German Phrases and Useful Expressions

Are you traveling to Germany? Then it might be a good idea to learn a few German phrases and expressions before departure. The Germans like to speak their own language instead of English, and if truth to be told, the level of English is about the same as in France.

You can absolutely have a good stay just using English, but don’t expect to have a meaningful conversation. 

In short, if you learn a few German expressions and phrases, your trip to Germany will be more fun and rewarding. German is not so different after all and in many cases, one can understand the meaning without knowing the language fluently.

If you think it’s hard to learn more than a few greeting words and daily phrases, you could at least learn a few funny German words to spread some joy while meeting locals.

Below I have collected lots of words and phrases in German that gives you everything you need for a successful stay.

German greeting phrases

Useful German Phrases and expressions to memorize

These are probably the most useful phrases in German. Below you will find everyday phrases and expressions that will make life easier. It can be anything from small talk with hotel staff to a stranger on the town or staff in the shop.

German is a polite language and words like bitte and danke schön are particularly important to use and remember. Even if you speak English, it may be respectful and nice to add bitte when you ask for something or danke schön when you say thanks.

All Germans are using these two words frequently.

German Phrases on the restaurant

As a tourist, it is unlikely that you will go to a restaurant. Therefore it is a good idea to learn a few restaurant phrases so you can order food and drinks. Below you will also find a list of words for the typical dishes and drinks.

Meals

German Food and Drink phrases

Directions

Germans are generally friendly and helpful. If one goes astray or looking for something in particular, it may be useful to know what the different directions is called in German. Below are some of the most common directions.

How to count in German

Being able to count on the German is always an advantage, especially when you’re about to do some shopping, or if you’re sitting in a restaurant. If you are going to bargain on any market, it is better to use German numerals.

Below, you have everything you need to be able to count from 1 to 100 in German. As you can see after twenty, simply add the number + und before, like this “einundzwanzig” for twenty-one and “zweiundzwanzig” for twenty-two.

As you can probably guess thirty, forty and so on works the same way. The only thing that changed is the suffix, such as “einunddreißig” is thirty one and “zweiundvierzig” equal to forty two. If you would rather say, thirty three or forty four, it would be “dreiunddreißig” and “vierundvierzig”.

Below you can see how to count from 1 to 100 in German.

There, now you have everything needed for a successful trip to Germany. You learn German phrases for restaurant visits and everyday expressions and German greetings and German numerals.

If you have more suggestions in German phrases and expressions. Leave a comment below.