Real-Life German

Say “Ich spreche kein Deutsch” or, better, “Ich spreche nur ein bisschen Deutsch”. Plus how to ask for slower speech, repeats and English.

Life-threatening: call 112. Urgent but not life-threatening, outside practice hours: call 116117 (24/7) or go to a Bereitschaftspraxis. Scripts inside.

How to phone in German: introduce yourself, make, change and cancel an appointment, spell your name, and cope when you don’t understand.

What to say at a German Apotheke: describing symptoms, asking for medicine, understanding the dosage, prescriptions and night-duty pharmacies.

Public insurance costs 14.6% of gross pay plus an average 2.9% extra in 2026, split with your employer. Private is open above 77,400 euros a year.

Reply to danke or danke schön with bitte, bitte schön, gern geschehen or gerne. Casual: kein Problem. Plus danke sehr, vielen Dank and Swiss Merci.

The 5 questions every German cashier asks (points, receipt, bag, card or cash) and how to answer, plus deli-counter phrases and label words.

What to say and bring at the Ausländerbehörde: key vocabulary, phrases for your appointment, the documents usually needed and how to handle questions.

No registration needed: you choose a Hausarzt and call to ask if they take new patients. Use the 116117 Arztsuche or Terminservice. Phone script inside.

You must register within 2 weeks of moving in; late registration can cost a fine of up to 1,000 euros. How to get a Bürgeramt Termin and what to say.