Eins, zwei, drei
One, two, three
Usage
Basic counting from one to three
Grammar Note
"Ein" declines by gender and case, but standalone counting uses "eins"
Vier, fünf
Four, five
Usage
Four and five, used for quantities or specifying numbers of people
Grammar Note
The "ü" in fünf is an umlaut. German has three umlauts: ü, ö, ä
Was macht das zusammen?
How much is that altogether?
Usage
Ask for the total when buying multiple items
Grammar Note
"Machen" normally means to make/do, but in pricing contexts it means "to come to"
Hundert Euro
One hundred euros
Usage
Expressing a monetary amount of one hundred euros
Grammar Note
Germany uses euros. The plural of Euro is generally Euro (Euros is informal)
Können Sie das wiederholen?
Could you repeat that?
Usage
Ask someone to repeat when you didn't catch a number or price
Grammar Note
"Können Sie" is a polite request form. "Wiederholen" combines wieder (again) + holen (fetch)
Sechs, sieben, acht, neun, zehn
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten
Usage
Counting from six to ten, useful for phone numbers and addresses
Grammar Note
"Sechs" has the German "ch" sound. "Sieben" is two syllables: SIE-ben
Es ist zwölf Uhr mittags
It is noon / twelve o'clock midday
Usage
Tell the time using "Es ist + number + Uhr". A fundamental time expression
Grammar Note
German often uses 24-hour time. 14:00 is "vierzehn Uhr" or "zwei Uhr nachmittags"
Zwanzig Euro, bitte
Twenty euros, please
Usage
State a price or payment amount
Grammar Note
German numbers from 21 onwards reverse the units and tens: einundzwanzig = one-and-twenty (21)
Welches Datum ist heute?
What is today's date?
Usage
Ask for the current date when confirming bookings or schedules
Grammar Note
"Datum" (date) is neuter. Plural is "Daten" (also means data in German)
Meine Zimmernummer ist dreihundertzwölf
My room number is three hundred and twelve
Usage
Communicate a hotel room number, useful for practicing larger numbers
Grammar Note
German numbers are typically written as one word: drei-hundert-zwölf = 3 + 100 + 12
Ich bin siebenundzwanzig Jahre alt.
I'm 27 years old
Usage
Answer to "Wie alt sind Sie?" (How old are you?); swap the numeral for another age
Grammar Note
German states age with "sein" (to be), unlike the French/Spanish "I have 27 years" pattern. "Jahre alt" is often dropped in speech ("Ich bin siebenundzwanzig."). The numeral puts the unit first: sieben (7) + und + zwanzig (20)
Dieses Jahr werde ich achtundzwanzig.
I turn 28 this year
Usage
Say that your birthday falls later this year and you will reach the next age
Grammar Note
Reaching an age is expressed with "werden" (to become): "ich werde zehn Jahre (alt)". Because "Dieses Jahr" occupies the first position, the verb-second rule inverts the subject to give "werde ich"
More German phrases
- Basic Words
- Basic Nouns
- Basic Verbs
- Adjectives
- Question Words
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