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100 Most Common German Words (with Example Sentences)

· 9 min read

The 100 highest-frequency German words, each with a short example sentence and English translation. Master the core and everyday German starts to make sense.

Why the Top 100 Matter

In any language, a small core of high-frequency words does most of the work. Learn the top 100 German words and you already recognize the majority of tokens in most sentences you meet. They are the glue: articles, pronouns, everyday verbs, essential nouns and connectors.

The trick is not to memorize them as a flat list. It is to meet them in context, again and again, until they stop feeling like vocabulary and start feeling like German itself.

How to Use This List

  • Read each word with its example. Say the sentence out loud.
  • Do not try to swallow all 100 in one sitting. Twenty a day is plenty.
  • Come back tomorrow and read them again. The example changes shape in your head each time.
  • On PlusOneLanguage, tap any word inside a real German text to save it — the app then feeds those exact words back to you in new sentences at your level.

The 100 Most Common German Words

  1. der — the (m.). Der Mann liest. — The man is reading.
  2. die — the (f./pl.). Die Frau lacht. — The woman laughs.
  3. das — the (n.). Das Kind schläft. — The child sleeps.
  4. und — and. Brot und Butter. — Bread and butter.
  5. ich — I. Ich bin müde. — I am tired.
  6. sein — to be / his. Ich will sein. — I want to be.
  7. in — in. Ich bin in Berlin. — I'm in Berlin.
  8. zu — to / too. Ich gehe zu ihm. — I go to him.
  9. du — you (sing.). Du bist nett. — You are nice.
  10. ein — a (m./n.). Ein Buch, bitte. — A book, please.
  11. eine — a (f.). Eine Tasse Tee. — A cup of tea.
  12. haben — to have. Ich habe Zeit. — I have time.
  13. nicht — not. Ich weiß nicht. — I don't know.
  14. mit — with. Komm mit mir. — Come with me.
  15. es — it. Es regnet. — It's raining.
  16. auf — on. Auf dem Tisch. — On the table.
  17. für — for. Das ist für dich. — This is for you.
  18. nach — after / to. Nach Hause. — (Going) home.
  19. wie — how / as. Wie geht's? — How are you?
  20. aber — but. Klein aber gut. — Small but good.
  21. als — than / when. Größer als ich. — Bigger than me.
  22. auch — also. Ich auch. — Me too.
  23. so — so. So groß. — This big.
  24. werden — to become. Es wird kalt. — It's getting cold.
  25. bei — at / with. Bei mir. — At my place.
  26. von — from / of. Ein Freund von mir. — A friend of mine.
  27. um — around / at. Um acht Uhr. — At eight o'clock.
  28. noch — still. Bist du noch da? — Are you still there?
  29. nur — only. Nur ein Stück. — Only one piece.
  30. schon — already. Ich bin schon da. — I'm already here.
  31. mehr — more. Ich will mehr. — I want more.
  32. kein — no / none. Kein Problem. — No problem.
  33. wenn — if / when. Wenn du willst. — If you want.
  34. dann — then. Dann gehen wir. — Then let's go.
  35. ja — yes. Ja, bitte. — Yes, please.
  36. nein — no. Nein, danke. — No, thanks.
  37. heute — today. Heute regnet es. — It's raining today.
  38. morgen — tomorrow. Bis morgen! — See you tomorrow!
  39. gestern — yesterday. Gestern war Montag. — Yesterday was Monday.
  40. hier — here. Komm hier. — Come here.
  41. dort — there. Dort drüben. — Over there.
  42. sehr — very. Sehr gut. — Very good.
  43. gut — good. Das ist gut. — That's good.
  44. gehen — to go. Ich gehe nach Hause. — I go home.
  45. kommen — to come. Komm her! — Come here!
  46. machen — to do / make. Was machst du? — What are you doing?
  47. sagen — to say. Was sagst du? — What are you saying?
  48. sehen — to see. Ich sehe dich. — I see you.
  49. wissen — to know. Ich weiß es. — I know it.
  50. geben — to give. Gib es mir. — Give it to me.
  51. nehmen — to take. Nimm einen Apfel. — Take an apple.
  52. finden — to find. Ich finde es gut. — I find it good.
  53. denken — to think. Ich denke an dich. — I think of you.
  54. kennen — to know (people). Ich kenne ihn. — I know him.
  55. stehen — to stand. Ich stehe hier. — I'm standing here.
  56. lassen — to let / leave. Lass mich! — Leave me alone!
  57. sprechen — to speak. Sprichst du Deutsch? — Do you speak German?
  58. lieben — to love. Ich liebe dich. — I love you.
  59. essen — to eat. Ich esse Brot. — I eat bread.
  60. trinken — to drink. Ich trinke Wasser. — I drink water.
  61. schlafen — to sleep. Ich schlafe gut. — I sleep well.
  62. arbeiten — to work. Ich arbeite viel. — I work a lot.
  63. Tag — day. Guten Tag! — Good day!
  64. Jahr — year. Ein gutes Jahr. — A good year.
  65. Zeit — time. Ich habe keine Zeit. — I have no time.
  66. Mensch — person. Ein guter Mensch. — A good person.
  67. Frau — woman / Mrs.. Die Frau lacht. — The woman laughs.
  68. Mann — man. Ein netter Mann. — A nice man.
  69. Kind — child. Das Kind spielt. — The child plays.
  70. Freund — friend. Mein bester Freund. — My best friend.
  71. Haus — house. Ich gehe nach Hause. — I go home.
  72. Land — country. Ein schönes Land. — A beautiful country.
  73. Stadt — city. Berlin ist eine Stadt. — Berlin is a city.
  74. Welt — world. Die ganze Welt. — The whole world.
  75. Wasser — water. Ein Glas Wasser. — A glass of water.
  76. Brot — bread. Frisches Brot. — Fresh bread.
  77. Buch — book. Ein gutes Buch. — A good book.
  78. Auto — car. Mein Auto ist rot. — My car is red.
  79. Hand — hand. Gib mir die Hand. — Give me your hand.
  80. Auge — eye. Blaue Augen. — Blue eyes.
  81. Wort — word. Ein Wort, bitte. — One word, please.
  82. Weg — way / path. Der richtige Weg. — The right way.
  83. Straße — street. Auf der Straße. — On the street.
  84. Arbeit — work. Ich gehe zur Arbeit. — I go to work.
  85. Leben — life. Das Leben ist schön. — Life is beautiful.
  86. Nacht — night. Gute Nacht. — Good night.
  87. Stunde — hour. Eine Stunde später. — One hour later.
  88. Woche — week. Nächste Woche. — Next week.
  89. Monat — month. Diesen Monat. — This month.
  90. groß — big. Ein großes Haus. — A big house.
  91. klein — small. Ein kleines Kind. — A small child.
  92. neu — new. Ein neuer Tag. — A new day.
  93. alt — old. Ein alter Freund. — An old friend.
  94. schön — beautiful. Wie schön! — How beautiful!
  95. jung — young. Ein junger Mann. — A young man.
  96. glücklich — happy. Ich bin glücklich. — I'm happy.
  97. viel — much / many. Vielen Dank! — Many thanks!
  98. wenig — little / few. Nur wenig Zeit. — Only a little time.
  99. zwei — two. Zwei Kaffee, bitte. — Two coffees, please.
  100. bitte — please. Bitte schön. — You're welcome.
  101. danke — thanks. Danke schön. — Thank you.

Where to Go From Here

Reading a list is not the same as owning the words. What locks them in is meeting them in new sentences you have never seen before, at a level you can actually handle.

That is exactly what PlusOneLanguage does. Save any of these 100 words to your deck, and the next German text the app generates for you will reuse them in fresh contexts. That is the i+1 loop: comprehensible input, calibrated to what you already know, nudging you one word further every day.

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