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Anne Fox
Anne Foxis a veteran language instructor.
Articles & Books From Anne Fox
Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-22-2022
All languages have ways of showing what role a noun plays in a sentence. In English, a noun’s position in the sentence tells you how it’s being used. In German, the endings on the adjectives and articles that accompany the noun, which are based on case, tell you the noun’s function in the sentence. Here’s a quick overview of the German cases and the relationship they have with nouns, articles, and pronouns.
Article / Updated 01-13-2020
Getting your hellos and goodbyes straight in German is a matter of keeping in mind how well you know someone. If you’re on formal terms — in other words, if you’re addressing one or more people with Sie (zee) (you, formal) — then you have one set of expressions. When you’re on du (dooh) (you, informal) terms of address, you go with conversational expressions.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
German grammar has some striking differences to English grammar. One difference that newcomers to German notice right away has to do with word gender.
Basically, you have three genders in German — masculine, feminine, and neuter — and although English has the same three genders, they play a very different role in German grammar.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Getting to know the days and months of the German calendar helps you keep track of your travel plans, German holidays, and engagements.
Days of the Week in German
English
German
Pronunciaton
Monday
Montag
mohn-tahk
Tuesday
Dienstag
deens-tahk
Wednesday
Mittwoch
mit-voH
Thursday
Donnerstag
don-ers-tahk
Frid
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
When traveling in a German-speaking area, you need to know numbers for shopping, dining, transportation, and exchanging money. With this list, you can start practicing German numbers.
0 null (nool)
17 siebzehn (zeep-tseyn)
1 eins (ayns)
18 achtzehn (âHt-tseyn)
2 zwei (tsvay)
19 neunzehn (noyn-tseyn)
3 drei (d
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
If you go to a German restaurant, these expressions can come in very handy. Practice them first, so that you can relax and enjoy the dining experience.
English
German
Pronunciation
The menu, please.
Die Speisekarte bitte.
dee shpay-ze kâr-te bi-te.
I’d like….
Ich hätte gern….
iH hê-te gern….
I’d like….
Ich möchte gern….
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Practice these German greetings and expressions, which you’ll use daily when you visit a German-speaking country. With these expressions, you can communicate politely, feel more confident, and travel more comfortably.
English
German
Pronunciation
Hello!
Hallo!
hâ-loh! (informal greeting)
Good day!
Guten Tag!
gooh-ten tahk!
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
If you’re traveling in a German-speaking country and find yourself in an urgent situation, you can get the assistance you need by memorizing these important German phrases.
English
German
Pronunciation
Help!
Hilfe!
hilf-e!
Police!
Polizei!
po-li-tsay!
Fire!
Feuer!
foy-er!
Get a doctor!
Holen Sie einen Arzt!
hohl-en zee ayn-en ârtst!
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
If you travel to a German-speaking country and need to know the time or where something is located, or you just want to get some basic information, a few common questions can come in very handy.
English
German
Pronunciation
Do you speak English?
Sprechen Sie Englisch?
shprêH-en zee êng-lish?
How are you?
Wie geht es Ihnen?
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
In most German hotels, das Frühstück (dâs frue-shtuek) (breakfast) is generally included in the room price of the hotel accommodation. In smaller towns, if you’re staying at a Pension (pên-see-ohn) (pension) or Frühstückspension (frue-shtueks-pên-see-ohn) (bed-and-breakfast) or at a smaller hotel, you can expect a traditional German breakfast, consisting of the following:
Kaffee (kâf-ey) (coffee)
Tee (tey) (tea)
Fresh Brötchen, Brot, Butter and Marmelade (brert-Hen, broht, boot-er, [and] mâr-me-lah-de) (fresh rolls, bread, butter, and jam)
weich gekochtes Ei (vayH ge-koH-tes ay) (soft-boiled egg) served in an egg cup
Choice of Aufschnitt and Käse (ouf-shnit [and] kai-ze) (cold cuts and cheese)
The larger hotels in cities generally offer a breakfast buffet that includes the preceding items, as well as the following:
Cornflakes (cornflakes [as in English]) (cornflakes)
Müsli (mues-lee) (muesli)
frisches Obst (frish-es ohpst) (fresh fruit)
Variety of Brot and Säfte (broht [and] zêf-te) (bread and juices)
Note: If you can’t do without scrambled eggs or fried eggs, you may need to put in a special order.