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    1001 Easy German Phrases
    1001 Easy German Phrases
    1001 Easy German Phrases
    Ebook227 pages2 hours

    1001 Easy German Phrases

    By M. Charlotte Wolf, Ph.D.

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    About this ebook

    The perfect companion for tourists and business travelers in Germany and other places where the German language is spoken, this book offers fast, effective communication. More than 1,000 basic words, phrases, and sentences cover everything from asking directions and renting a car to ordering dinner and finding a bank.
    Designed as a quick reference tool and an easy study guide, this inexpensive and easy-to-use book offers completely up-to-date terms for modern telecommunications, idioms, and slang. The contents are arranged for speedy access to phrases related to greetings, transportation, shopping, services, medical and emergency situations, and other essential items. A handy phonetic pronunciation guide accompanies each phrase.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDover Publications
    Release dateSep 21, 2012
    ISBN9780486173870
    1001 Easy German Phrases

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    1001 Easy German Phrases - M. Charlotte Wolf, Ph.D.

    INDEX

    Introduction

    1001 Easy German Phrases contains basic words and phrases that are useful for communication when traveling in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, which is where German is most commonly spoken. In addition, German is still widely understood—and spoken—in eastern France (Lorraine and Alsaçe) and northern Italy (Südtirol).

    This book will also assist you with understanding German’s structural qualities, such as grammar and syntax, as well as enabling you to express your needs and handle situations when traveling in any of the countries and regions mentioned above. While this book is tailored to your needs as a traveler, it is not intended as a comprehensive guide to the German language. However, since the material presented is not cumulative, you may pick and choose the chapter or section that is most useful to you in any given situation.

    Hochdeutsch vs. Dialekt

    People new to the German language may be in for a big surprise after arriving in Austria, Germany, or Switzerland for the first time, because the German they hear may not exactly match the German they expected to hear. Although standard German, or Hochdeutsch [HOCH-doytsh], is taught in schools and used in business, social, and tourist-related situations, there always comes a time when you suddenly experience Bahnhof [BAWN-houf]—the sensation of words coming at you like the noise at a train station! You have come face to face with one of the many dozens of dialects of German.

    Hochdeutsch is the result of efforts to synchronize the many different regional variants that have existed since the early Middle Ages in the German-speaking parts of Europe. Faced with the multitude of different German dialects that obstructed communication among inhabitants from different German-speaking regions, people realized the need to come up with a standardized version that would be understood by all. So, thanks to Hochdeutsch, newspapers, books, and other publications from Hamburg to Vienna all display the same language, despite minor regional variations. The regional dialects have not ceased to exist, however, and when residents of the Austrian state of Tyrol, for example, speak among themselves, they are not using Hochdeutsch, but their regional dialect. Similarly, if you visit a local pub in a small coastal town in Northern Germany, you will hear people speak in Plattdeutsch, or you will hear Bairisch spoken in the southern and southeastern parts of Germany, including the city of Munich. And anyone who has spent more than a day in German Switzerland knows that the spoken language, Schwyzerdütsch [ SHVY-tseh-dootsh], is quite different from the Hochdeutsch used in Swiss newspapers or heard on Swiss TV and radio stations.

    Pronunciation

    Note that the phonetic transcription provided for each word and phrase is modeled closely after the sound and pronunciation patterns of English. In the tables that follow, you will find a description of German sounds that differ from English sounds. Together with the information provided in the section Phonetic Transcription, this information will help you with the pronunciation of German words, phrases, and sentences.

    A Brief Guide to German Sounds

    Below you will find a brief description of German sounds that are markedly different from English. Sounds that are similar to ones found in English are not listed.

    Phonetic Transcription

    The numbered entries below are arranged in a consistent manner that includes the English phrase, its German translation, and a phonetic transcription. The phonetic transcription is intended to help you get a feel for how the German words and phrases you see printed here will sound, and is based on sounds that you are familiar with from the English language. Transcriptions appear in boldface, and are broken down into syllables separated by dashes; words are separated by spaces. Syllables in uppercase letters are stressed, while those in lowercase letters are not stressed (e.g., minister [ MIN-is-tah]).

    Try to get a feel for how to pronounce the phrase by practicing it.

    Creating Phrases

    You will also find it easy to form additional phrases and sentences using the ones provided. In instances where this is possible, simply use one of the alternatives listed below the example sentence.

    In the Appendix, you will find more useful information on how to form sentences in German.

    Unlike English, German has formal and informal registers of address. These are indicated in the choice of the subject pronoun and the form of the verb. Sie is both the plural and singular second-person formal, while ihr and du are the informal plural and the informal singular second-person forms, respectively. Use the formal form of address for people whom you do not know well or who are older than you, and reserve the informal one for family, friends, and, in general, people under the age of sixteen. While Americans prefer to be informal in many situations, Germans prefer to interact formally. In the phrases throughout this book, you will find examples of both formal and informal forms of address. Take a look at the examples below.

    Can you tell me where the nearest travel agency is?

    When talking to one or more strangers, you would say:

    Können Sie mir bitte sagen, wo das nächste Reisebüro ist? (formal singular or plural)

    KOEN-en ZEE meer BIT-te ZA-gen VOH das NAYKH-steh REI-ze-bew-ro ist?

    When talking to a group of two or more people you know, or to a group of children or adolescents, you would say:

    Könnt ihr mir bitte sagen, wo das nächste Reisebüro ist? (informal plural)

    KOENNT-EER meer BIT-teh ZA-gen VOH das NAYKH-steh REI-ze-bew-ro ist?

    When talking to only one of your friends or family members, or a child or adolescent,

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