GERMANThough German is the official language of Germany, it is the most widely spoken language in Europe. This is because Germany's 83 million people make it the most populous country in Europe. German is also the official language of countries such as Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein. Also some regions of Europe contain a large population whose native language is German, this include northern Italy, eastern Belgium, parts of the Netherlands, parts of Denmark, eastern France, and parts of Poland, the Czech Republic, Russia, and Romania, as well as in other areas of Europe.
This will definitely give you an idea about the importance of learning German when you are traveling within German-speaking countries and regions so that you can communicate
with the locals. We have given you simple basics of German which you can use while you travel.
Germans will appreciate even the simplest attempts to speak their language. Even if you have never dealt with German earlier, it will only take a few minutes to learn some basic phrases that will help you communicate.
GREETING PEOPLE:
It is important to learn the basics and we start with saying hello and goodbye in German.
| English | German |
| Hello (Informal) | guten tag (GOOT-en TAK) / Hallo, Wie geht's? |
| Hello (formal) | Hallo, Guten Morgen./ Hallo, Guten Tag |
| Hello. How are you? | Guten Tag. Wie geht es Ihnen? (goot'n tahg. vee gait ess een'n?) |
| Good Morning | Guten Morgen (goot-en mor-gen) |
| Good Evening | Guten Abend (goot-en ah-bent) |
| Good Night | Gute Nacht (goot-eh nakht) |
| Bye | Tschüß / Tchau |
| Goodbye (formal) | Auf Wiedersehen (owf VEED-uh-zain) |
| Hello/ goodbye | servus |
INTRODUCING YOURSELF:
| English | German |
| What's your name? | Wie heißen Sie? (vee hie-ssen zee) |
| I am Venus | Ich heisse Venus(ikh HEYESS-eh) |
| Pleased to meet you | Es freut mich. (froyt mikh) |
| Where are you from? | Woher kommen Sie? (vo-hair koh-men zee) |
| I'm from... | Ich komme aus... (ikh koh-muh ows...) |
| Do you speak English? | Sprechen Sie English?(shprek'n zee ang-lish?) |
| I (don't) speak... German | Ich spreche (kein)... deutsch (ikh shpreck-uh kine) |
| Can you help me? | Kannst du mir helfen? (kahnst doo meer hell-fen) |
| Thank you very much for . . . | Vielen Dank für . . .(feel'n dahnk fe-ur) |
| I would like | ch hätte gern . . .(Ish hett'a gai-rn) |
SOME BASIC PHRASES:
| Please | bitte(BIT-eh) |
| Thank you | danke(DAHNK-eh) |
| Yes | ja(ya) |
| No | nein (neyen) |
| See you later | Bis später (biss shpay-ter |
| See you soon | Bis bald (biss bahlt) |
| See you tomorrow | Bis morgen (biss mohr-gen) |
| You're welcome | Bitte schön (bih-tuh shurn) |
| I'm sorry | Es tut mir leid (ehs toot meer lite) |
| Excuse me | Entschuldigen Sie (ehnt-shool-dih-gun zee) |
| Pardon me | Verzeihung |
| Where is the restroom? | Wo ist die Toilette? (vo ist dee toy-LET-uh) |
| Left / right | links / rechts (linx/rechts) |
| Downstairs / upstairs | unten / oben (oonten/oben) |
| Where | wo(voh) |
ORDERING FOOD AT A HOTEL:
You will find it useful to learn a few phrases so that you can communicate at a restaurant including ordering and food words.
| Yes? / What would you like to order? | Bitte schön? |
| What can I get you? / How can I help you? | Was darf's sein? |
| I would like a table for four. | Ich mochte einen Tisch fur vier |
| Can I have the menu please? | Kann ich die Speisekarte haben bitte? |
| wine | Wein |
| white bread | das Weissbrot |
| cheese | der Kase |
| fish | der Fisch |
| chicken | das Huhn |
| fruit | das Obst |
| sausage | die Wurst |
| vegetables | das Gemuse |
| waiter | Herr Ober |
| waitress | Kellnerin |
| I would like coffee | Ich mochten Kaffee |
| I would like fish | Ich mochten Fisch |
| Anything else? | Sonst noch etwas? |
| Here you go. | Bitte schön |
| The check, please! | Zahlen bitte! |
| How about..?? | Wie wäre es mit...? |
| I'm full | Ich bin satt… |
| Keep the change | Stimmt so… |
RENTING A CAR:
It is always good to know key phrases in the native language of a country so that you can rent a car during an extended stay in Germany or another German-speaking country.
| Is there a car rental office nearby? | Gibt es eine Autovermietung in der Näche? |
| What kind of cars the rental place has in stock? | Was für Wagen haben Sie zu vermieten? |
| Request the vehicle of your choice. | ch brauche eine (Audi). |
| What is the cost? is it by the day, week, month? | Wieviel kostet es pro--Tag, Woche, Monat |
| Must I leave a deposit? | Muß ich etwas hinterlagen? |
| Do I have to pay for the gas? | Muß ich das Benzin bezahlen? |
Take efforts to learn at least basic German before your trip, it is not as difficult to learn as you might presume, especially if your native language is English or as a second language.
