German Language Phrases for Beginners
Basic Conversational Phrases in German with Pronunciation
Jul 5, 2009
German beginners are eager to start conversing in German. However, they are often also afraid of making mistakes or not understanding something correctly. The correct usage and application of informal of formal address is often cited as a major hurdle but also the apprehension of asking too many or the wrong questions. The useful German language phrases with pronunciation below help will alleviate some of those fears.
First Conversations in German
Though one’s limited German skills might be obvious to oneself, they are not to others who may be asking for help themselves, so it is best to explain. Also, a conversation with German native speakers will initially be about clarification, so don’t hesitate to ask if anything is unclear. Here are a few helpful phrases:
- Ich weiß nicht. – I don’t know. [eekh vyz neekht]
- Ich verstehe nicht. – I don’t understand. [eekh feahshteha neekht]
- Ich spreche kein Deutsch. – I don’t speak German. [eekh shprekhah keyn doitsh]
- Ich spreche nur ein bisschen Deutsch. – I only speak a little bit of German. [eekh shprekhah nooah eyn beezhien doitsh]
- Ich bin nicht von hier. – I’m not from here. [eekh bin neekht fon heah]
Informal Versus Formal Address in German
The general rule of thumb for addressing someone formally or informally is to go with du for friends, family and children and to choose Sie when addressing strangers, colleagues or anyone older than oneself.
Note that grammar wise, the formal or informal address is not only determined by choosing the correct personal pronoun du or Sie but also by matching it with right the verb ending. Study the following German standard phrases carefully and try saying them out loud according to the pronunciation help provided.
- Bitte sprechen Sie etwas langsamer. – Please speak more slowly. (formal) [beettah shprekhan zee etwuz lankzamah]
- Bitte sprich etwas langsamer. – Please speak more slowly. (informal) [beettah shpreekh etwuz lankzamah]
- Können Sie es bitte wiederholen? – Can you repeat it please? (formal) [kehnahn zee ez beettah veedahohlan]
- Kannst du es bitte wiederholen? – Can you repeat it please? (informal) [kahnzt doo ez beettah veedahohlan]
- Sprechen Sie Englisch? – Do you speak English? (formal) [shprehien zee angleesh]
- Sprichst Du Englisch? – Do you speak English? (informal) [shreekhzt doo angleesh]
Making Friends in Germany
Though Germans are a friendly people, they might seem a bit reserved at first glance and asking too many questions, especially personal ones, during a first meeting is frowned upon. So when meeting someone new, regardless if at a casual setting or at the office, it is best to stick to neutral topics like the weather, hobbies, occupations, sports and the like. The following standard German phrases will help:
- Ich bin... – I am... [eekh bn...]
- Ich heiße... – My name is... [eekh hyzah]
- Wie heißen Sie? – What’s your name? [vee hyzahn zee]
- Wie heißt Du? – What’s your name? [vee hyzt doo]
- Was machen Sie beruflich? – What do you do for a living? (formal) [vaz makhen zee beroofleekh]
- Was machst du beruflich? – What do you do for a living? (informal) [vaz makhzt doo beroofleekh]
- Was machen Sie in Ihrer Freizeit? – What do you do in your spare time? (formal) [vaz makhen zee in eehrah vrytsyt]
- Was machst du in deiner Freizeit? – What do you do in your spare time? (informal) [vaz makhst doo in dynah vrytsyt]
- Was sind Ihre/Deine Hobbies? What are your (formal/informal) hobbies? [vaz sint eehra/dynah hobbies]
When having first conversations in German, it is important to ask about anything not understood properly and to clarify one’s own level of the language. One of the challenges of German is the right usage of du und Sie. Learning standard German phrases in informal and formal sentence pairs will help navigate this hurdle. Finally, first conversational phrases will help when making friends in Germany and understanding the culture.
Don’t miss the related article on Survival Phrases in German for greetings, wie geht’s questions and pleasantries or How to Pronounce German Vowels and How to Pronounce German First Names.
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