Signs in German

Learn how to recognize these all-important signs in German to avoid embarrassment and frustration! Ever walked into the wrong restroom in another country? Had your car towed from a no-parking spot? Been fined for lighting up in a non-smoking area?

Don’t worry, it’s probably happened to all of us at some time or other, but let’s make sure it doesn’t happen in Germany! These words and phrases are also useful to know in case you need to ask if something is open or closed, or explain that something is out of order.

Let's check out this lesson on signs in German!

Resources for further reading:

How to pronounce signs in German

Practice Your Pronunciation With Rocket Record

Rocket Record lets you perfect your German pronunciation. Just listen to the native speaker audio and then use the microphone icon to record yourself. Once you’re done, you’ll get a score out of 100 on your pronunciation and can listen to your own audio playback. (Use a headset mic for best results.) Problems? Click here!
Damen
Ladies
Herren
Gentlemen
Ziehen
Pull
Drücken
Push
Geöffnet
Open
Geschlossen
Closed
Die Öffnungszeiten
The opening hours
Parken verboten
No parking
Street sign in German
When you buy food in a supermarket and don’t intend to eat it right away it might pay to check the ‘best before date’ to avoid nasty surprises…
Das Haltbarkeitsdatum
The expiration date
Mindestens haltbar bis...
Best before...
Most restaurants have a smoking and a non- smoking area. There is a big discussion in Germany at the moment over whether to ban smoking in public buildings altogether. In the meantime it might be helpful to learn what “Rauchen verboten” means.
Die Raucherecke
The smoking area
Die Nichtraucherecke
The non-smoking area
Rauchen verboten!
No smoking!
Sometimes you will see big bright colored signs in nearly every store window. There must be a sale on…
Der Schlussverkauf
The end of season sale
Reduziert
Reduced
Das Schnäppchen
The bargain

For more lessons on German vocabulary I recommend these!

Bis bald!

Paul Weber: Rocket German

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We love German people and German culture - from magical Christmas markets and hearty dishes to fairy-tale castles and gorgeous mountain trails! And there's no better way to connect with them than by learning Deutsch.

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