{"id":368,"date":"2026-10-26T07:36:20","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T07:36:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/blog\/?p=368"},"modified":"2026-10-31T09:09:43","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T09:09:43","slug":"i-dont-speak-german-phrases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/blog\/i-dont-speak-german-phrases\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Say &#8220;I Don&#8217;t Speak German&#8221; in German (and What to Say Instead)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The way to say I don&#8217;t speak German in German is <em>Ich spreche kein Deutsch<\/em>. If you know a little, <em>Ich spreche nur ein bisschen Deutsch<\/em> (I only speak a little German) is better, because it keeps the conversation going. Add <em>K\u00f6nnen Sie bitte langsamer sprechen?<\/em> (Could you speak more slowly, please?) and most people will adjust.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The goal of these phrases is not to end the conversation but to set the speed. A clear sentence at the start tells the other person how to talk to you, and Germans in shops, offices and surgeries usually respond by slowing down or rephrasing.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The 21 survival phrases<\/h2>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>German<\/th><th>English<\/th><th>When to use it<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><em>Ich spreche kein Deutsch.<\/em><\/td><td>I don&#8217;t speak German.<\/td><td>You really know almost nothing<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Ich kann kein Deutsch.<\/em><\/td><td>I can&#8217;t speak German.<\/td><td>Same meaning, more casual<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Ich spreche nur ein bisschen Deutsch.<\/em><\/td><td>I only speak a little German.<\/td><td>The best default for beginners<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Mein Deutsch ist noch nicht so gut.<\/em><\/td><td>My German isn&#8217;t very good yet.<\/td><td>Friendly, shows you are learning<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Entschuldigung, ich lerne noch Deutsch.<\/em><\/td><td>Sorry, I&#8217;m still learning German.<\/td><td>Before a longer conversation<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>K\u00f6nnen Sie bitte langsamer sprechen?<\/em><\/td><td>Could you speak more slowly, please?<\/td><td>The most useful sentence on this list<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>K\u00f6nnen Sie das bitte wiederholen?<\/em><\/td><td>Could you repeat that, please?<\/td><td>You missed something<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Noch einmal, bitte.<\/em><\/td><td>Once more, please.<\/td><td>Short version of the above<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Wie bitte?<\/em><\/td><td>Sorry? \/ Pardon?<\/td><td>You didn&#8217;t catch one word or sentence<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Ich habe das nicht verstanden.<\/em><\/td><td>I didn&#8217;t understand that.<\/td><td>Polite and clear<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Ich verstehe nur ein bisschen.<\/em><\/td><td>I only understand a little.<\/td><td>Long explanations, official letters<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Was bedeutet &#8230;?<\/em><\/td><td>What does &#8230; mean?<\/td><td>A word you don&#8217;t know<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Wie sagt man &#8230; auf Deutsch?<\/em><\/td><td>How do you say &#8230; in German?<\/td><td>You know the word in English<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Was hei\u00dft das auf Englisch?<\/em><\/td><td>What is that in English?<\/td><td>Quick translation<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>K\u00f6nnen Sie das bitte aufschreiben?<\/em><\/td><td>Could you write that down, please?<\/td><td>Addresses, names, dates<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>K\u00f6nnen Sie das bitte buchstabieren?<\/em><\/td><td>Could you spell that, please?<\/td><td>Names, email addresses<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Sprechen Sie Englisch?<\/em><\/td><td>Do you speak English?<\/td><td>When you really need to switch<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>K\u00f6nnen wir bitte Englisch sprechen?<\/em><\/td><td>Could we speak English, please?<\/td><td>Important details, after trying German<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Moment, bitte.<\/em><\/td><td>One moment, please.<\/td><td>You need time to think or look something up<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>K\u00f6nnen Sie mir bitte helfen?<\/em><\/td><td>Could you help me, please?<\/td><td>Opening line with strangers<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Ich m\u00f6chte gern Deutsch \u00fcben.<\/em><\/td><td>I&#8217;d like to practise German.<\/td><td>When someone switches to English and you don&#8217;t want them to<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Kein Deutsch or nicht Deutsch?<\/h3>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Ich spreche kein Deutsch<\/em> is the standard sentence, because <em>kein<\/em> negates the noun <em>Deutsch<\/em>. <em>Nicht<\/em> appears when you negate something else, for example the quality: <em>Ich spreche nicht gut Deutsch<\/em> (I don&#8217;t speak German well), or in a contrast: <em>Ich spreche nicht Deutsch, sondern Englisch.<\/em> The full rule is in <a href=\"\/blog\/nicht-vs-kein\/\">nicht vs kein<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Saying I don&#8217;t speak German in German politely<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Use <em>Sie<\/em> with anyone you don&#8217;t know: shop staff, officials, doctors, neighbours you have just met. With <em>Sie<\/em> the verb comes first in a yes\/no question, and <em>Sie<\/em> is always capitalised: <em>Sprechen Sie Englisch?<\/em> Written in lowercase, <em>sprechen sie Englisch?<\/em> means &#8220;do they speak English?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Three small additions make any of these sentences sound more polite:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Start with <em>Entschuldigung<\/em>:<\/strong> <em>Entschuldigung, k\u00f6nnen Sie bitte langsamer sprechen?<\/em> More on this word in <a href=\"\/blog\/sorry-in-german\/\">how to say sorry in German<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n<li><strong>Put <em>bitte<\/em> in the middle of the question:<\/strong> <em>K\u00f6nnen Sie das bitte wiederholen?<\/em><\/li>\n\n<li><strong>Use <em>k\u00f6nnten<\/em> for extra softness:<\/strong> <em>K\u00f6nnten Sie das bitte noch einmal erkl\u00e4ren?<\/em> (Could you explain that again, please?)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tone matters more than grammar here. A smile and <em>Mein Deutsch ist noch nicht so gut<\/em> sound friendly; a flat <em>Kein Deutsch<\/em> can sound like you want to end the conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Germans usually react<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In bigger cities, and with younger people, the most common reaction is a switch to English, often after your first sentence. It is meant as help, not as a judgement. In smaller towns, offices and with older people, expect people to continue in German, sometimes more slowly and with simpler words.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you want to keep practising, say so: <em>Danke, aber ich m\u00f6chte gern Deutsch \u00fcben. K\u00f6nnen Sie bitte langsam sprechen?<\/em> (Thanks, but I&#8217;d like to practise German. Could you speak slowly, please?) Most people are happy to do that when it is not busy.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When to switch to English, and when not to<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Stay in German<\/strong> for shopping, ordering, small talk, asking for directions and simple appointments. Mistakes here cost nothing, and these are exactly the situations where you learn fastest. If you can read German much better than you speak it, the reasons are covered in <a href=\"\/blog\/why-understand-german-cant-speak\/\">why you understand German but can&#8217;t speak<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Switch to English, or ask for help,<\/strong> when a misunderstanding could hurt you:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>medical consent, diagnoses and medication instructions<\/li>\n\n<li>contracts, leases and anything you sign<\/li>\n\n<li>police, court or official procedures with consequences<\/li>\n\n<li>emergencies<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In these situations, say: <em>Das ist wichtig. K\u00f6nnen wir bitte Englisch sprechen?<\/em> or <em>Ich brauche einen Dolmetscher<\/em> \/ <em>eine Dolmetscherin<\/em> (I need an interpreter). Asking is normal; nobody expects a beginner to understand a contract in German. For doctor&#8217;s visits, see the phrases in <a href=\"\/blog\/german-at-the-doctor\/\">German at the doctor<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Phrases on a list are easy; saying them calmly when someone is talking fast is the hard part. SipLingo lets you practise exactly these moments by voice, in scenarios like the bakery, the doctor and renting a flat, and it corrects your grammar and word order in your own language. <a href=\"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/download?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=i-dont-speak-german-phrases&amp;utm_content=inline\">Practise survival German by voice<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"siplingo-store-badges\" style=\"display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;justify-content:center;align-items:center;gap:12px;margin:24px 0;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/app\/id6783970183\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/app_store.png\" alt=\"Download SipLingo on the App Store\" style=\"height:52px;width:auto;\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=ch.zgdevelopment.siplingo&amp;referrer=utm_source%3Dblog%26utm_medium%3Dpost%26utm_campaign%3Di-dont-speak-german-phrases%26utm_content%3Dbadge\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/play_store.png\" alt=\"Get SipLingo on Google Play\" style=\"height:52px;width:auto;\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">On the phone<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Phone calls are harder because you can&#8217;t see faces or point at things. Say it at the start:<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><em>Guten Tag, mein Name ist &#8230; Mein Deutsch ist nicht so gut. K\u00f6nnen Sie bitte langsam sprechen?<\/em><\/li>\n\n<li><em>K\u00f6nnen Sie das bitte buchstabieren?<\/em> (for names and addresses)<\/li>\n\n<li><em>K\u00f6nnen Sie mir das bitte per E-Mail schicken?<\/em> (Could you send me that by email, please?)<\/li>\n\n<li><em>Ich wiederhole: Dienstag, der 14., um 10 Uhr. Ist das richtig?<\/em> (Let me repeat: Tuesday the 14th at 10. Is that right?)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Repeating the key information back is the most reliable trick on the phone. A full call script is in <a href=\"\/blog\/german-phone-appointment\/\">booking an appointment by phone in German<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Emergency sentences<\/h2>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>German<\/th><th>English<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><em>Hilfe!<\/em><\/td><td>Help!<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Rufen Sie bitte einen Krankenwagen!<\/em><\/td><td>Please call an ambulance!<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Rufen Sie bitte die Polizei!<\/em><\/td><td>Please call the police!<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Ich brauche einen Arzt.<\/em><\/td><td>I need a doctor.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Es ist ein Notfall.<\/em><\/td><td>It&#8217;s an emergency.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Ich habe mich verletzt.<\/em><\/td><td>I&#8217;ve hurt myself.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Mein Kind ist krank.<\/em><\/td><td>My child is ill.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><em>Ich bin hier: &#8230;<\/em><\/td><td>I&#8217;m here: &#8230; (street, building)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The European emergency number 112 works in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In Germany, 112 is also the direct number for the fire service and ambulance, 110 is the police, and 116117 is the number for a doctor on call outside surgery hours when it is not life-threatening. In Austria, 133 is the police, 144 the ambulance and 122 the fire service. In Switzerland, 117 is the police, 118 the fire service and 144 the ambulance. Emergency numbers checked in October 2026 against bundesregierung.de, 116117.de, the Austrian portal oesterreich.gv.at and the Swiss federal portal ch.ch.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mini-dialogues<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>At the bakery<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Baker:<\/strong> <em>Was darf&#8217;s sein?<\/em> (What would you like?)<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>You:<\/strong> <em>Entschuldigung, ich spreche nur ein bisschen Deutsch. Zwei Br\u00f6tchen, bitte.<\/em> (Sorry, I only speak a little German. Two rolls, please.)<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Baker:<\/strong> <em>Kein Problem. Zwei Br\u00f6tchen, bitte sch\u00f6n. Das macht einen Euro zwanzig.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>You:<\/strong> <em>Wie bitte? Noch einmal, bitte.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Baker:<\/strong> <em>Ein Euro zwanzig.<\/em> (She points at the till.)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Asking for directions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>You:<\/strong> <em>Entschuldigung, k\u00f6nnen Sie mir bitte helfen? Wo ist der Bahnhof?<\/em> (Excuse me, could you help me? Where is the station?)<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Passer-by:<\/strong> <em>Da gehen Sie hier geradeaus und dann an der zweiten Ampel links.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>You:<\/strong> <em>Langsamer, bitte. Geradeaus und dann &#8230;?<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Passer-by:<\/strong> <em>Geradeaus. Zweite Ampel. Links.<\/em> (Straight on. Second traffic light. Left.)<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>You:<\/strong> <em>Vielen Dank!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>At an office<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Clerk:<\/strong> <em>Haben Sie das Formular schon ausgef\u00fcllt?<\/em> (Have you already filled in the form?)<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>You:<\/strong> <em>Ich habe das nicht verstanden. Was bedeutet &#8220;ausgef\u00fcllt&#8221;?<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Clerk:<\/strong> <em>Haben Sie hier schon alles geschrieben? Name, Adresse &#8230;<\/em> (She points at the form.)<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>You:<\/strong> <em>Ach so! Nein, noch nicht. Moment, bitte.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>When someone switches to English<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Waiter:<\/strong> <em>Oh, would you like the English menu?<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>You:<\/strong> <em>Danke, aber ich m\u00f6chte gern Deutsch \u00fcben.<\/em> (Thanks, but I&#8217;d like to practise German.)<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Waiter:<\/strong> <em>Gerne! Was m\u00f6chten Sie trinken?<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you want to go one step further than survival phrases, learn three sentences about yourself; <a href=\"\/blog\/introduce-yourself-in-german\/\">how to introduce yourself in German<\/a> has ready-made versions.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Common mistakes<\/h2>\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Wrong word order:<\/strong> <em>Ich nicht spreche Deutsch.<\/em> Correct: <em>Ich spreche kein Deutsch.<\/em> In a statement, the verb is always in position 2.<\/li>\n\n<li><strong>Mixing up <em>kein<\/em> and <em>nicht<\/em>:<\/strong> <em>Ich spreche nicht viel Deutsch<\/em> is fine, but <em>Ich spreche nicht Deutsch<\/em> on its own sounds incomplete to many speakers. The safe choice is <em>kein Deutsch<\/em>.<\/li>\n\n<li><strong>Lowercase <em>sie<\/em>:<\/strong> <em>Sprechen sie Englisch?<\/em> asks about &#8220;them&#8221;. Write <em>Sie<\/em>.<\/li>\n\n<li><strong>Translating &#8220;I am not understanding&#8221;:<\/strong> <em>Ich bin nicht verstehen<\/em> is not German. Say <em>Ich verstehe das nicht<\/em> or <em>Ich habe das nicht verstanden<\/em>.<\/li>\n\n<li><strong>Only saying <em>Was?<\/em>:<\/strong> It sounds blunt to a stranger. Use <em>Wie bitte?<\/em><\/li>\n\n<li><strong>Asking <em>Sprechen Sie Englisch?<\/em> as the very first sentence.<\/strong> Try one sentence in German first. People react much more warmly, and many will help you in German.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Official sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the official details and the latest updates, see:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goethe.de\/pro\/relaunch\/prf\/ca\/A1_SD1_Wortliste_02.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Goethe-Institut: Goethe A1 Start Deutsch 1 word list (PDF)<\/a> \u2013 ~650 A1 words and everyday expressions by topic, with example sentences<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How do you say &#8220;I don&#8217;t speak German&#8221; in German?<\/strong><br\/>\nTo say I don&#8217;t speak German in German: <em>Ich spreche kein Deutsch.<\/em> If you know a little, say <em>Ich spreche nur ein bisschen Deutsch<\/em>, which sounds friendlier and keeps the conversation open.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How do I say &#8220;I speak a little German&#8221;?<\/strong><br\/><em>Ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch<\/em> or <em>Ich spreche nur ein bisschen Deutsch<\/em> (I only speak a little German). <em>Mein Deutsch ist noch nicht so gut<\/em> is another natural option.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How do you say &#8220;Sorry, I can&#8217;t speak German&#8221; (Entschuldigung, ich spreche kein Deutsch)?<\/strong><br\/><em>Entschuldigung, ich spreche kein Deutsch<\/em> or <em>Tut mir leid, ich spreche kein Deutsch.<\/em> In casual speech you will also hear <em>Ich kann kein Deutsch<\/em> (I can&#8217;t speak German).<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How do you ask someone to speak slowly in German?<\/strong><br\/><em>K\u00f6nnen Sie bitte langsamer sprechen?<\/em> With friends: <em>Kannst du bitte langsamer sprechen?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What do you say when you don&#8217;t understand in German?<\/strong><br\/><em>Wie bitte?<\/em> for a word you missed, <em>Ich habe das nicht verstanden<\/em> for a whole sentence, and <em>K\u00f6nnen Sie das bitte wiederholen?<\/em> to ask for a repeat.<\/p>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Your first German sentences don&#8217;t have to be perfect, just said.<\/strong> SipLingo lets you practise real situations by voice and corrects you instantly, in your own language.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/siplingo.com\/download?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=post&amp;utm_campaign=i-dont-speak-german-phrases&amp;utm_content=footer\">Start free \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Say &#8220;Ich spreche kein Deutsch&#8221; or, better, &#8220;Ich spreche nur ein bisschen Deutsch&#8221;. Plus how to ask for slower speech, repeats and English.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1030,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-life-german"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>&quot;I Don&#039;t Speak German&quot; in German: 21 Survival Phrases<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Say &quot;Ich spreche kein Deutsch&quot; or, better, &quot;Ich spreche nur ein bisschen Deutsch&quot;. 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