Greetings, yes and no, please and thank you — the bare minimum you need to survive!
Hold onto your Bratwürste, you're about to learn...
- Basic greetings
- "Yes" and "no"
- "Please" and "thank you"
Now that you've met your esteemed tour guide, Jens, it's time for a team-building exercise.
Imagine you're stranded on a desert island with nothing but a bottle of schnapps and your new friend, Jens.
If you're going to survive, you'll need to learn some basic German communication skills — schnell! (fast!)
(Seriously: These skills will also be handy if you're heading to a German speaking region really soon... if you don't learn anything else, learn these things!)
German greetings
Good day!
(Used mostly in southern Germany and Austria)
Goodbye! (borrowed from Italian; popular with younger Germans)
Germans are all about efficiency, so they often shorten their greetings to a single word. Try some of the shortened greetings:
"Yes" and "No"
After you and Jens say hello to each other, you’re going to have to work out some logistics for survival. For that, you’ll probably need these important little words:
You can get pretty far with just these few words. For instance, you can use them to stop Jens from trying to eat something he shouldn't.
Jens is going to ask you the following question:
Have a quick think about what your answer would be: ja,neinorvielleicht. Then listen to our suggestion. Do you agree with us?
Ist das Essen?
We suggest you say
Play
Ist das Essen?
We suggest you say
Play
Ist das Essen?
We suggest you say
Play
Ist das Essen?
We suggest you say
Play
"Please" and "Thank you"
You never know how long you're going to be stuck with Jens in this imaginary island scenario, so it's best to be polite. For that, you're going to need these words:
Thank you (this shortened version is much more common)
The word bitte (please) can appear in multiple places in a German sentence, just like English
Can you please sit down?
Please sit down.
Sit down please.
However, in German, the most common place to put the word bitte is in the middle of the sentence.
Finde bitte die Kokosnüsse.
Find (please) the coconuts.
It’s good to know how to sound polite during a conversation. However, after a few days on the island, Jens might not be around to converse with if he doesn’t learn some survival skills…fast!
FAQs
A1 German Level – Beginner Level
It is a fairly basic level of language. A1 German level is the first level in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). At A1 German level, you can handle simple and routine tasks without any problems and deal with everyday situations.
How many words does a fluent German speaker know? ›
In order to feel comfortable speaking German, you really only need to learn about 3,000 words. In contrast, being fluent in German is defined as understanding 10,000+ words. While 3,000 words is obviously much less than 10,000, it is still a big task.
What is a normal German greeting? ›
Some common German greetings include "Guten Morgen" (Good morning), "Guten Tag" (Good day), "Hallo" (Hello), "Wie geht es Ihnen?" (How are you?), and "Auf Wiedersehen" (Goodbye).
How many German words you should know to understand about 85% of a German text? ›
Long story short, research says that to understand 85% of German texts you need to know about 1,300 words.
Is B1 German fluent? ›
When you pass the B1 level exam, means that you are entering an intermediate level of the German language. Also, you get the right to call yourself an intermediate speaker. The exam certifies that students are independent users of the German language and they follow the standards laid down by CEFR.
What level of German does Duolingo teach? ›
At Duolingo, we're developing our courses to get you to a level called B2, at which you can get a job in the language you're studying. Reaching that kind of proficiency requires dedication, varied practice opportunities, and a lot of time.
How many years does it take to speak German fluently? ›
It shouldn't take long to become fluent in German. Actually, after 6-8 months of studying in intense courses (about twenty hours every week) you will be able to gain proficiency of your German language to navigate your daily life. It is possible to gain professional proficiency within a mere year!
What is the longest German word? ›
As explained above, the longest “official” word in German, in the sense that you could find it in a dictionary, is Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz, weighing in at 63 letters long. This likely takes the top spot on any list of top 10 long German words.
What percentage of the world speaks German? ›
Only 1.571% of the world speaks German. Why learn German, you may ask? Please read on. There are about 7,000 languages worldwide.
How do you respond to guten tag? ›
Can you simply say 'dir auch'? Yes, or just repeat the phrase used.
In general, it is best to stick with a formal greeting like “Guten Tag” when talking to a professional acquaintance, whereas with friends you can use informal greetings like “Na?” or “Hallo!”.
What are the most used German words? ›
Words
- Thank you – Danke (dan-kuh”)
- You're welcome – Bitteschön (“bit-tuh-shun“)
- Please, excuse me, or pardon – Bitte (“bit-tuh”)
- Yes – Ja (“jah”)
- No – Nein (“nine”)
- Hello – Hallo (“hallo”)
- Goodbye – Auf Wiedersehen (“Owf Veeder-sane”)
- German – Deutsch (“doych”)
A native speaker of German (and a fairly fluent non-native speaker) can get the gist of “German” that is nearly a millennium old: what is referred to as “Middle High German” (abbreviated “MHG” in English; in German it is “Mittelhochdeutsch”, abbreviated “Mhd”).
How to memorize German vocabulary? ›
Hey German learner!
- Use repetition: reading, writing and speaking words over and over again.
- Associate words with drawings, pictures and funny scenes.
- Try to use the language routinely in the context of daily life.
- Reading as much as possible, especially the newspaper, helps you to remember words.
Level A1 in German is a beginner's proficiency level. While the A1 level German represents a basic understanding of the language, you are still in the early stages of your language-learning journey.
How long does it take to be A1 German? ›
German has different levels from A1 to C2. Basic A1 to A2 – Attending an Intensive course takes A1 in around 60 hours and A2 in 120 hours. Intermediate B1 to B2 – German level B1 takes 200 hours and B2 takes approximately 300 hours to become fluent.
What is A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2 German? ›
How long does it take to learn German?
| Assess your current level & test your German online! | Exams you can take @ GLS (see below) |
|---|
| A1 | beginner | |
| A2 | elementary | |
| B1 | intermediate | telc B1 |
| B2 | upper intermediate | telc B2 Goethe B2 |
2 more rowsYes, A1 is easy. Practice each component well and train in time management for the A1 German test. You will be able to easily pass the exam.
