Common German Words

A list of the most common German words ordered by their frequency of use. You can use this list to learn words efficiently, ensuring you cover the basic vocabulary of German.

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1	die
1. art. feminine singular of der
die Frau - the woman
2. art. plural of der
die Männer - the men
3. pron. feminine singular of der
	der
1. art. the
2. art. feminine singular of der
3. art. genitive plural of der
4. pron. who; that; which
2	und
1. conj. (co-ordinating) and
Kaffee und Kuchen - coffee and cake
Ich kam, sah und siegte. - I came, saw, and conquered.
2. conj. (colloquial) links two nouns, often a person and an activity, in rhetoric questions to express an opposition between them
Er und Abwaschen? Vielleicht einmal im Jahr! - Him doing the dishes? Maybe once per year!
3	ich
1. pron. I (first person singular nominative (subject) pronoun)
4	der
1. art. the
2. art. feminine singular of der
3. art. genitive plural of der
4. pron. who; that; which
Ich kenne einen Mann, der das kann. - I know a man who can do that.
5	das
1. art. singular of der: the
2. pron. singular of der
3. pron. (relative) who, that, which
Ich kenne ein Mädchen, das das kann. - I know a girl who can do that.
Das kann es nicht geben. - This is nothing that could possibly exist.
	der
1. art. the
2. art. feminine singular of der
3. art. genitive plural of der
4. pron. who; that; which
6	nicht
1. adv. not, non- (negates the meaning of a verb, adjective, or adverb)
Bitte nicht stören! - Please do not disturb!
Das ist nicht wahr. - That is not true.
2. interj. (tag question, dated, or formal) right?; is it?; is it not?
Du bist sicher die Claudia, nicht? - You must be Claudia, aren't you?
7	ist
1. v. third-person singular present of sein
	sein
1. v. (copulative, with a predicate adjective or predicate nominative) to be
2. v. (with a dative object and certain adjectives) to feel, (to experience a condition)
8	sie
1. pron. she
Ist sie noch krank? - Is she still sick?
Das ist meine Katze. Sie heißt Lili. - This is my cat. Her name is Lili.
Ich suche Vanessa. Hast du sie gesehen? - I'm looking for Vanessa. Have you seen her?
2. pron. it (when the object/article/thing/animal etc., referred to, is feminine die)
	es
1. pron. Nominative and accusative neuter third-person singular personal pronoun
9	in
1. prep. (with dative) in, inside, within, at (inside a building)
Es ist in dem Haus. - It is in the house.
Ich habe die Schlüssel im (in dem) Kühlschrank gefunden. - I found the keys in the refrigerator.
Unsere Kinder sind in der Schule. - Our kids are at school.
Er ist in einem Café. - He is at a coffee shop.
10	zu
1. prep. to, towards (indicates directionality)
zum Bahnhof - to the train station
2. prep. with respect to; regarding
Zu Punkt 1 möchte ich bemerken, dass... - With respect to item 1, let me remark that...
3. prep. along with; with (accompanying (the main thing in question))
11	es
1. pron. Nominative and accusative neuter third-person singular personal pronoun
Wo ist das Buch? Es liegt auf dem Tisch. - Where's the book? It’s on the table.
Wo ist das Kind? Ich habe es. - Where is the child? I have it.
Welche Farbe hat das Pferd? Es ist weiß. - What color is the horse? It is white.
Ich bemerkte ein merkwürdiges bärtiges Individuum und beschloss, es im Auge zu behalten. - I remarked a strange bearded individual and decided to keep an eye on him.
12	den
1. art. masculine accusative singular of der
2. art. dative plural of der
3. pron. that; whom; masculine accusative singular of der
13	er
1. pron. (personal) he.
audio, De-wo ist klaus.ogg De-wo ist klaus.ogg uxi - Where is Klaus? Where is he?
audio, De-Dies ist mein hund.ogg De-Dies ist mein hund.ogg uxi - This is my dog. His name is Waldi.
2. pron. (personal) it (when the grammatical gender of the object/article/thing/animal etc., being referred to, is masculine (der)).
audio, De-Dort steht ein baum.ogg De-Dort steht ein baum.ogg uxi - There stands a tree. It is more than 100 years old.
14	du
1. pron. you (thou, singular familiar)
15	ein
1. art. a, an
ein Mann - a man
eine Frau - a woman
ein Kind - a child
2. adv. (now chiefly in compounds) indicating (concrete or abstract/metaphorical) motion into something
16	sich
1. pron. Reflexive pronoun of the third person singular: herself, himself, itself, oneself (direct or indirect object).
2. pron. Reflexive pronoun of the third person plural: themselves (direct or indirect object).
17	mit
1. prep. with (in the company of; alongside)
Ich spiele mit meinen Freunden. - I'm playing with my friends.
2. prep. with, by (using as an instrument; by means of)
Ich schreibe mit einem Bleistift. - I'm writing with a pencil.
Ich fahre mit dem Bus. - I'm going by bus.
18	auf
1. prep. (with dative) on, upon (positioned at the top of)
Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. - The book is lying on the table.
2. prep. (with accusative) on, onto, up (moving to the top of)
Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch. - I’m putting the book on the table.
3. prep. (with accusative) on (indicating responsibility)
19	so
1. adv. so, such, that
Die Leute sind so nett. - People are so nice.
Dieser Hammer ist nicht so gut. - This hammer is not that good.
Das ist so eine gute Idee! - That is such a good idea!
so und so - such and such
20	was
1. pron. (interrogative) what
Was machst du heute? - What are you doing today?
2. pron. (relative) which ((referring to the entire preceding clause))
Sie tanzte gut, was er bewunderte. - She was a good dancer, which he admired.
3. pron. (relative) that, which ((referring to das, alles, etwas, nichts, and neuter substantival adjectives))

Dictionary entries from Wiktionary