Living in a new country can be challenging, especially if you do not speak the native language. We’ve provided a list of key German phrases below to help you with your move to Germany.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Hallo | Hello |
| Ja | Yes |
| Nein | No |
| Guten Morgen | Good morning |
| Guten Tag | Good day / Good afternoon |
| Guten Abend | Good evening |
| Dankeschön! | Thank you! |
| Vielen Dank! | Thank you very much! |
| Ja, bitte! | Yes, please! |
| Nein, danke. | No, thank you. |
| Tschüss! | Goodbye! |
| Bis bald! | See you soon! |
| Es tut mir leid. Ich spreche leider kein Deutsch. | I'm sorry. Unfortunately I don't speak German. |
| Mein Name ist … | My name is … |
| Ich komme aus … | I’m from … |
| Woher kommen Sie? | Where are you from? |
| Wie geht’s? | How are you doing? |
| Gut, danke. Wie geht es Ihnen? | Good, thank you. How are you? |
| Es freut mich, Ihnen kennenzulernen. | I am pleased to meet you. |
| Ich hätte gerne … | I would like to have … |
| Haben Sie vielleicht … | Do you maybe have … |
| Haben Sie eine Speisekarte auf Englisch? | Do you have a menu in English? |
| Nein, das ist alles, danke. | No, thanks, that’s all for today. |
| Ich würde gerne Bar bezahlen. | I would like to pay with cash. |
| Ich würde gerne mit Karte zahlen. | I would like to pay by card. |
| Ich habe mich verlaufen. | I am lost. |
| Ich habe mich verfahren. | I am lost (driving a car). |
It may be helpful to download a translation app to your phone to look up key phrases. Some apps, such as Google Translate, offer the ability to translate using your phone's camera, which may be useful for menus, signs, and labels, for example. If you have any further questions, please also feel free to ask any of your German-speaking co-workers.