When travelling in Germany, it’s good to know some phrases that can help in emergencies and others that let you talk about your family and other such common topics, like the weather. In this blog post, we will explore a couple of German phrases for tourists, along with their explanations.
To make the most of your experience, don’t forget to listen to the podcast in order to gain insight into pronunciation and discover new vocabulary. Listed below:
German phrases for tourists – emergency situations
It’s always good to be prepared, so knowing and being able to understand a few of these German phrases for tourists can help, even though you may never have to use them directly:
Hilfe! Help!
A very useful word to call for help in urgent situations. If you’re in danger or need immediate help, shout: Hilfe!
Die Polizeistation the police station
It’s helpful to be able to ask where the police station is if you need assistance in an emergency situation.
- Wo ist die nächste Polizeistation? Where is the nearest police station?
- Ich habe meine Brieftasche verloren. I have lost my wallet.
The perfect tense (habe + verloren) is used here since the event has already happened. We will look into how to form this tense in the next season. For now, knowing this phrase can already be helpful whenever you lose or just misplace something.
- Der Koffer ist groß und schwarz. Ich habe den Koffer im Bahnhof verloren. The suitcase is large and black. I lost the suitcase at the train station.
Der Ausweis the ID card
Example: Ich muss meinen Ausweis zeigen. I need to show my ID card.
You’ll see again how after using a modal verb, such as muss, the other verb goes to the end of the sentence or clause and stays in its infinitive form, zeigen.
Useful German phrases for tourists in other situations
Below, we’ll look at a variety of situations and topics that can often come up in conversation when travelling in a German-speaking country
Expressing basic needs
It’s always handy to know a few German phrases for tourists that allow you to say how you’re feeling or how to make basic arrangements:
- Es ist halb sechs und ich habe Hunger. It is half past five, and I am hungry.
This is useful as understanding and being able to tell the time is very helpful and lets you make arrangements more easily for such things as when to eat and so on.
- Es ist halb sechs und ich habe Hunger. Lass uns etwas essen.
Discussing family
Talking about family and friends is useful if you want to introduce them to someone while on holiday.
- Ich habe drei Kinder, zwei Söhne und eine Tochter. Die Söhne heißen Daniel und Max, und meine Tochter heißt Julia. I have three children, two sons, and a daughter. The sons are named Daniel and Max, and my daughter is named Julia.
- Erzähl mir von deiner Familie. Ich habe drei Kinder, zwei Söhne und eine Tochter. Die Söhne heißen Daniel und Max, und meine Tochter heißt Julia. Mein ältester Sohn ist neun Jahre alt.
Reasons for your holiday
Talking about the reason for your visit to a country is another often talked about topic. Here are some possible reasons.
- Was führt Sie nach Deutschland? What brings you to Germany?
- Ich bin hier in Deutschland mit meiner Familie und wir machen Urlaub. I am here in Germany with my family, and we are on holiday.
- Ich besuche das Museum mit meiner Familie. I am visiting the museum with my family.
- Wir machen Urlaub in Deutschland. We are on vacation in Germany.
Weather-related chat
This is, without a doubt, an essential topic to have under your belt of German phrases for tourists. It is a topic on which everyone everywhere has something to say. It can be a global theme as we all know how the weather can make or break a holiday.
- Das Wetter ist heute schön. The weather is nice today.
- Was glaubst du, sollen wir heute den Park besuchen? What do you think, should we visit the park today?
- Was glaubst du, wie das Wetter morgen wird? What do you think the weather will be like tomorrow?
If you’re planning something for the next day and you want to ask someone about the weather, you could use the question above.
- Was glaubst du…? What do you think…?
The question can be used in other situations too, such as asking someone’s opinion, if you were asking for a recommendation etc.
- Wir planen eine Wanderung. Was glaubst du, wie das Wetter morgen wird? We are planning a hike. What do you think the weather will be like tomorrow?
- Hier in Innsbruck wird es regnen. Here, in Innsbruck, it will rain. You can use the future tense or the present tense to talk about the weather for the near future.
Being able to use these German phrases for tourists will help you handle emergencies and other conversations about your family and the weather while on holiday in a German-speaking place.
To learn useful phrases for navigating the airport, check out the blog post we prepared on the subject!
