German essentials: 50 high-frequency words with der, die, das
The first fifty German words and phrases to learn: greetings, sein, haben and the modal verbs, and everyday nouns with der, die or das and their plurals, each with an example sentence.
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Greeting
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All 50 cards
- 1halloGreetinghello; hiHallo, wie geht’s? — Hi, how’s it going?
- 2Guten MorgenGreetinggood morningGuten Morgen, Frau Weber! — Good morning, Ms. Weber!
- 3Guten TagFormal greeting, used during the dayhello; good dayGuten Tag, ich habe einen Termin. — Hello, I have an appointment.
- 4tschüssInformal farewellbyeTschüss, mach’s gut! — Bye, take care!
- 5Auf WiedersehenFormal farewellgoodbyeVielen Dank und auf Wiedersehen! — Thanks a lot, and goodbye!
- 6dankePhrase; danke schön is warmerthank you; thanksDanke für deine Hilfe. — Thanks for your help.
- 7bitteAlso “here you go” when handing something overplease; you’re welcomeEin Wasser, bitte. — A water, please.
- 8EntschuldigungFeminine noun used as an interjectionexcuse me; sorryEntschuldigung, wo ist der Bahnhof? — Excuse me, where is the train station?
- 9Wie geht’s?Informal; formal: Wie geht es Ihnen?How are you?Hallo Paul, wie geht’s dir? — Hi Paul, how are you?
- 10Ich verstehe nichtPhraseI don’t understandEntschuldigung, ich verstehe das nicht. — Sorry, I don’t understand that.
- 11Wie viel kostet das?QuestionHow much does that cost?Wie viel kostet das Ticket? — How much does the ticket cost?
- 12Ich heiße…Phrase, from heißen, “to be called”My name is…Ich heiße Jonas. Und du? — My name is Jonas. And you?
- 13Wo ist…?QuestionWhere is…?Wo ist die Toilette? — Where is the toilet?
- 14seinIrregular verb: ich bin, du bist, er istto beIch bin müde. — I’m tired.
- 15habenIrregular verb: ich habe, du hast, er hatto haveIch habe zwei Geschwister. — I have two siblings.
- 16werdenIrregular verb: ich werde, du wirst, er wirdto become; will (future)Es wird kalt. — It’s getting cold.
- 17gehenStrong verb: ging, gegangento go (on foot); to walkIch gehe nach Hause. — I’m going home.
- 18kommenStrong verb: kam, gekommento comeWoher kommst du? — Where are you from?
- 19machenRegular verbto do; to makeWas machst du am Wochenende? — What are you doing at the weekend?
- 20könnenModal verb: ich kann, du kannstcan; to be able toKann ich mit Karte zahlen? — Can I pay by card?
- 21müssenModal verb: ich muss, du musstmust; to have toIch muss jetzt gehen. — I have to go now.
- 22wollenModal verb: ich will, du willstto wantWir wollen ins Kino gehen. — We want to go to the cinema.
- 23wissenIrregular verb: ich weiß, du weißtto know (facts)Ich weiß es nicht. — I don’t know.
- 24kennenMixed verb: kannte, gekanntto know (people, places)Kennst du meinen Bruder? — Do you know my brother?
- 25sprechenStrong verb: du sprichst, er sprichtto speakSprechen Sie Englisch? — Do you speak English?
- 26essenStrong verb: du isst, er isstto eatWir essen um sieben. — We eat at seven.
- 27wohnenRegular verbto live (reside)Ich wohne in Berlin. — I live in Berlin.
- 28der MannMasculine noun · plural: die Männerman; husbandDer Mann dort ist mein Vater. — The man over there is my father.
- 29die FrauFeminine noun · plural: die Frauenwoman; wife; Mrs./Ms.Das ist meine Frau, Anna. — This is my wife, Anna.
- 30das KindNeuter noun · plural: die KinderchildDie Kinder spielen im Garten. — The children are playing in the garden.
- 31das MädchenNeuter noun: every -chen word is neuter · plural: die MädchengirlDas Mädchen liest ein Buch. — The girl is reading a book.
- 32der TagMasculine noun · plural: die TagedaySchönen Tag noch! — Have a nice day!
- 33die NachtFeminine noun · plural: die NächtenightGute Nacht und schlaf gut! — Good night, sleep well!
- 34das JahrNeuter noun · plural: die JahreyearIch lerne seit einem Jahr Deutsch. — I’ve been learning German for a year.
- 35die ZeitFeminine noun · plural: die ZeitentimeIch habe keine Zeit. — I don’t have time.
- 36das WasserNeuter nounwaterDas Wasser ist kalt. — The water is cold.
- 37das HausNeuter noun · plural: die HäuserhouseWir wohnen in einem kleinen Haus. — We live in a small house.
- 38die StadtFeminine noun · plural: die Städtecity; townMünchen ist eine schöne Stadt. — Munich is a beautiful city.
- 39die ArbeitFeminine noun · plural: die Arbeitenwork; jobIch fahre mit dem Fahrrad zur Arbeit. — I cycle to work.
- 40der Freund / die FreundinMasculine / feminine nounfriend; boyfriend / girlfriendDas ist mein Freund Tim. — This is my friend Tim.
- 41der BahnhofMasculine noun · plural: die Bahnhöfetrain stationDer Bahnhof ist nicht weit. — The station isn’t far.
- 42das BrotNeuter noun · plural: die BrotebreadIch kaufe Brot beim Bäcker. — I buy bread at the baker’s.
- 43gutAdjective or adverbgood; wellDas Essen ist sehr gut. — The food is very good.
- 44großAdjectivebig; tallMein Bruder ist sehr groß. — My brother is very tall.
- 45kleinAdjectivesmall; littleWir haben eine kleine Wohnung. — We have a small apartment.
- 46heuteAdverbtodayHeute ist das Wetter schön. — The weather is nice today.
- 47morgenAdverb; der Morgen (capitalized) means “morning”tomorrowMorgen habe ich frei. — I’m off tomorrow.
- 48immerAdverbalwaysEr kommt immer zu spät. — He’s always late.
- 49auchAdverbalso; tooIch komme auch mit. — I’m coming along too.
- 50warum? / weilQuestion word / conjunction; weil sends the verb to the endwhy? / becauseWarum lernst du Deutsch? Weil ich in Wien arbeite. — Why are you learning German? Because I work in Vienna.
Frequently asked questions
How do I learn der, die and das?
Learn every noun together with its article, as this deck does. Some endings help: nouns in -ung, -heit, -keit and -schaft are feminine, -chen and -lein are neuter, and most nouns in -er for people, like der Lehrer, are masculine.
Why is das Mädchen neuter?
Grammatical gender follows the form of the word, not its meaning: every noun ending in the diminutive -chen is neuter, including das Mädchen (girl).
What is the difference between wissen and kennen?
Wissen is knowing a fact (ich weiß, wo er wohnt); kennen is being familiar with a person, place or thing (ich kenne ihn).
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