Can You Complete These Simple German Phrases?

By: Talin Vartanian
Estimated Completion Time
3 min
Can You Complete These Simple German Phrases?
Image: Lumi Images/Hudolin-Kurtagic/Getty Images

About This Quiz

Who said that learning a new language has to be difficult? Sure, maybe some languages like Japanese, Chinese or Russian are fairly hard, but that's not the case with German. In fact, many German words, such as "Hallo," "Kalender" and "April," sound a lot like their English translations. 

The German alphabet is pretty similar to our English one, except for a few additions. There's a letter "ß," which is called a ligature and is pronounced like an "S." There are also vowels with dots called umlauts, and these marks change the pronunciation. These vowels are "Ä," "Ö" and "Ü." So, for example, if you wanted to say the word "fünf" (which means "five" in German), then you would pronounce this as "foonf" instead of "funf." 

Once you've got the pronunciation of these letters down, then you can move on to memorizing simple words and phrases. Maybe you want to order some "Fisch" at a restaurant, or perhaps your "Kaffee" needs to be heated up. But just remember to use your manners — "Bitte" and "Danke" mean "Please" and "Thank you." 

Now if you think this stuff is easy, then maybe you should try taking the rest of our German quiz to find out if you can score 100%!

1 Thank You
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What's the second part of this common German phrase: "Bitte _______"?
Schön
Kein
Dank
Sie
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The actual phrase here is "Bitte schön," which means "You're welcome." Some people also use the phrase "Gern geschehen" or "Gern" for short, though the latter is used for informal conversations.

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2 yes
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Which of these words means "yes" in German?
Richtig
Danke
Nein
Ja
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Ja" means "yes" in German. It's pronounced by saying "yah." This is because the letter "j" in German is spoken as the letter "y" in English. For example, "Jo-Jo" would be pronounced "Yo-Yo."

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3 no problem
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What does this phrase sound like in English: "Kein problem"?
No thanks.
I don't understand.
No problem.
I need help.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The giveaway here is the word "problem." It not-so-subtly hints at the translation, which is "no problem" in English. It's also a way of saying "You're welcome" in the German language.

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4 she
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How do you say "she" in German?
Es
Sie
Wir
Ich
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Sie" kind of sounds like "she," don't you think? And, as a bonus, we'll throw in some other German-English translations here: "ich" means "I," "es" means "it," and "wir" means "we." (Unfortunately, to confuse matters, "sie" also means "they," and "Sie" is a formal way of saying "you.")

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5 father
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What's the first part of this German phrase: "_______ Vater"?
Darth
Der
Das
Dee
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Maybe "der Vater" inspired George Lucas to name his iconic villain as "Darth Vader," especially since this means "the Father" in German. For "the mother," you would say "die Mutter."

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6 I speak English
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How about this simple phrase: "Ich ________ Englisch"?
Spreche
Nicht
Brauchen
Brauche
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The phrase above translates to "I speak English." So let's break it down: "Ich" means "I," "spreche" means "speak," and "Englisch," of course, means "English." German isn't that hard after all!

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7 translation
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What is the correct translation of "natürlich"?
Excuse me
Sorry
Of course
Nature
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Natürlich" means "of course," but there are different ways to say this. You could use "sicherlich," which means "certainly," or "selbstverständlich," which is a more complex way of saying "of course."

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8 good day
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Here's an anagram for the German "good day," but can you unscramble it: "Nuget Gat"?
Tun Agteg
Tegun Tag
"Nuget Gat" is correct.
Guten Tag
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Were you able to spot "Guten Tag" from this anagram? If so, then you might be a German genius! But did you know that "Guten Tag" also means "Hello" and "Good afternoon"? You could also say "Guten Morgen" during the morning hours.

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9 excuse me
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What's the middle part of this word: "Ent______igung"?
Dank
Schuld
Ursache
Schön
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The next time you need to ask a German-speaking stranger a question, start with "Entschuldigung," which means "Excuse me." It also means "I'm sorry." Saying "Verzeihung" is a bit more formal, more like "Pardon me."

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10 goodbye
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Can you solve this one: "______ Wiedersehen"?
Keine
Gute
Auf
Gern
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The correct phrase is "Auf Wiedersehen," which translates to"See you again" or "Goodbye." It's considered to be formal and polite — you could use "Tschüß" for a more informal approach.

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11 informal greeting
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What's the second part of this German phrase? "Alles _______."
Klar
Es
Tut
Leid
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Alles klar" kind of sounds like "all clear," right? It also means "Is everything all right?" as this translation is actually used as an informal greeting in German. And the best response would be "Ja," which means "yes."

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12 hangman
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Can you solve this one, Hangman style: "W___s ___st los?"
Wis est los?
Wes ist los?
Was ist los?
Wes est los?
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you know a close friend or family member in Germany, then you might wanna say "Was ist los?" to them, as this translates to "What's up?" But, depending on the context, it could also mean "What's the matter?"

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13 guess
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Can you guess what "Bis bald" means?
See you soon.
Nice to meet you.
My name is ...
Where are you from?
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The German phrase "Bis bald" means "See you soon," but it literally translates to "Until soon." This is often used as an informal way of departing from friends or family members. It's certainly shorter than the famous "Auf Wiedersehen."

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14 nice to meet you
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Can you fill in the missing letters: "F_____ mich"?
Ein
Ommen
Reut
Anke
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you want to say "Nice to meet you" in the German language, then you might use the "Freut mich" approach. It also means "I am glad," which in turn, means that you're glad to meet someone.

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15 never mind
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"Macht ordnung" is an incorrect way of saying "Never mind." How would you correct it?
Macht langsamer
Macht bedeutet
"Macht ordnung" is correct.
Macht nichts
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Macht nichts" actually has several meanings, and one of them is "Never mind." It also translates to "It doesn't matter," especially in response to an apology, and it can be used to end a conversation.

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16 number secuence
Pexels by Magda Ehlers
What's the next number in the sequence: "null, eins, zwei, ___"?
Sechs
Vier
Drei
Acht
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Do you know your German numbers? If so, then you might be able to guess that "drei" means "three," which is the next number in this sequence. Subsequent numbers would be "vier," "fünf," "sechs" and so forth.

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17 paying the bill
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If you were at a German restaurant, how would you say, "The bill, please"?
Was empfehlen Sie?
Bitte wählen Sie etwas
Haben Sie schon auf?
Die Rechnung, bitte
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

When you need the check in a German restaurant, you could use the phrase "Die Rechnung, bitte." And if the server isn't around, you could say, "Entschuldigung," which means "Excuse me."

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18 how much is this
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If you want to say "How much is it?" in German, you would say "Was ________ das?"
Muss
Kostet
Lange
Nach
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Was kostet das?" is the correct way of saying "How much is it?" in the German language. And just for fun, if you wanted to ask "What time is it?" you would say, "Wie spät ist es (jetzt)?"

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19 California
Pexels by Pixabay
Can you guess what "Wo ist California auf der Karte?" translates to?
Where is California on the map?
How do I get to California?
Is California far from here?
What's the weather in California?
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you know that "Karte" means "map," then you might imagine that "Where is California on the map?" is the correct translation. And if you wanted to say "Can you show me on the map?" you would say "Zeigen Sie mir das bitte auf der Karte?"

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20 Directions
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What's the missing word here: "Wie ______ ich dahin?"
Komme
Habe
Mich
Auf
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Wie komme ich dahin?" translates to "How can I get there?" It's a useful phrase for getting around in Germany. To simply explain that you are lost, you would say "Ich habe mich verlaufen."

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21 words
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What's the missing word in this "Just a moment" translation: "________, bitte"?
Suche
Ja
Moment
Nein
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

We're not playing any tricks here, because "Moment, bitte" actually means "Just a moment." The word "bitte" also has several meanings, which include "Please" and "Pardon?" and "You're welcome."

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22 I like this
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What's the first part of this common German phrase: "_____ gefällt mir"?
Danke
Ich
Was
Das
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The common phrase "Das gefällt mir" translates to "I like this," which is particularly useful if you're shopping in a store. But if the said item is too pricey, you could always say, "Das ist mir zu teuer."

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23 alphabet
Pixabay by Alicja_
Which of the following letters is not part of the German alphabet?
Ö
Y
ß
Ü
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Fortunately, our English alphabet is relatively similar to the German one. However, the letter "y" generally appears only in words that came to German from other languages. Even the word "Germany" is a foreign word in Deutschland.

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24 letter soup
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Can you unscramble this German anagram: "Merotzdt eankd"?
Tremotzd danke
"Merotzdt eankd" looks good to me.
Demtrotz danke
Trotzdem danke
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Trotzdem danke" translates to "Thank you anyway," but only for situations when someone cannot help. So if a person cannot give you the directions you asked for, you would say "Trotzdem danke."

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25 hapiness
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How would you say "happiness" in German?
Liebe
Glück
Katze
Lächeln
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Glück" sounds like a pretty happy German word, doesn't it? But just be careful not to pronounce it as "Gluck," because the "ü" in German sounds similar to the "u" in French. There is no equivalent in English.

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26 dog
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What's the missing letter in this word for "dog": "H__nd"?
o
ü
a
u
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The word "Hund" means "dog," but don't pronounce it like "hund." The ending "d" is pronounced like a "t," so it should really be pronounced "hunt." Similarly, an ending "b" in German is pronounced like a "p," and an ending "g" is pronounced like a "k."

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27 hangman game
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How about solving this Hangman-style translation: "G__te Nac__t"?
Gute Nacst
Gate Nacht
Gute Nacht
Gate Nacxt
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Next time you want to say "Good night" to a friend or family member, trying saying "Gute Nacht." Other common "Good night" phrases are "Träum süß," "Schlaf gut" and "Ab in die Heia."

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28 hour
Unsplash by Badhon Ebrahim
Which of these words means "hour" in German?
Uhr
Minute
Stunde
Sekunde
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Stunde" means "hour" in German, and it's used to tell what time it is. "Sekunde" means "second," "Uhr" means "o'clock" (so you would say "4 Uhr" for "4 o'clock"), and "Minute" means "minute."

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29 green light
Unsplash by Moritz Kindler
If you saw a green light at an intersection, what would you do?
Halt
Verlangsamen
Lachen
Gehen
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The word "gehen" means "go" in English, and it's useful for driving through green stoplights. But if you see a yellow light, be sure to "verlangsamen," which means to "slow down."

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30 eyes
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What German verb would you use in this sentence: "You _____ with your eyes"?
Sehen
Weit
Klein
Können
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You "sehen" with your eyes, right? This word means "see," but let's talk about verbs for the other senses too. "Hören" means "hear," to "riechen" is to "smell," "berühren" means "touch," and "schmecken" means "taste."

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31 vowels
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What's the missing letter in this tough word: "schw__erig"?
A
E
I
O
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If a task or a test seems rather difficult, then you might use the word "schwierig" to describe it. On the other hand, if something seems very easy to you, then you would probably use the word "einfach."

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32 Wednesday
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One of these words means "Wednesday" in German, but can you spot it?
Donnerstag
Dienstag
Montag
Mittwoch
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Everyone loves the middle of the week, which is known as "Mittwoch," right? But let's be real — people go crazy for "Freitag," "Samstag" and "Sonntag" even more, which are Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

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33 December
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Can you spot the missing letter in "De__ember"?
C
Z
S
N
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the German language, "Dezember" refers to the last month of the year, December. For the most part, these calendar months are fairly easy to learn, with common German months like "Oktober," "November" and "Juli."

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34 calling the police
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Who would you call for an emergency in Germany?
Polizist
Koch
Ingenieur
Lehrerin
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If "Polizist" sounds like "police officer" to you, then you are correct. But more formally, you would refer to the Federal Police in Germany as "Bundespolizei," or BPOL for short.

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35 beverages
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Tee, Wasser and Kaffee are all examples of ... ?
Food items
Beverages
Toiletries
Articles of clothing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

These German beverage phrases sound a lot like their English translations, don't they? For instance, "Tee" means "tea," "Wasser" means "water," and "Kaffee" means "coffee." And if you wanted to say "soda," you would just say "die Soda." In German, all nouns are capitalized.

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