Thematically Organized German Vocabulary List
[with Audio]

Welcome to this thematically-organized list of basic German vocabulary words! We've grouped essential words and phrases by common real-world topics, in order to make it easier to learn related terms together and build connections.

To aid your pronunciation, you can click on any of the German vocabulary words throughout this list to hear an audio recording. Dive in and enhance your German lexicon!

I. Core & Everyday Essentials

1. Greetings & Basic Phrases:

Capitalizing All Nouns – A Key Rule: A fundamental rule in German orthography is that all nouns are capitalized, not just proper nouns or those at the beginning of a sentence. For example, 'der Tisch' (the table), 'die Katze' (the cat), 'das Buch' (the book). This visual cue can help you identify nouns when reading.

2. Personal Information & Introductions:

Mastering Noun Genders and Articles: Every German noun has a grammatical gender: masculine (der), feminine (die), or neuter (das). This gender determines the article ('the' or 'a/an') and affects adjective endings. Learning the gender with each new noun is crucial. You'll often see the plural form and sometimes the genitive singular ending in parentheses, e.g., `der Name (-n)`.

Pronouns

The Importance of "du/ihr" vs. "Sie": German distinguishes between informal and formal 'you.' 'Du' (singular) and 'ihr' (plural) are used with friends, family, children, and people you know well. 'Sie' (always capitalized) is for formal situations, addressing strangers, authority figures, or when addressing people in a professional context. Using the correct form shows respect.

Understanding German Cases: German nouns, pronouns, and articles change form depending on their grammatical 'case' (Nominative, Accusative, Dative, Genitive). The case indicates the noun's role in the sentence (e.g., subject, direct object, indirect object). You can see this with the personal pronouns listed, where different forms are given for accusative (acc.) and dative (dat.) cases.

3. Numbers & Counting:

Cardinal numbers

Ordinal numbers

Quantities & Amounts

Basic math operations

4. Time & Calendar:

Telling time

The "Halb" Anomaly in Telling Time: When telling time, be aware that 'halb' + [hour] in German means 'half TO the next hour.' So, 'halb zwei' (literally 'half two') means 1:30 (half an hour before two o'clock), not 2:30. This is a common point of confusion for learners but very logical once understood.

Time expressions

5. Colors & Shapes:

Basic colors

Shades

Basic shapes

II. People & Relationships

6. Family & Relationships:

Immediate family

Extended family

Relationship status

Friendship terms

Navigating German Plural Forms: Unlike English, German noun plurals are not always formed by simply adding an '-s.' There are various plural endings (e.g., -e, -er, -n, -s), and sometimes vowel changes (Umlauts like ä, ö, ü) occur. This list often indicates the plural ending in parentheses, for example, `der Apfel (Äpfel)`.

7. Describing People:

Physical appearance

Personality traits

Age groups

8. Emotions & Feelings:

Basic emotions

States of being

III. Around You: Places & Things

9. Home & Household:

Types of dwellings

Rooms

Furniture

Household items & Appliances

Household chores

10. City & Urban Life:

Places in the city

Buildings & Structures

Public services

The Power of Compound Nouns: German is famous for its long compound nouns, where multiple words are joined to create a new, more specific term. The gender and plural form of a compound noun are determined by the last noun in the compound. For example, `das Krankenhaus` (hospital) = `kranken` (sick/related to sickness) + `das Haus` (house).

11. Nature & Environment:

Landforms

Plants

Natural elements

Environmental terms

12. Weather & Climate:

Conditions

Natural phenomena

Forecasting terms

13. Animals:

Pets

Farm animals

Wild animals

Insects & Bugs

Animal parts

IV. Daily Activities & Needs

14. Food & Drink:

Fruits

Vegetables

Meats & Poultry

Dairy & Grains

Beverages

Meals

Cooking terms

Tableware & Utensils

Eating out

15. Clothing & Accessories:

Garments

Footwear

Accessories

Describing clothes

16. Body Parts & Health:

External body parts

Internal organs

Senses

Common ailments

Medical terms

Hygiene

17. Shopping & Money:

Types of shops

Shopping actions

Money & Currency

18. Transportation & Travel:

Modes of transport

Travel terminology

Directions

V. Work, Study & Leisure

19. Work & Professions:

Job titles

Workplace vocabulary

Tools & Equipment

20. Education:

Places of learning

People in education

School subjects

Academic terms

Classroom objects

21. Sports, Hobbies & Leisure:

Common sports

Hobbies & Activities

Equipment

Places for leisure

22. Arts & Culture:

Music

Visual Arts

Performing Arts

Literature

VI. Language Building Blocks (Crucial for forming sentences)

Verb Conjugation is Essential: Most verbs in this list (especially in section 23) are shown in their infinitive form (the basic, unconjugated form, like 'sein' - to be). In sentences, these verbs change their endings (conjugate) to match the subject (ich, du, er/sie/es, etc.) and the tense. Mastering verb conjugation is fundamental to forming German sentences.

23. Common Verbs (Actions & States):

Being

Having

Doing/Making

Movement

Senses

Communication

Thinking/Feeling

"Wissen" vs. "Kennen" (To Know): German has two main verbs for 'to know': 'wissen' and 'kennen.' 'Wissen' is generally used for knowing facts, information, or how to do something ('Ich weiß das.' - I know that). 'Kennen' is used for being familiar or acquainted with people, places, or things ('Ich kenne ihn.' - I know him).

General actions

Adjective Endings Change!: German adjectives (describing words), like those in section 24, usually change their endings. These endings 'agree' with the gender (masculine, feminine, neuter), number (singular, plural), and case (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive) of the noun they describe. This is known as adjective declension.

24. Common Adjectives (Describing Words):

Qualities

Size/Dimension

Condition

Speed/Intensity

Opinion/Importance

25. Common Adverbs (Modifying Verbs/Adjectives):

Manner

Frequency

Degree

Place

Time

26. Prepositions & Conjunctions (Connecting Words):

Prepositions of place

Two-Way Prepositions and Cases: Many prepositions of place in section 26 (like 'in', 'auf', 'unter') are 'two-way prepositions.' This means they take the accusative case if there's movement towards a location (direction), and the dative case if there's a static position or movement within a location. This is an important distinction to learn.

Prepositions of time

Prepositions of movement

Conjunctions

Basic Word Order: Verb in Second Position: In standard German declarative sentences (statements) and W-questions (like 'Was...?'), the conjugated verb typically holds the second position. The subject can be first, or another element can start the sentence for emphasis, but the verb will generally remain second. For example: 'Ich lerne Deutsch.' or 'Heute lerne ich Deutsch.'

27. Question Words: