English is - next to Spanish and partly French - the most important lingua franca. It can therefore also be helpful to travelers in countries where it is not an official language.
pronunciation
The "th" is probably the most difficult sound for the German tongue in English. In this simplified transcription we give it from time to time with "ß" or "s", but these are only partially similar. It is recommended to have the real "th" shown in advance or to pay attention to the correct pronunciation on site and then to replace the "ß" / "s" accordingly. Temporarily or in the case of insurmountable problems, it is better to speak "d" instead of "ß" / "s", as this comes closest to the pronunciation of immigrants and is therefore best understood.
(Even if you have mastered the English consonants, the vowels and the typical German speaking melody will definitely give you away. Since the German accent, as long as you can express yourself somehow, is perceived as charming in most English-speaking countries, it should Therefore, when in doubt, it is better to work on vocabulary and listening comprehension than to work excessively hard on pronunciation.)
The "st" or "sp" in the transliteration is to be spoken in the "North German way", ie "s-teife breeze" instead of "schteife breeze".
Other differences to the German pronunciation:
- v
- is always spoken like German 'w'
- w
- a 'u' is spoken as a consonant: say "w" with the mouth shape of the 'u'
- j
- is always spoken as 'dsch'
- z
- is always a voiced 's', never a 'ts'.
- s
- is always a sharp 's'.
Idioms
An overview of the most important idioms. The order is based on the likely frequency of their use.
Personal Information
- the address
- address (BE: əˈdres, AE: ˈædres)
- the man
- one (mæn)
- boy
- boy (bɔɪ)
- the girl
- girl (gɜːl)
- the first name
- first name (ˌFɜːst ˈneɪm)
- last name
- lastName (ˌLs ˈneɪm)
- the identity card
- identity card (aɪˈdentɪtɪ ˌkɑːd)
- the Lady
- lady (ˈLeɪdɪ)
- the language
- language (ˈLæŋgwɪdʒ)
- the mother tongue
- first language (ˌFɜːst ˈlæŋgwɪdʒ)
- live, live
- to live (tə lɪv)
- the passport
- passport (ˈPɑːspɔːt)
Basics
- Good day.
- Hello. (Hello)
- Hello. (informal)
- Hi. (HAI)
- How are you?
- How are you? (Hau ahr yuh?)
- Good thank you.
- Fine, thank you. (FAIN, ßenk juh)
- What's your name?
- What is your name? (WOT eat Juhr NÄIM?)
- My name is ______ .
- My name is ______ . (May NAIM eat _____.)
- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you. (NAIß do rent JUH)
- You're welcome.
- Please. (Plies)
- Thanks.
- Thank you./Thanks. (ßENK juh/ßENKS)
- Here you go.
- You're welcome. (juhr WELL comb)
- Yes.
- Yes. (YESS)
- No.
- No. (NOH)
- Sorry.
- Excuse me. (Ex-Kjuhs mie) / I'm sorry. (Eim ßO-rie)
- Goodbye
- Goodbye. (GUD at.)
- Bye (informal)
- Bye. (AT)
- I don't (hardly) speak Name of the language.
- I can't speak English [well]. (AI kahnt spiek ING-lisch [well])
- Do you speak German?
- Do you speak German? (duh JUH spiek JCHÖRmenn?)
- Does anyone here speak German?
- Is there someone here who speaks German? (Eat a lot ßAM-wan here huh spieks DSCHÖRmenn?)
- Help!
- Help! (HELP!)
- Attention!
- Look out! (luck AUT!)
- Good Morning.
- Good Morning. (gud MORN-ing)
- Good evening.
- Good evening. (gud IEF-ning)
- Good night.
- Goodnight. (gud NAID)
- Sleep well.
- Goodnight. (gud NAID)
- I do not understand.
- I do not understand. (Ai does ANN-der-STAND)
- Where is the toilet?
- Where is the toilet? (WEHR eat this TOY-lett?)
Problems
- Leave me in peace.
- Leave me alone. (RUN mie ä-WOHN)
- Do not touch me!
- Don't touch me! (DOHNT tatsch mie!)
- I'm calling the police.
- I'll call the police. (Express KOL se poh-LIES)
- Police!
- Police! (poh-LIES)
- Stop the thief!
- Stop! Thief! (ßop! ßief!)
- I need help.
- I need your help. (Ai LOW juhr HELP)
- This is an emergency.
- It's an emergency. (itz än i-MÖR-dschenn-ßi)
- I'm lost.
- I'm lost. (Eim LOST)
- I lost my bag.
- I lost my bag. (Ai lost mai bähg)
- I lost my wallet.
- I lost my wallet. (Ai lost mai WOLLet)
- I'm sick.
- I'm sick. (Eim SICK.)
- I'm injured.
- I'm injured. (Eim in-DSCHUR't.)
- I need a doctor.
- I need a doctor. (Ai LOW - DOCK-ter)
- Can I use your telephone?
- Can I use your phone? (Did you know FOHNN?)
numbers
- 1
- one (when)
- 2
- two (tuh)
- 3
- three (ßrieh)
- 4
- four (go)
- 5
- five (fail)
- 6
- six (ßix)
- 7
- seven (ßewen)
- 8
- eight (äit)
- 9
- nine (No)
- 10
- ten (tenn)
- 11
- eleven (iLEWen)
- 12
- twelve (twählf)
- 13
- thirteen (ßÖRtien)
- 14
- fourteen (FOHRtien)
- 15
- fifteen (FIFFtien)
- 16
- sixteen (SIXtien)
- 17
- seventeen (ßEWENtien)
- 18
- eighteen (ÄITtien)
- 19
- nineteen (NOtien)
- 20
- twenty (twentih)
- 21
- twenty one (twentih when)
- 22
- twenty two (twentihTUH)
- 23
- twenty three (twentihßRIEH)
- 30
- thirty (ßörtih)
- 40
- forty (forward)
- 50
- fifty (fifftih)
- 60
- sixty (sixtih)
- 70
- seventy (ßewentih)
- 80
- eighty (äitih)
- 90
- ninety (naintih)
- 100
- one hundred (WHEN handwheels)
- 200
- two hundred (TUH handwheels)
- 300
- three hundred (ßRIEH handwheel)
- 1000
- one thousand (WHEN ßAUsänd)
- 2000
- two thousand (TUH ßAUsänd)
- 1,000,000
- one million (WHEN mill-jenn)
- 1,000,000,000
- one thousand million in UK (WHEN ßAUsänd mill-jenn), one billion (WHEN bill-jenn) in United States
- 1,000,000,000,000
- one billion (WHEN bill-jenn) in UK, one trillion (WHEN trill-jenn) in United States
- Line _____ (Train, bus, etc.)
- number _____ (Notable): route _____ (Ruth)
- half
- helped (hahf)
- Fewer
- less (let)
- More
- more (moor)
Times
- soon
- soon (βuːn)
- to
- until (ənˈtil)
- early
- early (ˈÖːli)
- now
- now (exactly)
- sometimes
- sometimes (ˈΒamtaims)
- late
- late (läjt)
- later
- later (läy-ter)
- before
- before (bi-for)
- (the morning
- morning (morning)
- In the morning
- in the morning (in ðə ˈmoːning)
- at noon
- at midday (ət midˈdäj)
- at night
- at night (ət ˈnait)
- afternoon
- afternoon (afternuhn)
- in the afternoon
- in the afternoon (in ði‿aːftəˈnuːn)
- Eve
- evening (iwening)
- in the evening
- in the evening (in ði‿ˈiːvning)
- This evening
- tonight (təˈnait)
- this morning
- this morning (ðiβ ˈmoːning)
- this afternoon
- this afternoon (ðiβ aːftəˈnuːn)
- night
- night (neit)
- today
- today (tuh-dey)
- yesterday
- yesterday (jesster-dey)
- the day before yesterday
- the day before yesterday (ße dey bi-for jesster-dey)
- tomorrow
- tomorrow (tuh-morro)
- day after tomorrow
- the day after tomorrow (ðə ˈdäj‿aːftə təˈmorou)
- this week
- this week (siss how)
- last week
- last week (lahst wiek)
- next week
- next week (next wiek)
- in 14 days
- in a fortnight (in‿ə ˈfoːtnait)
- next year
- next year (nekβt ˈjiə)
- since (at period)
- for (foː)
- since (at point in time)
- since (βinβ)
- Quarter of an hour
- quarter of an hour (ˈKwoːtər‿əv‿ən‿ˈauə)
- half a hour
- half an hour (ˈHaːf‿ən‿ˈauə)
- around
- at (at)
- a month before
- a month ago (ə ˈmanθ‿əˈgou)
- recently
- recently (ˈRiːβntli)
Time
- an hour
- one o'clock AM (when O-klok ÄI-ÄMM)
- two o'clock
- two o'clock AM (tuh O-klok ÄI-ÄMM)
- noon
- noon (nuhn)
- thirteen o'clock
- one o'clock PM (when O-klok PI-EMM)
- fourteen O `clock
- two o'clock PM (tuh O-klok PI-EMM)
- midnight
- midnight (now)
- half past eight
- half past eight (hahf past äit) - often just: half eight (hahf äit)
Duration
- _____ second (s)
- _____ second (s) (ˈΒekənd (s))
- _____ minute (s)
- _____ minute (s) (minit (s))
- _____ hour (s)
- _____ hour (s) (ouch (s))
- _____ day (s)
- _____ day (s) (däj (s))
- _____ week (s)
- _____ week (s) (as K)
- _____ month (s)
- _____ month (s) (moss (s))
- _____ year (s)
- _____ year (s) (jier (s))
Days
- Sunday
- Sunday (Sandai)
- Monday
- Monday (mandäi)
- Tuesday
- Tuesday (tchusdäi)
- Wednesday
- Wednesday (uennsdäi)
- Thursday
- Thursday (ßöasdäi)
- Friday
- Friday (fueidäi / freidäi)
- Saturday
- Saturday (ßattedäi)
Months
- January
- January (JENJANju-räri)
- February
- February (FÄBjuräri)
- March
- March (mahrsch)
- April
- April (April)
- May
- May (mäj)
- June
- June (dschuhn)
- July
- July (DSCHUlai)
- August
- August (OUH-gust)
- September
- September (September)
- October
- October (OKtouhber)
- November
- November (November)
- December
- December (THEMember)
Colours
- black
- black (bläk)
- White
- white (wait)
- Gray
- gray (gräi) in UK, gray (gräi) in USA
- red
- red (red)
- dark red
- burgundy (ˈBöːgəndi)
- blue
- blue (bluh)
- Light Blue
- light blue (lait ˈbluː)
- dark blue
- navy blue (ˈNäjvi bluː)
- yellow
- yellow (jällo)
- green
- green (grien)
- golden
- golden (ˈGouldən)
- silver
- silver (ˈΒilvə)
- orange
- orange (orändsch)
- purple
- purple (pörpel)
- purple
- purple (ˈPöːpl)
- brown
- brown (brown)
- colorful
- colorful (ˈKaləfl)
- monochrome
- plain-colored (pläjnˈkaləd)
traffic
bus and train
- How much does a ticket to _____ cost?
- How much is a ticket to _____? (hau mud is ä ticket tu __)
- A ticket to _____, please.
- One ticket to _____, please. (uon ticket tu)
- Where is this train / bus going?
- Where does this train / bus go? (uer das sis tuäin / baß go)
- Where is the train / bus to _____?
- Where is the train / bus to _____? (uer is se tuäin / bass tu)
- Does this train / bus stop in _____?
- Does this train / bus stop in _____? (the sis tuäin / bass stop in)
- When does the train / bus go to_____?
- When does the train / bus for _____ leave? (uen das se tuäin / bass for _____ ran)
- When will this train / bus arrive in _____?
- When will this train / bus arrive in _____? (uen uill sis träin / baß äreif in ___)
plane
- departure
- take off (tajkof)
- Arrivals
- landing (ˈLänding)
direction
- How do I get to _____?
- How do I get to _____? (hau you ai get do)
- ...to the train station?
- ... the train station? (se tuäin STÄIschen)
- ...to the bus stop?
- ... the bus station? (se bass STÄIschen)
- ...to the airport?
- ... the airport? (se ÄRport)
- ... to the city center?
- ... downtown? (DOWN)
- ... to the youth hostel?
- ... the youth hostel? (se jaus hostel)
- ...to the hotel?
- ... the _____ hotel? (se _____ hotel)
- ... to the American / Canadian / Australian / British consulate?
- ... the American / Canadian / Australian / British consulate? (se e-MÄriken / kanÄIdiän / ostrÄIlian / BRITISH consulate)
- ... to the German / Austrian / Swiss consulate?
- ... the German / Austrian / Swiss consulate? (se DSCHÖRmenn / OStrian / Swiss Konsuläit)
- Where are there many ...
- Where are there a lot of ... (uer ar ser e- lot of)
- ... hotels?
- ... hotels? (hotels)
- ... restaurants?
- ... restaurants? (resteraunted)
- ... bars?
- ... bars? (bars)
- ...Tourist Attractions?
- ... sights to see? (on the other hand they do)
- Could you show me on the map?
- Can you show me on the map? (kän ju scho mie on se mäp)
- road
- street (struggled)
- Turn left / turn.
- Turn left. (trip left)
- Turn right / turn.
- Turn right. (trip riding)
- Left
- left (left)
- right
- right (riding)
- straight
- straight ahead (quarrel e-hät)
- consequences _____
- towards the _____ (tuwords se)
- after_____
- past the _____ (pahst se)
- before the _____
- before the _____ (biefor se)
- Look for _____.
- Watch for the _____. (uatsch for se)
- north
- north (norss)
- south
- south (damn)
- east
- east (iest)
- west
- west (west)
- above
- uphill (aphill)
- below
- downhill (daunhill)
taxi
- Taxi!
- Taxi! (taksi)
- Take me to _____, please.
- Take me to _____, please. (taik mie tu _____, plies)
- How much does it cost to go to _____?
- How much does it cost to get to _____? (hau mud it cost to get to)
- Please take me there.
- Take me there, please. (taik mie ser, plies)
accommodation
- Do you have a free room?
- Do you have a room available? (...)
- How much does a room cost for one / two people?
- How much is a room for one person / two people? (...)
- Has it in the room ...
- Does the room come with ... (...)
- ...a bathroom?
- ... a bathroom? (...)
- ...a telephone?
- ... a telephone? (...)
- ... a TV?
- ... a TV? (...)
- Can I view the room first?
- May I see the room first? (...)
- Do you have something quieter?
- Do you have anything more quiet? (...)
- ... bigger?
- ... bigger? (...)
- ... cleaner?
- ... cleaner? (...)
- ... cheaper?
- ... cheaper? (...)
- Ok I'll take it.
- OK, I'll take it. (...)
- I want to stay _____ night (s).
- I will stay for _____ night (s). (...)
- Can you recommend another hotel?
- Can you suggest another hotel? (...)
- Do you have a safe?
- Do you have a safe? (...)
- ...Lockers?
- ... easy? (...)
- Is breakfast / dinner included?
- Is breakfast / supper included? (...)
- What time is breakfast / dinner?
- What time is breakfast / supper? (...)
- Please clean my room.
- Please clean my room. (...)
- Can you wake me up at _____?
- Can you wake me at _____? (...)
- I want to sign out.
- I want to check out. (...)
- Registration
- check in (Chekin)
money
- Do you accept US / Australian / Canadian dollars?
- Do you accept American / Australian / Canadian dollars? (...)
- Do you accept the British pound?
- Do you accept British pounds? (...)
- Do you accept the euro?
- Do you accept Euros? (JU-rohs)
- Do you accept credit cards?
- Do you accept credit cards? (...)
- Can you change money for me?
- Can you change money for me? (...)
- Where can I change money?
- Where can I get money changed? (...)
- Can you change traveler checks for me?
- Can you change a traveler's check (USA) / check (UK) for me? (...)
- Where can I change traveler checks?
- Where can I get a traveler's check changed? (...)
- What is the rate?
- What is the exchange rate? (...)
- Where is there an ATM?
- Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM) (Amerik.) / Cash dispenser (Brit.)? (...)
eat
- A table for one / two people, please.
- A table for one person / two people, please. (...)
- Could I have the menu?
- Can I look at the menu, please? (...)
- Can i see the kitchen
- Can I look in the kitchen? (...)
- Is there a house specialty?
- Is there a house specialty? (...)
- Is there a local specialty?
- Is there a local specialty? (...)
- I'm vegetarian.
- I'm a vegetarian. (...)
- I do not eat pork.
- I don't eat pork. (...)
- I don't eat beef.
- I don't eat beef. (...)
- I only eat kosher food.
- I only eat kosher food. (...)
- Can you cook it low fat? (less oil / butter / bacon)
- Can you make it "lite", please? (...)
- Menu of the day
- fixed-price meal (...)
- from the card
- a la carte (...)
- breakfast
- breakfast (...)
- Having lunch
- lunch (...)
- Tea time
- tea (...)
- Dinner
- supper (...)
- I would like _____.
- I would like _____. (...)
- I want table service _____.
- I want a dish containing _____. (...)
- chicken
- chicken (...)
- Beef
- beef (...)
- fish
- fish (...)
- cooked ham
- ham (...)
- bacon
- bacon (ˈBäjkən)
- sausage
- sausage (...)
- cheese
- cheese (...)
- Eggs
- eggs (...)
- salad
- salad (...)
- (fresh vegetables
- (fresh) vegetables (...)
- (fresh fruits
- (fresh) fruit (...)
- loaf
- bread (...)
- toast
- toast (...)
- Glass noodles
- noodles (...)
- Pasta
- pasta (...)
- rice
- rice (...)
- Beans
- beans (...)
- Could I have a glass of_____?
- May I have a glass of _____? (...)
- Could I have a bowl of _____?
- May I have a cup of _____? (...)
- Could I have a bottle of_____?
- May I have a bottle of _____? (...)
- coffee
- coffee (...)
- tea
- tea (...)
- juice
- juice (...)
- Mineral water
- water (...)
- water
- water (...)
- beer
- beer (...)
- Red wine / white wine
- red / white wine (...)
- Could I have some _____?
- May I have some _____? (...)
- salt
- salt (...)
- (Black pepper
- (black) pepper (...)
- butter
- butter (...)
- Excuse me waiter? (getting attention of server)
- Excuse me, waiter? (...)
- I'm done.
- I have finished. (...)
- It was great.
- It was delicious. (...)
- Please clear the table.
- Please clear the plates. (...)
- The Bill please.
- The check, please. (...) (Am.) / The bill, please./ Can we pay, please. (Brit.)
Bars
- Do you serve alcohol?
- Do you serve alcohol? (...)
- Is there a table service?
- Is there table service? (...)
- One beer / two beers please.
- A beer / two beers, please. (...)
- A glass of red / white wine, please.
- A glass of red / white wine, please. (...)
- One glass, please.
- A glass, please. (...)
- Half a liter, please.
- A pint, please. (...)
- A bottle, please.
- A bottle, please. (...)
- Whiskey
- whisk (e) y (...)
- Vodka
- vodka (...)
- rum
- rum (...)
- water
- water (...)
- soda
- club soda (...)
- Tonic water
- tonic water (...)
- orange juice
- orange juice (...)
- Coke
- Coke (...)
- Do you have any snacks?
- Do you have any bar snacks? (...)
- One more, please.
- One more, please. (...)
- Another round please.
- Another round, please. (...)
- When do you close?
- When is closing time? (...)
shop
- Do you have this in my size?
- Do you have this in my size? (...)
- How much is it?
- How much is this? (...)
- This is too expensive.
- That's too expensive. (...)
- Do you want to take _____?
- Would you take _____? (...)
- expensive
- expensive (...)
- cheap
- cheap (...)
- I can not afford it.
- I can't afford it. (...)
- I do not want it.
- I don't want it. (...)
- You are cheating on me.
- You're cheating me. (...)
- I'm not interested
- I'm not interested. (..)
- Ok I'll take it.
- OK, I'll take it. (...)
- Can i have a bag
- Can I have a bag? (...)
- Do you ship (abroad)?
- Do you ship (overseas)? (...)
- Do you have oversizes?
- Do you stock large sizes? (...)
- I need...
- I need ... (...)
- ...Toothpaste.
- ... toothpaste. (...)
- ...a toothbrush.
- ... a toothbrush. (...)
- ... tampons.
- ... tampons. (...)
- ...Soap.
- ... soap. (...)
- ...Shampoo.
- ...shampoo. (...)
- ...Painkiller. (e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen)
- ... pain reliever. (...)
- ... medicine for colds.
- ... cold medicine. (...)
- ... medicine for the stomach.
- ... stomach medicine. (...)
- ... a razor.
- ... a razor. (...)
- ...an umbrella.
- ... an umbrella. (...)
- ...Suncream.
- ... sun (block) lotion. (...)
- ...a postcard.
- ... a postcard. (...)
- ... postage stamps.
- ... (postage) stamps. (...)
- ... batteries.
- ... batteries. (...)
- ... writing paper.
- ... writing paper. (...)
- ...a pen.
- ... a pen. (...)
- ...English books.
- ... English-language books. (...)
- ... a German magazine / illustrated magazine.
- ... German-language magazines. (...)
- ... a German newspaper.
- ... a German-language newspaper. (...)
- ... an English-X dictionary.
- ... an English-X dictionary. (...)
Drive
- Can I rent a car?
- Can I rent a car? (...)
- Can I get insurance?
- Can I get insurance? (...)
- STOP
- stop (...)
- one way street
- one way (...)
- Give Way
- yield (...)
- No parking
- no parking (...)
- Top speed
- speed limit (...)
- Gas station
- gas station (USA) / service (or filling) station (or petrol) station (UK) (...)
- petrol
- petrol (UK) / gas (oline) (USA) (...)
- diesel
- diesel (...)
languages
- dictionary
- dictionary (ˈDɪkʃənrɪ)
- hard
- difficult (ˈDɪfɪklt)
- easy, easy
- easy (ˈIːzɪ)
- English
- English (ˈꞮŋglɪʃ)
- French
- French (frentʃ)
- German
- German (ˈDʒɜːmən)
- Italian
- Italian (ɪˈtæljən)
- learn
- to learn (tə lɜːn)
- the mistake
- mistake (mɪsˈteɪk)
- Spanish
- Spanish (ˈSpænɪʃ)
- spell
- to spell (tə spel)
- translate
- to translate (tə trænsˈleɪt)
- understand
- to understand (tʊ ˌʌndəˈstænd)
Nationalities
- America
- America (əˈmerɪkə)
Authorities
- I did nothing wrong.
- I haven't done anything wrong. (...)
- It was a misunderstanding.
- It was a misunderstanding. (...)
- Where are you taking me
- Where are you taking me? (...)
- Am i arrested?
- Am I under arrest? (...)
- I am an American / Australian / British / Canadian citizen.
- I am an American / Australian / British / Canadian citizen. (...)
- I am a German / Austrian / Swiss citizen.
- I am a German / Austrian / Swiss citizen. (...)
- I want to speak to the American / Australian / British / Canadian Embassy / Consulate.
- I need to talk to the American / Australian / British / Canadian embassy / consulate. (...)
- I want to speak to a lawyer.
- I want to talk to a lawyer. (...)
- Can't I just pay a fine?
- Can't I just pay a fine now? (...)