5 Words To Know in German If You Know Nothing Else
To start off, let me set the scene.
Friday night, though I guess technically Saturday morning, depending on how you look at it. Either way, 3 a.m. The three U-Bahn trains we can take back to our hotel are all under construction, and the map that details a very strange, winding path to a bus stop that will lead to trains is in German. None of us, in our group of seven, speak a word of German. We don’t even know how to say “I don’t speak German,” which, retrospectively, is a phrase we should have picked up on.
Luckily, Germans are intelligent – especially when it comes to English. A simple shout of “Does anyone speak English?” solicits a number of replies (and some confused looks) and we can always find a way to get what we want. But to make it easier on them, here’s a list of five German words you should know before you go – chances are, if you try to use them, you’ll just get looked at like you have three heads before someone replies in perfect English, but learning these words and hearing them in others’ conversations, reading them on signs or seeing them on public transport will make you smile.
1. Entschuldigung
Pronounciation: Ent-shool-dee-gung
Meaning: Excuse me, sorry
A need-to-know phrase for busy tourist spots, crowds and anywhere you’ll be too distracted to focus on not walking into someone or something. We’ve heard it shortened to every possible variation, including “gung” and “shool-dee,” but the proper saying is the four syllable word above.
2. Bahnhof
Pronounciation: Baan-hoff
Meaning: Station
Being able to instantly recognize this word is essential for those days when you venture out in a smaller group without your native German-speaking professor there to back you up. When you can spot a train station from meters away because you can read the German word for it, finding your way through Germany’s U or S-Bahn system doesn’t seem so intimidating after all.
3. Danke shön
Pronounciation: Don-ka-shern
Meaning: Thank you very much
If you’re going to pronounce this one, don’t focus on the spelling. Don’t even think about it for too long or you’ll just become terribly confused and you’ll miss the opportunity to say it in real life. Just add the soft “r” sound even though it’s not even remotely there. Use it to thank everyone you come into contact with for everything they do.
4. Bitte
Pronounciation: Bit-ah
Meaning: Please
Again, totally essential in communicating with everyone you meet. Bitte is also a super helpful phrase when reading signs or advertisements on the street. Maybe you can’t read the rest of the sentence, but at least you can infer that someone somewhere is asking you to do something.
5. Fahrt
Pronounciation: Fay-ert
Meaning: Journey
This word, usually found as a part of larger words such as ausfahrt or einfahrt (exit and entrance) is directly translated to mean “journey.” You see this one everywhere – walking down the street past parking lots and shops, as well as on the front of trains or buses (“fahrt endet heir” means “trip ends here,” so don’t hop on that bus.)
With your new German vocabulary, you should be set to have ein guten fahrt (a good trip) in Germany! Auf Wiedersehen!
