I studied German for four years in high school and still remember some simple phrases and regularly use them with my friends for fun. If you want to learn German, here are some basic phrases to start off with.

guten tag (pronounced gooten targ) – hello or good morning

auf wiedersehen (pronounced owf veedersane) – goodbye

danke schon (pronounced dunka sheern) – thank you very much

danke (pronounced dunka) – thanks

bitte (pronounced bit-te) – please

entshuldigen (pronounced entshooldigen) – excuse me

haben Sie cocoa? (pronounced harben See cocoa) – do you have cocoa? (used if you’re in a cafe and would like some cocoa or hot chocolate)

haben Sie kaffee? (pronounced harben See cafe) – do you have coffee? (used if you’re in a cafe and would like some coffee)

ich liebe du (pronounced ish liebe doo) – I love you

Now if you’ve read those phrases you might be wondering why in the “haben Sie cocoa” phrase “you” is “Sie” in German and yet in the “ich liebe du” phrase “you” is “du”. That’s because the German language has two different words for the English word “you”. “Sie” is the formal way of saying “you” and you would use “Sie” if you’re talking to a stranger or a person in authority. “Du” is the informal way of saying “you” and you would use it when you’re talking to friends and family.

So that’s why if you’re in a German cafe and you’d like a cup of cocoa, you would say “haben Sie cocoa?” And if you’re telling your parent or girlfriend/boyfriend you love them, you would say, “ich liebe du”.

German is an enjoyable language to learn. Once you’ve mastered these basic phrases, you’re ready to learn more!

Anna Barlow
http://www.coolwebstuffonline.com/learngermantoday