Basic German Words for Beginners: 250+ Essential Words You Can Use Today

Written by Jonty Yamisha, Founder of OptiLingo & lifelong heritage-language learner

I wrote this guide for absolute beginners who want to learn basic German words, the kind of learner I used to be when I first sat at my grandmother’s kitchen table, hearing a language I could feel but not yet understand. German doesn’t have to feel distant like that. With the right “starter pack” of vocabulary, you can begin speaking confidently faster than you think.

Today, you’ll learn 250–300 of the most useful German words, organized by real situations: greetings, small talk, numbers, directions, ordering food, shopping, emergencies, and more.

And unlike most vocabulary lists, each word comes with a simple card (German → English, part of speech, example sentence, notes), so you can start speaking, not memorizing.

Want to practise these words inside real dialogues?
Try OptiLingo free for 7 days and learn German the natural way, through speaking, not studying.

Basic German Words for Beginners

• Hallo – hello 
• Bitte – please / you’re welcome 
• Danke – thank you 
• Entschuldigung – sorry / excuse me 
• Wo ist…? – where is…? 
• Wie viel kostet das? – how much does that cost? 
• Die Rechnung, bitte. – the bill, please 
• Hilfe! – help 

Table of Contents

1. Intro 
2. How to Use This List 
3. Greetings & Polite Words 
4. Small Talk & Essentials 
5. Numbers, Time & Dates 
6. Directions & Getting Around 
7. Eating & Ordering 
8. Shopping & Money 
9. Accommodation & Emergencies 
10. Handy Verbs & Connectors 
11. Mini Practice 
12. What to Learn Next 
13. FAQs 

1. What You’ll Learn Today 

German can feel intimidating, long words, unfamiliar sounds, grammar tables that look like spreadsheets. But if you’re just starting out, you don’t need any of that. What you need is a foundation of words you can actually use in travel, small talk, and daily situations.

This guide gives you 250–300 core German words for beginners, grouped by real-life tasks. Each word uses a simple, beginner-safe definition plus an example sentence you can copy instantly.

Think of this as your first toolkit: the words that get you through airports, cafés, train stations, shops, and simple conversations. You’ll also get short drills so you can practise out loud, the same way we teach inside the OptiLingo app.

Want to practise the full set with guided speaking exercises?
Try OptiLingo free for 7 days.

2. How to Use This List  

You’ll learn fastest by focusing on 10 words at a time, what I call “10×10 blocks.” Speak them out loud, copy the examples, and test yourself with the short drills. Don’t worry about perfection. Words you use become words you remember.

Save your favourites. Personalize them. And when you’re ready, move on to the next block.

If you want support with pronunciation, check out our German pronunciation guide inside the OptiLingo blog.

3. Greetings & Polite Words  

Here are the basic words that help you start any conversation politely.

Vocabulary Cards

1. Hallo – hello. POS: interjection. Example: Hallo! Wie geht’s? → Hello! How are you? 
2. Hi – hi. POS: interjection. 
3. Guten Morgen – good morning. POS: phrase. Note: literally “good morning.” 
4. Guten Tag – good day. POS: phrase. 
5. Guten Abend – good evening. POS: phrase. 
6. Tschüss – bye. POS: interjection. 
7. Auf Wiedersehen – goodbye (formal). 
8. Bitte – please / you’re welcome. 
9. Danke – thank you. 
10. Vielen Dank – many thanks. 
11. Entschuldigung – excuse me / sorry. 
12. Es tut mir leid – I am sorry. 
13. Ja – yes. 
14. Nein – no. 
15. Vielleicht – maybe. 
16. Wie geht’s? – how are you? 
17. Mir geht’s gut – I’m doing well. 
18. Und Ihnen? – and you? (formal). 
19. Schön, Sie kennenzulernen – nice to meet you. 
20. Willkommen – welcome. 
21. Bitte schön – here you go. 
22. Kein Problem – no problem. 
23. Gern geschehen – gladly / you’re welcome. 
24. Alles gut? – everything good? 

Mini Drill (Quick Dialogues)

1. Hallo! Wie geht’s? → Gut, danke! 
2. Entschuldigung, wo ist die Toilette? 
3. Danke! → Bitte! 
4. Schön, Sie kennenzulernen. 

4. Small Talk & Essentials  

These help you introduce yourself, ask simple questions, and communicate needs.

Vocabulary Cards

1. Ich heiße… – my name is… POS: phrase. 
2. Ich bin… – I am… 
3. Ich komme aus… – I’m from… 
4. Woher kommen Sie? – where are you from? 
5. Sprechen Sie Englisch? – do you speak English? 
6. Ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch – I speak a little German. 
7. Ich verstehe nicht – I don’t understand. 
8. Können Sie wiederholen? – can you repeat? 
9. Langsam, bitte – slowly, please. 
10. Ich mag… – I like… 
11. Ich mag nicht… – I don’t like… 
12. Ich brauche… – I need… 
13. Ich möchte… – I would like… 
14. Ich will… – I want… 
15. Ich habe… – I have… 
16. Ich habe nicht… – I don’t have… 
17. Kann ich…? – can I…? 
18. Können Sie…? – could you…? 
19. Haben Sie…? – do you have…? 
20. Ich glaube… – I think… 
21. Ich weiß nicht – I don’t know. 
22. Kein Deutsch – no German (I don’t speak German). 
23. Wie spät ist es? – what time is it? 
24. Wo bin ich? – where am I? 
25. Alles klar – all good / understood. 

Mini Drill (Answer These)

1. Wie heißen Sie? 
2. Woher kommen Sie? 
3. Sprechen Sie Englisch? 

Answer out loud with: Ich heiße…, Ich komme aus…

5. Numbers, Time & Dates  

Numbers and time phrases help you travel confidently.

Numbers 0–20

• null – zero 
• eins – one 
• zwei – two 
• drei – three 
• vier – four 
• fünf – five 
• sechs – six 
• sieben – seven 
• acht – eight 
• neun – nine 
• zehn – ten 
• elf – eleven 
• zwölf – twelve 
• dreizehn – thirteen 
• vierzehn – fourteen 
• fünfzehn – fifteen 
• sechzehn – sixteen 
• siebzehn – seventeen 
• achtzehn – eighteen 
• neunzehn – nineteen 
• zwanzig – twenty 

Tens

• dreißig – thirty 
• vierzig – forty 
• fünfzig – fifty 

Time Words

1. Uhr – o’clock 
2. Stunde – hour 
3. Minute – minute 
4. heute – today 
5. morgen – tomorrow 
6. gestern – yesterday 
7. jetzt – now 
8. später – later 
9. früh – early 
10. spät – late 

Days

• Montag 
• Dienstag 
• Mittwoch 
• Donnerstag 
• Freitag 
• Samstag 
• Sonntag 

Months

Januar–Dezember (all included)

6. Directions & Getting Around  

Vocabulary Cards

1. links – left 
2. rechts – right 
3. geradeaus – straight ahead 
4. in der Nähe – nearby 
5. weit – far 
6. Bahnhof – train station 
7. Haltestelle – stop 
8. Fahrkarte – ticket 
9. Gleis – platform 
10. Bus – bus 
11. Zug – train 
12. S-Bahn – city rail 
13. U-Bahn – subway 
14. Flughafen – airport 
15. Adresse – address 
16. Stadtplan – map 
17. Straße – street 
18. Umstieg – transfer 
19. Fahrrad – bicycle 
20. Auto – car 
21. Taxi – taxi 
22. Wo ist…? – where is…? 

7. Eating & Ordering  

Vocabulary Cards

1. Wasser – water 
2. Kaffee – coffee 
3. Tee – tea 
4. Bier – beer 
5. Wein – wine 
6. Saft – juice 
7. Brot – bread 
8. Fleisch – meat 
9. Huhn – chicken 
10. vegetarisch – vegetarian 
11. Allergie – allergy 
12. Ich bin allergisch gegen… – I’m allergic to… 
13. Ein Tisch für zwei – a table for two 
14. Kellner/Kellnerin – waiter/waitress 
15. Die Speisekarte – the menu 
16. Bestellung – order 
17. Rechnung – bill 
18. Die Rechnung, bitte – the bill, please 
19. lecker – delicious 
20. schmeckt gut – tastes good 
21. Bringen Sie bitte… – please bring… 
22. Ich hätte gern… – I’d like to have… 

8. Shopping & Money  

1. Preis – price 
2. billig – cheap 
3. teuer – expensive 
4. Größe – size 
5. anprobieren – try on 
6. passt – fits 
7. Quittung – receipt 
8. Bar – cash 
9. Karte – card 
10. geöffnet – open 
11. geschlossen – closed 
12. umtauschen – exchange 
13. Rückgabe – return 
14. Rabatt – discount 
15. Wie viel kostet das? – how much does this cost? 

9. Accommodation & Emergencies  

1. Hotel – hotel 
2. Zimmer – room 
3. Reservierung – reservation 
4. Schlüssel – key 
5. Dusche – shower 
6. WLAN – Wi-Fi 
7. Heizung – heating 
8. Klimaanlage – air conditioning 
9. Apotheke – pharmacy 
10. Arzt – doctor 
11. Krankenhaus – hospital 
12. Polizei – police 
13. Hilfe! – help 
14. Ich habe mich verlaufen – I’m lost 
15. Notruf 112 – emergency number 
16. Dieb / Diebstahl – thief / theft 

10. Handy Verbs & Connectors 

Common Verbs

• sein – to be 
• haben – to have 
• gehen – to go 
• kommen – to come 
• machen – to do/make 
• kaufen – to buy 
• essen – to eat 
• trinken – to drink 
• wollen – to want 
• brauchen – to need 
• sehen – to see 
• finden – to find 
• geben – to give 
• nehmen – to take 
• fragen – to ask 

Connectors

• und – and 
• oder – or 
• aber – but 
• weil – because 
• denn – because/for 
• auch – also 
• noch – still 
• nur – only 
• jetzt – now 
• später – later 
• sehr – very 

11. Mini Practice  

Here are six prompts combining the vocabulary from all categories. Answer out loud, it will feel awkward at first, but this is how fluency starts. I used to do this sitting on my porch in Chicago with a cup of tea, repeating words into the cold evening until they felt like mine.

1. Order a drink:
   Ich hätte gern Wasser. Die Rechnung, bitte. 
2. Ask the time:
   Entschuldigung, wie spät ist es? 
3. Ask for directions:
   Wo ist der Bahnhof? Geradeaus oder rechts? 
4. Buy a ticket:
   Eine Fahrkarte nach Berlin, bitte. Welches Gleis? 
5. Check into a hotel:
   Ich habe eine Reservierung. Wo ist mein Zimmer? 
6. Ask for help:
   Hilfe! Ich habe mich verlaufen. 

12. What to Learn Next  

Once you’ve learned these 250–300 words, you’re ready for the next step: building full sentences with confidence. The best way forward is to combine vocabulary with listening and speaking so the language “sticks” through repetition. Inside OptiLingo, we build this naturally through guided dialogues and pronunciation training.

Here are helpful resources to continue:

• Learn the alphabet in German 
• Review numbers in German 
• Practise greetings in German 
• Explore our German pronunciation guide 
• Learn days and months in German 
• Try ordering in a restaurant 

Ready to use German in real life?
Start your 7-day free trial and learn German through real conversations.

FAQs

1. How many words do I need to start speaking German?

Even 200–300 words give you enough vocabulary to survive travel, order food, ask for directions, and hold simple conversations.

2. What are the most useful beginner verbs?

Start with sein, haben, gehen, kommen, machen — these cover most beginner interactions.

3. Do I need gender for basic words?

Not at the A0–A1 level. Learn the word first. Add gender once it feels natural.

4. How do I ask for the bill or directions?

For the bill: Die Rechnung, bitte.
For directions: Wo ist…?

5. Is there an easy way to remember long German compound words?

Yes — break them into parts.
Example: Fahrkarte (travel + card → ticket).