German I Tutorial: Basic Phrases, Vocabulary and
Grammar
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1. Basic Phrases
Guten Morgen
goot-en mor-gen
Good Morning
Guten Tag
goot-en tahk
Hello/Good Day
Guten Abend
goot-en ah-bent
Good Evening
Gute Nacht
goot-eh nakht
Good Night
Tag / Hallo / Servus
tahk / hah-loh / sair-voohs
Hi / Hello / Hi & Bye
Auf Wiedersehen
owf vee-dair-zayn
Goodbye
Gr dich / Gr Gott!
Hello! / Greetings! (Southern
Germany & Austria)
Tschs / Tschau
tchews / chow
Bye!
Gehen wir!
geh-en veer
Let's go!
Bis spter
biss shpay-ter
See you later
Bis bald
biss bahlt
See you soon
Bis morgen
biss mohr-gen
See you tomorrow
Bitte
bih-tuh
Please
Danke (schn / sehr)
dahn-kuh shurn/zair
Thank you
Bitte schn
bih-tuh shurn
You're welcome
Es tut mir leid.
ehs toot meer lite
I'm sorry
Entschuldigen Sie
ehnt-shool-dih-gun zee
Excuse me
Verzeihung
Pardon me
Wie geht es Ihnen?
vee gayt es ee-nen
How are you? (formal)
Wie geht's?
vee gayts
How are you? (informal)
(Sehr) Gut / So lala
zair goot / zo lahlah
(Very) Good / OK
Schlecht / Nicht Gut
Es geht.
Ja / Nein
(Southern Germany & Austria)
shlekht / nisht goot
Bad / Not good
ess gate
I'm ok. (informal)
yah / nine
Yes / No
Wie heien Sie?
vee hie-ssen zee
What's your name? (formal)
Wie heit du?
vee hiesst doo
What's your name?
(informal)
Ich heie...
ikh hie-ssuh
My name is... [I am called...]
Es freut mich.
froyt mikh
Pleased to meet you.
Gleichfalls.
glykh-fals
Likewise.
Herr / Frau / Frulein
hair / frow / froi-line
Mister / Misses / Miss
Woher kommen Sie?
vo-hair koh-men zee
Where are you from? (formal)
Woher kommst du?
vo-hair kohmst doo
Where are you from?
(informal)
Ich komme aus...
ikh koh-muh ows...
I'm from...
Wo wohnen Sie?
vo voh-nen zee
Where do you live? (formal)
Wo wohnst du?
vo vohnst doo
Where do you live?
(informal)
Ich wohne in...
ikh voh-nuh in
I live in...
Wie alt sind Sie?
vee alt zint zee
How old are you? (formal)
Wie alt bist du?
vee alt bisst doo
How old are you? (informal)
Ich bin ____ Jahre alt.
ikh bin ____ yaa-reh alt
I am ____ years old.
Sprechen Sie deutsch?
shpreck-en zee doytch
Do you speak German?
(formal)
Sprichst du englisch?
shprikhst doo eng-lish
Do you speak English?
(informal)
Ich spreche (kein)...
ikh shpreck-uh kine
I (don't) speak...
Verstehen Sie? / Verstehst
du?
fehr-shtay-en zee / fehrshtayst doo
Do you understand? (formal /
informal)
Ich verstehe (nicht).
ikh fehr-shtay-eh nikht
I (don't) understand.
Ich wei (nicht).
ikh vise nikht
I (don't) know.
Knnen Sie mir helfen?
ker-nen zee meer hell-fen
Can you help me? (formal)
Kannst du mir helfen?
kahnst doo meer hell-fen
Can you help me? (informal)
Natrlich / Gerne
nah-tewr-likh / gair-nuh
Of course / Gladly
Kann ich Ihnen helfen?
kahn ikh ee-nen hell-fen
May I help you? (formal)
Kann ich dir helfen?
kahn ikh deer hell-fen
May I help you? (informal)
Wie bitte?
vee bih-tuh
What? Pardon me?
Wie heit ___ auf deutsch?
Wo ist / Wo sind... ?
Es gibt...
vee heist ___ owf doytch
How do you say ___ in
German?
voh ist / voh zint
Where is / Where are... ?
ess geept
There is / are...
Was ist los?
vahs ist lohs
What's the matter?
Das macht nichts.
dass makht nikhts
It doesn't matter.
Das ist mir egal.
dass ist meer eh-gahl
I don't care.
Keine Angst!
ky-nuh ahngst
Don't worry!
Ich habe es vergessen.
ikh hah-buh ess fehr-geh-sen
I forgot.
Jetzt muss ich gehen.
yetz mooss ikh geh-en
I must go now.
Ich habe Hunger / Durst.
ikh hah-buh hoong-er / dirst
I'm hungry / thirsty.
Ich bin krank / mde.
ikh bin krahnk moo-duh
I'm sick / tired.
Ich habe Langeweile.
ikh hah-buh lahn-guh-vy-luh
I'm bored.
Ich mchte / Ich htte
gern...
ikh merkh-tuh / ikh heh-tuh
gairn
I'd like...
Das gefllt mir.
dahs geh-fehlt meer
I like it.
Prima / Toll / Super!
pree-mah / tohl / zoo-pair
Great / Fantastic!
Gesundheit!
geh-soont-hyt
Bless you!
Herzlichen Glckwunsch!
herts-likh-en glewk-voonsh
Congratulations!
Sei ruhig!
zy roo-hikh
Be quiet! (informal)
Willkommen!
vil-koh-men
Welcome!
Viel Glck!
feel glewk
Good luck!
Schauen Sie mal! / Schau
mal!
show-en zee mal / show mal
Look! (formal / informal)
Bitte schn?
Yes? / What would you like to
order?
Was darf's sein?
What can I get you? / How
can I help you?
Sonst noch etwas?
Anything else?
Bitte schn.
Here you go. (handing
something to someone)
Zahlen bitte!
The check, please!
Stimmt so.
Keep the change.
Ich bin satt.
I'm full.
Mir ist schlecht.
I feel sick.
Es tut mir weh.
It hurts.
Ich liebe dich.
ikh leeb-uh dikh
I love you. (informal)
Du fehlst mir.
I miss you. (informal)
Alles ist in Ordnung.
Everything is fine.
Wie wre es mit ... ?
Was fr ein...?
Nicht wahr?
How about...?
What kind of (a)...?
[general tag question]
Ich is not actually pronounced ikh, unless you are speaking a northern dialect of German. If you
are speaking a southern dialect, then it is more like ish. There is no equivalent sound in English.
In standard German, it is somewhere between ish and ikh. Technically, it is a voiceless palatal
fricative and its voiced counterpart is the y sound in yes.
2. Pronunciation
German Vowels
[i]
viel
[y]
khl
[]
Tisch
[]
hbsch
[e]
Tee
[]
schn
[]
Bett
[]
zwlf
[a]
Mann
[]
kam
[u]
gut
[]
muss
[o]
Sohn
[]
Stock
[]
bitte
[]
Wetter
English Pronunciation
meet, eat
ee rounded / long vowel
mitt, it
ih rounded / short vowel
mate, wait
ay rounded / long vowel
met, wet
eh rounded / short vowel
mop, not
ah / longer vowel than [a]
boot, suit
put, soot
coat, goat
caught, bought
cut, what
uhr / also short vowel like []
Highlighted vowels do not exist in English.
Notice that words spelled with and can be pronounced with a long or short vowel, so
determining the pronunciation based on the spelling is not possible. The other umlauted letter, ,
is generally pronounced as [e], though it can be pronounced as [] in some dialects. A general
rule for pronunciation, however, states that the short vowels / / must be followed by a
consonant, whereas the long vowels / i y u e o / can occur at the end of the syllable or word.
German Diphthongs
[a]
ein, mein
[a]
auf, kaufen
[]
neu, Gebude
English Pronunciation
eye, buy, why
cow, now, how
toy, boy, foil
German Consonants
There are a few German consonants that do not exist in English, and some consonant
combinations that are not common in English. Notice that the pronunciation of the German r
changes according to the location in the countries that speak German, i.e. [R] in northern
Germany and [r] in southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Spelling
IPA
ch (with vowels e and i) []
ch (with vowels a, o, u)
[x]
pf
[pf]
[ts]
[j]
qu
[kv]
st / sp (at beginning of
syllable)
[t] /
[p]
sch
[]
th
v
w
s (before vowel)
[t]
[f]
[v]
[s]
[z]
Sample words
Chemie, mich,
nicht
Buch, lachen,
kochen
Apfel, Pferd,
Pfanne
Zeit, Zug, Tanz
ja, Januar,
Junge
Quote, Quiz,
Quitte
How to pronounce:
Make yuh sound voiceless (no vibration of
vocal cords)
Make kuh sound a fricative (continuous
airflow)
Pronounce together as one sound
Pronounce together as one sound
yuh
kv
Stadt, sprechen sht / shp
schenken,
schlafen
Theater, Thron
Vater, verboten
Wasser, warm
Strae, gro
Salz, seit, Sitz
sh
t
f
v
s
z
In addition, the sounds [b], [d], and [g] lose their voicing at the end of a syllable, so they are
pronounced as their voiceless counterparts [p], [t], and [k], respectively. However, the spelling
does not reflect the pronunciation.
Stress
Stress generally falls on the first syllable of the word, except in words borrowed from other
languages, where the stress falls on the last syllable (especially with French words.)
3. Alphabet
ah
yoht
ess
bay
kah
tay
tsay
el
oo
day
em
fow
ay
en
vay
eff
oh
eeks
gay
pay
irp-se-lon
hah
koo
tset
ee
ehr
There is another letter in written German, (es-zet), pronounced like [s]. However, this letter is
only used after long vowels or diphthongs, and it is not used at all in Switzerland.
4. Nouns & Cases
All nouns have a gender in German, either masculine, feminine or neuter. There really isn't a lot
of logic to which nouns are which gender, so you must memorize the gender of each noun.
1. Male persons or animals, the seasons, months, and days are all masculine, as are nouns ending
in -ant, -ast, -ich, -ig, -ismus, -ling, -or and -us.
2. Female persons or animals, and numerals are all feminine, as are nouns ending in -a, -anz, -ei,
-enz, -heit, -ie, -ik, -in, -keit, -schaft, -sion, -sis, -tt, -tion, -ung and -ur.
3. Young persons or animals, metals, chemical elements, letters of the alphabet, hotels,
restaurants, cinemas, continents, countries and provinces are all neuter, as are nouns that end in
-chen, -icht, -il, -it, -lein, -ma, -ment, -tel, -tum, and -um. Nouns referring to things that end in
-al, -an, -ar, -t, -ent, -ett, -ier, -iv, -o and -on, as well as most words with the prefix ge- and most
nouns ending in -nis and -sal are also neuter.
All nouns in German are capitalized in writing.
All nouns (as well as pronouns and adjectives) have a case depending on what function they
serve in the sentence. These may seem strange, but remember that English uses cases also;
however, we would say direct object instead of accusative, or indirect object instead of dative.
Although these cases may make learning new words difficult, they actually help with word order
because the position of words in a sentence is not as fixed in German as it is in English. And the
reason for that is because words can occur in these four cases:
Nominative subject of the sentence
The girl is reading.
Accusative direct objects
Dative
indirect objects
Genitive
indicates possession or
relationship
We see the
mountain.
I bought a gift.
We talk to the guide.
I gave my mom a
gift.
The book of the girl.
The dog's tail.
The nouns you look up in a dictionary will be in the nominative case.
5. Articles & Demonstratives
Definite Articles (The)
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Plural
Nominative
der (dare)
die (dee)
das (dahs)
die
Accusative
den (dane)
die
das
die
Dative
dem (dame)
der
dem
den
Genitive
des (dess)
der
des
der
Indefinite Articles (A, An)
Masculine
Feminine
Neuter
Nom.
ein (ine)
eine (ine-uh)
ein
Acc.
einen (ine-en)
eine
ein
Dat.
einem (ine-em)
einer(ine-er)
einem
Gen.
eines (ine-es)
einer
eines
Demonstratives (This, That, These, Those)
This / These
That / Those
Masc.
Fem.
Neu.
Pl.
Masc.
Fem.
Neu.
Pl.
Nom.
dieser
diese
dieses
diese
der
die
das
die
Acc.
diesen
diese
dieses
diese
den
die
das
die
Dat.
diesem
dieser
diesem
diesen
dem
der
dem
den
Gen.
dieses
dieser
dieses
dieser
des
der
des
der
Jener is an older word found in written German that was used to mean that or those, but today
in spoken German the definite articles are used. Dort or da may accompany the definite articles
for emphasis. Das is also a universal demonstrative and therefore shows no agreement. Notice
the last letter of each of the words above. They correspond to the last letters of the words for the
definite articles. Words that are formed this same way are called der-words because they follow
the pattern of the der-die-das declension. Other der-words are: jeder-every, and welcher-which.
Mancher (many) and solcher (such) are also der-words, but they are used almost always in the
plural.
6. Subject (Nominative) Pronouns
Subject Pronouns
ich
ikh
wir
veer we
du
doo
you (familiar)
ihr
eer you (all)
er, sie, es, man
air, zee, ess, mahn
he, she, it, one
sie, Sie
zee they, you (formal)
Man can be translated as one, we, they or the people in general. When referring to nouns as it,
you use er for masculine nouns, sie for feminine nouns and es for neuter nouns. However, the
definite articles der, die and das can be substituted for er, sie and es to show more emphasis.
7. To Be, to Have, & to Become
Present tense of sein - to be (zine)
I am
ich bin
ikh bin
we are
wir sind
veer zint
you are (familiar) du bist
doo bihst
you (plural) are
ihr seid
eer zide
air/zee/ess
he/she/it is
er/sie/es ist
they/you (formal) are sie/Sie sind zee zint
isst
Past tense of sein
I was
ich war
ikh var
we were
wir waren
veer vahren
you were
(familiar)
du warst
doo varst
you (plural) were
ihr wart
eer vart
he/she/it was
er/sie/es
war
air/zee/es var
they/you (formal)
were
sie/Sie
waren
zee vah-ren
ich habe
du hast
er/sie/es hat
Present tense of haben - to have (hah-ben)
hah-buh
wir haben
hahst
ihr habt
haht
sie/Sie haben
Past tense of haben
ich hatte
hah-tuh
wir hatten
du hattest
hah-test
ihr hattet
er/sie/es hatte
hah-tuh
sie/Sie hatten
Present tense of werden - to become (vair-den)
ich werde
vair-duh
wir werden
du wirst
veerst
ihr werdet
er/sie/es wird
veert
sie/Sie werden
ich wurde
du wurdest
er/sie/es wurde
Past tense of werden
voor-duh
wir wurden
voor-dest
ihr wurdet
voor-duh
sie/Sie wurden
hah-ben
hahbt
hah-ben
hah-ten
hah-tet
hah-ten
vair-den
vair-det
vair-den
voor-den
voor-det
voor-den
Haben is frequently used in expressions that would normally take to be in English.
Ich habe Hunger. = I am hungry.
Ich hatte Durst. = I was thirsty.
Ich habe Langeweile. = I am bored.
Ich hatte Heimweh. = I was homesick.
Ich habe Angst. = I am afraid.
In everyday speech, the final -e on the ich conjugations can be dropped: ich hab' or hab' ich
8. Useful Words
and
but
very
or
here
also
both
some
only
again
und
aber
sehr
oder
hier
auch
beide
etwas
nur
wieder
oont
ah-ber
zair
oh-der
here
owkh
by-duh
eht-vahss
noor
vee-der
isn't it?
too bad
gladly
immediately
sure(ly)
but, rather
finally
right!
anyway
enough
nicht wahr?
schade
gern
sofort
sicher(lich)
sondern
schlielich
stimmt
berhaupt
genug
nikht vahr
shah-duh
gehrn
zoh-fort
zikh-er-likh
zohn-dehrn
shleess-likh
shtimt
oo-ber-howpt
guh-nook
hopefully
between
therefore
a lot, many
really
together
all
now
so
another
already
hoffentlich
zwischen
deshalb
viel(e)
wirklich
zusammen
alle
jetzt
also
noch ein
schon
hoh-fent-likh
zvish-en
des-halp
feel(uh)
veerk-lish
tsoo-zah-men
ahl-luh
yetst
al-zoh
nohkh ine
shone
exact(ly)
sometimes
always
never
often
of course
perhaps
a little
a little
not at all
not a bit
genau
manchmal
immer
nie
oft
klar
vielleicht
ein bisschen
ein wenig
gar nicht
kein bisschen
guh-now
mahnch-mal
im-er
nee
ohft
klahr
fee-likht
ine biss-khen
ine vay-nikh
gar nikht
kine biss-khen
Es gibt is commonly used to mean there is/are and it is always followed by the accusative case.
9. Question Words
Who
wer
vehr
Whom
(acc.)
wen
vain
What
was
vahs
Whom
(dat.)
wem
vaim
Why
warum
vahroom
How
come
wieso
vee-zo
When wann
vahn
Where
from
woher
vo-hair
Where wo
voh
Where to wohin
How
vee
Which
wie
welche/r/-s
vo-hin
velshuh/er/es
10. Numbers / Die Nummern
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
null
eins
zwei
drei
vier
fnf
sechs
sieben
nool
ines
tsvy
dry
feer
fewnf
zecks
zee-bun
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
erste
zweite
dritte
vierte
fnfte
sechste
siebte
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1,000
acht
neun
zehn
elf
zwlf
dreizehn
vierzehn
fnfzehn
sechzehn
siebzehn
achtzehn
neunzehn
zwanzig
einundzwanzig
zweiundzwanzig
dreiundzwanzig
vierundzwanzig
dreiig
vierzig
fnfzig
sechzig
siebzig
achtzig
neunzig
(ein)hundert
(ein)tausend
ahkht
noyn
tsayn
elf
tsvurlf
dry-tsayn
feer-tsayn
fewnf-tsayn
zeck-tsayn
zeep-tsayn
ahkh-tsayn
noyn-tsayn
tsvahn-tsikh
ine-oont-tsvahn-tsikh
tsvy-oont-tsvahn-tsikh
dry-oont-tsvahn-tsikh
feer-oont-tsvahn-tsikh
dry-sikh
feer-tsikh
fewnf-tsikh
zekh-tsikh
zeep-tsikh
ahkh-tsikh
noyn-tsikh
ine-hoon-duhrt
ine-tow-zuhnt
8th
9th
10th
11th
12th
13th
14th
15th
16th
17th
18th
19th
20th
21st
22nd
23rd
24th
30th
40th
50th
60th
70th
80th
90th
achte
neunte
zehnte
elfte
zwlfte
dreizehnte
vierzehnte
fnfzehnte
sechzehnte
siebzehnte
achtzehnte
neunzehnte
zwanzigste
einundzwanzigste
zweiundzwanzigste
dreiundzwanzigste
vierundzwanzigste
dreiigste
vierzigste
fnfzigste
sechzigste
siebzigste
achtzigste
neunzigste
Sometimes zwo (tsvoh) is used instead of zwei to avoid confusion with drei when talking on the
telephone. The use of commas and periods is switched in German, though a space is commonly
used to separate thousandths, i.e. 1,000 would be 1 000. When saying telephone numbers, you
can either say each number individually or group them in twos. For years, you use the hundreds:
1972 is neunzehn hundert zweiundsiebzig; or the thousands: 2005 is zwei tausend fnf.
Wann sind Sie geboren? When were you born?
Ich bin in 1982 geboren. I was born in 1982.
11. Days of the Week / Die Tage
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
(N & E Germany)
Sunday
day
morning
afternoon
evening
night
today
tomorrow
tonight
yesterday
last night
week
weekend
daily
weekly
Montag
Dienstag
Mittwoch
Donnerstag
Freitag
Samstag
mohn-tahk
deens-tahk
mit-vock
don-ers-tahk
fry-tahk
zahms-tahk
Sonnabend
zon-nah-bent
Sonntag
der Tag (-e)
der Morgen (-)
der Nachmittag (-e)
der Abend (-e)
die Nacht (, -e)
heute
morgen
heute Abend
gestern
gestern Abend
die Woche (-n)
das Wochenende (-n)
tglich
wchentlich
zon-tahk
dehr tahk
mawr-gun
nakh-mih-tahk
ah-bunt
nahkt
hoy-tuh
mawr-gun
hoy-tuh ah-bunt
geh-stairn
geh-stairn ah-bunt
voh-kuh
voh-ken-en-duh
teh-glikh
wer-khent-likh
To say on a certain day or the weekend, use am. Add an -s to the day to express "on Mondays,
Tuesdays, etc." All days, months and seasons are masculine so they all use the same form of
these words: jeden - every, nchsten - next, letzten - last (as in the last of a series), vorigen previous. In der Woche is the expression for "during the week" in Northern and Eastern
Germany, while unter der Woche is used in Southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
12. Months of the Year / Die Monate
January
Januar
yah-noo-ahr
(Austria)
Jnner
yeh-ner
February
March
April
May
June
Februar
Mrz
April
Mai
Juni
fay-broo-ahr
mehrts
ah-pril
my
yoo-nee
July
August
September
October
November
December
month
year
monthly
yearly
Juli
August
September
Oktober
November
Dezember
der Monat (-e)
das Jahr (-e)
monatlich
jhrlich
yoo-lee
ow-goost
zehp-tehm-ber
ok-toh-ber
no-vehm-ber
deh-tsem-ber
moh-naht
yaar
moh-naht-likh
jehr-likh
To say in a certain month, use im.
Wann hast du Geburtstag? When is your birthday?
Mein Geburtstag ist im Mai. My birthday is in May.
13. Seasons / Die Jahreszeiten
Winter
Spring
Summer
Autumn
der Winter
der Frhling
der Sommer
der Herbst
dehr vin-ter
dehr frew-ling
dehr zom-mer
dehr hehrpst
To say in the + a season, use im.
14. Directions / Die Richtungen
right
left
straight
North
South
East
West
rechts
links
geradeaus
der Norden
der Sden
der Osten
der Westen
im Norden = in the North
nach Osten = to the East
aus Westen = from the West
15. Colors & Shapes / Die Farben & Die Formen
orange
pink
purple
blue
yellow
red
black
brown
gray
white
green
turquoise
beige
silver
gold
orange
rosa
violett / lila
blau
gelb
rot
schwarz
braun
grau
wei
grn
trkis
beige
silber
gold
square
circle
triangle
rectangle
oval
octagon
cube
sphere
cone
cylinder
das Viereck
der Kreis
das Dreieck
das Rechteck
das Oval
das Achteck
der Wrfel
die Kugel
der Kegel
der Zylinder
Because colors are adjectives, they must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe
if they are placed before the noun. However, not all adjectives agree, such as colors ending in -a
or -e; nor do they agree when they are used as predicate adjectives. More about Adjectives in
German III. To say that a color is light, put hell- before it, and to say that a color is dark, put
dunkel- before it.
Das Viereck ist braun. The square is brown.
Das Rechteck ist hellblau. The rectange is light blue.
16. Time / Die Zeit
What time is it?
(It is) 2 AM
2 PM
6:20
Wie spt ist es?
Es ist zwei Uhr nachts
Es ist zwei Uhr nachmittags
Es ist sechs Uhr zwanzig
vee shpayt isst ess
ess ist tsvy oor nahkts
tsvy oor nahk-mih-tahks
zex oor tsvahn-tsikh
half past 3
quarter past 4
quarter to 5
10 past 11
20 to 7
noon
midnight
in the morning
in the evening
It's exactly...
At 8.
early(ier)
late(r)
Es ist halb vier
Es ist Viertel nach vier
Es ist Viertel vor fnf
Es ist zehn nach elf
Es ist zwanzig vor sieben
Es ist nachmittag
Es ist mitternacht
morgens / frh
abends
Es ist genau...
Um 8 Uhr.
frh(er)
spt(er)
hahlp feer
feer-tel nahk feer
feer-tel for fewnf
tsyan nahk elf
tsvahn-tsikh for zee-bun
nakh-mih-tahk
mih-ter-nahk
mawr-guns / frew
aah-bunts
ess ist guh-now
oom akht oor
frew(er)
shpayt(er)
Official time, such as for bus and train schedules, always uses the 24 hour clock. Notice that
halb + number means half to, not half past, so you have to use the hour that comes next.
17. Weather / Das Wetter
How's the weather today?
It's hot
It's cold
It's beautiful
It's bad
It's clear
It's icy
It's warm
It's sunny
It's windy
It's cloudy
It's hazy
It's muggy
It's humid
It's foggy
It's snowing
It's raining
Wie ist das Wetter
heute?
Es ist hei
Es ist kalt
Es ist schn
Es ist schlecht
Es ist klar
Es ist eisig
Es ist warm
Es ist sonnig
Es ist windig
Es ist bewlkt
Es ist dunstig
Es ist schwl
Es ist feucht
Es ist nebelig
Es schneit
Es regnet
vie ist dahs vet-ter hoy-tuh
ess isst hise
ess isst kahlt
ess isst shern
ess isst shlehkt
ess isst klahr
ess isst ise-ikh
ess isst varm
ess isst zohn-ikh
ess isst vin-dikh
ess isst beh-verlkt
ess isst doons-tikh
ess isst schvool
ess isst foikht
ess isst neh-beh-likh
ess schnite
ess rayg-net
It's freezing
It looks like rain.
The weather is clearing
Es friert
ess freert
Es sieht nach Regen aus. es seet nahkh ray-gen ows
Das Wetter klrt sich
dahs vett-er klairt sikh owf
auf.
18. Family / Die Familie
Parents
Mother
Father
Son
Daughter
Brother
Sister
Grandparents
Grandfather
Grandmother
Grandchildren
Grandson
Granddaughter
Niece
Nephew
Cousin (m)
Cousin (f)
Uncle
Aunt
Siblings
Baby
Godfather
Godmother
Step-in-law
Brother-in-law
Sister-in-law
die Eltern
die Mutter ()
der Vater ()
Relative
Man
Sir / Mister
Woman / Ma'am / Mrs. /
der Sohn (, -e)
Ms.
die Tochter ()
Husband
der Bruder ()
Wife
die Schwester (-n)
Boy
die Groeltern
Girl
der Grovater ()
Grandpa
die Gromutter ()
Grandma
die Enkelkinder
Dad
der Enkel (-)
Mom
die Enkelin (-nen)
Friend (m)
die Nichte (-n)
Friend (f)
Partner / Significant
der Neffe (-n)
Other (m)
Partner / Significant
der Vetter (-n)
Other (f)
die Kusine (-n)
Marital Status
der Onkel (-)
Single
die Tante (-n)
Married
die Geschwister
Divorced
das Baby (-s)
Male
der Pate (-n)
Female
die Patin (-nen)
Child
der/die StiefToddler
der/die SchwiegerTeenager
der Schwager ()
Adult
die Schwgerin (-nen) Twin
der Verwandte (-n)
der Mann (, -er)
der Herr (-en)
die Frau (-en)
der Ehemann (, -er)
die Ehefrau (-en)
der Junge (-n)
das Mdchen (-)
der Opa (-s)
die Oma (-s)
der Vati
die Mutti
der Freund (-e)
die Freundin (-nen)
der Partner (-)
die Partnerin (-nen)
der Familienstand
ledig
verheiratet
geschieden
mnnlich
weiblich
das Kind (-er)
das Kleinkind (-er)
der Teenager (-)
der Erwachsene (-n)
der Zwilling (-e)
The letters in parentheses indicate the plural form of the noun. Notice that sometimes an umlaut
is placed over the main vowel of the word in the plural. For example, der Mann is singular (the
man) and die Mnner is plural (the men). For step- and -in-law relations, just add Stief- or
Schwieger- before the main person, except in the case of brother-in-law and sister-in-law noted
above. The plurals follow the pattern for the main person, i.e. die Schwiegermutter (singular)
and die Schwiegermtter (plural)
19. To Know People & Facts
kennen - to know people
ich kenne
ken-nuh wir kennen
du kennst
kenst
ihr kennt
sie/Sie
er/sie/es kennt kent
kennen
wissen - to know facts
ken-nun ich wei
vise
wir wissen vih-sun
kent
du weit
vist
ihr wisst
vihst
sie/Sie
ken-nun er/sie/es wei vise
vih-sun
wissen
Kennen is a regular verb, while wissen is irregular in the present tense. You must use the subject
pronouns (ich, du, er...); however, I will leave them out of future conjugations.
20. Formation of Plural Nouns
Plural nouns in German are unpredictable, so it's best to memorize the plural form with the
singular. However, here are some rules that can help:
1. Feminine nouns usually add -n or -en. Nouns that end in -in (such as the female equivalents
of masculine nouns) add -nen.
eine Lampe
eine Tr
eine Studentin
eine Gabel
zwei Lampen
zwei Tren
zwei Studentinnen
zwei Gabeln
2. Masculine and neuter nouns usually add -e or -er. Many masculine plural nouns ending in -e
add an umlaut as well, but neuter plural nouns ending in -e don't. Plurals that end in -er add an
umlaut when the stem vowel is a, o , u or au.
ein Rock
Masculine
zwei Rcke
ein Heft
Neuter
zwei Hefte
ein Mann
zwei Mnner
ein Buch
zwei Bcher
3. Masculine and neuter singular nouns that end in -er either add an umlaut or change nothing at
all. Many nouns with a stem vowel of a, o, u or au add an umlaut. Masculine and neuter
singular nouns that end in -el also add nothing at all (with three exceptions: Pantoffel, Stachel,
Muskel).
Masculine
ein Bruder
zwei Brder
ein Kegel
zwei Kegel
Neuter
ein Fenster
zwei Fenster
ein Mittel
zwei Mittel
4. Nouns that end in a vowel other than an unstressed -e and nouns of foreign origin add -s.
ein Hobby
ein Hotel
zwei Hobbys
zwei Hotels
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Diphthongs
Don't try to learn everything on this page at one sitting. You can refer back to this
page over & over again, so you can take off into the Internet in any direction (from
anywhere) and when you want to figure out a particular sound, come back to this
page and LOOK FOR THE SOUND IN QUESTION.
... unless of course you're somewhat anal retentive and have to know everything at
one time. Of course you are welcome to attack the whole alphabet at once, then go
on to sing it.
BOTTOM LINE: If you had been born in Kln THAT SAME MOUTH wouldn't have any problem speaking
100% absolutely, totally, completely, and utterly AKZENTFREI ... You would NOT have an accent.
Period. So, ... how much you gonna practice? OK ... so you would speak "Klsch."
Double Vowels &
Diphthongs
AA
aa
AI - AY - EI EY
Like English "aaaah" - really long
Paar
Saar
Haar
Aal
Saal
Waage
All sound the same, like English "eye."
ai
Maier
Mainz
Hain
ay
Mayer
Bayern
Kayak
ei
Meier
fein
dein
ey
Meyer
Maus
Sau
AU
au
U - EU - OI
- OY
Like English "ow!"
Haus
All sound the same, like English "oy."
uern
Huser
Sule
eu
heute
Leute
Beutel
oi
toi toi toi
Boiler
Koinos
oy
Goya
EE
ee
Like English "ehh?!" - really long
Meer
Heer
Himbeer
IE
ie
OO
oo
Like English "eeee" - really long
die
Vieh
Riese
riechen
mies
sieht
Like English "oooohhh" - really long
Moos
Boot
kooperativ
Be aware that there are many variables involved in learning pronunciation.
When you learned your language, you applied sounds, tones, nuances, and many other variables that
you "imported" from your parents, from the folk of your region, as well as from your educators.
Be ready to hear other pronuncations of these sounds from people in different regions: especially from
the Bavarians!
Diphthongs
Diphthong
Double
Vowels
Aussprache
Pronunciation
ai / ei
eye
bei (at, near), das Ei (egg), der Mai (May)
au
ow
auch (also), das Auge (eye), aus (out of)
eu / u
oy
Huser (houses), Europa (Europe), neu (new)
ie
eeh
bieten (offer), nie (never), Sie (you)
Beispiele / Examples
Grouped Consonants
Buchstabe
Consonant
Aussprache
Pronunciation
ck
dick (fat, thick), der Schock (shock)
ch
>>
After a, o, u and au, pronounced like the
guttural ch in Scottish "loch" - das Buch
(book), auch (also). Otherwise it is a palatal
sound as in: mich (me), welche (which),
wirklich (really). TIP: If no air is passing over
your tongue when you say a ch-sound, you
aren't saying it correctly. No true equivalent in
English. - Although ch doesn't usually have a
hard k sound, there are exceptions: Chor,
Beispiele / Examples
Christoph, Chaos, Orchester, Wachs (wax)
pf
pf
Both letters are (quickly) pronounced as a
combined puff-sound: das Pferd (horse), der
Pfennig. If this is difficult for you, an f sound
will work, but try to do it!
ph
das Alphabet, phonetisch - Some words
formerly spelled with ph are now spelled with
f: das Telefon, das Foto
qu
kv
die Qual (anguish, torture), die Quittung
(receipt)
sh
schn (pretty), die Schule (school) - The
German sch combination is never split,
whereas sh usually is (Grashalme,
Gras/Halme; but die Show, a foreign word).
sp / st
shp / sht
At the start of a word, the s in sp/st has a sch
sound as in English "show, she." sprechen
(speak), stehen (stand)
th
sch
das Theater (tay-AHTER), das Thema (TAYmuh), topic - Always sounds like a t (TAY).
NEVER has the English th sound!
