Translate English to German
German is the most widely spoken native language in the European Union, with around 100 million speakers in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and neighboring countries. If you are emailing a business partner in Munich, reading product specs from a Berlin supplier, or preparing for a trip to Vienna, paste your English text above and get a German translation within seconds.
Common English to German translations
| English | German | Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hello | Hallo | HAH-loh | ||
| Good morning | Guten Morgen | GOO-ten MOR-gen | ||
| Thank you | Danke | DAHN-kuh | ||
| Please | Bitte | BIH-tuh | ||
| How much does this cost? | Was kostet das? | vahs KOS-tet dahs | ||
| Where is the train station? | Wo ist der Bahnhof? | voh ist dehr BAHN-hohf | ||
| I do not understand | Ich verstehe nicht | ikh fer-SHTEH-uh nikht | ||
| Can you help me? | Können Sie mir helfen? | KUH-nen zee meer HEL-fen | ||
| I would like a beer | Ich hätte gern ein Bier | ikh HEH-tuh gehrn ayn beer | ||
| The bill, please | Die Rechnung, bitte | dee REKH-noong BIH-tuh | ||
| Nice to meet you | Freut mich | froyt mikh | ||
| Goodbye | Auf Wiedersehen | owf VEE-der-zay-en | ||
| I need a doctor | Ich brauche einen Arzt | ikh BROW-khuh AY-nen artst | ||
| Excuse me | Entschuldigung | ent-SHOOL-dee-goong |
Tips for English to German translation
German has three grammatical genders: masculine (der), feminine (die), and neuter (das). A table is masculine (der Tisch), a lamp is feminine (die Lampe), and a book is neuter (das Buch). There is no reliable shortcut for guessing gender. Learning each noun together with its article from the start is the only method that sticks.
Compound nouns are one of the most distinctive features of German. Instead of using multiple words like English does, German stacks them into a single word. A “speed limit” becomes Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung, and a “birth certificate” becomes Geburtsurkunde. The last word in the compound determines the gender and meaning. These long words look intimidating at first, but once you learn to break them into parts, they become surprisingly logical.
German word order follows strict rules that differ from English. In a main clause, the verb always sits in second position. In a subordinate clause, the verb moves to the end. “I know that he is coming tomorrow” becomes Ich weiß, dass er morgen kommt, with kommt at the very end. Getting the verb position wrong is the most common mistake English speakers make, and it stands out immediately to native readers.
The formal and informal distinction matters in German just as it does in French. Du is informal and used with friends, family, and children. Sie (always capitalized) is the formal version for strangers, colleagues, and professional contacts. In many German workplaces, people use Sie for years before switching to du. When writing to someone you have not met, always default to Sie.
About the German language
German belongs to the West Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family, making it a close relative of English and Dutch. It has been a major language of science, philosophy, music, and engineering for centuries. Writers like Goethe, Kafka, and Marx shaped modern thought in German, and the language remains central to academic publishing in Europe.
There are notable differences between the German spoken in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Austrian German uses different words for many everyday items: a tomato is Paradeiser in Austria but Tomate in Germany. Swiss German dialects are so distinct that speakers from Germany sometimes struggle to understand spoken Swiss German, though the written standard is largely shared across all three countries.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, completely free with no account required. You can translate as often as you like without any daily limits.
The translator typically outputs formal German using Sie. If you need informal du forms, you can manually adjust the pronouns and verb endings in the result.
Yes. Click the speaker icon next to any phrase to hear it spoken aloud. The sounds of ü, ö, ä, and the German ch are easier to learn by listening than by reading pronunciation guides.
All nouns in German are capitalized, not just proper nouns. This is a grammar rule, not emphasis. Tisch (table), Buch (book), and Haus (house) always start with a capital letter regardless of where they appear in a sentence.
For everyday messages, travel phrases, and casual emails, the results are reliable. For legal, medical, or highly technical texts, have a native German speaker review the output before using it.
Umlauts are the two dots above vowels: ä, ö, ü. They change the sound of the vowel and sometimes the meaning of a word. If your keyboard lacks these characters, you can write ae, oe, ue as substitutes, though native readers prefer the real Umlauts.
The tool outputs standard written German (Hochdeutsch), which is used in all German-speaking countries. Swiss German dialects are primarily spoken and rarely written, so standard German is the appropriate choice for text.
This page is configured for English to German. Use our German to English translation page for the opposite direction.
Yes. No text is stored or shared. Everything is processed in real time and disappears when you close the page.
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