Basic German Phrases for Beginners (with Pronunciation)
Beginning German? Start with these — greetings, manners, and the survival phrases you'll use first. German is read much as it's spelled once you know a few sounds, so these are easy to say aloud. Pronunciation and quick answers are included.
Greetings
Hallo
HAH-loh
Hello
Guten Morgen
GOO-ten MOR-gen
Good morning
Guten Tag
GOO-ten tahk
Good day / afternoon
Guten Abend
GOO-ten AH-bent
Good evening
Auf Wiedersehen / Tschüss
owf VEE-der-zayn / chooss
Goodbye / Bye (casual)
Please, thank you & manners
Danke
DAN-kuh
Thank you
Bitte
BIT-tuh
Bitte does double duty.
Please / You're welcome
Entschuldigung
ent-SHOOL-dee-goong
Sorry / Excuse me
Ja / Nein
yah / nine
Yes / No
Getting by
Sprechen Sie Englisch?
SHPREH-khen zee ENG-lish
Do you speak English?
Ich verstehe nicht
ikh fer-SHTAY-uh nikht
I don't understand
Langsamer, bitte
LANG-zah-mer, BIT-tuh
Slower, please
Was kostet das?
vass KOS-tet dass
How much is it?
Wo ist die Toilette?
voh ist dee twah-LET-tuh
Where is the bathroom?
Introduce yourself
Freut mich
froyt mikh
Nice to meet you
Ich heiße [Name]
ikh HAI-suh
My name is [name]
Wie heißen Sie?
vee HAI-sen zee
What's your name?
Numbers 1–10
eins
ainss
1
zwei
tsvai
2
drei
dry
3
vier
feer
4
fünf
foonf
5
sechs
zeks
6
sieben
ZEE-ben
7
acht
akht
8
neun
noyn
9
zehn
tsayn
10
Don't just read them — say them
Practice these phrases out loud in a real conversation with an AI partner in German, at your level. 15 minutes free.
Practice German free