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The territory of the Russian Empire before 1914. Tsarist Russia - the whole truth

German is spoken by millions of people, not only in Germany, but also in Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and other places around the world. Of course, to speak German fluently, you will have to study for a long time, but you can master the simplest phrases very quickly. Whether you're traveling to a German-speaking country, want to impress someone, or just want to learn a little about a new language, you'll benefit from the tips in this article. We will teach you how to greet people, introduce yourself, say goodbye, thank them, ask basic questions or ask for help.

Steps

Part 1

Greetings and farewells

    Use standard greeting forms. Each German-speaking country has its own special greetings. However, the standard forms below will be appropriate in any of them.

    • "Guten Tag" (guten so) - "good afternoon" (used as the most common greeting during the day)
    • “Guten Morgen” (guten morgen) - “good morning”
    • “Guten Abend” (guten abent) - “good evening”
    • “Gute Nacht” (gute nacht) - “ Good night"(said before bed, usually only between close people)
    • “Hallo” (halo) - “hello” (used anywhere and anytime)

  1. Remember the difference between formal and informal address in German. In German, as in Russian, it is customary to address unfamiliar and unfamiliar people differently. strangers(formally, on “you”) and to close friends (informally, on “you”). However, unlike Russian, in German the polite “you” in singular and “you” in the plural is two different words. For example, to ask someone's name, you would say:

    • "Wie heißen Sie?" (vi haisen zi) - “what is your name?” (formally)
    • “Wie heißt du?” (vi haist do) - “what is your name?” (informal)

  2. Say goodbye. Forms of farewell, like greetings, may differ depending on where you are and who you are talking to. However, in general you can't go wrong with one of the following:

    • "Auf Wiedersehen" - "goodbye"
    • “Tschüss” (chyus) - “for now”
    • “Ciao” ​​(ciao) - “for now” (this word is Italian, but is often used by Germans)

Part 2

Starting a conversation

  1. Ask the person how he is doing. Not only will you be polite, but you will also demonstrate your knowledge of German!

    Tell me how you are doing. If you are asked the question “wie geht es Ihnen?” or “wie geht"s?”, you can answer in different ways.

    Ask the person where they are from. A good start to a conversation would be to ask your interlocutor what city or country he is from. There are the following phrases for this (both formal and informal).

    • “Woher kommen Sie?” (woher komen zi) / “woher kommst du?” (voher comst du) - “Where are you from?” / "Where are you from?"
    • “Ich komme aus...” (ikh kome aus...) - “I am from...”. For example, “ich komme aus Russland” (ich kome aus Russland) - “I am from Russia.”
    • “Wo wohnen Sie?” (wo wonen zi) / “wo wohnst du?” (vonst doo) - “where do you live?” / "where do you live?". The verb “wohnen” is used with the name of a city, street, exact address; for a country or continent (but often for a city too) “leben” is used - “wo leben Sie?” (wo leben zi) / “wo lebst du?” (in lebst do).
    • “Ich wohne in...” (ikh vone in...) or “ich lebe in...” (ikh lebe in...) - “I live in...”. For example, “ich wohne/lebe in Moskau” (ich wohne/lebe in Moscow) - “I live in Moscow.”

Part 3

Further communication

  1. Learn a few more simple useful phrases."Ja" means "yes", "nein" means "no".

    • "Wie bitte?" (vi bite) - “I beg your pardon?” (if you need to ask again)
    • “Es tut mir leid!” (es here is peace - “I’m sorry!”
    • "Entschuldigung!" (entschuldigung) - “sorry!”

  2. Learn to say "please" and "thank you." In principle, there is a formal and informal way of expressing gratitude, but the usual “danke” - “thank you” - can be used in any situation.

  3. Learn to formulate simple requests and questions about objects. To find out if something is available in a store, restaurant or similar place, you can ask “haben Sie...?” (haben zi...) - “do you have...?” For example, "haben Sie Kaffee?" (haben zi cafe) - “do you have coffee?”

    • If you want to ask about the price of something, ask the question “wie viel kostet das?” (vi fil costet das) - “how much does it cost?”

  4. Learn to ask for directions. If you are lost or want to find a place, the following phrases will come in handy.

    • To ask for help, say: “Können Sie mir helfen, bitte?” (kyonen zi world helfen, bite) - “Could you help me, please?”
    • To ask for a location, say "Wo ist...?" (in ist...) - “where is...?” For example, “wo ist die Toilette, bitte?” (wo ist di toilette, - “where is the toilet?” or “wo ist der Bahnhof?” (wo ist der Bahnhof) - “where is the train station?”
    • To make your question sound more polite, start it with an apology: “Entschuldigen Sie bitte, wo ist der Bahnhof?” (entschuldigen si bite, vo ist der Bahnhof) - “excuse me, please, where is the station?”
    • To find out if a person speaks another language, ask: “Sprechen Sie englisch (russisch, francösisch…)?” (sprechen si english (russish, french...)), that is: “Do you speak English (Russian, French...)?”

  5. Learn to count in German. In general, German numerals follow the same logic as Russian or English ones. The main difference is that in numbers from 21 to 100, units are placed before tens. For example, 21 is “einundzwanzig”, literally “one and twenty”; 34 is “vierunddreißig” (firundreisikh), literally “four and thirty”; 67 is “siebenundsechzig” (zibenuntzekhtsikh), literally “seven and sixty” and so on.

    • 1 - “eins” (ains)
    • 2 - “zwei” (tswei)
    • 3 - “drei” (dri)
    • 4 - “vier” (fir)
    • 5 - “ünf” (fuenf)
    • 6 - “sechs” (zeks)
    • 7 - “sieben” (ziben)
    • 8 - “acht” (aht)
    • 9 - “neun” (noyn)
    • 10 - “zehn” (tseyn)
    • 11 - “elf” (elf)
    • 12 - “zwölf” (zwölf)
    • 13 - “dreizehn” (draizen)
    • 14 - “vierzehn” (firzein)
    • 15 - “ünfzehn”
    • 16 - “sechzehn”
    • 17 - “siebzehn” (ziptsehn)
    • 18 - “achtzehn” (achtzein)
    • 19 - "neunzehn"
    • 20 - “zwanzig” (tsvantsikh)
    • 21 - “einundzwanzig”
    • 22 - “zweiundzwanzig” (tsvayuntzvantsikh)
    • 30 - “dreißig” (dreisikh)
    • 40 - “vierzig” (firtsikh)
    • 50 - “ünfzig”
    • 60 - “sechzig” (zekhtsikh)
    • 70 - “siebzig” (ziptsikh)
    • 80 - “achtzig” (ahtsikh)
    • 90 - "neunzig"
    • 100 - “hundert” (hundert)

October 16, 2014

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Tourists planning to visit Germany and Austria on a package tour or on their own should know at least a few words and expressions that they may need in everyday life. In this article I will tell you how to read German and also provide a list of expressions for tourists.

A small retreat

My first country that I visited was Austria: I went to a Russian-language seminar, we were met by Russian-speaking owners of the guest house, all my colleagues also spoke Russian, so at that time I was not afraid and went. But I decided to improve my English by studying the topics: tourism, airport, hotel, illness, help, travel and some other topics. Of course, I took German and English dictionaries with me just in case.

In 2014, I visited twice, also on my own, but I didn’t choose any Russian-language hotels. And while living last time in Cologne, I went to Paris, Strasbourg (), Brussels () and Amsterdam () and was able to answer the question of why I go to Germany (my friends asked me: why do you go to Germany, because there are more attractive countries like France or). And I realized: in Germany everything is clear to me. Of course, at that time I already knew a little German at level A 1.1 (that is, I could read and tell a few words about myself, I knew some of the most popular words), but what is good in Germany for a tourist:

  • The inscriptions are not only in German, but also in English
  • announcements on trains are also in at least German and English, in international trains- and in other languages
  • at stations and crossings, in the metro there are terminals with German and English, with a convenient and understandable interface for our people. See.
  • There are many Russian-speaking residents in Germany: both “our” Germans and indigenous ones.

Inscriptions in German and English at Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles

In France, in crowded tourist places, I had problems buying tea in a cafe and a cocktail at McDonald's! And all the devices different colors and formats, they sell tickets, as I understand it, only for local destinations, and for long-distance ones you need to buy tickets at the box office.

So, I will share some phrases of a simple Russian tourist in Germany that may be useful.

How to read German

Poster in four languages ​​with images of castles

Before we talk about phrases, let's look at how to read German. If you know English, then this is great, because many words are written the same or similar, but pronounced slightly differently. Just listen and try to understand.

For example,

  • tea: tea - in English, Tee - in German,
  • house: house - Haus,
  • egg: egg - Ei
  • hello: hello - hallo
  • colors: red - rot, green - gr?n, etc.
  • fresh: fresh - frische
  • and more huge variety words

Also in the Russian language there are many borrowings from German and other languages ​​- use this too: for example, Wagen on a train - carriage, Teater, Museum, Cafe, Restaurant, Lift, Luft (air, Luftgansa, Luftwaffe), Etage (floor), Garage ( garage) - these words will not cause you problems. Just be careful: in German, many words are combined to form a new word, so don’t let Hochgarage scare you - it’s just a high (multi-story) garage, Hauptbahnhof is the main railway station.

The words should also be clear: hoch - high (H?nde hoch), haupt - chief (guardhouse - main guard (and “watch” there too).

Well, “krank” (krank) - sick, Dr?cken (druken) - violence, pressure, push (push, sorry for the expression), kaputt (kaput) - spoiled, broken, Gluck (glitch) - happiness, etc. .

Rules for reading German

The basic rule of reading German for a tourist is: how it is written is how it is read. The letters you see are the ones you read:

  • Musik - not “music”, but “musik”
  • Garage - not “garage”, but “garage”
  • Museum - not a “musium”, but a “museum”
  • etc. Don't make German words English, read them as they are.

But there are letter combinations and letters that are not read like in English:

  • ch - "x", for example, i ch(“uh”) - I
  • sch - “sh”, Sch warzkopf - Schwarzkopf
  • ie - “and”
  • ei - “ay”, Rammst ei n - “Ramstein”, “Raiff” ei senbank - Raiffeisen Bank
  • The letter v is read as “f”, remember V olkswagen - Volkswagen (Das Auto - here is also an example of reading “auto”, not “auto”), people's car ( V olk - people, remember: folklore - folk art and immediately V oklsteater in Vienna - folk theater)
  • Letter s - “z”, remember S iemens, but it's not Siemens, it's Siemens
  • The letter z - “ts”, for example, Z winger
  • ja, jo - “I”, “yo, yo”

Features of the language

The German language has some features compared to the English language:

  • all nouns are written with a capital letter
  • words have genders that affect the endings of adjectives
  • there are cases that also “give” new endings to other words
  • words have definite and indefinite articles that change according to gender and case (:-))

Basic words and expressions in German for tourists. Phrasebook for tourists

  • Yes - Ja (ya)
  • No - Nein (nein)
  • No (meaning: I don’t have) - Kein (kain). Example: Ich habe keine Kinder (I have no/lack of children - that is: I have no children)
  • Thank you - Danke (danke)
  • Thank you very much - Vielen Dank (filen dank)
  • Please - Bitte (bitte)
  • I understand - Ich verstehe (ikh verstehe)
  • I don’t understand - Ich verstehe Sie nicht (ikh verstehe zi nicht)
  • Nothing - Nichts (nihts). For example, a salesman came up to a store and asked how he could help.
  • OK - OK (okay)
  • I'm lost - Ich habe mich verlaufen (Ich habe mich verlaufen)
  • Sorry (as Excuse me) - Entschuldigung (entschuldinug)
  • Wait a minute - Einen Moment, bitte (Einen moment bitte)
  • Why not (Why not) - Warum nicht? (Varum nihit?)

Greetings and farewells

  • Hello, hello - Hallo (halyo)
  • Hello (in Austria and Southern Germany) - Gruss Gott (gluss gott(t))
  • Goodbye - Auf Wiedersehen
  • See you soon - Bis bald (bis balt) or Bis sp?ter (bis späte).
  • Tschuss (schu(yu)s) - Bye
  • Good morning - Guten Morgen (guten morgen)
  • Good afternoon - Guten Tag (guten tag)
  • Good evening - Guten Abend (guten abend)
  • Good night - Gute Nacht (Gute Nacht)
  • All the best - Alles gute

Help

  • Please write here - Schreiben Sie das hier, bitte (Schreiben sie das hie bitte)
  • Please repeat - Wiederholen Sie es, bitte (fideolen sie es bitte)
  • What is this? - Was it das? (Vas ist das?)
  • Where is the toilet? - Wo ist die Toilette? (In East Di Toilette?)
  • Where... ? Wo ist...? (In the ist...?)
  • Help me please - Helfen Sie mir bitte (Helfen sie mir bitte)
  • I need a doctor (dentist) - Ich brauche einen Arzt (Zahnarzt) (ich brauche einen Arzt (Zahnarzt)

In the store

  • Euro (currency) - Euro (oiro)
  • What is the price...? - Was kostet...?
  • Do you have...? - Haben Sie...?
  • I'm looking... (need) - Ich brauche... (ich brauche...)
  • I'm looking for... - Ich suche (ikh zuhe)
  • I want, I would like... - Ich m?chte... (ikh möhte...). For example, in a cafe: Ich m?chte ein Hamburger fur zwei euro - I want (one) hamburger for two euros)
  • Give me... - Geben Sie mir... (geben sie mir...)
  • Dear - teuer (toye(r))
  • Cheap - billig
  • Size (of clothes, shoes) - Gr??e (gröse); Nummer (numer)
  • More - gr??er (gröse)
  • Less - kleiner (kleine)
  • Fitting room - Anprobekabine
  • It's too expensive - Das ist zu teuer (das ist zu toye)
  • Is this available in a different size (color)? - Gibt es das in einer anderen GruBe (Farbe)? (Gibt es das in eine anderen grübe (farbe))?
  • I take (buy) this - Ich nehme es (ikh nehme es)
  • Kreditkarte - credit card, card (if you bought a ticket with a card, then, in addition to the ticket, you may be asked to present a card and a passport so that the card owner and the ticket bearer match)
  • Account, check - Rechnung (rechnung)
  • Do you have batteries? - Haben Sie Batterien? (Haben zi batteryien)?

In the city, on the street

  • City - Stadt
  • City map - Stadtplan
  • Castle (fortress) - Schlo? (schloss)
  • Mountain - Berg
  • Handsome - sch?n (schön), h?bsch (hubsh)
  • Where... - Wo ist...?

In transport

  • Next stop - n?chster halt (nehste halt)
  • Do you have a ticket/pass? - Haben Sie ein Ticket / Karte / Fahrkarte? (haben zi ain ticket / card / farkarte)
  • Credit card, card - Kreditkarte (if you bought a ticket using a card, then, in addition to the ticket, you may be asked to present a card and a passport so that the card owner and the ticket bearer match)
  • Place (for sitting) - Sitzplatz (sitzplatz)
  • Bus - Autobus (bus), Bus (bus)
  • Tourist bus (long distance) - Reisebus
  • Train - Zug
  • Elevator - Aufzug, Lift (elevator)
  • Airplane - Flugzeug
  • Airport - Flughafen
  • Schedule - Fahrplan
  • Platform - Gleis
  • At the window - am Fenster (am Fenster)
  • How much does a ticket cost to? - Was kostet eine Fahrkarte nach M?nchen? (Are you bothered by aine farkarte nach Munich?)
  • In... (some city, country) - nach... (nah)
  • I need a ticket to Nuremberg - Ich brauche eine Fahrkarte nach N?rnberg (ich brauche eine farkarte nach Nuremberg)
  • Do I need to have a transplant? - Soll ich umsteigen? (Soll their umsteigen?)
  • Where should I get a transplant? - Wo soll ich umsteigen? (Where should I transfer?)

These are the basic words and expressions that a tourist may need in Germany and. German is also spoken in Switzerland, but as far as I know, there is such a strong dialect there: different pronunciation and different words that I cannot say whether it is possible to communicate with German there, or whether it is necessary to compose Swiss German phrasebook.

In order to travel to a country, it is not necessary to speak the language perfectly. But it is necessary to know the main phrases that allow you to establish contact, non-verbal communication (communication without words). In the German phrasebook for tourists, we have included the most necessary (in our opinion) words and phrases for such communication.

Of course, it’s worth taking a paper phrasebook with you. But we must remember that a phrasebook is not a universal tool. He may fail. In the dark, for example, it is useless.

I remember how one morning in Paris I went to the suburbs, walked, looked, enjoyed and... got lost. I’m walking along an unfamiliar road, it’s suddenly gotten dark, there are no people. I found a supermarket following the sign. I walked around it, but I had to go home, and began to look for a bright place to ask a question using the phrasebook. In such cases, it is better to ask the question on the street so that the answerer can show with his hand where to go. In deserted places I choose a woman so that the man does not think that I am pestering.

I found a nice girl, opened the phrasebook and asked where the station was? I tried to pronounce it so that she a) understood b) was not afraid of my pronunciation. And, oh, joy, I did it.

The girl smiled and began to explain in detail how to get to the station. The worst thing is that she turned out to be well-mannered and did not wave her hands. She answered in detail, did not turn her head, did not turn anywhere. I never thought or imagined that I would be so nervous because of someone’s manners.

We spent a long time figuring it out. And, of course, not with words. I simply showed the direction and asked in Russian: there? She shook her head (finally!) and pointed in the other direction.

Friends, we are now on Telegram: our channel about Europe, our channel about Asia. Welcome)

When searching for simple information, body movements and gestures help much more than a phrasebook.

Now imagine, I found out where to go, turned around and walked silently. It's kind of stupid. Where's the thank you?

These are the words you need to know to help you establish contact, thank, and end communication. Words and phrases that do not require long verbal explanations.

2 ways to learn German

Now let’s return to Germany and before continuing I will say that there are two ways to learn German:

1. Instead of learning a language, which is basically impossible to do quickly, you can master the language within 30 days. We advise you to watch the video course by I.I. Poloneichik - polyglot and teacher " Quick entry into German" Ivan Ivanovich with the help different methods teaches you to communicate in German. The course is paid, but you can feel confident and enjoy the communication

2. Method - learn the most simple words for communication.

If for any reason you do not want to use the video course by I.I. Poloneichik, I propose to study the necessary German words:

Words of greeting are important. The Germans are a pedantic, thorough, unhurried people. If you have neighbors, then you should definitely say hello.

Hello Hello! Hello
Good morning Guten Morgen Guten Morgen
Good afternoon Guten Tag Guten Tag
Good evening Guten Abend Guten Abend
Good night Gute Nacht Gute Nacht

You can talk to the hostess of the hotel or your neighbor at a table in a cafe in words that do not require an exact answer. By facial expression you can understand what feelings a person is talking about. In response, it is enough to nod or shake your head sadly:

I don’t think it’s worth asking Warum? - they can begin to explain, but Germany is a country of philosophy. Kant, Hegel, Marx, Spengler, Schopenhauer... What if, in response, you have to listen to the entire “Critique of Pure Reason”? We don’t ask the question “why”.

Another thing is an understandable question

What is the price? Was it good? Are you wearing a suit?
I'll take it Ich nehme es Ih neme es
Goodbye Auf Wiedersehen Auf vider zeen
Yes Ja Ya
No Nein Nine

German conversational hits:

Danke's words! and Bitte! We need to talk Always And everywhere! In any order. That is, if you were told “Danke”, you answer “Bitte”; if you hear the word “Bitte”, then, without thinking, you blurt out “Danke”. AND smile. In just two days you will feel light and in a great mood. Still, “thank you” and “please” magical words. Yes?

To maintain relationships, it is worth learning:

If you don’t have any difficulties with tongue twisters, then it’s worth learning the phrase:

For this phrase, you need to carry a notepad and pen with you.

When you want to contact a person. On the street, for example:

Then the question is - how much does it cost..., where is...

To get your bearings:

You can find out useful additions to the German phrasebook.

In the video lesson "First phrases German language" you will hear words and phrases that we have included in the German phrasebook for tourists.

See you on our blog.