O-Saft
(oh-RAHN-zhen-zahft or OH-zahft)
- Coke (soda)
- Cola (KOH-lah)
- Do you have any bar snacks?
- Haben Sie irgendwelche Snacks? (HAH-ben zee
EER-gent-VELL-khe SNEKS?)
- One more, please.
- Noch einen(m)/eine(f)/eins(n), bitte. (nokh
IGH-nen/IGH-nuh/IGHNS, BIT-tuh)
- Another round, please.
- Noch eine Runde, bitte. (nokh IGH-nuh ROON-duh,
BIT-tuh)
- When is closing time?
- Wann schließen Sie? (vahn SHLEE-sen zee?)
- Do you have this in my size?
- Haben Sie das in meiner Größe? (HAH-ben zee dahs in
MIGH-ner GROO-suh?)
- How much is this?
- Was kostet das? (vahss KOSS-tet dahss?)
- That's too expensive.
- Das ist zu teuer. (dahss ist tsoo TOY-er)
- Would you take _____?
- Würden Sie es für ___ verkaufen? (VUUR-den zee as fyr _____
vayr-COW-fan?)
- expensive
- teuer (TOY-er)
- cheap
- billig / günstig (BILL-ikh/GUUN-stikh) (Note: "Billig"
also can mean "not good/low quality")
- I can't afford it.
- Ich kann es mir nicht leisten. (ikh kahn ess meer nikth
LIGH-sten)
- I don't want it.
- Ich will es nicht. (ikh vill ess nikht)
- I know that this is not the regular price.
- Ich weiß, dass das nicht der normale Preis ist. (ikh
vighss, dahss dahss nikht dayr nor-MAH-luh PRIGHSS ist)
- You're cheating me.
- Sie wollen mich abzocken. (zee VOLL-en mikh
AHP-tsock-en)
Note: Actually, the translation would be: Sie betrügen
mich. But that sounds too hard. The word abzocken is a
rather familiar use of language.
- I'm not interested.
- Ich habe kein Interesse. (ikh hah-buh kighn
in-ter-ES-se)
- OK, I'll take it.
- OK, ich nehme es. (oh-kay, ikh NAY-muh ess)
- Can I have a bag?
- Kann ich eine Tüte haben? (kahn ikh IGH-nuh TUU-tuh
HAH-ben?)
- Do you ship (overseas)?
- Versenden Sie auch (nach Übersee)? (fayr-ZEN-den zee owkh
[nahkh UU-ber-zay]?)
- I need...
- Ich brauche... (ikh BROW-khuh...) (BROW
rhymes with cow)
- ...toothpaste.
- ...Zahnpaste. (TSAHN-pahs-teh)
- ...a toothbrush.
- ...eine Zahnbürste. (IGH-nuh TSAHN-buur-stuh)
- ...tampons.
- ...Tampons. (TAHM-pohns)
- ...soap.
- ...Seife. (ZIGH-fuh)
- ...shampoo.
- ...Shampoo. (SHAHM-poo)
- ...pain reliever. (e.g., aspirin or
ibuprofen)
- ...Schmerzmittel. (SHMAYRTS-mit-tel)
Note: You will get medicine in pharmacies ("Apotheke" , with
big red A-Sign) only, not in normal drugstores
- ...cold medicine.
- ...etwas gegen Erkältung. (ET-vahs GAY-gen
ayr-KELT-oong)
- ...stomach medicine.
- ....Magentabletten (MAH-gen-tah-BLET-ten)
- ...a razor.
- ...einen Rasierer. (IGH-nen rah-ZEER-er)
- ...a razor (blade)
- ...eine Rasierklinge. (IGH-ne rah-ZEER-kling-uh)
- ...an umbrella.
- ...einen Regenschirm. (IGH-nen RAY-gen-sheerm)
- ...sunblock lotion.
- ...Sonnencreme. (ZON-nen-kraym)
- ...a postcard.
- ...eine Postkarte. (IGH-nuh POST-kahr-tuh)
- ...postage stamps.
- ...Briefmarken. (BREEF-mahr-ken)
- ...batteries.
- ...Batterien. (baht-uh-REE-en)
- ...writing paper.
- ...Schreibpapier. (SHRIGHP-pah-peer)
- ...a pen.
- ...einen Stift. (igh-nen SHTIFT)
- ...English-language books.
- ...englischsprachige Bücher. (ENG-lish-shprahkh-ig-uh
BUUKH-er)
- ...English-language magazines.
- ...englischsprachige Zeitschriften.
(ENG-lish-shprahkh-ig-uh TSIGHT-shrift-en)
- ...an English-language newspaper.
- ...eine englischsprachige Zeitung. (IGH-nuh
ENG-lish-shprahkh-ig-uh TSIGH-toong)
- ...an English-German dictionary.
- ...ein Englisch-Deutsch-Wörterbuch. (ighn ENG-lish-DOYTCH
woor-ter-bookh)
- I want to rent a car.
- Ich möchte ein Auto mieten. (ikh MOOKH-tuh ighn OW-toh
mee-ten)
- Can I get insurance?
- Kann ich es versichern lassen? (kahn ikh es fayr-ZIKH-ern
LAH-sen?)
- stop (on a street sign)
- stop (SHTOP)
- one way
- Einbahnstraße (IGHN-bahn-shtrah-suh)
- yield
- Vorfahrt gewähren (FOR-fahrt guh-VEHR-ren)
- exit (on highway)
- Ausfahrt (OWS-fahrt)
- no parking
- Parkverbot (PAHRK-fayr-boht)
- speed limit
- Geschwindigkeitsbeschränkung
(guh-SHVIN-dikh-kights-buh-SHRENG-koong)
- gas (petrol) station
- Tankstelle (TAHNK-shtel-luh)
- petrol
- Benzin (ben-TSEEN)
- unleaded petrol
- Benzin bleifrei (ben-TSEEN bly-FRY)
- diesel
- Diesel (DEE-zel)
- toll
- Maut (MOWT)
- I haven't done anything wrong.
- Ich habe nichts getan. (ish HAH-buh nikhts
ge-TAHN)
- It was a misunderstanding.
- Das war ein Missverständnis. (dahs vahr ighn
MISS-fayr-shtand-niss)
- Where are you taking me?
- Wohin bringen Sie mich? (VOH-hin BRING-en zee
mikh?)
- Am I under arrest?
- Bin ich verhaftet? (bin ikh fayr-HAHF-tet?)
- I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian
citizen.
- Ich bin amerikanischer/australischer/britischer/kanadischer
Staatsbürger. (ikh bin ah-mayr-ih-KAH-nish-er /
owss-TRAH-lish-er / BRIT-ish-er / kah-NAH-dish-er
SHTAHTS-buur-ger) or, if female,
amerikanische/australische/britische/kanadische Staatsbürgerin
(ah-MAYR-ih-KAH-nish-uh / owss-TRAH-lish-uh / BRIT-ish-uh /
kah-NAH-dish-uh SHTAHTS-buur-ger-in))
- I want to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian
embassy/consulate.
- Ich will mit der/dem
amerikanischen/australischen/britischen/kanadischen
Botschaft/Konsulat sprechen. (ikh vill mit dayr/daym
ah-may-ih-KAHn-ish-en / ows-TRAH-lish-en / BRIT-ish-en /
kah-NAH-dish-en BOHT-shahft / kohn-zoo-LAHT SHPREKH-en)
- I want to talk to a lawyer.
- Ich will mit einem Anwalt sprechen. (ikh vill mit IGH-nem
AHN-vahlt SHPREKH-en)
- Can I just pay a fine now?
- Kann ich jetzt einfach eine Strafe zahlen? (kahn ikh yetst
IGHN-fakh igh-nuh SHTRAH-fe TSAH-len?)
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