German Vocab

Not sure of the correct German word to use? Want another example of how to use an German expression in context? Perhaps you would like to know more about regional differences. This is the place for you! You can browse the topics, do a search in the top right corner of this page, or start a new conversation. Don’t be shy!

Da ist schon Butter drauf

I have just seen this sentence which means “There is already butter on it”. Is it common to use “drauf”? I would most likely have used “auf es” instead.

2 replies - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - July 30, 2019

Dieser Hut steht dir wirklich gut

I have just seen this sentence which means “This hat suits you really well”. Is this a normal expression to use when you describe if something looks good on a person? I assume a more common expression is “Dieser Hut passt dir sehr gut”.

2 replies - Last post by RexV - July 17, 2019

Der Schluss war ziemlich unerwartet

I have just seen this sentence which means “The ending was pretty unexpected”. When should you use “schluss” instead of “ende”?

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - July 15, 2019

“Das ist wahr” vs “Das stimmt” vs “Das ist korrekt”

I know that the first ones means “it is true” and the two last ones means “it is correct”. In which situations is it most common / most appropriate to use each of them?

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - July 15, 2019

Zum glück

I know it means “luckily”. Is there are reason why we write “zum” in front? I know this means “to”

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - July 15, 2019

Du hast ein echtes Talent zum Tanzen

I have just seen this sentence which means “You have a real talent for dancing”. Would it also be correct to use “für” instead of “zum? Personally, I would not have used “zum” if I had written this sentence.

3 replies - Last post by sfpugh - June 27, 2019

“Auf” instead of “zu”

I have just seen this sentence “Bitte ändern Sie die Telefon Sprache auf Englisch” which means “Please change the phone language to English”. Why do we use “auf” here and not “zu”? As far as I have learn “auf” means on and “zu” means to.

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - June 25, 2019

Haben sie ein neues?

I heard someone say these words today. Is it correct that the reason why “neues” was used was because the word referring to was neuter?

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - June 25, 2019

Der Mord kommt überall in den Nachrichten

I have just seen this sentence which means “The murder was all over the news”. Would it be possible to use “war” instead of “kommt? and in which situations should you use “kommt” instead of “war”?

1 reply - Last post by Leah-Rocket-German-Tutor - June 25, 2019

Es ist mir egal wann wir losfahren

I have seen this sentence which means “Its all the same to me at what time we are leaving”. Can you use “gleiche” instead of “egal”? If not, in which situations can you use each of them?

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - June 25, 2019

“Mehr” vs “Weiter”

I have just seen this sentence “Gibt es noch weitere Fragen” When would you use “Weitere” instead of “Mehr”?

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - June 25, 2019

Ich habe ihn eben angerufen

I have just seen this sentence which means “I just called him”. Would it be possible to use “gerade” instead of “eben”? If not, in which situations should you use either “eben” or “gerade”?

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - June 25, 2019

Ich denke, dass die Jungs noch Fußball schauen

I understand this sentence means “I think the boys are still watching soccer”. When should you use “schauen” instead of “sehen”.

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - June 25, 2019

Das ist doch völlig verrucht

I have just seen this sentence which means “That’s completely insane”. Is it also possible to use “vollständig” instead of “völlig”? If not, in which situations can you use both of them?

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - June 25, 2019

Schau mal, guch mal, sieh mal

I have seen all of them, but I see not big no big difference when I translate? Am I right?  = Look / take a look

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - June 24, 2019

Um = In order to..

I have just seen this sentence “Um die Prüfung zu bestehen, musst du viel lernen” which I can see means “In order to pass the exam, you have to learn it” in the translation. I only thought that “um” means around, about etc and not “in order to”. Is ther...

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - June 24, 2019

Nun vs jetzt

Nun vs jetzt Is it correct understood that both words are interchangeable when writing “now”?

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - June 24, 2019

Über vs um

Über vs um I have been spending some time studying prepositions. I understand that “Über” can be used for writing over and about. However, I can see that “um” can also be used when writing about. When should use “Über” or “um” when writing about?

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - June 24, 2019

Hin und zurück Ticket vs rückfahrkarte

I have seen both being used when describing a return ticket. Is there a particular situation where they should be used?

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - June 24, 2019

Nochmal and wieder

I just saw this sentence “Kannst du das bitte nochmal sagen” which I understand means “Can you please say that again”. Is the word “nochmal” full interchangeable with “wieder”? I get the same translation but I assume “wieder” is more common.

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - June 24, 2019

Warum and wieso

I almost get the same translation for both words “why”. Is there a specific situation for when the words should be used or are the words full interchangeable?

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - June 24, 2019

“Statt” and “anstatt”

I understand these two words means “instead of” and result in a genitive case situation. However, when should you use “statt” instead of “anstatt”?

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - June 24, 2019

Der abstand von hier bis zum Sofa beträgt 3 Meter

I have just seen this sentence “Der abstand von hier bis zum Sofa beträgt 3 Meter” which means “The distance from here to the sofa is 3 meters” according to the translation in my book. When I check the word “beträgt” I can see that it means “to be” when ...

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - June 24, 2019

Drin / drinnen

I understand the words means the following Drin = In in Drinnen = Inside / in here / in there In which situations would you use each of these words?

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - June 24, 2019

Nach instead of für

I have just seen this sentence “Das Kind sucht nach seiner Mutter” which means “The child is looking for its mother”. Why do  we use “nach” here and not “für”?

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - June 24, 2019

“Her” vs “hier”

I have just seen this sentence “Komm doch bitte mal schnell her”, which means “Please come over here quickly” When do we write “hier” as “her”?

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - June 24, 2019

Tu das nicht

I have just seen this sentence “Tu das nicht”. Why do we shorten the word “tun” here?

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - June 24, 2019

When to use “Dafür” instead of “für das”

I understand that “Dafür” means stuff like for that / for it / for that reason. However, when should I use this word instead of “für das”?

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - June 24, 2019

In der Stadt wird ein neuer Polizist gesucht - du solltest dich bewerben

I have just seen this sentence, which means “A new policeman is wanted in the city – you should apply”. If I had written this sentence, I would most likely have written it with “ist” instead of “wird”. Am I correct? If not, why should you use “wird” ins...

3 replies - Last post by sfpugh - June 21, 2019

Ich suche nach einem Bus

I have just seen this sentence which means “I am looking for a bus”. If I had written this sentence, I would have used “für” instead. When should you use “nach” instead of “für” in this situation? As I understand “nach” means”at, to, after”.

3 replies - Last post by sfpugh - June 21, 2019

“Gab” vs “War”

I have just seen this sentence: “Gestern gab es im Fernsehen eine interessante Sendung” I was wondering if it is possible to use “war” instead and when it is better to use “gab”.

1 reply - Last post by sfpugh - June 11, 2019

“Denn”, “weil” and “da”

I can see that “denn”, “weil” and “da” can be used to write “because”. Are there any specific situations where each of them can be used?

1 reply - Last post by sfpugh - June 11, 2019

Sie wollte schon immer einen Hund haben

I have just seen this sentence which means “She always wanted a dog”. Is it really necessary to add “schon” here or does it add extra emphasis on the words “always wanted”?

1 reply - Last post by sfpugh - June 10, 2019

Mädchen vs Mädel

I have just seen this sentence “Das Mädel in meiner Klasse gefällt mir sehr gut” which means “I really like the girl in my class”. When would you use “Mädel” instead of “Mädchen”. I assume it is not very common.

1 reply - Last post by sfpugh - June 10, 2019

“Dort drüben and “Da drüben”

I have heard both words. Is it correct that both are 100% interchangeable? That was the result I got when checking them both up.

1 reply - Last post by sfpugh - June 10, 2019

Das ist aber ein schöner Name

I have just seen this sentence which means “That is such a nice name”. In which situations does “aber” also means “such”? I only thought it could be used to express “but”.

1 reply - Last post by sfpugh - June 10, 2019

"Wen"nimmst du mit in die Oper

I have just seen this sentence which means “who do you take to the opera with you”. When should you use “wen” instead of “wer” when referring to who?

1 reply - Last post by sfpugh - June 10, 2019

Es ist mir nur peinlich

I understand this sentence mean “I am embarrassed”. However, why do we add “nur” and is possible to write the sentence without this word?

1 reply - Last post by sfpugh - June 9, 2019

Wann fahrt der letzte Bus

I have just seen this sentence. I was wondering why it is written with “letzte” and not letzter”, as I understand that “letzter matches masculine words and “letzte” matches feminine words.

1 reply - Last post by sfpugh - June 9, 2019

Der Brief an den Weihnachtsmann

I have not seen this sentence which means “The letter to the Christmas man” Would it be possible to use “zu” instead of “an”? If not, why?

1 reply - Last post by sfpugh - June 9, 2019

“Runter” instead of “unter”

I have just seen this sentence “Kannst du bitte runter in die Küche kommen” which I understand means “Can you please come down to the kitchen”. When would you use “runter” instead of “unter”?

1 reply - Last post by sfpugh - June 5, 2019

Über and darüber

I cannot fully figure out in which situations, you should use one of these two words (Über and darüber) when writing sentences when “about” is used. I have seen these sentences, but I did give me too much guidance. - Die Grünen jubeln über Europa-Wahl -...

1 reply - Last post by sfpugh - June 3, 2019

Glauben vs Denken

I understand that “Glauben” can be translated to “to belive” and “denken” can be translated to “to think”. Would you only use “belive” in sentences about assessing whether something is true or not?

5 replies - Last post by Leah-Rocket-German-Tutor - May 27, 2019

Umfassen vs einschließlich

I understand you can use these two words when you talk about what something contains. Are they interchangeable or should one of them be used in a specific situation?

5 replies - Last post by Leah-Rocket-German-Tutor - May 27, 2019

Was hältst du von

I understand this sentence mean “What do you think of..” but I have not seen it being used very often. How often is it to use this word when asking what people think about something? Personally, it is more likely I would use “denken” when asking such ques...

3 replies - Last post by sfpugh - May 27, 2019

Service vs Dienst

I understand you can use these two words when referring to “service”. Are they interchangeable or should one of them be used in a specific situation?

3 replies - Last post by Leah-Rocket-German-Tutor - May 8, 2019

Ziehen vs umziehen

I have seen both words being used in sentences about moving to another place. What are the difference between the two?

1 reply - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - May 8, 2019

Alternative use for “Aber”

I always thought that “aber” only meant “but”. However, after reading several sentences with the word it seems like it means different things. I have checked with this dictionary (https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/german-english/aber) and saw t...

1 reply - Last post by sfpugh - May 2, 2019

Wo befindet sich das nächste Hotel

I just saw this sentence “Wo befindet sich das nächste Hotel” which means “where is the next hotel. In speaking, I would most likely say “Wo ist das nächste Hotel” if I wanted to say this. 1. When will you be using “befindet”? 2. Why do you use “sich” in ...

6 replies - Last post by Liss-Rocket-Languages-Tutor - April 25, 2019

Dies

I have just seen this sentence “Ist dies der Computer der Zukunft”. I have never seen the word “dies” before but is it an alternative to das?

1 reply - Last post by sfpugh - April 24, 2019

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