The Around the World phrasebook
Let's learn traveller's German
Not the school kind — the airport, taxi and dinner-table kind. Every phrase with a say-it-out-loud pronunciation.
Nobody expects you to speak fluent German. But ten words in the right places — and the market seller smiles, the driver drops the price, the waiter brings the good stuff. We've gathered 65 phrases that actually work, sorted by the moment you'll need them: the landing, the taxi, check-in, the table. Each with a pronunciation you can read aloud without cringing.
Phrasebook · 1/8
First words
| What you want to say | German | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Hello (formal) | Guten Tag | GU-ten TAG |
| Hello (informal) | Hallo | HA-lo |
| Goodbye | Auf Wiedersehen | AUF VEE-der-zeh-en |
| Thank you | Danke | DAN-keh |
| Please | Bitte | BI-teh |
| Yes | Ja | YA |
| No | Nein | NAYN |
| Sorry | Entschuldigung | ent-SHUL-di-gung |
| I don't understand | Ich verstehe nicht | IKH fer-SHTEH nikht |
| Do you speak English? | Sprechen Sie Englisch? | SHPRE-khen zee ENG-lish? |
Phrasebook · 2/8
Courtesy & introductions
| What you want to say | German | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Good morning | Guten Morgen | GU-ten MOR-gen |
| Good evening | Guten Abend | GU-ten A-bend |
| How are you? | Wie geht's? | VEE geyts |
| My name is… | Ich heiße… | ikh HAI-seh |
| Nice to meet you | Freut mich | FROYT mikh |
| I am from Israel | Ich komme aus Israel | ikh KO-meh ous IS-rael |
| See you | Bis bald | BIS bald |
Phrasebook · 3/8
At the airport & on the flight
| What you want to say | German | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Where is the gate? | Wo ist das Gate? | VOH ist das GATE? |
| Is the flight delayed? | Ist der Flug verspätet? | IST der FLUG fer-SHPAY-tet? |
| Boarding pass | Boardingkarte | BOARD-ing-KAR-teh |
| My suitcase hasn't arrived | Mein Koffer ist nicht angekommen | MINE KOF-fer ist NICHT AN-ge-ko-men |
| I have a connecting flight | Ich habe einen Anschlussflug | IKH HA-beh AI-nen AN-shlus-FLUG |
| Window seat | Fensterplatz | FEN-ster-PLATS |
| Aisle seat | Gangplatz | GANG-PLATS |
| Where is passport control? | Wo ist die Passkontrolle? | VOH ist dee PASS-kon-TROH-leh? |
Phrasebook · 4/8
Transport & directions
| What you want to say | German | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| To this address, please. | Zu dieser Adresse, bitte. | tsoo DEE-zehr ah-DREH-seh, BI-teh. |
| How much to the center? | Wie viel kostet es zum Zentrum? | vee FEEL KOS-tet es tsoom TSEN-troom? |
| One ticket to… | Ein Ticket nach… | ayn TIK-et nahkh… |
| Which platform? | Welches Gleis? | VEL-khes GLAYS? |
| Where is the bus station? | Wo ist die Bushaltestelle? | voh ist dee BOOS-hal-teh-shtel-leh? |
| Stop here, please. | Halten Sie hier, bitte. | HAL-ten zee HEER, BI-teh. |
| Is it far? | Ist es weit? | ist es VYTE? |
| Turn left/right. | Links/Rechts abbiegen. | links/REKHTS AB-bee-gen. |
| Straight ahead. | Geradeaus. | geh-RAHD-ows. |
Phrasebook · 5/8
Hotel & stay
| What you want to say | German | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| I have a reservation. | Ich habe eine Reservierung. | IKH HA-beh AY-neh re-ZER-vee-roong |
| Check-in / Check-out | Check-in / Check-out | CHEK-IN / CHEK-OUT |
| Is breakfast included? | Ist das Frühstück inbegriffen? | IST das FRÜH-shtik in-beh-GRI-fen |
| Room key | Zimmerschlüssel | TSEE-mer-shlü-sel |
| Wi-Fi password | WLAN-Passwort | VAY-lan PASS-vort |
| Can I leave my luggage? | Kann ich mein Gepäck hier lassen? | KAN ikh mayn ge-PEK heer LAS-sen |
| The air conditioner doesn't work. | Die Klimaanlage funktioniert nicht. | DEE KLEE-mah-an-lah-geh funk-tsee-oh-NEERT nikht |
Phrasebook · 6/8
Restaurant & food
| What you want to say | German | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| A table for two | Ein Tisch für zwei | ayn TISH feer TSVAY |
| The menu, please | Die Speisekarte, bitte | dee SHPY-zeh-KAR-teh, BI-teh |
| What do you recommend? | Was empfehlen Sie? | vas em-FAY-len ZEE |
| The bill, please | Die Rechnung, bitte | dee REKH-nung, BI-teh |
| Tap water | Leitungswasser | LY-tungs-VAS-er |
| I have a nut allergy | Ich habe eine Nussallergie | ikh HAH-beh AY-neh NOOS-ah-ler-GEE |
| No meat | Kein Fleisch | kayn FLAYSH |
| It was excellent | Es war ausgezeichnet | es VAR OWS-ge-TSAYKH-net |
| Can I pay by card? | Kann ich mit Karte bezahlen? | kan ikh mit KAR-teh be-TSAY-len? |
Phrasebook · 7/8
Shopping & money
| What you want to say | German | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| How much does it cost? | Wie viel kostet das? | vee FEEL KOS-tet dahs? |
| It's too expensive. | Das ist zu teuer. | dahs ist tsoo TOY-er. |
| Do you accept cards? | Akzeptieren Sie Karten? | ak-tsep-TEE-ren zee KAR-ten? |
| I'm just looking. | Ich schaue nur. | ikh SHAU-eh noor. |
| Can I have a receipt? | Kann ich eine Quittung bekommen? | kan ikh AY-neh KVIT-toong be-KO-men? |
| Where is an ATM? | Wo ist ein Geldautomat? | voh ist ayn GELD-au-to-MAHT? |
| A smaller size, please. | Eine kleinere Größe, bitte. | AY-neh KLY-ne-re GREH-seh, BIT-teh. |
Phrasebook · 8/8
Emergencies & health
| What you want to say | German | How to say it |
|---|---|---|
| Help! | Hilfe! | HIL-feh! |
| Call a doctor. | Rufen Sie einen Arzt. | RU-fen zee AI-nen ARTST. |
| Call the police. | Rufen Sie die Polizei. | RU-fen zee dee po-li-TSAI. |
| Where is a pharmacy? | Wo ist eine Apotheke? | VOH ist AI-neh a-po-TE-keh? |
| I don't feel well. | Ich fühle mich nicht wohl. | IKH FYOO-leh mikh nikht VOHL. |
| I'm lost. | Ich habe mich verlaufen. | IKH HAH-beh mikh fer-LAU-fen. |
| I need a hospital. | Ich brauche ein Krankenhaus. | IKH BROW-kheh ain KRAN-ken-haus. |
| It hurts here. | Es tut hier weh. | ES toot heer VEH. |
Q&A
Answers to your questions
How do you say "thank you" in German?
"Danke" (DAN-keh). It's one of the five words worth knowing by heart before you land.
How much German do I need for a trip?
Not much. Five or six courtesy words (hello, thank you, please, sorry, yes/no) open doors, and another ten to fifteen phrases for fixed situations — a taxi, check-in, the restaurant bill — cover almost any trip. The rest: a camera-translation app.
Can you get by in English where German is spoken?
In city centres, hotels and tourist sites — usually yes, especially with younger people. Outside them — markets, transport, small towns — a few words of the local language make a real difference and are warmly received.
Which countries have German as an official language?
German is a main language in 4 countries: Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland.
What's the difference between the formal and casual greeting?
Most languages have a formal "hello" for strangers, service staff and elders, and an everyday version for friends and peers. As a traveller it's always safer to open with the formal one — nobody is offended by too much politeness.
How do you politely ask someone to speak English?
"Sprechen Sie Englisch?" (SHPRE-khen zee ENG-lish?) — "do you speak English?". Lead with "excuse me" in the local language and it comes across as respectful.
About this page
Written and checked by the Around the World team. We compare prices across the major providers, cross-check official sources, and update when something changes. We have no stake in any one provider — links are affiliate links, and the price is the same for you.
Sources: Phrasebook: the Around the World team · Language-to-country: Around the World data