Common German Phrases
It's always a good idea to have a handy arsenal of friendly expressions and phrases that you can use to keep the conversation flowing. In this lesson there are lots of really useful expressions and common german phrases you can use when socializing with Germans. Remember to make use of the Testing at the end of this lesson to really reinforce your learning!
Here are some of the most basic German phrases to get you started. Further on in this lesson we will look at the pronunciation of these and more German phrases.
- Wie geht es dir? - How are you? (casual)
- Wie geht es Ihnen? - How are you? (formal)
- Mir geht es gut - I’m well.
- Mir geht es nicht so gut - I’m not so well.
- Alles in Ordnung? - Everything alright?
- Ich möchte gerne… - I would like to...
- Ich möchte so gerne - I would love to
- Gerne - Certainly
- Du siehst toll aus! - You look great!
- Kann ich helfen? - Can I help?
Resources for further reading:
How to pronounce common German phrases
Practice Your Pronunciation With Rocket Record
Rocket Record lets you perfect your German pronunciation. Just listen to the native speaker audio and then use the microphone icon to record yourself. Once you’re done, you’ll get a score out of 100 on your pronunciation and can listen to your own audio playback. (Use a headset mic for best results.) Problems? Click here!
Wie geht es dir?
How are you? (casual)
Wie geht es Ihnen?
How are you? (formal)
Mir geht es gut
I'm well.
Mir geht es nicht so gut
I'm not so well.
Alles in Ordnung?
Everything alright?
Ich möchte gerne…
I would like to...
Ich möchte so gerne
I would love to
Gerne
Certainly
Du siehst toll aus!
You look great!
Kann ich helfen?
Can I help?
Möchtest du…
Would you like…(casual)
Möchten Sie…
Would you like…(formal)
Das ist sehr nett
That is very nice
Das ist sehr freundlich
That is very kind
Das gefällt mir sehr gut
I like that very much
Das macht Spaß
That's fun
Das macht keinen Spaß
That's no fun
Bitte
Please
Danke
Thanks
Vielen Dank
Thank you very much
Danke schön
Thanks a lot
Nichts zu danken
You're welcome
Like or Love?
If you want to express that you are fond of someone you can say
Ich mag dich.
I like you.
You could also say
Ich habe dich lieb
I like you very much / I am very fond of you
There is no equivalent in English for “Ich habe dich lieb,” it’s kind of between “I like you” and “I love you.” It basically means that you like someone very, very much. For example a mother might use it to tell her child how fond she is of him or her. It is most often used between family members.
If you want to confess your love to someone, just say
Ich liebe dich.
I love you.
Hopefully the answer will be
Ich liebe dich auch
I love you, too.
For example:
Ich mag dich sehr gerne.
I like you lots
Ich habe dich sehr lieb.
I like you very much
Ich liebe dich über alles.
I love you more than anything.
Why not check out some more lessons on German phrases next?
- How do you describe yourself in German? It's easy with this lesson!
- What about describing other people in German? Check this German lesson out.
- Know how to say good luck in German.
Bis bald!
Paul Weber: Rocket German
Make It Stick With Rocket Reinforcement
Reinforce your learning from this lesson with the Rocket Reinforcement activities!