Most Used German Words 1-50
| Rank | German word | English translation | Part of speech |
| 1. | das | the (definitive article; nominative/accu ... | definitive article; demonstrative pronou ... |
| 2. | ist | (he/she/it) is (3rd-person singular pres ... | verb |
| 3. | du | you (informal; addressing one person) | personal pronoun |
| 4. | ich | I (not capitalized unless it is in the b ... | personal pronoun; noun |
- Guten Tag = Good day.
- Hallo = Hello.
- Auf Wiedersehen = Goodbye.
- Bitte = Please.
- Danke = Thanks, Thank you.
- Entschuldigung = Sorry.
- Gesundheit = Bless you (after someone sneezes)
- Ja = Yes.
What are the most common German words?
The Most Frequent German Words
- Pronouns and Possessive Articles
- Der- and ein-words
- Modal and Auxiliary Verbs
- Numbers and Ordinal Numbers
- Prepositions
- Common Contractions
- Fragewörter [only the most common question words appear here]
- Coordinating Conjunctions (Verb in position 2)
- Subordinating Conjunctions (Verb in final position)
- Verbs. = "He said/expressed the opinion that...")
Is German the best language?
German is the Most Spoken Native Language in the European Union With an estimated 175-200 million speakers worldwide, German is the eleventh most widely spoken language in the world. Considering that Germany is a country with a population of about 80 million people (compared to the US population of over 300 million), that’s nothing to scoff at.
How to pronounce German in English?
Pronunciation of individual German vowels is as follows:
- A: The German short A is pronounced like the U in “hut” only more open and tense. ...
- E: The German short E is pronounced like the E in “get” or in “men”. ...
- I: The short i (capitalized I not L) is pronounced like the I in “mitten”. ...
- O: The short O is pronounced like the O in “knot” or in “hot” if you are British. ...
Does English or German have a larger vocabulary?
Very large numbers of French and Latin words entered the language. Consequently, English has a much larger vocabulary than either the Germanic languages or the members of the Romance language family to which French belongs.
What German words do we use in English?
Common German Words Used in EnglishAngst.Bildungsroman.Delicatessen.Doppelganger.Eiderdown.Ersatz.Hamster.Kindergarten.More items...•
Are there any German words in the English language?
German words have been incorporated into English usage for many reasons: German cultural artifacts, especially foods, have spread to English-speaking nations and often are identified either by their original German names or by German-sounding English names.
How many German words are in English language?
500,000 German wordsHow many German words are in the English language? English has around 500,000 German words.
What German words are similar to English?
Hobby, Flip-flops, Baby, Taxi, T-Shirt, Tourist, Computer, E-Mail and Sweatshirt are the words which sound exactly the same both in German and English. Maus (mouse), Haus (house) and Foto (photo) sound the same both in English and German, but we are writing them, as you can see, slightly differently.
Is English OK to speak in Germany?
Long story short: You can survive in Germany without knowing the German language; most Germans speak English, the train usually runs announcements in English and in restaurants or bars, waiters and waitresses often speak English, especially in the city center.
What is the most famous German saying?
10 German expressions everyone should know“Nur Bahnhof verstehen” ... “Jemandem die Daumen drücken” ... “Ich glaub mein Schwein pfeift” ... “Ich glaub' ich spinne” ... “Fix und fertig sein” ... “Bock haben” ... “Jemandem auf den Keks gehen” ... “Die Nase voll haben” The literal translation is: “To have the nose full”More items...•
What is the longest German word?
Kraftfahrzeug-HaftpflichtversicherungThe longest word in the standard German dictionary is Kraftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherung – which is the word for motor vehicle liability insurance. But at 36 letters, it's rather puny. Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften, a touch longer at 39 letters, is the language's longest non-dictionary word.
Do most English words come from German?
As a result, we can certainly say that English and German share a common linguistic root. In fact, according to language statistics around 26% of English words are of Germanic origin. Let's have a look at the most common.
Is German a rich language?
Because of the possibility of creating words by joining single words together to make one word, the German language is considered as a particularly rich language.
What is the hardest German word?
10 Difficult German Words and How to Pronounce ThemFreundschaftsbeziehungen (Friendship relations) ... Rührei (Scrambled eggs) ... Arbeitslosigkeitsversicherung (Unemployment insurance) ... Röntgen (X-ray) ... Quietscheentchen (Rubber duck) ... Tschechien (Czechia) ... Kreuzschlitzschraubenzieher (Screwdriver) ... Schlittschuhlaufen (Ice skating)More items...
What is the easiest German word?
42 Short and Easy German WordsHallo – Hello.Danke – Thank You.Nein – No.Ja – Yes.Lecker – Delicious.Woche – week.Heute – today.Morgen – tomorrow.More items...•
How do you say baby in German?
Translation of baby in German1 Bauxerl.2 Liebling.3 Butzerl.4 Säugling.5 Kleinkind.6 Schatz.7 Putzi.8 Schatzi.More items...
What percentage of English vocabulary is Germanic?
26%English vocabulary comprises 29% French, 29% Latin, 26% Germanic, and 6% Greek.
What English words do Germans have trouble with?
Germans also often struggle with the English silent 'b', such as 'lamb', 'debt' and 'thumb'. As with the unvoiced consonants, the idea that we have silent letters in English is quite a foreign concept for German native speakers.
Does English have more French or German words?
Steven Frank, the author of The Pen Commandments claims that English has 500,000 words with German having about 135,000 and French having fewer than 100,000. A blog post for The Economist agrees that English is rich in vocabulary, but comparisons with other languages can't be made for several reasons.
Is German the closest English language?
For the same reasons Dutch is the closest language to English, German is also a close language, and another one that many English speakers may find easier to learn. Dutch is commonly mentioned as the language nestled between English and German.
What does "roping down" mean in German?
The full verb in German is ‘sich abseilen,’ which means ‘to rope oneself down. ’ In English, it’s used as ‘roping (down)’ or ‘rappelling.’
What does the word "Karabinerhaken" mean?
It is a shorter form of the word 'Karabinerhaken,' which represents a metal loop with a screwed gate for climbing.
What is the word for a child who wants to travel around the world?
Wanderlust. The word refers to a huge desire to travel around the world. Wunderkind. Wunderkind, or in other words, wonder child, is a term when your child, out of the blue, shows you how perfectly they calculate, think, or play the piano. In other words, it’s a child prodigy.
What does the word "waltz" mean?
This word is mostly used within the phrase ‘The Third Reich.’. Even though this word means ‘empire,’ due to its connection to Hitler’s reign, in English, it mainly represents tyranny. Waltz. A formal type of dance surely everyone loves.
What does kitsch mean in art?
An art, kitsch means that something is of a very low taste or quality.
What does the word "bruder" mean in German?
With German origins, the word ‘bruder’ in English is used as ‘brother. ’
What are some German words that we use everyday?
Other German words in English that we use every day. Achtung. In the meaning of ‘attention,’ this word is well-known all over the world, so many English speakers and natives started using it. It’s mainly used for literary effect. Angst. In English, The word ‘angst’ expresses depression and anxiety. Eisberg.
What is the meaning of "Gelandesprung"?
gelandesprung - ski term. gestalt - a psychological theory of the mind; indicates there is more to something than just its parts. gestapo - secret police force. gesundheit - bless you. graupel - form of snow, known as "snow pellets". hamster - a small rodent and popular pet.
What does "langlauf" mean?
langlauf - cross country running or skiing. leberwurst - type of sausage. lederhosen - leather shorts. leitmotif - theme, often used in literature. liverwurst - a type of sausage; a spread made from this type of sausage. meistersinger - member of a certain German guild from the 15th and 16th centuries.
What is the meaning of "einkorn"?
einkorn - an ancient type of wheat. ersatz - not genuine or real; item used in substitute for another item. feldspar - specific types of minerals. fest - feast, celebration, party. fife - a small type of flute. flak - judgment, criticism, back-talk.
What is a dachshund?
dachshund - breed of small dog that has short legs and a long body. delicatessen - proper name for a deli; sandwich shop that sells cheese and meat. doppelganger - someone's double, often used in literature. echt - true, genuine. edelweiss - type of flower.
What is a bratwurst?
bratwurst - a type of sausage. bretzel - a pretzel of the soft or hard variety. carabiner - metal safety clip used by outdoors enthusiasts. cobalt - chemical element; a shade of blue. cringle - part of a sail on a boat. dachshund - breed of small dog that has short legs and a long body.
How much Germanic is Harry Potter?
Lots of English would be roughly the same. Fantasy writing is, on average, over 85% Germanic. JK Rowling’s Harry Potter books have dialogue-heavy paragraphs that are often 95% Germanic or more—and she is not a Germanic purist at all.
Why did the English use the words "panzer" and "u boot"?
The English use the words “Panzer” and “U-boot” specifically to denote German WW2 tanks and submarines. This is due to Churchill forbiding officials to use the same words to enemy war machines as they use for their English equivalents. Therefore the Allies had tanks and submarines, the Germans had Panzers and U-boots.
What are Santa's reindeer called?
Two of Santa's reindeer are called Donner and Blitzen, which mean Thunder and Lightning in German. It's also the phonetic equivalent of Donder and Bliksem (Dutch), which means the same :)
What does "flak" mean?
Flak is from the German word Fliegerabwehrkanone. (Meaning aircraft defence cannon. It's no wonder it got shortened.)
What does "Zugzwang" mean in chess?
Zugzwang - meaning 'compulsion to move' is a situation found in chess and other games, where one player is put at a disadvantage because he must make a move when they would prefer to pass and not to move.
What does "panzer" mean in German?
Panzer - Tank or Military Vehicle. It is occasionally used in English and some other languages as a loanword in the contexts of German military.
How many words are in the Philosophers Stone?
This excerpt of 163 words from the Philosophers Stone is less than 6% post-Norman Latinate—not counting new words JK Rowling coined:
German terms commonly used in English
Most of these words will be recognized by many English speakers; they are commonly used in English contexts. Some, such as wurst and pumpernickel, retain German connotations, while others, such as lager and hamburger, retain none. Not every word is recognizable outside its relevant context.
German terms common in English academic context
German terms sometimes appear in English academic disciplines, e.g. history, psychology, philosophy, music, and the physical sciences; laypeople in a given field may or may not be familiar with a given German term.
German terms mostly used for literary effect
There are a few terms which are recognised by many English speakers but are usually only used to deliberately evoke a German context:
German quotations used in English
Some famous English quotations are translations from German. On rare occasions an author will quote the original German as a sign of erudition.
Further reading
J. Alan Pfeffer, Garland Cannon, German Loanwords in English: An Historical Dictionary, Cambridge University Press. 1994.
Animals
German animal names are a fascinating topic all on their own, but the few terms English has imported create a captivating little menagerie.
Food & Drink
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that a lot of the English words that are actually German refer to food and beer. Even if you know that, though, there might be a few on this list you weren’t expecting.
Culture
Germany has had a wide-ranging impact on culture and politics, and you can see that influence just by looking at the German words that have been adopted by English speakers.
Prefixes And Suffixes
It’s perhaps a testament to how close English and German are that English has adopted a few prefixes and suffixes from the language. These are parts of words that can be used flexibly with other English words, transforming “text” into “urtext” or “geek” into “ubergeek.”
