Planning a trip to a German-speaking country? Or perhaps you are starting to learn German? You’ll need a list of the most basic German words and phrases.

From the simplest German words to the phrases you need to get by, here’s the list you need together with:

At the end of each section, you can also take the mini quizzes to make sure the words stick to your memory.

Ready? Let’s begin!

Let’s start with the basic German words and phrases. With just these in your arsenal, you can already survive the simplest conversations!

1. What does bitte schön mean?

2. Entschuldigen Sie and Entschuldigung both mean excuse me. But what makes them different from each other?

3. To say “pleased to meet you”, you say:

You can learn more German greetings in this article: A Quick Guide to German Greetings

Now let’s talk about the simplest German questions. There’s another article here in this website that talks about this with more detail.

You can check it out here: Basic German Questions Every Traveler Should Know

For now let’s just run through the most simple ones that you can memorize quickly.

1. How do you ask “why?” in German?

2. What does “wo ist..?" mean

3. True or false: wie in German means who

In daily life, you’ll always be faced with different choices. Which one should you take? Which one do you like? Do you hate the one in front of you? Speak your mind with these simple German phrases!

1. To say “I want...” in German, you say:

2. Das ist gut means

3. When you like something, you say:

When you’re in a place where you don’t speak the language that well, there’s bound to be some conversational hiccups. Solve any speaking difficulties you might have with the help of these useful phrases.

Need help finding your way around? Or perhaps it’s a different type of emergency? Here are some basic German phrases to help get you un-stuck!

1. Ich verstehe nicht means

2. How do you say “I’m lost” in German?

3. Würden Sie mir bitte helfen? Means

There you go with the most basic survival words and phrases in German. With these in your back pocket, you’re ready to take on a few conversations in German--with correct pronunciation, too!

To expand your vocabulary and boost your reading and listening skills, check out German short stories below!