Learning the basics of German is easier than you think. Without being aware, you already know over 6% of the words you need to speak the German language! Because English and German belong to the same language family, there are many German and English words that are the same. Fortunately, these commonalities make it much easier to learn German. Find out which words you can start using to speak German right away.

German and English Words That Are the Same

You already know some German, believe it or not! Typically, you can reach a conversational level by the time you know 1,000 words. Let’s start your German language journey by learning the words that are identical in German and English.

German Words That You Already Know

The words in the list below are spelled the same in both English and German. However, it’s essential to note that the pronunciation can vary between the language. We’ll go into pronunciation in more detail in another post!

Tip: Learning the gender of a word from the very beginning can only help you down the line. Der (masculine), Die (feminine), and Das (neuter) are the three definite articles (ways to say “the” in German.

Here’s a list of 161 words, in alphabetical order, that are the same in German and English. Afterward, you’ll find example sentences that prove how much German you already know.

German and English Words That Are the Same A Through F

A	B	C	D	E	F
abnormal	(das) Baby	(das) Camping	dating	elegant	fair
absurd	(das) Babysitter	(das) Catering	diagonal	(die) E-mail	(das) Fast-food
analog	(die) Band (music)	(die) CD	digital	(die) Emotion	(das) Feeling
(der) Arm	(die) Bank	(die) Chance		emotional	(der) Film
arrogant	(die) Basis	(die) City		(der) Espresso	(der) Finger
	(der) Bikini	(der) Clown		(das) Event	(die) Fitness
	bitter	(der) Cocktail		(der) Export	(die) Flip-flops
	blind	(der) Computer		extravagant	formal
	blond	cool			fundamental
	(der) Browser
	brutal
	(die) Butter

German and English Words That Are the Same G Through O

G, H	I	J, K, L	M	N, O
(die) Garage	ideal	(der) Jazz	(das) Marketing	(der) Name
global	illegal	(die) Jeans	maximal	(die) Nation
(der) Hamburger	(die) Immigration	(der) Job	(das) Meeting	national
(der) Hammer	(der) Import	kaputt	(die) Minute	(das) Nest
(die) Hand	impotent	(der) Laptop	modern	neutral
Hi	(die) Information	legal	(der) Moment	normal
(das) Hobby	(die) Inspiration	liberal	(der) Monitor	OK (okay)
(das) Hotel	(das) Instrument	loyal	(die) Motivation	(die) Olive
horizontal	intelligent		mild	online
	international		minimal	(die) Operation
	(das) Internet		(das) Museum	optimal
	(das) Interview		(das) Musical	orange
	intolerant			original

German and English Words That Are the Same P Through W

P, Q	R	S	T	U, V, W
(die) Parade	(das) Radio	(der) Sack	(das) Taxi	unfair
parallel	rational	(der) Sand	(das) Team	universal
paranoid	regional	(der) Scanner	(der) Teenager	(der) USB Stick
(der) Pilot	relevant	sentimental	(das) Theater	verbal
pink	(die) Religion	(der) Service	(das) Ticket	Vitamin
(die) Position	(das) Restaurant	sexy	(der) Tiger	Wanderlust
(der) Professor	(der) Ring	(das) Shopping	tolerant	warm
prominant	(die) Rose	(das) Signal	total	(die) Webcam
(das) Quiz	(der) Router	solo	(der) Tourist	wild
		(der) Sport	(die) Tradition	(der) Wind
		(der) Stress	(der/die) Trainer/in (male/female)	(der) Winter
		(der/die) Student/in (male/female student)	transparent	(der) Wolf
		super	(das) T-shirt	Wow
		(das) System	(der) Tunnel	Wunder

Note that in German, nouns are always capitalized in a sentence. Having trouble remembering which words are nouns, verbs, and adjectives? Brush up on your grammar skills in my post, Grammar Review for Learning German.

The following examples should encourage you to continue learning by showing you sentences with words that are the same in German and English.

German You Can Understand Right Away

You’ve probably realized that a lot of words are the same in German and English. Although you might not know much else yet, I bet you’ll understand at least portions of the examples below.

Tip: Don’t focus on understanding each word or detail right now. Focus on the elements you do understand.

Example 1

Wow Anja, deine City ist so modern. Ich habe neue Inspiration in diesem Moment. Komm, wir trinken ein Bier und du sagst mir ob meine Idee absurd ist, oder original.

In this German sentence, you’ll recognize words that are exactly the same in English, highlighted in orange. You can also probably already guess the underlined words’ meanings, which are similar to their English counterparts.

Example 2

Hi Daniel, Ich brauche ein Babysitter. Ich habe ein Job Interview im Fitnessstudio für eine Position als Yoga Trainerin. Das Meeting ist um neun (9).

Learning to understand the sounds of a foreign language takes time and patience. Pat yourself on the back when you recognize words in spoken sentences. Gaining familiarity with the pronunciation of German will help as your learning experience progresses.

Example 3

Mama, ich brauche einen neuen Bikini. Können wir Shopping gehen im Internet? Ich habe die besten Flip-flops für den Sand gefunden.

In the early phases of your German learning journey, you may get frustrated when you don’t fully understand the context. Remember, you’ll be more successful at learning German if you approach the language with an open mind, relaxed attitude, and sense of humor.

It’s Your Turn!

What can you say in German using the words you’ve seen today? Post your first German sentences below for feedback. It doesn’t matter if it’s a little wonky. Trying is the first step. In the next post, you’ll learn Words That are Almost the Same in German and English.

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