Essential German Phrases for Beginners: 60+ Survival Phrases

The most essential German phrases for beginners are Hallo (hello), Bitte (please), Danke (thank you), Entschuldigung (excuse me), Ich verstehe nicht (I don't understand) and Sprechen Sie Englisch? (Do you speak English?). With those six, you can get through almost any first encounter in German. Below are more than 60 basic German phrases for travel and everyday life, grouped by situation, each with its meaning and when to use it.

Almost every phrase here uses Sie, the polite form of "you". Use it with anyone you don't know: shop staff, waiters, people on the street. Save du for friends, family and children, or for when someone offers it. Young people often use du with each other right away.

Greetings and Politeness

You'll use these dozens of times a day. Germans usually say hello when they walk into a small shop or a bakery, and goodbye when they leave.

German	English	When to use
Hallo!	Hello! / Hi!	Friendly greeting for most everyday situations
Guten Morgen!	Good morning!	In the morning, until around noon
Guten Tag!	Hello! / Good day!	Polite greeting during the day; safe with anyone
Guten Abend!	Good evening!	From about 6 p.m.
Gute Nacht!	Good night!	Only at bedtime or when leaving late at night
Tschüss!	Bye!	Casual goodbye; also common in shops
Auf Wiedersehen!	Goodbye!	Polite goodbye with strangers and in formal situations
Bitte.	Please.	Add it to every request
Danke! / Vielen Dank!	Thank you! / Thank you very much!	Whenever someone helps you
Bitte schön. / Gern geschehen.	You're welcome.	When someone thanks you
Entschuldigung!	Excuse me! / Sorry!	To get attention, squeeze past someone, or after bumping into them
Es tut mir leid.	I'm sorry.	Real apologies and sympathy
Ja, gern.	Yes, please.	To accept an offer
Nein, danke.	No, thank you.	To turn down an offer

For regional greetings like Moin and Servus, see our guide to German greetings. We also have full guides on how to say goodbye in German and how to say thank you in German.

Entschuldigung or Es tut mir leid? Use Entschuldigung for small things, like getting a waiter's attention or squeezing past someone on the train. Es tut mir leid expresses real regret or sympathy:

Entschuldigung, ist hier noch frei? — Excuse me, is this seat free?
Es tut mir leid, ich habe keine Zeit. — I'm sorry, I don't have time.

When You Don't Understand

This is the most important group for beginners. When German comes at you too fast, these phrases buy you time, and most people will happily slow down once they know you're learning.

German	English	When to use
Wie bitte?	Sorry? / Pardon?	You didn't catch what someone said
Ich verstehe nicht.	I don't understand.	You heard it but didn't understand it
Können Sie das bitte wiederholen?	Could you repeat that, please?	You need to hear it again
Langsamer, bitte.	Slower, please.	Someone is speaking too fast
Können Sie bitte langsamer sprechen?	Could you speak more slowly, please?	The full, more polite version
Was bedeutet das?	What does that mean?	You hear or read a word you don't know
Wie heißt das auf Deutsch?	What's that called in German?	Point at something to learn its name
Ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch.	I speak a little German.	At the start of a conversation, to set expectations
Ich lerne Deutsch.	I'm learning German.	People will often slow down and help
Sprechen Sie Englisch?	Do you speak English?	When you're really stuck

Combine them, and you can rescue almost any conversation:

Entschuldigung, ich verstehe nicht. Können Sie das bitte wiederholen? — Sorry, I don't understand. Could you repeat that, please?
Ich lerne Deutsch. Langsamer, bitte! — I'm learning German. Slower, please!

Even when you need English, ask for it in German. Sprechen Sie Englisch? is more polite than launching straight into English, and it shows you've made the effort.

Asking for Directions

Two patterns get you almost anywhere: Wo ist…? (Where is…?) and Wie komme ich zum/zur…? (How do I get to…?). Start with Entschuldigung to get someone's attention.

German	English	When to use
Entschuldigung, wo ist der Bahnhof?	Excuse me, where is the train station?	Asking for a specific place
Wo ist die Toilette?	Where is the toilet / restroom?	In restaurants, stations and museums
Wie komme ich zum Hotel?	How do I get to the hotel?	Asking the way to a der or das place
Wie komme ich zur Haltestelle?	How do I get to the bus stop?	Asking the way to a die place
Ist es weit?	Is it far?	Before you decide how to get there
Kann man zu Fuß gehen?	Can you walk there?	When you'd rather walk than take a bus or taxi
Gibt es hier in der Nähe eine Apotheke?	Is there a pharmacy near here?	Looking for any place of a certain type

Why zum and zur? Zu always takes the dative, and it merges with the article: zu + dem = zum (for der and das words) and zu + der = zur (for die words). So it's zum Bahnhof (der Bahnhof), zum Hotel (das Hotel) and zur Post (die Post). For cities and countries, use nach: Wie komme ich nach Berlin? — How do I get to Berlin? Our guide to German dative prepositions explains both.

Understanding the Answer

The answer is often the hard part. Listen for these key phrases:

Gehen Sie geradeaus. — Go straight ahead.
Dann links. / Dann rechts. — Then left. / Then right.
Nehmen Sie die zweite Straße rechts. — Take the second street on the right.
Das ist gleich um die Ecke. — It's just around the corner.
Das sind ungefähr zehn Minuten zu Fuß. — It's about ten minutes on foot.

If it's too fast, you already know what to say: Langsamer, bitte!

Shopping and Eating Out

In shops, cafés and restaurants, a handful of phrases do almost all the work. Add bitte to any request, and you'll sound polite.

German	English	When to use
Ich möchte …	I would like …	The all-purpose polite way to ask for something
Ich hätte gern …	I'd like …	Just as polite; very common when ordering
Haben Sie …?	Do you have …?	Asking if a shop sells something
Ich schaue nur.	I'm just looking.	When a shop assistant offers help
Was kostet das?	How much is that?	Point at the item and ask
Kann ich mit Karte zahlen?	Can I pay by card?	Ask before you order: cash is still common
Die Speisekarte, bitte.	The menu, please.	When you sit down in a restaurant
Die Rechnung, bitte.	The bill, please. / The check, please.	The server won't bring it until you ask
Zahlen, bitte.	I'd like to pay, please.	Same as Die Rechnung, bitte; very common
Zusammen oder getrennt?	Together or separately?	The server asks this; answer Zusammen, bitte or Getrennt, bitte
Stimmt so.	Keep the change.	When the money you hand over includes the tip

Ich möchte is your all-purpose phrase. Avoid Ich will (I want), which sounds demanding. What you ask for is the direct object, so masculine nouns take einen:

Ich möchte einen Kaffee, bitte. — I'd like a coffee, please.
Ich hätte gern zwei Brötchen. — I'd like two bread rolls.
Was kostet die Jacke? — How much is the jacket?

Tipping: Germans usually round up or add about 5–10%. Tell the server the total you want to pay (Machen Sie zwanzig. — Make it twenty.), or hand over the money and say Stimmt so. For the full restaurant routine, from ordering to paying, read our guide to German food and drink vocabulary.

Small Talk

German small talk is short and to the point. These phrases cover your first conversation with a neighbor, a colleague or someone at a party.

German	English	When to use
Wie geht es Ihnen?	How are you?	Formal; with people you call Sie
Wie geht's?	How's it going?	Informal; friends and colleagues
Gut, danke. Und Ihnen?	Fine, thanks. And you?	The standard answer (informal: Und dir?)
Wie heißen Sie?	What's your name?	Formal (informal: Wie heißt du?)
Ich heiße … / Mein Name ist …	My name is …	Introducing yourself
Freut mich!	Nice to meet you!	Right after you've been introduced
Woher kommen Sie?	Where are you from?	Formal (informal: Woher kommst du?)
Ich komme aus …	I'm from …	Your home country or city
Ich wohne in …	I live in …	Where you live now
Was machen Sie beruflich?	What do you do for a living?	A common question at parties and events
Schönes Wetter heute, oder?	Nice weather today, isn't it?	The classic conversation starter

Most countries need no article, but a few do, including the US:

Ich komme aus England, aber ich wohne in Berlin. — I'm from England, but I live in Berlin.
Ich komme aus den USA. — I'm from the US.

One cultural note: Wie geht's? is a real question in Germany, not just a greeting, so expect an honest answer. Our guide to how are you in German shows how to reply, and how to introduce yourself in German takes you from Ich heiße… to a full self-introduction.

Emergencies

Hopefully you'll never need these, but learn them anyway. In Germany, call 112 for an ambulance or the fire department and 110 for the police. 112 also works across the EU.

German	English	When to use
Hilfe!	Help!	Shout it in any emergency
Ich brauche Hilfe.	I need help.	Asking a passer-by or staff member for help
Ich brauche einen Arzt.	I need a doctor.	You're ill or injured
Rufen Sie bitte die Polizei!	Please call the police!	A theft, an accident or danger
Rufen Sie einen Krankenwagen!	Call an ambulance!	Someone is seriously hurt
Wo ist das nächste Krankenhaus?	Where is the nearest hospital?	You need a hospital fast
Wo ist die nächste Apotheke?	Where is the nearest pharmacy?	You need medicine
Ich bin krank.	I'm sick.	At the doctor's or the pharmacy
Mir ist schlecht.	I feel sick.	You feel nauseous
Ich habe meinen Pass verloren.	I've lost my passport.	At the police station or your embassy

Good to know: in Germany, even basic painkillers like ibuprofen are sold only in pharmacies (die Apotheke), not in supermarkets or drugstores.

Common Mistakes

Saying "Was?" Instead of "Wie bitte?"

A bare Was? (What?) sounds blunt, especially with strangers. Wie bitte? is the polite way to ask someone to repeat themselves.

Saying "Ich will" When You Order

Ich will einen Kaffee means "I want a coffee" and sounds demanding. Say Ich möchte einen Kaffee. or Ich hätte gern einen Kaffee. — I'd like a coffee.

Saying "Guten Nacht"

Morgen, Tag and Abend are masculine, so they take guten. Nacht is feminine (die Nacht), so it's Gute Nacht! And it's only for bedtime, never a greeting.

Using du With Strangers

Sprichst du Englisch? is fine with a fellow student, but with a shop assistant or an older stranger, ask Sprechen Sie Englisch? When in doubt, start with Sie.

How to Practice These Phrases

Reading a list once won't make the words come out when you need them. Survival German is about speed, so practice like this:

Say them out loud. Read each table aloud, then cover the German column and say the phrases from the English.
Learn by situation. Going to a café this week? Start with the eating-out table. Five phrases a day is plenty.
Add music. A melody makes phrases stick. Sing along with our YouTube short Learn German with Music | Daily Survival Phrases.
Test yourself. Take an A1 German quiz, and browse our German phrases collection for more phrases with pronunciation and example sentences.

Quick check: what would you say?

The waiter speaks too fast.
You want to pay.
You're looking for the train station.
You didn't catch what someone said.
You need a doctor.

Answers: 1. Langsamer, bitte! 2. Die Rechnung, bitte! (or Zahlen, bitte!) 3. Entschuldigung, wo ist der Bahnhof? 4. Wie bitte? 5. Ich brauche einen Arzt.

Keep learning:

FAQ

What are the most important German phrases for beginners?

Start with Hallo, Bitte, Danke, Entschuldigung, Ich verstehe nicht and Sprechen Sie Englisch? Add Ich möchte… and Wo ist…?, and you can order food and find your way.

Do I need to speak German to travel in Germany?

Not strictly. Many people in big cities speak English, especially younger people. But even a few German phrases make every interaction friendlier, and outside the big cities you'll need them more.

How do you say "Do you speak English?" in German?

Ask strangers Sprechen Sie Englisch? With friends or people your age, ask Sprichst du Englisch?

Should I use du or Sie as a beginner?

Use Sie with anyone you don't know, and du with friends, family and children. If you're unsure, start with Sie and let the other person offer du.