Learn German by speaking it

Your first German phrases

From section 1, First Steps. Every phrase in the course comes with a tip like these.

• 👋
  Hallo Hello

  Works all day long; in Bavaria and Austria you will also hear Servus or Grüß Gott.

• ☀️
  Guten Morgen Good morning

  Nouns are capitalized in German, so Morgen keeps its big M. Switch to Guten Tag around midday.

• ☕️
  Einen Kaffee, bitte A coffee, please

  Der Kaffee becomes einen in the accusative, the case for whatever you order.

• 🪑
  Einen Tisch für zwei Personen A table for two

  Für always takes the accusative, so der Tisch turns into einen Tisch.

• 🚉
  Wo ist der Bahnhof? Where is the station?

  Der Bahnhof is masculine. Wo asks about position, wohin about direction.

• ⬅️
  Biegen Sie links ab Turn left

  Abbiegen is separable, so the prefix ab jumps to the end of the sentence.

• 🔢
  Eins, zwei, drei One, two, three

  Counting uses eins, but before a noun it shrinks to ein or eine.

• ✋
  Vier und fünf Four and five

  Und means and. The ü in fünf is said with tightly rounded lips.

• 🔢
  Einundzwanzig, zweiundzwanzig, dreiundzwanzig Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three

  German says the ones first and writes it all as one word.

• 💶
  Das macht vierzig Euro That will be forty euros

  Das macht is the shop's phrase for a total; Euro stays singular.

The German course, section by section

Each section has five units of five lessons, a review and a grammar guidebook.

1. A1 Section 1: First StepsSay hello, order, count and find your way

   First Words

   Say hello and introduce yourself

   Greetings · Introductions · Politeness · Getting Help · Small Talk

   “Hallo”

   Food & Drinks

   Order like a local

   At the Café · Ordering Food · Tastes · Drinks · The Bill

   “Einen Kaffee, bitte”

   Getting Around

   Find your way in a new city

   Asking the Way · Taking a Taxi · Public Transport · At the Hotel · Sightseeing

   “Wo ist der Bahnhof?”

   Numbers & Money

   Count, pay and tell the time

   Counting · Prices · Time · Days · At the Bank

   “Eins, zwei, drei”

   The Calendar

   Bigger numbers, months and dates

   Bigger Numbers · Months · Dates · Picking a Day · How Long

   “Einundzwanzig, zweiundzwanzig, dreiundzwanzig”

   Guidebook: 16 grammar notes

   • The verb comes second. In a German statement the verb sits in position two, even when another word opens the sentence: Mir geht es gut.
   • Du and Sie. Du is for friends, family and children. Sie is for staff, officials and strangers, and it is always written with a capital S.
   • Asking questions. W-questions open with wie, wo, was or woher and the verb follows. Yes-no questions simply start with the verb itself.
   • Der, die, das. Every noun has a gender: der Kaffee, die Rechnung, das Wasser. When you order, der turns into den and ein into einen.
2. A1 Section 2: Everyday LifeShops, health, family, food and your routine

   Shopping

   Buy what you need

   At the Shop · Sizes & Colors · At the Market · Pharmacy · Returns

   “Ich schaue mich nur um”

   Health & Safety

   Get help when you need it

   How You Feel · At the Doctor · Emergencies · The Body · Staying Safe

   “Mir geht es nicht gut”

   Family & Friends

   Talk about the people in your life

   My Family · Friends · About You · Describing People · Invitations

   “Das ist meine Mutter”

   Daily Life

   Your day from morning to night

   Morning · At Work · Evening · Free Time · Chores

   “Ich stehe um sieben Uhr auf”

   Food & Cooking

   Groceries, the kitchen and eating at home

   At the Supermarket · Fruit & Vegetables · In the Fridge · Simple Cooking · Eating at Home

   “Wo ist das Brot?”

   Guidebook: 15 grammar notes

   • Modal verbs. Können, dürfen and möchten take second place and push the other verb to the end: Kann ich das anprobieren?
   • Bigger, smaller, better. Add -er to compare: klein becomes kleiner, groß becomes größer. Many short adjectives also pick up an umlaut.
   • The accusative case. Whatever you buy or take stands in the accusative: der becomes den and ein becomes einen. Die and das never change.
   • Mir tut etwas weh. Pain uses the dative: mir tut der Bauch weh, literally the stomach hurts to me. The word weh moves to the end.
3. A2 Section 3: Making PlansWeather, feelings, home, clothes and your phone

   Weather & Plans

   Talk about today and tomorrow

   Weather · Seasons · Making Plans · Trips · Changing Plans

   “Heute ist es sonnig”

   Feelings & Opinions

   Say what you think and feel

   Feelings · Opinions · Likes & Dislikes · Compliments · Wishes

   “Ich bin glücklich”

   Home & Living

   Your place and the people around it

   My Home · Renting · Problems at Home · Neighbors · Guests

   “Ich wohne in einer Wohnung”

   Phone & Internet

   Calls, messages and Wi-Fi

   Phone Calls · Messages · Wi-Fi & Data · Apps & Photos · Tech Problems

   “Kann ich dich später anrufen?”

   What to Wear

   Clothes, the weather and your own style

   Getting Dressed · Dressing for the Weather · What Suits You · Looking After Clothes · Style & Taste

   “Ich ziehe mich an”

   Guidebook: 15 grammar notes

   • Weather needs es. Weather always takes the empty subject es: es regnet, es ist kalt. Watch out, mir ist kalt means that you feel cold.
   • The present tense for plans. German makes plans in the present tense and lets a time word do the work: was machst du morgen?
   • Am, im and um. Am for days and parts of the day, im for months and seasons, um for clock times. All three take the dative.
   • Feelings with mir. Some states put the person in the dative instead of making them the subject: mir ist langweilig, mir ist kalt.
4. A2 Section 4: Out & AboutTravel, driving, hobbies and celebrations

   Travel

   From the airport to the road

   Check-in · Security · On the Plane · Arrival · Renting a Car

   “Hier ist mein Pass”

   Around Town

   Errands and everyday services

   Post Office · Hair Salon · Gym & Pool · Library · Laundry & Repairs

   “Ich möchte ein Paket schicken”

   Sports & Hobbies

   What you do for fun

   Sports · Music & Movies · Books & Games · Outdoors · Hobbies at Home

   “Machst du Sport?”

   Celebrations

   Parties, gifts and holidays

   Parties · Gifts · Holidays · Weddings & Babies · Traditions

   “Du bist eingeladen”

   On the Road

   Driving, parking and getting around on two wheels

   Driving · Parking · At the Gas Station · Problems on the Road · Walking & Cycling

   “Kannst du mich nach Hause fahren?”

   Guidebook: 15 grammar notes

   • Prepositions that take the dative. Mit, nach, von, zu, aus and seit are always followed by the dative: mit der Tasche, zum Flughafen, seit gestern.
   • Prepositions that take the accusative. Für, ohne, um, durch and gegen are always followed by the accusative: für drei Tage, ohne Zwiebeln, für dich.
   • Mir ist…. How your body feels usually goes in the dative rather than with ich: mir ist schlecht, mir ist kalt, mir ist langweilig.
   • Long compound nouns. German glues nouns together and the last part decides the gender: die Gepäckausgabe, der Bibliotheksausweis.
5. A2 Section 5: Time TravelWork, the past, the future and real talk

   Work & Study

   At the office and in class

   My Job · At the Office · Meetings · At School · Applying for a Job

   “Was machst du beruflich?”

   Talking About the Past

   Yesterday, last weekend and long ago

   Yesterday · Last Weekend · Childhood · Experiences · Telling a Story

   “Was hast du gestern gemacht?”

   Future & Goals

   Plans, dreams and promises

   Tomorrow · Goals · Dreams · Promises & Offers · Predictions

   “Morgen arbeite ich im Homeoffice”

   Real Conversations

   Keep a chat going like a native

   Keeping It Going · Reacting · Asking Nicely · Disagreeing Politely · Saying Goodbye

   “Wie läuft es?”

   Making Friends

   How you met, staying in touch and saying yes or no

   How We Met · Keeping in Touch · Inviting · Saying Yes or No · Getting Closer

   “Wir haben uns über einen Freund kennengelernt”

   Guidebook: 15 grammar notes

   • Arbeiten, studieren, lernen. Arbeiten is to work, studieren is only at university, and lernen covers school study and learning anything at all.
   • Separable verbs at work. Anfangen and weitermachen split in a simple sentence, so the prefix waits at the end: fangen wir an, machen wir weiter.
   • Bekommen is not become. Bekommen means to get and werden means to become. Der Chef is a boss, never a cook.
   • Perfekt: haben or sein. Most verbs build the Perfekt with haben, but going, staying and growing up take sein: ich bin ins Kino gegangen.
6. B1 Section 6: Connecting IdeasLonger sentences with because, but and so

   Because & But

   Give reasons and contrasts

   Giving Reasons · Contrasts · Consequences · In Order · Adding Ideas

   “Ich bin wegen des Verkehrs zu spät”

   Describing Places

   Say what a place is like

   My Neighborhood · In the City · In Nature · Inside a Place · First Impressions

   “Ich wohne in einer ruhigen Gegend”

   Step by Step

   Explain how to do something

   In the Kitchen · Following a Recipe · How It Works · Detailed Directions · Rules & Signs

   “Kannst du mir mal das Messer geben?”

   Comparing & Choosing

   Say which one and why

   Better or Worse · The Best of All · Which One? · Price & Quality · Making a Decision

   “Das hier ist besser als das da”

   Giving Advice

   Should, could and if I were you

   Asking for Advice · Suggestions · Warnings · Encouragement · Health Advice

   “Was würdest du an meiner Stelle machen?”

   Guidebook: 19 grammar notes

   • Weil sends the verb back. Weil and obwohl open the second half and push their verb right to the end: weil ich krank war, obwohl es teuer ist.
   • Wegen plus a noun. Wegen gives the reason with a noun and takes the genitive: wegen des Verkehrs. Weil needs a whole clause instead.
   • Deshalb, darum, also. These three give the result and count as the first element, so the verb comes straight after them and the subject follows.
   • The verb keeps second place. Zuerst, dann and danach fill the first slot, so the verb stays second and the subject moves behind it: dann können wir.
7. B1 Section 7: Handling SituationsProblems, interviews, money and paperwork

   Complaints & Problems

   Say what went wrong, politely

   At the Hotel · At the Restaurant · Faulty Products · Late & Lost · Getting It Fixed

   “Leider gibt es ein Problem mit meinem Zimmer”

   Job Interview

   Talk about yourself with confidence

   About Yourself · Strengths & Weaknesses · Your Experience · Questions to Ask · Salary & Start Date

   “Vielen Dank für die Einladung zu diesem Gespräch”

   Money Matters

   Accounts, bills and transfers

   Opening an Account · Paying Bills · Sending Money · Budgeting · Fees & Insurance

   “Ich möchte ein Konto eröffnen”

   Paperwork

   Appointments, forms and documents

   Making an Appointment · Filling In Forms · At the Office · Documents · Deadlines & Renewals

   “Ich hätte gern einen Termin”

   Living Abroad

   Settle in a new country

   Finding an Apartment · Utilities & Repairs · Meeting Locals · Settling In · Local Customs

   “Ist die Kaution eine oder zwei Monatsmieten?”

   Guidebook: 20 grammar notes

   • Könnten Sie, hätten Sie, würden Sie. Könnte, hätte and würde are the polite unreal forms. Together with Sie they turn any complaint into a request nobody can refuse.
   • Seit and schon with the present. For something that started earlier and is still true, German stays in the present and adds seit or schon: wir warten schon eine Stunde.
   • Leider and scheinen zu. Leider warns that bad news is coming and scheinen plus zu sein reports the problem without accusing anyone of anything.
   • Fehlen turns the sentence around. Fehlen makes the missing thing the subject and puts the person in the dative: mir fehlt ein Teil, mir fehlt meine Familie.
8. B2 Section 8: Speak Your MindOpinions, stories, what-ifs and idioms

   Debating Opinions

   Argue your point and listen

   Strong Opinions · Both Sides · Persuading · Doubts · Changing Your Mind

   “Wenn du mich fragst, ist das der falsche Ansatz”

   Telling Stories

   Make people listen

   Setting the Scene · What Happened Next · Surprises & Twists · Feelings in the Story · The Moral

   “Das ist vor ein paar Jahren passiert”

   News & Society

   Talk about the world

   In the News · The Environment · Technology & Us · Work & Life Balance · Traditions & Change

   “Hast du gehört, was in der Innenstadt passiert ist?”

   What If

   Imagine, regret and wish

   If I Had Time · Imagining · Regrets · Wishes · Plan B

   “Wenn ich morgen Zeit habe, rufe ich dich an”

   Idioms & Expressions

   Sound like a native

   Everyday Idioms · Feelings in Idioms · Casual Talk · Being Funny · Sounding Natural

   “Das kostet ein Vermögen”

   Guidebook: 20 grammar notes

   • Dass after an opinion. After glauben, überzeugt sein and sicher sein the dass clause carries the opinion, and its verb waits at the very end.
   • Daran, darauf, damit. Instead of an das or auf das, German glues da to the preposition: daran, darauf, damit, darüber. An r is added before a vowel.
   • Einerseits and andererseits. This pair opens the two sides of a question. Each of them fills the first slot, so the verb comes straight after it.
   • Verbs that take a person in the dative. Zustimmen, glauben, helfen and gefallen all put the person in the dative: ich stimme dir zu, glaub mir.

Speak German with an AI partner

The same 385 scenarios work in German. Your partner answers in German, rates each message Perfect, Good or Revision needed, and every scenario has goals to tick off. A few to start with:

18 German stories, read aloud

Short stories at A1, A2 and B1, each read by one of the characters, with questions at the end.

Mia ist am Bahnhof. Mia is at the station.

Es ist acht Uhr morgens. It is eight o'clock in the morning.

From “Der verspätete Zug”