Edward Swick - The Everything German Phrase Book: A quick refresher for any situation

THE
EVERYTHING
________Series________

Dear Reader,

Danke schn! Thanks for choosing The EverythingGerman Phrase Book as your vehicle for learning or brushing up on your German. I think youre going to find it easy to use and the perfect companion for your journey through the German-speaking world.

My long-held interest in German is no mystery. Some in my family came from Germany, so I had the advantage of hearing the language from childhood. When I began my formal study of German, I realized my interest in it was the fundamental part of my future profession, and I ended up in graduate school in Hamburg. That marvelous city became my second home and my base for adventures into other areas of Germany. After I became a teacher of German in the United States, I never lost the need to travel back to my second home and became acquainted with every region of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

My hope is that this book will help to guide you in discovering the wonderful things and friendly people that the German-speaking countries of Europe have to offer. Youre going to be surprised how many smiles youll earn when you approach a shopkeeper or passerby with one of your German phrases.

Have fun learning. Viel Spa!

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Alerts: Urgent warnings

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THE
EVERYTHING
GERMAN
PHRASE
BOOK

A quick refresher for any situation

Edward Swick, M.A.

Copyright 2009, F+W Media, Inc.
All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be
reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher;
exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

An Everything Series Book.
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trademarks of F+W Media, Inc.

Published by Adams Media, an F+W Media Company
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www.adamsmedia.com

ISBN 10: 1-59869-755-2
ISBN 13: 978-1-59869-755-1
eISBN: 978-1-44050-164-7

Printed in Canada.

J I H G F E D C B A

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Contents

The Top Ten German Phrases
You Should Know

1. Do you speak English? Sprechen Sie Englisch? (SHPREHCH en zee ENG lish)

2. Hello. Guten Tag. (GOO ten tuck)

3. Goodbye. Auf Wiedersehen. (owf VEE duh zay en)

4. My name is... Ich heie... (eech HICE eh)

5. Where is... ? Wo ist... ? (voe ist)

6. How much does it cost? Wie viel kostet es? (vee feel KAWS tet ess)

7. I have... Ich habe... (eech HAH beh)

8. I dont have any... Ich habe kein... (eech HAH beh kine)

9. I need... Ich brauche... (eech BROWCH eh)

10. I would like... Ich mchte... (eech MERCH teh)

Introduction

Its never too late to learn a new language. But there is one prerequisite, which apparently you have, because youre reading this book: You need interest in the subject! Only you know exactly why youre interested in German. Perhaps a relative came from Germany years ago and you want to visit the site of your familys origins. Or maybe you just want to travel for fun or business and be able to communicate with the natives. It doesnt really matter what your reason is. What matters is that you have the interest, and thats the initial key to success.

Being able to communicate in German will open doors for you that most non-German-speaking travelers never even know exist. You can experience the native culture because culture and language are interrelated. Knowing what the street signs and advertisements mean, being able to read the headlines of a newspaper, understanding what the butcher is recommending to the customer next to youthese are things that only a German-speaking traveler can do. And The Everything GermanPhrase Book can provide you with the phrases and vocabulary that will give you the basic skills to do just that.

Naturally, just carrying this book around with you wont do the trick. You have to study the phrases and practice them. And remember that languagewhether German, English, Russian, or Japaneseis first and foremost a spoken entity. You have to speak. You have to practice your phrases out loud. Just thinking them or reading them to yourself wont do. Languages are spoken.

German is used in other countries besides Germany. It is the official language of Austria, and it is a primary language of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It certainly is no surprise that there are large German-speaking communities in the United States and Canada. Immigration from the German-speaking world in the last two centuries occurred on a large scale, so many North Americans speak or understand German. Since German is used in different regions, there are regional differences of pronunciation and vocabulary usage. For example, in English, someone in the south of the United States might say skillet while someone in the north might use the phrase frying pan. In some English-speaking regions, you say Ill wait for you. In other regions, you say, Ill wait on you. Variations like this also occur in the German language. However, there is a standard German language that is generally accepted in all German-speaking regions, and that is the language used in