Essential German Phrases for Beginners (with English)
The most useful everyday German phrases for beginners — greetings, politeness, directions, ordering food, shopping, and emergencies — each with its English meaning.
Updated June 2026
These are the German phrases you’ll reach for first — the ones that get you through a greeting, a shop, a café, or asking for directions. Each one is A1-level (absolute beginner) with its English meaning.
One quick thing first: German has a formal “you” (Sie) and an informal “you” (du). With strangers, officials, and older people, use the Sie forms below. With friends and people your age, the informal forms are fine.
Greetings & farewells
Politeness & thanks
These tiny words do the most work in everyday German — politeness is noticed and appreciated.
Introducing yourself
Asking for help
A lifesaver line: Sprechen Sie Englisch? (“Do you speak English?”) — and Entschuldigung (“Excuse me”) to get someone’s attention politely.
Directions
Restaurant & café
Shopping
Health & emergencies
Worth memorizing before you need them. The European emergency number is 112.
How to actually remember these
Don’t try to swallow the whole list at once. Pick one section, say each phrase out loud a few times, and use it the same day if you can. Spaced repetition — revisiting them over days, not hours — is what moves phrases into long-term memory.
Keep going
Learn German properly — A1 to B2, structured.
Flashcards with spaced repetition, grammar, real audio, and AI feedback. Start free — one payment of €19 unlocks everything for 12 months.
Start learning — free →