Basic German phrases
for travelers

with pronunciations

 

German
phrase sheet

Learn these basic German phrases before leaving on your trip.

Good morning
Guten morgen   GOO-tehn MOHR-gehn

Hello / Good day
Guten tag   GOO-tehn tahg

Good evening
Guten abend   GOO-tehn AH-bendt

Good night
Gute nacht   GOO-teh nahkt

Goodbye
Auf Wiedersehen   owf VEE-dehr-zayn

How are you?
Wie geht es ihnen?   vee GAYT ess ee-nen?

Pleased to meet you
Freut mich   froyt mikh


Yes
Ja   yah

No
Nein   Nine

Please
Bitte   BIT-teh

Thank you
Danke   DAHN-kuh

You're welcome
Bitte schon   BIT-teh shone

Sorry
Entschuldigung   ent-SHOOL-dihg-oong

What's that?
Was ist das?   vahs ist dahs

Who?
Wer?   vair

Why?
Warum?   vah-ROOM

How?
Wie?   vee

When?
Wann?   vahn

Where?
Wo ist?   voh ist

What time is it?
Wie spat ist es?   vee shpayt ist es

See you later
Bis spater   biss shpay-tehr


Do you have…?
Haben sie?   HAH-behn zee

How much?
Was kostet?   vass KOST-teht

The bill, please
Die rechnung bitte   dee REHK-nung BIT-tuh


What is your name?
Wie heissen sie?   vee HYE-sehn zee

My name is ...
Ich heisse…   ish HYE-suh

Do you understand?
Verstehen sie?   fer-SHTAY-en-zee

I don't understand
Ich verstehe nicht   Ish fer-SHTAY-eh knisht


Open
Offen   OH-fen

Closed
Geschlossen   GHESH-sloh-sehn

Right
Rechts   rehkts

Left
Links   links

Way in (on foot)
Eingang   eyen'-gang

Way out (on foot)
Ausgang   OWS-gang

Upstairs
Oben   OH-behn

Downstairs
Unten   OON-tehn


Train station
Bahnhof   BAHN-hoff

Airport
Flughafen   FLOOG-ha-fen


German language
pointers

Letter W

It is pronounced like the letter V.

Letter V

Pronounced like the letter F.

Ich

It does not have an equivalent sound in English. The pronunciation of Ich sounds somewhere in between ish and ich.


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