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German phrasebook: 14 phrases and numbers
German is a West Germanic language spoken in Germany, Austria, most of Switzerland and a few neighbouring regions, with the closest family ties to Dutch and English.
- In its own name: Deutsch
- Writing system: Latin
- Family: Indo-European, Germanic
- Official language in: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Belgium
Essential German phrases
| English | German | Romanisation |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Hallo | |
| Goodbye | Auf Wiedersehen | |
| Good morning | Guten Morgen | |
| Good night | Gute Nacht | |
| Thank you | Danke | |
| You're welcome | Gern geschehen | |
| Please | Bitte | |
| Sorry | Es tut mir leid | |
| Yes | Ja | |
| No | Nein | |
| My name is ___ | Ich heiße ___ | |
| What is your name? | Wie heißt du? | |
| How are you? | Wie geht es dir? | |
| I love you | Ich liebe dich |
Phrases are cross-checked against independent sources but still await a native-speaker review.
Numbers 1 to 10 in German
| # | Word | Romanisation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | eins | |
| 2 | zwei | |
| 3 | drei | |
| 4 | vier | |
| 5 | fünf | |
| 6 | sechs | |
| 7 | sieben | |
| 8 | acht | |
| 9 | neun | |
| 10 | zehn |
Pronunciation
The ch has two sounds: a soft one after e and i, and a rougher one after a, o and u. Words with w are said with a v sound, and v is often said as f.
Good to know
Nouns are always written with a capital letter. Use Sie for polite you and du for friends, family and children.
Mini quiz
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Play with German
Meet German in Mystery Phrase, Listen and Guess and Memory Match.
Questions
How do you say hello in German?
Hallo.
What writing system does German use?
German is written in Latin.