Free online German conversations for beginners

The German language, Deutsch, is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is also a co-official language of Luxembourg, Belgium and parts of southwestern Poland, as well as a national language in Namibia. German is most similar to other languages within the West Germanic language branch, including Afrikaans, Dutch, English, the Frisian languages, Low German (Low Saxon), Luxembourgish, Scots, and Yiddish. It also contains close similarities in vocabulary to Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish, although these belong to the North Germanic group. German is the second most widely spoken Germanic language after English.

Some of the first words we learn for beginner German conversation—or beginner conversation in any language—are “please” and “thank you,” or in this case, bitte and danke.

• bitte sehr – you’re very welcome
• gern geschehen – you’re welcome
• dankeschön – thank you very much
• Entschuldigung! – Excuse me!
• Kein problem – No problem
• natürlich – of course
• richtig (correct)
• Vielen Dank. (Thank you very much.)
• Es tut mir leid. (I’m sorry.)
• Verzeihen Sie. (Forgive me.)
• Polizeiwache ambulance
• Krankenhaus or Krankenwagen ambulance
• Ruf den Rettungsdienst! – Call an ambulance!
• Ich habe Kopfschmerzen – I have a headache.
• Krankenversicherung – medical insurance
• Ich glaube, ich aß etwas Schlechtes – I think I ate something bad.
• Hast du Fieber? – Do you have a fever?
• Austrocknung – dehydration
• Ich brauche einen Arzt – I need a doctor.
• verstauchter Knöchel – sprained ankle
• Kannst du mir helfen? – Can you help me?
• Rezept – prescription
• Ich finde den Weg nicht zurück zu meinem Hotel – I can’t find the way back to my hotel.
• Ich habe meinen Reisepass verloren – I lost my passport.
• Gibt es eine Apotheke in der Nähe? – Is there a pharmacy nearby?
• Herzinfarkt – heart attack
• Hitzeschlag – heatstroke
• Bitte rufen Sie die Polizei – Call the police, please.

• Hallo – Hello [any time of day]
• Hallo, wie geht’s? – Hello, how are you?
• Guten Morgen – Good morning
• Guten Tag [lit. good day] – Good afternoon
• Guten Abend – Good evening
• Gute Nacht – Good night
• Vielen Dank – Thank you very much
• Ich danke Ihnen auch – Thank you, too [in reply to “thank you” from someone else else]
• Tschüss, bis zum nächsten Mal – Goodbye, see you next time
• Schönes Wetter heute, nicht wahr? – It’s lovely weather today, is not it?
• Mein Name ist _ – My name is _____
• Ich bin Amerikaner, Kanadier, Engländer (male) – I’m American / Canadian / English
• Ich bin Amerikanerin, Kanadierin, Engländerin (female) – I’m American / Canadian / English
• Woher kommen Sie? – Where are you from?
• Freut mich – Nice to meet you!
• Ich möchte nach _____ – I want to go to
• Was kostet das? – How much is it?
• Wohin muss ich jetzt gehen? – Where should I go now?
• Können Sie das bitte für mich aufschreiben? – Can you write that down for me?
• Ich habe mich verlaufen – I’m lost (on foot)
• Ich habe mich verfahren – I’m lost (by car)
• Wie komme ich dahin? – How can I get there?
• Geht es hier lang? – Is it this way?
• Wo ist __?– Where is _ ?
• Moment, bitte – Just a moment
• Ja, bitte – Yes, please
• Nein, danke – No, thanks
• Können Sie mir bitte helfen? – Can you help me, please?
• Ich brauche einen Arzt – I need to see a doctor
• Es geht mir nicht gut – I do not feel well
• Es geht ihm/ihr nicht gut – he / she does not feel well
• Gibt es ein Krankenhaus in der Nähe? – Is there a hospital near here?
• Fahren Sie mich bitte zum Krankenhaus – Take me to the hospital [To a taxi driver]
• Es tut hier weh – It hurts here [pointing to body part]
• Ich brauche Medizin – I need some medicine

Also you’re probably not going to pass as German for very long. Once you open your mouth, your accent will betray you. Inevitably, the next question will be:

Woher kommen Sie? (Where do you come from?)

Knowing how to answer that question is like having money in the bank:

Ich Komme aus _____. (I come from___).

German is a beautiful language. People are highly prejudiced against it because their most memorable exposure to German is often the video footage or recordings of horrible Nazi shouting during WW2. Of course, if the Nazis had been shouting in French or Spanish or Dutch it would have sounded just as hateful and rage-filled! German is a highly expressive and onomatopoetic language! Unlike French, which is very flat, German shares that kind of poetic beat that English has and is exploited so much by Shakespeare et al. That’s why German poetry is so different to French poetry. It’s a crunchy, sonorous language that sounds wonderful when spoken softly or crisply.

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