German word  translation

neu new
gut good
groß big
alt old
hoch high
klein small
lang long
jung young
spät late
wichtig important
kurz short
früh early
schwer heavy
richtig right
schnell fast
 German word  translation
leicht light
schlecht bad
falsch wrong
teuer expensive
langsam slow
niedrig low
kalt cold
glücklich happy
gesund healthy
laut loud
warm warm
billig cheap
krank ill
leise quiet
müde tired

 German word  translation

das Büro office
das Unternehmen company
der Chef boss
das Geld money
der Kollege colleague
das Gehalt salary
der Kunde customer
der Arbeitgeber employer
der Arbeitnehmer employee
das Produkt product
der Schreibtisch desk
der Drucker printer
der Anzug suit
die Krawatte tie
das Hemd shirt
der Beruf profession
die Karriere career
der Preis price
der Arbeiter worker
der Kredit loan
die Marke brand
der Briefumschlag envelope
der Brief letter
die Versicherung insurance
der Anruf call
die Zahlung payment
 German word  translation
der Vertrag contract
der Auftrag order
die Industrie industry
die Dienstleistung service
das Konto account
der Termin appointment
der Gewinn profit
der Verlust loss
der Umsatz sales / turnover
die Arbeit work
der Wert value
die Steuer tax
die Bewerbung job application
die Währung currency
der Lebenslauf CV / resume
das Wachstum growth
die Bank bank
die Nachfrage demand
die Möglichkeit opportunity
das Netzwerk network
verdienen to earn
kaufen to buy
verkaufen to sell
bezahlen to pay
verhandeln to negotiate
präsentieren to present
  German word  translation
eins one
zwei two
drei three
vier four
fünf five
sechs six
sieben seven
acht eight
neun nine
zehn ten
 German word  translation
elf eleven
zwölf twelve
dreizehn thirteen
vierzehn fourteen
fünfzehn fifteen
sechzehn sixteen
siebzehn seventeen
achtzehn eighteen
neunzehn nineteen
zwanzig twenty
 German word  translation
die Katze cat
das Nashorn rhino
das Flusspferd hippo
das Krokodil crocodile
das Kaninchen rabbit
das Kamel camel
das Hühnchen chicken
das Huhn chicken
das Haustier pet
das Eichhörnchen squirrel
der Wolf wolf
der Wal whale
der Vogel bird
der Tiger tiger
  German word  translation
tolerant tolerant
dynamisch dynamic
aggressiv aggressive
sympathisch likeable
kompetent competent
kreativ creative
bescheiden modest
arrogant arrogant
weise wise
hartnäckig stubborn
optimistisch optimistic
faul lazy
großzügig generous
verantwortungslos irresponsible
fleißig diligent
vernünftig reasonable
einfühlsam empathetic
sonderbar weird
loyal loyal
selbstbewusst self-confident
angenehm pleasant
geduldig patient
schüchtern shy
motiviert motivated
entschlossen determined
misstrauisch distrustful
gebildet educated
erfahren experienced
höflich polite
romantisch romantic
mutig brave
spontan spontaneous
ehrgeizig ambitious
zuverlässig reliable
moralisch ethical
treu faithful
konsequent consequent
kompliziert complicated
eifersüchtig jealous
seltsam strange
bezaubernd charming
klug clever
intelligent intelligent
witzig funny
pünktlich punctual
sorgfältig thorough
fair fair
vorsichtig careful
 German word  translation
realistisch realistic
überheblich arrogant
aufmerksam attentive
neugierig curious
komisch strange
ehrlich honest
ernst serious
dumm stupid
verrückt crazy
ungerecht unfair
ruhig calm
selbstlos unselfish
lustig funny
freundlich friendly
nett nice
natürlich natural
ungeduldig impatient
geschickt skilled
vertrauenswürdig trustworthy
anhänglich clinging
hilfsbereit helpful
stur stubborn
zielstrebig determined
wissbegierig eager for knowledge
egoistisch selfish
humorvoll humorous
sarkastisch sarcastic
kommunikativ communicative
undankbar ungrateful
verständnisvoll understanding
anziehend attractive
launisch moody
gierig greedy
vergesslich oblivious
diszipliniert disciplined
geizig stingy
cholerisch choleric
ausdauernd persistent
pessimistisch pessimistic
eingebildet conceited
verantwortungsvoll responsible
hinterhältig devious
redegewandt eloquent
zickig touchy
abergläubisch superstitious
vertrauensvoll trustful
idealistisch idealistic
eifrig eager

 German word  translation

amüsiert amused
angespannt tensed
ängstlich afraid
apathisch apathetic
aufgeregt excited
bedrückt depressed
befriedigt satisfied
begeistert excited
beleidigt offended
berührt touched
beschämt ashamed
besorgt worried
beunruhigt concerned
bewegt moved
böse angry
dankbar thankful
deprimiert depressed
durstig thirsty
eifersüchtig jealous
eingeschüchtert awed
einsam lonely
entmutigt discouraged
entschlossen determined
entspannt relaxed
enttäuscht disappointed
erfreut pleased
erleichtert relieved
erschöpft exhausted
erschreckt frightened
erschrocken shocked
erstaunt astonished
erwartungsvoll expectant
fasziniert intrigued
froh glad
fröhlich happy
frustriert frustrated
gelangweilt bored
geringwertig inferior
gestresst stressed
gleichgültig indifferent
glücklich happy
 German word  translation
hilflos helpless
hoffnungslos hopeless
hoffnungsvoll hopeful
hungrig hungry
inspiriert inspired
interessiert interested
irritiert irritated
motiviert motivated
müde tired
nachdenklich thoughtful
nervös nervous
optimistisch optimistic
ruhig calm
satt full (had enough)
schuldig guilty
sorgenfrei worriless
stolz proud
traurig sad
überrascht surprised
überwältigt overwhelmed
unentschlossen undecided
unglücklich unhappy
unruhig restless
unsicher uncertain
unzufrieden discontented
verängstigt scared
verärgert upset
verblüfft stunned
verlegen embarrassed
verletzlich vulnerable
verletzt hurt
verliebt in love
verwirrt confused
verwundert astonished
desperate
verzweifelt
despaired
wahnsinnig mad
 wütend angry
zögernd hesitant
zornig wrathful
zufrieden pleased
zuversichtlich confident

1. German Verbs Come Second,

Most Of The Time
Don't worry! Verb position is one of the most straightforward grammar
concepts in German. Typically, the verb (the word relating to an action)
comes in the second position of a sentence. Take a look at the following
examples.

 Ich liebe dich. (I love you.)

 Wir leben dort. (We live there.)
 Er studiert Medizin. (He studies medicine.)

As you may have noticed, these sentence structures are very similar in
both English and German. However, when you want to ask a question,
you have to move the verb to the first position.

 Liebst du mich? (Do you love me?)

 Lebt ihr dort? (Do you (plural) live there?)
 Studiert er Medizin? (Does he study medicine?)

Double verbs, separable prefixes, conjunctions, and modal verbs

complicate these rules slightly. However, the rules for these cases are
also relatively straightforward. Learn more about verb position in
German.
 2. Always Capitalise German
Nouns
You may have noticed that the last sentence example capitalized the
word Medizin (medicine). In German, nouns (words that name people,
things and places) are always capitalised. Below are more examples.

 Ich liebe Sommer. (I love summer.)

 Wir leben in dem Haus mit meiner Mutter. (We live in the house with my
mother.)
 Er studiert Medizin seit September mit seinem Brüder an
der Universität. (He has been studying medicine with his brother at the
university since September.)

Although all nouns are capitalized, pronouns are never capitalized, unless
they come at the beginning of the sentence.

3. There's A Time, Manner, And

Place For German Adverbs

Adverbs, as you probably remember from school, are words that modify
verbs, adjectives and even other adverbs. In English they often (but not
always) end in “ly” – “quickly”, “angrily”, “actually”.

In a sentence, adverbs tell us about how, when, how often or where

something happens.

The previous example – Er studiert Medizin seit September mit seinem
Brüder an der Universität – shows how the word order differs slightly in
German compared to English.

In German, you always need to follow the rule “time, manner, place” when
determining adverb word order.
 German Adverbs Of Time
 gestern — yesterday
 heute — today
 immer —always
 manchmal — sometimes
 morgen — tomorrow
 morgens — mornings
 nachmittag — in the afternoon
 nachts /abends — at night, evenings
 nie/nimmer — never
 oft — often

German Adverbs Of Manner

Adverbs of manner indicate how something happens and include words
such as:

 allein(e) — alone
 eventuell — possibly
 freiwillig — voluntarily
 gern(e) — gladly
 hoffentlich — hopefully
 langsam — slowly
 leichtsinnig — recklessly
 lieber — rather
 natürlich — naturally
 sicherlich — certainly
 vielleicht — maybe
 widerwillig — stubbornly
 wütend — angrily
 zögerlich — reluctantly
 zufällig — per chance
 zusammen — together

German Adverbs Of Place

 Finally, adverbs of place describe where an action takes place. Some
examples include:

 da/dort — here/there
 drauβen — outside
 drinnen — inside
 hier — here
 irgendwo — somewhere
 links — left
 nirgends — nowhere
 oben — above
 rechts — right
 überall — everywhere
 unten — below
 voran — before/in front

Below are some examples of how to put the “time, manner, place” rule to
practice.

 Ich bin oft (time) allein (manner) irgendwo (place) gegangen. (I often went

somewhere alone.)
 Wir sind heute (time) zusammen (manner) hier (place). (Today we're here
together.)
 Er ist gestern (time) freiwillig (manner) drauβen (place) gegangen. (He
went outside voluntarily yesterday.)

This rule doesn't exist in English. But you'll be glad it exists in German.
There's no need to think about how to structure your sentences. Simply
follow the rule.

4. German Nouns Have Genders

One of the more complicated grammar concepts for native English
speakers to grasp is that words have genders. In German, you have three
different cases to choose from: masculine, feminine, and neuter.

The case system can take time to learn but follows clear grammatical
rules. Make sure you learn the gender of a word, every time you add to
your German vocabulary.
 Masculine – Der
 Feminine – Die
 Neuter – Das 

Sometimes, you'll have to memorize which gender a word has. Other

times, you can figure out the gender from the word ending.

Job positions are also distinguished by gender. Take a look at the

following examples:

 Der Lehrer (male teacher)

 Die Lehrerin (female teacher)
 Der Koch (male chef)
 Die Köchin (female chef)
 Der Student (male student)
 Die Studentin (female student)
 Der Künstler (male artist)
 Die Künstlerin (female artist)

Knowing the gender of nouns is essential to formulating the rest of your

German sentences. You'll also need to understand the elements of your
sentence.

5. German Has 4 Cases

 The articles (a/an/the in English) change depending on whether a word is
the subject, direct object, indirect object, or possessive object.

 The subject – You can find the subject of a sentence by asking yourself
who or what is performing an action. In German, the subject takes the
nominative case.
 The direct object – A direct object is a noun or pronoun on the receiving
end of the subject's action. In German, the direct object takes the
accusative case.
 The indirect object – This element of the sentence is passively affected
by the action of the verb. In German, the indirect object takes the dative
case.
 You should also note that some German prepositions take the
accusative case, while others are always in the dative case. Additionally,
some prepositions can take either case, depending on their use in a
sentence.

If you're already familiar with sentence structure in English, you'll find it

easier to identify the subject, direct object, and indirect object of a
sentence.

Let's look at an example:

 Ich (subject) habe meine Tante (indirect object) Blumen (direct

object) geschenkt. I (subject) gifted my aunt (indirect object) flowers
(direct object).

The graphic below gives an overview of the German cases.

As you can see, choosing the correct translation of “the” and “a” requires
some thought at first. Don't worry, even if you choose wrong, native
speakers will still understand you! The more you practice, with plenty
of exposure to German through reading and listening, the less you'll have
to think about which ending is right.

If you want to learn more, check out this 5 Part Guide to Finally
Understanding the German Case System.

6. Noun Genders And Cases

Determine Adjective Endings
As if having to choose from three different noun genders wasn't
challenging enough, you also have to watch out for adjective endings.

That's right, depending on the case, you'll have to decide which ending is
appropriate for the preceding adjective. The good news is, there are
straightforward rules to help you determine which adjective ending to use.

Let's take a look at the range of possibilities.

German Definite Article Adjective Endings “The”

German Indefinite Article Adjective Endings “A”

Both the gender of the word and its role in the sentence determine which
case and endings to use. It sounds scary but it will become second
nature, especially if you look out for these changes as you read and listen
to German.

7. German Plural Possibilities

Unlike English, you can't always just slap an -s onto a word to create the
plural form in German. The German language forms plurals in multiple
ways. Some common plural endings are -e, -er, -en, -n, and -s.
 Below are a few examples.

Add an -e ending to nouns ending in -eur, -ich, -ier, -ig, -ling, and -ör.
Many feminine words that are single-syllable also add an -e, as well as an
umlaut.

 Das Tier (the animal) – die Tiere (the animals)

 Der Likör (the liqueur) – die Liköre (the liqueurs)
 Die Hand (the hand) – die Hände (the hands)

Add -er to most single-syllable neuter nouns. An umlaut may also be

necessary.

 Das Wort (the word) – die Wörter (the words)

 Der Mann (the man) – die Männer (the men)
 Das Haus (the house) – die Häuser (the houses)

Add an -n or -en ending to masculine words ending in -e, -ent, and, -ant, -
ist, -or. Feminine words ending in -e, -in, -ion, -ik, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -tät,
and -ung also often take this ending.

 Der Autor (the author) – die Autoren (the authors)

 Die Blume (the flower) – die Blumen (the flowers)
 Der Vater (the father) – die Vätern (the fathers)

Add an -s ending to words finishing with -a, -i, -o, -u, and -y.

 Das Auto (the car) – die Autos (the cars)

 Das Kino (the cinema) – die Kinos (the cinemas)
 Die Mutti (the mother) – die Muttis (the mother)

As in English, some German nouns are the same in both their singular
and plural forms. In this case, only the word's article reveals which form is
intended.

For example, der Löffel (the spoon) becomes die Löffel (the spoons).

There are also several exceptions to the above rules that you'll have to
become familiar with through immersion in German.