Culture Class: Essential German Vocabulary
Let German culture be your guide as you build up essential vocabulary and phrases.
Beginner

Curriculum

Culture Class: Essential German Vocabulary

What are the 5 most popular sweets in Germany? What vocabulary do I need to know to have a conversation with German-speaking locals? You'll learn all this and more in this Culture Class Series! Vocabulary is essential to mastering German. In this 25-lesson series, you'll learn the *most* essential German vocabulary words related to culture and daily life. These words have been hand picked by our German native speakers and cover topics like popular German dishes, national holidays and cities.

Lesson # Title
(English)
Topic
(English)
Target sentences
(Target Language)
1 National Holidays Daily Life Tag der Deutschen Einheit (3. Oktober)
Tag der Arbeit (1. Mai)
Christi Himmelfahrt (39 Tage nach Ostersonntag)
Neujahrstag (1. Januar)
Karfreitag (Freitag vor Ostern)
2 Food Food & Drink Currywurst
Sauerkraut
Weißwurst
Bratwurst
Schnitzel mit Kartoffelsalat
3 Drinks Food & Drink Apfelsaftschorle
Kaffee
Bier
Sekt
Schnaps
4 Home-cooked Meals Food & Drink Frikassee
Geschnetzeltes
Gulasch
Königsberger Klopse
Spaghetti Bolognese
5 Sweets and Desserts Food & Drink Berliner Pfannkuchen
Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte
Rosinenschnecke
Lebkuchen
Gummibärchen
6 Fruits Food & Drink Apfel
Kirsche
Erdbeere
Himbeere
Traube
7 Vegetables Food & Drink Kohl
Kartoffel
Tomate
Zwiebel
Gurke
8 Food Souvenirs Food & Drink Christstollen
Lübecker Marzipan
Baumkuchen
Vollkornbrot
süßer Senf
9 Pop and Traditional Culture Society & Culture Volksmusik
Oktoberfest
Schlager
Kabarett
Augsburger Puppenkiste
10 Traditional Clothing Society & Culture Dirndl
Lederhose
Tirolerhut
Bollenhut
Gamsbart
11 Historical Figures Society & Culture Albert Einstein
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Sophie Scholl
Konrad Adenauer
12 Animals Geography & Nature Deutscher Schäferhund
Forelle
Amsel
Goldfisch
Blindschleiche
13 Plants Geography & Nature Efeu
Kaktus
Schneeglöckchen
Krokus
Osterglocke
14 Geographical Features Geography & Nature Brocken im Harz
Loreley
Nord- und Ostsee
Partnachklamm
Lüneburger Heide
15 Cities Geography & Nature Berlin
Hamburg
München
Leipzig
Frankfurt am Main
16 Sports Recreation & Leisure Fußball
Handball
Tischtennis
Tennis
Radfahren
17 Tourist Attractions and Places Recreation & Leisure Kölner Dom
Schloss Neuschwanstein
Brandenburger Tor
Dresdner Zwinger
Christkindlesmarkt Nürnberg
18 5 Common Things in the Home People & Homes Kamin
Porzellan
Kuckucksuhr
Badewanne
Zentralheizung
19 Medicines and drugs Health & Emergencies Aspirin
Baldriparan
Voltaren
Imodium
Doppelherz
20 Natural Disasters Geography & Nature Lawine
Glatteis
Überschwemmung
Blitzeinschlag
Hitzewelle
21 Modes of transportation Transportation & around town Auto
Zug
Fahrrad
Bus
Straßenbahn
22 Shops or services in town Transportation & around town Bäckerei
Fleischerei
Supermarkt
Tankstelle
Drogerie
23 Chain Stores Transportation & around town Aldi
Media Markt
Galeria Kaufhof
Rossmann
KiK
24 Musicians and Artists Fine Arts Ludwig van Beethoven
Johann Sebastian Bach
Caspar David Friedrich
Rammstein
Tokio Hotel
25 Writers Fine Arts Bertolt Brecht
Franz Kafka
Frank Schätzing
Günter Grass
Thomas Mann