Summer’s here! With it comes long-awaited vacations and holidays. While some of us stay in our own country, others take advantage of this time by having an adventure in Germany. If this happens to be what you’re doing, it is recommended that you learn a few useful expressions in German which could come in handy. Even if we’d love everyone to learn German, it’s not necessary to have intensive training to book a ticket to Germany. However, it is very useful to know the essentials before boarding the plane. And, you’ll see, learning the few essentials won’t take any time at all! Let’s take a look at how to say hello in German, as well as thank you and sorry.


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How to Say Hello in German, Plus Thank You and Sorry: 3 Useful Expressions to Get By in Germany

Why learn these words and phrases?

Let’s be honest, learning how to say thanks in German won’t make you bilingual, nor will it be of any help if you want to take part in long conversations. Yet, there is an undeniable advantage in knowing the basics of a language such as knowing how to say thank you in German.

At the hotel, in a store, asking directions… you’re going to have to speak to locals when abroad. If you need any information or help, it’s better to be able to do so in German, right? An advantage we, English speakers, have is that English is close to German (believe it or not), and many Germans speak some English, but it’s still best to learn some words in the language! This sends a message that you’ve made some effort to adapt yourself to the country. Nelson Mandela once said:

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“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart”

Yet again, it’s not about being able to speak in German fluently, rather it’s about being able to break the ice and make whoever you’re speaking to more inclined to help you, even if they have to resort to speaking in English!

This will also help you when trying to get along with locals, who will appreciate your efforts and respect for their language and culture you will be showing. And, who knows? This could give you a wild idea… Many people have started learning a language by studying these kinds of expressions. These are the first steps of a journey taken by many people who can now speak German fluently!

Let’s get back on track! Here are the 3 most essential words in the German language.

Useful German Expressions You Need to Know

How to say hello in German

Guten Tag

How to say thanks in German

Danke (schön)

How to say sorry in German

Entschuldigung

how to say hello in German

 

You now have the very basics to be able to reply to a German speaker. Here are a few more useful German greetings and expressions:

How to say hi in German

Hallo

How to say good luck in German

Viel Glück

How to say where is… in German

Wo ist … ?

(For example “Wo is der Zug?” which means where is the train?)

How to say Could I have the bill, please? in German

Die Rechnung bitte / Kann ich bitte die Rechnung haben?

 

Other useful words in German: and, also and additionally

Respectively: Und, auch, auβerdem

You’re now ready to say a few words to a German speaker that won’t make them roll their eyes. Obviously, it would be better to know more than this, but this article is for those who really don’t have the time, so go out and say hello in German to someone! You’ll see, saying thanks for the first time to someone you’re talking to will bring a smile to their face!

Learn the most useful words and phrases in German with our free travel phrasebook:

Is that just not enough for you? Do you want to know more? No problem, we have exactly what you need: a travel phrasebook in German, available to download for free. Thousands of expressions used daily in German, in PDF format ready to be printed. Download it now!

 

Do You Want to Improve Your German?

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Have these useful expressions in German made you want to learn more? Do you want to be able to do more than say hello in German? Check out MosaLingua German, our app for learning German easily. With our MosaLearning® method, you’ll quickly learn the language’s most useful vocabulary and expressions and soon you’ll know a lot more than hello in German! And you only have to practice 5-10 minutes a day! Download the MosaLingua German app and get started today!