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German · Starter pack
German is a Germanic language, so much of it is already familiar to an English speaker — but every noun is capitalised and every noun takes an article.
Hear how German says its own name
Applies the next time you press a speaker. Listen, then repeat aloud.
Try 5 quick questions from this page. Match meanings, choose the German words, and learn from each answer. No timer or pressure.
First words
The middle column is an approximation built from English sounds — close enough to be understood, not a strict transcription.
| German | Say it like | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hallo | HA-lo | Hello | |
| Guten Morgen | GOO-ten MOR-gen | Good morning | |
| Guten Tag | GOO-ten TAHK | Good day (the everyday formal hello) | |
| Guten Abend | GOO-ten AH-bent | Good evening | |
| Wie geht es Ihnen? | vee GAYT es EE-nen | How are you? (polite) | |
| Mir geht es gut, danke | meer gayt es GOOT, DAN-kuh | I am well, thank you | |
| Auf Wiedersehen | owf VEE-der-zayn | Goodbye | |
| Gute Nacht | GOO-tuh NAHKHT | Good night |
The polite basics
Ten phrases that carry a beginner through a shop, a station and an introduction.
| German | Say it like | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitte | BIT-tuh | Please (and "you are welcome") | |
| Danke schön | DAN-kuh SHURN | Thank you very much | |
| Entschuldigung | ent-SHOOL-di-goong | Excuse me / sorry | |
| Ich heiße… | ikh HYE-suh | My name is… | |
| Sprechen Sie Englisch? | SHPREH-khen zee ENG-lish | Do you speak English? | |
| Ich verstehe das nicht | ikh fair-SHTAY-uh das nikht | I do not understand that | |
| Wie viel kostet das? | vee FEEL KOS-tet das | How much does that cost? | |
| Wo ist der Bahnhof? | vo ist dair BAHN-hofe | Where is the station? | |
| Ich möchte das Wasser, bitte | ikh MURSH-tuh das VA-ser, BIT-tuh | I would like the water, please | |
| Können Sie mir helfen? | KUR-nen zee meer HEL-fen | Can you help me? |
Counting
Prices, platforms, dates and phone numbers all start here.
Good to know
This is the ten-minute version: the greetings, phrases and numbers a beginner can use this afternoon, held on the page rather than fetched. The full German tutorial — a thousand words, three hundred phrases and five hundred conversations, with your progress kept — is the language’s main page.