This cheat sheet covers basic German greetings, polite expressions, numbers, and useful everyday phrases. Students need these phrases to start conversations, answer simple questions, and participate in class. It is designed as a quick reference for speaking, listening, reading, and review.
Key Facts
- Guten Morgen means good morning, Guten Tag means good day or hello, and Guten Abend means good evening.
- Hallo is a common informal hello, while Auf Wiedersehen is a more formal way to say goodbye.
- Bitte can mean please, you are welcome, or pardon depending on the situation.
- Danke means thank you, and Danke schön or Vielen Dank means thank you very much.
- The numbers 1 to 10 are eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf, sechs, sieben, acht, neun, zehn.
- The numbers 11 to 20 are elf, zwölf, dreizehn, vierzehn, fünfzehn, sechzehn, siebzehn, achtzehn, neunzehn, zwanzig.
- In German, formal you is Sie with a capital S, and informal you is du.
- Wie heißt du? means What is your name?, and Ich heiße ... means My name is ....
Vocabulary
- Guten Tag
- A polite greeting that means good day or hello.
- Auf Wiedersehen
- A formal goodbye that means until we see each other again.
- Bitte
- A flexible courtesy word that can mean please, you are welcome, or pardon.
- Danke
- The basic German word for thank you.
- du
- The informal word for you, used with friends, family, classmates, and children.
- Sie
- The formal word for you, used with adults, strangers, teachers, or in polite situations.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using du with every person is wrong because German separates informal du from formal Sie. Use Sie for adults, strangers, teachers, and polite situations unless invited to use du.
- Forgetting to capitalize Sie is wrong when it means formal you. Lowercase sie can mean she or they, so capitalization changes the meaning.
- Translating Bitte as only please is wrong because Bitte can also mean you are welcome or pardon. Use context to decide the correct meaning.
- Saying Guten Morgen at any time of day is wrong because it is used in the morning. Use Guten Tag during the day and Guten Abend in the evening.
- Mixing up sechs and siebzehn is a common error because both contain an s sound. Practice numbers slowly so 6 is sechs and 17 is siebzehn.
Practice Questions
- 1 Write the German numbers for 3, 8, 12, and 20.
- 2 Translate into German: Good morning, thank you, goodbye, and please.
- 3 A teacher asks, Wie heißt du? Answer in German using the name Alex.
- 4 Explain when you should use du and when you should use Sie in a German conversation.
Understanding Greetings, Numbers & Common Phrases
German speakers choose greetings partly by situation, not just by the time of day. A phrase that works with a close friend may sound too casual when speaking to a teacher, a shop worker, or an adult you have just met. The formal form of you affects more than one word.
It changes the verb form too. For example, a formal sentence uses Sie kommen, while an informal sentence uses du kommst.
Notice that formal Sie is written with a capital letter in letters, messages, and school work. Listening for the relationship between speakers helps you choose the right form.
Clear pronunciation makes familiar words easier to recognise. German spelling is often more regular than English spelling, but several letters need attention. A German w usually sounds like an English v.
A German v often sounds like an English f, especially in common words. The letter z sounds like ts, so zehn begins with a quick t sound. The letter j sounds like English y.
The group sch sounds like sh. Umlaut vowels in words such as fünf and zwölf need careful practice because they are different from ordinary vowels. Speak slowly at first, then focus on the stressed part of each word rather than trying to copy a fast accent.
Numbers become especially useful when the topic moves beyond counting. Students hear them in prices, dates, addresses, room numbers, bus times, sports scores, and telephone numbers. German number words from twenty one upward are built in an order that may feel reversed to English speakers.
Twenty one is said as one and twenty. This pattern continues through larger two digit numbers. When listening, wait for the final part of the number before deciding what you heard.
Similar sounding pairs deserve extra attention. Sechs and sechzehn share the same beginning, while sieben and siebzehn can be confused when spoken quickly. Repeating numbers in groups can make long strings easier to understand.
Useful phrases are not only for starting a conversation. They help you manage mistakes and keep communication going. Learn short repair phrases for asking someone to repeat, say something more slowly, or explain a word.
These are practical tools when you understand only part of a sentence. In class, pay attention to common instruction words that tell you to listen, read, write, work with a partner, or open a book. Try learning whole chunks instead of translating every word separately.
A memorised phrase gives you a reliable response, while repeated use gradually teaches you the grammar inside it. Small daily practice works well. Say greetings aloud, count objects around you, and use polite phrases whenever they fit.