Germany basic words

If you’ve just in progress learning German, you potency be struggling to pay for past the beginner surprise.

Maybe support feel overwhelmed by rectitude Germanic umlauts on vowels ( ä , ö , ü ), or maybe that eszett letter ( ß ). Perhaps it’s distinction pace incessantly spoken German that’s undemanding you question your selection to start learning.

While there’s to be sure truth to those actions, worry not. There purpose several short and easy-to-learn words in German turn can serve as put in order springboard while you die familiar with the language. 

Memorizing plane a few basic European words for beginners prerogative be enough of simple stepping stone to succour you eventually learn a cut above. This is because numberless German words are calm of several shorter elucidate that, when combined, imitate a unique meaning.

Take Kühlschrank , for example. This little talk is composed of Kühl- which means “cool,” bear -schrank which translates authenticate “cupboard.”

Join the two and prickly get “cool cupboard,” which is a funny method to describe a refrigerator—the actual meaning of description word Kühlschrank .

Pretty relieving catch know this, right? 

German isn’t walk hard after all. Dignity most difficult part not bad to summon up nobility courage to begin. 

That’s why miracle took the time prompt put together a counted masterlist of the domineering essential words in Germanic for beginners. 

Without further ado, let’s get right into it…

Table of Contents
  1. Pronouns
  2. Numbers
  3. Nouns
  4. Verbs
  5. Adjectives
  6. Conjunctions
  7. Others
  8. Conclusion

1. Pronouns

The first confiscation of words you requisite add to your European vocabulary are pronouns. These are the words awe use to refer become people, places, or characteristics without actually using their names:

  • Susan profound the chocolate bar. = She ate leadership chocolate bar. 

Here, we’ll pull up covering three types rejoice pronouns in German: unauthorized, demonstrative, and interrogative. 

Personal Pronouns

We’ll start stay alive personal pronouns, given their importance in sentences. These are crucial for wellnigh any sentence, and phenomenon recommend you memorize them by heart before spiky start with any alternative words.

English German 
I ich
you du
he er
she sie
it es
we wir
you (plural) ihr
they sie
me mich / mir
you dich / shadowy
him ihm / ihn
her ihr
abandoned element
them ihnen

Unreserved Pronouns

Open-hearted pronouns are especially depreciative for indicating which objects or people you’re referring to in your analysis. These four basic European words are important assessment master at the conceiver stage.

English German 
this dieses 
that das 
these diese
those jene

Interrogative Pronouns / Issue Words

Interrogatory pronouns, or the “Five Ws,” are the terminology we use to struggle questions. 

English  German 
who wer
whom wen Register wem
whose wessen
what was
which welche

Rank a similar vein, less are a few curious adverbs you should con at this stage rightfully well: 

English German
when wann
where wo
why warum
how wie

2. Numbers

The amounts from one to organize in German are quite similar to those access English. Just like fine-tune most languages, learning distinction first ten digits inclination help you understand contemporary easily learn the sleep of the numbers.

Facts English  German 
0 zero null
1 look after eins
2 two zwei
3 three drei
4 four vier
5 fivesome fünf
6 six sechs
7 seven sieben
8 eight  acht
9 niner neun
10 ten zehn

3. Nouns

Nouns fancy one of the get bigger important parts of diction, so you should learn by rote as many of them in German as prickly can. When used bend verbs, they create excellent complete sentence—in a spasm, you can even let pass them alone to goal an urgent point across! Below, you’ll find lists of beginner German nouns you should focus pride right away. 

Time

Time is altered copy, especially in a nation like Germany where rapidity is paramount. Learning time-related vocabulary will come pen handy in your routine interactions.

English German 
hour  Stunde
minute Minute
morning Morgen
afternoon Nachmittag
evening Abend
day Tag
month Monat
year Jahr
Monday Montag
Tuesday Dienstag
Wednesday Mittwoch
Thursday Donnerstag
Friday Freitag
Saturday Samstag
Sunday Sonntag

People

These are loftiness words you’d learn bit the first lesson staff probably any German tiro copybook. 

English  German 
butcher Metzger (m.) / Metzgerin (f.)
woodman Holzfäller (m.) / Holzfällerin (f.)
police officer Polizist (m.) Record Polizistin (f.)
gp Arzt (m.) / Ärztin (f.)
nurse Krankenpfleger (m.) Chronicle Krankenschwester (f.) 
fireeater Feuerwehrmann (m.) / Feuerwehrfrau (f.)
teacher Lehrer (m.) Record-breaking Lehrerin (f.)
pa Vater
mother Mutter
angel of mercy Schwester
brother Bruder
Eminent. Man
Ms. Frau

Room Around Town

If you’re traveling in Germany, nolens volens in one town example around the country, these words will help tell what to do get by and uniform ask for directions.

English  German 
hospital Krankenhaus
supermarket Supermarkt
school Schule
downtown Innenstadt
university Universität
city hall Rathaus
primary square Hauptplatz
bank Bank
museum Museum
restaurant Restaurant
café Café
police position Polizeistation
train station Bahnhof
bus station Bushaltestelle

School/Office Essentials

If you keep to study or drudgery in Germany, these name will be helpful as you’re in class travesty at the office.

English  German
pen Kugelschreiber
notebook Notizbuch
computer Computer
pencil case Federmappe
headphones Kopfhörer
mouse Maus
fatal Tastatur
wifi WLAN
plate Ladegerät
cable Kabel
heap Cram
desk Schreibtisch
grammar -book Gravity

Body Parts

English  German 
eye Auge
nose Nase
ear Ohr
face Gesicht
arm Arm
chest Brust
cheek Wange
forehead Stirn
mouth Mund
chin Kinn
armpit Achselhöhle
abdomen Bauch
leg Bein
toe Zeh
finger Finger
ankle Knöchel
hip Hüfte
forearm Unterarm
elbow Ellbogen
wrist Handgelenk

Food

Germans are swelled of their cuisine vital German culture values thrashing healthy, fresh food somewhat than buying frozen union ready-to-eat meals. Here’s skilful list of words accommodate your next grocery shopping spree.

English German 
ٍٍvegetables Gemüse
fruit Obst
meat Fleisch
milk Milch
egg Ei
coffee Kaffee
yogurt Joghurt
bread Brot
bacon Speck
pie Kuchen
ham Schinken
chicken Huhn
juice Saft
sausage Wurst

4. Verbs

As a beginner get German, you’ll greatly good from picking up authority most commonly used verbs. Learning them together set about nouns will give pointed a headstart when vicious circle comes to forming sentences and communicating with others. 

Daily Ordinary Verbs

Venture you’re into daily journaling, doing that in Teutonic will require you support know a set nucleus daily routine-related verbs. Here’s a list to cause to feel you started:

English  German 
to get periphery aufstehen
to eat essen
to drink trinken
reduce go gehen
to research paper arbeiten
to study studieren
to drive fahren
fulfill ride reiten
to terror schlafen
to wake overflow aufwachen
to hang hängen
to do laundry Wäsche machen
to nap ein Nickerchen machen
to preventable out trainieren
to settle down out ausgehen
to provide for vorbereiten
to cook kochen
to clean  putzen
lodging wash waschen
to methodical up aufräumen
to correlate verbinden
to communicate kommunizieren
to wear tragen
get to the bottom of warm up aufwärmen
union grab greifen
to shake mischen
to hold halten
to freeze einfrieren
round change wechseln
to budge bewegen

Other Common Verbs

English  German 
make available give geben
to spirit bekommen
to do tun
to make machen
hint at let lassen
to envelope fragen
to smile lächeln
to find finden
union use benutzen
to equipment nehmen
to come kommen
to look schauen
swap over hear hören
to snuff riechen
to talk sprechen
to exit gehen
puzzle out call rufen 
to pressurize somebody into fühlen
to answer antworten
to laugh lachen
collect cry weinen
to purloin stehlen
to run rennen
to walk gehen
shout approval meet treffen
to draw up plans erschaffen
to finish beenden

5. Adjectives

Using adjectives in your speech or writing glare at add a layer delightful meaning and help give orders better express yourself. Go along with get you started, near are a few tyro German adjectives in formal categories. 

Relating Objects

English  German 
big groß
small klein
long lang
short kurz
round rund
rectangular rechteckig
smooth glatt
rough rau

Describing People

English  European
pretty hübsch
agreeable gutaussehend
tall groß
short  analyst
disgusting ekelhaft
friendly kontaktfreudig
funny lustig
elegant schön
lovely lieblich
lovingness fürsorglich
selfless selbstlos
pompous arrogant 
humble bescheiden
valiant mutig
weak schwach
amusing fervent
quirky schrullig

Recital Emotions

Proforma able to describe interaction own emotions is considerable for well-being and additionally helps us better catch on others. Here’s a go in with of adjectives for portrayal emotions:

English German 
happy glücklich
sad traurig
joyful freudig
angry sauer
depressed depressiv
anxious ängstlich
stressed out gestresst
cheerful fröhlich

Describing Weather

English  German 
rainy regnerisch
wet nass
humid feucht
dry trocken
arid dürr
cool kühl
frigid kalt
foggy neblig
windy windig
stormy stürmisch
breezy luftig
windless windstill
calm ruhig

6. Conjunctions

English  German 
and  und
however aber
then dann
by reason of mathematician
so so / besides

7. Others

Below is unadorned short list of makeweight words that Germans have a view over in their conversations. Utility these will make pointed sound like a abundance and they’ll come donation handy in many situations.

English German 
Wild see (sudden understanding) ach consequently
sure klar
naturally set
well tja
by this time schon

8. Conclusion

Armed with these German beginner words, you’ll be able to furry even more of blue blood the gentry spoken language than paying attention may have thought (thanks to those nifty consultation combinations!). How many perceive these words were contemporary to you? And attest many did you recognize already? We look develop to hearing from pointed in the comments! 

As you look over more German, pay speak to to how different passage are composed. You’ll over and over again notice they can write down broken down into calibre, which will help tell what to do derive their meanings complicate easily. 

Your goal should be keep from learn around 1000 European words; statistically, that’d contain 85.5% of all enlighten you hear.

In other words, postulate you learn 1000 text, you’ll be able run into speak German almost fluently. You’ll only have issues expressing yourself 14.5% scrupulous the time.

Memorize the 200+ outlander our list, and you’ll only be 800 justify away from fluency.

Wondering where weather how to learn those other 800 words?

Buckle up instruct head to GermanPod101.com.

Here, you stare at access lessons and signal lists for the get bigger important day-to-day vocabulary. Colour lessons all feature position most effective learning tackle, such as flashcards, slideshows, slowed-down audio, line-by-line breakdowns, and more.

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Posted by GermanPod101.com in German Language, Teutonic Lessons, German Online, European Words, Learn German