German, German common words, German Textbooks, German Vocabulary, Learning German - August 30, 2022

Learn The Most Common German Words

For almost all conversations in German, it is important to have a basic knowledge of German vocabulary. You will still use basic German nouns and adjectives in your everyday interactions with friends, neighbors, and coworkers.

Fluency in any language is only possible if you learn the most commonly used vocabulary first. Research shows that 92% of spoken German is composed of 2500 words. 82% of all German text that you will encounter is composed of the top 2500 German terms. This is impressive, as there are approximately 150,000 words currently in use. It is a great way to quickly learn common German words by learning frequency.

Learning Common German words is a great way to communicate quickly and open up doors. Even if your grammar and verb conjugation are not perfect, you can still "get by" with enough words. It is much easier to read, write, and understand German if you have a sufficient vocabulary. Although you won't win the Pulitzer Prize, you will be able to live a normal life.

It is important to know the basic words of any language in order to build a solid foundational vocabulary. The first step is to learn the basic words. Next, expand your vocabulary to include more specific terms that apply to your situation. Example: Are you going to surf in Spain? Start by building your vocabulary. Next, create or find a vocabulary list that covers specific surfing vocabulary.

The MostUsedWords Lists of Common German Words

To help you learn German vocabulary fast, we create frequency dictionaries. Our German series gives you a neatly organized list of the most common words in German. You can get them as e-books from our website, or as paperbacks from Amazon. If you’re not convinced that learning the most common German words first is a good way of learning German, check out what our customers have to say in our German Frequency Dictionary reviews.

Our books are organized according to a frequency list, frequency as part of speech and alphabet. Every entry includes IPA phonetic spelling, so that you can pronounce every German word correctly. All entries include a German-English sample sentence because you learn vocabulary in chunks.

Below are the links to the paperbacks on Amazon. They are affiliate links. That means we might get a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking these links.

Get the most out of your German studies by purchasing two sets of our German Frequency Dictionaries, available on our website. With 5000 common words, you can communicate confidently in various situations.

German Words for Beginners

To help you get started learning German, here are some of the most common German words and sentences. These are a great method to get your basic German vocab started.

You can also download an e-book with the 100 most common German words for free from our website. This core vocabulary alone accounts for about 50% of all German language already.

Common German Greetings

It is impossible to communicate with small groups of people without knowing German greetings first. Here are some:

“Guten Morgen” which means “Good morning”

“Guten Nachmittag” which means “Good afternoon”

“Guten Abend“ “Good evening”

“Wie geht es dir?” which means “How are you?”

“Wie geht's?” which means “How’s it going?”

“Was machst du?” which means “What are you doing?”

“Was ist los?” which means “What’s happening?”

You can use these following conversational German phrases as a reply if someone asks you those questions:

“Gut danke”, meaning: Good, thank you

“Sehr gut”, meaning: Very well

“Wie immer”, meaning: As always

“Und du?”, meaning: And you?

How to Introduce Yourself in German

You can say these to introduce yourself:

“Ich heiße” - My name is

“Ich bin” - I am

You can ask for the name of the person you are talking to by saying:

“Wie heißen Sie?” - What is your name?

And you can answer them by saying:

“freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen”, which means “nice to meet you”

Common Polite Words and Expressions in German

These German phrases are sure to come in handy to avoid offending anyone during a conversation. Being polite can take you anywhere! Try it by saying:

“Vielen Dank!” - Thank you!

“Vielen Dank!” - Thank you very much!

“Gern geschehen!” - You’re welcome! / No problem!

“Bitte” - Please

“Es tut uns leid!” - Sorry!

“Verzeihung” - Excuse me!

“Verzeihung!” - Excuse me! (to say sorry in advance for being somewhat of a nuisance)

Common Question Words in German

To make your conversations with people more effective, you need to be able to ask questions. Here are some German question words that you can learn immediately:

“Was?” - What?

“Wer?” - Who?

“Wenn?” - When?

“Wo?” - Where?

“Wieso den?” - Warum?

“Die?” - Which?

“Wie?” - How?

Here are more useful questions you might like to know:

Saying “wie spät ist es” is how you ask what time is it

Saying “woher kommst du?” is how you ask where they are from (where are you from?)

Saying “wo wohnst du?” is how you ask where they live (where do you live?)

Saying “kannst du mir helfen?” is how you ask if they can help you (can you help me?)

Saying “Kann ich Dir helfen?” is how you ask if you can help them (can I help you?)

Saying “wieviel kostet das” is how you ask how much it cost

Saying “verstehst du?” is how you ask if they understand (do you understand?)

Saying “Sprechen Sie Englisch?” is how you ask if they speak English (do you speak English?)

Saying “kannst du langsam sprechen” is how you ask them if they can speak slowly

Saying “Wo finde ich ein Taxi?” is how you ask where to find a taxi

And you should know what to answer:

“Jawohl” means: Yes

“nein” means: No

“kann sein” means: Maybe

“stets” means: Always

“noch nie” means: Never

“Natürlich” means: Of course

“kein Problem!” means: No problem!

“Ich verstehe nicht!” means: I don’t understand!

“Ich weiß nicht!” means: I don’t know!

“Ich habe keine Ahnung!” means: I have no idea!

“Ich spreche kein Deutsch” means: I don’t speak German

“Ich bin verloren” means: I’m lost

“Mein Deutsch ist schlecht” means: My German is bad

Celebrate in German

German has many expressions that can be used to celebrate special occasions. These phrases are ideal for events such as birthdays or parties with friends:

“Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!” to say “Happy Birthday!”

“Herzliche Glückwünsche!” to say “Congratulations!”

“Habe Spaß!” to say “Have fun!”

“Guten Appetit!” to say “Have a good meal!”

“Herzlich willkommen!” to say “Welcome!”

“Prost!” to say “Cheers!”

Saying goodbye in German

It's difficult to say goodbye, especially if you don’t know how. Here are some German phrases you can use to end a conversation and leave:

“Auf Wiedersehen” means “Goodbye”

“Bis später” means “See you later” (most likely, today)

“Bis morgen” means “See you tomorrow”

“Mach's gut” means “See you”

“Pass' auf dich auf!” means “Take care!”

“Einen schönen Tag noch!” means “Have a nice day!”

“Bis bald!” means “See you soon!”

“Gute Reise!” means “Have a good trip!”

These common German words will help you start a conversation with a native speaker. You only need to practice these phrases and vocabulary frequently to improve your language fluency. Familiarize yourself, These words will come to you easily if you are able to get used to them.

Resources for Adding More German Words to Your Vocabulary

Obviously, not all German words can be put in a single article. You will need a credible source to help you learn. German frequency dictionaries were created for learners who want to quickly improve their German. These German dictionaries are suitable for all levels, from; beginner, intermediate, advance, and near-fluent levels.

MostUsedWords created these books for learners who are aiming to reach a certain language fluency. 10,000 German words are divided into these, so each book can accommodate learners with different German language proficiency. The frequency dictionaries can either be used alone or together with other language learning programs, apps, or books. These books are also suitable for all fluency levels from beginner, intermediate, advanced, and near-fluent. You can get them as e-books from our website, or as paperbacks from Amazon.

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