🌍 Master the Basics: Survival German for Visitors 🇩🇪

Traveling to Germany? Start your adventure with confidence by learning essential German phrases, numbers, and the alphabet.

Essential Phrases

Hello – Hallo
Good morning – Guten Morgen
Good evening – Guten Abend
Please – Bitte
Thank you – Danke
Yes – Ja
No – Nein
Excuse me – Entschuldigung
Do you speak English? – Sprechen Sie Englisch?
I do not speak any German. Do you perhaps speak English? –
Ich spreche kein Deutsch. Sprechen Sie vielleicht Englisch?
How much does this cost? – Wie viel kostet das?

Counting in German

1 - 10

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1 – eins
2 – zwei
3 – drei
4 – vier
5 – fünf
6 – sechs
7 – sieben
8 – acht
9 – neun
10 – zehn

Combining Numbers

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- 22: zweiundzwanzig (two and twenty/ twee en twintig)
- 123: einhundertdreiundzwanzig (one hundred three and twenty / een honder drie en twintig)

💡 Tip: In German, numbers like 21, 22, etc., are reversed in structure. You say the units first, then the tens.

Counting by Tens

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20 – zwanzig
30 – dreißig
40 – vierzig
50 – fünfzig
60 – sechzig
70 – siebzig
80 – achtzig
90 – neunzig

Counting by Hundreds

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100 – einhundert
200 – zweihundert
300 – dreihundert (and so on)

The German Alphabet

Here’s how to pronounce each letter, including the Umlauts:

Letter	Pronunciation
A	ah
B	beh
C	tseh
D	deh
E	eh
F	eff
G	geh
H	hah
I	ee
J	yot
K	kah
L	ell
M	emm
N	enn
O	oh
P	peh
Q	koo
R	err (rolled)
S	ess
T	teh
U	oo
V	fow
W	veh
X	iks
Y	üpsilon
Z	tsett
Ä	eh
Ö	ur
Ü	ü
ß	ess-tset

Explanation of Umlauts:

Ä: Sounds like “eh”, similar to the “e” in “bed”.
Ö: Sounds like “ur”, somewhat like the “i” in “bird” (with rounded lips).
Ü: Sounds like “ü”, which is similar to the “u” in “blue” but with more front-mouth articulation.
ß: The sharp s sound (like “ss”).

Where to learn German

🇩🇪 Interested in Learning German? 🇩🇪

If you’re thinking about learning German, we’ve got some helpful info on our page! Whether you’re just starting or looking to improve your skills, check out our tips, resources, and recommendations to get you on the right track.

Learning German

Master the Language. Embrace the Culture. Embarking on the journey to learn German can be approached in various ways to suit your lifestyle and goals.