Traveling to Germany is an enriching experience and the last thing you want to do is stick out as the “dumb American” who doesn’t know the first thing about the national language. Knowing a little Deutsch (German) can go a long way and can help avoid awkward situations.📷
Here are 6 German phrases that you need to know when you go abroad:
1. Hallo, wie gehts? (Ha-low, vee geh-tz)
This simply means, “Hello, how are you?”. Whenever you want to make friends or start a conversation, this is a go-to. To respond, you can say “Gut, und dir?” (Good, and you?).
2. Bitte (bit-teh)
This word has a double meaning of “Please” or “You’re welcome”. You’ll want to use this when asking for something – “Ein Apfel, bitte” (One Apple, please).
3. Entschuldigung (int-shule-de-gung)
This translates to “excuse me”. This phrase is crucial in a city setting where you are bound to run into other people – a quick “entschuldigung!” can save the day.
4. Danke (dahn-kuh)
This word will be used frequently throughout the day. Meaning “thanks”, the word ‘Danke‘ is a must for travels to the many amazing restaurants and shops.
5. EIns, Zwei, Drei... (ines, zvie, dry)
When you’re out at a store and want a specific number of things, “one, two, three...” would be a great place to start!
6. Guten Morgen/Tag/Abend (Goo-ten, Mor-gan/ Tahg/ Ab-end)
These are the German greetings for “Good Morning, Afternoon, Evening”. When you go to dinner, you can greet someone with “Guten Abend” (Good Evening) and leave with a “Guten Nacht” (Good night).
Hopefully this list sparks a desire to learn more Deutsch in preparation for study abroad or any trip to Deutschland in the future. Auf wiedersehen!
Opmerkingen