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 seven weekdays 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).

Telling the time in German uses die Uhr (clock) and die Uhrzeit (time of day). Ask Wie spät ist es? to inquire about the time. Key phrases include Es ist ein Uhr (one o'clock), Es ist halb drei (half past two), Viertel nach vier (quarter past four), and Viertel vor neun (quarter to nine).

Common animals in German include der Hund (dog), die Katze (cat), das Pferd (horse), der Vogel (bird), der Fisch (fish), die Kuh (cow), das Schwein (pig), das Schaf (sheep), das Kaninchen (rabbit), die Maus (mouse), der Bär (bear), and der Löwe (lion).

The main transport in German includes das Auto (car), der Bus (bus), der Zug (train), die Straßenbahn (tram), das Fahrrad (bicycle), das Flugzeug (airplane), das Schiff (ship), die U-Bahn (subway), das Taxi (taxi), das Motorrad (motorcycle), and die S-Bahn (commuter train).

Essential fruits and vegetables in German include der Apfel (apple), die Banane (banana), die Orange (orange), die Erdbeere (strawberry), die Zitrone (lemon), die Birne (pear), die Kartoffel (potato), die Tomate (tomato), die Karotte (carrot), die Zwiebel (onion), die Gurke (cucumber), and der Brokkoli (broccoli).

Essential vocabulary for shopping in German includes das Geschäft (store), der Supermarkt (supermarket), der Markt (market), das Geld (money), die Kasse (checkout), der Preis (price), der Einkaufswagen (shopping cart), die Tasche (bag), der Rabatt (discount), die Quittung (receipt), einkaufen (to shop), and bezahlen (to pay).

The most essential countries in German include Deutschland (Germany), Österreich (Austria), die Schweiz (Switzerland), Frankreich (France), die USA (the USA), Russland (Russia), die Türkei (Turkey), der Iran (Iran), die Ukraine (Ukraine), and Syrien (Syria). The word for country itself is das Land, and nationality is die Staatsangehörigkeit.

The most common hobbies in German include das Hobby (hobby), die Freizeit (free time), lesen (to read), schwimmen (to swim), Fußball spielen (to play football), Musik hören (to listen to music), kochen (to cook), tanzen (to dance), reisen (to travel), wandern (to hike), malen (to paint), and Rad fahren (to ride a bike).

The most common emotions in German include das Gefühl (feeling), glücklich (happy), traurig (sad), müde (tired), wütend (angry), nervös (nervous), die Angst (fear), die Freude (joy), die Liebe (love), überrascht (surprised), gestresst (stressed), and sich freuen (to be happy/look forward to).

School in German is die Schule. Essential school vocabulary includes der Lehrer (teacher, male), die Lehrerin (teacher, female), der Schüler (student), die Klasse (class), das Klassenzimmer (classroom), der Unterricht (lesson), die Hausaufgaben (homework), die Prüfung (exam), das Buch (book), das Heft (notebook), der Stift (pen), die Tafel (board), die Pause (break), and lernen (to learn).

Office in German is das Büro. Key workplace terms include der Schreibtisch (desk), der Computer (computer), die Tastatur (keyboard), der Bildschirm (screen), der Drucker (printer), die Besprechung (meeting), der Termin (appointment), der Kollege and die Kollegin (colleague), der Chef (boss), die E-Mail (email), der Kalender (calendar), die Mittagspause (lunch break), and arbeiten (to work).

Essential directions in German include der Weg (way/path), links (left), rechts (right), geradeaus (straight ahead), die Straße (street), die Kreuzung (intersection), die Ampel (traffic light), die Ecke (corner), der Platz (square), die Brücke (bridge), der Bahnhof (train station), die Haltestelle (stop), der Stadtplan (city map), abbiegen (to turn), and in der Nähe (nearby).

Essential vocabulary at the doctor in German includes der Arzt, die Ärztin, der Termin, die Praxis, das Krankenhaus, die Apotheke, das Rezept, das Medikament, die Schmerzen, das Fieber, die Erkältung, der Husten, die Untersuchung, die Krankenversicherung, and krank.

Key restaurant vocabulary in German includes die Speisekarte (menu), der Kellner and die Kellnerin (waiter and waitress), die Rechnung (bill), das Trinkgeld (tip), die Vorspeise (starter), das Hauptgericht (main course), der Nachtisch (dessert), das Getränk (drink), die Reservierung (reservation), der Tisch (table), das Besteck (cutlery), bestellen (to order), bezahlen (to pay), and Guten Appetit (enjoy your meal).

The most essential German adjectives include groß (big), klein (small), alt (old), neu (new), jung (young), schnell (fast), langsam (slow), gut (good), schlecht (bad), teuer (expensive), billig (cheap), warm (warm), kalt (cold), schwer (heavy/difficult), leicht (light/easy), schön (beautiful), and hässlich (ugly).

Essential places in German include der Bahnhof (train station), der Flughafen (airport), die Apotheke (pharmacy), die Bäckerei (bakery), das Rathaus (city hall), die Bank (bank), der Supermarkt (supermarket), die Post (post office), das Krankenhaus (hospital), die Kirche (church), der Park (park), das Kino (cinema), die Bibliothek (library), and das Museum (museum).