Common German Words and Phrases
This is a great place to start if you are looking for a place to build upon your basic German vocabulary - especially when it comes to learning common German phrases and key words.
On this page you can learn the translation for such common words as 'Yes and No', plus 'Please and Thank You'. There are also other useful phrases like, 'My name is...', 'How are you?', and 'Help me'. There's plenty more too, so scroll down to learn some new phrases or use our quick links to jump straight to the section you are most interested in!
German to English Common Words and Phrases:
Words in bold added during the last update. You can also view this list of common words and phrases from English to German.
Quick links:
'Yes' and 'No' in German
German for 'Please' and 'Thank You'
'What is Your Name?' in German
Asking 'How Are You?' in German
Statements for when Your German Isn't Good
Answering Where You're From in German
German for 'When is Your Birthday?'
Other Useful German Phrases
'Yes' and 'No' in German
Ja ➔ Yes
Nein ➔ No
German for 'Please' and 'Thank You'
Bitte ➔ Please
Danke ➔ Thanks / Thank you
Danke euch allen ➔ Thank you all
Danke schön ➔ Thank you very much
Danke sehr ➔ Thank you very much
Danke vielmals ➔ Thank you very much
'What is Your Name?' in German
Wie Heisst du? ➔ What's your name?
Mein Name ist... ➔ My name is...
Ich heiße... ➔ I am called...
Asking 'How Are You?' in German
Wie geht es dir? ➔ How are you?
Wie geht's? ➔ How are you?
Mir geht es schlecht ➔ I feel bad
Mir geht es gut ➔ I feel good
Statements for when Your German Isn't Good
Kannst du bitte langsamer sprechen? ➔ Can you speak slower?
Ich kann kein Deutsch ➔ I don't speak German
Mein deutsch ist nicht gut ➔ My german isn't good
Answering Where You're From in German
Ich bin Amerikaner(in) ➔ I am American (add 'in' for female, leave out for male)
Ich bin aus New York ➔ I'm from New York
Ich komme aus den USA ➔ I'm from the USA
Ich lebe/wohne in England ➔ I live in the UK
Ich komme aus Kanada ➔ I'm from Canada
Ich komme aus England ➔ I'm from the UK
Ich komme aus den Niederlanden ➔ I'm from the Netherlands
German for 'When is Your Birthday?'
Wann haben Sie Geburtstag? ➔ When is your birthday?
Wann hast du Geburtstag? ➔ When is your birthday (Informal)
Mein Geburtstag ist... ➔ My birthday is...
Mein Geburtstag ist im Juni. ➔ My birthday is in June.
Other Useful German Phrases
Wie alt bist du? ➔ How old are you?
Was ist das? ➔ What is this?
Hilf mir ➔ Help me
*Common German words and phrases list updated: February 6, 2018.
Next Up
German Numbers: Learn how to say German numbers.
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