Exploring a new town can be great fun, especially when you’re learning a new language. This guide will help you understand and use essential phrases in asking for and understanding directions in German.
Listen to the episode while reading the text to gain further insight into the pronunciation!
Key Places in Town
You already know what some places in town are called in German, but we thought it might be useful to add some more vocabulary to your repertoire. They’re given with their gender in the nominative case, as you would find them listed in the dictionary:
- der Park (m) park
- der Dom (m) cathedral
- die Post (f) post office
- die Schule (f) school
- das Kino (n) cinema
- das Schwimmbad (n) swimming pool
- das Museum (n) museum
- das Krankenhaus (n) hospital
Knowing these words will help you ask for and understand directions in German more easily.
Knowing your directions in German
Of course, when someone gives you directions in German, it’s important to know your left from your right:
- geradeaus straight ahead
- links left
- rechts right
Asking for more help
There is always the possibility that you understand most of what is said to you when you ask for directions, but it would be helpful if the person could repeat what they told you. Here’s an easy way to ask them to do that:
- noch einmal, bitte one more time, please
Directions in German: more essential phrases
Here are some more essential phrases for navigating around town and understanding directions in German:
- Ich habe mich verlaufen. I’m lost.
- Entschuldigen Sie, bitte. Excuse me, please.
It’s always important to be polite, so we use the formal form of “you”, Sie.
Judging distances
Now, the next one might be important to know in case you need public transport to get where you want to go: Ist es weit? Is it far? Of course, you may hear: Ja, es ist weit. Yes, it is far. However, you may be lucky and be told: Nein, es ist nicht weit. No, it is not far.
A summary of asking for and understanding directions
Now let’s combine these phrases and places for clear directions:
- Gehen Sie… go…
- Nehmen Sie… take…
Again, the polite form is used, because we would be talking to people we don’t know. We can put them together with the directions for “left” and “right” etc to give directions:
- Gehen Sie geradeaus. Go straight ahead.
- Nehmen Sie die erste/zweite/dritte Straße rechts. Take the first/second/third street on the right.
- Nehmen Sie die erste/zweite/dritte Straße links. Take the first/second/third street on the left.
Of course, we may hear them used with places in the town to give directions:
- Gehen Sie über die Brücke. Go over the bridge.
- Gehen Sie über die Kreuzung. Go across the junction.
- Gehen Sie über den Platz. Go across the square.
Note the word for “the” changes in the last example above. This is because der changes to den in the accusative case. This happens because the preposition über takes the accusative when indicating movement to a place, such as “over the bridge”. There is no change in the feminine word for “the”, die, in the accusative case.
Let’s see these phrases in action with a few example conversations:
1) Entschuldigen Sie, bitte. Ich habe mich verlaufen. Wo ist das Krankenhaus? Excuse me, please. I’m lost. Where is the hospital?
Gehen Sie geradeaus und nehmen Sie die zweite Straße links. Go straight ahead and take the second street on the left.
2) Entschuldigen Sie, bitte. Wo ist der Dom? Excuse me, please. Where is the cathedral?
Gehen Sie über die Brücke und dann die erste Straße rechts. Go over the bridge and then the first street on the right.
3) Ist es weit zum Park? Is it far to the park?
Nein, es ist nicht weit. Gehen Sie geradeaus und dann die dritte Straße links. No, it is not far. Go straight ahead and then the third street on the left.
4) Wo ist das Museum? Where is the museum?
Nehmen Sie die erste Straße rechts und dann über den Platz. Take the first street on the right and then across the square.
Practice makes perfect
Understanding and giving directions in German is such a useful skill and the more you practise, the easier it becomes. Use these phrases and place names to practise with a partner or even by yourself. Remember, repetition is a useful tool in building confidence in any new language skill.
And, since walking around town can build up an appetite, how about learning how to order food in German? Check the blog post we prepared with some essential tips and vocabulary!
