100 Basic German Phrases for Beginners (Grouped by Situation)
The basic German phrases to learn first are Hallo (hello), Danke (thank you), Bitte (please), Entschuldigung (excuse me) and Sprechen Sie Englisch? (do you speak English?). With these five you can start almost any conversation politely. Below are 100 phrases in 12 everyday situations, with notes on the traps and a 10-day plan.
Learn them as fixed chunks, not word by word: Ich hätte gern means “I would like” even if you cannot yet explain the grammar. Each group is short; where a topic has its own deep-dive post, there is a link.
Greetings
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Hallo! | Hello! | works almost everywhere |
| Guten Morgen! | Good morning! | until about 10–11 a.m. |
| Guten Tag! | Hello / Good day! | neutral, polite |
| Guten Abend! | Good evening! | |
| Wie geht es Ihnen? | How are you? (formal) | |
| Wie geht’s? | How are you? (informal) | friends, colleagues on du |
| Gut, danke. Und Ihnen? | Fine, thanks. And you? | informal: Und dir? |
| Es geht. | So-so. | not “it goes” |
Regional greetings like Moin or Servus are in how to say hi in German.
Introducing yourself
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Ich heiße … | My name is … | |
| Mein Name ist … | My name is … | more formal |
| Ich komme aus … | I come from … | |
| Ich wohne in … | I live in … | |
| Ich bin … Jahre alt. | I am … years old. | not Ich habe … Jahre |
| Ich arbeite als … | I work as … | no article: als Pflegefachkraft |
| Ich lerne Deutsch. | I am learning German. | |
| Freut mich! | Nice to meet you! |
Full model introductions: introduce yourself in German.
Politeness
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Bitte. | Please. / You’re welcome. / Here you go. | three meanings |
| Danke! | Thanks! | |
| Vielen Dank! | Thank you very much! | |
| Gern geschehen. | You’re welcome. | |
| Entschuldigung! | Excuse me! / Sorry! | to get attention, too |
| Es tut mir leid. | I’m sorry. | real apology or bad news |
| Kein Problem. | No problem. | |
| Darf ich …? | May I …? | |
| Könnten Sie mir helfen? | Could you help me? |
More on apologies: sorry in German; more replies to thanks: how to reply to Danke schön.
When you don’t understand
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Ich verstehe das nicht. | I don’t understand that. | |
| Wie bitte? | Pardon? | polite, not rude |
| Können Sie das wiederholen? | Can you repeat that? | |
| Langsamer, bitte. | More slowly, please. | |
| Sprechen Sie Englisch? | Do you speak English? | |
| Ich spreche nur ein bisschen Deutsch. | I only speak a little German. | |
| Was bedeutet …? | What does … mean? | |
| Wie sagt man … auf Deutsch? | How do you say … in German? | |
| Können Sie das bitte aufschreiben? | Could you write that down, please? | great for numbers and names |
More survival lines: I don’t speak German: phrases.
Shopping
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Was kostet das? | How much is that? | |
| Ich suche … | I’m looking for … | |
| Haben Sie …? | Do you have …? | |
| Ich schaue nur. | I’m just looking. | |
| Ich nehme das. | I’ll take it. | |
| Kann ich mit Karte zahlen? | Can I pay by card? | |
| Bar, bitte. | Cash, please. | |
| Eine Tüte, bitte. | A bag, please. | bags usually cost extra |
| Ich brauche keinen Bon. | I don’t need the receipt. |
Café and restaurant
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Ist hier noch frei? | Is this seat free? | |
| Die Speisekarte, bitte. | The menu, please. | not das Menü |
| Ich hätte gern … | I would like … | the most useful ordering chunk |
| Für mich bitte … | For me, … please. | |
| Einen Kaffee, bitte. | A coffee, please. | einen: der Kaffee, accusative |
| Zum Mitnehmen, bitte. | To take away, please. | |
| Die Rechnung, bitte. | The bill, please. | also: Zahlen, bitte. |
| Zusammen oder getrennt? | Together or separately? | the waiter’s question |
| Stimmt so. | Keep the change. |
Directions
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Wo ist …? | Where is …? | |
| Wie komme ich zum Bahnhof? | How do I get to the station? | zum = zu dem |
| Ist das weit? | Is it far? | |
| Geradeaus. | Straight on. | |
| Links / rechts. | Left / right. | |
| Um die Ecke. | Around the corner. | |
| Gibt es hier eine Toilette? | Is there a toilet here? | |
| Ich habe mich verlaufen. | I’m lost (on foot). | by car: verfahren |
Transport
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Eine Fahrkarte nach Berlin, bitte. | A ticket to Berlin, please. | |
| Hin und zurück. | Return (there and back). | |
| Von welchem Gleis fährt der Zug? | Which platform does the train leave from? | |
| Fährt dieser Bus zum Zentrum? | Does this bus go to the centre? | |
| Wann fährt der nächste Zug? | When is the next train? | |
| Muss ich umsteigen? | Do I have to change? | |
| Ist dieser Platz frei? | Is this seat free? | |
| Der Zug hat Verspätung. | The train is delayed. | you will hear this |
Doctor and pharmacy
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Ich brauche einen Termin. | I need an appointment. | |
| Ich bin krank. | I’m ill. | |
| Mir geht es nicht gut. | I’m not feeling well. | mir, not ich |
| Mir ist kalt. | I’m cold. | Ich bin kalt means you are a cold person |
| Ich habe Kopfschmerzen. | I have a headache. | |
| Ich habe Fieber. | I have a fever. | |
| Es tut hier weh. | It hurts here. | |
| Ich bin allergisch gegen … | I’m allergic to … |
Practise your German out loud with SipLingo, free to try on iPhone and Android:
Emergencies
In an emergency in Germany, call 112 (ambulance, fire brigade); the police number is 110.
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Hilfe! | Help! | |
| Rufen Sie einen Krankenwagen! | Call an ambulance! | |
| Rufen Sie die Polizei! | Call the police! | |
| Es brennt! | There’s a fire! | |
| Ich brauche einen Arzt. | I need a doctor. | |
| Es gab einen Unfall. | There has been an accident. | |
| Ich habe meinen Pass verloren. | I’ve lost my passport. | |
| Wo ist das nächste Krankenhaus? | Where is the nearest hospital? |
Small talk
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Woher kommen Sie? | Where are you from? | informal: Woher kommst du? |
| Was machen Sie beruflich? | What do you do for a living? | |
| Wie lange sind Sie schon hier? | How long have you been here? | present tense in German |
| Das Wetter ist heute schön. | The weather is nice today. | |
| Wie war Ihr Wochenende? | How was your weekend? | Monday classic |
| Das klingt gut. | That sounds good. | |
| Ich finde das toll. | I think that’s great. | |
| Schönes Wochenende! | Have a nice weekend! | Friday classic |
Saying goodbye
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Tschüss! | Bye! | fine with most people |
| Auf Wiedersehen! | Goodbye! | formal; on the phone: Auf Wiederhören |
| Bis bald! | See you soon! | |
| Bis morgen! | See you tomorrow! | |
| Bis später! | See you later! | |
| Schönen Tag noch! | Have a nice day! | shops, offices |
| Gute Nacht! | Good night! | only before bed |
| Mach’s gut! | Take care! | informal |
That makes 100. Many of these phrases contain the most frequent German words, listed in most common German words.
How do you learn German phrases fast?
- Learn chunks, not single words. Ich hätte gern is one unit. You do not need the grammar behind it on day one.
- Say every phrase out loud, three times. Reading a phrase and saying it under pressure are two different skills.
- 10 phrases a day, not 100. Ten new phrases plus a review of yesterday’s takes about 15 minutes.
- Use them in a mini-scene. Combine greeting, request and goodbye: Guten Tag. Ich hätte gern einen Kaffee. Danke, schönen Tag noch!
Speaking is where most beginners get stuck. SipLingo gives you voice conversations with an AI partner in everyday situations like the bakery, the doctor or work, and corrects your grammar and word order in your own language, with the right sentence and an example. Try a beginner conversation.
A 10-day plan for 100 basic German phrases
| Day | New phrases | Mini-task |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greetings + 2 goodbyes | greet 3 imaginary people |
| 2 | Introducing yourself + 2 goodbyes | record a 20-second introduction |
| 3 | Politeness + 1 goodbye | add bitte and danke to yesterday’s recording |
| 4 | Not understanding + 1 goodbye | role-play a fast speaker |
| 5 | Shopping + 1 goodbye | ask the price of 5 things at home |
| 6 | Café and restaurant + 1 goodbye | order a full breakfast aloud |
| 7 | Directions + 2 transport | describe your way to the station |
| 8 | Rest of transport + 4 doctor | buy a ticket and say you feel ill |
| 9 | Rest of doctor + 6 emergencies | say the emergency lines without looking |
| 10 | Last 2 emergencies + small talk | a 2-minute chat: greeting, small talk, goodbye |
Review the previous day’s phrases each morning, before you learn new ones.
Exercise: what do you say?
- You did not hear what the cashier said.
- You want to order a tea.
- You leave a shop in the afternoon.
- You want to tell the doctor you feel cold.
- A colleague says “Danke!” for your help.
Answers: 1. Wie bitte? 2. Ich hätte gern einen Tee. (or Einen Tee, bitte.) 3. Schönen Tag noch! (or Tschüss!) 4. Mir ist kalt. 5. Gern geschehen. (or Bitte.)
Official sources
For the official details and the latest updates, see:
- Goethe-Institut: Goethe A1 Start Deutsch 1 word list (PDF) – ~650 A1 words and everyday expressions by topic, with example sentences
Frequently asked questions
What are some basic German phrases I should learn?
Start with greetings (Hallo, Guten Tag), politeness (Bitte, Danke, Entschuldigung), survival lines (Ich verstehe das nicht, Langsamer, bitte) and ordering (Ich hätte gern …). These cover most first conversations.
What are 100 common phrases in German?
The 100 basic German phrases above cover 12 situations, from greetings and shopping to the doctor and emergencies. Learn about 10 a day and you have them all in 10 days.
What are the top 5 German phrases?
Hallo, Danke, Bitte, Entschuldigung and Sprechen Sie Englisch? They let you greet, thank, ask, apologise and switch language if you are stuck.
How do you learn German phrases fast?
Learn them as chunks, say each one aloud several times and use them in small role-plays. Ten new phrases a day with daily review works better than long sessions once a week.
What are 50 basic German words for beginners (die wichtigsten deutschen Wörter)?
Start with ich, du, Sie, ja, nein, bitte, danke, gut, haben, sein, gehen, kommen, wo, was, wie and everyday nouns like das Wasser, das Brot, der Bahnhof. A full list is in our post on the most common German words.
Phrases stick when you say them, so practise real conversations by voice with instant corrections in your own language.
