101 Common German Phrases You Need to Know

---

Do you want to start speaking German right now? Then these are the 101 German phrases to start with.

I've always found that the fastest way into a language is to speak it from day one, and the fastest way to start speaking is to learn the phrases you'll actually use in real conversations. Not a grammar table you'll forget by lunchtime, but the words that come out of your mouth when you order a coffee, ask for directions, or meet someone for the first time.

German has a reputation for being hard, and I think that reputation is mostly unfair. Yes, the grammar has a few corners that take getting used to, but the phrases below need none of that. You can learn them as whole chunks, drop them straight into a conversation, and sound friendly and capable from your very first day. That is exactly how I'd want you to start.

A quick word on how to read this article. German makes a real distinction between a formal “you” (Sie) and an informal “you” (du), and it matters more than you might expect, so I've given that its own section near the top. Read it first and the rest will make way more sense.

Let's get into it.

Table of contents

• 15 Must-Know Basic German Phrases
• “Sie” or “du”? The German “You” You Need to Get Right
• German Greetings and Starting Conversations
• Saying Goodbye in German
• Polite Phrases in German
• Introducing Yourself and Making Small Talk
• Common Questions in German
• Asking for Directions and Getting Around
• Eating and Drinking in German
• Shopping Phrases in German
• Emergency and Survival Phrases in German
• German Signs You'll See Everywhere
• Regional Greetings: North, South, and Austria
• German Slang and Filler Words
• Du schaffst das! You're Off to a Flying Start

15 Must-Know Basic German Phrases

If you only take 15 German phrases away from this article, make it these. They'll carry you through a surprising number of everyday situations:

• Hallo – “Hello”
• Guten Tag – “Good day” (the safe, polite greeting for daytime)
• Ich heiße… – “My name is…”
• Wie geht es Ihnen? – “How are you?” (formal)
• Bitte – “Please” (and also “you're welcome”, more on that below)
• Danke – “Thank you”
• Entschuldigung – “Excuse me” / “Sorry”
• Ja / Nein – “Yes / No”
• Sprechen Sie Englisch? – “Do you speak English?”
• Ich verstehe nicht – “I don't understand”
• Können Sie das wiederholen? – “Can you repeat that?”
• Wie viel kostet das? – “How much does that cost?”
• Wo ist die Toilette? – “Where is the toilet?”
• Können Sie mir helfen? – “Can you help me?”
• Tschüss – “Bye”

Get comfortable with those and you've already got a foothold. Now let's build it out.

“Sie” or “du”? The German “You” You Need to Get Right

Here's the one thing an English speaker has to wrap their head around early. German has two words for “you”:

• Sie – the formal “you”, for strangers, older people, shop staff, officials, and anyone in a professional setting. Note that it's always capitalised.
• du – the informal “you”, for friends, family, children, and people who've invited you to use it.

This isn't just politeness fluff. Using du with a hotel receptionist or a shopkeeper you've just met can come across as a bit presumptuous, while Sie is never wrong with a stranger. My rule of thumb: when in doubt, use Sie. A German will happily invite you to switch to du when the moment's right, often with the lovely phrase Wir können uns duzen (“we can use du with each other”).

You'll see this play out in the phrases below. “How are you?” has two versions:

• Wie geht es Ihnen? – “How are you?” (formal)
• Wie geht's? – “How are you?” (informal, and a casual contraction of Wie geht es dir?)

Wherever it matters, I'll give you the formal version first, because that's the one that keeps you safe with someone you've just met.

German Greetings and Starting Conversations

• Hallo – “Hello”
• Guten Morgen – “Good morning”
• Guten Tag – “Good day” / “Hello” (daytime)
• Guten Abend – “Good evening”
• Hi – “Hi” (casual, and yes, Germans say it too)
• Wie geht es Ihnen? – “How are you?” (formal)
• Wie geht's? – “How are you?” (informal)
• Gut, danke – “Good, thanks”
• Sehr gut – “Very good”
• Es geht – “So-so” / “I'm OK” (literally “it goes”)
• Und Ihnen? / Und dir? – “And you?” (formal / informal)
• Willkommen – “Welcome”

Related learning: if you want a whole toolkit of openers, we've got a full guide to breaking the ice in German conversation.

Saying Goodbye in German

• Tschüss – “Bye” (the everyday goodbye you'll hear most)
• Auf Wiedersehen – “Goodbye” (formal, literally “until we see each other again”)
• Bis bald – “See you soon”
• Bis später – “See you later”
• Bis morgen – “See you tomorrow”
• Schönen Tag noch! – “Have a nice day!”
• Gute Nacht – “Good night”

A quick reassurance: textbooks lean hard on Auf Wiedersehen, but in real life Tschüss is what you'll hear all day long, from the bakery to the bus. Use it freely.

Polite Phrases in German

• Bitte – “Please”
• Danke – “Thank you”
• Danke schön – “Thank you very much”
• Vielen Dank – “Many thanks”
• Gern geschehen – “You're welcome” (literally “gladly done”)
• Entschuldigung – “Excuse me” / “Sorry”
• Es tut mir leid – “I'm sorry” (a sincere apology, heavier than Entschuldigung)
• Kein Problem – “No problem”

One word worth pausing on: Bitte. It does triple duty in German. It means “please”, but it's also the standard reply to “thank you” (“you're welcome”), and it's what you say when handing something over (“here you go”). One little word, three jobs. Learn it well and you'll reach for it constantly.

Introducing Yourself and Making Small Talk

• Ich heiße… – “My name is…” (literally “I am called…”)
• Mein Name ist… – “My name is…” (a touch more formal)
• Wie heißen Sie? / Wie heißt du? – “What's your name?” (formal / informal)
• Freut mich – “Nice to meet you” (literally “it pleases me”)
• Woher kommen Sie? / Woher kommst du? – “Where are you from?” (formal / informal)
• Ich komme aus… – “I'm from…”
• Ich wohne in… – “I live in…”
• Ich lerne Deutsch – “I'm learning German”
• Sprechen Sie Englisch? – “Do you speak English?”
• Ich spreche nur ein bisschen Deutsch – “I only speak a little German”
• Können Sie langsamer sprechen? – “Can you speak more slowly?”
• Ich verstehe (nicht) – “I (don't) understand”

That Ich lerne Deutsch is a small phrase with a big payoff. Say it early in a conversation and most German speakers will instantly slow down, simplify, and root for you. It's one of the most useful sentences in this whole article.

Common Questions in German

• Wie viel kostet das? – “How much does that cost?”
• Wie spät ist es? – “What time is it?”
• Wo ist…? – “Where is…?”
• Was ist das? – “What is that?”
• Wann? – “When?”
• Warum? – “Why?”
• Wer ist das? – “Who is that?”
• Haben Sie…? – “Do you have…?”
• Können Sie mir helfen? – “Can you help me?”
• Was bedeutet das? – “What does that mean?”

These question words (wo, was, wann, warum, wer, wie) are the workhorses of conversation. Learn the handful above and you can ask for almost anything you need, even if you have to point and mime the rest.

Asking for Directions and Getting Around

• Wo ist…? – “Where is…?”
• Wie komme ich zum Bahnhof? – “How do I get to the train station?”
• Wie komme ich zur Innenstadt? – “How do I get to the city centre?”
• Links – “Left”
• Rechts – “Right”
• Geradeaus – “Straight ahead”
• Ich habe mich verlaufen – “I'm lost” (on foot)
• Eine Fahrkarte nach…, bitte – “A ticket to…, please”
• Fährt dieser Zug nach…? – “Does this train go to…?”
• Wo ist die nächste Haltestelle? – “Where is the nearest stop?”

A useful pair to know: der Bahnhof is the train station and die Haltestelle is a bus or tram stop. And if someone gives you a rapid-fire set of directions, don't be shy about following up with Können Sie das wiederholen? (“Can you repeat that?”).

Eating and Drinking in German

• Ein Tisch für zwei, bitte – “A table for two, please”
• Die Speisekarte, bitte – “The menu, please”
• Ich hätte gern… – “I would like…” (the polite way to order)
• Ich möchte… – “I would like…”
• Was empfehlen Sie? – “What do you recommend?”
• Ein Bier, bitte – “A beer, please”
• Ein Glas Wasser, bitte – “A glass of water, please”
• Ich bin Vegetarier / Vegetarierin – “I'm vegetarian” (male / female speaker)
• Ich bin allergisch gegen… – “I'm allergic to…”
• Guten Appetit! – “Enjoy your meal!”
• Prost! – “Cheers!”
• Lecker! – “Delicious!”
• Die Rechnung, bitte – “The bill, please”
• Zahlen, bitte – “I'd like to pay” (a more casual way to ask for the bill)

Two cultural notes that'll save you. First, when you say Prost! and clink glasses, make eye contact. German custom is quite firm on this, and skipping the eye contact is supposedly seven years of bad luck. Second, plenty of smaller cafés, bars, and bakeries in Germany are still cash-only, so it's worth asking Nehmen Sie Karte? (“Do you take card?”) before you order, and keeping a few euros on you just in case.

Shopping Phrases in German

• Was kostet das? – “How much is this?”
• Das ist zu teuer – “That's too expensive”
• Ich schaue mich nur um – “I'm just looking around”
• Haben Sie das in einer anderen Größe? – “Do you have this in another size?”
• Kann ich mit Karte bezahlen? – “Can I pay by card?”
• Nehmen Sie Karte? – “Do you take card?”
• Ich suche… – “I'm looking for…”
• Ein Geschenk – “A gift”

Emergency and Survival Phrases in German

• Hilfe! – “Help!”
• Rufen Sie die Polizei! – “Call the police!”
• Rufen Sie einen Krankenwagen! – “Call an ambulance!”
• Ich brauche einen Arzt – “I need a doctor”
• Wo ist das Krankenhaus? – “Where is the hospital?”
• Wo ist die Apotheke? – “Where is the pharmacy?”
• Ich fühle mich nicht gut – “I don't feel well”
• Ich habe meinen Pass verloren – “I've lost my passport”

Hopefully you'll never need these, but they're exactly the phrases you want already sitting in your memory rather than scrambling for in the moment. The pharmacy, die Apotheke, is worth singling out: German pharmacists handle a lot of minor ailments that you might take to a doctor elsewhere, so it's often your first stop.

German Signs You'll See Everywhere

These aren't phrases you'll say so much as words you'll read, on doors, stations, and shopfronts all over the German-speaking world. Knowing them on sight saves a surprising amount of confusion:

• Eingang – “Entrance”
• Ausgang – “Exit”
• Notausgang – “Emergency exit”
• Geöffnet – “Open”
• Geschlossen – “Closed”
• Drücken – “Push”
• Ziehen – “Pull”
• Damen – “Ladies” (toilets)
• Herren – “Gentlemen” (toilets)
• Kein Zutritt – “No entry”

Regional Greetings: North, South, and Austria

Standard German (Hochdeutsch) is understood everywhere, so everything above will serve you well from Hamburg to Vienna. But half the fun of travelling is the local flavour, and German greetings change loads depending on where you are:

• Moin (or Moin moin) – “Hi” in the north, especially around Hamburg and Bremen, used at any time of day despite sounding like “morning”
• Grüß Gott – “Hello” in Bavaria and Austria (literally “greet God”)
• Servus – a friendly “hi” or “bye” in Bavaria and Austria
• Grüezi – “Hello” in German-speaking Switzerland
• Baba – a casual “bye” in Austria
• Pfiat di – “take care” / “bye” in Bavaria and Austria

You don't need to learn all of these to be understood, but recognising them means you won't be thrown when a shopkeeper in Munich greets you with Grüß Gott instead of the Guten Tag your textbook promised.

German Slang and Filler Words

Real conversation is held together by small, casual words, and sprinkling a few in is the quickest way to sound less like a textbook and more like a person:

• Na? – an all-purpose “Hey, how's it going?” (a whole greeting in one syllable)
• Alles klar? – “All good?” / “Everything OK?”
• Genau – “Exactly” / “Right” (Germans use this constantly to show they're following)
• Ach so! – “Oh, I see!” (the sound of a penny dropping)
• Quatsch! – “Nonsense!” / “No way!”
• Krass – “Intense” / “Wow” (can be good or bad)
• Geil – “Cool” / “Awesome” (very informal)
• Doch – “Yes it is!” (a brilliant little word for contradicting a negative; if someone says “you don't speak German” you can fire back Doch!)
• Es ist mir Wurst – “I don't mind” / “I couldn't care less” (literally “it's sausage to me”)
• Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof – “I don't understand a thing” (literally “I only understand train station”)

Those last two are pure German, and dropping one at the right moment will always get a smile. If you've enjoyed these, we've got a whole guide to everyday German slang to take you further, plus some German memes if you fancy a laugh while you learn.

Du schaffst das! You're Off to a Flying Start

That's your 101 German phrases, and honestly, it's more than enough to start having real exchanges with real people. Du schaffst das means “you can do this”, and you genuinely can.

If you want to keep building, here are a few natural next steps on the blog: learn to count in German, pick up your German colours, put some German adjectives to work in conversation, and when you're feeling brave, twist your tongue around a few German tongue twisters. If you'd like a structured course to practise with, we're fans of GermanPod101, which is brilliant for hearing these phrases used naturally by native speakers.

But the single most important thing you can do with these phrases is the simplest: say them out loud, to an actual human, as soon as you possibly can. That's the whole heart of how I approach every language, and it's exactly what we build inside the Fluent in 3 Months Bootcamp, a community and a method for getting you speaking with real people, fast.

For now, you've got everything you need to start speaking German today. So go and use it. Viel Erfolg!