Basic German Words for Indian Students to Learn
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When you go for studying in Germany, you need small German words that help you every day. Many Indian students like Germany because of free education in public universities and many popular courses there. You get good study and some international feeling also.
When you reach Germany, sometimes things get little hard because the German language is everywhere. Some universities teach in English, but still you need basic German for small work. One day you need it for shopping, another day for bus ticket, sometimes only for saying hello to people. It makes life more easy.
This guide try to give you important German words, few easy German phrases, and some small tips. You read these things slowly and you can use them when you live in Germany. It not has to be perfect German, just something so you can talk little and understand small things. When you learn little every day, your life in Germany become more simple and more comfortable.
- Why Learn German?
- German Words: Introduction to the German Alphabet
- German Words: Basic Greetings and Phrases in German and their English meaning
- German Numbers 1 to 10
- German Words: Building Your German Vocabulary
Why Learn German?
In this section, we are going to be discussing the importance of learning the German language for Indian students looking to study in Germany.
- Knowledge of the German language will allow students access to a larger number of courses (taught both in German and/or English) and educational institutions (public & private universities) as opposed to students who are only well versed in the English language. As they would have to choose from a limited number of courses that are taught in English.
- Whether you are planning to study in a public university or private university it is important and highly advisable to know the German language. Knowledge of the German language will help students settle down and participate in day-to-day activities without feeling the odd one out. They will be able to interact with the locals, foster friendships and feel at home away from home.
- Above all, knowing the German language will allow candidates to have an upper hand when it comes to German part-time work options, post-study work options in Germany and building a career in Germany as opposed to a candidate who is not well versed in the German language.
- Knowledge of the German language will also help Indian students to take up work in their home country. Be it working as a language trainer, language expert, translator or simply working in the German embassy. Knowing the German language or any foreign language is a matter of pride and has more benefits than one can account for.
German Words: Introduction to the German Alphabet
Similar to the English alphabets the German alphabets have a total of 30 letters.
| English Alphabets |
German Pronunciation |
English Alphabets |
German Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| A |
ah |
N |
en |
| B |
bay |
O |
oh |
| C |
tsay |
P |
pay |
| D |
day |
Q |
koo |
| E |
ay |
R |
air |
| F |
eff |
S |
es |
| G |
gay |
T |
tay |
| H |
hah |
U |
ooh |
| I |
eeh |
V |
fow |
| J |
yot |
W |
vay |
| K |
kah |
X |
iks |
| L |
ell |
Y |
oopsilohn |
| M |
em |
Z |
tset |
Along with the 26 alphabets above, the German alphabet has four letters that don’t exist in English, Ä, Ö, Ü and (ß). The first three are called “Umlaute”. Umlaute are accents or two dots that are placed above the vowel. This transforms the vowel into another independent vowel. And unique to the German language, the "ß", also called "Eszett" (sz) or "scharfes S" (sharp s) is not an Ulaut and is only used in the middle of words, so there is no upper case form of it and is pronounced as a sharp ‘s’-sound and can be replaced by writing “ss”.
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German Words: Basic Greetings and Phrases in German and their English meaning
| Germany |
English |
|---|---|
| Guten Morgen |
Good morning |
| Guten Tag |
Good day |
| Guten Abend |
Good evening |
| Hallo |
Hello |
| Tach |
Hello |
| Moin, moin |
Hello (Northern Germany) |
| Servus |
Hello (Southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland) |
| Guten Tag Frau/Herr Meier (formal) |
Hello Ms./Mr. Meier |
| Ich heiße… |
My name is… |
| Wie heißen Sie? (formal) Wie heißt du? (informal) |
What is your name? |
| Ich komme aus…Indien/den USA/der Türkei |
I’m from…India/the United States/Turkey |
| Woher kommen Sie? (formal) Woher kommst Du? (informal) |
Where do you come from? |
| Freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen (formal) Freut mich, dich/euch kennenzulernen (informal) |
It’s a pleasure to meet you |
| Ich bin zum ersten Mal hier |
This is my first time here |
| Ich bleibe…über das Wochenende/für ein paar Tage/eine Woche |
I’m staying…over the weekend/for a few days/a week |
| Wie lange bleiben Sie? (formal) Wie lange bleibst du? (informal) |
How long are you staying? |
| Was sind Ihre Hobbies? (formal) Was sind deine Hobbies? (informal) |
What are your hobbies? |
| Was machen Sie heute noch? (formal) Was machst Du heute? (informal) |
What are your plans for the rest of the day? |
| Entschuldigen Sie bitte… (formal) Entschuldige bitte… (informal) Entschuldigung…. (neutral) |
Excuse me, please… |
| Ich habe eine Frage. |
I have a question. |
| Können Sie mir helfen? (formal) Kannst du mir helfen? (informal) |
Can you help me? |
| Sprechen Sie English? (formal) Sprichst du Englisch? (informal) |
Do you speak English? |
| Ich spreche ein wenig Deutsch |
I speak a little German. |
| Einen Moment, bitte. |
One moment, please. |
| Nein, danke. |
No, thank you. |
| Ja, bitte! or Gerne! |
Yes, please! |
| Vielen Dank! |
Thank you! |
| Ich weiß es nicht or Keine Ahnung |
I don’t know / No clue |
German Numbers 1 to 10
| Numeral | German number | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | eins | ainzh (rhymes with eye) |
| 2 | zwei | tsvai |
| 3 | drei | drai |
| 4 | vier | feer |
| 5 | fünf | foonf |
| 6 | sechs | zehks |
| 7 | sieben | ZEE-ben |
| 8 | acht | ahkt |
| 9 | neun | noin |
| 10 | zehn | tsehn |
German Words: Building Your German Vocabulary
We have just introduced you to the tip of the German language by providing you with a handful of German Words. The next question would be the best resources from where you can learn the German language in India.
Goethe-Institut - the cultural organization of the Federal Republic of Germany is responsible for promoting the German language outside of Germany. The Goethe-Institut has set up multiple Goethe Instituts (institutions) and Goethe Centers for students who are looking to learn the German language in India.
Candidates can also look at learning the German language from Indian universities and colleges. Students can take up a German course as a diploma, or a certificate course and pursue the foreign language as a full-time programme across universities in India. Popular universities providing German courses include Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University (DU), IGNOU - Indira Gandhi National Open University, and Amity University, Noida among many others.
Candidates can also opt for online free apps including Duolingo and Babbel. Both these apps require candidates looking to learn the language to create a profile and learn their language of choice. The online learning apps would need the candidate to provide their reason for learning the German language which could be learning German for education, Learning German for tourism or simply Learning German as a hobby and the preparatory material would be tailor-made as per their response.
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Yes, Schiller International University Germany accepts IELTS exam as a part of English language requirement. SIU Germany offers admissions for international students on a rolling basis. International students whose native language is not English, must submit proof of English proficiency at SIU Germany. Schiller International University Germany also accepts English language test such as PTE, TOEFL, Duolingo, and more. International students must meet the minimum English test score requirement at SIU Germany that are listed below
Test | UG | PG |
|---|---|---|
TOEFL iBT | Minimum score of 80 | Minimum score of 89 |
IELTS | Minimum score of 6.0 | Minimum score of 6.0 (MBA and MBA International Business require 6.5 or equivalent) |
Duolingo | Minimum score of 95 | Minimum score of 105 |
PTE | GSE score of 59 or higher | GSE score of 67 or higher |
Admission at Stuttgart University is moderately competitive for International students because of its acceptance rate. The Stuttgart University acceptance rate is around 53%, which makes admission moderately competitive. This means that 53 get offers out of 100 applicants for UG or PG admission. Therefore, applicants must have a good academic profile and meet Stuttgart admission requirements to study.
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Yes, 320 is a very strong score for Germany. Most German universities look for a score around 300 to 310. If you have 320, you are well above average. It will help you get into top schools like TU Munich or RWTH Aachen. Focus more on the Quant score for engineering courses.