100 Common German Phrases with Pronunciation for Tourists

Learning basic German phrases can transform your travel experience, making it easier to communicate and connect with locals.

This guide provides 100 Common German Phrases with Pronunciation, divided into useful categories like greetings, transportation, food, and more. Whether you’re planning to visit Berlin, Munich, or Frankfurt, mastering these essential phrases will make your journey smoother.

Greetings and Basic Phrases

Start with these simple greetings to break the ice with locals.

1. Hello – Hallo – (Hah-loh)
2. Good morning – Guten Morgen – (Goo-ten Mor-gen)
3. Good evening – Guten Abend – (Goo-ten Ah-bent)
4. Goodbye – Auf Wiedersehen – (Ow-f Vee-der-zey-en)
5. Please – Bitte – (Bit-teh)
6. Thank you – Danke – (Dahn-keh)
7. Yes – Ja – (Yah)
8. No – Nein – (Nine)
9. Excuse me – Entschuldigung – (En-shool-di-goong)
10. I’m sorry – Es tut mir leid – (Es toot meer light)

Directions and Transportation

Navigating a foreign country can be challenging. These phrases will help you find your way.

11. Where is the train station? – Wo ist der Bahnhof? – (Voh ist dare Bahn-hohf?)
12. Where is the bus stop? – Wo ist die Bushaltestelle? – (Voh ist dee Boos-hal-te-shtel-leh?)
13. I need a taxi – Ich brauche ein Taxi – (Ih brow-keh ain Taks-ee)
14. How much is a ticket? – Wie viel kostet ein Ticket? – (Vee feel koh-stet ain Tick-et?)
15. Left – Links – (Links)
16. Right – Rechts – (Reh-hts)
17. Straight ahead – Geradeaus – (Ge-rahd-owss)
18. I’m lost – Ich habe mich verlaufen – (Ih hah-beh mikh fer-lau-fen)
19. Is this the right train? – Ist das der richtige Zug? – (Ist dahs dare rikh-ti-geh Tsoog?)
20. Can you help me? – Können Sie mir helfen? – (Kern-en Zee meer hel-fen?)

Emergencies

In case of emergencies, these phrases are crucial.

21. Help! – Hilfe! – (Hil-feh!)
22. Call the police – Rufen Sie die Polizei – (Roo-fen Zee dee Pol-it-sai)
23. I need a doctor – Ich brauche einen Arzt – (Ih brow-keh eye-nen Ahrtst)
24. I’m injured – Ich bin verletzt – (Ih bin fer-letst)
25. Where is the hospital? – Wo ist das Krankenhaus? – (Voh ist dahs Kran-ken-hows?)
26. I lost my passport – Ich habe meinen Pass verloren – (Ih hah-beh mine-en Pass fer-lor-en)
27. Fire! – Feuer! – (Foy-er!)
28. I feel sick – Mir ist schlecht – (Meer ist shlekht)
29. Is everything okay? – Ist alles in Ordnung? – (Ist ah-les in Ord-noong?)
30. I need help now – Ich brauche jetzt Hilfe – (Ih brow-keh yetzt Hil-feh)

Numbers and Counting

Understanding numbers is essential for shopping, ordering, and more.

31. One – Eins – (Ayns)
32. Two – Zwei – (Tsvy)
33. Three – Drei – (Dry)
34. Four – Vier – (Feer)
35. Five – Fünf – (Foonf)
36. Six – Sechs – (Zeks)
37. Seven – Sieben – (Zee-ben)
38. Eight – Acht – (Ahkt)
39. Nine – Neun – (Noyn)
40. Ten – Zehn – (Tseyn)
41. Hundred – Hundert – (Hoon-dert)
42. Thousand – Tausend – (Tow-zend)
43. One million – Eine Million – (Eye-neh Mill-ee-ohn)

Food and Dining

Knowing food-related terms makes dining an enjoyable experience.

44. I’m hungry – Ich habe Hunger – (Ih hah-beh Hoong-er)
45. I’m thirsty – Ich habe Durst – (Ih hah-beh Doorst)
46. Menu – Speisekarte – (Shpy-zeh-kar-teh)
47. Bill, please – Die Rechnung, bitte – (Dee Rekh-noong, Bit-teh)
48. Water – Wasser – (Vah-ser)
49. Wine – Wein – (Vine)
50. Beer – Bier – (Beer)
51. Bread – Brot – (Broht)
52. Cheese – Käse – (Keh-seh)
53. Meat – Fleisch – (Flysh)

Shopping and Payments

These phrases will make shopping easier, whether you’re buying souvenirs or essentials.

54. How much does this cost? – Wie viel kostet das? – (Vee feel koh-stet dahs?)
55. I’m just looking – Ich schaue nur – (Ih shou-eh noor)
56. Do you accept credit cards? – Akzeptieren Sie Kreditkarten? – (Aks-ept-ee-ren Zee Kreh-deet-kar-ten?)
57. I’ll take this one – Ich nehme das – (Ih nay-meh dahs)
58. Can I get a receipt? – Kann ich eine Quittung bekommen? – (Kahn ih eye-neh Kvit-oong beh-ko-men?)
59. Too expensive – Zu teuer – (Tsoo Toy-er)
60. Is there a discount? – Gibt es einen Rabatt? – (Geebt es eye-nen Rah-baht?)
61. I want to return this – Ich möchte das zurückgeben – (Ih mehkh-teh dahs tsoo-rook-gey-ben)
62. What size is this? – Welche Größe hat das? – (Vel-kheh Grö-seh haht dahs?)
63. Where is the fitting room? – Wo ist die Umkleidekabine? – (Voh ist dee Oom-klai-de-kah-bee-neh?)

Accommodation and Hotels

Helpful phrases for checking in and navigating your hotel stay.

64. Do you have a room available? – Haben Sie ein Zimmer frei? – (Hah-ben Zee ayn Tsim-mer fry?)
65. I have a reservation – Ich habe eine Reservierung – (Ih hah-beh eye-neh Reh-zer-vee-roong)
66. Can I have the key? – Kann ich den Schlüssel bekommen? – (Kahn ih dehn Shlü-sel beh-ko-men?)
67. Where is the elevator? – Wo ist der Aufzug? – (Voh ist dare Owf-tsoog?)
68. What time is breakfast? – Wann gibt es Frühstück? – (Vahn geebt es Froosh-took?)
69. I need extra towels – Ich brauche zusätzliche Handtücher – (Ih brow-keh tsoo-tsayt-licheh Hahnd-too-kher)
70. Can I extend my stay? – Kann ich meinen Aufenthalt verlängern? – (Kahn ih Mine-en Owf-en-thalt fer-leng-ern?)
71. Is there Wi-Fi here? – Gibt es hier WLAN? – (Geebt es heer Vay-lahn?)
72. The air conditioning isn’t working – Die Klimaanlage funktioniert nicht – (Dee Klee-mah-an-lah-geh foonk-tsion-eert nisht)
73. I’m checking out – Ich checke aus – (Ih Check-eh ows)

Social and Cultural Expressions

Build connections with locals through these expressions.

74. Nice to meet you – Schön, Sie kennenzulernen – (Shön Zee Keh-nen-tsoo-lair-nen)
75. Cheers! – Prost! – (Prohst!)
76. I love Germany – Ich liebe Deutschland – (Ih Lee-beh Doich-lahnd)
77. Can you recommend a good restaurant? – Können Sie ein gutes Restaurant empfehlen? – (Kern-en Zee ayn Goo-tes Res-tau-rant em-fay-len?)
78. That’s interesting – Das ist interessant – (Dahs ist in-ter-es-sahnt)
79. I don’t understand – Ich verstehe nicht – (Ih fer-shteh-eh nisht)
80. Please repeat that – Können Sie das wiederholen? – (Kern-en Zee dahs Vee-der-hoh-len?)
81. What’s your name? – Wie heißen Sie? – (Vee Hie-sen Zee?)
82. Where are you from? – Woher kommen Sie? – (Voh-hair Koh-men Zee?)
83. I’m from [your country] – Ich komme aus [Land] – (Ih Koh-meh ows [Land])

Entertainment and Free Time

Make the most of your leisure time with these handy phrases.

84. Where is the nearest museum? – Wo ist das nächste Museum? – (Voh ist dahs Neh-shteh Moo-zay-oom?)
85. I’d like a ticket for the theater – Ich möchte eine Theaterkarte – (Ih Mehkh-teh eye-neh Tee-ah-tar-kar-teh)
86. What’s on tonight? – Was läuft heute Abend? – (Vahs loyft Hoy-teh Ah-bent?)
87. I like this song – Ich mag dieses Lied – (Ih mahg Dee-zes Leet)
88. Can you recommend a good movie? – Können Sie einen guten Film empfehlen? – (Kern-en Zee Eye-nen Goo-ten Film em-fay-len?)
89. Where is the park? – Wo ist der Park? – (Voh ist dare Pahrk?)
90. Is there a pool nearby? – Gibt es ein Schwimmbad in der Nähe? – (Geebt es ayn Shvim-bahd in dare Neh-heh?)

Final Phrases for Travel

The last group of 100 Common German Phrases with Pronunciation focuses on essential phrases for concluding your trip.

91. What time is my flight? – Wann geht mein Flug? – (Vahn geht Mine Floog?)
92. Where is the airport? – Wo ist der Flughafen? – (Voh ist dare Floog-hah-fen?)
93. Can I get a window seat? – Kann ich einen Fensterplatz bekommen? – (Kahn ih Eye-nen Fen-ster-plats beh-ko-men?)
94. Do I need to check my luggage? – Muss ich mein Gepäck aufgeben? – (Moos ih Mine Ge-peck Owf-geh-ben?)
95. Where is the boarding gate? – Wo ist das Gate? – (Voh ist dahs Gate?)
96. Can I have a boarding pass? – Kann ich eine Bordkarte bekommen? – (Kahn ih Eye-neh Bord-kar-teh beh-ko-men?)
97. When does the train leave? – Wann fährt der Zug ab? – (Vahn fährt dare Tsoog ahp?)
98. How long is the layover? – Wie lange dauert der Aufenthalt? – (Vee Lahn-geh Dau-ert dare Owf-en-thalt?)
99. Can I reserve a seat? – Kann ich einen Sitzplatz reservieren? – (Kahn ih Eye-nen Sitz-plats Reh-zer-vee-ren?)
100. Thank you for everything – Danke für alles – (Dahn-keh füer ah-les)

10 Most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Learning German for Tourist

What are the most useful German phrases for tourists?

Knowing some basic German phrases for common situations can make your trip much smoother. Key phrases to learn include greetings like “Guten Morgen” (Good morning), “Wie geht’s?” (How are you?) and “Wo ist …?” (Where is …?), as well as polite phrases such as “Bitte” (Please) and “Danke” (Thank you).

Do I need to speak German to travel in Germany?

While many Germans speak English, especially in major cities and tourist areas, learning basic German phrases can make navigating the country easier and enhance your travel experience. It’s always appreciated when tourists make an effort to speak the local language.

How can I ask for directions in German?

Learning how to ask for directions is crucial. Key phrases include “Wo ist der Bahnhof?” (Where is the train station?) or “Könnten Sie mir bitte helfen?” (Could you please help me?). Understanding these phrases will allow you to communicate with locals and find your way around.

How do I order food and drinks in German?

Ordering food in a restaurant can be intimidating if you don’t know the right phrases. Key phrases like *”Ich hätte gerne…” (I would like…) and *”Könnte ich die Rechnung haben?” (Could I have the bill?) will help make dining experiences more comfortable.

What are some polite phrases I should know in German?

Being polite goes a long way when traveling. In addition to “Bitte” (Please) and “Danke” (Thank you), knowing “Entschuldigung” (Excuse me) and “Es tut mir leid” (I’m sorry) will help you in many situations.

Tourist Experiences with German

• John from the USA: “Learning basic German phrases with pronunciation made my trip smoother and more enjoyable.”
• Maria from Spain: “Speaking even a little German helped me connect with locals and enjoy their culture more.”
• Li from China: “Using German phrases at the market helped me navigate and haggle better.”
• Anna from Germany: “Knowing German helped me ask for directions and get around easily.”
• Paul from Australia: “Speaking German opened doors to deeper cultural experiences and new friendships.”

Cultural Tips for Visiting Germany

Greetings and Social Interactions

• Handshakes: Common in professional settings, while among close friends and family, a hug or kiss on the cheek may be more appropriate.
• Titles and Formalities: It’s customary to use titles such as “Herr” (Mr.) or “Frau” (Mrs.) when addressing someone formally.

Dining Etiquette

• Invitations: When invited to a German home, it’s polite to bring a small gift.
• Seating: Wait for a host to indicate where to sit.
• Table Manners: Always keep your hands visible, and remember to say “Guten Appetit!” before starting your meal.

Conclusion

These 100 Common German Phrases with Pronunciation provide you with essential tools to communicate effectively during your trip. Bookmark this page, practice the pronunciations, and use these phrases confidently on your next adventure!