Collins German Phrasebook and Dictionary Gem Edition

By Collins Dictionaries

You will never be lost for words in your travels around Germany and German-speaking countries again! Your ideal travel companion will ensure that you can say what you need in German with ease and confidence.

Reliable and easy-to-use, this phrasebook is an indispensable travel companion as you deal with the situations that crop up every day on holiday; from finding a chic hotel, or hiring a car to explore the countryside, to choosing a local delicacy from the menu, and, of course, setting up your wifi.

With helpful travel information and cultural tips, plus a 3000-word dictionary, make sure you don’t go anywhere without this little ebook – an essential guide to speaking and understanding German when travelling in Germany and German-speaking countries.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Mar 10, 2016
• ISBN: 9780008163525

Book preview

Pronouncing German

In this book you are given the pronunciation of the phrases so that you will soon be able to recognize the different sounds. (The stressed syllable is marked in bold.) Here are a few rules you should know:

Umlauts

* ur’ as in hurt without the r pronounced

A final e is always pronounced, but weakly like the e in the: Seide (zy-de), bitte (bit-e).

An underline indicates a short vowel, e.g. Mutter (mootter), Mörder (murder), Küste (kueste).

If an h is added after the vowel, the sound is longer, e.g. Tag (tahk), Mädchen (meht-khen), Leben (lehben), hoch (hohkh).

Top ten tips

1Germans may close doors more often than you are used to, but a closed door does not necessarily mean that the person cannot be disturbed. They are probably happy to receive you if you knock before entering.

2If someone holds an academic title it’s always polite to use it.

3When introduced to an adult, address them by their title and surname until they suggest using first names.

4If the person you are talking to sneezes, say ‘Gesundheit’ (bless you!).

5Shake hands when you get introduced to an adult.

6In restaurants in general, wait until everyone is served before you dig in, and say ‘Guten Appetit!’ before you start. The latter is not entirely necessary, but considered good form.

7Always use the polite ‘Sie’ form, except with friends and colleagues of your own age.

8When asked ‘Wie geht es Ihnen?’ you should respond by first thanking them, saying ‘Danke, gut’.

9Answer the phone by using your surname: ‘Bader, hallo’; if you’re at work, then follow this with the name of your company.

10Sundays are sacred. It’s the ‘Ruhetag’ so you should be aware that noise is kept to a minimum.

Talking to people

Hello/goodbye, yes/no

When Germans meet they generally shake hands. The words for Mr and Mrs are Herr and Frau. Note that Fräulein (Miss) is no longer used, as it sounds rather patronizing.

Key phrases

You don’t need to say complicated things to get what you want. Often simply naming the thing and adding bitte will do the trick.

Signs and notices

Polite expressions

There are two forms of address in German, formal (Sie) and informal (du). You should always stick to the formal until you are invited to duzen (to use the informal du).

Celebrations

Making friends

We have used the informal du form for these conversations.

FACE TO FACE

Wie heißt du?

vee hyst doo?

What’s your name?

Ich heiße…

ikh hy-se…

My name is…

Woher kommst du?

voh-her komst doo?

Where are you from?

Ich komme aus Großbritannien

ikh kom-e ows grohs-bri-ta-ni-en

I’m British (I come from Britain)

Sehr erfreut!

zehr erfroyt!

Pleased to meet you!

Weather

Getting around

Asking the way