Learn German

Kannst Du Deutsch?

"Can you speak German?" the title reads. German is one of several languages in the subfamily of Indo-European tongues known as Germanic or Teutonic languages. You might be surprised to find out that English and Dutch are also major Germanic languages.

The German with which most people are familar is a standardized form often referred to as Hochdeutsch. There are varieties of Standard German including Swiss and Austrian. The language has more than a couple of hundred dialects worldwide including Pennsylvania German or Pennsylvania Dutch as well as those hybridized forms found in Missouri, the Midwest, and Texas.

Here are some common phrases to get you started...

Guten Tag! ('goot-en tahk) Good day or hello.
Wie geht's? (vee gayts) How's it going?
Es geht mir gut. (ehs gayt meer goot) It's going well for me.
Wie heisst Du? (vee haist doo) What's your name?
Ich heisse ________ (ikh 'haiss-uh) My name is ________
Wie alt bist Du? (vee ahlt bisst doo) How old are you?
Ich bin ______ Jahre alt. (ikh bin ______ 'yah-ruh ahl) I am _______ years old.
Was machst Du? (vahs mahkst doo) What are you doing?
Ich esse Pomme frites. (ihk 'ehs-suh pum freet) I'm eating french fries.
Gefaellt es dir? (guh-'fehlt ehs deer) Do you like it?
Das gefaellt mir. (dahs guh-'fehlt meer) I like it.
Ich bin satt und jetzt bin ich muede. (ikh bin zaht oont yets bin ikh 'myoo-duh) I'm full and now I'm tired.