German Vocabulary by Topic

The most common German greetings are “Hallo” (hello), “Guten Morgen” (good morning), “Guten Tag” (good day), “Guten Abend” (good evening), and to say goodbye “Tschüss” (informal) or “Auf Wiedersehen” (formal). Add “Danke” (thanks) and “Bitte” (please) and you can open almost any conversation politely.

The German numbers 0–12 are: null (0), eins (1), zwei (2), drei (3), vier (4), fünf (5), sechs (6), sieben (7), acht (8), neun (9), zehn (10), elf (11) and zwölf (12). These are the building blocks for prices, times and phone numbers, and most must simply be memorised.

The days of the week in German are Montag (Monday), Dienstag (Tuesday), Mittwoch (Wednesday), Donnerstag (Thursday), Freitag (Friday), Samstag (Saturday) and Sonntag (Sunday). All are masculine (der), and to say “on Monday” you use “am Montag”.

The essential colors in German are rot (red), blau (blue), grün (green), gelb (yellow), schwarz (black), weiß (white), grau (gray), braun (brown), orange (orange), rosa (pink), and lila (purple). These eleven color words cover most everyday situations.

The months in German are Januar, Februar, März, April, Mai, Juni, Juli, August, September, Oktober, November, and Dezember. All months are masculine nouns and always capitalized. Most resemble their English equivalents, making them easy to learn for beginners.

The essential family members in German are die Mutter (mother), der Vater (father), die Eltern (parents), der Bruder (brother), die Schwester (sister), die Großmutter (grandmother), der Großvater (grandfather), der Sohn (son), die Tochter (daughter), das Kind (child), der Onkel (uncle), and die Tante (aunt).

Essential food in German includes das Brot (bread), das Wasser (water), der Kaffee (coffee), der Tee (tea), die Milch (milk), der Apfel (apple), das Ei (egg), der Käse (cheese), das Fleisch (meat), der Fisch (fish), das Gemüse (vegetables), and das Obst (fruit).

The essential body parts in German are der Kopf (head), das Auge (eye), die Nase (nose), der Mund (mouth), das Ohr (ear), die Hand (hand), der Arm (arm), das Bein (leg), der Fuß (foot), der Bauch (belly), der Rücken (back), and das Haar (hair).

German numbers 13 to 100 include dreizehn (13), vierzehn (14), fünfzehn (15), sechzehn (16), siebzehn (17), achtzehn (18), neunzehn (19), zwanzig (20), dreißig (30), vierzig (40), fünfzig (50), sechzig (60), siebzig (70), achtzig (80), neunzig (90), and hundert (100).

Essential weather in German includes die Sonne (sun), der Regen (rain), der Schnee (snow), der Wind (wind), die Wolke (cloud), das Gewitter (thunderstorm), der Nebel (fog), warm (warm), kalt (cold), heiß (hot), sonnig (sunny), and bewölkt (cloudy).

Essential clothes in German include die Hose (pants), das Hemd (shirt), der Pullover (sweater), die Jacke (jacket), der Mantel (coat), das Kleid (dress), der Rock (skirt), die Schuhe (shoes), die Socken (socks), der Hut (hat), der Schal (scarf), and die Mütze (cap).

The essential rooms in German include das Haus (house), die Wohnung (apartment), das Zimmer (room), die Küche (kitchen), das Badezimmer (bathroom), das Schlafzimmer (bedroom), das Wohnzimmer (living room), der Flur (hallway), der Balkon (balcony), der Garten (garden), die Tür (door), and das Fenster (window).

Common jobs in German include der Arzt (doctor), die Lehrerin (teacher), der Ingenieur (engineer), die Krankenschwester (nurse), der Koch (cook), der Polizist (police officer), der Verkäufer (salesperson), der Anwalt (lawyer), die Friseurin (hairdresser), der Busfahrer (bus driver), der Kellner (waiter), and der Student (student).