I Didnt Know You Read How to Say in German
When you teach yourself German, your experience is unique from everyone else's.
Sometimes, yous devious from the nuts and larn foreign (and fascinating) things.
I learned how to say "the ghost" and "the water ice cave" in German earlier I learned how to say "nice to meet you" or "tin I delight pass by?"
And I'thou not alone.
Sometimes, particularly when yous get-go learning a language past yourself instead of in class, you tin can pick up interesting and fun vocabulary words at the expense of crucial information that's essential for everyday life in Federal republic of germany.
This can potentially take a toll on your German language social life.
Simply don't despair. Read on to discover some of the nigh important phrases that you need to function in everyday life in Germany, phrases that volition make yous sound like an expert German speaker.
Besides knowing common phrases that you'll need to navigate day-to-day life in Deutschland, it's also helpful to know common idioms.
You lot'll stand up out every bit someone who has clearly worked to delve deeper into the language and sympathise its idiosyncrasies.
Oh, and ane quick annotation: Throughout this post, we'll include FluentU videos that testify the phrase in use naturally. If you're non already a FluentU user and want to become the total feel of this web log mail, feel free to sign up for a free trial.
At present onward to the list!
ane. Darf ich mal vorbei?
Many kickoff German speakers think it's proper to say Entschuldigung (sorry) when pushing through a crowd on the U-Bahn or in a railroad train station. However, you should really say this phrase, which means "may I pass by?"
ii. Einen Augenblick, bitte!
Augen means "optics." Blick is a glimpse or a sight of something. Einen Augenblick is a moment. If yous say Einen Augenblick, bitte! you lot're asking someone to delight expect a moment—a useful phrase in many aspects of daily life.
3. Kannst du/Können Sie mir helfen?
This phrase is extremely important for tourists in Germany too as residents. It means "Can you (informal)/Can you (formal) assistance me?" It's essential for asking for directions or other more serious matters.
iv. Schön, Sie kennenzulernen.
"Nice to go to know you," or "pleased to encounter you"—this phrase is essential for meeting and greeting new colleagues or friends in Germany, which yous'll hopefully practise once you go far in the country.
Hear it in utilise in this video clip from the historical drama "Saving Mr. Banks." Watch it on FluentU here!
5. Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!
This phrase literally translates as "all that'southward good to the birthday" just, of course, it really means "happy birthday."
6. Guten Appetit!
Before digging into their Essen (food), Germans say Guten Appetit, an amalgamation of High german (Guten means "good") and French (bon appétit).
vii. Ich stimme dir zu.
Ich stimme… zu means "I agree with [something]," and Ich stimme dir zu means "I agree with y'all."
8. Stimmt so.
Germans don't expect 20% tips, but it'south notwithstanding a skilful idea to leave the server or bartender a little something if you're satisfied with their service. Say your bill comes to 18 euros—you lot tin hand your server a xx, then say Stimmt so, which ways "keep the change."
ix. Alles klar?
Klar is a versatile give-and-take in German. It literally translates to "clear" in English, but it can also be used as a synonym for fertig (finished, completed) to mean that something is fix for action: Das Flugzeug ist klar zum Start! (The plane is set for takeoff!) Furthermore, klar tin have the same connotation that "clear" has in English: it can likewise hateful "understood."
Alles klar? in German literally translates to "is everything clear?" in English. In this phrase, we're generally asking "do you understand?" This can be particularly useful if yous're trying to explain something to someone in High german and you're non certain if your intended meaning is coming across well.
This sentence can also be used to ask someone, "is everything okay?" or "you adept?" A standard response to this could be ja (yeah) or nein (no).
x. Ich habe mich verlaufen / Ich habe mich verfahren.
There are two literal translations for these phrases even though they have essentially the same meaning. The first phrase, ich habe mich verlaufen, means "I've gotten myself lost" but verlaufen indicates that the mode of transportation is your ain anxiety that got you lost.
The 2d phrase, ich habe mich verfahren, also ways "I've gotten myself lost" every bit well, merely the style of transportation is a car. The deviation betwixt these ii phrases can be hands remembered past the verbs used: laufen means "to run" (i.due east. using your feet) and fahren means "to drive" (i.due east. using a form of transportation).
xi. Ich schaue mich nur um.
Imagine you lot're in a German Laden (store) and the Verkäufer (the sales associate) comes up to y'all and asks, "Kann ich Ihnen helfen?" (can I help y'all?). Y'all're not looking for anything in specific, and so your respond should be, "ich schaue mich nur um."
Both the literal translation and meaning are the same: "I'm just looking around," or more commonly in English language, "I'thou just browsing." This comes from the High german verb sich umschauen (to look around). In that location'due south another variant of this verb sich umsehen. These verbs are interchangeable, so you could too say, ich sehe mich nur um (I'thou just looking around).
12. Schönes Wetter heute.
Don't yous dear pocket-size talk? Information technology'south often demonized in mod society equally being awkward and uncomfortable, and yet, nosotros continue to do information technology. In fact, so exercise the Germans! So, what's their favorite small-scale talk topic? Why, it's the conditions, of course.
Schönes Wetter heute is a phrase that has the same literal translation and intended meaning. It translates to "beautiful weather condition today," and it's even sometimes used sarcastically when the weather might not be described equally "beautiful."
13. Quatsch!
"Learning German is impossible," yous gripe.
"Oh, pish-posh," I retort.
For Germans, quatsch has the same meaning as "pish-posh." Information technology literally translates to "rubbish" in English language, and it has the same pregnant as the phrase "that's nonsense!" or "that'due south ridiculous!" So remember this expression the adjacent fourth dimension someone tries to tell yous that learning German is impossible.
Unlike some other means to say "nonsense!" in English (many of which include some allusion to excrement), quatsch is a rather polite way to express your disbelief or dissatisfaction with something in German.
Yous can hear quatch in employ in this silly video poking fun at "things that hipsters say." Pick upwards some actress modern German vocab by watching it on FluentU.
Now we're going to shift from daily phrases to concepts and idioms which are used commonly in German conversation.
Idioms (Sprichwörter) tin be a scrap more difficult to sympathise than elementary phrases, merely remember that by learning them you can increase your Deutsch expertise and impress German natives with your knowledge of their civilization and language.
14. Die Nase voll haben.
Let'southward say yous exercise the same commute to and from work every twenty-four hour period, and every time you're on the fashion abode, at that place'south a motorcar accident on the highway and your half-hour commute turns into an hr. After a couple of months—weeks, even—information technology'southward rubber to say that you lot've had enough of your commute.
In High german, we'd say that y'all die Nase voll haben. That literally translates to "have your nose full," and while y'all might be inclined to think that this means "to have a head cold," it really more accurately describes the feeling of existence fed up with or "sick" of something.
15. Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof.
Verstehen and Bahnhof: two German words you know, right? They respectively mean "to sympathise" and "train station." Put them into one sentence, and we go, ich verstehe nur Bahnhof. "I simply sympathize the train station." Huh?
The intended meaning of this one is a little disruptive because it's really supposed to mean, "I don't empathise annihilation." This phrase can be used in situations where you're confused or don't want to get involved.
Mayhap two German friends are fighting, and they ask you lot to pick a side. Just throw this idiom at them to exit of that situation, and possibly misfile them a petty bit with its literal translation.
sixteen. Das ist nicht mein Bier.
Beer drinking in Federal republic of germany is alike to the British fascination with tea. It'south no surprise, then, that Germans agree all of their likes and dislikes to the same standard that they hold their beer.
Das ist nicht mein Bier literally translates as "that'due south not my beer," and while it tin exist used in the literal sense to let someone know they haven't accidentally grabbed your beverage, it's intended pregnant is like to the English "that isn't my cup of tea" to politely say that something is disliked or not appreciated.
17. Abwarten und Tee trinken!
Remember that awkward High german friend argument I was talking nigh? Well, now those two friends aren't talking to each other, and we'll only accept to wait and see if they can ever get along again.
That'south the meaning of this High german idiom, abwarten und Tee trinken: Simply expect and see! Except this literal translation is, "wait and drink tea" which, in my opinion, is a dandy thing to practise while y'all're waiting.
Bank check this phrase out on FluentU in this sweet Piggeldy and Frederick brusk animated video.
18. Es ist mir Wurst.
Es ist mir Wurst literally translates to "it'south sausage to me." While this literal translation doesn't make much sense, information technology's used to give the meaning of "I don't care." This can be used in a state of affairs where yous're impartial to the options available to you or to express that you don't desire to get involved in a negative state of affairs.
19. Das Leben ist kein Ponyhof.
When life gets you downwardly, it'due south easy to experience sorry for yourself. Worse, when you lot confide your troubles in someone else, they may not give you lot the reassuring niceties that you expect.
Das Leben ist kein Ponyhof literally translates to "the life isn't a pony farm." Its intended meaning equates to the English language "life is no picnic," and it'south used to mean that life is difficult but you shouldn't permit information technology get you lot down.
Imagine if life was a Ponyhof, though. How fun would that be?
xx. Leben wie Gott in Frankreich.
European history is a mishmash of rising and falling kingdoms, irresolute borders and enough internal and external conflict to brand whatsoever historian's caput spin. As such, there was one point in fourth dimension when the kingdom of France was booming, and poor German language urban center-states struggled to feed themselves.
That'southward where this phrase comes from. Leben wie Gott in Frankreich literally translates to "live like God in France," and it's a reflection of how fancy and rich the royalty in France was in the past while Germans lived in relative poverty.
In English, nosotros'd say, "to live like a rex." So, next time you're in a luxurious hotel in Berlin, remember that you're non living like a king, y'all're living like God in France.
21. Da haben den Salat.
Da haben wir den Salat literally translates to "here we've got the salad," and while this would be a fantastic announcement to brand at a German barbecue, it really means something more forth the lines of "everything is a mess."
This is used to describe a situation that's gotten out of mitt or something that'due south hopelessly complicated. Information technology comes, perhaps, from the idea that salads are equanimous of ingredients that are all tossed together, often getting mixed upwardly and blended with their beau tasty veggies. That aforementioned idea can be applied to a messy situation in German language.
22. Innerer Schweinehund.
You know the English language concept of an angel sitting on one shoulder telling y'all the right thing to do, while a trivial devil sits on your other shoulder, trying to persuade you to wander downward his irresponsible route?
The innerer Schweinehund is the German equivalent of this concept. The phrase translates direct to "inner pig-dog." The innerer Schweinehund is the vocalism within your head that steers you incorrect, saying "You don't have to go to the gym," or "You can have that extra easy" or "You've studied German language enough today." Silence your innerer Schweinehund and you'll get a lot more done.
23. Der Zug ist schon abgefahren.
This phrase is roughly equivalent to the American expression, "that send has sailed." If a situation is irredeemable, or at that place'south nothing else you can do to modify something, you'd utilise this phrase. It translates directly to "the/that train has already left."
24. Morgenstund lid Golden im Mund.
This phrase literally means "morn hours take gold in mouth." Nonsensical? Not if you know the idiom. This is basically the German equivalent of "the early bird gets the worm"—if yous wake up, go out of bed and start work early on, you lot'll exist a lot more than productive.
25. Hunde, dice bellen, beißen nicht.
This Sprichwort has an equivalent in English as well: "his bawl is worse than his bite." This means that people who make a big fuss about things or seem fearsome are often not and then scary at all. The phrase in German translates direct to "dogs that bark don't seize with teeth."
Conveniently enough, y'all can use this phrase to draw the High german itself—recall, it seems complex with all those picky grammatical rules, but after y'all dedicate some time to nailing those downward, it's really not and then challenging at all.
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Why Are Mutual German language Phrases Of import to Acquire?
Sounds uncomplicated plenty, right? Mutual German phrases are mutual. You'll hear them everywhere in German language conversation—you're expected to empathise them, respond to them appropriately and know how to say them yourself.
Here are a few examples of when y'all'll detect yourself in make-or-break situations thank you to these mutual High german phrases:
1. They're often essential for daily life.
Shouting the wrong phrase for "excuse me" on a crowded subway car volition immediately marker you equally a tourist or a foreigner. Since everyday phrases are so commonly used, learning them will immediately increase your German know-how and brand daily life that much easier.
2. Idioms tin can be difficult to sympathise if you don't already know them.
Equally stated above, idioms frequently make no sense when translated direct into some other language. Some German idioms are the aforementioned as English idioms, just others brand no sense when translated into English. You simply have to know them—and, if y'all acquire them, yous can relieve yourself a lot of confusion the side by side fourth dimension your German friend starts talking about his or her "inner squealer-domestic dog" or wisely tells you that morning hours take gilded in their mouths.
3. Using phrases will brand you audio more than like a native speaker.
Using idioms and phrases yourself will simply make you seem like more than of a native speaker, someone who'due south lived in Federal republic of germany, experienced the culture and befriended Germans, as opposed to someone who'due south merely studied from textbooks or other official sources.
How to Larn Common German language Phrases
There are plenty of ways to learn German phrases, but the best ones typically involve consulting unofficial sources. That is, getting out of the classroom, consuming German culture or talking to some Germans.
Hither nosotros've provided some specific means y'all can get most learning common German phrases. Endeavour these out, and you'll be certain to pick upward some new phrases and idioms in no time.
1. Lookout TV shows or heed to music.
Television shows and music are often peachy ways to pick upward the idiosyncrasies and slang terms of a language.
Check out some High german Telly shows or look at this list of classic High german songs to find some new media to consume and acquire German from.
2. Ask your German friends for a list of phrases.
If you have German friends, pay attention when they say something you don't quite understand and enquire them to explain it.
Or inquire them to provide yous with a few phrases and idioms that they use on a daily basis, and piece of work on learning those.
iii. Make certain to integrate phrases into your daily conversations.
Equally with any facet of language learning, information technology'due south of import to practice, practice, practice.
Use the daily life phrases as often as possible, choice your favorite idioms and work on integrating them into your chat.
Soon, y'all'll develop a German language personality through your unique language patterns and vocabulary choices—just like how y'all limited your personality through language choice and speaking style in your native natural language.
four. Finally, check out FluentU!
Now you're all ready to become have conversations with these common German phrases and idioms!
Emily Cataneo is an American fiction writer and journalist who lives in Berlin, Frg. She learned how to say "the ghost" (der Geist) and "the ice cave" (der Eishöhle) in German before she learned how to say "tip" (Trinkgeld) or "garbage tin" (Mülleimer). Learn more than virtually her and her work at www.emilycataneo.com.
Source: https://www.fluentu.com/blog/german/common-german-phrases/
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