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Lesson 1: Essential Words
Let's continue with our crash course!
In Lesson 0, you learned how to communicate with useful set phrases. Today, in the essential words lesson, we're going to build a mini-arsenal of essential words: verbs to give you action, nouns to name your world, and adjectives to add color.
We're not going to overwhelm you with endless lists. What you'll see below is a strategic selection of vocabulary that will allow you to form hundreds of useful sentences from day one. Let's start building!
Essential Verbs (Wichtige Verben)
Verbs are the engines of a sentence. Without them, nothing moves. We'll start with the two most important ones in the language.
The 2 Essential Verbs: "sein" (to be) and "haben" (to have)
These two verbs are irregular, and you will use them constantly. It's crucial that you master them.
| sein - to be | |
|---|---|
| ich bin | I am |
| du bist | you are (singular, informal) |
| er/sie/es ist | he/she/it is |
| wir sind | we are |
| ihr seid | you are (plural, informal) |
| sie/Sie sind | they/you (formal) are |
| haben - to have | |
|---|---|
| ich habe | I have |
| du hast | you have (singular, informal) |
| er/sie/es hat | he/she/it has |
| wir haben | we have |
| ihr habt | you have (plural, informal) |
| sie/Sie haben | they/you (formal) have |
10 Verbs to Conquer Your Day-to-Day
This is your Swiss army knife of action verbs. The good news is that most verbs in German are "regular" and follow a very simple pattern that you can start using right away: ich -e, du -st, er/sie/es -t, wir -en, ihr -t, sie/Sie -en.
| Verb (Infinitive) | Meaning | Examples of Use |
|---|---|---|
| gehen | to go, to walk |
"Ich gehe jetzt nach Hause." (I'm going home now.) "Gehst du in den Supermarkt?" (Are you going to the supermarket?) "Wir gehen zusammen ins Kino." (We're going to the cinema together.) |
| kommen | to come |
"Du kommst aus Spanien." (You come from Spain.) "Er kommt heute nicht." (He is not coming today.) "Kommen Sie aus Deutschland?" (Do you come from Germany? [formal]) |
| lernen | to learn |
"Wir lernen Deutsch." (We are learning German.) "Lernst du auch Deutsch?" (Are you learning German too?) "Ich lerne gerade für die Prüfung." (I'm studying for the exam right now.) |
| arbeiten | to work |
"Ich arbeite in der Stadt." (I work in the city.) "Maria arbeitet sehr viel." (Maria works a lot.) "Arbeitet ihr am Wochenende?" (Do you [plural] work on the weekend?) |
| kaufen | to buy |
"Er kauft ein Buch." (He is buying a book.) "Was kaufen wir heute?" (What are we buying today?) "Ich kaufe die Milch." (I am buying the milk.) |
| essen (irregular) | to eat |
"Ich esse einen Apfel." (I am eating an apple.) "Er isst ein Brot." (He is eating a bread.) "Was esst ihr heute Abend?" (What are you [plural] eating tonight?) |
| trinken | to drink |
"Wir trinken Wasser." (We drink water.) "Trinkst du Kaffee oder Tee?" (Do you drink coffee or tea?) "Er trinkt ein Glas Wasser." (He is drinking a glass of water.) |
| sehen (irregular) | to see |
"Ich sehe einen Mann." (I see a man.) "Siehst du das Auto?" (Do you see the car?) "Sie sieht den Film." (She is watching the film.) |
| sprechen (irregular) | to speak |
"Sprichst du Deutsch?" (Do you speak German?) "Wir sprechen langsam." (We speak slowly.) "Er spricht sehr gut Englisch." (He speaks English very well.) |
| möchten (modal) | would like |
"Ich möchte einen Kaffee, bitte." (I would like a coffee, please.) "Was möchtet ihr essen?" (What would you [plural] like to eat?) "Er möchte ein Eis." (He would like an ice cream.) |
A little sneak peek at declensions (accusative): Have you noticed sentences like "Ich esse einen Apfel" or "Ich sehe einen Mann"?
We know that it's "der Apfel" and "der Mann". The article changes to "einen" because the apple or the man is the direct object of the action (what is being eaten, what is being seen). This is the accusative case in action.
Just a little something more about declensions to keep in the back of your mind. We'll study this in depth in the lesson on declensions.
Regular Verbs as a Model: "lernen" and "kaufen"
So you can see the pattern of endings in action, here is the full conjugation of two very common regular verbs. The vast majority of verbs you learn will follow this same structure!
| lernen - to learn | ||
|---|---|---|
| ich | lerne | I learn |
| du | lernst | you learn |
| er/sie/es | lernt | he/she/it learns |
| wir | lernen | we learn |
| ihr | lernt | you (plural) learn |
| sie/Sie | lernen | they/you (formal) learn |
| kaufen - to buy | ||
|---|---|---|
| ich | kaufe | I buy |
| du | kaufst | you buy |
| er/sie/es | kauft | he/she/it buys |
| wir | kaufen | we buy |
| ihr | kauft | you (plural) buy |
| sie/Sie | kaufen | they/you (formal) buy |
Fundamental Nouns (Grundlegende Nomen)
Before starting with the list, you need to know the golden rules of German nouns. The first one is one of the most visible differences from English.
Golden Rule of Capitalization: All nouns in German are ALWAYS written with the first letter capitalized. No exceptions. It doesn't matter if they are at the beginning, middle, or end of the sentence. If it's a noun (a person, place, or thing), it gets a capital letter: das Haus, der Tisch, die Frau.
Golden Rule of Plurals: Unlike English, there isn't one single rule for forming the plural in German (like adding "-s"). There are several different endings, and sometimes the vowel of the word changes (this is called an Umlaut).
Ex: der Apfel -> die Äpfel, das Buch -> die Bücher, die Frau -> die Frauen.
Tip: Don't try to memorize the plural rules now. Simply be aware that they exist. The best long-term strategy is to learn the plural of each noun along with its article. For example: "der Apfel, die Äpfel".
Now, here is your first vocabulary list, organized into thematic groups.
People (Leute)
- der Mann - the man
- die Frau - the woman
- das Kind - the child
- der Freund - the male friend / boyfriend
- die Freundin - the female friend / girlfriend
Food & Drink (Essen und Trinken)
- das Wasser - the water
- der Kaffee - the coffee
- die Milch - the milk
- das Brot - the bread
- der Apfel - the apple
Places (Orte)
- die Stadt - the city
- das Land - the country
- das Haus - the house
- das Restaurant - the restaurant
- der Supermarkt - the supermarket
Everyday Things (Alltagsgegenstände)
- das Auto - the car
- das Buch - the book
- der Tisch - the table
- das Handy - the mobile phone
- der Computer - the computer
And also remember this golden rule we've seen before:
Golden Rule Reminder: Always learn each noun with its article (der, die, das)!
Key Adjectives and Adverbs (Wichtige Adjektive und Adverbien)
Adjectives describe nouns. A very effective way to learn them is in opposite pairs.
- gut / schlecht (good / bad)
- groß / klein (big / small)
- neu / alt (new / old)
- schnell / langsam (fast / slow)
- richtig / falsch (correct / incorrect)
Colors are essential vocabulary in German. Here are the most important basic colors:
- schwarz (black)
- weiß (white)
- rot (red)
- blau (blue)
- gelb (yellow)
- grün (green)
- braun (brown)
- grau (gray)
And here are some small "glue words" that give your sentences a lot of fluency:
- hier / dort (here / there)
- heute / jetzt (today / now)
- sehr (very), auch (also), nicht (not)
A little sneak peek (Adjective Declension): When an adjective comes before a noun, as in "a new car," the adjective usually takes a small ending. For example:
- "Das ist ein neues Auto." (This is a new car.)
- "Ich trinke einen guten Kaffee." (I'm drinking a good coffee.)
This ending (-es, -en, etc.) is also part of the "case" system and helps everything agree. As always: you don't need to learn the rules now, just notice that it happens. We'll cover it in Lesson 3!
Final Practice: Sentence Workshop (Sätze bauen)
Congratulations! You have acquired an arsenal of words. Now look at the power you have to form complete and meaningful sentences.
- "Der Mann trinkt einen guten Kaffee im Restaurant." (The man is drinking a good coffee in the restaurant.)
- "Die Frau lernt heute Deutsch. Sie ist sehr gut." (The woman is learning German today. She is very good.)
- "Ich sehe ein rotes Haus in der Stadt." (I see a red house in the city.)
- "Wir haben ein schnelles, rotes Auto." (We have a fast, red car.)
- "Isst du den großen Apfel?" (Are you eating the big apple?)
- "Mein Freund kauft ein weißes Handy." (My friend is buying a white mobile phone.)
- "Das Essen im Restaurant ist schlecht." (The food in the restaurant is bad.)
- "Ist der Himmel blau? - Ja, das ist richtig." (Is the sky blue? - Yes, that is correct.)
- "Die Kinder sind nicht hier, sie sind in der Schule." (The children are not here, they are at school.)
- "Ich arbeite jetzt in einem Büro. Die Wände sind gelb." (I work in an office now. The walls are yellow.)
Conclusion and Next Steps
Excellent work! You not only know the structure now, but you also have a small arsenal of words to fill it. In the next lesson, we will look at the elements that connect words with each other and allow you to build sentences: articles, pronouns, and prepositions.