Deutsch · 63 phrases · 7 categories

Basic German Phrases for Travelers

Hello in German is Hallo / Guten Tag, thank you is Danke, and the one to memorise before anything else is Hilfe! — help. Below: all 63 phrases across 7 travel situations, each one tappable to copy.

Very widely spoken in cities and by younger Germans. Thinner in rural Bavaria and parts of the east.

Sie is formal, du informal, and Germans switch late. Use Sie with anyone who has not invited you to du.

The German phrases to learn first

A greeting, a thank-you, an apology, a question, a price and an emergency — enough to get through a first day in Deutsch.

Hello

Hallo / Guten Tag

Thank you

Danke

Please

Bitte

Excuse me / sorry

Entschuldigung

Do you speak English?

Sprechen Sie Englisch?

How much is this?

Was kostet das?

Where is...?

Wo ist...?

Help!

Hilfe!

How German is written

Latin alphabet plus ä, ö, ü and ß. Every noun is capitalised, which makes written German easier to parse than it looks.

Where it gets you further

Germany, Austria, most of Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and South Tyrol in northern Italy.

🇩🇪 German — 6 countries

Saying Deutsch out loud

  • W is an English v and v is an English f: Volkswagen is FOLKS-vaagen.
  • Ei sounds like eye, ie sounds like ee. Wein is vine, Bier is beer.
  • Z is ts — zehn is tsayn, Zimmer is TSIM-mer.
  • Ch after a, o or u is a throaty rasp (Bach); after e or i it is a soft hiss (ich).
  • ß is simply a long ss, so Straße is STRAH-sse.

The mistake travelers make in German: Gift means poison in German. A present is ein Geschenk.

All 63 German phrases, by situation

Yes

Ja

No

Nein

Please

Bitte

Thank you

Danke

You're welcome

Bitte sehr

Excuse me / Sorry

Entschuldigung

I don't understand

Ich verstehe nicht

Do you speak English?

Sprechen Sie Englisch?

I don't speak [lang]

Ich spreche kein Deutsch

A little

Ein bisschen

Phrase guides in other languages

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Ready to Go?

You've got the phrases — now plan your full trip with costs, transport, and a day-by-day itinerary.

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