We guarantee you will always remember your time here. Germany is an incredible country with plenty to see and do. Visit picturesque Christmas markets and the iconic Oktoberfest, or explore historic churches, monuments and more.
But before you head out, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with a few basic German phrases for travel. Knowing some common German phrases can enrich your overall experience because you can communicate with the locals.
About the German language
Lucky for you, the English language has Germanic roots, which can make learning some basic German sayings a bit easier.
For instance, the basic sentence structure for English and German is quite similar. Both languages follow a “subject-verb-object” format.
For example: English – I visit Germany German – Ich beuche Deutschland
However, one of the ways English and German are different is in how questions are organized.
For example: In English we would ask, “Could you give me the ticket? In German, the arrangement would be, “Could you to me the ticket give?”
Special characters
Another difference is that German has special characters not found in the English alphabet. First are umlauts: ä, ö and ü. These additional letters in the German alphabet have two dots on top and because there is no equivalent sound in English, they can a little tricky for non-native speakers.
The second special character is the eszett, which is when “ss” or “sz” occurs. You will likely see this while looking at maps because “Straße” (the German word for “street”) has that double-s sound. Straße is pronounced “strass-uh”.
Common German Phrases
Before you depart on your vacation, consider downloading a language translator app to your Smartphone and familiarize yourself with these basic German words and phrases.
Words
Thank you – Danke (dan-kuh”)
You’re welcome– Bitteschön (“bit-tuh-shun“)
Please, excuse me, or pardon – Bitte (“bit-tuh”)
Yes – Ja (“jah”)
No – Nein (“nine”)
Hello – Hallo (“hallo”)
Goodbye – Auf Wiedersehen (“Owf Veeder-sane”)
German – Deutsch (“doych”)
Phrases
How are you? – Wie gehts (“Wee gates”)
Do you speak English? – Sprechen Sie Englisch? (“Spreken zee English?”)
I don’t speak German – Ich spreche kein Deutsch (“Ish sprekeh kine Doych”)
I don’t understand– Ich verstehen nicht (“Ish versh-tee nikd”)
What is your name? – Wie heißen Sie? (“Wee hai-sen zee? “)
Basic German Phrases for Travel
It’s incredibly helpful to know some basic German sayings that are travel-specific since you will be in situations and scenarios where they will be relevant.
Where is… – Wo ist …
…the train station? – …der Bahnhof?
…the bus station? – …die Bushaltestelle?
…the bathroom/toilet? – …die Toilette?
How much does this cost? – Wie viel kostet das?
I would like the bill, please – Ich möchte bitte die Rechnung
I have a reservation – Ich habe eine Reservierung
I would like to buy this – Ich möchte das kaufen
I’m lost – Ich bin verloren
German Expressions and Slang
As you explore the country’s amazing cities and sites, you may want to try some common expressions to feel more like a local.
It’s best to keep things simple when trying to speak with locals in their native language. Trying to be perfect can often times complicate things. Instead, try to communicate your main message in a few words (“Bitte, Ich bin verloren. Bushaltestelle?” / “Pardon me, I’m lost. Bus station?”). The person will likely understand what you are asking for or saying. They may also appreciate the fact that you are making a sincere effort to speak to them in their language rather than assuming they speak English.
Practice Common German Phrases with YMT
We offer exceptional land tours, cruise tours and river cruises in Germany. And while you’re there, take your vacation a step further by renting a boat to explore Berlin’s fascinating waterways. You can use your new language skills to hausboot mieten Berlin.
To join any of our exciting German getaways or to learn more about our services, contact your travel consultant or call YMT Vacations at 888-860-1969.
Try hallo (hello), guten tag (good day), auf wiedersehen (goodbye), danke (thank you), bitte (please), ja (yes) and nein (no). And having a few numbers under your belt – eins (one), zwei (two), drei (three) – should come in handy when buying tickets. Or beer, of course.
Try hallo (hello), guten tag (good day), auf wiedersehen (goodbye), danke (thank you), bitte (please), ja (yes) and nein (no). And having a few numbers under your belt – eins (one), zwei (two), drei (three) – should come in handy when buying tickets. Or beer, of course.
In this lesson we focused on learning new important travel and vacation vocabulary such as der Urlaub ('the vacation'), das Hotel ('the hotel'), das Flugzeug ('the airplane'), die Reservierung ('the reservation') and der Zoll ('customs').
German is the official language in Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Belgium, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. German is also used in the European Union as an internal working language alongside English and French. German is the most widely spoken mother tongue in the EU.
People who work in Germany have an average of 28 days of paid vacation per year. Many of them like to travel on their vacation - for example, to Spain or Italy. Mediterranean countries are among the most sought-after destinations for travelers from Germany.
But being a top tourist destination, Germany — and especially its major cities — does have its fair share of pickpocketing, purse-snatching, scams, credit card and ATM fraud, and cybercrime as well.
Once on the spot, how do they spend their days? 91% of German travelers love visiting monuments and castles. 34% appreciate tasting and buying regional products and 30% enjoy bicycle rides on small roads or surrounded by nature.
According to GlobalData's report, Germany Source Tourism Market, the most popular destinations for the country's travelers include Austria, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands among others.
English speakers are at a great advantage when they learn German, as the languages are both members of the Germanic language family. This means that a lot of basic vocabulary is the same in English and German: for example, the English words 'arm', 'hand' and 'finger' correspond to German Arm,Hand and Finger.
Basic knowledge of the German language is knowledge of the German language at Competence level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for languages. This includes you being able to understand and use common, everyday expressions and very simple sentences (e. g. asking for directions, shopping, etc).
Know when to leave (Picture: Getty Images) In Germany, they have a phrase: 'Ich fühle mich jetzt genug besucht. ' It means 'I am feeling visited enough', and apparently people can say it as a way to indicate openly that they want you to leave their home.
Wednesday Addams : [Speaking in German, offering samples of fudge to German tourists] Enjoy your "authentic" pilgrim fudge made with cacao beans procured by the oppressed indigenous people of the Amazon.
The phrase 'safe travels' is literally translated as sichere Reise (pronounced: ZEE-sheh-reh RIY-zeh). However, when using it as an exclamation, it's quite common to say gute Reise (pronounced: GOO-teh RIY-zeh), whose literal meaning is 'good trip.
Introduction: My name is Duane Harber, I am a modern, clever, handsome, fair, agreeable, inexpensive, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
