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I started watching these series to improve my understanding of spoken German, I try to watch without using the subtitles as much as possible.

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I am planning a trip to Berlin this summer and have spent some time learning and revising vocabulary that I might need whilst in Berlin. This was helpful both for improving my German and in preparing for my trip.

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Planning your big trip to Germany is an exciting time!

Looking forward to going skiing in Salzburg this winter?

Just bought your mask for your Carnival trip to Cologne?

Already know which tents you'll be visiting during Oktoberfest in Munich?

If you're a savvy traveler, you've probably already started learning some German idioms, slang, and ways to say hello and goodbye. However,
if you want to be less vulnerable as a tourist, you'll need to brush up on some useful German travel expressions.

Why You Should Learn German Travel Phrases

Even if you can't have a fluent conversation, native German speakers always appreciate when foreigners put the effort into learning a bit of their language. It shows respect and demonstrates that you truly want to reach out and connect with people while abroad.

You won't be totally reliant on your German phrasebook. Yes, your Lonely Planet German phrasebook has glossy pages and you love getting the chance to use it-but you want to be able to respond quickly when people speak to you, at a moment's notice. After learning the German travel phrases below, you'll only need your German phrasebook in a real pinch.

If you can express yourself in some basic German, you are less likely to be taken advantage of by taxi drivers, souvenir shops and waiters!

The perception that all German speakers speak English is simply not true. Even in big cities you'll find loads of people that know very little English. You don't want to have to track down other English speakers every time you have a question or want to make a friend.

If you want to have an edge during your upcoming travels, take a moment to memorize the following phrases. You won't regret it!

Please note that many of these expressions are in the formal Sie conjugation. For your travel purposes, this form should be just fine.

Say Hello to My Little Friend: Basic Greetings, Introductions and Goodbyes

You have to start somewhere, right? Below are a few basic phrases and words to help you when you first meet someone. For a more comprehensive explanation of greetings and goodbyes, don't forget to check out German Greetings: 22 Useful Ways to say Hi and Bye.

OMG, Shopping: Elementary Vocabulary for Buying Stuff

Inevitably you will want to buy your mom (or yourself) something from your trip to Zurich. It's important to know basic shopping expressions in German so that you're not completely ripped off. If you master the following easy expressions, the salesperson might think twice about over-charging you for those Swiss chocolates!

Ich habe nur X Euro dabei.
I only have X euros with me.

Kann ich es für X Euro kaufen?
Can I buy it for X euros?

Wining and Dining: What to Say at a Restaurant

You eat at least three times a day. Mealtime is the perfect time to show off some of your newly acquired German skills. Impress the waiter (and your new Austrian ladyfriend/boytoy) with by throwing out some simple German restaurant expressions.

Was ist der Unterschied zwischen X und Y?
What's the difference between X and Y?

Toto, We're Not in Kansas Anymore: Giving and Asking for Directions in German

You're not Magellan! Being too shy to ask for directions in your hometown might work fine. In a city like Vienna, however, you will get lost eventually. Stop checking Google Maps - the old Viennese lady won't bite!

Zum Stadtzentrum, bitte.
To the city center, please.

Zum Flughafen, bitte.
To the airport, please.

Missed Connections: Important Public Transportation Expressions

Unless you're planning to spend a fortune on taxis in Düsseldorf, you may want to know some basic bus and train vocabulary. If the signs in the station are unclear-which they almost always are, right?-use the following phrases to get you to your destination.

Wie viel kostet eine Fahrkarte nach X?
How much is a ticket to X?

Können Sie mir das auf der Karte zeigen?
Can you show me on the map?

Room Service Dreams: Vocabulary for Hotel Check-In and Check-Out

Though most hotels in big cities have an English-speaking staff, if you go to a remote area of Austria or Germany, you may find yourself in a small inn run by an old couple with no English skills. Just to be on the safe side, memorize the following expressions and you won't have to sleep outdoors!

Haben Sie noch ein Zimmer frei?
Do you have a free room?

Running Around Town: Important City Vocabulary

Want to send your friend a postcard from Basel? Tired of spending money at expensive restaurants in Hamburg? Need to get some cash? No matter where you are in the world, you will eventually have to run an errand. Below are a couple of places around town you might need to visit during your trip.

Pressing the Panic Button: Emergency German Vocabulary

You will hopefully never need any of the following German phrases. Nevertheless, it's better to be safe than sorry. Anything can happen while you travel, so memorize the following to avoid any sticky situations that may arise.

Just in Case: Saying You Don't Understand

If you do your homework, you may find that you may not need the following expressions. However, if you want to be on the safe side, here are some useful expressions for when that Swiss man starts going off in rapid German.

Wow! That felt like a lot of phrases. If you are still new to German language learning, you may be feeling a bit overwhelmed - this list does present you with lots of vocabulary. However, once you get a grasp of basic German grammar and vocabulary, it should be no problem at all to commit these phrases to memory. Try practicing some of these phrases out loud to get your pronunciation right before leaving on your travels. If you're a total procrastinator, take this list with you to practice on the plane. Before we part ways, there's one final travel phrase you need to know:

And One More Thing...

If you really want to prepare for a German-language travel situation, you'll want to do more than memorize words and phrases.

You'll want to see those words and phrases in action, and that's where FluentU comes in.

FluentU takes great videos and turns them into language learning experiences so that you can learn real German as people really speak it:

Watching a fun video, but having trouble understanding it? FluentU brings native videos within reach with interactive transcripts.

You can tap on any word to look it up instantly. Every definition has examples that have been written to help you understand how the word is used. If you see an interesting word you don't know, you can add it to a vocab list.

And FluentU isn't just for watching videos. It's a complete platform for learning. It's designed to effectively teach you all the vocabulary from any video, so you can continue to learn new useful German words and phrases while hearing exactly how people actually use them. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you're on.

The best part is that FluentU keeps track of the vocabulary that you're learning, and it recommends you examples and videos based on the words you've already learned. This is a level of personalization that hasn't been done before.

Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes store.

If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to learn German with real-world videos.
Experience German immersion online!

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134 Super Useful and Common German Travel Phrases and Words

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Planning your big trip to Germany is an exciting time! Looking forward to going skiing in Salzburg this winter? Just bought your mask for your Carnival trip to Cologne? Already know which tents you'll be visiting during Oktoberfest in Munich?

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I found this comic at the University library and as I already know and love the characters, I started reading this again in German. Some of the vocabulary is challenging, but, as I already know most of the stories, I can infer a lot. I find this both useful in learning vocabulary and enjoyable.

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I watched Der Untergang in German. I found this useful to acclimatise myself to listening to German, giving it my full attention to understand as much as possible. It was very difficult to understand certain parts of the film, and I did have to use the subtitles a lot, especially to understand specific military vocabulary. Overall, I think this is a very good way to get myself used to the language and become more comfortable using it.

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I found a YouTube channel which talks about subjects I am interested in like veganism, minimalism and travel. I enjoy watching these videos and find them useful in improving my understanding of German/expanding my vocabulary, especially that I can learn more vocabulary related to topics which are of interest to me.

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10 EINFACHE TIPPS: GELD SPAREN & MINIMALISTISCH LEBEN | Dariadaria

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Ist Geld sparen wirklich so schwer? Nein! Wer minimalistisch lebt, lebt freier und gibt gleichzeitig weniger Geld aus. Heute gebe ich euch 10 praktische Tipps, wie ihr das in die Tat umsetzen könnt! Ich verwende die App "Home Budget", die App "Money Control" ist aber auch sehr zu empfehlen.

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As I was revising the dative, I found out that some verbs (dative verbs) require an indirect object to be 'happy'. I found a list of these verbs and compiled my own list of 10 I am most likely to use (with translations and examples of how to use them). This was very helpful as I now feel that I better understand how and when to use the dative.

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There are certain verbs in German that always put their object in the dative, even when there's no preposition and it seems to be a direct object. In the Perfect Tenses section, we mentioned a few that take sein, but most of them actually take haben. Here are a few more examples:

Sometimes you'll see verbs like schreiben (to write) identified as dative verbs, because they commonly take a dative (indirect) object in addition to an accusative (direct) one, as when you write a letter [accusative] to a friend [dative]. That's not what we're talking about here, though. A "true" dative verb is one that takes a dative object without an accusative object, and there are only about 50 of them. If you look closely, what's going on with most of them is that an implied direct object is being dropped, often because it's being used as the verb itself. You answer someone by giving them an answer, help them by giving help, advise them by giving advice, and so on.

Click here for our full list of dative verbs.

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Dative Verbs - German for English Speakers

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There are certain verbs in German that always put their object in the dative, even when there's no preposition and it seems to be a direct object. In the Perfect Tenses section, we mentioned a few that take sein, but ... Continue reading →