Learning German? Not sure where to begin? Here, we'll look at some key vocabulary that any beginner would do well to study for everything from greetings, basic nouns, time markers, everyday activities, and some audio examples so you can hear what they should sound like, too!
Key Takeaways
- Common German vocabulary is easiest to learn when words are grouped by real-life situations.
- Basic German words for beginners should include greetings, people words, numbers, time words, food, travel, and everyday activities.
- German nouns are easier to remember when they are learned with der, die, or das.
- Verbs like sein, haben, gehen, machen and lernen help beginners start building simple sentences.
- Listening to German words in short phrases can help learners connect spelling, pronunciation, and meaning.
Why Common German Vocabulary Is the Best Place to Start
With any language, it makes sense to start with the words you'll actually use. You don't need to understand everything immediately. Consider learning common words and phrases to help you navigate everyday situations.¹ Once you've mastered the basics, you can work on expanding your vocabulary, watching out for false friends, and developing your grammar. Modern German can include hundreds of thousands of words when compounds, technical vocabulary, and specialist terms are counted, so beginners should focus on useful everyday words first.⁸
A beginner German vocabulary list is most useful when words are learned in context, not just as English equivalents. The CEFR A1 level focuses on simple everyday communication, so learners should start with words they can use in greetings, basic questions, family, shopping, travel, and daily routines.¹ German words also become easier to remember when learners practise them in short sentences rather than treating them as isolated items.
German Words Beginners Should Know First
Before you learn funny German words, start with the basics: saying hello, identifying people, asking simple questions, and talking about the time. Pronouns such as ich, du, Sie and wir are especially useful because they show who is speaking, who is being addressed and who is included in a sentence.³ These words will be easier to learn, especially since they'll quickly become useful outside a textbook.⁷ We've provided a few, but we recommend learning them in smaller groups.
German has two common ways to say “you”: du and Sie. Du is informal and is usually used with friends, family, children, classmates, and people you know well. Sie is formal and is safer with adults you do not know, teachers, shop staff, officials, or anyone in a professional setting.³ Beginners do not need to master every social rule immediately, but it is useful to notice this difference from the start. When in doubt, Sie is usually the more polite choice until someone invites you to use du.
Greetings, Polite Phrases and People
- Hallo: hello
- Guten Morgen: good morning
- Guten Tag: good day / hello
- Guten Abend: good evening
- Tschüss: bye
- Bitte: please / you’re welcome
- Danke: thank you
- Entschuldigung: sorry / excuse me
- ich: I
- du: you, informal
- Sie: you, formal
- wir: we
- der Mann: the man
- die Frau: the woman
- das Kind: the child
Guten Morgen, ich bin die Frau und das ist das Kind. Danke!
Good morning, I am the woman and this is the child. Thank you!⁷
Numbers, Time and Everyday Basics
- null: zero
- eins: one
- zwei: two
- drei: three
- vier: four
- fünf: five
- sechs: six
- sieben: seven
- acht: eight
- neun: nine
- zehn: ten
- heute: today
- morgen: tomorrow / morning
- gestern: yesterday
- die Uhr: clock / o’clock
- die Zeit: time
Heute ist ein guter Tag. Es ist zehn Uhr und morgen haben wir Zeit.
Today is a good day. It is ten o'clock, and we have time tomorrow.⁹
Beginner German Vocabulary List by Theme
Here's some vocabulary by theme. Refer to these word lists to help you in specific situations. Every learner will have different reasons for learning German, so the exact vocabulary you'll need may vary. Still, these should be fairly practical vocabulary lists. These and German loanwords should be among the easiest to learn.
Food, Travel and Daily Activities
- das Brot: bread
- das Wasser: water
- der Kaffee: coffee
- die Milch: milk
- essen: to eat
- trinken: to drink
- der Bahnhof: train station
- der Zug: train
- der Bus: bus
- das Hotel: hotel
- das Haus: house
- die Schule: school
- die Arbeit: work
- gehen: to go
- kaufen: to buy
Ich trinke Wasser und Kaffee, esse Brot und gehe zum Bahnhof.
I drink water and coffee, eat bread and go to the train station.⁷
Feelings, Opinions and Useful Describing Words
- gut: good
- schlecht: bad
- schön: beautiful / nice
- müde: tired
- krank: ill
- glücklich: happy
- traurig: sad
- wichtig: important
- interessant: interesting
- einfach: easy / simple
- schwer: difficult / heavy
- gross: big
- klein: small
- gern: gladly / like to
- nicht: not
Ich bin glücklich, aber müde. Deutsch ist interessant und nicht schwer.
I am happy, but tired. German is interesting and not difficult.⁷
Essential German Vocabulary
In addition to vocab in isolation, you'll also need some of the grammatical vocabulary. Nouns often appear with der, die or das, while verbs change depending on who is doing the action.² We can't explain everything for you here or start explaining untranslatable German words (we recommend asking your tutor), but you should be able to start building sentences with these.
German nouns are usually learned with an article, such as der, die or das. This helps learners remember the noun's gender and use the word more confidently in real sentences.² Instead of learning Mann, Frau and Kind alone, beginners should learn der Mann, die Frau and das Kind from the start.
Der, Die and Das
- der Mann: the man
- der Tag: the day
- der Name: the name
- der Tisch: the table
- die Frau: the woman
- die Zeit: the time
- die Schule: the school
- die Sprache: the language
- das Kind: the child
- das Haus: the house
- das Wort: the word
- das Jahr: the year
FLIKI example sentence:
Der Mann sitzt am Tisch, die Frau lernt die Sprache und das Kind ist im Haus.
The man sits at the table, the woman learns the language and the child is in the house.²
Common Verbs and Simple Sentences
- sein: to be
- haben: to have
- werden: to become / will
- kommen: to come
- gehen: to go
- machen: to do / make
- sagen: to say
- sehen: to see
- wissen: to know
- lernen: to learn
- sprechen: to speak
- fragen: to ask
- brauchen: to need
- können: can / to be able to
- müssen: must / to have to
FLIKI example sentence:
Ich kann Deutsch lernen, sprechen und fragen, aber ich muss jeden Tag üben.
I can learn, speak and ask in German, but I must practise every day.⁴
German vocabulary is easier to use when learners hear how words sound in natural speech. Audio examples can help beginners connect spelling, pronunciation and meaning, especially with everyday phrases like Guten Morgen, Danke and Entschuldigung.⁵
Start Learning German With Superprof
This vocabulary should be useful, but to learn any language, you'll need regular practice and guided feedback. With a private tutor, you can learn to pronounce words properly, build simple sentences, learn vocabulary that actually matches your goals, and pick up some useful German idioms while you're at it.
Whether you're aiming for A1 German for a quick trip to Berlin or C2 mastery to live and work in a German-speaking country, a tutor can help. The Goethe-Zertifikat A1 exam training materials are also a useful benchmark for learners who want to check whether they can handle simple beginner-level German tasks.⁶
Just search for German tutors on Superprof, and you'll find tutors all over the UK and around the world who can help you. Many offer their first session for free, so you can try a few before choosing the right fit for you, your preferred learning style, your level, and your budget. In addition to their credentials, it's worthwhile to pick a tutor with whom you have a good rapport, as you'll likely be speaking to them a lot and must get on well with them.
Which CEFR level would you like to reach in German?
References
- Council of Europe. “Global Scale: Table 1 CEFR 3.3 Common Reference Levels.” Council of Europe, https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages/table-1-cefr-3.3-common-reference-levels-global-scale. Accessed 3 June 2026.
- Dudenredaktion. “Artikel.” Duden, Cornelsen Verlag, https://www.duden.de/sprachwissen/fuer-lernende/wortarten-artikel. Accessed 3 June 2026.
- Dudenredaktion. “Pronomen.” Duden, Cornelsen Verlag, https://www.duden.de/sprachwissen/fuer-lernende/wortarten-pronomen. Accessed 3 June 2026.
- Dudenredaktion. “Verben.” Duden, Cornelsen Verlag, https://www.duden.de/sprachwissen/fuer-lernende/wortarten-verben. Accessed 3 June 2026.
- DW. “Nicos Weg: German Course A1.” Apple Podcasts, https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/nicos-weg-german-course-a1-videos-dw-learn-german/id1690816886. Accessed 3 June 2026.
- Goethe-Institut. “Exam Training: Goethe-Zertifikat A1.” Goethe-Institut, https://www.goethe.de/en/spr/prf/ueb/pa1.html. Accessed 3 June 2026.
- Goethe-Institut. “Goethe-Zertifikat A1 Start Deutsch 1: Wortliste.” Goethe-Institut, https://www.goethe.de/pro/relaunch/prf/de/A1_SD1_Wortliste_02.pdf. Accessed 3 June 2026.
- Kunkel-Razum, Kathrin. “How Many Words Does the German Language Have?” Goethe-Institut, Feb. 2020, https://www.goethe.de/prj/ger/en/kre/spk/21784921.html. Accessed 3 June 2026.
- University of Michigan. “The Most Frequent German Words.” German Resources, https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/german-resources/vokabeln/frequent-words/. Accessed 3 June 2026.
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