Essential Vocabulary
Core vocabulary organized by category. Learn these words to cover most everyday situations.
People & Family
| German | English | German | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| der Mensch | person | die Leute (pl) | people |
| der Mann | man | die Frau | woman |
| der Junge | boy | das Mädchen | girl |
| das Kind | child | der Erwachsene | adult |
| der Freund | friend (m) | die Freundin | friend (f) |
Family (die Familie)
| German | English | German | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| die Eltern | parents | das Ehepaar | married couple |
| der Vater | father | die Mutter | mother |
| der Sohn | son | die Tochter | daughter |
| der Bruder | brother | die Schwester | sister |
| der Großvater/Opa | grandfather | die Großmutter/Oma | grandmother |
| der Enkel | grandson | die Enkelin | granddaughter |
| der Onkel | uncle | die Tante | aunt |
| der Cousin | cousin (m) | die Cousine | cousin (f) |
| der Neffe | nephew | die Nichte | niece |
| der Schwiegervater | father-in-law | die Schwiegermutter | mother-in-law |
Body (der Körper)
| German | English | German | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| der Kopf | head | das Gesicht | face |
| das Auge | eye | die Nase | nose |
| der Mund | mouth | das Ohr | ear |
| das Haar | hair | der Hals | neck/throat |
| die Schulter | shoulder | der Arm | arm |
| die Hand | hand | der Finger | finger |
| die Brust | chest | der Rücken | back |
| der Bauch | stomach | das Bein | leg |
| das Knie | knee | der Fuß | foot |
| der Zahn | tooth | die Zunge | tongue |
Food & Drink
Basics
| German | English | German | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| das Essen | food | das Getränk | drink |
| das Frühstück | breakfast | das Mittagessen | lunch |
| das Abendessen | dinner | die Mahlzeit | meal |
Bread & Baked Goods
| German | English |
|---|---|
| das Brot | bread |
| das Brötchen | bread roll |
| der Kuchen | cake |
| die Torte | tart/fancy cake |
Meat & Fish
| German | English |
|---|---|
| das Fleisch | meat |
| das Rindfleisch | beef |
| das Schweinefleisch | pork |
| das Hähnchen | chicken |
| der Fisch | fish |
| die Wurst | sausage |
| der Schinken | ham |
Dairy & Eggs
| German | English |
|---|---|
| die Milch | milk |
| der Käse | cheese |
| die Butter | butter |
| das Ei | egg |
| der Joghurt | yogurt |
| die Sahne | cream |
Fruits (das Obst)
| German | English |
|---|---|
| der Apfel | apple |
| die Birne | pear |
| die Orange | orange |
| die Banane | banana |
| die Erdbeere | strawberry |
| die Traube | grape |
| die Zitrone | lemon |
Vegetables (das Gemüse)
| German | English |
|---|---|
| die Kartoffel | potato |
| die Tomate | tomato |
| die Karotte | carrot |
| die Zwiebel | onion |
| der Salat | salad/lettuce |
| die Gurke | cucumber |
| der Pilz | mushroom |
Drinks (die Getränke)
| German | English |
|---|---|
| das Wasser | water |
| der Kaffee | coffee |
| der Tee | tea |
| der Saft | juice |
| das Bier | beer |
| der Wein | wine |
| die Limonade | lemonade/soda |
Home (das Zuhause)
Rooms
| German | English |
|---|---|
| das Zimmer | room |
| die Küche | kitchen |
| das Wohnzimmer | living room |
| das Schlafzimmer | bedroom |
| das Badezimmer | bathroom |
| die Toilette | toilet |
| der Flur | hallway |
| der Keller | basement |
| der Dachboden | attic |
| der Balkon | balcony |
| der Garten | garden |
Furniture (die Möbel)
| German | English |
|---|---|
| der Tisch | table |
| der Stuhl | chair |
| das Sofa | sofa |
| das Bett | bed |
| der Schrank | cupboard/closet |
| das Regal | shelf |
| die Lampe | lamp |
| der Spiegel | mirror |
| der Teppich | carpet |
Household Items
| German | English |
|---|---|
| der Schlüssel | key |
| die Tür | door |
| das Fenster | window |
| die Treppe | stairs |
| der Kühlschrank | refrigerator |
| der Herd | stove |
| die Waschmaschine | washing machine |
| der Fernseher | TV |
Clothing (die Kleidung)
| German | English |
|---|---|
| das Hemd | shirt |
| die Bluse | blouse |
| das T-Shirt | T-shirt |
| die Hose | pants |
| die Jeans | jeans |
| der Rock | skirt |
| das Kleid | dress |
| der Anzug | suit |
| die Jacke | jacket |
| der Mantel | coat |
| der Pullover | sweater |
| die Schuhe | shoes |
| die Socken | socks |
| die Unterwäsche | underwear |
| der Hut | hat |
| die Mütze | cap |
Transportation (der Verkehr)
| German | English |
|---|---|
| das Auto | car |
| der Bus | bus |
| der Zug | train |
| die U-Bahn | subway |
| die Straßenbahn | tram |
| das Fahrrad | bicycle |
| das Motorrad | motorcycle |
| das Flugzeug | airplane |
| das Schiff | ship |
| das Taxi | taxi |
| die Fahrkarte | ticket |
| der Bahnhof | train station |
| die Haltestelle | stop |
| der Flughafen | airport |
Work & School
Professions (die Berufe)
| German | English |
|---|---|
| der Arzt / die Ärztin | doctor |
| der Lehrer / die Lehrerin | teacher |
| der Ingenieur / die Ingenieurin | engineer |
| der Anwalt / die Anwältin | lawyer |
| der Kellner / die Kellnerin | waiter/waitress |
| der Koch / die Köchin | cook |
| der Verkäufer / die Verkäuferin | salesperson |
| der Polizist / die Polizistin | police officer |
| der Student / die Studentin | student |
Workplace
| German | English |
|---|---|
| die Arbeit | work |
| der Beruf | profession |
| das Büro | office |
| die Firma | company |
| der Chef / die Chefin | boss |
| der Kollege / die Kollegin | colleague |
| das Gehalt | salary |
| die Besprechung | meeting |
School (die Schule)
| German | English |
|---|---|
| die Klasse | class |
| der Unterricht | lesson |
| die Prüfung | exam |
| die Hausaufgabe | homework |
| das Buch | book |
| das Heft | notebook |
| der Kugelschreiber | pen |
| der Bleistift | pencil |
Common Verbs (100 Most Useful)
Being & Having
| German | English |
|---|---|
| sein | to be |
| haben | to have |
| werden | to become |
| bleiben | to stay |
Motion
| German | English |
|---|---|
| gehen | to go |
| kommen | to come |
| fahren | to drive/go |
| laufen | to run/walk |
| fliegen | to fly |
| reisen | to travel |
| bringen | to bring |
| holen | to fetch/get |
Actions
| German | English |
|---|---|
| machen | to make/do |
| tun | to do |
| geben | to give |
| nehmen | to take |
| finden | to find |
| suchen | to search |
| lassen | to let/leave |
| halten | to hold/stop |
| tragen | to carry/wear |
| setzen | to set/sit |
| stellen | to put/place |
| legen | to lay/put |
| schlagen | to hit |
| werfen | to throw |
| ziehen | to pull |
| drücken | to push/press |
| öffnen | to open |
| schließen | to close |
Communication
| German | English |
|---|---|
| sagen | to say |
| sprechen | to speak |
| reden | to talk |
| fragen | to ask |
| antworten | to answer |
| erzählen | to tell/narrate |
| rufen | to call |
| schreiben | to write |
| lesen | to read |
| hören | to hear |
| verstehen | to understand |
| erklären | to explain |
| zeigen | to show |
| meinen | to mean/think |
Cognition
| German | English |
|---|---|
| wissen | to know (facts) |
| kennen | to know (people/places) |
| denken | to think |
| glauben | to believe |
| vergessen | to forget |
| erinnern | to remember |
| lernen | to learn |
| studieren | to study |
Daily Activities
| German | English |
|---|---|
| essen | to eat |
| trinken | to drink |
| schlafen | to sleep |
| aufstehen | to get up |
| waschen | to wash |
| anziehen | to put on (clothes) |
| arbeiten | to work |
| spielen | to play |
| kaufen | to buy |
| verkaufen | to sell |
| bezahlen | to pay |
| kochen | to cook |
| helfen | to help |
Emotions & States
| German | English |
|---|---|
| lieben | to love |
| mögen | to like |
| hassen | to hate |
| freuen | to be happy |
| hoffen | to hope |
| wünschen | to wish |
| brauchen | to need |
| warten | to wait |
| beginnen | to begin |
| aufhören | to stop |
Common Adjectives
| German | English | German | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| gut | good | schlecht | bad |
| groß | big/tall | klein | small/short |
| alt | old | neu/jung | new/young |
| lang | long | kurz | short |
| schnell | fast | langsam | slow |
| leicht | easy/light | schwer | difficult/heavy |
| teuer | expensive | billig | cheap |
| heiß | hot | kalt | cold |
| warm | warm | kühl | cool |
| voll | full | leer | empty |
| richtig | right/correct | falsch | wrong |
| wichtig | important | einfach | simple |
| schön | beautiful | hässlich | ugly |
| laut | loud | leise | quiet |
| sauber | clean | schmutzig | dirty |
| nah | near | weit | far |
| früh | early | spät | late |
| offen | open | geschlossen | closed |
Question Words Summary
| German | English |
|---|---|
| wer | who |
| was | what |
| wo | where |
| woher | from where |
| wohin | to where |
| wann | when |
| warum | why |
| wie | how |
| wie viel | how much |
| wie viele | how many |
| welcher/e/es | which |
| wessen | whose |