What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about German people?

You’ve probably heard things like “German people are always on time,” and “They’re direct and have good manners.” Well, I would say this is almost always the case. But now the question is: What are these so-called good manners and what does German etiquette look like?

Almost every nation defines this a little bit different. Let’s just take some Asian countries, such as China, for example. While in most European countries, you can’t burp, smack, or slurp at the table, in most Asian cultures this is called good etiquette. This means that the food was tasty and that you’re satisfied. But when doing this at the table of a German family, this would be considered bad table etiquette; they might think your parents didn’t show you how to use a spoon at home.

But on the other hand, in Asia, you shouldn’t touch your nose at the table. Can you see anything bad about touching or scratching your nose at the table if you need to? At least in Germany, this wouldn’t be a problem.

What I want to show you is this: Other countries = Other morals and manners.

In this article, we want to show you the Do’s and Don’ts in Germany. Be aware that these German etiquette tips might apply to other German-speaking countries, such as Switzerland and Austria (but not necessarily, as their cultures differ from ours in Germany).

Table of Contents

1. Do’s and Don’ts for Dining
2. German Social Etiquette in Public Places
3. German Greeting Etiquette: Do’s and Don’ts for Greetings
4. German Guest Etiquette: Manners When Visiting Another House
5. German Travel Etiquette: Do’s and Don’ts in Public Transports
6. German Business Culture and Etiquette: How to Behave in Business
7. How to be a Good Part of German Society
8. How GermanPod101 Can Help You Learn More German

1. Do’s and Don’ts for Dining

As mentioned above, when it comes to etiquette at the table in general, it becomes really difficult to handle as every culture is different. Even within Europe, you’ll find differences. For example, while French people like to extend their dinners until very late, Germans just try to finish as fast as possible. I guess we just try to be more efficient. Here are some German etiquette dining do’s and don’ts.

1- Don’t: Eat with an open mouth or make unnatural noises.

While in other cultures, burping or smacking might be a signal that the food was good and enough, in Germany you try to eat as quietly as possible.

That doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to talk; quite the reverse, you should talk as much as you can to boost your German. But don’t open your mouth while eating, and don’t make any slurping sounds when eating soup.

We prepared a free lesson about manners in Germany. Take a look before reading the rest of this guide to German etiquette to make the most of it!

Vocabulary List

• Schmatzen — “to smack”
• Bitte hör auf zu schmatzen. — “Please stop smacking.”
• Mit vollem Mund spricht man nicht. — “You don’t speak with a full mouth.”

2- Do: Say Prost and make eye contact.

Beer and alcohol have a long German tradition. You’re probably familiar with the Oktoberfest. But even outside of this famous festival, beer is highly accepted in Germany. When you’re out with your family and friends, alcohol will be a subject. We like to enjoy a nice Weizen or a cold Lager with our meal.

There can be many reasons you’re with your family or friends in a restaurant. Usually, it’s one’s birthday, you’re joining your weekly Stammtisch, celebrating the graduation of a family member or you just went with your family for a Sonntagsessen. Whatever it is, you’re there probably for a reason, and you’ll want to cheer (or toast) for the occasion. Maybe the party organizer even makes a short speech if he’s not too shy.

At a certain time during dinner, usually before the food arrives at the table, you’ll raise your glasses to cheer the occasion you’ve gathered together for. Everybody will raise their glasses and say Prost. Then you’re supposed to answer with Prost, and you’ll try to clink glasses with everybody at the table.

Important when clinking your cup with someone: MAKE EYE CONTACT.

It may sound a bit stupid, but Germans say that if you don’t look each other in the eyes when clinking glasses, you’ll have seven years of bad luck in the bedroom.

3- Don’t start eating until everybody has their food.

I know from my own experience that some cultures in South America have the attitude that when you’re making a barbecue, or even when coming together with friends and family on the weekends, there are a lot of people around you and it’s quite normal to have lunch or dinner with ten or more people.

This sometimes makes it difficult to get everybody at the table at the same time, and everybody starts eating whenever he or she wants. But be assured that this isn’t the case in Germany. When you come together, you serve everybody first, and then you start eating.

4- Do: Say Guten Appetit.

There is one similarity between French and German culture: We enjoy telling our guests that they can enjoy their meal. And we don’t just say it for fun, we really mean it. We hope that the food we prepared is tasty and will satisfy everybody.

But this isn’t just to say that you’re supposed to enjoy the food. This is also a good indicator for you, as a foreigner, to start eating. Earlier, we mentioned that you shouldn’t start until everybody has their food. When the cook, or the person who prepared your meal, says Guten Appetit, this also means that we’re ready and everybody can start eating.

There’s even a phrase that we teach our children when they’re fairly small:
Pip pip pip – Guten Appetit – “Enjoy your meal!”

2. German Social Etiquette in Public Places

When going out in public, you should at least maintain a certain level of politeness. But no worries. With common sense, you’ll survive this.

1- Don’t: Cross the street on the red traffic light.

In many countries the traffic lights are only for orientation and the people mostly ignore them. Not in Germany. Remember that we’re talking about a country which is known for the phrase:

• Ordnung muss sein
  “There must be order”

Germans value their laws, so being in Germany you should do it as well. Crossing the street on a red light in Germany might draw the attention of other pedestrians and it might end with getting a ticket which will cost you around 5€. For ignoring the red light while being on the bicycle, the fine can grow even up to 60 – 180€ and you can even earn some Punkte in Flensburg, which might cause losing your drivers licence for a few month.

Watch out especially when children are around. Germans are very sensitive when it comes to their children. Be a good role model and show them how to behave properly in the road traffic.

2- Don’t: Squeeze in lines facing people.

You know that feeling when you’re arriving a bit late to a movie in the cinema, or you come to the theatre and your seat is right in the middle of a row?

Well, the first hint we can give you is this: If there are other free and empty seats, it might be better to just choose one of those seats, though it’s also fine to make your way to your booked place.

Just remember to be friendly at all times. While passing other visitors, you can say:

• Entschuldigung
  “Excuse me.”

But always remember to pass the people in the same row face to face. If you don’t do so, you might offend them. They probably won’t say something to you, but why offend someone when you can avoid it?

3. German Greeting Etiquette: Do’s and Don’ts for Greetings

German etiquette and customs for greetings can be really different from what you may be used to. You may ask yourself questions, such as:

“Should I greet everybody?” “Should I give a hug or a kiss on the cheek?” “Should I shake their hand, or maybe just say hello?”

To give you more insight on the topic of German cultural etiquette for greeting people, we’ve published a video about greetings on our site.

1- Do: Say “Hello” to everybody.

When entering a party or a family meeting, you’ll usually be introduced by the owner or the host to everyone who’s already there. But if this isn’t the case, you should introduce yourself to everybody. You don’t need to tell your life story, but a nice Hallo, ich bin [add your name] is perfect. Make sure to shake their hand.

This also applies when entering a restaurant, shop, or most other places.You don’t need to greet everybody, but for example, when entering a small shop, at least say a friendly Hallo or Guten Tag, and Tschüss or Auf Wiedersehen when leaving again. If you’re more extroverted even a short small talk is fine. That’s more than enough. This especially applies when you’re entering a waiting room at the doctor’s office.

2- Don’t make the polnischer Abgang.

British people call it the “French leave”, French people call it the “filer à l’anglaise” or “to leave English style” and Germans use their eastern neighbours to name this specific style of leaving.

Polnischer Abgang means literally “Polish leave”, and it describes when you’re sneaking away from a party or some other place without saying goodbye to someone (or even everybody). This is considered rude, and you should avoid doing so. Don’t be shy, and let at least the owner know that you’re leaving.

3- Do: Use the correct form of the day.

According to proper German etiquette, there are different ways to greet people depending on the time of the day. We won’t give you an extensive guide for this, but be sure to remember this:

• Guten Morgen — “Good morning” (used until noon)
• Guten Tag — “Good day” (used until it’s dark)
• Guten Abend — “Good evening” (used when it’s dark or you’re out for dinner)
• Hallo — “Hello” (almost always used in an informal situation)
• Tschüss — “Bye” (almost always used in an informal situation)
• Auf Wiedersehen — “Goodbye”

For some better insight, we have a lesson in our free course about greetings.

4. German Guest Etiquette: Manners When Visiting Another House

If your lucky, on your trip to Germany, a stranger or a friend may invite you to his home. It might be for a party or just to hang out. But in either case, there are some unwritten German etiquette rules that you should follow.

1- Do: Use the formal Sie first.

In English, addressing a person is fairly easy as you just have one word for formal and informal situations: “You.”

In German, there are some differences that you should know, and even some rules. We’ll give you a quick overview.

• The formal way to talk to someone is by using Sie.
• The informal way is to use Du.
• The actions are called siezen and duzen.

When to use which form can be confusing, so here are some general rules:

1. Rule: If you’re not sure which one to use, be formal.
2. Rule: When the person is older than you, use formal.
3. Rule: At work, use the formal way, until the other person offers you the informal way.
4. Rule: If you know the other person will use the informal way, also be informal.
5. Rule: Offer du if you’re older.

If you want to extend your knowledge about formalities and etiquette in Germany, take a look at our free course.

If you want to address someone in a formal manner:

• Herr [last name] — “Mr. [last name]”
• Frau [last name] — “Mrs. [last name]”

If you want to offer the du, say:

• Du kannst ‘du’ sagen. — “You can say du.”
• Ich glaube, wir können uns duzen. — “I think we can use the informal you.”

2- Do: Make a small gift.

This is an easy one. When you come to the home of a friend or family member, just bring something small. You don’t need to invest too much time into thinking about the gift. This can be something quick and small, such as:

• Chocolate
• A bottle of wine
• Some beers

3- Don’t choose the wrong topics.

Have you heard that there are some parts of German history that aren’t as bright as those of other nations? I’m talking about the Second World War.

Actually this is a very important topic to talk about, especially since Germany has shifted to the right in the past few years, giving opportunities for politicians who are denying German war crimes to grow in popularity. So if you’re interested in the topic, ask people about the war and discuss with them, but be aware of some things:

• This is still a very sensitive topic for some people. Don’t be too harsh, many people have emotional connections to this time. Try to remember that there are still many people who fought in the war, lost their families due to the war and suffered from the consequences.
• Don’t make stupid jokes about this time. Sure, they might be funny to you, but remember that there is a possibility that someone in the room lost their family members in the war.
• Evaluate what people have told you. Germany has a growing problem with fake news and with people denying or marginalizing the crimes of the Nazi Germany. It’s always better to double-check the information.

Other than this, you should avoid the topics that generally make people uncomfortable and make things awkward, like politics, money, or religion, at least when talking to people you don’t know very well.

In general, be careful with potentially sensitive topics.

5. German Travel Etiquette: Do’s and Don’ts in Public Transports

1- Don’t: Listen to loud music.

I know you might have a long ride on the subway from home to work, or the other way around. It’s also just fair that you listen to your music and enjoy the time that you’re there.

But it’s not necessary to share the music that you like with the rest of the train. They might like some other type of music. So just plug in your headphones and listen to the music without disturbing anyone.

Listening to your music loudly is even considered offensive to some people, and at some point someone will surely tell you to “Shut the f*** up.”

2- Do: Offer your seat.

When there are free seats and you have a long trip to your destination, feel free to sit down. But during the ride, people will enter and leave the train, and the closer you come to the center, the fuller the wagon gets.

Public transport is the easiest way in German cities to get around, so everybody uses it. Even pregnant women, older ladies and gentlemen, and disabled people.

Be polite and offer your seat to them. They’ll thank you, the people around you will see it, and it gives you a good feeling. We say in Germany:

• Jeden Tag eine gute Tat.
  “Every day a good act.”

To offer your seat, you can say:

• Möchten Sie sich vielleicht setzen, hier bitte.
  “Do you want to sit down here, please.”

Point to your seat while saying this.

3- Let other people leave the train first.

As in most other countries, the metro and buses are fairly full, and even more so during the rush hour. Everybody is stressed and just wants to get home to their loved ones.

Before entering the subway, make space in front of the doors so that other people can get out first. This ensures that they don’t need to squeeze past. If you’re standing in front of the door, I’m sure that someone will be impolite to you. And to be fair, with good reason.

6. German Business Culture and Etiquette: How to Behave in Business

In this section, you’ll learn about some German professional etiquette rules. When it comes to German etiquette, business depends on knowing your way around it! Here are some German etiquette do’s and don’ts for doing business in Germany.

1- Do: Bring your own cake.

This mainly applies to business culture as opposed to private birthday parties. But when it’s your birthday and you’re working in an office, then colleagues expect you to bring something to the office to share with everybody.

From experience, this doesn’t have to be a cake; a small breakfast or something for lunch is good as well. The idea of giving something to them is more important than what you give.

2- Don’t: Be late.

Don’t be late, but neither be early. It can be quite difficult for some people to be exactly on time.

Trains, buses, or anything else regarding public transport, won’t wait for your arrival. They’ll leave without you. This can also be the case with friends. You agreed on a certain hour to meet, so you’re expected to be there at that time.

When it comes to punctuality, Germans don’t mess around. Of course, no one will kill you because you’re five minutes late. But it’s better to be five minutes early, than to be five minutes late.

If you’re too late, you can lose your hour at the doctor, miss meetings at work, and miss out on other important times and events.

3- Do: Shake hands, but don’t overdo it.

While in other countries, such as France or most parts of South America, a hug or a kiss on the cheek are common, even in daily business culture. In Germany, however, you shake hands with both genders.

In more relaxed situations, you can give hugs and people won’t refuse them. But in business, a handshake is more acceptable.

Don’t get too touchy. Once a person has accepted your handshake, that’s enough. You don’t need to touch their shoulders or grab their waist, or anywhere else. Give them their personal space.

Take a look at our website to learn some helpful business German.

7. How to be a Good Part of German Society

1- Do: Recycle your garbage.

The “green” movement has already taken place in Germany, and we’re trying our best in everyday life to not stress the environment more than necessary.

For this, we have a recycling system. For glass, for example, we divide them into brown, green, and white glass; there will be extra recycling containers for each sort.

Also, you should separate your waste between plastic, paper, and natural garbage.

In addition to this, we have a recycling system for plastic bottles. That means that when buying a plastic bottle, you have to pay a certain amount extra. After you bring the bottle back to a machine in the supermarket, you’ll get back the extra amount you paid. This system is called Pfand. Believe it or not, foreigners love this.

2- Don’t: Open closed doors unasked.

Sometimes Germans just need time for themselves and don’t need to be out in public. For this, we have a common practice of keeping the door to our room shut when we don’t want anyone to come in.

At the same time, this means that if your door is open, a person can enter the room almost unasked.

This applies to almost every situation: at home when sharing your flat, or in the office.

8. How GermanPod101 Can Help You Learn More German

In summary, we’ve introduced you to important German etiquette regarding: public transport, greetings, visiting public places, being in friends’ homes, and the business culture in Germany. Apply our do’s and avoid the don’ts, and you’ll be more than fine visiting all parts of Germany.

Are there similar etiquette rules or cultural customs in your own country? Let us know in the comments!

If you’re interested in boosting your German skills faster, we recommend you our private teacher program. It focuses on your personal goals and your current German level, to help you improve at your own pace and toward your own goals.

We won’t just release you without making you even happier. So we’ve prepared some free-of-charge lessons on GermanPod101.com. There are classes for:

• Beginners
• Intermediate
• Advanced

Make sure you get a spot today and boost your German to the sky. But don’t forget German etiquette on your way to the top.

Have you ever heard about the German bureaucracy? Well, if you haven’t heard about it yet, we can tell you that Germany is a true king when it comes to bureaucracy. This includes filling out forms, and what else?

You will have to confirm a lot of deadlines!

This is one of the reasons you should learn the days of the week in German, and have a good grasp of the calendar dates in German. You’ll get instructions either from a German office authority or when you receive letters. But in every case, there will be some kind of instructions on a deadline that you need to fulfill. From sending information back to bringing documents to German officials, you’ll be given plenty of dates both verbally or in writing.

To make sure that you understand everything correctly and that you’re meeting all the deadlines, we’ll give you, here and now, a guide to master the dates in the German language. We’ll give you detailed information on everything from how to write dates in German to understanding dates in German letters.

There are some special cases, but no worries, we’ll go over everything in detail so that you’ll be a professional by the end of this article.

Because let’s not forget all of the other times when knowing the date in German is important:

• Being on time for meetings
• Birthdays
• Special holidays
• Just about everything else

Table of Contents

1. Dates in German Format: Writing & Reading German Dates
2. How to Say the Years
3. How to Say the Months in German
4. How to Say the Days
5. How to Say the Days of the Week
6. Time Units
7. Questions and Answers about Dates
8. German Cultural Insights and Special Days
9. How GermanPod101 Can Help You Overcome Bureaucracy Problems in Germany

1. Dates in German Format: Writing & Reading German Dates

Writing and reading the date can greatly vary from language to language. But even within a single language, we can see some slight differences in format. Let’s get right to it.

1- Writing Dates in German

So, how are dates written in German? There are two formats for writing the date in German:

1. Long version:
   Der 1. Februar 2019 (the 1st of February, 2019)
2. Short version:
   Der 01.08.2019 (01/08/2019)

The main difference when writing the date in German is that you use dots between day, month, and year instead of a slash. Also note that in German, we use the format day/month/year, which may confuse native U.S. English speakers. And you may have noticed already, but in German, we write the month in capital letters.

2- Reading Dates in German

Just like the written format, there’s some difference when it comes to reading a date in German. There are three different forms. We’ll use this date as an example of how to read dates in German:

01.10.2019

Der 01.10.2019	Am 01.10.2019	Der 1. Oktober 2019
Der erste zehnte zweitausendneunzehn	Am ersten zehnten zweitausendneunzehn	Der erste Oktober 2019
In this case, we’re using the nominative.	In this case, we’re using the dative.	In this case, we’re using the nominative, but with the written month instead.
Example: Heute ist der 01.10.2019. (Today is the 01/10/2019.)	Example: Wir sehen uns am 01.10.2019. (We’ll see each other on the 01/10/2019.)	Example: Morgen ist der 1. Oktober 2019. (Today is the first of October 2019.)

There are even some differences in reading the year, but we’ll come to this soon.

2. How to Say the Years

When expressing dates in German, knowing how to talk about the years is essential. The year formats in German and English are very similar, but like with everything, there’s one exception.

Basically, we differentiate between the years that have passed before the year 2000, and after.

• If the year you want to talk about is after the year 2000, you have to read it like an actual number:

            2019 is read like zweitausendneunzehn.

• If the year you want to talk about is before the year 2000, you have to read it like a year in English:

            1901 is read like neunzehnhunderteins.

          Translated, this would be read nineteen-hundred and one.

If you need help with pronouncing the words, we suggest you use the voice feature of GermanPod101’s dictionary.

3. How to Say the Months in German

When you learn about saying dates in German, you can’t forget the months. Luckily for you, the months in German are pretty basic and are similar to the English months. All the months are masculine, so you don’t need to worry about which gender to use.

One small exception Germans use is for the month of July. Generally, we say Juli, but some people use Julei instead. This is because Juli and Juni sound really similar and can generate confusion.

German	English
Januar	January
Februar	February
März	March
April	April
Mai	May
Juni	June
Juli	July
August	August
September	September
Oktober	October
November	November
Dezember	December

We’ve prepared for you a special lesson about the months where you can also listen and work on your pronunciation.

4. How to Say the Days

In German, the days have some special rules when using ordinal numbers. Here’s an overview of how to build them. We also gave you some more examples, as these aren’t only the rules for the days, but also for everything else that comes in a series.

• While the ordinal numbers in English usually end with “-th,” the German ones mostly end on -te or -ste.
• The first three numbers are irregular; you just have to memorize them.
• The numbers from four to nineteen are regular; they always end on -te.
• The numbers above nineteen are also regular; they always end on -ste.

German	English
1. Der erste	The first
2. Der zweite	The second
3. Der dritte	The third
4. Der vierte	The fourth
5. Der fünfte	The fifth
10. Der zehnte	The tenth
11. Der Elfte	The eleventh
20. Der Zwanzigste	The twentieth
31. Der Einunddreißigste	The thirty-first

In our free online course, you can check out our free Numbers vocabulary list. This will help you with pronunciation and will provide you with more helpful insight.

5. How to Say the Days of the Week

If you already know the days of the week in English, the days in German shouldn’t be that much of a problem; most days sound fairly similar to their English equivalent. Apart from Wednesday, all days end with the German word for “day” (Tag), and to make it even easier for you, all German days are masculine.

In our overview, you can see the “days of the week” (die Tage der Woche).

German	English
Montag	Monday
Dienstag	Tuesday
Mittwoch	Wednesday
Donnerstag	Thursday
Freitag	Friday
Samstag Sonnabend	Saturday
Sonntag	Sunday

You’re asking why we have two terms for Saturday? Well, in most parts of Germany, you’ll use Samstag. But in Austria and the German part of Switzerland, as well as some select cities in Germany, they use Sonnabend (or “Sunday eve” in English). But don’t worry about that, because everybody will understand both terms, so just choose the one you feel more comfortable with.

In our special vocabulary list about the days of the week in German, you can learn everything about speaking and pronouncing the things you learned in this chapter.

6. Time Units

Now that you have a better idea of how to say dates in German, you may find it useful to have some relative time unit vocabulary under your belt.

German	English
Die Sekunde	second
Die Minute	minute
Die Stunde	hour
Der Tag	day
Die Woche	week
Der Monat	month
Das Quartal	quarter
Das Halbjahr	semester
Das Semester	semester
Das Jahr	year
Das Jahrzehnt	decade
Das Jahrhundert	century

German	English
Die MorgendämmerungDas Morgengrauen Dämmerung	Dawn / Daybreak
Der Morgen	Morning
Der Vormittag	Late morning
Der Mittag	Noon
Der Nachmittag	Afternoon
Der Abend	Evening
Die Nacht	Night

7. Questions and Answers about Dates

We want to prepare you as best as possible for talking about dates in German. This requires that you really understand expressing dates in German, both in writing and verbally.

So we want to help you with some typical questions that you may be asked during your time in Germany. And of course, we’ll give you the perfect answers for each one.

Question	Answer
Wann ist dein Geburtstag? “When is your birthday?”	Mein Geburtstag ist am 03.10.1993. “My birthday is on the 03/10/1993.”
Wann wollen wir uns treffen? “When do we want to meet each other?”	Lass uns am ersten April treffen. Das ist in zwei Wochen. “Let’s meet on the first of April. That is in two weeks.”
Welchen Tag haben wir heute? “Which day do we have?” *This is the same as asking “What is today?”	Wir haben heute den vierten März. “Today, we have the 4th of March.” *This is the same as saying “Today is the 4th of March.”
Wann ist Einstein gestorben? “When did Einstein die?”	Einstein ist am 18. April 1955 gestorben. “Einstein died on the 18th of April in 1955.”

8. German Cultural Insights and Special Days

This chapter will help you practice everything you learned in this lecture, while giving you some insight into German culture at the same time. There are a few days in the German calendar that you should keep in mind when living there.

Christi Himmelfahrt	Ascension of Christ	Christi Himmelfahrt ist immer an einem Donnerstag. “The Ascension of Christ is always on a Thursday.”
Pfingstmontag	Whit Monday	An einem Montag im Mai ist Pfingstmontag. “Whit Monday is on a Monday in May.”
Tag der deutschen Einheit	Day of German Unity	Am dritten Oktober ist der Tag der deutschen Einheit. “On the third of October is the Day of German Unity.”
Neujahr	New Year	Der erste Tag im Jahr, der 01.01.2019 ist Neujahr. “The first day of the year, the 01/01/2019, is New Year.”
Weihnachtstag	Christmas Day	Der erste und der zweite Tag nach Heiligabend sind Feiertage. “The first and the second day after Christmas Eve are holidays.”
Valentinstag	Valentines Day	Der vierzehnte Februar ist der Tag der Verliebten. “The 14th of February is the day of people in love.”
Oktoberfest	Oktoberfest	Das Oktoberfest findet zwei Wochen im September und Oktober statt. “The Oktoberfest is celebrated for two weeks during September and October.”
Festivals	Festivals	Der Sommer ist die Jahreszeit für Festivals in Deutschland. “The summer is the season for festivals in Germany.”
Fasching	Carnival	Fasching ist wie eine fünfte Jahreszeit für viele Deutsche. Er beginnt am 11.11. Um 11 Uhr. “Carnival is like a fifth season for some Germans. It begins on the 11/11 at 11 o’clock.”

9. How GermanPod101 Can Help You Overcome Bureaucracy Problems in Germany

Well, congratulations for making it through our intense, but surely helpful, lesson about dates, days, and times of day in the German language. We hope that you now have a much better understanding of how dates in German grammar work, how to give dates in German, and perhaps most importantly, how to format them.

We know that this isn’t an easy topic, and that this requires some time to understand completely. But once you see all the similarities and differences between English and German dates, you’ll be an expert in this subject in no time.

To practice telling dates in German, why not drop us a comment with today’s day in German? 😉

If you want to really boost your German skills, we suggest that you try out our private teacher program which focuses on your goals and your current level.

But we won’t leave you without making a quick gift to you. We have free courses and lessons on GermanPod101.com that can help German learners at every level and stage of their learning journey:

• Beginners
• Intermediate
• Advanced

Save yourself a spot today!

Imagine that you’re traveling to good old Germany, and you want the real experience (not just staying in a hotel or hostel like everyone else). Well, this is fair enough, and we definitely encourage going for the full Germany experience. But first, you’ll need to know some basic family terms, like how to say “father” in German.

Why is it so important to know the words for family members in German? Imagine the following situation:

—

You arrive at your freshly booked Airbnb, and your host welcomes you with a nice dinner. But there’s one hitch: you find yourself eating with his parents, some friends, his cousin, and his grandmother, too. Your host starts to introduce everyone, pointing to each person as he states their name:

Ich möchte dich meinen Eltern vorstellen. Das sind mein Papa und meine Mutter. Und dort sitzt meine Großmutter und mein Cousin.

Despite your host’s best efforts to familiarize you with his family, you actually find yourself more confused about who’s who. Oh no!

—

While learning things like family member terms in German first-hand is always a great idea, you may be more comfortable studying up on this before your trip. After all, when it comes to family in German, words like the one in our example are going to come up all the time, so you should prepare using German lessons about family like this one!

GermanPod101 has prepared a guide just for you, covering vocabulary terms for any family member you may find yourself introduced to! Going through this guide, you can work on your language skills beforehand, so that you can make the most of your first-hand learning experiences in Germany. So let’s get started!

Table of Contents

1. Family in German – Die Familie
2. List of Closest Family Members + Basic Sentence Patterns
3. More Family and Endearment Terms
4. How to Talk about Family
5. Cultural Insights in a German Family
6. How GermanPod101 Can Help You Learn about Family in German

1. Family in German – Die Familie

Familie is the German word for “family.” As you can see, the word is more similar to English than you thought. Might this be because German families aren’t so different from those in the U.S. or other countries? Let’s take a look.

When you look over the demographics of Germany, you can clearly see that we are a dying nation. This means that every year, more people die than are being born, and our average age is getting older and older from year to year. (This is, of course, not exclusive to Germany, and is also happening in other first-world countries.)

I want to give you a short example of the above statistics using my family history. My grandmother was one of six children in her family at the end of the Second World War, and this was considered a normal-sized family. Now, my mom and dad are both one of three children. And today, there’s just me and my sister. From each of my uncles and aunties, I have between zero and three cousins.

Do you see what I mean? German families have become much smaller over the last seventy-eighty years. Today, people tend to think first about their lives and careers, and secondly about kids and family.

Families are the most important reference point for a child until the end of his or her time in college. But for many people, the end of college also represents a diminishing significance for their parents’ home. Keep in mind that I don’t want to say German kids don’t love their parents. Of course they do.

The family is, and will always be, important in Germany, so learn about it and adapt to it!

2. List of Closest Family Members + Basic Sentence Patterns

1- General Terms for German Immediate Family

We created an overview of the most important family in German vocabulary words, such as your siblings, parents, and grandparents. The German is on the left, and the English equivalent is on the right.

die Eltern	“the parents”
der Vater	“the father”
die Mutter	“the mother”
das Kind die Kinder	“the child” “the children”
die Geschwister	“the siblings”
die Schwester die Halbschwester	“the sister” “the half-sister”
der Bruder der Halbbruder	“the brother” “the half-brother”
der Sohn	“the son”
die Tochter	“the daughter”
die Ehefrau	“the wife”
der Ehemann	“the husband”
der Großvater der Opa	“the grandfather” “the grandpa”
die Großmutter die Oma	“the grandmother” “the grandma”

To help you out with some basic words and the pronunciation for family member terms, we created a free lesson in our free-of-charge course. With enough practice, you’ll be able to talk about your parents and siblings in German like it’s nothing!

2- Talking about Family Members

There are usually three situations when talking about family:

• You’re trying to talk about your family
• You’re talking about someone else’s family members
• You’re asking someone about their family

That means you need to describe who’s family you’re talking or inquiring about. This is done with possessives.

Similar to “my,” “yours,” “his” in English, in Germany we use meine, deine, and seine. To prepare you for the upcoming challenges associated with each of the situations outlined above, we’ve provided you with some basic questions and answers.

Wer ist deine Mutter? “Who is your mother?”	Das ist meine Mutter. “This is my mother.”
Sind deine Eltern verheiratet? “Are your parents married?”	Nein, meine Eltern sind geschieden. “No, my parents are divorced.”
Wie viele Geschwister hast du? “How many siblings do you have?”	Ich habe zwei Geschwister, zusammen sind wir 3 Kinder. “I have two siblings, together we are three kids.”
Hast du einen Bruder oder eine Schwester? “Do you have a brother or a sister?”	Ja, ich habe zwei Brüder und eine Schwester. “Yes, I have two brothers and one sister.”
Wie ist der Name deines Bruders? “What is the name of your brother?”	Mein Bruder heißt Peter. “My brother’s name is Peter.”
Wie alt sind deine Großeltern? “How old are your grandparents?”	Meine Oma ist 65 und mein Opa ist 70 Jahre alt. “My grandma is sixty-five and my grandpa is seventy years old.”
Ist sie deine Ehefrau? “Is she your wife?”	Ja, das ist meine Ehefrau Eva. “Yes, this is my wife Eva.”

Take a close look at how we used the possessive pronouns. They always have to be adapted to the person you’re talking about.

3. More Family and Endearment Terms

1- German Extended Family

Everybody has family members outside of their immediate family. Below, we give you some family member terms that you’ll face every day while living with a German family. We won’t go into too much detail, as the half-sister of your siblings’ aunt isn’t really interesting anymore.

der Onkel	“the uncle”
die Tante	“the aunt”
der Cousin [kuˈzɛŋ]	“the cousin” (m)
die Cousine	“the cousin” (f)
der Neffe	“the nephew”
die Nichte	“the niece”

This doesn’t seem too hard to understand, does it? With all of the terms we’ve gone over so far, you’re almost ready to talk about your family in various contexts. There are some more things we’ll cover in the next chapters, but what we have so far are the closest family members.

2- Endearment Terms

Families are cute, and you can always hear little grandsons or granddaughters calling their grandparents “granny” or “grandpa.” Those are just a couple examples of so-called endearment terms, and of course we have them in Germany as well.

We’ll show you two quick ways to create endearment terms, and give you some examples. Before we go on, we want to let you know that this doesn’t work with all family members the same way.

1. Adding an i

The first way to create endearment terms in Germany is to cut the last letter(s) of the term, and replace it with the letter i. It’s no mistake that we mentioned it can be the last letter or letters. When the term ends with a vowel, you replace only the last letter. In any other case, you need to replace the last two letters.

Here are some examples:

Mama -> Mami
“mother” -> “mom/mommy”

Mutter -> Mutti
“mother” -> “mom”

Papa -> Papi
“father” -> “daddy”

Vater -> Vati
“father” -> “dad”

Opa -> Opi
“grandmother” -> “granny”

Oma -> Omi
“grandfather” -> “grandpa”

But there are also examples where it doesn’t work, such as:

Onkel -> Onki
Tante -> Tanti
Großmutter -> Großmutti (theoretically this works, but you’re never going to use this)

2. Adding chen to the end of the word

This might be the better-known form for any German learner. This one is a bit trickier and has some special rules. The basic rule is that you just add chen after each term. But be aware that when doing this, in some cases, if the word ends with a vowel, you have to cut this vowel before adding the chen. Or, if the word has a vowel in-between, you change it to ü, ö, or ä (instead of u, o, a).

Good examples are:

Großmutter -> Großmütterchen (grandmother -> grandma)
Onkel -> Onkelchen
Tante -> Tantchen (aunt -> auntie)
Cousine -> Cousinchen

As you can see, sometimes there’s not even a proper English translation for the endearment term you can create in German. The good thing about this way of creating endearment terms is that you can use it with almost everything, and you’re not limited to people or family members. Take a look at these examples:

Bierchen from the word Bier (beer)
Tischchen from the word Tisch (table)
Tässchen from the word Tasse (cup)

4. How to Talk about Family

It’s quite easy to introduce your family to another person in German. Let’s imagine ourselves sitting around a large table, where all the family is eating together, and a friend of yours arrives for the first time. You both stand in front of the table.

Das ist meine Mutter und das mein Papa.	“This is my mother and this is my dad.”
Dort drüben sitzen meine Großeltern.	“Over there are sitting my grandparents.”
Neben ihnen siehst du den Bruder meiner Mama, meinen Onkel.	“Next to them, you can see the brother of my mother, my uncle.”
Mein Cousin, der Sohn meiner Tante ist heute nicht hier.	“My cousin, the son of my aunt, he is not here today.”
Meine Oma ist leider schon gestorben.	“My granny unfortunately has already passed away.”

5. Cultural Insights in a German Family

The family is, for most Germans, one of the fundamental aspects of their lives. The family is an important part of every German. Children usually grow up close to their grandparents (who sometimes take care of their grandchildren when the parents are at work). Further, trust is a big thing for German families. But even with this strong bond, Germans are moving out of their parents’ home quite early to study, work, and become financially independent.

We’ve already mentioned that most German families are fairly small compared to those in other countries. Family size strongly depends on where you live, though. For instance, in the countryside, it’s normal for multiple generations to live on a big farm together, or even more than one family from one generation.

So it can be possible to find houses with up to ten people in the more rural areas, but even there, everybody has their own space and flat. You can live there with your parents, your grandparents, and maybe even your uncle’s family.

In the city, the situation is typically different, and families don’t live together. Everybody has their own flat or house, and don’t see each other in daily life.

Traditionally, the man is the head of the family. But let’s face it: this isn’t really how it works anymore. Women enjoy the same rights as men, and all decisions are made as a couple, or even among the entire family including children.

In the old days, it was common for people to get married after living together for a while. Now, you can find couples that stay together their whole lives and never get married. But trends are now coming back to the traditional way.

For some more information about German culture, we’ve prepared another lesson for you.

6. How GermanPod101 Can Help You Learn about Family in German

We hope that you got some helpful insight from our article about families in Germany, such as how to talk about family members. You now know a little bit about the typical family situation in Germany today, and how people are organizing their daily lives.

You should be able to talk about your immediate and extended family, introduce them to others, and talk to someone about them.

If you want to really boost your German skills, then we recommend our private teacher program which focuses on your personal goals based on your current level.

But we won’t leave you without making a quick gift to you. We have free-of-charge courses on GermanPod101.com for learners of every level:

• Beginners
• Intermediate
• Advanced

Save yourself a spot today!

The First Sunday of Advent in Germany marks the beginning of a four-week-long celebration before Christmas. During Advent, Christians await the Second Coming of Christ with additional fervor and hope, and Germany’s more secular population enjoys the festivities and traditions leading up to Christmas.

In this article, you’ll learn about modern Advent traditions in Germany, what date it falls on, a little bit about the holiday’s origins, and other facts about Advent in Germany.

At GermanPod101.com, we aim to make every aspect of your language-learning journey both fun and informative! What better way than by showing you one of the warmest and most significant holidays of the year?

1. What is Advent in Germany?

The word Advent means “arrival,” and during Advent, Christians prepare for the arrival of Jesus Christ. Once Advent begins, it also means that Christmas is near—much to the excitement of many children, who look forward to the holiday coziness and gifts that await them! During each Advent Sunday, Germany has many fun traditions that we’ll go over later.

While the origins of Advent Sunday aren’t well-known, some believe that it has roots in an ancient monk tradition of fasting from the beginning of December until Christmas. The actual Advent holiday is thought to have picked up around the fifth and sixth centuries, usually as a fast that people could choose to participate in to show devotion.

In 1963, Advent became the holiday that many people know it as today. The Second Vatican Council decided that the holiday would, from then on, focus much more on Jesus Christ’s return.

2. When is Advent?

The First Sunday of Advent falls on a different date each year, based on the church calendar (also called the liturgical year). It’s always four weeks before Christmas. For your convenience, here’s a list of this holiday’s date for the next ten years.

• 2019: December 1
• 2020: November 29
• 2021: November 28
• 2022: November 27
• 2023: December 3
• 2024: December 1
• 2025: November 30
• 2026: November 29
• 2027: November 28
• 2028: December 3

3. How Do Germans Celebrate Advent?

If you happen to be in Germany during Advent, you’re going to find many homes and buildings lavishly decorated for the holiday. Common decorations include strung Christmas lights, stars, and Advent wreaths. The Advent wreath in Germany is decorated with four candles, which are usually red or white. On each Advent Sunday, another candle is lit.

In addition to making Christmas decorations, people send Christmas wishes, write wish lists, buy Christmas gifts, and bake Christmas cookies during the time of Advent. Among other cookies, butter cookies, vanilla cookies, shortbread biscuits, macaroons, and cinnamon stars are particularly popular. Imagine all the warm smells of baking, and all the cookie-sampling that surely goes on!

One of the most common Advent traditions in Germany is that of parents gifting Advent calendars to their children. From December 1 to 24, one of the twenty-four doors of the Advent calendar is opened each day. In the Advent calendar in Germany, there’s usually a small chocolate behind these “little doors” to shorten the waiting time until Christmas Eve.

Another pre-Christmas tradition is exchanging gifts. This usually takes place during the Christmas holidays with friends or colleagues. Gifts are exchanged as follows: The wrapped presents of all recipients are gathered so that by the end, everyone gets to pick a different gift.

In many cities, the decorated Christmas trees and hanging strings of lights reflect a festive atmosphere. Christmas markets attract numerous visitors and are a favorite rendezvous point during Advent. At the stalls, Christmas items, cookies, warm drinks, and light meals are offered. As for other Advent foods in Germany, there’s the smell of roasted almonds, hot chestnuts, and mulled wine (called Glühwein in German) everywhere, and sometimes you can hear the sounds of Christmas music.

4. Advent Sunday Songs

There are also a lot of songs and poems for Advent. Can you fill in the blank in this German Advent verse?

“Advent, Advent, a candle burns, first one, then two, then three, then four; then the ____ is standing in front of the door.”

The missing word in this famous children’s verse is Christkind or “Christ Child.”

5. Must-Know Vocabulary for Advent Sunday

Here’s some German vocabulary to memorize before the First Sunday of Advent!

• Gottesdienst — Church service
• Christliche Adventszeit — Advent season
• Katholisch — Catholic
• Evangelisch — Evangelical
• Lutherische Liturgie — Liturgy
• Jesu in Jerusalem — Jesus in Jerusalem
• Wiederkunft Christi — The return of Christ
• Johannes der Täufer — John the Baptist
• Maria — Mary
• Kirchenjahr — Church year

You can hear each of these words pronounced and read them alongside relevant images on our German Advent Sunday vocabulary list!

Final Thoughts

The First Sunday of Advent is a day that many Germans await all year long! There is something special about those end-of-the-year holidays, isn’t there?

What are your thoughts on the traditions of Advent in Germany? Does your country have similar Advent celebrations, or are they very different? We look forward to hearing from you!

Learning about a country’s culture may be the most fascinating and enriching aspects of trying to master its language. If you would like more cultural information on Germany, or perhaps some more vocabulary to practice throughout this autumn and winter, you may find the following pages on GermanPod101.com useful:

• German Culture
• German Eye Contact, Facial Expressions, and Hand Gestures
• Must-Know Autumn Vocabulary
• Words for Winter Snow Days
• Must-Know Christmas Day Vocabulary

Learning German doesn’t have to be overwhelming or stuffy. At GermanPod101, we do everything possible to make your learning experience both fun and effective! If you’re serious about mastering the language, get started right by creating your free lifetime account today!

Happy Advent!

When you’re traveling outside of your home country, there’s a very good chance that you won’t speak the language of that country. For that reason, it can be really helpful to learn some basic German travel phrases before going to Germany, Austria, or even parts of Switzerland, Belgium, and Luxemburg.

In this article, we’ll provide you with German phrases for tourists that will help you survive basic daily situations.

For instance, when traveling to the center of Europe, you’ll probably have to take a train at some point. (And if you don’t have to take one, we suggest you take one anyway. This experience is part of traveling to Germany.)

Once you’ve bought your ticket at Deutsche Bahn (the German railway company) and you’re ready to discover a new city, the conductor may want to see your ticket or ask some questions. If you didn’t know, even though this is an international company, their staff isn’t one-hundred percent trained to speak English. Trust us, you don’t want to come into this situation unprepared. You’ll need to know phrases for travelers in German.

But no worries. To prevent you from this embarrassing situation, we have free courses for beginner, intermediate, and advanced students. You can even find free bonus material on our website.

Without a lot of hustle and bustle, let’s just get straight to it. Here are the most useful German phrases for travelers.

Table of Contents

1. Why Should You Learn German?
2. German Pronunciation Specialities
3. Greetings
4. Basic Questions and Their Perfect Answers
5. Restaurants and Ordering Food
6. At the Hotel
7. Locations and Transportation
8. Working Through Communication Barriers
9. How GermanPod101 Can Help You Master Urgent Travel Situations

1. Why Should You Learn German?

We know that learning another language can be frustrating and hard, and this may be more true of German than some other languages. But here are some facts that should convince you to learn German:

• Studying in Germany is free – While you have to pay for a college education in most countries, studying in Germany is free of charge.
• Germany is Export King – Germany is the country with the biggest export market in Europe, and the third biggest worldwide.
• Easy for native English speakers – English and German belong to the same language family, which makes it easy to learn (and vice versa).
• Startup hotspot – The startup scene is growing rapidly in the cities of Berlin, Munich, Cologne, and Hamburg.

Knowing even just the basic German travel phrases for beginners can greatly help you make the most of your time in Germany.

2. German Pronunciation Specialities

Before we move on to learning German phrases for travelers, you should have a little information on German pronunciation specialties.

As already mentioned, German is really close to the English language, which makes it easy for good English speakers to adapt to German. But there are some combinations that require special effort in terms of pronunciation. On the left, you see the letter combination; on the right, an English equivalent to that sound.

ei	line
ie	lean
ö	Worm without the ‘r’
ü	Tea with rounded lips
ä	get
eu / äu	boy
sch	shoe
sp	shp
st	sht
ß	boss
z	cats

3. Greetings

Now, onto the most basic German words and phrases for travellers: Greetings. These are the most common German travel phrases, and always important to have at the ready.

• Hallo!
  Hello!
• Guten Morgen!
  Good morning!
• Guten Tag!
  Good day!
• Guten Abend.
  Good evening!
• Bitte.
  Please.
• Danke.
  Thanks. / Thank you.
• Tschüss.
  Bye.
• Auf Wiedersehen.
  Goodbye.
• Ich heiße …
  My name is …
• Ich bin in Deutschland für … Wochen.
  I am in Germany for … weeks.
• Ich komme aus …
  I am from …
• Wie geht’s?
  How are you?
• Mir geht es gut.
  I am fine.

4. Basic Questions and Their Perfect Answers

To help you out with the pronunciation and some practice for these questions, you can find a free lesson on our website. Also feel free to click on the links in the chart; they’ll take you to relevant German vocabulary lists on our site to help you answer the questions yourself!

Question	Answer
Wo ist die Toilette Where is the bathroom?	Die Toilette ist neben der Küche. The toilet is next to the kitchen.
Wo kommst du her? Where are you from?	Ich komme aus London, England. I am from London, England.
Wie geht es dir? How are you?	Mir geht’s gut und dir? I am fine and you?
Wie alt bist du? How old are you?	Ich bin 25 Jahre alt. I am 25 years old.
Wie ist dein Name? What’s your name?	Mein Name ist … . Wie ist dein Name? My name is … and yours?
Wie lautet deine Telefonnumer? What’s your phone number?	Meine Telefonnumer lautet: 555-555-555. My phone number is: 555-555-555.
Was hast du gesagt? What did you just say?	Ich habe dich nicht verstanden. I didn’t understand you.
Wo arbeitest du? Where do you work?	Ich arbeite bei … . I work at …
Was ist das? What is this?	Das ist ein … . That is a … .
Was ist dein Lieblingsessen? What is your favorite food?	Ich esse am liebsten Pizza. My favorite food is pizza.

5. Restaurants and Ordering Food

• Einen Tisch für zwei/drei/vier Personen, bitte.
  A table for two/three/four persons, please.
• Wir haben eine Reservierung.
  We have a reservation.
• Die Speisekarte, bitte.
  The menu, please.
• Ich hätte gerne das Steak mit Pommes.
  I would like the steak with fries.
• Haben Sie ein veganes Gericht?
  Do you have a vegan meal?
• Können Sie etwas empfehlen?
  Can you recommend something?
• Noch ein Glas Wasser, bitte.
  Another glass of water, please.
• Getrennt oder zusammen?
  Together or separately?
• Guten Appetit.
  Enjoy your meal.
• Die Rechnung, bitte.
  The check, please.

We have a complete vocabulary list for you, with words for the restaurant.

6. At the Hotel

• Wir haben eine Reservierung.
  We have a reservation.
• Haben Sie noch freie Zimmer?
  Do you have free rooms available?
• Wie viel kostet ein Zimmer pro Nacht?
  How much is a room per night?
• Ich möchte ein Zimmer reservieren.
  I would like to reserve a room.
• Ist das Frühstück inklusive?
  Is the breakfast inclusive?
• Zimmerservice.
  Room service.
• Um wie viel Uhr ist Check-Out?
  At what time is the check out?

7. Locations and Transportation

1- Asking for and Giving Directions

Entschuldigung, wo ist die Bank / der Supermarkt / das Stadtzentrum / die Tankstelle / der Bahnhof / der Flughafen? Excuse me, where is the bank / the supermarket / the city center / the gas station / the train station / the airport?	Norden / Süden / Westen / Osten North / South / West / East
In welcher Richtung finde ich … ? In which direction can I find … ?	Oben / Unten / Vorne / Hinten Upstairs / Downstairs / Forward / Backward
Ist es noch weit von hier? Is it still far from here?	Sie müssen geradeaus laufen. You have to walk straight.
Kann ich dorthin zu Fuß laufen? Can I get there on foot?	Sie müssen links / rechts abbiegen. You have to turn left / right.
Welche Straßenbahn, Metro oder Bus muss ich nehmen? Which underground or bus do I have to take?	Zum Flughafen / Bahnhof, bitte. To the airport / train station, please.
Ist es in der Nähe von … ? Is it close to … ?	Um die Ecke. Around the corner.
Wo ist der Ausgang / Eingang? Where is the exit / entrance?	Halten Sie hier an, bitte. Stop here, please.

2- Transportation

• Wo ist die Haltestelle?
  Where is the station?
• Wo kann ich eine Fahrkarte kaufen?
  Where can I buy a ticket?
• Fährt dieser Zug / Bus nach … ?
  Is this train / bus going to … ?
• Können Sie es mir auf der Karte zeigen?
  Can you show me on the map?
• Muss ich umsteigen?
  Do I have to change?

Again, we’ve prepared for you a free vocabulary list with words that you can use when asking for directions and locations.

8. Working Through Communication Barriers

Just in case you don’t know what to say or you didn’t understand anything someone just said to you, here are some phrases that can get you out of this sticky situation:

• Sprechen Sie Englisch?
  Do you speak English?
• Können Sie das bitte nochmal wiederholen?
  Could you please repeat that again?
• Ich spreche kein Deutsch.
  I don’t speak German.
• Ich verstehe Sie nicht.
  I don’t understand you.
• Können Sie das bitte übersetzen?
  Could you please translate this for me?
• Hilfe!
  Help!

Maybe you’re asking yourself if you can go to Germany without speaking any German. Sure you can, you can live there even without speaking the language.

Getting along as a tourist with just English will be more than easy for you. Everybody knows at least the basics of English. And as long as they can see that you’re patient, they’ll be patient with you.

9. How GermanPod101 Can Help You Master Urgent Travel Situations

In this article, we showed you the most helpful phrases that you can use on your travels. We covered some basic pronunciation specialities of the German language, greetings, numbers, situations in a restaurant and hotel, and asking for directions.

While you can survive traveling Germany with only English, Germans will be really grateful when they see that you’re trying to speak their language. We know that German is a hard language, but to see someone trying makes us happy.

This article was just the beginning; take a look at our free resources. But if you really want to get to it and become a good German speaker, then we can offer you a private teacher to help you learn based on your needs and goals with the German language.

Before you go, let us know in the comments how you feel about using the useful German travel phrases outlined in this article. Feel free to reach out with questions in the comments below, and know that the more you practice and use these essential German travel phrases, the easier it will become.

It’s the language of Einstein, of Euler, of some of the most brilliant minds in history.

And with the reputation German has of being a difficult language, you’d think that the numbering system would be formidable.

Not so! It’s really just as approachable as most other languages—more complex than a few, but not nearly as complicated as others. And numbers in German language-learning really are too essential to skip over.

Since you’re able to read this article in English, you’ve got a great advantage already. It’s easy to map German numbers onto English ones, which you’ll soon find out with our handy German number guide here on GermanPod101.com! With our German numbers lists and useful information on how to use them, your numbers in German vocabulary will be strong indeed.

Table of Contents

1. Cardinal Numbers
2. Writing Numbers Down
3. Special Numbers with Special Sounds
4. Ordinal Numbers
5. Once, Twice, Thrice
6. Fractions and More (Easy) Math
7. Lemme Get Your Number
8. German Numbers and Dates
9. Checking the Time
10. Numbers When Shopping
11. Conclusion: How GermanPod101 Can Help You Master German!

1. Cardinal Numbers

All right, let’s get right to it. Here are the numbers from zero to twelve in German (you can also look at our Numbers vocabulary list to hear each of the German numbers written down here pronounced). Note that, for the most part, the German numbers 1-20 are pretty regular.

Number	German	English
0	Null	Zero
1	Eins	One
2	Zwei	Two
3	Drei	Three
4	Vier	Four
5	Fünf	Five
6	Sechs	Six
7	Sieben	Seven
8	Acht	Eight
9	Neun	Nine
10	Zehn	Ten
11	Elf	Eleven
12	Zwölf	Twelve

A note about German numbers pronunciation: These numbers already sound awfully close to English. More so when you realize that words starting with “t” in English very often have a counterpart starting with “z” in German—remember the German “z” is pronounced [ts].

While we’re on the topic of pronunciation, let’s recall that an “s” at the beginning of a word is pronounced like “z” in English.

I’ll also mention that we went all the way up to twelve because eleven and twelve are “irregular” in both English and German. What do I mean by that?

Well, look at thirteen through nineteen:

Number	German	English
13	Dreizehn	Thirteen
14	Vierzehn	Fourteen
15	Fünfzehn	Fifteen
16	Sechzehn	Sixteen
17	Siebzehn	Seventeen
18	Achtzehn	Eighteen
19	Neunzehn	Nineteen

When talking about the “ten” numbers in English, we use the word “teen” at the end. But in German, it’s clear as day. Couldn’t be simpler. Eight and ten make eighteen. Germans make this easy by using the number and tacking the word for “ten” (zehn) to the end. See, numbers in German language really aren’t that hard!

Once we hit twenty (which is zwanzig) and beyond, that simplicity keeps going—but in a way that may make you do a double-take at first.

Number	German	English
21	Einundzwanzig	Twenty-one
22	Zweiundzwanzig	Twenty-two
23	Dreiundzwanzig	Twenty-three

Yes, it’s backwards from what we’re used to. Remember that old rhyme “four-and-twenty blackbirds baked in a pie?” Imagine we talked like that all the time, and you’ve got modern German.

But if you think about it, it really is just keeping the same pattern from thirteen through nineteen. “Eight-ten, nine-ten, twenty, one-and-twenty, two-and-twenty…”

The same pattern continues as long as you’ve got anything in the tens and ones place.

• Fünftausendzweihundert
  Five-thousand two-hundred
• Zweiunddreißigtausendsechshundertfünfundfünfzig
  Thirty-two thousand six-hundred fifty-five.

Yeah, they’re all one word, up to the millions at least.

• Drei Million vierhunderttausend
  Three-million four-hundred-thousand

Watch out here: in German, the really big numbers are false friends.

• Die Million, die Milliarde, die Billion
  The million, the billion, the trillion

2. Writing Numbers Down

In Europe—not just Germany—most people write numbers with commas and decimals flipped from the way we use them in many English-speaking countries.

To separate hundreds, Germans use spaces or periods instead of commas.

• 35 000/35.000
  35,000

And it’s even called das Komma!

• 3,3 Million (drei Komma drei Millionen)
  3.3 million (three point three million)

Lastly, prices are expressed this way too, though we’ll go into that a little bit later.

• €13,45
  €13.45

3. Special Numbers with Special Sounds

You know how airplane pilots in English always say stuff like “That’s Victor-seven-four-niner, over?” They say “niner” so that nobody confuses “nine” with “five.”

People reading out numbers in German will often say “zwo” for the same reason—nobody wants to confuse zwei and drei when the stakes are high!

In English, we have the special numbers “score” and “dozen,” meaning 20 and 12 units of something, respectively. “Score” was brought to England by the Vikings, but “dozen” is old enough to be in both German and English. You’ll find it in your German dictionary under Das Dutzend.

4. Ordinal Numbers

If you’ve had to learn English as a foreign language, you’ll be thrilled to hear that German ordinal numbers are much simpler than those in English.

Well, sort of. Here’s how they look in their nominative forms:

Numeral	German	English
1st	Erste	First
2nd	Zweite	Second
3rd	Dritte	Third
4th	Vierte	Fourth
5th	Fünfte	Fifth
6th	Sechste	Sixth

That’s right, they all end in –te!

So what’s the bad news? Well, they all have to follow the rules of German adjectives.

On the one hand, you’re just learning a bunch more adjectives and they’re all regular and predictable. Nothing too serious there.

On the other hand, you do have to stop and think about the cases when you use these words—at least until it all becomes automatic.

When writing these down, Germans follow other European conventions and simply put a full stop after the number to indicate that it’s an ordinal. There’s no written hint to tell you about the declension, unfortunately.

• 4. Stock (vierter Stock)
  Fourth floor
• zum 3. Mal (zum dritten Mal)
  For the third time
• am 12. Mai (am zwölften Mai)
  On the twelfth of May

5. Once, Twice, Thrice

The word “time,” as in “there’s a first time for everything,” is mal in German. So the words for “once,” “twice,” “thrice,” and so on are simply einmal, zweimal, and dreimal. And where English stops at two or three (depending on if you like the word “thrice” or not), German continues ad infinitum.

• Man lebt nur einmal.
  You only live once.

The word mal in German also carries the same meaning as “times” when talking about how many times larger, smaller, and so on that two things can be in comparison to each other.

• Fünfmal so breit.
  Five times as wide.

One thing surprisingly absent from all of my German classes in school is how Germans order things at counter-service bakeries or restaurants. In our numbers in German lessons, we’ll try to cover this so you’re not left dazed and confused when ordering!

• Einmal Brezel, bitte.
  One pretzel, please.

You’ll hear this used in every German city you go to, so you can likely use it wherever you go. If you go to order some food and it turns out that you’re not understood, simply go with ich hätte gern ein…bitte (meaning “I would like a…” in English) instead.

6. Fractions and More (Easy) Math

Are you out of school? You might have thought you wouldn’t need any math in your foreign language, but as it happens, basic math words are an important part of being able to use German effectively and precisely.

And it’s something that people tend to use in speech without thinking, maybe saying under their breath something like “let me see, that’s…thirty-five divided by seven…five dollars each!” If those numbers relate to you, you’re going to want to understand what’s going on.

There are three different words for “equals”: ergibt, ist, and macht.

• Fünf plus zehn macht fünfzehn.
  Five plus ten equals fifteen.
• Zwanzig minus dreizehn ist sieben.
  Twenty minus thirteen equals seven.
• Neunundneunzig durch neun ergibt elf.
  Ninety-nine divided by nine equals eleven.
• Zwölf mal zwölf macht einhundertvierundvierzig.
  Twelve times twelve equals one-hundred forty-four.

As in English, a word for “times; by; multiplied by” is also used for noting dimensions of physical objects.

• Das Zimmer ist sechs Meter mal sieben Meter.
  The room is six meters by seven meters.

Now, let’s take a look at fractions and percents. As in English, there are specific nouns meaning “an Xth part of,” and in German they’re just as regular. Check this out:

German	English
Die Hälfte	The half
Das Drittel	The third
Das Viertel	The fourth
Das Fünftel	The fifth
Das Sechstel	The sixth
Das Zehntel	The tenth

• Er hat ein Viertel einer Flasche Whiskey getrunken.
  He drank a fourth of a bottle of whiskey.

Percentages in German work exactly the same as in English, with one word that’s practically the same in both languages.

• Ich verstehe vielleicht neunzig Prozent.
  I understand about ninety percent.

7. Lemme Get Your Number

In English, when we tell someone our phone number, we usually break it up into sections. This varies, of course, depending on where you’re from. For example, American telephone numbers have a three-digit area code, and the number itself is broken up into two groups of three and four numbers. Or in Morocco, phone numbers are broken up into five groups of two numbers.

In Germany, phone numbers used to be of no fixed lengths. Some numbers were as short as two digits!

However, in 2010, the telecoms agreed on a new plan to use eleven-digit numbers for all subsequent landlines. It’s still not entirely consistent (think of how many people you know that haven’t changed their number for eight years), but more so than it was before. Germans usually separate the area code from the regular number with a slash like this:

• Meine Nummer ist 0125/12345678.
  My number is (0125) – 12345678.

Why so much detail here? Well, when you’re giving or taking a phone number down, it’s surprisingly easy to be caught off guard by the numbers being too few or too many than you’re used to.

8. German Numbers and Dates

Giving the date in German is only slightly different from doing so in English. We use the ordinal forms in both languages.

• Heute ist der vierte Mai.
  Today is the 4th of May.

The definite article “the” isn’t necessary here in German. It would be necessary if we were specifying a specific day, week, month, or year, like so:

• Die dritte Woche in Januar.
  The third week in January.

How about talking in terms of decades or centuries? After all, German culture has been around for a long time.

In German, as in English, we don’t say “the ninety decade”; we just say “the nineties.” There are two words for “decade,” incidentally, and those are: das Jahrzehnt and die Dekade.

• die Achtziger [note that this is written as “80er”]
  the eighties

Jahrzehnt is wonderfully clear in meaning—it’s literally “year-ten.” How about century?

• 18. Jahrhundert
  18th century

Remember that this “18.” is actually pronounced achtzehnte.

9. Checking the Time

The first thing you’ll notice is that Germany, like most of the world, uses the 24-hour clock as standard. So definitely get used to that before you visit.

Saying the hour is a little different than what we’ve been doing with years. You just use the cardinal number without any kind of declension.

• Es ist dreizehn Uhr.
  It’s 13 o’clock (one o’clock).

This is what you’ll see posted on shop signs and in any kind of official correspondence. However, just because something is standard doesn’t make it universal. There are plenty of people who use the 12-hour clock when speaking.

When it’s necessary to distinguish between a.m. and p.m., they’ll use vormittags for the morning, nachmittags for the afternoon, abends for the evening, and nachts for the night.

• Es ist drei Uhr nachts, was machst du gerade so?!
  It’s three a.m., what are you doing?!

• Unser Termin ist morgen um 9 Uhr vormittags.
  Our meeting is tomorrow at 9 a.m.

There’s one more peculiarity about telling time in German, and that’s the way they talk about halves of hours.

They literally say “half of the next hour” to say what English-speakers know as “half past.”

• Jetzt ist es halb sechs.
  Now it’s half past five.

This can be really confusing if you don’t know to look out for it. Remember that Germans value punctuality!

10. Numbers When Shopping

When you go out to buy a Currywurst or Schinkenbrot, you’ll need to understand the prices you hear at the register. There’s no sales tax added on after the price, but you’ll learn that prices tend to slide right out of your memory when you’re bringing your breakfast pastry to the register—especially in a foreign language!

By the way, in Germany, it’s still extremely common to pay in cash. Most tiny shops either reluctantly take credit cards or not at all, and you can forget about mobile pay.

Better get used to counting out coins, though a lot of shops round to the nearest five cents so you don’t have to deal with the one- and two-cent Euro coins anymore (das ein-Cent-Stück and das zwei-Cent-Stück, respectively).

Here’s what you’ll hear when the cashier rings up your total:

• Das macht vier Euro fünfzig. (€4,50)
  That’s four euros fifty.

Or:

• Vierzehn Euro achtzig Cent. (€14,80)
  Fourteen euros eighty cents.

Guten Appetit! (Enjoy your meal!)

11. Conclusion: How GermanPod101 Can Help You Master German!

It may seem like a ton of detail to remember right now, but there’s no way you need to learn all German numbers at once.

One of the best ways to internalize German numbers at home is to watch documentaries. You’ll constantly hear prices, percentages, hundreds, millions, and more.

And if you’re really ambitious, you could try translating all the digits you see during the day into German. It’s really easy to skip numbers when reading out loud, so by quietly murmuring sale prices or times of the day in German while you’re out and about, you’ll build up that skill of automatically switching to German numbers.

Then when it’s time to use them for real, you won’t stumble at all. So go out there and enjoy our world of numbers—our Nummernwelt—in German!

GermanPod101.com wants to be here with you for each step of your journey to German mastery! We provide practical learning tools for every learner, including insightful blog posts like this one, free German vocabulary lists, an online community forum, and even a MyTeacher program for those with a Premium Plus account! With your determination and our support, you’ll know German culture and the German language inside and out!

Author: Yassir Sahnoun is a HubSpot certified content strategist, copywriter and polyglot who works with language learning companies. He helps companies attract sales using content strategy, copywriting, blogging, email marketing & more.

You’re learning to speak German, and it’s going well. Your confidence is growing! So much so that you feel ready to share your experiences on social media—in German.

At Learn German, we make this easy for you to get it right the first time. Post like a boss with these phrases and guidelines, and get to practice your German in the process.

1. Talking about Your Restaurant Visit in German

Eating out is fun, and often an experience you’d like to share. Take a pic, and start a conversation on social media in German. Your friend will be amazed by your language skills…and perhaps your taste in restaurants!

Tom eats at a restaurant with his friends, posts an image of the group, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Tom ‘s post.

Gutes Essen mit guten Freunden!
“Good food with good friends!”

1- Gutes Essen

First is an expression meaning “Good food.”
A standard expression to refer to delicious food.

2- mit guten Freunden

Then comes the phrase – “with good friends.”
Repeating the adjective “good” instead of choosing a different positive adjective makes the sentence flow nicely and is quite common in social media.

COMMENTS

In response, Tom ‘s friends leave some comments.

1- Schön, ich wäre gerne dabei gewesen!

His girlfriend, Franziska, uses an expression meaning – “Nice, I would have liked to be there!”
Use this expression to partake in the conversation and also indicate that you’d have liked to be part of the group.

2- Sieht sehr lecker aus!

His neighbor, Tanja, uses an expression meaning – “Looks very delicious!”
Use this comment to agree with the poster about the food.

3- Edel! Gefällt mir!

His college friend, Cem, uses an expression meaning – “Noble! I like it!”
Another, pleasant way of saying the same as the previous two posters..

4- Nächstes Mal bin ich dabei!

His high school friend, Katharina, uses an expression meaning – “Next time I’ll be there!”
Use this expression to show you are feeling optimistic about joining the poster next time.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

gute Freunde: “good friends”

schön: “nice”

ich wäre gerne: “I would have liked to”

lecker: “delicious”

edel: “noble”

gefallen: “to like”

nächstes Mal: “next time “

dabei sein: “to join”

So, let’s practice a bit. If a friend posted something about having dinner with friends, which phrase would you use?

Now go visit a German restaurant, and wow the staff with your language skills!

2. Post about Your Mall Visit in German

Another super topic for social media is shopping—everybody does it, most everybody loves it, and your friends on social media are probably curious about your shopping sprees! Share these German phrases in posts when you visit a mall.

Franziska shops with her sister at the mall, posts an image of the two of them, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Franziska’s post.

Shoppen mit meinem Schwesterherz!
“Shopping with my sis!”

1- Shoppen

First is an expression meaning “Shopping.”
Comes from the English word “to shop” and is used only for shopping for clothes, shoes, etc., not for groceries. It is very commonly used.

2- mit meinem Schwesterherz

Then comes the phrase – “with my sis.”
Commonly used to refer to your sister. It is literally translated as “sister heart” and is a casual way of saying you are very close to your sister.

COMMENTS

In response, Franziska’s friends leave some comments.

1- Brauchst du wirklich noch mehr Schuhe?

Her boyfriend, Tom , uses an expression meaning – “Do you really need (even) more shoes?”
Use this expression to show your exasperation with your girlfriend’s shopping sprees. Probably best to reserve this for people who know you well, and understand that you’re not trying to be confrontational or critical in a harsh way.

2- Juhu! Shoppen ist immer gut!

Her high school friend, Lisa, uses an expression meaning – “Yay! Shopping is always good!”
Use these phrases to indicate you’re happy for the poster and what they’re busy with.

3- Ich kenn da ein paar echt gute Designerläden!

Her college friend, Cem, uses an expression meaning – “I know a few really good designer shops!”
Use this expression to partake in the conversation, and to make a suggestion that might be useful to the poster.

4- War gestern Zahltag?

Her nephew, Mario, uses an expression meaning – “Was it payday yesterday?”
Use this expression to be humorous with a slightly sarcastic edge.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

shoppen: “to shop “

Schwesterherz: “sis”

brauchst du wirklich: “do you really need”

Schuh: “shoe”

juhu: “yay”

ist immer gut: “is always good”

ein paar echt gute: “a few really good”

Zahltag: “payday”

So, if a friend posted something about going shopping, which phrase would you use?

3. Talking about a Sport Day in German

Sports events, whether you’re the spectator or the sports person, offer fantastic opportunities for great social media posts. Learn some handy phrases and vocabulary to start a sport-on-the-beach conversation in German.

Tom plays with his friends at the beach, posts an image of the teams, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Tom ‘s post.

Es kann nur einen Sieger geben!
“There can only be one winner!”

1- Es kann nur einen geben

First is an expression meaning “there can only be one.”
On social media it is common to use one sentence expressions to capture people’s interest with as few words as possible. It is a common German expression often said in a joking way during tournaments or while watching sports or other competitions.

2- Sieger

Then comes the phrase – “winner.”
This means winner and can refer to any kind of competition.

COMMENTS

In response, Tom ‘s friends leave some comments.

1- Wart nur ab!

His college friend, Cem, uses an expression meaning – “You just wait!”
Use this expression if you’re part of the competing team, and sees the poster’s comment as a friendly dare.

2- Viel Glück und viel Spaß!

His neighbor, Tanja, uses an expression meaning – “Good luck and have fun!”
Use this phrase as a warmhearted wish to the players.

3- Aber bist du es?

His girlfriend’s nephew, Mario, uses an expression meaning – “But is it you?”
Use this expression to be humorous and teasing the poster.

4- Na da bin ich mal gespannt!

His girlfriend’s high school friend, Lisa, uses an expression meaning – “Well then I’m curious!”
Use this expression to express interest in the game and to be part of the conversation.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

Sieger: “winner”

Wart nur ab: “you just wait”

nur: “just”

viel Glück!: “good luck!”

viel Spaß!: “have fun!”

bist du es?: “is it you?”

na: “well”

gespannt sein: “to be curious”

Which phrase would you use if a friend posted something about sports?

But sport is not the only thing you can play! Play some music, and share it on social media.

4. Share a Song on Social Media in German

Music is the language of the soul, they say. So, don’t hold back—share what touches your soul with your friends!

Franziska shares a song she just heard at a party, posts an image of the artist, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Franziska’s post.

So viele Erinnerungen!
“So many memories!”

1- so viele

First is an expression meaning “so many.”
A casual remark that can be used whenever you unexpectedly find many of the same things in one place.

2- Erinnerungen

Then comes the phrase – “memories.”
It is quite common to use a short expression like “so many memories”, and not a full sentence such as “I have so many memories” or “This brings up so many memories.” These expressions are used to allude to something without going into detail, only for friends to pick up on what you are trying to say.

COMMENTS

In response, Franziska’s friends leave some comments.

1- Spielte man so was damals?

Her nephew, Mario, uses an expression meaning – “Did they used to play something like that back in the day?”
Use this expression to be playfully sarcastic about the poster’s choice of music. Humorous sarcasm on social media should always be reserved for people you know well, so as to avoid misunderstandings.

2- Ein sehr schönes Lied!

Her supervisor, Andreas, uses an expression meaning – “A very nice song!”
Use this expression to agree with the poster about the agreeability of the song.

3- Hihi ja ich erinnere mich!

Her high school friend, Lisa, uses an expression meaning – “Haha yes, I remember!”
Use this expression to indicate that the song is known to you.

4- Das werde ich mir gleich mal anhören.

Her neighbor, Tanja, uses an expression meaning – “I’ll listen to it in a moment.”
Use this expression to indicate that you’re interested in the topic, and want to partake in the conversation.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

so viele: “so many”

so was: “something like that”

damals: “back in the days”

Lied: “song”

hihi: “haha”

sich erinnern: “to remember”

gleich: “in a moment”

anhören: “to listen to”

Which song would you share? And what would you say to a friend who posted something about sharing music or videos?

Now you know how to start a conversation about a song or a video on social media!

5. German Social Media Comments about a Concert

Still on the theme of music—visiting live concerts and shows just have to be shared with your friends. Here are some handy phrases and vocab to wow your followers in German!

Tom goes to a concert, posts an image of the band, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Tom ‘s post.

Die beste Band!
“The best band!”

1- Die beste

First is an expression meaning “the best.”
Describing something as “the best” is quite common on social media to show you really like something.

2- Band

Then comes the phrase – “band.”
This expression is very short and powerful. It is clear though that the poster is only talking about their own opinion. You can use any feminine nouns in this way.

COMMENTS

In response, Tom ‘s friends leave some comments.

1- Und unser Lied!

His girlfriend, Franziska, uses an expression meaning – “And our song!”
Use this expression to indicate to your boyfriend that you’re feeling sentimental about your shared song.

2- Na ja … beste …

His girlfriend’s nephew, Mario, uses an expression meaning – “Well … best … ”
Use this phrase to be slightly sarcastic, in a teasing way.

3- Die mochtest du schon immer!

His high school friend, Katharina, uses an expression meaning – “You always liked them!”
Use this chatty comment to indicate that you recognize the band’s importance to the poster.

4- Also mein Geschmack ist es nicht aber viel Spaß!

His supervisor, Andreas, uses an expression meaning – “Well, it isn’t my taste but have fun!”
Use this expression to share an opinion that differs from the poster’s but in a friendly way.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

die beste: “the best”

Band: “band”

unser Lied: “our song”

na ja: “well “

mögen: “to like”

schon immer: “always”

also: “well”

Geschmack: “taste”

If a friend posted something about a concert, which phrase would you use?

6. Talking about an Unfortunate Accident in German

Oh dear. You broke something by accident. Use these German phrases to start a thread on social media. Or maybe just to let your friends know why you are not contacting them!

Franziska accidentally breaks her mobile phone, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Franziska’s post.

Bin erstmal telefonisch nicht zu erreichen!
“For now, I’m not reachable by phone!”

1- Bin erstmal nicht zu erreichen

First is an expression meaning “For now I won’t be reachable.”
A standard sentence used when informing people that your phone is not working at the moment.

2- telefonisch

Then comes the phrase – “by telephone.”
Used whenever you do anything by phone. For example, ordering by telephone or telling someone you will get in touch by calling them. The ending indicates that something is done by/via something.

COMMENTS

In response, Franziska’s friends leave some comments.

1- Oh man was hast du jetzt schon wieder angestellt?

Her high school friend, Lisa, uses an expression meaning – “Oh man, what do you do now?”
Use this expression to indicate some exasperation and/or sympathy with the poster’s situation.

2- Das war sowieso alt! Zeit für ein neues!

Her college friend, Cem, uses an expression meaning – “It was old anyway! Time for a new one!”
Use these phrases if you know the poster’s phone is broken (because this fact cannot be derived from her post), and want to be encouraging.

3- Wir haben aber noch eins zuhause rumliegen!

Her boyfriend, Tom , uses an expression meaning – “We still have one lying around at home!”
Like the comment above – use this phrase only if you know the phone has been lost or broken. The phrase indicates that you wish to be helpful.

4- Oh nein, hat dein Handy den Geist aufgegeben?

Her neighbor, Tanja, uses an expression meaning – “Oh no, has your mobile phone become a ghost?”
Use this question if you’re not sure what happened to the poster’s phone, and wish for more information.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

erstmal: “for now”

oh man: “oh boy”

eh: “anyway”

Zeit für: “time for”

rumliegen: “to lie around”

zu Hause: “at home”

oh nein: “oh no”

den Geist aufgeben: “to give up the ghost (a common German saying used whenever a machine stops working)”

If a friend posted something about having broken something by accident, which phrase would you use?

So, now you know how to discuss an accident in German. Well done!

7. Chat about Your Boredom on Social Media in German

Sometimes, we’re just bored with how life goes. And to alleviate the boredom, we write about it on social media. Add some excitement to your posts by addressing your friends and followers in German!

Tom gets bored at home, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Tom ‘s post.

Was ist heute so los? Irgendwer unterwegs?
“What is happening today? Anybody out and about?”

1- Was ist heute so los?

First is an expression meaning “What is happening today?.”
This is a casual expression to ask about what is going on that day, usually followed by friends suggesting ideas.

2- Irgendwer unterwegs?

Then comes the phrase – “Anybody out and about?.”
This is a common social media expression as it is not a full sentence but is just asking if anybody is doing anything that the poster could join.

COMMENTS

In response, Tom ‘s friends leave some comments.

1- Komm mit den Jungs und mir mit in den Club!

His college friend, Cem, uses an expression meaning – “Come to the club with the boys and me!”
Make this suggestion if you wish to be helpful, and invite the poster somewhere.

2- Wir könnten Essen gehen!

His girlfriend, Franziska, uses an expression meaning – “We could go out for dinner!”
Another suggestion if your boyfriend is bored, and you wish to be helpful and encouraging.

3- Entscheidungen, Entscheidungen. Triff die richtige!

His girlfriend’s nephew, Mario, uses an expression meaning – “Decisions, decisions. Make the right one!”
Use these phrases if you wish to tease the poster with a slightly sarcastic comment about the suggestions, perhaps.

4- Du bist immer herzlich eingeladen.

His high school friend, Katharina, uses an expression meaning – “You’re always (warmly) invited.”
Use this expression to warm heartedly invite the poster out too – another comment that shows you wish to be helpful.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

was ist los?: “what is happening?”

unterwegs: “out and about”

mitkommen: “to come with”

wir könnten: “we could”

Entscheidung: “decision”

richtig: “right”

immer : “always”

herzlich eingeladen.: “warmly invited”

If a friend posted something about being bored, which phrase would you use?

Still bored? Share another feeling and see if you can start a conversation!

8. Exhausted? Share It on Social Media in German

Sitting in public transport after work, feeling like chatting online? Well, converse in German about how you feel, and let your friends join in!

Franziska feels exhausted after a long day at work, posts an image of herself looking tired, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Franziska’s post.

Ich kann nicht mehr! Wann ist endlich Wochenende?
“I’m exhausted! When’s the weekend?”

1- Ich kann nicht mehr!

First is an expression meaning “I am exhausted!.”
Literally “I cannot anymore”. It is a very common expression that’s used when you are running and out of breath or stressed at work or school or just generally need a break.

2- Wann ist endlich Wochenende?

Then comes the phrase – “When is it finally the weekend?.”
This is a rhetorical question and is very commonly used, as everybody loves to talk about looking forward to the weekend.

COMMENTS

In response, Franziska’s friends leave some comments.

1- Dann koche ich heute!

Her boyfriend, Tom, uses an expression meaning – “Then I will cook today!”
Use this expression to be supportive and helpful to your girlfriend.

2- Oh nein, was ist denn da los?

Her high school friend, Lisa, uses an expression meaning – “Oh no, what’s going on there?”
Use this expression to indicate concern for your friend.

3- Tja kann ja nicht jeder Student sein!

Her nephew, Mario, uses an expression meaning – “Well, not everybody can be a student!”
Use this expression to joke with the poster, teasing them a bit.

4- Ist alles in Ordnung?

Her neighbor, Tanja, uses an expression meaning – “Is everything ok?”
Use this expression to show your concern and worry about the poster’s wellbeing.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

können: “to be able to”

dann: “then”

kochen: “to cook”

ohjemine: “oh no”

was ist denn da los?: “what is going on there?”

Student: “student”

sein: “be”

in Ordnung: “ok”

If a friend posted something about being exhausted, which phrase would you use?

Now you know how to say you’re exhausted in German! Well done.

9. Talking about an Injury in German

So life happens, and you manage to hurt yourself during a soccer game. Very Tweet-worthy! Here’s how to do it in German.

Tom suffers a painful injury, posts an image of his foot, and leaves this comment:

POST

Let’s break down Tom’s post.

Fuß eventuell gebrochen! Erstmal kein Fußball!
“Foot possibly broken! No football for now!”

1- Fuß eventuell gebrochen!

First is an expression meaning “Foot possibly broken!.”
This is a short statement giving the main facts. Men often seem to use short statements like this.

2- Erstmal kein Fußball!

Then comes the phrase – “No football for now!.”
This second statement is equally short and typical of social media. Not too much information, just the facts, afterwards friends usually ask for more details.

COMMENTS

In response, Tom ‘s friends leave some comments.

1- Was wird aus unserem Turnier am Wochenende?

His college friend, Cem, uses an expression meaning – “What’ll become of our tournament this weekend?”
Ask this question to either make conversation (Cause the answer should be clear), or to really want information from the poster.

2- Mein armer Schatz!

His girlfriend, Franziska, uses an expression meaning – “My poor sweetheart!”
Use this expression to show you are feeling sorry for your boyfriend.

3- Das klingt gar nicht gut! Kann ich irgendwie helfen?

His neighbor, Tanja, uses an expression meaning – “That doesn’t sound good at all! Can I help in any way?”
Use this expression to show your concern, and to offer help.

4- Du Tollpatsch! Das wird schon wieder!

His high school friend, Katharina, uses an expression meaning – “You klutz! It’ll be alright!”
Use this insult to show your sympathy while also being supportive and encouraging.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

Fuß: “foot”

Turnier: “tournament”

Wochenende: “weekend”

Schatz: “sweetheart”

irgendwie : “in any way”

helfen: “to help “

Tollpatsch: “klutz”

das wird schon wieder: “It will be alright”

If a friend posted something about being injured, which phrase would you use?

We love to share our fortunes and misfortunes; somehow that makes us feel connected to others.

10. Starting a Conversation Feeling Disappointed in German

Sometimes things don’t go the way we planned. Share your disappointment about this with your friends!

Franziska feels disappointed about today’s weather, posts an image of it, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Franziska’s post.

Wann ist endlich Sommer?
“When is it finally summer?”

1- Wann ist endlich Sommer?

First is an expression meaning “When is it finally summer?.”
This is a very common expression used by many people, especially towards the end of winter or during spring. This is a rhetorical question, used to express the poster ́s negative feelings regarding the weather, not actually asking when summer starts.

2- Wann ist endlich Sommer?

Then comes the phrase – “When is it finally summer?.”
Many German people think summer is the best season and think it is too short and not hot enough (temperatures can vary anywhere between 15-35 degrees and it is not very consistent. One day might be hot and sunny, the next cool and rainy). Summer is seen as the time to get outdoors, go swimming or have BBQs. The long evenings (it gets dark at around 9pm in the middle of summer) are enjoyed because during the long winter there is not much sunshine and it gets dark in the afternoon.

COMMENTS

In response, Franziska’s friends leave some comments.

1- Ich komme gerade aus dem Urlaub. Irgendwo ist immer Sommer.

Her college friend, Cem, uses an expression meaning – “I just got back from vacation. There’s always summer somewhere.”
Use these phrases to comment in a chatty way, sharing a bit of personal information.

2- Am Wochenende soll es schön werden!

Her supervisor, Andreas, uses an expression meaning – “It’s supposed to be nice on the weekend!”
Use this expression if you have encouraging news about the weather, with the purpose of being supportive.

3- Sommer, Sonne, Strand und Meer!

Her high school friend, Lisa, uses an expression meaning – “Summer, sun, beach and sea!”
Use this expression to stay part of the conversation.

4- Es wird jeden Tag heller!

Her neighbor, Tanja, uses an expression meaning – “It gets lighter everyday!”
Use this expression if you wish to encourage the poster, and remind them that the end of the bad weather is close.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

endlich: “finally”

kommen: “to come”

sollen: “to be supposed to”

es: “it “

Strand: “beach”

Meer: “sea”

jeden Tag: “every day”

hell: “light”

How would you comment in German when a friend is disappointed?

Not all posts need to be about a negative feeling, though!

11. Talking about Your Relationship Status in German

Don’t just change your relationship status in Settings, talk about it!

Tom changes his status to “In a relationship”, posts an image of him and Franziska together, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Tom ‘s post.

Hinter jedem großen Mann stand immer eine liebende Frau.
“Behind every great man is (always) a loving woman.”

1- Hinter jedem großen Mann stand immer eine liebende Frau.

First is an expression meaning “Behind every great man is always a loving woman..”
This is a quote from Pablo Picasso. Quotes are quite common on social media to get people’s attention and portray your post in a certain light.

2- hinter jedem großen Mann

Then comes the phrase – “behind every great man .”
It usually means tall or big; however, in this case it is used as “great”.

COMMENTS

In response, Tom ‘s friends leave some comments.

1- Ich liebe dich!

His girlfriend, Franziska, uses an expression meaning – “I love you!”
Post this phrase if you like your boyfriend’s post, and if you love him, of course!

2- Oh das freut mich für euch!

His neighbor, Tanja, uses an expression meaning – “Oh, I’m happy for you!”
Use this expression if you are feeling positive and happy for the couple.

3- Ihr seid so ein süßes Paar!

His high school friend, Katharina, uses an expression meaning – “You are such a cute couple!”
Use this expression if you feel optimistic about the relationship.

4- Alles Gute mein bester!

His college friend, Cem, uses an expression meaning – “All the best buddy!”
Use this expression to tease the poster a bit.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

liebend: “loving”

lieben : “love “

oh: “oh”

sich freuen: “to be happy”

süß: “cute”

Paar: “couple”

Alles Gute: “All the best”

Alter: “buddy”

What would you say in German when a friend changes their relationship status?

Being in a good relationship with someone special is good news – don’t be shy to spread it!

12. Post about Getting Married in German

Wow, so things got serious, and you’re getting married. Congratulations! Or, your friend is getting married, so talk about this in German.

Franziska is getting married today, so she leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Franziska’s post.

Der schönste Tag meines Lebens!
“The most beautiful day of my life!”

1- Der schönste Tag meines Lebens!

First is an expression meaning “The most beautiful day of my life!.”
This expression is often used to mean somebody’s wedding day. People understand this is usually related to a wedding even if the posters don’t specifically say they are getting married.

2- der schönste Tag

Then comes the phrase – “the most beautiful day .”
“The most beautiful day” is a powerful statement. Usually people would say something like “it was such a beautiful day.” However, big events like weddings or the birth of a child often use superlatives like “the most beautiful”, “the best”, etc.

COMMENTS

In response, Franziska’s friends leave some comments.

1- Und auch der schönste Tag meines Lebens!

Her husband, Tom , uses an expression meaning – “And also the most beautiful day of my life!”
Use this phrase in response to your new wife’s post.

2- Ich bin so aufgeregt!

Her high school friend, Lisa, uses an expression meaning – “I’m so excited!”
Use this expression if you’re feeling very good about the pending wedding.

3- Endlich ist der Tag gekommen. Meine herzlichsten Glückwünsche!

Her neighbor, Tanja, uses an expression meaning – “Finally, the day has come. My most heartfelt congratulations!”
Use this expression to show you have eagerly awaited the wedding, and want to warmly congratulate the couple.

4- Jetzt gibts kein Zurück mehr!

Her college friend, Cem, uses an expression meaning – “Now there’s no turning back (anymore)!”
Use this expression to tease the couple in a good natured way.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

schön: “beautiful”

auch: “also”

Leben: “life”

aufgeregt: “excited”

endlich: “finally”

Glückwunsch: “congratulations”

zurück: “back”

mehr: “anymore”

How would you respond in German to a friend’s post about getting married?

For the next topic, fast forward about a year into the future after the marriage…

13. Announcing Big News in German

Wow, huge stuff is happening in your life! Announce it in German.

Tom finds out he and his wife are going to have a baby, posts an image of the two of them, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Tom ‘s post.

Aus zwei werden drei! Wir bekommen ein Baby.
“Two are becoming three! We are having a baby.”

1- Aus zwei werden drei!

First is an expression meaning “Two are becoming three!.”
This is a common expression that’s used to announce a pregnancy. Even if there is no “we are having a baby” added, people will usually guess that a baby is on the way.

2- Wir bekommen ein Baby.

Then comes the phrase – “We are having a baby..”
The verb used to express having a baby can literally be translated as “to get” or “to receive”.

COMMENTS

In response, Tom ‘s friends leave some comments.

1- Wir sind so glücklich!

His wife, Franziska, uses an expression meaning – “We are so happy!”
Use this expression to comment positively on your husband’s post about the pregnancy.

2- Herzlichen Glückwunsch! Das ist ein großes Ereignis in jedem Leben.

His supervisor, Andreas, uses an expression meaning – “Congratulations! That’s a big event in a person’s life.”
This is a traditional congratulation, as well as a friendly personal opinion about the event. Use it to keep the conversation going, as other posters may agree with you and share their opinions.

3- Tante Katharina babysittet gerne!

His high school friend, Katharina, uses an expression meaning – “Aunt Katharina is happy to babysit!”
Use this expression to show you are looking forward to the new arrival and hope to help taking care of the baby.

4- Jetzt wird alles anders!

His nephew, Mario, uses an expression meaning – “Now everything will be different!”
Use this expression to tease the posters by appearing pessimistic, using a fact.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

werden: “to become”

glücklich : “happy”

Ereignis: “event”

jeder: “every “

Tante: “aunt”

babysitten: “to babysit”

alles: “everything”

anders: “different”

Which phrase would you choose when a friend announces their pregnancy on social media?

So, talking about a pregnancy will get you a lot of traction on social media. But wait till you see the responses to babies!

14. Posting German Comments about Your Baby

Your bundle of joy is here, and you cannot keep quiet about it! Share your thoughts in German.

Franziska plays with her baby, posts an image of the little angel, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Franziska’s post.

Mein kleiner Sonnenschein!
“My little sunshine!”

1- Mein kleiner Sonnenschein!

An expression meaning “My little sunshine!.” This is a very common expression to refer to babies and small children. This can be used with any other masculine noun to mention that something is either small, such as “my little dog,” or smaller/younger than you, such as “my little brother”.

COMMENTS

In response, Franziska’s friends leave some comments.

1- Ganz der Papa!

Her high school friend, Lisa, uses an expression meaning – “Completely like Daddy!”
Use this comment to make conversation about the baby’s similarity to its father.

2- So ein schönes Bild.

Her neighbor, Tanja, uses an expression meaning – “Such a beautiful picture.”
Use this expression if you appreciate the photo of mother and child.

3- So süß!

Her high school friend, Lisa, uses an expression meaning – “So cute!”
Use this expression to comment on the baby’s charm.

4- Wann übernimmt er die Firma?

Her college friend, Cem, uses an expression meaning – “When is he taking over the company?”
Use this expression if you’re feeling humorous.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

Sonnenschein: “sunshine”

ganz : “completely”

Papa: “Daddy”

so ein: “such a “

Bild: “picture”

so süß: “so cute”

übernehmen: “to take over”

Firma: “company”

If your friend is a new mother or father, which phrase would you use on social media?

Congratulations, you know the basics of chatting about a baby in German! But we’re not done with families yet…

15. German Comments about a Family Reunion

Family reunions – some you love, some you hate. Share about it on your feed.

Tom goes to a family gathering, posts an image of the group, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Tom ‘s post.

Familie ist das wichtigste im Leben!
“Family is the most important thing in life!”

1- Familie ist das wichtigste im Leben!

An expression meaning “Family is the most important thing in life!.” Statements like this are quite common on social media. In this case, the article before the noun is not needed as it means family in general. By capitalizing the “w” you can change the word from an adjective to a noun.

COMMENTS

In response, Tom ‘s friends leave some comments.

1- Es war schön alle wiederzusehen!

His wife, Franziska, uses an expression meaning – “It was nice to see them all again!”
Use this expression to indicate your appreciation of the family.

2- Ich war nur wegen dem Essen da!

His nephew, Mario, uses an expression meaning – “I was just there for the food!”
Use this expression to be humorous with a negative comment. Use carefully, or you could come across as a spoil-sport.

3- Ja, den Kontakt mit seiner Familie muss man pflegen!

His supervisor, Andreas, uses an expression meaning – “Yes, one has to stay in touch with their family.”
Use this expression to agree with the poster’s sentiment.

4- Das sieht nach einem tollen Familienfest aus!

His neighbor, Tanja, uses an expression meaning – “That looks like a great family celebration!”
Use this expression to indicate your appreciation of the poster’s family gathering.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

Familie: “family”

wiedersehen: “to see again”

nur: “just”

da sein: “to be there”

Kontakt: “contact”

pflegen: “to maintain”

aussehen: “to look like”

toll: “great”

Which phrase is your favorite to comment on a friend’s photo about a family reunion?

16. Post about Your Travel Plans in German

So, the family are going on holiday. Do you know to post and leave comments in German about being at the airport, waiting for a flight?

Franziska waits at the airport for her flight, posts a selfie, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Franziska’s post.

Zwei Wochen Sommer, Strand und Meer! Ich kann es gar nicht mehr abwarten!
“Two weeks of summer, beach and sea! I can’t wait!”

1- Zwei Wochen Sommer, Strand und Meer!

First is an expression meaning “Two weeks of summer, beach, and the sea!.”
This is a typical holiday post as the summer, beach and sea are often grouped into one expression. All of these words start with “s” in German, and this expression includes what many German people think is the essence of summer.

2- Ich kann es gar nicht mehr abwarten!

Then comes the phrase – “I can’t wait!.”
This is a very common expression to show you are excited about something, similar to the English “I can’t wait!”.

COMMENTS

In response, Franziska’s friends leave some comments.

1- Aber wir sind mal wieder viel zu früh am Flughafen!

Her husband, Tom, uses an expression meaning – “But we are at the airport way too early once again!”
Use this expression to share personal information.

2- Habt ihr all-inclusive gebucht?

Her college friend, Cem, uses an expression meaning – “Did you book all-inclusive?”
Ask this question if you’re curious about the poster’s booking details, and to keep the conversation going.

3- Viel Spaß! Und keine Sorge, ich werde die Blumen gießen und den Briefkasten leeren!

Her neighbor, Tanja, uses an expression meaning – “Have fun! And don’t worry, I will water the flowers and empty the mailbox!”
Use these phrases to wish the travellers well and be helpful taking care of their home. You will probably have arranged this with them beforehand!

4- Na dann weiß ich ja wo ich hin muss wenn ich sturmfrei haben will.

Her nephew, Mario, uses an expression meaning – “Well then I know where I have to go when I want to have the place to myself.”
Use this phrase to tease the poster with a mock-threat.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

abwarten: “to wait”

mal wieder: “once again”

Flughafen: “airport”

all-inclusive: “all-inclusive”

keine Sorge: “don’t worry”

gießen: “to water”

wissen: “to know”

sturmfrei haben: “to have the place to oneself”

Choose and memorize your best airport phrase in German!

Hopefully the rest of the trip is better!

17. Posting about an Interesting Find in German

So maybe you’re strolling around at a local market, and find something interesting. Here are some handy German phrases!

Tom finds an unusual item at a local market, posts an image of it, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Tom ‘s post.

Weiß jemand was das hier ist?
“Does anyone know what this is?”

1- Weiß jemand

First is an expression meaning “does anyone know.”
This is a general statement, as it refers to anyone reading this that might know something.

2- was das hier ist

Then comes the phrase – “what this is.”
This is also a very general statement. This is commonly used when somebody has no idea what they have found.

COMMENTS

In response, Tom ‘s friends leave some comments.

1- Das frage ich mich auch!

His wife, Franziska, uses an expression meaning – “I am asking myself the same thing!”
Use this expression to indicate your interest in the topic, agree with the poster, and make conversation.

2- Nanu, was habt ihr denn da gefunden?

His neighbor, Tanja, uses an expression meaning – “Oh wow, what have you found there?”
Use this expression to make conversation by asking a rhethorical question.

3- Ein Souvenir für mich?

His nephew, Mario, uses an expression meaning – “A souvenir for me?”
Use this expression if you’re expecting a gift from the poster.

4- Ist es wertvoll?

His college friend, Cem, uses an expression meaning – “Is it valuable?”
Ask this question to indicate your interest in the topic, and would like to know more. Also a good way to keep the conversation going.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

wissen: “to know”

fragen: “to ask”

ich mich auch: “me too”

nanu: “oh wow”

finden: “to find”

Souvenir: “souvenir”

für mich: “for me”

wertvoll: “valuable”

Which phrase would you use to comment on a friend’s interesting find?

Perhaps you will even learn the identity of your find! Or perhaps you’re on holiday, and visiting interesting places…

18. Post about a Sightseeing Trip in German

Let your friends know what you’re up to in German, especially when visiting a remarkable place! Don’t forget the photo.

Franziska visits a famous landmark, posts an image of it, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Franziska’s post.

Es mit eigenen Augen zu sehen ist wirklich beeindruckend!
“Seeing it with your own eyes is really impressive!”

1- Es mit eigenen Augen zu sehen

First is an expression meaning “to see it with your own eyes.”
This is a common expression that is used when you see something famous in person instead of on TV or in pictures.

2- ist wirklich beeindruckend

Then comes the phrase – “is really impressive.”
This is a common expression used when you are impressed by something.

COMMENTS

In response, Franziska’s friends leave some comments.

1- Einer der Höhepunkte unserer Reise finde ich!

Her husband, Tom , uses an expression meaning – “One of the highlights of our trip, I think!”
Use this comment if you’re in agreement with your wife about the landmark’s importance.

2- Postkarte bitte!

Her high school friend, Lisa, uses an expression meaning – “Postcard please!”
Use this phrase to indicate you’d like to receive a postcard from the poster of that location.

3- Oh wenn ich nochmal jung wäre würde ich glatt mitkommen!

Her supervisor, Andreas, uses an expression meaning – “Oh, if I was young again, I would even come with you!”
Use this comment if you wish it was possible for you to travel to that destination too.

4- Oh wirklich super!

Her husband’s high school friend, Katharina, uses an expression meaning – “Oh, really great!”
Use this expression to show you’re impressed and agree with the poster.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

beeindruckend: “impressive”

Höhepunkt: “highlight”

Reise: “trip”

Postkarte: “postcard”

bitte: “please”

jung: “young”

mitkommen: “to come along”

super: “great”

Which phrase would you prefer when a friend posts about a famous landmark?

Share your special places with the world. Or simply post about your relaxing experiences.

19. Post about Relaxing Somewhere in German

So you’re doing nothing yet you enjoy that too? Tell your social media friends about it in German!

Tom relaxes at a beautiful place, posts an image of it, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Tom ‘s post.

Endlich kommt man mal zur Ruhe!
“Finally coming to a rest for once!”

1- Endlich mal

First is an expression meaning “Finally for once.”
This is a common expression. The “finally” indicates that they have been working hard or have been stressed for a while and now is a rare time to relax.

2- zur Ruhe kommen!

Then comes the phrase – “coming to a rest.”
This is a common expression used after people finish work or when they have been stressed or angry and are trying to calm down.

COMMENTS

In response, Tom ‘s friends leave some comments.

1- Sieht aus wie damals auf Klassenfahrt!

His high school friend, Katharina, uses an expression meaning – “Looks like back then on the class trip!”
Use this comment to remind the poster of a previous experience, probably in your youth together.

2- Nicht schlecht!

His nephew, Mario, uses an expression meaning – “Not bad!”
Use this expression to show you are rather impressed.

3- In der Ruhe liegt die Kraft!

His neighbor, Tanja, uses an expression meaning – “The strength lies in serenity.”
This is a personal opinion about the poster’s situation.

4- Entspannung muss auch mal sein!

His supervisor, Andreas, uses an expression meaning – “Relaxation is needed sometimes!”
Use this expression to agree with the poster’s activity and even encourage them.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

zur Ruhe kommen: “come to a rest”

damals: “back then”

Klassenfahrt: “class trip”

schlecht: “bad”

Ruhe: “serenity”

Kraft: “strength”

Entspannung: “relaxation”

muss sein: “has to be”

Which phrase would you use to comment on a friend’s feed?

The break was great, but now it’s time to return home.

20. What to Say in German When You’re Home Again

And you’re back! What will you share with friends and followers?

Franziska returns home after a vacation, posts an image of it, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Franziska’s post.

Endlich zuhause! Wir haben euch vermisst!
“Finally home! We missed you!”

1- Endlich zuhause!

First is an expression meaning “Finally home!”
This is a common expression used when returning home after a long day or a long trip.

2- Wir haben euch vermisst!

Then comes the phrase – “We missed you!”
This is very common amongst friends and family when someone is gone for a while.

COMMENTS

In response, Franziska’s friends leave some comments.

1- Auf zu neuen Taten!

Her husband, Tom, uses an expression meaning – “On to new things!”
Use this expression to make conversation.

2- Willkommen zurück! Es war so ruhig ohne euch!

Her neighbor, Tanja, uses an expression meaning – “Welcome back! It was so quiet without you!”
This is a traditional welcome greeting for people returning from a trip, while also sharing a personal feeling or experience.

3- Du musst mir unbedingt alles erzählen! Kaffeekränzchen?

Her high school friend, Lisa, uses an expression meaning – “You really have to tell me everything! Coffee get-together?”
Use this expression to indicate that you’re curious about the poster’s trip and wish to know more about on a date.

4- Vielen Dank für den Urlaubsgruß!

Her supervisor, Andreas, uses an expression meaning – “Thank you very much for the greeting from (your) vacation!”
This is appropriate if the poster has sent you a postcard or perhaps a personal text during their holiday.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

vermissen: “to miss”

auf zu: “on to”

ruhig: “quiet”

ohne euch: “without you”

erzählen: “to tell”

Kaffeekränzchen: “coffee get-together”

vielen Dank: “thank you very much”

Urlaubsgruß: “greeting from vacation”

How would you welcome a friend back from a trip?

What do you post on social media on celebratory days such as Christmas and New Year?

21. It’s Time to Celebrate in German

It’s a holiday and you wish to post something about it on social media. What would you say?

Tom would like to share some good wishes. He posts an image of it, and leaves this comment:

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Let’s break down Tom ‘s post.

Ich wünsche allen frohe Weihnachten und einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!
“I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!”

1- Ich wünsche allen frohe Weihnachten und einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!

First is an expression meaning “I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!.”
This is the standard holiday greeting in Germany used throughout December. It is usually said during the days/week(s) before Christmas and includes “Happy New Year” since many people don’t see each other between Christmas and New Year, because that is often family time. On Christmas day people would only say “Merry Christmas”.

2- einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr

Then comes the phrase – “Happy New Year.”
The literal translation is “a good slide into the new year”. This is the most common New Year’s greeting before the New Year.

COMMENTS

In response, Tom ‘s friends leave some comments.

1- Unser erstes Weihnachten zu Dritt!

His wife, Franziska, uses an expression meaning – “Our first Christmas as three!”
Use this expression to show you are happy about an unofficial milestone as a family.

2- Heute Abend Glühwein?

His college friend, Cem, uses an expression meaning – “Mulled wine tonight?”
Use this question to make a suggestion.

3- Es war schön euch gestern auf dem Weihnachtsmarkt zu treffen!

His high school friend, Katharina, uses an expression meaning – “It was nice meeting you at the Christmas market yesterday!”
Use these phrases if you have met the poster at a Christmas market, and want to comment on how pleasant the meeting was for you.

4- Ich bringe euch nachher Weihnachtskekse vorbei!

His neighbor, Tanja, uses an expression meaning – “I will bring over Christmas cookies for you later on!”
Use this expression to make plans with the poster, and be generous.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

wünschen: “to wish”

Weihnachten: “Christmas”

Abend: “evening”

Glühwein: “mulled wine”

Weihnachtsmarkt: “Christmas market”

treffen: “to meet”

Weihnachtskekse: “Christmas cookies”

vorbeibringen: “to bring over”

If a friend posted something about a holiday, which phrase would you use?

Holidays are not the only special dates to remember!

22. Posting about a Birthday on Social Media in German

Your friend or you are celebrating your birthday in an unexpected way. Be sure to share this on social media!

Franziska goes to her birthday party, posts an image of the party, and leaves this comment:

POST

Let’s break down Franziska’s post.

Und wieder ein Jahr älter! Aber Geburtstagsfeiern werden nie langweilig!
“And another year older again! But birthday parties will never get boring!”

1- Und wieder ein Jahr älter!

First is an expression meaning “And another year older again!.”
This is a common phrase used by adults to describe their birthdays.

2- Aber Geburtstagsfeiern werden nie langweilig!

Then comes the phrase – “But birthday parties will never get boring!.”
In Germany, children often bring cake or sweets to school on their birthday. Saying “Happy Birthday” before the actual day is considered bad luck, and German people would never celebrate a birthday early.

COMMENTS

In response, Franziska’s friends leave some comments.

1- Nur das Beste für das neue Lebensjahr! Mögen alle deine Wünsche in Erfüllung gehen!

Her neighbor, Tanja, uses an expression meaning – “Only the best for your new year of life! May all your wishes come true!”
Use these are warm birthday wishes to the poster.

2- Tja, wir werden nicht jünger was?

Her nephew, Mario, uses an expression meaning – “Well, we’re not getting younger, hmm?”
Use this expression to tease the poster.

3- Wir sind wie gute Weine! Wir werden besser mit dem Alter!

Her high school friend, Lisa, uses an expression meaning – “We are like good wine! We get better with age!”
Use this expression to positively comment on the poster’s improved appearance and being.

4- Alles Gute! Ich freu mich auf die Party!

Her husband’s high school friend, Katharina, uses an expression meaning – “All the best! I am looking forward to the party!”
Post this if you are on your way to the poster’s party, and are congratulating them in advance.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

und wieder: “and again”

nur das Beste: “only the best”

in Erfüllung gehen: “to come true”

tja: “well”

was?: “hmm?”

Wein: “wine”

Alter: “age”

Party : “party “

If a friend posted something about a birthday, which phrase would you use?

23. Talking about New Year on Social Media in German

Impress your friends with your German New Year’s wishes this year. Learn the phrases easily!

Tom celebrates the New Year, posts an image of it, and leaves this comment:

POST

Let’s break down Tom ‘s post.

Frohes Neues Jahr! Wer hat gute Vorsätze fürs neue Jahr?
“Happy New Year! Who has resolutions for the new year?”

1- Frohes Neues Jahr!

First is an expression meaning “Happy New Year!.”
This is said at midnight and during the first few days of the new year.

2- Wer hat gute Vorsätze fürs neue Jahr?

Then comes the phrase – “Who has resolutions for the new year?.”
Literally this means “good resolutions” or “good intentions”. It is the standard expression to use when people talk about New Year’s resolutions.

COMMENTS

In response, Tom ‘s friends leave some comments.

1- Frohes Neues Jahr! Jeder kann an sich arbeiten und heute ist der beste Tag damit anzufangen!

His neighbor, Tanja, uses an expression meaning – “Happy New Year! Everybody can work on themselves and today is the best day to begin!”
This is a traditional New Year wish, and a personal opinion about New Year’s resolutions.

2- Auf ein weiteres erfolgreiches Jahr!

His college friend, Cem, uses an expression meaning – “To another successful year!”
This is a salutation of and wish for the New Year.

3- Frohes Neues Jahr! Ich bin mir sicher es wird ein gutes Jahr!

His high school friend, Katharina, uses an expression meaning – “Happy New Year! I am sure it will be a good year!”
This is again the traditional New Year’s wish, plus a personal opinion.

4- Zählt “mehr Mädelsurlaube mit deiner Frau” als guter Vorsatz?

His wife’s high school friend, Lisa, uses an expression meaning – “Does “more girl holidays with your wife” count as a resolution?”
Use this expression to be funny.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

haben: “to have”

anfangen: “to begin “

auf ein weiteres : “to another”

erfolgreich: “successful “

sich sicher sein: “to be sure”

Jahr: “year”

zählen: “count”

Mädelsurlaub: “girls’ holiday”

Which is your favorite phrase to post on social media during New Year?

But before New Year’s Day comes another important day…

24. What to Post on Christmas Day in German

What will you say in German about Christmas?

Franziska celebrates Christmas with her family, posts an image of it, and leaves this comment:

POST

Let’s break down Franziska’s post.

Frohe Weihnachten! Ich hoffe jeder feiert mit seinen Lieben und findet viele Geschenke unter dem Weihnachtsbaum!
“Merry Christmas! I hope everyone celebrates with their loved ones and finds a lot of presents under the Christmas tree!”

1- Frohe Weihnachten! Ich hoffe jeder feiert mit seinen Lieben

First is an expression meaning “Merry Christmas! I hope everyone celebrates with their loved ones .”
It is common to say that you hope everyone is celebrating with their loved ones.

2- und findet viele Geschenke unter dem Weihnachtsbaum!

Then comes the phrase – “and finds a lot of presents under the Christmas tree!.”
Saying you hope that people will find many presents under the Christmas tree is a very common expression related to Christmas. In Germany, presents are opened on the evening of the 24th of December.

COMMENTS

In response, Franziska’s friends leave some comments.

1- Der Weihnachtsmann hat mich wohl dieses Jahr vergessen!

Her nephew, Mario, uses an expression meaning – “Santa Claus seems to have forgotten me this year!”
Use this expression to show you are feeling excluded.

2- Wir haben immer jede Menge Essen übrig also kommt ruhig vorbei in den nächsten Tagen!

Her neighbor, Tanja, uses an expression meaning – “We always have plenty of food left over so don’t hesitate to come over in the next few days!”
Use this expression as an invitation to the poster to visit for casual meals.

3- Frohe Weihnachten an die ganze Familie! Vielleicht sieht man sich in der Kirche?

Her supervisor, Andreas, uses an expression meaning – “Merry Christmas to the whole family! Maybe we will see each other at church?”
This is a traditional Christmas wish to the whole family. Use the question only if you are going to church yourself.

4- Ich hab deine Geschenke schon ausgepackt! Woher wusstest du, dass ich genau das haben wollte?

Her high school friend, Lisa, uses an expression meaning – “I have already opened your presents! How did you know exactly what I wanted?”
Use this expression to show your appreciation for the poster’s gift.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

Weihnachtsbaum: “Christmas tree”

Weihnachtsmann: “Santa Claus”

jede Menge: “plenty of “

in den nächsten Tagen: “in the next few days”

vielleicht: “maybe”

Kirche: “church”

Geschenke auspacken: “open presents”

haben wollen: “to want to have”

If a friend posted something about Christmas greetings, which phrase would you use?

So, the festive season is over! Yet, there will always be other days, besides a birthday, to wish someone well.

25. Post about Your Anniversary in German

Some things deserve to be celebrated, like wedding anniversaries. Learn which German phrases are meaningful and best suited for this purpose!

Tom celebrates his wedding anniversary with his wife, posts an image of them together, and leaves this comment:

POST

Let’s break down Tom ‘s post.

Ein ereignisreiches Jahr! Auf die Zukunft!
“An eventful year! To the future!”

1- Ein ereignisreiches Jahr!

First is an expression meaning “An eventful year!.”
This is a common expression. The literal translation is “a year rich in events” or “a year rich in happenings”. It can be used both for good and not so good experiences, as it simply means a lot has happened, not necessarily all good.

2- Auf die Zukunft!

Then comes the phrase – “To the future!.”
This is a common toast. It can be used for anniversaries, in business, or in general when friends are out having a drink. It is a very broad statement.

COMMENTS

In response, Tom ‘s friends leave some comments.

1- Ein wunderbares Jahr! Auf viele weitere!

His wife, Franziska, uses an expression meaning – “A wonderful year! To many more!”
Use these phrases if you agree with your husband’s post.

2- Ist der Junggesellenabschied wirklich schon so lange her?

His college friend, Cem, uses an expression meaning – “Was the bachelor party really that long ago?”
Use this expression to reminisce and point out how fast the time went.

3- Auf viele weitere harmonische Jahre zusammen!

His high school friend, Katharina, uses an expression meaning – “To many more harmonious years together!”
Use this expression to wish the couple well.

4- Feiert schön!

His neighbor, Tanja, uses an expression meaning – “Have fun celebrating!”
Use this expression to wish the couple merry celebrations.

VOCABULARY

Find below the key vocabulary for this lesson:

Zukunft: “future “

wunderbar: “wonderful”

viele weitere: “many more”

Junggesellenabschied: “bachelor party”

lange her sein: “to be a long time ago”

harmonisch: “harmonious”

zusammen: “together”

feiern: “to celebrate “

If a friend posted something about Anniversary greetings, which phrase would you use?

Conclusion

Learning to speak a new language will always be easier once you know key phrases that everybody uses. These would include commonly used expressions for congratulations and best wishes, etc.

Master these in fun ways with Learn German! We offer a variety of tools to individualize your learning experience, including using cell phone apps, audiobooks, iBooks and many more. Never wonder again what to say on social media!

Did you do it? Well, you’d better fess up.

Or make amends, apologize, beg forgiveness, admit guilt, cop a plea…say sorry.

We’ve got a lot of ways to talk about doing this in English, just like we do for lots of everyday concepts. And yes, apologizing is an everyday concept, even if you’re a good person.

For that reason, it’s important that you learn how to say “sorry” in German. Imagine yourself making several different mistakes, then consult this guide to see exactly how you should atone for each one.

We’ll also break down the language for you so you can understand what you’re saying. All the better for a sincere apology.

Now, the big question:

What have you done?
Was hast du gemacht?

1. Level 1: You Made a Careless Mistake but it was Okay
2. Level 2: You Made a Careless Mistake and it was Really Bad
3. Level 3: You Hurt Someone but They’ll Get Over It
4. Level 4: You Knowingly Hurt Someone and it was Really Bad
5. Bonus: Sorry When You Don’t Mean Sorry
6. Conclusion

1. Level 1: You Made a Careless Mistake but it was Okay

1- You’re Sitting in Someone’s Seat (Du sitzt in dem Platz von jemandem anderen)

Germany is famous for its public transportation and the quality of its trains.

Even in such a well-run system, it’s still possible for mistakes to be made about tickets.

Somebody may approach you and say:

– Entschuldigung, aber das ist mein Platz.
– Sorry, but that’s my seat.

To which you can simply reply:

– Entschuldigung!
– Excuse me!

This first word is interesting. Let’s look at it, because you’ll hear and use it a lot.

It translates pretty well to “excuse me” in English, but why is it so long? We can break it up into ent-schuld-ig-ung with the root, schuld, meaning “guilt” or “fault.” Each of the other parts changes the meaning slightly.

The ent– prefix adds the sense of “removal” to whatever comes after. –ig turns a noun into an adjective, so schuldig means guilty or at fault. And –ung turns it into a noun—think “guilt.”

Therefore, if we really dissect it, the word for “excuse me” in German is kind of like saying “removal of guilt.” Pretty neat! The more German you learn, the more you’ll be able to easily parse long words like this.

So if you’re wondering how to say “sorry to bother you” in German or want to know German for “sorry for the inconvenience,” this is a good option.

And yes, you can use Entschuldigung both to get someone’s attention and to offer an apology. I suppose London isn’t that far from Germany after all. Let’s move on.

2- You Stepped on Someone’s Foot (Du bist jemandem auf den Fuss getreten)

We’ve all done it. Whether at a crowded bar or in a crowded train, accidents like this happen.

This is another great place to bust out the Entschuldigung. Plenty of English speakers would do the same thing—“Oh, excuse me!”

Lots of people also say “oops” for the same situation. In Germany, they make the same sound, but it’s spelled Ups!

– Ups! Entschuldigung!
– Oops! Sorry!

You don’t need to make a big deal out of little mishaps like that.

You’ll probably hear a quick and friendly Kein Ding, meaning “it’s nothing” or “no problem.”

But what if the mishap was slightly larger?

2. Level 2: You Made a Careless Mistake and it was Really Bad

1- You Knocked a Hot Drink All Over Somebody (Du hast ein heisses Getränk auf jemanden geschüttet)

Autsch! Well, you didn’t mean it. And they probably needed to wash that shirt anyway. Still, you can’t brush something like that off with an Entschuldigung alone. Instead:

– Ach nein! Entschuldigung! Tut mir Leid!
– Oh no! Sorry! So sorry!

Tut mir Leid is another extremely common phrase that you’ll see a few times in this article. It’s a shortened form of es tut mir Leid, which literally means “it does me sorrow.” That sounds pretty hefty in translation, but of course it doesn’t carry that strong of a connotation in German.

You’ll probably want to do something to help rectify the situation, like saying:

– Ich hole Ihnen eine Serviette.
– “I’ll get you (some) napkins.”

Or better, if you’re able to:

– Ich kaufe Ihnen … [einen neuen Kaffee, ein neues Bier].
– I’ll buy you [a new coffee, a new beer].

Here we’re using the formal Sie (seen here in its grammatical form Ihnen) because this situation is much more likely to happen to people that you don’t know. And when you’ve just ruined someone’s morning, you’ll want to be as polite as possible.

If you’re not in range of a coffee shop/biergarten, this step isn’t necessary. Something that you might need to replace, though, is…

2- You Dropped Someone’s Phone and the Screen Cracked (Du hast das Handy von jemandem fallen lassen und der Bildschirm ist zerbrochen)

Yeah, you’re gonna need to offer some assistance here. First, start off with:

– Es tut mir wirklich Leid!
– I’m really so sorry!

Then try to do what you can to fix the situation.

– Ich kenne jemanden, der das in Ordnung bringen kann.
– “I know someone who can fix it.”

If you’re borrowing someone’s phone it’s probably a friend’s, so you can suggest:

– Es war meine Schuld. Ich werde es zur Reperatur bringen.
– It was my fault. I’ll get it repaired.

There’s that word Schuld again from Entschuldigung. While Entschuldigung (despite its length) is a light and common word, to use the root Schuld is more serious and comes out when there’s someone to blame for something.

3- You Made a Business Mistake and Cost Your Company Clients (Du hast einen Fehler bei der Arbeit gemacht und deine Firma um Kunden gebracht)

Here’s a chance to make amends using much more formal language than in the other examples. Depending on your business, this might be something that can be easily forgiven or it might merit some kind of punishment.

Better to err on the safe side when you fess up.

– Ich hoffe, dass Sie meine aufrichtige Entschuldigung akzeptieren.
– I hope you accept my sincere apologies.

Here we’ve again used the formal Sie and used a great set phrase, aufrichtige Entschuldigung. Now to convince your boss not to give you the boot immediately:

– Ich verspreche, dass ich in Zukunft vorsichtiger sein werde.
– I promise to be more careful in the future.

Vorsicht is another word we can take apart quite cleanly. Sicht means “sight,” and vor is a preposition meaning “before.” So before-sight literally means “caution” or “attention,” and sure enough the word Vorsicht! is often printed in big letters on danger signs all over Europe.

3. Level 3: You Hurt Someone but They’ll Get Over It

1- You Ate the Last of Your Roommate’s Food (Du hast das letzte Essen deines Mitbewohners gegessen)

Oh gosh. That can actually be pretty rude in Germany, where people are more used to their privacy and personal space.

The best thing to do is to apologize sincerely.

– Es tut mir Leid. Ich hätte das nicht tun sollen.
– I’m very sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.

This is a great example of how the German language can stack up verbs at the end of the sentence. This article isn’t going to go into depth about German verbs and how they work, but I’ll tell you that this is the memory anchor I use to talk about this tense.

Anytime I want to express “shouldn’t have […],” I think about the phrase “I shouldn’t have done it,” and remember how the verbs are ordered. This is faster than applying a list of rules!

In any case, your roommate has probably lost some trust in you. That’s only natural—those cookies were homemade! So you should try to convince them that you’ll change. Here are two great sentences for that:

– Ich werde das nie wieder tun.
– I’ll never do it again.

– Wie wäre es, wenn ich dir ein Abendessen koche?
– How about I cook you dinner?

This is another perfect phrase you can fit into a lot of situations. “How about if…” / wie wäre es, wenn…

How about if you were on the other side of that situation—and you overreacted?

2- You Got Angry and Shouted at a Friend (Du bist wütend auf einen Freund geworden und hast ihn/sie angeschriehen)

This is a perfect situation to use that “I shouldn’t have done it” phrase. In addition, you might also try explaining why you were so hurt.

– Ich war schlecht gelaunt, also…
– I was in a bad mood, so…

– Ich war wütend auf dich, weil…
– I was angry at you because…

But just explaining why you lost your temper doesn’t always go far enough. You’ll also have to apologize sincerely (try once more with es tut mir Leid).

Depending on the relationship you have with your friend, it may be appropriate to promise that you won’t do it again. Displays of anger really don’t tend to fit in with German culture, and they may have a bigger effect on your friends than you realize.

4. Level 4: You Knowingly Hurt Someone and it was Really Bad

Oh, dear reader, why do you do these things?

1- Somebody Lost their Job Because of You (Wegen dir hat jemand seinen Job verloren)

This would probably be a situation where a lengthy letter of apology is more appropriate than a couple of phrases. And you might want to wait a little bit to give them time to cool off.

Keeping in mind that what you say is going to hinge on your individual circumstances, here are some good things you can try to work into your apology.

– Ich habe einen schrecklichen Fehler (bei der Beurteilung) begangen.
– I made a terrible mistake (in judgment).

– Bitte nehmen Sie meine Entschuldigung an.
– Please accept my apology.

Once more, because this is a work environment, you’ll want to use Sie. Even if you previously used du with that person, if your mistake has really caused a rift between you, it may seem rude to address them with du.

2- You Stole Something from a Friend or Family Member (Du hast irgendetwas von einem Freund oder einem Familienmitglied gestohlen)

Remember that handy phrase from earlier, “I shouldn’t have done it”? Your mistakes here have now provided you with the opportunity to get more German practice in by explaining exactly what it was that you shouldn’t have done.

– Ich hätte es nicht nehmen sollen, ohne zu fragen.
– I shouldn’t have taken it without asking.

Not only that, though, you did something pretty bad. That means that you’ve got to acknowledge that fact in clear and direct language. It’s no good to beat around the bush here—in Germany, blunt honesty about your own faults is the best policy.

– Es war falsch von mir.
– I was very wrong to do it.

Last, let’s add a bit about how much your evil deeds have hurt you too.

– Ich habe dich verletzt, und das tut mir furchtbar Leid.
– I hurt you and I feel awful about it.

Words, of course, are only words. Time will tell if you’ve really changed, and that’s what makes the biggest difference when you apologize.

5. Bonus: Sorry When You Don’t Mean Sorry

No, I’m not talking about being unrepentant!

There’s one other time when English-speakers commonly say “Sorry,” and that’s when they don’t hear something clearly.

In German, as in many other European languages, this is expressed with the word for “how,” not the word for “what” as in English.

– Wie bitte?
– Sorry? / What did you say?

If you didn’t quite hear something clearly (or you’ve slacked off on your vocab study) then saying wie bitte will let people know they need to speak up a bit.

The nuances of bitte deserve their own post. Suffice it to say that it often means “please” or just adds a flair of politeness to everyday interactions, such as:

– Bitte schön!
– Here you go!

You’ll hear this all the time in cafes or grocery stores in Germany. Any time you’re handing something over to somebody else, use this phrase and you can’t go wrong.

Conclusion

Apologies are complex things that rarely conform to a guide.

It’s easy enough to say “oops, excuse me” for little things, but larger mistakes take skill in interpersonal communication more than anything else.

A really great way to pick up on these social cues (which may be quite different in Germany than what you’re used to) is to watch plenty of TV in German. Somebody’s always apologizing for something in a soap opera!

One thing’s for sure: If you ever find yourself in that situation, the more prepared you are, the better. If all goes well, your honest feelings and heartfelt words will save the day.

If you’d like to learn more about German culture, as well as additional vocabulary, be sure to visit us at GermanPod101.com! Also check out our online community forums to discuss lessons with fellow German-learners, and download our MyTeacher app for a one-on-one learning experience.

We here at GermanPod101.com hope that this article gave you the tools you need to apologize in German. Remember, practice makes perfect. So go step on someone’s foot and tell them sorry in German. (No, please don’t!)

Author: Yassir Sahnoun is a HubSpot certified content strategist, copywriter and polyglot who works with language learning companies. He helps companies attract sales using content strategy, copywriting, blogging, email marketing & more.

At one point, Germany was divided into two sections, separated by the Berlin Wall. This division had many negative effects on Germans of both sides, including the inability to visit friends or family living on the opposite side. In 1990, the Berlin Wall fell at last, reuniting the two sides of Germany, and thus making the country what it is today.

In this article, we’ll be going over some more-detailed history leading up to the fall of the Berlin Wall and German Unity Day 1990, as well as current celebrations of this day. You’ll also learn additional facts about German Unity Day, such as why the holiday’s date was chosen.

Knowing this facet of German’s history will give you much insight into the Germany of today, and make your German learning that much more meaningful.

At GermanPod101.com, we hope to make every aspect of your language-learning journey both fun and informative!

1. German Unity Day History: What is Unity Day?

Germany was divided into two states before the fall of the Berlin wall—the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). Since reunification in 1990, the East German states have again been a part of the Federal Republic.

The East German government erected the Berlin Wall on the night of August 12 and 13, 1961, because they wanted to prevent the escape of people to the Western part. The wall tore families who lived in East and West Berlin apart and made it impossible to visit friends and relatives. While the East German population could not legally travel to the West, even the West German population had the option of traveling to East Berlin through certain transit routes only.

In the GDR, frequent protests were held in 1989. Many citizens called for “freedom to travel instead of mass exodus” and declared their displeasure in prayers for peace, among others, at the Nikolai Church in Leipzig. The motto of the Monday demonstrations was “We are the people!” The peaceful revolution developed into a mass movement across the GDR and thus increased the pressure on the government of the GDR to remove the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989.

2. When is Unity Day of Germany?

Each year, Germans celebrate the German Unity Day on October 3.

3. German Unity Celebrations

A street festival is held every year in different state capitals of Germany, which is also called the Ländermeile (State Mile), and where everyone celebrates the reunification of Germany. For a few years, people also visit Berlin Concerts at the Brandenburg Gate and Straße des 17. Juni.

The term Ostalgie, which is a portmanteau of “east” and “nostalgia,” describes the currently existing curiosity about the East German way of life and the interest in former East German products such as the Trabant or Ampelmännchen (the walking figure seen in pedestrian traffic lights).

4. Why October 3?

Why was October 3 chosen as the German Unity Day holiday?

With the signing of the contract agreement, the reunification of Germany took place on October 3, 1990. November 9 has some negative connotations because of other historical events, so October 3 was chosen as the Day of German Unity.

5. Essential Vocabulary for German Unity Day

Here’s a glimpse of the vocabulary you need to know for Unity Day in Germany!

• Berlin — Berlin
• Thüringen — Thuringia
• Sachsen-Anhalt — Saxony-Anhalt
• Mecklenburg-Vorpommern — Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania
• 3. Oktober — October 3
• Einigungsvertrag — German reunification treaty
• Nationalfeiertag — National holiday
• Deutsche Wiedervereinigung — German reunification
• Brandenburg — Brandenburg
• Sachsen-Anhalt — Sachsen-Anhalt
• Neue Länder — New states of Germany
• Bundesrepublik Deutschland — Federal Republic of Germany
• Zwei-plus-Vier-Vertrag — Two plus Four Treaty

To hear each vocabulary word pronounced and accompanied by a relevant image, check out our German Unity Day vocabulary list!

How GermanPod101 Can Help You Learn About German Culture

What are your thoughts on this German holiday, and the history of division behind it? What’s the most important holiday in your own country? Let us know in the comments; we look forward to hearing from you!

To continue learning about German culture and the language, explore GermanPod101.com. We provide an array of fun and effective learning tools for every learner, at every level:

• Insightful blog posts on a variety of cultural and language-related topics
• Free vocabulary lists covering a range of topics and themes
• Podcasts and videos to improve your listening and pronunciation skills
• Mobile apps to learn German anywhere, on your own time
• Much, much more!

If you’re interested in a more one-on-one learning approach, be sure to upgrade to Premium Plus. Doing so will give you access to your own German teacher who will help you develop a personalized learning plan tailored to your needs and goals. Yes, really!

It takes a huge amount of dedication to set out learning a language, and even more to master that language. At GermanPod101, we know it’s not always an easy road. Know that you have our constant support, and that with enough hard work and perseverance, you’ll be speaking, writing, and reading German like a native before you know it!

Happy German Unity Day!

We’re sure that the name Oktoberfest rings a bell (or several).

During Oktoberfest, Germany enjoys a long celebration focused on great food, fun music, and of course, lots of beer! But did you know that for Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany even has events for the kids?

In this article, you’ll learn about the traditions of Oktoberfest Munich observes each year. As one of Germany’s most well-known and beloved holidays, knowing the celebrations behind it are essential in understanding German culture. This, in turn, will help you get a better grasp of the language.

At GermanPod101.com, we hope to make every aspect of your learning journey both fun and informative. So drink up, and let’s get started…

1. What is Oktoberfest?

Introduced in 1810 by Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, the Oktoberfest, or Wiesn, attracted around seven-million people from all over the world in 2011. This all-day event is held annually in September and October at Theresienwiese in Munich, and lasts between sixteen and eighteen days.

2. When is Oktoberfest in Germany?

The date of Oktoberfest varies slightly from year to year, but always begins in September and ends the first Sunday in October. For your convenience, here’s a list of Oktoberfest’s start and end dates for the next ten years.

• 2019: September 21 to October 6
• 2020: September 19 to October 4
• 2021: September 18 to October 3
• 2022: September 17 to October 3
• 2023: September 16 to October 3
• 2024: September 21 to October 6
• 2025: September 20 to October 5
• 2026: September 19 to October 4
• 2027: September 18 to October 3
• 2028: September 16 to October 3

3. Traditions & Celebrations for Oktoberfest

At the festival-opening Wiesn-Einzug parade, which runs through the center of Munich, the festival innkeepers participate with their decorated carriages, musical bands, and showmen. The official opening of the festival is followed not only by the home crowd, but also by viewers from around the world on TV or online. With the slogan O’zapft is and the tapping of the first keg by the mayor of Munich, the festival begins.

Traditional Oktoberfest costumes include the dirndl dress for women and leather trousers for men. People usually visit the Oktoberfest with their friends, work colleagues, or partners. People eat and drink in the tents, and sway and dance while pop music and traditional Bavarian brass music play in the background. The larger of the fourteen tents, such as the Hofbräu festival tent, can accommodate up to 12,000 people.

Many families visit the Oktoberfest in the afternoon with their children. A carousel, Ferris wheel, and other rides are there for their enjoyment. Bavarian specialties such as chicken, pretzels, Bavarian cheese, and pork and veal sausages are very popular. The popularity of the festival is also evident from the fact that some of the cities, like Mainz and Konstanz, organize their own Oktoberfests.

Munich breweries brew a special beer for Oktoberfest that contains more of the original wort and higher alcohol content of around six or seven percent, which is known as Märzen.

4. How Much Beer?

On average, how many liters of beer do Germans consume per capita annually?

Each year, Germans consume an average of 125 liters of beer per capita in Germany. Cheers!

5. Essential Oktoberfest Vocabulary

Here’s some vocabulary you need to know for Oktoberfest in Germany!

• Oktoberfest — Oktoberfest
• Dirndl — Dirndl
• Oans, zwoa, gsuffa! — One, Two, Drink up!
• Obatzda — Obatzda
• Hendl — Hendl
• Zur Wiesn gehen — Go to the Oktoberfest
• Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit! — Cheers, here’s to “cosiness!”
• Eine Maß Bier — One liter of beer
• Lederhosen — Lederhosen
• Volksfest — Folk festival
• Blaskapelle — Brass band

To hear each of these vocabulary words pronounced, check out our Oktoberfest vocabulary list!

How GermanPod101 Can Help You Master German!

We hope you enjoyed learning about Oktoberfest with us, and that you learned some new facts. But most importantly, we hope you’re ready to partake in celebrations. 😉

Have you ever experienced an Oktoberfest celebration in Germany, or do you plan to? Does your country have similar celebrations? Let us know in the comments!

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Until next time, we wish you a Happy Oktoberfest! 🙂