299 German words of level A1
Below is a complete, categorized list of German vocabulary at the A1 level. Learn common verbs, nouns, and adjectives with transcription, articles, and English translations.
What is A1? Beginner
A1 is the first step. You learn the most frequent words and set phrases for everyday situations — greetings, numbers, family, food and simple questions.
What you can do at A1
- ✓Introduce yourself and ask people basic questions about themselves
- ✓Understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases
- ✓Handle simple, routine situations like shopping or ordering food
- ✓Understand basic numbers, times, and dates in simple announcements
- ✓Fill in simple forms with personal details like name, nationality, and address
Articles
Conjunctions
/oːdɐ/
oder
/dɛn/
denn
/vaɪl/
weil
/vɛn/
wenn
/als/
as
/viː/
how
/zo/
so
/aʊ̯x/
also
/nʊʁ/
only
/nʊn/
now
/dan/
then
/vo/
where
/tsu/
to
/vaːʁdɪŋ/
während
/ˈeːbən/
only
/t͡svaʁ/
although
/zoːvɐl/
both
/ɛntˈveːdɐ/
either
/ˈveːdɐ/
neither
/damiːt/
so that
/ɔbˈvoːl/
although
/zoːbal/
as soon as
/zoːlɑŋə/
as long as
/fals/
if
/zoːfɐn/
as long as
/ˈjɛdoːç/
jedoch
/ˈalzo/
also
/dɑːʁfɔʁ/
dafür
/ˈeːbənˌfalts/
also
Nouns
/ɪç/
I
/duː/
you (sing.)
/ɛr/
he
/ziː/
she / they
/ɛs/
it
/viːr/
we
/iːr/
you (pl.)
/ziː/
you (formal)
/man/
one / you (general)
/zɪç/
oneself / himself
/miːr/
to me / me
/mɪç/
me (acc.)
/dɪʁ/
to you / you
/dɪç/
you (acc.)
/ɪm/
to him / him
/ɪn/
him (acc.)
/ɪnmən/
to them / them
/ʊns/
us
/ˈɔʏç/
you (pl., acc.)
/ɛʁ/
who
/ˈaləs/
everything
/nɪçts/
nothing
/jɛndam/
someone
/niːmannt/
nobody
/ɛtvas/
something
/ʊnt/
und
Other Words
/maɪn/
my
/daɪn/
your
/ʊnzɐ/
our
/ˈɔʏɐ/
your (pl.)
/ˈdiːzɐ/
this (masc.)
/ˈdiːzə/
this (fem.)
/ˈdiːzəs/
this (neut.)
/ˈjeːdɐ/
every / each
/ˈjeːdə/
every (fem.)
/ˈjeːdəs/
every (neut.)
/kaɪn/
no / none
/kaɪnə/
no / none (fem.)
/vas/
what
/ˈvɛltçɐ/
which (masc.)
/vɛlçə/
which (fem.)
/vɛlçəs/
which (neut.)
/baɪdə/
both
/alə/
all / everyone
/zɔldɐ/
such a
/das/
dass
/ja/
yes
/dɔx/
yes
/daː/
yes
/voːhɪn/
where to
/voːhɐ/
from where
/jeː/
how much
/dɛsto/
the more
/tʁoːtsdɛm/
trotzdem
/dɛˈzaːl̩b/
deshalb
/dɛsˈvaːɡən/
deswegen
/daːbaɪ/
with him
/vɔln̩/
to want to
/dyːɐ̯fn̩/
to be allowed to
Prepositions
/aːbɐ/
aber
/oːb/
ob
/naɪn/
no
/ɪn/
in
/an/
on
/aʊf/
on
/mɪt/
with
/fɔn/
from
/baɪ/
at
/naχ/
after
/aʊs/
out of
/fyːʁ/
for
/ˈʊntɐ/
unter
/foːɐ̯/
before
/ˈhɪndɐ/
behind
/nɛːbən/
beside
/tsvɪçn/
between
/dʊʁç/
through
/ɡəɡən/
against
/oːnə/
without
/ʊm/
around
/zaɪt/
since
/bɪs/
until
/ab/
from
/tʁɔts/
trotz
/vaːɡn/
wegen
/ˈaʊ̯sɐ/
outside
/ɡəɡənˈʔʊpɐ/
opposite
/ɪnɐˈʁazal/
inside
/ˈaʊ̯sɐʁhaːlt/
outside
/naχdɛm/
after
/bɛvoʁ/
before
/zaɪtdeːm/
since
/ɪndɛm/
indem
Verbs
/zeːn/
to be
/nɪçt/
not
/ʃɔn/
already
/hiːr/
here
/dɔʁt/
there
/ʃtat/
instead
/zeːɐ̯/
very
/ɡants/
entirely
/ɡaʁ/
completely
/haːlt/
all in all
/voːl/
well
/ˈaɪçtnɪç/
actually
/ʔyːbɐhaʊpt/
at all
/ˈjɛdənˌfaltʃ/
anyway
/dɛnˈnoːç/
dennoch
/daːɐ̯/
daher
/daːʁʊm/
darum
/aʊ̯dəʁsm̩/
in addition
/zɔnt/
otherwise
/bəˈʁaɪts/
already
/nɛmˈliːç/
that is to say
/haːbn̩/
to have
/vɛɐ̯dn̩/
to become
/kɔnən/
to be able to
/ˈmʏsn̩/
to have to
/zɔln̩/
should
/ˈmeːɡn̩/
to like
/ˈmœçtn̩/
to want
/kɔmən/
to come
/ɡən/
to go
/zeːn/
to see
/zaːɡən/
to say
/ˈmaxn̩/
to make
/ɡeːbən/
to give
/nɛmən/
to take
/ˈviːsn̩/
to know
/ˈdɛŋkn̩/
to think
/ˈʃteːən/
to stand
/ˈʁaːbən/
to work
/ˈʃpiːlən/
to play
/ˈleːsn̩/
to read
/ˈʃʁiːbn̩/
to write
/høːʁən/
to hear
/ʃpʁɛçən/
to speak
/ˈfaːɡn̩/
to ask
/ˈʔanˌtsvɔʁn/
to answer
/ˈhɛlfn/
to help
/ˈziːɡn/
to show
/ˈkɛnən/
to know
/ˈɡlaʊ̯bn̩/
to believe
/ˈfɪndən/
to find
/ˈbʁaʊ̯çən/
to need
/ˈbʁiŋən/
to bring
/ˈfaːʁən/
to drive
/ˈlaʊ̯fn̩/
to run
/ˈɛsn̩/
to eat
/ˈtʁɪkn̩/
to drink
/ˈʃlafən/
to sleep
/voːnən/
to live
/ˈleːbn/
to live
/kaʊfn/
to buy
/fɐrˈkaʊfn/
to sell
/ɛfn̩/
to open
/ˈʃliːsn̩/
to close
/bɛɡɪˈnɛn/
to begin
/ˈɛndn̩/
to end
/ˈleːɡn̩/
to lay
/ˈstɛln̩/
to stand
/ˈzɛtsn̩/
to sit
/ˈfaln̩/
to fall
/ˈblaɪbn̩/
to stay
/ˈlasn̩/
to let
/ˈhaɪsn̩/
to be called
/ɡəˈhøːʁn̩/
to belong
/ˈpaːsn̩/
to fit
/ˈvaʁtn̩/
to wait
/ˈlɛʁn̩/
to learn
/ʃtuːdiːʁn̩/
to study
/ɛʁˈklɑːʁən/
to explain
/fɛɐ̯ˈʃtɛən/
to understand
/fɛɐ̯ˈɡɛsn/
to forget
/zyːχən/
to search
/fɛɐ̯ˈliːʁən/
to lose
/ɡəˈviːnən/
to win
/hɔfən/
to hope
/vʏnʃən/
to wish
/liːbən/
to love
/ˈfʁɔʏən/
to rejoice
/ɛntˈzaɪdən/
to decide
/ˈvaːlən/
to choose
/bəˈstɛln̩/
to order
/ˈplaːnən/
planen
/ɛntˈvɪklən/
entwickeln
/fɛʁbɛsɐn/
improve
/ˈʔændɐn/
change
/pyʁfən/
check
/bɛnʊt͡sn̩/
use
/fɛʁvɛndn̩/
use
/ɛʁstɛln̩/
create
/taɪlən/
share
/ˈfoːɡn̩/
follow
/fyːʁn̩/
lead
/baʊən/
build
/ʁaɪ̯zn/
reisen
/bəˈzuːkn/
besuchen
/tʁɛfn/
treffen
/ɛʁˈhaːʁtn̩/
to receive
/ɛʁˈkɛnən/
to recognize
/ˈɛʁlaʊ̯bn̩/
to allow
/fɛʁbiˈtoːn/
to forbid
/ɛmˈpfɛlən/
to recommend
/fɛrˈzuːkn̩/
to try
/ˈʃafən/
to make
/bəˈdeːtn̩/
to mean
/ɡɛltn̩/
to count
/bəˈʃtɛn/
to exist
/entˈstaːn/
to arise
/anˈfaŋən/
to begin
/aʊfˈhøːʁən/
to stop
/anˈʁuːfən/
to call
/ˈʃɪkən/
to send
/ˈtsaːlən/
to pay
/ˈkɔstn̩/
cost
/ˈzaːʁən/
save
/fɛɐ̯ˈdiːnən/
earn
/ˈnʊtsən/
use
/ˈbiːtən/
offer
/ˈfɔʁdən/
demand
/ʊntɐˈʃtɛtsən/
support
/fɛɐ̯ˈɡleːçən/
compare
/bəˈʃraɪbən/
describe
/bɛʁɪçtn̩/
to report
introduce
/ˈtaɪlˌnɛhːmən/
participate
/foʁbəˈʁaɪtən/
prepare
/dɪskʊˈtiːʁən/
discuss
/ʊntɐˈzaɪdən/
distinguish
/aʊˈzɛːkn/
look
/fʊktɪoˈniːʁən/
to function
/pasɪˈʁeːn/
to happen
/ˈfeːlən/
to lack
/maɪ̯nən/
to think
/aʊ̯pfɑzn/
to look
/ɛʁˈʃaɪ̯ən/
to appear
/ɛʁɪnɐn/
to remember
/lɛçəln/
to smile
/kɛmpfən/
to fight
/ʃtaɪ̯ɡən/
to rise
/zɪŋkn̩/
to sink
/hoːlən/
to take
/liːɡn̩/
to lie
/zɪtzn̩/
to sit
/tsiːən/
to pull
/vasxən/
wachsen
/nɛnən/
nennen
/haːltən/
halten
/ʃʁaɪən/
schreien
/vaɪnən/
weinen
/laːxən/
lachen
/atmən/
atmen
/ʃlaːɡən/
schlagen
/ʁɛnən/
rennen
/ʃvɪmən/
schwimmen
/ˈfliːɡn̩/
to fly
/klɪŋɡn̩/
to ring
/mɛʁkn̩/
to notice
/laɪtn̩/
to lead
/ʃtɔʁn/
to disturb
How to learn A1 vocabulary
- 1.Start with the highest-frequency words — the first few hundred cover most everyday speech.
- 2.Learn nouns together with their article and a short example sentence.
- 3.Review daily in short sessions; spaced repetition beats long cramming.
- 4.Listen to slow, clear recordings and repeat phrases out loud to practice pronunciation.
Frequently asked questions
How many words do I need at A1?+
Around 500–600 core words are enough to handle basic everyday situations at A1.
How long does it take to reach A1?+
With regular study most learners reach A1 in about 60–100 hours.
What comes after A1?+
A2, where you expand everyday vocabulary and start linking simple sentences.
Should I focus on grammar or vocabulary at A1?+
Focus primarily on vocabulary and simple phrase structures. Basic grammar is helpful, but communicating meaning is more important at the start.