How to Say Common Expressions in German

You may need to learn a little bit of German if you plan to visit a German speaking country like Germany, Switzerland or Austria. Even if you go with a translator or dictionary you will find it useful to know some common phrases. Follow these tips to say common expressions in German.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Learn to say that you don't speak German so that people won't try to say too much that you won't understand. Learn the phrase "Ich spreche nicht Deutsch." Or, "Ich spreche ein bischen Deutsch," which means, "I speak a little German."

2. Say "Ich spreche Deutsch aber ich spreche nicht sehr gut" which translates into I speak German, but I don't speak very well. This lets people know you are trying to speak the language but are having difficulty. Most people are very helpful when they know you can't speak a language well.

3. Use the phrase "Wie sacht Mann auf deutsch?" to ask what something means in German. For example, if you want to say "How do you say desk in German?" you would say, "Wie sacht Mann desk auf deutsch?"

4. Learn polite expressions in German like "How are you?" which is "Wie geht's" or "Wie gehen Sie?" Use the second expression if you don't know the person because it's a form of respect.

5. Be polite just like you would in your own language by using the words please and thank you. Please is "bitte," and thank you is "danke". Learn other little words like yes and no. Yes is "ja" and no is "nein."

6. Greet people in a friendly manner by saying hello. Hello is said in many different ways depending on the time of day. "Guten Tag" means good day. "Tag" can be used for hello. "Guten Abend" means good evening and "Guten Morgen" means good morning. "Gute Nacht" means good night.

7. Know how to get assistance when you need it. You can say "Hilfe" when you need immediate help. "Entschuldigen Sie" means excuse me.

8. Learn the basic question words like "Wo" for where, "Wie" for how, "Wer" for who and "Was" for what. Know the phrase "Wievel kostet das?" which translates to how much does that cost. "Wie spat is es" means what time is it. Note here that the "w" is pronounced like a "v" in German.

Tips & Warnings

• Ask people if they can speak English if you get stuck and can't understand what they are saying. You can say it in English or in German by asking "Sprechen Sie English?"

[Eichendorff]

on 9/23/2008 There are some mistakes in these steps. The correct spelling is "bisschen" or "bißchen," not "bischen." The correct expression is "Ich spreche kein Deutsch," not "Ich spreche nicht Deutsch." The correct expression is "Wie sagt man..." not "Wie sacht Mann..." In German, the expression for "How are you?" is "Wie geht es Ihnen?" not "Wie gehen Sie" which means "How do you go?"