Ich Spreche Englisch: German Phrases You Should Know

As with any country, it helps to speak the native language. While some of us, particularly myself, are very bad at languages, it does pay to know the basic phrases of German, Austria’s mother tongue. Whether you are trying to ask for a room in a hotel, say please or thank you, or ask for a beer, these brief phrases will help you to communicate in Austria.

Greetings are usually similar to English. Hallo is a basic greeting used to cover most situations. Guten Tag (good day, pronounced gooten taag), Guten Morgan (good morning), and Guten Abend (good evening, pronounced gooten ah-bun) are similar time-specific greetings. Auf Wiedersehen (Goodbye, pronounced owf veeder-zayn) and bis bald (see you soon, pronounced biss bauld) are good ways to see someone off.

Continuing on the conversation, you’ve got wie geht es Ihnen? (how are you, pronounced vee gate is eenen). You hear a reply of Danke, gut. Und Ihnen? This indicates the speaker is well (good, thanks. And yourself?, pronounced danker goot. Unt eenen?).

Yes and no are ja and nein (yaa and nine) respectively.

The one I came to rely on for a while was sprechen sie Englisch? (do you speak English, pronounced spreken-zie Engleesh). However, when the answer was nein or ein bisschen (a little, pronounced eyn beeshen) I found I ended up resorting to an ever-handy phrasebook.

Please and thank you are bitte (pronounced bit-ter) and danke (pronounced dan-ker).

Now for the important stuff I found incredibly useful.

Numbers one to six are ein, zwei, drei, vier, funf, and sechs (eyn, szvei, dry, fear, foonf, and zex). So if you were asking for four beers, you would say “veir Bier bitte.” A number of German words are similar to their English counterparts, so this makes pronouncing them a lot easier.

Although the point hold up the number of fingers for the items you need approach can work well, it does painfully indicate you know nothing about German. I find it’s best to garble the German pronunciation a little, as that seems to make it more easily understandable. For a real rustic accent, a raging throat infection is recommended.

Ein Zimmer,bitte is what you need to say if you’re looking for a room for the night. Of course, if you’ve already booked your hotel room (hint hint), all you might need to say is Ich habe ein Zimmer reserviert. Meine Name ist *name* (I have reserved a room. My name is ...).

Hopefully a few of these phrases will help you to get around a bit more easily. It’s amazing how far you can go by remembering a few simple phrases.

FAQs about Austria

If you are planning a trip to Austria, it pays to have at least a basic understanding of the important matters before you go. With this in mind, read on for five of the most popular frequently asked questions about Austria – and their answers, too.

What is there to see and do?

There is a huge amount to see and do in Austria. Plus, many of the churches, galleries, festivals and other attractions are free to visit so if you’re planning a budget trip, it’s worth researching these.

Other ideal attractions include the Alps (good for skiing in winter and hiking in summer), the opera (in Vienna, another city or the floating opera in Bregenz in summer) and Mozart’s birthplace in Salzburg. You can also see Europe’s only protected piece of rainforest, ice caves and some brilliantly wineries – and much more.

How do you get around?

Transport around Austria is high quality and easy to use. Just remember that if you’re driving on a highway, you’ll need to get a toll sticker for your windscreen – as well as a high visibility safety vest and snow chains or winter tires if driving in the winter, as these are all legal requirements.

The train is also a good option if you want to explore the country. Many people fly into Vienna, but if you’re visiting the east of the country, it makes sense to fly into either Zurich or Munich as it will make it easier to access the eastern regions.

What about money and visas?

Austria uses the euro as its currency, so make sure you have some of these before you go. Alternatively, you could change money once you get there or use your debit or credit card (just remember to inform your bank if you decide to do this). If you are a European or North American going on holiday to Austria, you shouldn’t need a visa, but double check if you’re unsure.

What’s the accommodation like?

There is a lot of good accommodation in the country, including great Austrian zimmers (similar to country inns or B&Bs), which can be a wonderful way to experience the country’s culture. Austria has a good reputation when it comes to tourism, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding something suitable.

What language do they speak?

The main language in Austria is German. However, many people speak English and this is the most popular second language, so communication for most people shouldn’t be a problem while visiting Austria.