As a student of German philology, I spent every vacation in Germany. I wanted to brush up on my language skills, and I always believed that staying in a foreign country was the fastest and most effective way to learn. I wanted to test my German while traveling. Although I knew the basics well, I was afraid that I would get on the wrong train by mistake or order a cab to the wrong address.
Fortunately, all this stress turned out to be unnecessary. Knowing basic travel phrases and sentences was enough for me to communicate without problems. And this is, after all, the most important thing in learning a language! Everyone I asked for help patiently listened to my questions and provided many valuable tips. No one pointed out my mistakes; on the contrary, people were very appreciative that I was speaking their native language.
In this article you will find vocabulary you can use if you decide to take a vacation (der Urlaub) or summer holiday (die Sommerferien) in a German-speaking country. Let’s get started!
- How do we say where we are or where we are going? Holiday vocabulary in German
- Means of transport and vocabulary related to movement
- Der Urlaub im Hotel – vacation in a hotel: these words are worth taking a moment to look up
- Traveling in German: How can the Taalhammer app help you with your dream vacation?
How do we say where we are or where we are going? Holiday vocabulary in German
Each of us has a different idea about our dream vacation. Some relax, sunbathing on the beach and swimming in the sea, while others will choose an extreme trip to the mountains and exploring new trails. And how do you spend your vacation? Wie verbringst du deine Sommerferien? Let’s start with where we can go on vacation.
Prepositions to denote place in German are:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| an | by |
| in | in |
| zu | to |
| nach | to |
| auf | on, in |
These prepositions, when combined with a definite article in the nominative or in the accusative, are pulled down:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| an dem | am |
| and das | ans |
| in dem | im |
| in das | ins |
| zu der | zur |
| zu dem | zum |
| auf das | aufs |
Below you will find a table with examples of their use. The best way to remember them will be to learn in whole sentences, where the words are used in context. At Taalhammer, we have had many discussions and tested various methods of learning. As a result, we came to the conclusion that learning with sentences is the most effective and fastest method. By memorizing complete phrases, you won’t have to think about which preposition or case you should use. As a result, you will achieve greater linguistic fluency and feel faster learning satisfaction.
| Wo bist du? (Dativ) | Wohin fährst du? (Akkusativ) | |
|---|---|---|
| das Meer (the sea) | Ich bin am Meer. | Ich fahre ans Meer. |
| der Wald (the forest) | Ich bin im Wald. | Ich fahre in den Wald. |
| das Gebirge (the mountains) | Ich bin im Gebirge. | Ich fahre ins Gebirge. |
| Deutschland (Germany) | Ich bin in Deutschland. | Ich fahre nach Deutschland. |
| der See (the lake) | Ich bin am See. | Ich fahre an den See. |
| der Fluss (the river) | Ich bin am Fluss. | Ich fahre an den Fluss. |
| das Land (the countryside) | Ich bin auf dem Land. | Ich fahre aufs Land. |
| die Insel Zypern (Cyprus) | Ich bin auf der Insel Zypern. | Ich fliege auf die Insel Zypern. |
In German we have 4 cases: Nominativ, Akkusativ, Dativ and Genitiv. Let’s now take a closer look at two of them using the example of the word das Meer (the sea). Don’t worry, it’s not that complicated at all!
- Dativ answers the question Wo? (where?). For example:
| Wo bist du? (Where are you?) |
| Ich bin am Meer. (I’m by the sea). |
- Akkusativ answers the question Wohin? (where?). We use it when we talk about going somewhere. For example:
| Wohin fährst du? (Where are you going?) |
| Ich fahre ans Meer. (I’m going by the sea). |
Means of transport and vocabulary related to movement
Learning the basic vocabulary related to different modes of transportation (die Transportmittel) will allow you to move freely around cities, use public transport (ÖV – der öffentlicher Verkehr) or rent a car (das Auto mieten), and communicate more easily with locals. In Germany’s larger cities, there is a subway (die U-Bahn). It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the subway map (der U-Bahn-Plan) to get around more easily. Remember to buy a ticket (die Fahrkarte)!
Die Transportmittel – means of transport in German
We use the preposition mit (after which we always use the article in the nominative) to talk about what means of transportation we use. For example: Ich fahre mit dem Auto – I’m going by car.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| der Bus | the bus |
| Ich fahre mit dem Bus. | I travel by bus. |
| der Flug | the plane |
| Das Fliegen mit dem Flugzeug macht mir Angst. | Flying in an airplane scares me. |
| das Schiff | the ship |
| Das Schiff ist das langsamste Verkehrsmittel. | The ship is the slowest means of transportation. |
| das Fahrrad | the bike |
| Ich versuche immer mit dem Fahrrad, statt mit dem Auto zu fahren. | I always try to cycle instead of driving. |
| die U-Bahn | the subway |
| In meiner Stadt gibt es keine U-Bahn. | There is no subway in my city. |
| die Straßenbahn | the tram |
| Ich nehme immer die Straßenbahn, um zur Arbeit zu kommen. | I always take the tram to get to work. |
| der Zug | the train |
| Ich reise am liebsten mit dem Zug. | I prefer to travel by train. |
| zu Fuß gehen | to go on foot |
| Ich gehe zu Fuß zur Schule. | I walk to school on foot. |
| das Auto mieten | to rent a car |
| Wir wollen ein Auto mieten, damit wir viele Sehenswürdigkeiten besichtigen können. | We want to hire a car so that we can see lots of sights. |
Am Bahnhof – at the train station: the German language for travel
Buses and trains are a popular means of public transportation. If you take a trip, it is almost inevitable that you will find yourself at the train station (am Bahnhof) at least once. Below I’ve included useful phrases that you’ll use to buy tickets or ask about schedules. Knowing this vocabulary has definitely made traveling in Germany easier for me.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| der Hauptbahnhof | the main station |
| Wo ist der Hauptbahnhof? | Where is the main station? |
| Der Bahnhof ist in der Invalidenstraße. | The station is on Invalidenstraße. |
| Um wieviel Uhr fährt der Zug nach Köln ab? | What time does the train to Cologne leave? |
| Um wieviel Uhr kommt der Zug in Berlin an? | What time does the train arrive in Berlin? |
| die Abfahrt | the departure |
| die Ankunft | the arrival |
| in einer halben Stunde | in half an hour |
| Der Zug nach Köln fährt in einer halben Stunde ab. | The train to Cologne departs in half an hour. |
| in 15 Minuten | in 15 minutes |
| Der Zug kommt in 15 Minuten in Berlin an. | The train arrives in Berlin in 15 minutes. |
| umsteigen | to change |
| Wo muss ich umsteigen? | Where do I have to change? |
| einsteigen | to get in |
| aussteigen | to get out |
| Sie müssen am Hauptbahnhof einsteigen und in München aussteigen. | You have to get on at the main station and get off in Munich. |
| die Fahrkarte | the ticket |
| die Hinfahrkarte | the one-way ticket |
| die Rückfahrkarte | the return ticket |
| Ich möchte eine Karte nach Köln und zurück. | I would like a ticket to Cologne and back. |
| hin und zurück | go and return |
| von welchem Gleis / Bahnsteig? | From which track / platform? |
| abfahren | to depart |
| Von welchem Bahnsteig fährt der Zug nach Berlin ab? | Which platform does the train to Berlin depart from? |
| ankommen | to arrive |
| Auf welchem Gleis kommt der Zug nach München an? | On which track does the train to Munich arrive? |
| buchen, reservieren | to book |
| Ich möchte eine Rückfahrkarte buchen. | I would like to book a return ticket. |
| der Studentenausweis | the student card |
| der Personalausweis | the identity card |
| Haben Sie einen Studentenausweis oder einen Personalausweis? | Do you have a student card or an identity card? |
How to ask for directions
In addition to vocabulary related to means of transportation, it’s also important to learn words and expressions for directions and clues to help you get around while traveling. When you need to know how to get to a certain place, you can ask the question “Wie komme ich zum…?” (“How do I get to…”) or otherwise “Können Sie mir den Weg zum… zeigen?” (“Can you show me the way to…?”). Other questions you may find helpful are:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Wo ist der Hauptbahnhof? | Where is the main station? |
| Gibt es einen Supermarkt in der Nähe? | Is there a supermarket nearby? |
| Wie komme ich zum Strand? | How do I get to the beach? |
| Welchen Bus / welche U-Bahn muss ich nehmen, um zum Meer zu gelangen? | Which bus/subway do I have to take to get to the sea? |
| Wie lange wird es dauern? | How long will it take? |
| Welche Sehenswürdigkeiten kannst du mir empfehlen? | What sights can you recommend? |
| Ich empfehle dir, das Museum zu besuchen. | I recommend you visit the museum. |
| Ich glaube, ich habe mich verlaufen. | I think I’m lost. |
Now that we know how to ask the right questions, let’s focus on the answers. It is important to understand words and phrases related to directions. For example, to indicate that something is to the left, you will say links, and to the right, rechts. If you need to turn in a certain direction, you will use the word abbiegen. For example, to turn right is rechts abbiegen, and to turn left is links abbiegen. Other useful words are geradeaus (straight on), hier (here), da (there) and entlang (along).
| German | English |
|---|---|
| geradeaus gehen | go straight on |
| nach rechts / links abbiegen | turn left/right |
| Gehen Sie einen halben Kilometer geradeaus und biegen Sie dann nach der Kirche rechts ab. | Go straight on for half a kilometer and then turn right by the church. |
| X Minuten zu Fuß / mit dem Auto / mit der U-Bahn | X minutes on foot / in the car / on the subway |
| Von hier sind es 10 Minuten mit dem Auto. | From here it is ten minutes by car. |
| hier | here |
| da | there |
| Hier ist es warm und dort regnet es. | It’s warm here and it’s raining there. |
| entlang | along |
| Sie machen einen Spaziergang entlang des Flusses. | They take a walk along the river. |
| an der Ampel/ an der Kreuzung rechts gehen | Go right at the traffic lights / at the crossroad. |
| Das Krankenhaus liegt auf der rechten Seite. | The hospital is on the right-hand side. |
Remember that practice makes perfect. Use these phrases and words in everyday situations, ask questions of locals and be open to learning as you go. Gaining confidence in using vocabulary related to directions will certainly make it easier for you to navigate and discover new places in the German-speaking world of travel, especially when combined with a German language course that covers the basics.
Der Urlaub im Hotel – vacation in a hotel: these words are worth taking a moment to look up
When traveling, finding suitable accommodation is an indispensable part of the trip. To increase your chances of a comfortable and successful stay, it’s a good idea to learn the basic vocabulary related to booking and accommodation. Below you will find a carefully selected list with phrases, the knowledge of which should guarantee you a trouble-free booking in German. To make sure nothing was missing from it, I gave a prototype list to test to my friend who is learning German and happened to be going to Cologne for the weekend. After the conversation was over, she gave me hints about what she was missing and what she found unnecessary. We made small changes, and that’s how the perfect list was created.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| die Unterkunft | the accommodation |
| die Übernachtung | the overnight stay |
| Ich habe eine komfortable Unterkunft in der Nähe des Stadtzentrums gefunden. | I have found comfortable accommodation near the city center. |
| Ich habe eine Reservierung auf den Namen… | I have made a reservation in the name of… |
| Ich möchte ein Zimmer reservieren. | I would like to reserve a room. |
| das Einzelzimmer | the single room |
| das Doppelzimmer | the double room |
| das Zweibettzimmer | the twin room |
| das Mehrbettzimmer (in der Herberge) | the shared room (in the hostel) |
| Ich würde gerne ein Einzel-/Doppelzimmer buchen. | I would like to book a single/double room. |
| das Einzelbett | the single bed |
| das Doppelbett | the double bed |
| Unser Zimmer verfügt über ein komfortables Doppelbett. | Our room has a comfortable double bed. |
| das Zweibettzimmer | the twin room |
| die Anmeldung | the registration/check-in |
| die Abmeldung | the check-out |
| Du musst zur Rezeption gehen, um dich anzumelden. | You must go to reception to check in. |
| der Tag der Ankunft | the day of arrival |
| der Tag der Abreise | the day of departure |
| Der Tag der Ankunft ist endlich gekommen und ich bin gespannt auf meine Reise. | The day of arrival has finally come and I’m looking forward to my trip. |
| eine Buchung vornehmen / ein Zimmer reservieren | make a booking / reserve a room |
| Ich reserviere ein Zimmer für den 8. Mai. | I am reserving a room for May 8. |
| eine Buchung stornieren | cancel a booking |
| Aus persönlichen Gründen muss ich die Buchung stornieren. | I have to cancel the booking for personal reasons. |
| der Aufzug | the elevator |
| Gibt es einen Aufzug im Hotel? | Is there an elevator in the hotel? |
| das Badezimmer (gemeinsam) | the bathroom (shared) |
| der Schlüssel | the key |
| Wo soll ich die Schlüssel abgeben, wenn ich gehe? | Where should I leave the key when I leave? |
| der Stock | the floor |
| Ihr Zimmer Nummer 32 befindet sich im 8. Stock. | Your room number 32 is on the 8th floor. |
| die Rezeption | the reception desk |
| der Rezeptionist/ die Rezeptionistin | the receptionist |
| In dem Hotel arbeitet eine freundliche Rezeptionistin, die mir beim Einchecken geholfen hat. | There is a friendly receptionist at the hotel who helped me check in. |
| Hätten Sie einen Stadtplan? | Do you have a city map? |
| die Halbpension | the half board |
| das Frühstück | the breakfast |
| Die Halbpension ist im Preis inbegriffen. | Half board is included in the price. |
| die Hotelrechnung | the hotel bill |
| Ich bezahle die Hotelrechnung am Ende meines Aufenthalts. | I will pay the hotel bill at the end of my stay. |
| die Bestätigung | the confirmation |
| Nach der Buchung erhielt ich die Bestätigung per E-Mail. | After booking I received the confirmation by e-mail. |
At Taalhammer, we know that such a conversation can be stressful, especially if it takes place over the phone. That’s why, in order to better prepare you to make a reservation, we’ve reviewed many transcripts of conversations between a customer and a hotel employee and developed a sample dialogue. We hope this will help you see that it’s not complicated at all, and that you probably already know most of the words used!
To make it easier, we translated the polite form Sie as Mr. Remember, however, that it can refer to a man, a woman or both.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Gast: Guten Tag, ich möchte gerne ein Zimmer reservieren. | Guest: Hello, I would like to reserve a room. |
| Hotelmitarbeiter: Guten Tag! Natürlich, für welchen Zeitraum möchten Sie das Zimmer buchen? | Hotel employee: Hello! Of course, for what period would you like to book the room? |
| Gast: Vom 15. bis zum 20. August. | Guest: From August 15 to 20. |
| Hotelmitarbeiter: Für wie viele Personen möchten Sie das Zimmer buchen? | Hotel employee: How many people would you like to book the room for? |
| Gast: Für zwei Personen. | Guest: For two people. |
| Hotelmitarbeiter: Gut, möchten Sie ein Einzelbett oder ein Doppelbett? | Hotel employee: Good, would you like a single bed or a double bed? |
| Gast: Ein Doppelbett, bitte. | Guest: A double bed, please. |
| Hotelmitarbeiter: Wünschen Sie Halbpension oder nur Frühstück? | Hotel employee: Would you like half board or just breakfast? |
| Gast: Halbpension wäre super. | Guest: Half board would be great. |
| Hotelmitarbeiter: Perfekt. Könnte ich Ihren Namen haben, bitte? | Hotel employee: Perfect. Could I have your name, please? |
| Gast: Ja, mein Name ist Jan Kowalski. | Guest: Yes, my name is Jan Kowalski. |
| Hotelmitarbeiter: Vielen Dank, Herr Kowalski. Wir haben ein Doppelzimmer für Sie vom 15. bis zum 20. August reserviert. Der Preis beträgt 80 Euro pro Nacht. Ist das in Ordnung? | Hotel employee: Thank you very much, Mr. Kowalski. We have reserved a double room for you from August 15 to 20. The price is 80 euros per night. Is that all right? |
| Gast: Ja, das ist in Ordnung. | Guest: Yes, that’s fine. |
| Hotelmitarbeiter: Perfekt. Um die Buchung abzuschließen, benötigen wir Ihre Kreditkarteninformationen. | Hotel employee: Perfect. To finalize the booking, we need your credit card information. |
| Gast: Kein Problem. Hier ist meine Kreditkarte. | Guest: No problem. Here is my credit card. |
| Hotelmitarbeiter: Vielen Dank, Herr Kowalski. Ihre Reservierung ist bestätigt. Sie erhalten eine Bestätigung per E-Mail. | Hotel employee: Thank you very much, Mr. Kowalski. Your reservation is confirmed. You will receive a confirmation by e-mail. |
| Gast: Vielen Dank! Auf Wiedersehen! | Guest: Thank you very much! See you again! |
| Hotelmitarbeiter: Auf Wiedersehen und einen angenehmen Tag! | Hotel employee: Goodbye and have a pleasant day! |
Traveling in German: How can the Taalhammer app help you with your dream vacation?
Mastering the vocabulary related to lodging and getting around will help you enjoy a relaxed and comfortable stay in a foreign country. You need to learn a lot of vocabulary to make sure you can ask for directions, communicate with hotel staff and make reservations without any problems. How can you best do this?
When learning new vocabulary, it is important to repeat it often, preferably with the Spaced Repetition algorithm. This is a learning method that significantly supports long-term memorization of material. This method is based on the phenomenon that certain information recalled by us repeatedly at certain intervals will be permanently stored in our memory. At Taalhammer, we have tested this method many times, and thus saw a great opportunity to develop a language learning method that really works. Taalhammer offers an algorithm that is optimized for learning large numbers of words and sentences.
