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German basics: greetings and essentials

Twenty-one essential German words and phrases for greetings, politeness and first conversations, with example sentences and pronunciation hints.

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The cards, front and back

  1. 1
    Front

    Hello

    Back

    Hallo (informal) / Guten Tag (formal, during the day)

    Example: Guten Tag, Frau Müller. (Good day, Mrs Müller.)

    Say: GOO-ten TAHK

  2. 2
    Front

    Good morning

    Back

    Guten Morgen

    Example: Guten Morgen, alle zusammen. (Good morning, everyone.)

    Say: GOO-ten MOR-gen

  3. 3
    Front

    Good evening / Good night

    Back

    Guten Abend / Gute Nacht

    Gute Nacht is used when going to bed or leaving late at night.

    Say: GOO-ten AH-bent, GOO-teh NAHKHT

  4. 4
    Front

    Goodbye

    Back

    Auf Wiedersehen (formal) / Tschüss (informal)

    Say: owf VEE-der-zayn, chewss

  5. 5
    Front

    See you later

    Back

    Bis später, or Bis bald (see you soon)

    Example: Bis später, Jonas!

  6. 6
    Front

    Please / You're welcome

    Back

    Bitte

    The same word means please and you're welcome. Bitte schön is a friendlier you're welcome.

    Say: BIT-teh

  7. 7
    Front

    Thank you / Thank you very much

    Back

    Danke / Danke schön, or Vielen Dank

    Say: DAHN-keh, FEE-len dahnk

  8. 8
    Front

    Yes / No

    Back

    Ja / Nein

    Say: yah / nine

  9. 9
    Front

    Excuse me / Sorry

    Back

    Entschuldigung, or Entschuldigen Sie (formal)

    Example: Entschuldigung, wo ist der Bahnhof? (Excuse me, where is the station?)

    Say: ent-SHOOL-dee-goong

  10. 10
    Front

    How are you?

    Back

    Wie geht es Ihnen? (formal) / Wie geht's? (informal)

    Reply: Gut, danke. Und dir? (Good, thanks. And you?)

  11. 11
    Front

    What's your name?

    Back

    Wie heißen Sie? (formal) / Wie heißt du? (informal)

    Reply: Ich heiße Max. (My name is Max.)

    The letter ß sounds like ss.

  12. 12
    Front

    Nice to meet you

    Back

    Freut mich, or Schön, Sie kennenzulernen (formal)

    Say: FROYT mikh

  13. 13
    Front

    Where are you from?

    Back

    Woher kommen Sie? (formal) / Woher kommst du? (informal)

    Reply: Ich komme aus Kanada. (I come from Canada.)

  14. 14
    Front

    I don't understand

    Back

    Ich verstehe nicht, or Ich verstehe das nicht

    Say: ikh fer-SHTAY-eh nikht

  15. 15
    Front

    Do you speak English?

    Back

    Sprechen Sie Englisch?

    Say: SHPREKH-en zee ENG-lish

  16. 16
    Front

    Could you speak more slowly?

    Back

    Können Sie bitte langsamer sprechen?

    Short version: Langsamer, bitte.

  17. 17
    Front

    I would like...

    Back

    Ich möchte...

    Example: Ich möchte einen Kaffee, bitte. (I would like a coffee, please.)

  18. 18
    Front

    How much does it cost?

    Back

    Wie viel kostet das?

    Example: Wie viel kostet die Fahrkarte? (How much is the ticket?)

  19. 19
    Front

    Where is...?

    Back

    Wo ist...?

    Example: Wo ist die Toilette? (Where is the toilet?)

  20. 20
    Front

    du and Sie

    Back

    Du is informal, for friends, family, children and often young people. Sie (always capitalised) is formal, for strangers and at work. Wait for the other person to offer du.

  21. 21
    Front

    Numbers one to five

    Back

    eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf

    Say: ines, tsvy, dry, feer, fewnf

  22. 22
    Front

    Can you help me?

    Back

    Können Sie mir helfen? (formal) / Kannst du mir helfen? (informal)

    Example: Entschuldigung, können Sie mir bitte helfen? (Excuse me, can you help me, please?)

How to use this template

This deck gives you the German you need to greet people, be polite and handle a simple conversation. English is on the front; the back gives the German, an example sentence and a pronunciation hint written in English sounds. It suits beginners at school, travellers to Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and adult learners. Use Learn mode first and say every phrase out loud, then switch to Test mode so spaced repetition can return to the phrases you find tricky. You can print it double-sided as a pocket phrasebook.

Tips

  • Say each phrase aloud. German pronunciation is regular once you know a few rules, such as ei sounding like eye and ie like ee.
  • Learn formal Sie phrases first. They are always safe with strangers.
  • Remember that every German noun starts with a capital letter, such as der Kaffee and die Toilette.
  • Practise short dialogues with a partner: greet, ask a name, ask where they are from, say goodbye.
  • Pay attention to umlauts (ä, ö, ü). They change the sound and sometimes the meaning of a word.

Make it fit

  • Add regional greetings such as Grüß Gott in southern Germany and Austria, or Grüezi in Switzerland.
  • Teachers can add classroom phrases like Darf ich auf die Toilette gehen?
  • Add numbers six to twenty and the days of the week for a fuller beginner set.
  • Write a card with your own introduction: name, age, country and hobbies.

Updated October 28, 2026

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