start with some essential phrases:
Bitte (bi-te) – Please / You’re welcome
Note: «Bitte» is a versatile word that can mean «please» when asking for something, or «you’re welcome» in response to «Danke.»
Danke (dan-ke) – Thank you
Vielen Dank (fee-len dank) – Thank you very much
Entschuldigung (ent-shul-di-gung) – Excuse me / Sorry
Note: «Entschuldigung» can be used to apologize or to get someone’s attention.
Kein Problem (kain pro-blehm) – No problem
Gern geschehen (gern ge-she-hen) – You’re welcome (more formal than «Kein Problem»)
Asking Questions: Getting Information
Here are some useful questions you can use to get information:
Wie viel kostet das? (vee feel kos-tet das) – How much does that cost?
Wo ist…? (vo ist…) – Where is…?
Example: Wo ist die Toilette? (vo ist dee twah-le-te) – Where is the toilet?
Wie komme ich zu…? (vee ko-me ihh tsoo…) – How do I get to…?
Example: Wie komme ich zum Bahnhof? (vee ko-me ihh tsoom bahn-hof) – How do I get to the train station?
Sprechen Sie Englisch? (shpre-hen zee eng-lish) – Do you speak English? (Formal)
Sprichst du Englisch? (shprihst doo eng-lish) – Do you speak English? (Informal)
Was ist das? (vas ist das) – What is that?
Wie heißt das? (vee haist das) – What is that called?
Wie bitte? (vee bi-te) – Pardon me? / What did you say? (Use when you didn’t hear or understand something)
Können Sie das bitte wiederholen? (kö-nen zee das bi-te vee-der-ho-len) – Can you please repeat that? (Formal)
Kannst du das bitte wiederholen? (kanst doo das bi-te vee-der-ho-len) – Can you please repeat that? (Informal)
Common Phrases for Basic Needs
Ich brauche… (ihh brau-he…) – I need…
Example: Ich brauche Hilfe. (ihh brau-he hil-fe) – I need help.
Ich möchte… (ihh möh-te…) – I would like…
Example: Ich möchte einen Kaffee. (ihh möh-te ai-nen kah-fay) – I would like a coffee.
Ich verstehe nicht. (ihh fer-shtay-e niht) – I don’t understand.
Ich weiß nicht. (ihh vais niht) – I don’t know.
Hilfe! (hil-fe) – Help!
Simple Conversations: Putting It All Together
Let’s create a couple of short dialogues to see how these phrases and questions can be used:
Dialogue 1: Asking for Directions
You: Entschuldigung, wie komme ich zum Museum? (ent-shul-di-gung, vee ko-me ihh tsoom moo-zay-um) – Excuse me, how do I get to the museum?
Local: Gehen Sie geradeaus und dann links. (gay-en zee ge-rah-de-aus oont dan links) – Go straight ahead and then left.
You: Vielen Dank! (fee-len dank) – Thank you very much!
Local: Gern geschehen! (gern ge-she-hen) – You’re welcome!
Dialogue 2: Ordering a Coffee
You: Ich möchte einen Kaffee, bitte. (ihh möh-te ai-nen kah-fay, bi-te) – I would like a coffee, please.
Barista: Gerne. Was kostet der Kaffee? (ger-ne. vas kos-tet dare kah-fay) – Gladly. How much does the coffee cost?
Barista: Zwei Euro, bitte. (tsvai oi-ro, bi-te) – Two Euros, please.
You: Danke! (dan-ke) – Thank you!
Word Bank
Bitte (bi-te) – Please / You’re welcome
Danke (dan-ke) – Thank you
Vielen Dank (fee-len dank) – Thank you very much
Entschuldigung (ent-shul-di-gung) – Excuse me / Sorry
Kein Problem (kain pro-blehm) – No problem
Gern geschehen (gern ge-she-hen) – You’re welcome
Wie viel kostet das? (vee feel kos-tet das) – How much does that cost?
Wo ist…? (vo ist…) – Where is…?
Sprechen Sie Englisch? (shpre-hen zee eng-lish) – Do you speak English? (Formal)
Ich brauche… (ihh brau-he…) – I need…
Ich möchte… (ihh möh-te…) – I would like…
Ich verstehe nicht (ihh fer-shtay-e niht) – I don’t understand.
Hilfe! (hil-fe) – Help!
Exercises
How would you ask for the price of a book in a store?
How would you ask where the train station is?
How would you respond to someone who says «Danke»?
Practice saying the polite phrases and questions out loud.
Create your own short dialogues using the phrases and questions you’ve learned.
Congratulations! You’ve completed Chapter 5 and now have a toolkit of essential phrases and questions for basic communication. You’re ready to move on to Part 2 and start building your German!
Chapter 6: The Case System – Nominative, Accusative (Table-Free)
The case system is a crucial aspect of German grammar. It determines the function of a noun in a sentence and affects the form of articles, adjectives, and pronouns. This can seem complicated, but we’ll start with the two most important cases: the nominative and the accusative.
What is a «Case»?
A case indicates the grammatical role of a noun or pronoun in a sentence. Think of it as a label that tells you what the noun is doing in the sentence. German has four cases: nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive.
The Nominative Case (Nominativ): The Subject
The nominative case is used for the subject of the sentence. The subject is the person or thing performing the action of the verb. In a simple sentence, the subject is who or what is doing the verb.
Der Mann liest. (The man reads.) – «Der Mann» is the subject; he is doing the reading.
Die Frau singt. (The woman sings.) – «Die Frau» is the subject; she is doing the singing.
Das Kind spielt. (The child plays.) – «Das Kind» is the subject; it is doing the playing.
When a noun is in the nominative case, the article takes its basic, «dictionary» form. This means:
If the noun is masculine, the definite article (the) is «der.»
If the noun is feminine, the definite article (the) is «die.»
If the noun is neuter, the definite article (the) is «das.»
If the noun is plural, the definite article (the) is «die.»
The Accusative Case (Akkusativ): The Direct Object
The accusative case is primarily used for the direct object of the sentence. The direct object is the person or thing that receives the action of the verb. It’s what the subject is acting upon.
Der Mann liest das Buch. (The man reads the book.) – «Das Buch» is the direct object; it is being read.
Die Frau singt