German is spoken by millions of people, not only in Germany, but also in Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and many other places around the world. While speaking fluently takes a lot of time and practice, you can learn the most important expressions in no time. Whether you plan to visit a German-speaking country, impress someone or just discover a new language, being able to express yourself in a basic way will come in handy. With a little study, you will soon be able to greet people, introduce yourself, ask simple questions and know how to ask for help when needed.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Greet People
Step 1. Use standard greetings
Each German-speaking country has its own specific greetings. In any case, wherever you are, the following expressions will be understood by everyone. A small note: as far as pronunciation is concerned, search for these words on the internet to listen to them and repeat them correctly.
- Guten Tag: "Good morning". Use it in a general way to greet during the day (from 10 in the morning to 19 in the evening).
- Guten Morgen: "Good morning" (used until 9 or 10 in the morning).
- Guten Abend: "Good evening".
- Gute Nacht: "Goodnight" (usually used only with close family members before going to bed).
- Hallo: "Hi". Basically it is used at any time, anywhere.
Step 2. Introduce yourself and ask others what their names are
There are two easy expressions for saying "My name is …" in German:
- Ich heiße [name]; literally means "My name is".
- Mein Name ist [name]; literally means "My name is".
- For example, you can say both Ich heiße Andrea and Mein Name ist Andrea to introduce yourself.
Step 3. When speaking German, keep in mind the distinction between formal and informal expressions
Just like in Italian and many other languages, in German it is often necessary to distinguish between acquaintances / strangers (for whom formal expressions must be used) and people you know well (with whom to use informal language) to express yourself correctly. For example, here's how to ask someone what their name is:
- Wie heißen Sie?: "What is his name?" (formal).
- Wie heißt du?: "What's your name?" (informal).
Step 4. Say hello to someone before you leave
As with the greetings illustrated so far, the ones you use before saying goodbye to someone also depend on where you are and who you are talking to. Either way, you'll generally be on the safe side with the following solutions:
- Auf Wiedersehen: "Goodbye".
- Tschüss!: "Hello!".
- Bye! This typically Italian greeting is often used by German native speakers to say goodbye to someone.
Part 2 of 3: Start a Conversation
Step 1. Ask others how they are doing
Not only is it polite, it also allows you to show off what you have learned.
- Do you use the formal expression Wie geht es Ihnen? when you ask strangers or acquaintances how they are.
- Use the informal expression Wie geht es dir? or just Wie geht's? to ask someone you know well or a child how they are doing.
- Generally speaking, to be polite use the formal version with a stranger, unless your own interlocutor is addressing you informally. Specifically, it can happen in those contexts that have to do with the world of business, education and politics.
Step 2. When asked how you are, answer the question correctly
If someone asks you Wie geht es Ihnen? or Wie geht's?, you can answer in various ways.
- You could just say Gut ("good"), Sehr gut ("very good") or Schlecht ("bad").
- Either way, it's more polite to offer a longer answer. You can say Mir geht es… followed by gut, sehr gut or schlecht (respectively, "I'm fine", "I'm very well" or "I'm sick").
Step 3. Find out where someone is from
To melt the ice, you can ask people where they come from. Try the following questions using the formal or informal variant based on the context:
- Woher like Sie? ("Where is he from?"). Woher kommst du ("Where are you from?").
- Ich komme aus [place]: "I come from [place]". Example: Ich komme aus Italien, "I come from Italy".
- Wo wohnen Sie ("Where do you live?"). Wo wohnst du? ("Where do you live?"). The question is used to ask a person where they reside (country, province or city) at that given time.
- Ich wohne in [place] ("I live in / in [place]"). Example: "Ich wohne in Rom".
Part 3 of 3: Other Expressions
Step 1. Learn some basic expressions for interacting in public
First, you need to know Ja ("Yes") and Nein ("No"), but also:
- Wie bitte?: "Like?".
- Es tut mir Leid!: "I'm sorry!".
- Entschuldigung!: "Sorry / Sorry!".
Step 2. Learn to say "Please" and "Thank You" in German
Technically speaking, there is a formal and an informal variant in German to thank, but a simple Danke ("Thank you") is absolutely fine in any situation.
- If you're curious, the full formal version is Ich danke Ihnen, while the informal one is Ich danke dir.
- To say "Please", use Bitte!. This same word also means "For nothing!".
Step 3. Ask simple inquiries and questions regarding various items
If you want to know if a certain product is available in a shop or restaurant, then simply ask: Haben Sie [item]?, "Do you have [object]?". Example: Haben Sie Kaffee?, "Do you have coffee?".
If you want to know how much a certain item costs, then ask: Wie viel kostet das?, "How much does it cost?"
Step 4. Get help or directions
If you get lost, need to find something or otherwise need a hand, here are some expressions that will come in handy:
- For help: Können Sie mir helfen, bitte?, "Could you help me, please?".
- To ask where is a place: Wo ist [place]?, "Where is [place]?". Examples: Wo ist die Toilette, bitte?, "Please can / can you tell me where the bathroom is?", Or Wo ist der Bahnhof?, "Where is the train station?".
- To be polite, introduce the question by saying: Entschuldigen Sie, bitte, wo ist der Bahnhof?, "Excuse me. Please, can you tell me where the train station is?".
- To ask someone if they speak another language: Sprechen Sie Italienisch / Englisch / Spanisch / Französisch?, "Do you speak Italian / English / Spanish / French?".
Step 5. Learn to count in German
German numbers generally have a very similar structure to the English one. The only exception is from 21 (which is called einundzwanzig, literally "one and twenty) up. Here are other examples: vierunddreißig (34; literally," four and thirty ") and siebenundsechzig (67; literally," seven and sixty).
- 1 - eins
- 2 - two
- 3 - drei
- 4 - vier
- 5 - fünf
- 6 - sechs
- 7 - sieben
- 8 - acht
- 9 - neun
- 10 - zehn
- 11 - elf
- 12 - zwölf
- 13 - dreizehn
- 14 - vierzehn
- 15 - fünfzehn
- 16 - sechzehn
- 17 - siebzehn
- 18 - achtzehn
- 19 neunzehn
- 20 - zwanzig
- 21 - einundzwanzig
- 22 - zweiundzwanzig
- 30 - dreißig
- 40 - vierzig
- 50 - fünfzig
- 60 - sechzig
- 70 - siebzig
- 80 - achtzig
- 90 - neunzig
- 100 - hundert
Advice
- The pronunciation and vocabulary of German vary a lot from one region to another: for example, Austrians speak quite differently from Germans. This guide refers to standard German; similarly, on the internet you will find canonical pronunciations.
- Many German sounds are quite similar to English ones. However, if you are studying German, you will need to pay particular attention to some consonants (the ch sound is an example) and to the series of umlauts accompanied vowels (ä, ö and ü). In Italian, there are no perfectly equivalent sounds, so you will need a lot of practice to pronounce them correctly.
- As with any other language, try to go step by step and practice constantly, don't study a lot in one go. This will help you better memorize what you learn.
- If you find German pronunciation difficult, you are not alone. However, insist and have fun saying words that sound like tongue twisters, such as Streichholzschächtelchen, which simply means "little matchbox"!
