Learning how to say ‘help me’ in German is essential when travelling or living in a German-speaking country. Whether you lose something important, face an emergency, or just need directions, these key phrases will help you communicate effectively in German.
Below, we’ll go through common situations where you might need help and the phrases to use. As always, don’t forget to listen to the podcast to learn new vocabulary and get tips on pronunciation.
‘Help me’ in German: how to ask for immediate help
If you are in danger or need help urgently, knowing how to say ‘help me’ in German is important:
- Hilfe! Help! – This is a simple and effective word to shout if you are in an emergency.
Emergencies
You may need to contact the authorities or emergency services in more serious situations.
- Feuer! Fire! – If there is a fire, shout this and call emergency services.
- Ruf die Feuerwehr! Call the fire department!
- Ruf die Rettung! Call an ambulance! – If someone is hurt or injured, you might need to call an ambulance.
- Ruf die Polizei! Call the police! – Use this if you need the police.
Key emergency services
- die Feuerwehr the fire department
- die Polizei the police
- die Rettung/der Krankenwagen the ambulance
- der Notarzt the emergency doctor
What to say if you lose something
Losing something while travelling can be stressful. Here are common phrases to say ‘help me’ in German if you have to report lost items:
- Ich habe meinen Ausweis/Schlüssel/Koffer/mein Ticket/mein Handy/ meine Tochter/meinen Sohn /meine Brieftasche verloren.
This means: I have lost my ID/key/suitcase/ticket/phone/daughter/son/wallet – Use this to explain what you have lost. Note that the word my changes depending on the gender of the word describing what you have lost.
Giving a description
You may be asked for a description of the lost article:
- Können Sie das beschreiben? Can you describe it?
Note that this question uses a modal verb as we have seen before. This verb is at the start of the question, sending the main verb, beschreiben, to the end of the question. For example, you might say:
- Es ist blau/grün. It is blue/green.
- Es ist groß/klein. It is big/small.
When describing lost items, it’s useful to know colours in German:
- braun brown
- schwarz black
- grau grey
- weiß white
- rot red
- blau blue
- grün green
Reporting a stolen item
If something has been stolen, you’ll need to give details to the police. You can ask or answer the following questions:
- Wann wurde der Koffer gestohlen? When was the suitcase stolen? – This question uses the passive.
You don’t need to know how to form it just yet, but it is useful to be able to recognise and understand the question. Here are some possible time phrases you may use in response:
-
- heute Morgen this morning
- gestern Abend last night
- am Freitag on Friday
- um halb vier at 3.30 pm
When you say ‘help me’ in German, you may need to describe to the police where the item went missing and be able to answer the question:
- Wo wurde der Koffer gestohlen? – Where was the suitcase stolen?
This has a similar construction to the one asking when something was stolen, but it starts with the question word for where, wo. Here are some sample answers:
-
- neben der Kirche next to the church
- auf dem Platz in the square
- im Zoo at the zoo
The prepositions used in this context all state a location. This means the dative case is used, and the articles need to be adjusted. Have a look at how they change from the nominative to the dative for each gender.
- der Platz > dem Platz
- die Kirche > der Kirche
- das Zoo > dem Zoo
Getting to important places
In emergencies, as well as knowing how to say ‘help me’ in German, you might need to know how to ask for directions to important locations:
- das Krankenhaus the hospital
- die Polizeistation the police station
- Wo ist das Krankenhaus? Where is the hospital?
- Das Krankenhaus ist neben dem Stadion. The hospital is next to the stadium.
Note again how das Stadion changes to dem Stadion after the dative preposition neben.
Useful verbs for emergencies:
- rufen – to call
This verb is important if you are asking someone to call emergency services.
- For example:
- Ruf die Feuerwehr! Call the fire department!
- Ruf die Rettung! Call the ambulance!
By learning and practising how to say ‘help me’ in German, you’ll be better prepared for emergencies or situations where you need assistance in German-speaking countries. Don’t be afraid to ask for help — most people are happy to help!
To keep learning more useful vocabulary and be able to introduce yourself and others in German,read the article and listen to the podcast we prepared on the subject!
