German words: essential vocabulary by category
Essential German words for beginners cluster into high-frequency themes — greetings, numbers, food, travel, family, verbs, and colors — that repeat across everyday conversation. This guide groups 100+ core German words with English glosses and article notes so you can study by category, then meet the same vocabulary inside graded MeloLingua German stories. For ready-to-speak sentences, see our essential German phrases guide.
Word lists help you scan quickly; stories help them stick. Use the tables below as a reference, then read A1–A2 German stories where the same words appear in full sentences with native audio and line-by-line English support.
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- Entries
- 139 entries
- Topics
- 10 topics
- Level
- A1–A2 focus
Definition
German words for A1–A2 learners are the high-frequency nouns, verbs, and adjectives that appear in greetings, cafés, travel, and daily routines — the core vocabulary you build before tackling cases and word order.
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What you will practice
- Build a core German vocabulary across greetings, food, travel, and family
- Learn nouns with their article (der, die, das) from the start
- Add numbers, days, and time expressions for scheduling
- Recognize high-frequency verbs in their infinitive forms
- Recycle vocabulary inside graded German stories — not isolated drills
Vocabulary topic
Greetings & politeness
German conversation opens with time-of-day greetings. Sie stays polite with strangers; du appears with friends and peers.
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| hallo | hi / hello | Works in any register |
| guten Morgen | good morning | Until midday |
| guten Tag | good day / hello | All-purpose daytime greeting |
| guten Abend | good evening | — |
| gute Nacht | good night | When leaving or going to bed |
| auf Wiedersehen | goodbye | Formal; *tschüss* informal |
| danke | thank you | — |
| bitte | please / you're welcome | Context decides meaning |
| Entschuldigung | excuse me / sorry | Get attention or apologize |
| gern geschehen | you're welcome | After *danke* |
Vocabulary topic
Core numbers (1–20, 100, 1000)
Learn 1–20 first for prices and schedules, then add round hundreds and thousands you will hear in travel and shopping.
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| eins | one | After a noun: *ein* (masc.), *eine* (fem.) |
| zwei | two | — |
| drei | three | — |
| vier | four | — |
| fünf | five | — |
| sechs | six | — |
| sieben | seven | — |
| acht | eight | — |
| neun | nine | — |
| zehn | ten | — |
| elf | eleven | — |
| zwölf | twelve | — |
| dreizehn | thirteen | — |
| vierzehn | fourteen | — |
| fünfzehn | fifteen | — |
| sechzehn | sixteen | — |
| siebzehn | seventeen | — |
| achtzehn | eighteen | — |
| neunzehn | nineteen | — |
| zwanzig | twenty | — |
| hundert | one hundred | 100 |
| tausend | one thousand | 1,000 |
Vocabulary topic
Days, months & seasons
Days and months are capitalized in German. Use am with a day for "on" (am Montag = on Monday) and im with months (im Januar = in January).
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Montag | Monday | *am Montag* = on Monday |
| Dienstag | Tuesday | — |
| Mittwoch | Wednesday | — |
| Donnerstag | Thursday | — |
| Freitag | Friday | — |
| Samstag | Saturday | *Sonnabend* in parts of northern Germany |
| Sonntag | Sunday | — |
| Januar | January | — |
| Februar | February | — |
| März | March | — |
| April | April | — |
| Mai | May | — |
| Juni | June | — |
| der Frühling | spring | — |
| der Sommer | summer | — |
| der Herbst | autumn / fall | — |
| der Winter | winter | — |
Vocabulary topic
Food & dining
Bäckerei and market vocabulary shows up early in German stories — ordering, paying, and describing food.
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| das Brot | bread | — |
| der Käse | cheese | — |
| das Wasser | water | — |
| der Kaffee | coffee | — |
| der Tee | tea | — |
| der Wein | wine | — |
| das Fleisch | meat | — |
| der Fisch | fish | — |
| das Gemüse | vegetables | Uncountable in everyday use |
| das Obst | fruit | Uncountable in everyday use |
| das Frühstück | breakfast | — |
| das Mittagessen | lunch | — |
| das Abendessen | dinner | — |
| die Rechnung | the bill / check | At a restaurant |
| lecker | tasty / delicious | Informal; *schmeckt gut* also common |
Vocabulary topic
Travel & places
Place and transport nouns set the scene in German stories and help you read signs while travelling.
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| der Bahnhof | train station | — |
| der Flughafen | airport | — |
| das Hotel | hotel | — |
| die Straße | street | — |
| die U-Bahn | subway / metro | Underground in cities like Berlin and Munich |
| die Fahrkarte | ticket | *das Ticket* also common |
| links | left | *nach links* = to the left |
| rechts | right | *nach rechts* = to the right |
| geradeaus | straight ahead | — |
| in der Nähe von | near | — |
| weit von | far from | — |
Vocabulary topic
Family & people
Family terms help you follow character relationships in short German narratives.
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| die Familie | family | — |
| die Mutter | mother | — |
| der Vater | father | — |
| die Eltern | parents | Plural only |
| der Bruder | brother | — |
| die Schwester | sister | — |
| der Sohn | son | *die Kinder* = children |
| der Freund / die Freundin | friend (male / female) | Also boyfriend / girlfriend depending on context |
| das Kind | child | Plural *die Kinder* |
| der Nachbar / die Nachbarin | neighbor (male / female) | — |
| der Mann | man / husband | Context decides |
| die Frau | woman / wife | Context decides |
Vocabulary topic
Common verbs (infinitives)
These high-frequency verbs appear in almost every A1–A2 German story. Learn the infinitive first, then meet conjugations in context.
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| sein | to be | Irregular; identity and states |
| haben | to have | — |
| werden | to become / will | Future and passive helper |
| gehen | to go / walk | — |
| kommen | to come | — |
| machen | to do / make | — |
| können | to be able to / can | Modal verb |
| wollen | to want | Modal verb |
| sprechen | to speak | — |
| essen | to eat | — |
| trinken | to drink | — |
| wohnen | to live (reside) | — |
| arbeiten | to work | — |
Vocabulary topic
Colors & useful adjectives
German adjectives before a noun take endings that agree with gender, case, and number (ein rotes Auto, eine große Stadt).
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| rot | red | — |
| blau | blue | — |
| grün | green | — |
| schwarz | black | — |
| weiß | white | — |
| groß | big / large / tall | — |
| klein | small / little | — |
| jung | young | — |
| alt | old | Also "years old" |
| glücklich | happy | — |
| gut | good | — |
| schön | pretty / nice / beautiful | — |
| neu | new | — |
| einfach | easy / simple | — |
Vocabulary topic
Time expressions & weather
Time expressions and weather set scenes in German stories — Saturday markets, rain on the commute.
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| heute | today | — |
| morgen | tomorrow | *der Morgen* = the morning |
| gestern | yesterday | — |
| jetzt | now | — |
| früh | early | — |
| spät | late | — |
| der Morgen | the morning | — |
| die Nacht | the night | — |
| Das Wetter ist schön | the weather is nice | — |
| Es regnet | it is raining | — |
| Es ist kalt | it is cold | — |
| Es ist warm | it is warm / hot | — |
| die Sonne | the sun | — |
| der Regen | rain | — |
Vocabulary topic
Question words
Question words start a question in German; word order often moves the verb to second position after them.
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| wer | who | — |
| was | what | — |
| wo | where | — |
| wann | when | — |
| wie | how | — |
| warum | why | — |
| wie viel | how much | Uncountable; *wie viele* for countable |
| welche / welcher / welches | which | Agrees with gender |
| ja | yes | — |
| nein | no | — |
| vielleicht | maybe | — |
How to learn German words with stories
Word lists give you recognition; graded stories give you retrieval. MeloLingua German readers recycle the same high-frequency words inside Bäckerei scenes, commutes, and family calls — with tap-to-gloss English support so you stay in German longer.
- Skim one category, then open an A1 German story that matches the theme (food → Bäckerei, travel → Bahnhof).
- Read without glosses first, then tap only the words you missed — the same items from the tables above.
- Listen to native audio and repeat short lines aloud so pronunciation sticks with meaning.
- Move to A2 stories when A1 feels comfortable — past tenses and longer dialogue appear naturally.
Related German hubs & story collections
Essential German phrases
Ready-to-speak sentences grouped by situation — greetings, travel, restaurants, and emergencies.
A1 German stories
Beginner vignettes with glossed vocabulary — bakeries, markets, and daily routines.
German reading practice
Graded passages by CEFR level with audio and comprehension support.
German texts to read
Short paragraphs organized by level for quick reading sessions.
Answers
German words — FAQ
Q01 What are the most common German words for beginners?
What are the most common German words for beginners?
Start with greetings (hallo, guten Tag, danke, bitte), question words (wo, wann, wie), numbers 1–20, high-frequency verbs (sein, haben, gehen, kommen), and everyday nouns for food, family, and travel. These appear in almost every A1 dialogue and MeloLingua beginner story.
Q02 How many German words do you need to be conversational?
How many German words do you need to be conversational?
Most learners need roughly 1,000–2,000 word families before simple A2 reading feels comfortable — but grammar knowledge and glossed support matter as much as raw vocabulary. Speaking fluency takes more practice beyond word count alone. Start with high-frequency categories (greetings, verbs, food, travel), then grow through stories and reading practice.
Q03 Should I learn German nouns with der, die, or das?
Should I learn German nouns with der, die, or das?
Yes — learn nouns with their article from the start (das Brot, die Straße, der Kaffee). Gender affects adjective endings and case forms later, and seeing articles in stories builds the habit faster than bare word lists.
Q04 What is the best way to memorize German vocabulary?
What is the best way to memorize German vocabulary?
Learn words in context, not isolation. Read a short German story, guess meaning from the scene, then check English support only where you stalled. Spaced repetition in the MeloLingua app reinforces words you met while reading.
Q05 What is the difference between German words and German phrases?
What is the difference between German words and German phrases?
This page lists single words by theme — nouns, verbs, adjectives, and question words. For ready-to-speak sentences like "Where is the station?" or "I would like a coffee," see our essential German phrases guide, which groups full expressions by situation.
Q06 Are German and English words similar?
Are German and English words similar?
Many cognates help at the start (Hotel, Restaurant, Information), but false friends need attention too (Gift means poison, not a present; bekommen means to receive, not to become). Stories expose both helpful overlaps and tricky pairs in context.
Apply what you learned
Essential vocabulary in German stories
Read graded German stories that recycle this grammar pattern — native audio, line-by-line English support, and a quick comprehension check after each story.