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. The; declined form of der
die Frau — “the woman”
die Männer — “the men”
2. pron. (in a subordinate clause as a relative pronoun) That; which; who; whom; whose.
Ich kenne eine Frau, die das kann. — “I know a woman who can do that.”
	der
1. art. the; definite article for several declensions:
2. art. Nominative singular masculine
3. art. Genitive singular feminine
4. art. Dative singular feminine
5. art. Genitive plural for all genders.
2	und
1. conj. (co-ordinating) and
Kaffee und Kuchen - coffee and cake
Ich kam, sah und siegte. - I came, saw, and conquered.
2. interj. so?, now?
Und? Wie ist es gelaufen? - So? How did it go?
3	ich
1. pron. I
4	der
1. art. the; definite article for several declensions:
2. art. Nominative singular masculine
3. art. Genitive singular feminine
4. art. Dative singular feminine
5. art. Genitive plural for all genders.
5	das
1. art. the; nominative singular neuter of der
2. art. the; accusative singular neuter of der
3. pron. who, that, which (relative) (In a subordinate clause, indicates a person or thing referenced in the main clause. Used with neuter singular referents).
Ich kenne ein Mädchen, das das kann.
I know a girl who can do that.
	der
1. art. the; definite article for several declensions:
2. art. Nominative singular masculine
3. art. Genitive singular feminine
4. art. Dative singular feminine
5. art. Genitive plural for all genders.
6	nicht
1. adv. not
Bitte nicht stören!
Please do not disturb!
Das ist nicht wahr.
That is not true.
7	ist
1. v. third-person singular present of sein
	sein
1. v. (with a predicate adjective or predicate nominative) to be
2. v. (with a predicate adjective and an indirect object) to feel (to experience a certain condition)
8	sie
1. pron. she
2. pron. it (when the object/article/thing/animal etc., referred to, is feminine (die))
3. pron. they; them
	es
1. pron. it (referring to things)
2. pron. he (with reference to male creatures, people etc. that are grammatically neuter)
3. pron. she (with reference to female creatures, people etc. that are grammatically neuter)
4. pron. (for impersonal verbs) it
9	in
1. prep. (in + dative) in; within; at; contained by
Es ist im Haus. - It is in the house.
2. prep. (in + dative) pertaining to
3. prep. (in + accusative) into
Er geht ins Haus. - He goes into the house.
10	zu
1. prep. to, towards
zum Bahnhof - to the train station.
2. prep. along with; with
Wasser zum Essen trinken - to drink water with one's meal
3. prep. at, by, on
11	es
1. pron. it (referring to things)
2. pron. he (with reference to male creatures, people etc. that are grammatically neuter)
3. pron. she (with reference to female creatures, people etc. that are grammatically neuter)
4. pron. (for impersonal verbs) it
Es regnet. - It’s raining.
12	den
1. art. the; accusative masculine singular of der
2. art. the; dative plural for all genders of der
3. pron. that; whom; accusative singular of der
13	er
1. pron. (personal) he.
Wo ist Klaus? Wo ist er? — Where is Klaus? Where is he? (audio, De-wo ist klaus.ogg)
2. pron. (personal) it (when the grammatical gender of the object/article/thing/animal etc., being referred to, is masculine (der)).
Dies ist mein Hund. Er heißt Waldi. — This is my dog. Its name is Waldi. (audio, De-Dies ist mein hund.ogg)
Dort steht ein Baum. Er ist über hundert Jahre alt. — There stands a tree. It is more than 100 years old. (audio, De-Dort_steht_ein_baum.ogg)
14	du
1. pron. thou, you (singular familiar)
15	ein
1. num. one
Ich hatte nur ein Bier bestellt.
I had ordered just one beer.
2. art. a, an
ein Mann - a man
16	sich
1. pron. (reflexive) Reflexive pronoun of the third person singular: herself, himself, itself, oneself (direct or indirect object).
2. pron. (reflexive) Reflexive pronoun of the third person plural: themselves (direct or indirect object).
17	mit
1. prep. with (expressing attendance, company)
Ich spiele mit meinen Freunden. - I'm playing with my friends.
2. prep. with, by (instrumental)
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
Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch.
The book is lying on the table.
2. prep. (with accusative) on, onto
Leg das Buch auf den Tisch!
19	so
1. adv. so, that
Die Leute sind so nett. - People are so nice.
Dieser Hammer ist nicht so gut. - This hammer is not that good.
2. adv. as (followed by an adjective or adverb plus wie in a statement of equality)
Er rennt so schnell wie der Blitz. - He runs as fast as lightning.
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, m, and neuter substantival adjectives)

Dictionary entries from Wiktionary