Which German words should I learn first?

The easiest words of grammar and everyday life: basic verbs, small structural words, polite phrases, numbers, family, food. This page gathers 100 of them.

What comes after these 100 words?

Carry on topic by topic: each list gives 100 words sorted into three levels. The KoKo app gathers +6,000 German words and brings each one back at the right moment.

Can I print this list or save it as a PDF?

Yes. The “Print the list” button at the top of the page opens your device’s print dialog: choose to save as PDF to keep the 100 words and their translation, with nothing else around them.

Your first 100 German words

New to German? Here are 100 easy words to start with: verbs, the small words of grammar and everyday vocabulary, translated into English.

These words come from the 26 grammar and everyday-life topics of KoKo. The app holds 2,397 words at this level.

Grammar 24 words

German	English
sagen	to say
lesen	to read
lachen	to laugh
töten	to kill
niedrig	low
gut	good
roh	raw
hart	hard
da	there
hier	here
schlecht	badly
wenig	little
zu	toPreposition, movement in the direction of a place
von	fromProvenance, origin
und	and
oder	or
dorthin	thereAdverbial pronoun of place, replaces a complement
dieser	thisDemonstrative determiner, masculine before a consonant
etwas	somePartitive article, masculine singular
davon	of it
hereinkommen	to come in
einsteigen	to get on
zurückgeben	to give back
herauskommen	to get out

Everyday life 76 words

German	English
nein	no
ja	yes
danke	thank you
hallo	hiInformal greeting
eins	one
zehn	ten
wenige	few
sechs	six
Ende	end
Mai	May
Sommer	summer
August	August
Knochen	boneHard part of the skeleton
Hals	neck
Rücken	back
Nase	nose
blauer Fleck	bruise
Ruhe	rest
Gesundheit	health
Virus	virus
Freund	friend
Baby	baby
Sohn	son
Ehemann	husbandEveryday use
verrückt	crazy
enttäuscht	disappointed
Verlegenheit	embarrassment
Freude	joy
Schlüssel	key
Bett	bed
Wand	wall
Boden	floor
Schraube	screw
Holz	wood
Nagel	nail
Klebstoff	glue
Strumpf	stockings
Kragen	collar
schick	smart
Leder	leather
Knoblauch	garlic
Weizen	wheat
Wasser	water
Saft	juice
biologisch	organic
Schüssel	bowl
Hunger	hunger
Geschmack	flavour
Tüte	bag
teuer	expensive
Geheimzahl	PIN code
Kosten	cost
Straße	street
Bahnhof	train station
Park	park
Stadtplan	map
Bus	bus
Reisebus	coach
Motorrad	motorbike
Hafen	harbour
Flug	flight
Hotelrechnung	bill
Ort	site
Reiseführer	guide
Bergpass	mountain pass
Osten	east
See	lake
Schnabel	beak
Hahn	rooster
Nest	nest
Gold	gold
Bogen	arch
Eisen	iron
Link	link
Seite	page
Anruf	call

Mini quiz

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Frequently asked questions

Which German words should I learn first?: The easiest words of grammar and everyday life: basic verbs, small structural words, polite phrases, numbers, family, food. This page gathers 100 of them.
What comes after these 100 words?: Carry on topic by topic: each list gives 100 words sorted into three levels. The KoKo app gathers +6,000 German words and brings each one back at the right moment.
Can I print this list or save it as a PDF?: Yes. The “Print the list” button at the top of the page opens your device’s print dialog: choose to save as PDF to keep the 100 words and their translation, with nothing else around them.

How KoKo makes words stick

These lists come from KoKo, the app to learn German vocabulary on iPhone.