German Phrases for Travel: Hello and Numbers

Words

14

Where

Everywhere

Level

Easy

How do you say hello in German? The word that works everywhere is Hallo (HAH-loh). When you walk into a shop, a restaurant or a hotel, the greeting for the time of day sounds more polite: Guten Morgen (good morning in German), Guten Tag (good day) and Guten Abend (good evening).

Among friends, good morning in German is informal and short: just Morgen! Good night in German is Gute Nacht, said only when you leave late at night or go to bed, never as an evening hello.

How are you in German has two forms: Wie geht's? to someone you know and Wie geht es Ihnen? to a stranger. A friendly "hi, how are you" in German is Hallo, wie geht's? (HAH-loh, vee gayts).

Goodbye in German is formal Auf Wiedersehen or informal Tschüss. These German greetings work in Germany, Austria and Switzerland; the greetings you only hear in Austria (Grüß Gott, Servus, Baba) are in section 9, and Swiss Grüezi in section 10.

Words

18

Where

Everywhere

Level

Easy

How to say thank you in German: Danke (DAHN-keh) is enough; the warmer forms are Danke schön and Vielen Dank. Please in German is Bitte (BIT-teh), and the same word also means you're welcome, so the reply to a thank you is Bitte or Gern geschehen. Yes is Ja (yah) and no is Nein (nine).

These easy German phrases are the basic words travellers need most; this page is not a language course, just enough to get through the day with a short sentence. Address strangers and staff with Sie (formal you); du is for friends and children. Excuse me in German is Entschuldigung, the word to start with when you call a waiter or stop someone in the street.

How do you say sorry in German? Es tut mir leid (es toot meer lite) is the real apology, for when you made a mistake.

Words

27

Where

Restaurants, cafés

Level

Easy

Once you sit down, ask for the menu with Die Speisekarte, bitte; to order, say Ich hätte gern … and add the name of the dish. For the bill, check please in German is Zahlen, bitte; the waiter will often ask Zusammen oder getrennt?, whether you pay together or separately. Enjoy your meal is Guten Appetit (GOO-ten ah-peh-TEET).

In Vienna the classic Wiener Schnitzel is made from veal and appears on menus as vom Kalb. Some well known schnitzel places also make it with pork, so ask about the meat before you order. Where we ate and what we ordered is in our what to eat in Vienna  guide.

Watch in the video · 6:13 

In Austrian coffee houses, coffee with frothed milk is a Melange (meh-LAHNZH). We ordered one at Café Landtmann  in Vienna; it tastes very close to a cappuccino, with a little more milk.

Watch in the video · 1:41 

Words

25

Where

Trains, metro, street

Level

Easy

On train and metro signs you will see Gleis (platform), Abfahrt (departure), Ankunft (arrival) and Ausgang (exit) more than anything else. At the ticket machine, knowing Fahrkarte (ticket), Nur hin (one way) and Hin und zurück (return) saves time.

On a journey with a change you will hear umsteigen (to change trains); if an announcement says Verspätung, the train is late.

To ask for directions in German, Wo ist …? (where is …?) is enough; the answer will include links (left), rechts (right) and geradeaus (straight ahead). At Vienna Airport we bought our ticket from the machine next to the train and got off at Wien Hauptbahnhof, the main station. Getting around the city is covered in our Vienna travel guide .

Watch in the video · 1:10 

Words

17

Where

Hotels, shops

Level

Easy

At hotel check in, Ich habe eine Reservierung plus your name is all you need. In a shop, ask the price with Wie viel kostet das? and whether you can pay by card with Kann ich mit Karte zahlen?. If a sales assistant offers help, Ich schaue nur (I'm just looking) is a polite answer. On the door, geöffnet means open and geschlossen closed.

Away from the hotel Wi-Fi you need data for maps and translation apps; an eSIM can be installed on your phone before you leave. See Yesim eSIM plans  Ad How it works is explained in our eSIM guide .

Words

31

Where

Prices, times, platforms

Level

Medium

German numbers from 1 to 12 are separate words; from 13 to 19 you add -zehn (tsayn) to the end. The tens end in -zig, except 30, which is dreißig. After 20 the numbers are said backwards: 21 is einundzwanzig, literally "one and twenty", and 35 is fünfunddreißig. All German numbers from 1 to 100 follow this rule; 1000 is tausend.

Below are the German numbers from 0 to 20 one by one, then the tens, 100 and 1000, each with its pronunciation and audio, so you can hear how to pronounce German numbers before you need them. This is the section you will use most when you ask a price or listen for a time or a platform number.

Words

25

Where

Tickets, calendars, bookings

Level

Easy

The days of the week in German end in -tag and are easy to say; the exception is Wednesday, Mittwoch, literally "midweek". The months look like the English names but sound different: Januar (YAH-noo-ahr), Juni (YOO-nee), Juli (YOO-lee).

They help when you read a museum calendar, a ticket or a booking email. In Austria January is often written Jänner, see section 9.

The four seasons fit on one line: Frühling (spring), Sommer (summer), Herbst (autumn) and Winter. To ask the time, say Wie spät ist es?; to ask when something starts, Um wie viel Uhr?.

Words

13

Where

Emergencies

Level

Easy

In an emergency, call the emergency number first, then explain with a few short words. Hilfe! (help) and Ich brauche einen Arzt (I need a doctor) are enough. A pharmacy is an Apotheke; in Germany and Austria its sign is a big red letter A. If you have an allergy, add its name after Ich bin allergisch gegen ….

If your passport needs a Schengen visa, travel health insurance is part of the application; the documents are listed in our Austria visa  guide.

Words

23

Where

Austria

Level

Medium

The language of Austria is German, but in daily life some words differ from Germany; together they are called Austrian German. The greeting you will hear most when you walk into a shop is Grüß Gott (gruess got). Among friends, Servus works as both hello and goodbye, and Baba is a casual bye.

On menus and in supermarkets, tomato is Paradeiser, potatoes are Erdäpfel, apricot is Marille, fresh soft cheese is Topfen and whipped cream is Schlagobers; on calendars January is Jänner.

Each row also shows the word used in Germany. If you use the word you learned for Germany, people in Austria will still understand you; this list is mainly for reading menus and signs.

If you are going to Vienna, places to visit and a route are in our Vienna travel guide .

Words

5

Where

Switzerland

Level

Easy

In the German speaking parts of Switzerland, everyday speech is Swiss German, while writing, signs and official texts use standard German. If you speak standard German, people understand you. The greeting you will hear most is Grüezi (GRUE-et-see), and Merci is a very common thank you. On the train, a ticket is a Billett and the platform is the Perron.

Swiss spelling does not use the letter ß: a word written Straße in Germany is Strasse in Switzerland.