30+ Simple German Words And Phrases For Beginners

parachute-simple german words

Every language learning journey starts with a word. Sometimes one word may seem insignificant, but if you think about it, almost the whole structure of our communication is made up of words. Do you remember the first word you learned in German? That was the first brick you laid to build your German language proficiency. As we share this process with you, we’ll present a series of simple German words and phrases that every beginner should know to build a solid foundation for mastering the language. So, if you’re interested, let’s dive in!

Greetings – Begrüßung

In any new language, greetings are some of the first words or phrases we learn. Moreover, the greeting is one of society’s most common courtesy rules. Therefore, before we introduce ourselves or start talking about any subject, the first contact we should have with someone should start with a greeting. So let’s take a look at some basic terms to greet someone in German.

EnglishGerman
HelloHallo
Good morningGuten Morgen
Good dayGuten Tag
Good eveningGuten Abend
FarewellVerabschiedung
See you tomorrowBis morgen
See you soonBis bald
Good nightGute Nacht
Goodbye/See you laterAuf Wiedersehen
Goodbye (on the phone)Auf Wiederhören
ByeTschüss

Pronouns – Pronomen

Pronouns are great little words in languages. After greetings, pronouns are one of the basic terms that every language learner is introduced to the right at the beginning of their learning journey. In German, pronouns change depending on the case (nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive), so pronouns should be used accordingly. This time we’ll see the different variations of the Geman personal pronouns according to their case. 

EnglishNominativeEnglishAccusativeEnglishDative
Iichmemichmemir
Youduyoudichyoudir
You (formal)Sieyou (formal)Sieyou (formal)Ihnen
Heerhimihnhimihm
Shesiehersieherihr
Itesitesitihm
Wewirusunsusuns
You (plural)ihryou alleuchyou alleuch
Theysiethemsiethemihnen

world-globe- german vocabulary

Countries And Nationalities – Länder Und Nationalitäten

Our country and nationality are a big part of our identity. Therefore, when we learn to introduce ourselves, we usually say who we are and where we come from. This article will mention a few countries and nationalities, but if your curiosity is sparked, you can learn about more than 50 countries and nationalities in German here.

Country-EnglishLand-GermanNationality-EnglishNationalität-German
GermanyDeutschlandGermanDeutsch
SwissSchweizSwissSchweizerisch
AustriaÖsterreichAustrianÖsterreichisch
NetherlandsNiederlandeDutchNiederländisch
FranceFrankreichFrenchFranzösisch
ItalyItalienItalianItalienisch
SpainSpanienSpanishSpanisch
JapanJapanJapaneseJapanisch
KoreaKoreaKoreanKoreanisch
ChinaChinaChineseChinesisch
ThailandThailandThaiThailändisch
United StatesVereinigte StaatenAmericanAmerikanisch
CanadaKanadaCanadianKanadisch
MexicoMexikoMexicanMexikaner
CubaKubaCubanKubanisch
Puerto RicoPuerto RicoPuerto RicanPuertorikanisch
Dominican RepublicDominikanische RepublikDominicanDominikanisch
BrazilBrasilienBrazilianBrasilianisch
ColombiaKolumbienColombianKolumbianisch
PeruPeruPeruvianPeruanisch
EcuadorEcuadorEcuadorianEcuadorianisch

Numbers – Zahlen

Another important fact about us is our age. But, of course, we can’t tell our age if we don’t know how to name the numbers in German. “Numbers” is another of the basic topics we encounter at the beginner’s level of German. So, if you already know them, this is an opportunity to refresh that memory. Let’s count!

EnglishGerman
1OneEins
2TwoZwei
3ThreeDrei
4FourVier
5FiveFünf
6SixSechs
7SevenSieben
8EightAcht
9NineNeun
10TenZehn
11ElevenElf
12TwelveZwölf
13ThirteenDreizehn
14FourteenVierzehn
15FifteenFünfzehn
16SixteenSechzehn
17SeventeenSiebzehn
18EighteenAchtzehn
19NineteenNeunzehn
20TwentyZwanzig
30ThirtyDreißig
40FortyVierzig
50FiftyFünfzig
60SixtySechzig
70SeventySiebzig
80EightyAchtzig
90NinetyNeunzig
100One hundredEinhundert
1000One thousandEintausend
people-working-office-simple german words

Professions – Berufe

After saying who we are, where we come from, and our age, another important aspect is our profession/occupation. Therefore, let’s see how to name some professions in German.

EnglishGerman
Doctorder Arzt- die Ärztin
Architectder Architekt-die Architektin
Bakerder Bäcker-die Bäckerin
Journalistder Journalist – die Journalistin
Musiciander Musiker- die Musikerin
Nurseder Krankenpfleger-die Krankenschwester
Photographerder Fotograf- die Fotografin
Secretaryder Sekretär- die Sekretärin
Studentder Student – die Studentin
Teacherder Lehrer- die Lehrerin
Waiter – waitressder Kellner – die Kellnerin
Computer programerder Programmierer – die Programmiererin
Auto mechanicder Automechaniker- die Automechanikerin

Family – Familie

Family-related vocabulary is a complementary part of our self-introduction. After giving our personal information, there may be an opportunity to talk about our family. For that purpose, here is a list of some of the family members in German. If you want to go further, you can learn some facts about the German family structure here.

The FamilyDie Familie
The fatherder Vater
The motherdie Mutter
The sonder Sohn
The daughterdie Tochter
The granddaughterdie Enkelin
The grandsonder Enkel
The brotherder Bruder
The sisterdie Schwester
The parentsdie Eltern
The grandparentsdie Großeltern
vegetables-simple german words

Vegetables – Gemüse

There is no vocabulary without food, so that we couldn’t leave out some of these delicious characters. However, since we already covered fruits and other foods in German, veggies are this section’s stars today.

EnglishGerman
Broccolider Brokkoli
Celeryder Sellerie
Cauliflowerder Blumenkohl
Lettuceder Gartensalat
Garlicder Knoblauch
Spinachder Spinat
Escaroleder Eskariol
Pepperder Paprika
Red cabbageder Rotkohl
Pumpkinder Kürbis
Leekder Lauch
Cornder Mais
Eggplantdie Auberginedie Eierfrucht
Avocadodie Avocado
Asparagusder Spargel
Oniondie Zwiebel
Peadie Erbse
Green beandie grüne Bohne
Cucumberdie Gurke
Beetrootdie Rote Bete
Salad rocketdie Rucola
Tomatodie Tomate
Welsh oniondie Winterzwiebel
Potatodie Kartoffel

Means Of Transport – Verkehrsmittel

Last but not least, here we have the means of transportation. Knowing how to ask directions in German and name the means of transportation will allow you to move from one place to another in any German speaking-country without any difficulty.

The TransportDas Verkehrsmittel
The S-bahndie S-bahn
The airportder Flughafen
The taxidas Taxi
The busder Bus
The subwaydie U-Bahn
The planedas Flugzeug
The trackdas gleis
The tramder Straßenbahn

There you have it! 30+ simple German words that will help you increase your vocabulary to enable you to communicate fluently in the German Language.

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