Basic German words for beginners to learn

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When you first start to learn German, it’s important to develop a vocabulary of the most basic German words. Common greetings, phrases, nouns, verbs, adjectives and numbers are among the German language basics that can serve as the foundation for all future language learning. 

As you develop your vocabulary, you’ll quickly grow in confidence when using words in your classes, and you’ll also find that you’re able to get by in situations where you need to convey basic information quickly to a German speaker. In this article, we’ll cover some of the most common German words, allowing you to start to build up your vocabulary.

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German language basics: Most common German words

To begin with, it’s helpful to cover some of the absolute most basic German words, for example, for beginners taking a German A1 course.

  • Ja = Yes
  • Nein = No
  • Hallo = Hello (used as a casual greeting)
  • Tschüss = Bye (used as a fairly informal farewell)
  • Auf Wiedersehen = Goodbye (used as a more formal farewell)
  • Danke = Thanks
  • Entschuldigung = Excuse me
  • Es tut mir leid = I’m sorry
  • Bitte = Please / You’re welcome
  • Wo = Where
  • Zu = To

The word zu actually has a lot of utility in the German language, as you can read in our blog post on how to use zu in German.

It’s also a good idea to become familiar with the basic pronouns, too.

  • Ich: I
  • Du: You (singular form)
  • Er: He
  • Sie: She (singular form)/ They (plural form)
  • Es: It
  • Wir: We
  • Ihr: You (plural form)
  • Ihm / ihn: Him
  • Ihr: Her
  • Ihnen: Them
  • Uns: Us

German greetings

Greetings are one of the German language basics that you’ll need to use often. 

When beginning your learning journey, it’s worth learning some formal greetings. These are especially useful if you’re meeting a stranger, speaking to someone in a professional setting, or simply trying to avoid causing any offense by seeming too relaxed or familiar.

  • Guten Tag = Good day
  • Guten Morgen = Good morning
  • Guten Abend = Good evening
  • Guten Mittag = Good afternoon
  • Gute Nacht = Good night

You can also drop the adjective, e.g., Morgen! = “morning!”

If you’d rather use something a little more informal or casual among friends, you can use the aforementioned Hallo! or any of the following greetings.

  • Grüß dich! = Hi / Hello / Hi there! (literally translates to “greet you”).
  • Was geht ab? = What’s up?
  • Was läuft? = What’s going on?

You’ll find a complete list of greetings in our best ways to say hello in German post.

Beyond using tschüss or auf Wiedersehen, it’s also helpful to know how to say goodbye.

  • Bis später = See you later
  • Bis bald = See you soon
  • Wir sehen un. = See you (literally translates to “we see each other”)
  • Schönen Tag (noch) = Have a nice day

German small talk for beginners

Next, it’s beneficial to have some phrases to use for small talk and for generally getting by in a German-speaking country. The phrases below are among the most useful.

  • Mein Name ist… = My name is… (fairly formal and often used with full name)
  • Ich heiße… = My name is… (less formal and often used with just a first name)
  • Wie heißt du? = What is your name?
  • Wie geht’s? = How’s it going? / How are you?
  • Mir geht’s gut. = I’m doing well / I’m fine.
  • Wie alt bist du? = How old are you?
  • Ich bin __ Jahre alt. = I am __ years old.
  • Wo ist die Toilette? = Where is the bathroom? / Where is the restroom?
  • Sehr gut. = Very good.
  • Ich verstehe nicht. = I don’t understand.

Check out our blog post on how to say months and dates in German, too.

German numbers

Among the most essential basic German words to learn are numbers. In this section, we’ll list the numbers from 1-12 so you can memorize them.

  • Eins: one
  • Zwei: two
  • Drei: three
  • Vier: four
  • Fünf: five
  • Sechs: six
  • Sieben: seven
  • Acht: eight
  • Neun: nine
  • Zehn: ten
  • Elf: eleven
  • Zwölf: twelve

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    Basic German nouns

    For absolute beginners, German nouns can be tricky to get to grips with for two main reasons. Firstly, unlike in English, they are always written with a capital letter at the start. 

    Secondly, all nouns are also assigned a gender (either masculine, feminine or neuter). This assigned gender alters the word used for “the” before the noun, with der used for masculine words, die used for feminine nouns and das used for neuter nouns.

    To make this easier, we’ll break down some basic German nouns according to their gender. We’ve used lowercase for the words representing “the” to emphasize the need to capitalize nouns.

    The following are all masculine nouns.

    • der Mann: the man
    • der Junge: the boy
    • der Sohn: the son
    • der Tisch: the table
    • der Lehrer: the teacher
    • der Student: the student
    • der Bahnhof: the train station
    • der Bus: the bus
    • der Apfel: the apple
    • der Hund: the dog

    The following nouns are all feminine.

    • die Frau: the woman / the wife
    • die Tochter: the daughter
    • die Mutter: the mother
    • die Lehrerin: the teacher
    • die Studentin: the student
    • die Schule: the school
    • die Straße: the street
    • die Bank: the bank
    • die Nacht: the night
    • die Banane: the banana
    • die Kuh: the cow
    • die Katze: the cat

    The nouns that follow are all neuter.

    • das Mädchen: the girl
    • das Auto: the car
    • das Restaurant: the restaurant
    • das Hotel: the hotel
    • das Wasser: the water
    • das Essen: the food
    • das Getränk: the drink
    • das Frühstück: the breakfast
    • das Mittagessen: the lunch
    • das Abendessen: the dinner

    Basic German verbs

    When focusing on the German language basics, it’s also essential to learn some key verbs.

    • haben: to have
    • kommen: to come
    • geben: to give
    • gehen: to go
    • sagen: to say
    • sehen: to see
    • laufen: to run
    • spielen: to play
    • schreiben: to write
    • wollen: to want

    You can go into greater depth by reading our 100 most common German verbs blog post.

    Basic German adjectives

    Finally, it’s a good idea to equip yourself with some basic German adjectives, too.

    • groß: big / large
    • klein: small
    • krank: sick / ill
    • gesund: healthy
    • gut: good
    • schlecht: bad
    • neu: new
    • alt: old
    • richtig: correct / right
    • falsch: false / incorrect

    Basic German words you need to know

    This list of basic German words is a useful starting point, but you’ll need to gradually increase your vocabulary and your understanding of grammar and sentence structure.

    With Lingoda, you can learn German online from native-level teachers. You’ll have an opportunity to engage with other students in small classes, building your confidence in the process. We also provide flexible scheduling, allowing you to fit learning around your other commitments. 

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    Lingoda Team

    This article was produced by one of the in-house Lingoda writers.

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