by Lingoda Team
Updated on October 9, 2024
Basic German words for beginners
When you first start to learn German, it’s important to develop a vocabulary of the most basic German words. Common greetings, phrases, nouns, verbs, adjectives and numbers are among the German language basics that can serve as the foundation for all future language learning.
As you develop your German A2 vocabulary, you’ll quickly grow in confidence when using words in your classes, and you’ll also find that you’re able to get by in situations where you need to convey basic information quickly to a German speaker. In this article, we’ll cover some of the most common German words, allowing you to start to build up your vocabulary.
To begin with, it’s helpful to cover some of the absolute most basic German words, for example, for beginners taking a German A1 course.
The word zu actually has a lot of utility in the German language, as you can read in our blog post on how to use zu in German.
It’s also a good idea to become familiar with the basic pronouns, too.
Greetings are one of the German language basics that you’ll need to use often.
When beginning your learning journey, it’s worth learning some formal greetings. These are especially useful if you’re meeting a stranger, speaking to someone in a professional setting, or simply trying to avoid causing any offense by seeming too relaxed or familiar.
You can also drop the adjective, e.g., Morgen! = “morning!”
If you’d rather use something a little more informal or casual among friends, you can use the aforementioned Hallo! or any of the following greetings.
You’ll find a complete list of greetings in our best ways to say hello in German post.
Beyond using tschüss or auf Wiedersehen, it’s also helpful to know how to say goodbye.
Next, it’s beneficial to have some phrases to use for small talk and for generally getting by in a German-speaking country. The phrases below are among the most useful.
Check out our blog post on how to say months and dates in German, too.
Among the most essential basic German words to learn are numbers. In this section, we’ll list the numbers from 1-12 so you can memorize them.
For absolute beginners, German nouns can be tricky to get to grips with for two main reasons. Firstly, unlike in English, they are always written with a capital letter at the start.
Secondly, all nouns are also assigned a gender (either masculine, feminine or neuter). This assigned gender alters the word used for “the” before the noun, with der used for masculine words, die used for feminine nouns and das used for neuter nouns.
To make this easier, we’ll break down some basic German nouns according to their gender. We’ve used lowercase for the words representing “the” to emphasize the need to capitalize nouns.
The following are all masculine nouns.
The following nouns are all feminine.
The nouns that follow are all neuter.
When focusing on the German language basics, it’s also essential to learn some key verbs.
You can go into greater depth by reading our 100 most common German verbs blog post.
Finally, it’s a good idea to equip yourself with some basic German adjectives, too.
This list of basic German words is a useful starting point if you’re at a German A1 level. , but you’ll need to gradually increase your vocabulary and your understanding of grammar and sentence structure.
With Lingoda, you can learn languages online from native-level teachers. You’ll have an opportunity to engage with other students in small classes, building your confidence in the process. We also provide flexible scheduling, allowing you to fit learning around your other commitments.
