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The 50 most common German words

The words no German conversation can do without: to be, to have, to do, yes, no, thank you. Each comes with IPA, a translation and an example you can listen to — plus three exercises at the end to make them stick.

  • 50 words
  • Audio and IPA
  • An example for every word
  • 3 exercises
  • No sign-up
To the wordsPractice

Why start with these words

A small set of words — articles, pronouns, a few verbs and prepositions — turns up in almost every German sentence. Once you know them, you’ll recognise the backbone of a sentence even in an unfamiliar text.

Learn the words together with the examples so you know straight away how to use them. German nouns are capitalised (Zeit, Haus), and the verbs sein, haben and werden are worth learning in all their present-tense forms.

The word list

The words go by frequency: the first ones are the most common. Tap a word or an example to listen.

Speed
  1. the
  2. to be
  3. and
  4. I
  5. not
  6. you (informal)
  7. a, an; one
  8. to have
  9. it
  10. to; too
  11. to become; will
  12. in
  13. she; they
  14. he
  15. with
  16. what
  17. on
  18. we
  19. can
  20. yes
  21. no
  22. my
  23. so, like this
  24. for
  25. how; like
  26. from, of
  27. but
  28. that
  29. here
  30. still, yet, more
  31. if; when
  32. must, to have to
  33. to do, to make
  34. good, well
  35. also, too
  36. to want
  37. to go
  38. to know
  39. already
  40. now
  41. to come
  42. to say
  43. all, everything
  44. you (formal)
  45. only
  46. there, here
  47. to see
  48. thank you
  49. time
  50. today

Practice: test yourself

10 words from the list per round. After every answer you hear the word and the right option lights up.

Choose an exercise

How to remember the words

  • 10 words a day: listen, repeat aloud and do the “Translate” exercise.
  • Learn whole examples: “Ich weiß nicht”, “Wie geht’s?” — ready-made phrases stick better than single words.
  • Come back to the exercises after a day and after a week — spaced repetition makes words stay.
  • Learn every noun with its article: das Haus, die Zeit — German gender can’t always be guessed.

FAQ

Didn’t find your answer? Send us a request — we’ll tell you everything.

Where does this list come from?

We based it on German frequency lists built from film and TV subtitles — the closest thing to everyday spoken language. Forms of one word are grouped (der, die, das), and words a beginner doesn’t need on their own were replaced with the most useful conversational ones: danke, ja, nein.

Are 50 words enough to speak German?

No, but they’re a solid base: these words make up a noticeable share of any text. The next step is 300–500 words by topic (food, the city, work) and basic grammar.

What’s the difference between sie and Sie?

Lower-case sie means “she” or “they”; capital Sie is the formal “you”. They sound the same, so in speech you tell them apart by the verb form and the context.

How fast can I learn these words?

In a week, if you learn 7–10 words a day and review them with the exercises. The key is to come back to them a few days later.

What’s next

Next step

Keep learning with a mini-course

Short online courses by Slay School teachers: a 15-minute lesson a day with audio, exercises and dialogues, and the words you forget come back on their own.

  • Day 1 is free
  • 15 minutes a day, at your own pace
  • Every word has audio
  • Lifetime access once paid
Start for freeAll mini-courses

All you need to start is an email or a Google account.