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German Word for No | Rosetta Stone®

Learn how to say “No” and other common German phrases using the award winning Rosetta Stone products

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German Translation of "No"

If you want to say the word “no” in German, you would simply say, “nein.” It sounds very close to the pronunciation of the English word for the number nine. In fact, it’s a nearly universal feature of German words with the e+i pairing to make the English letter “I” sound, while words with the i+e pairing make the sound of the English letter “E”. A word like “frei” (free) is pronounced as “fry”, while the German word “vier” (four) is pronounced with an “E” sound in the middle, much like the English word “fear” (as the “v” in German becomes like the English “f” sound).

German is widely considered one of the easiest languages for English speakers. These languages are linguistic siblings in that both come from the same mother tongue. In fact, eighty of the one hundred most frequently used words in English speaking countries are of Germanic origin. These day-to-day, basic terms words in English and German derive from the exact same roots, making them extremely similar—sometimes nearly identical.

Rosetta Stone’s immersive approach combines traditional learning with true-to-life situations that help your grow and build towards a greater contextual understanding of important German phrases. As with most endeavours, there aren’t any easy shortcuts, but by combining solo practise with Rosetta Stone’s award-winning mobile app and practise with other Spanish language learners and native speakers during Live Tutoring, you can have absolute control over your learning speed and, ultimately, your long-term progress.

German Words

German is the most widely spoken language of the EU, right after English. This is understandable when you consider that German is the official language of many European nations—including Germany, Austria, Belgium, plus parts of Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Poland, and Switzerland. Worldwide, there are nearly 229 million German speakers, making it among the most useful languages for both travel and business.

Whether it’s for vacation, business, or curiosity, you can hit the ground running in the German language by familiarizing yourself with some of these basic German words and phrases.

Guten Tag / Good day
Hallo / Hello
Auf Wiedersehen / Goodbye
Bitte / Please
Danke / Thanks, Thank you
Entschuldigung / Sorry
Gesundheit / Bless you (after someone sneezes)
Ja / Yes
Nein / No
Wer? / Who?
Was? / What?
Warum? / Why?
Woher? / Where?

Now that we’ve got a handle on a few basic German words, we can dive into the conversational phrases that’ll help you ease into real-world conversations.

Ich heiße Ben. / My name is Ben.
Wie heißt du? / What’s your name?
Wie geht es dir? / How are you?
Gut, danke. / Fine, thank you.
Nett, Sie kennen zu lernen. / Nice to meet you.
Wo ist die Toilette? / Where is the bathroom?
Was kostet das? / How much is this?
Sprechen Sie Englisch? / Do you speak English?
Wie komme ich zum Busbahnhof? / How can I get to the bus station?
Gibt es ein Restaurant in der Nähe? / Is there a restaurant nearby?
Kann ich zahlen, bitte? / Can I have the bill, please?
Wie viel Uhr ist es? / What time is it?
Ich habe mich verlaufen. / I am lost.
Ich verstehe nicht. / I do not understand.
Ich vermisse dich. / I miss you.
Ich liebe dich. / I love you.

Learn the language in an order that’s tried-and-tested to ensure better understanding of how to communicate effectively in German with Rosetta Stone. Engage with German at your own pace, and start speaking German from the very first lesson.

With Rosetta Stone’s immersive approach, you’ll learn the language, not just the words. What makes Rosetta Stone unique is that we prepare you to use your new language in the real world. So it’s not just about the features, but what you’re able to do because of them. That way, you’ll be ready to handle any situation and sound great doing it.

At Rosetta Stone, we believe every person can learn to read, write, and speak German with confidence. Learning German words is much like learning vocabulary in any other language: practise makes perfect.

Try Our Award-Winning App

Surround yourself with German whenever, wherever with the Rosetta Stone app.

Download a unit and knock it out on the train or a flight. Select a 5-10 minute lesson and sneak it in while you wait in line or for your ride to show up. And explore dynamic features, like Seek and Speak, where you can point at an object in the real world and get a translation.

The best part? You don’t have to choose between app or desktop. Both come with your subscription and sync, so you can switch between devices seamlessly.

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