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.