German Vocabulary and Phrases for Asking How to Get Around in Town

Gillian Hendrie
Categories : German language study guides & tips
Tags : Homework help & study guides

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Getting Started

Obviously you’re planning to buy a map, right? But first you have to find your way to the taxi rank / bus stop / bathroom / map shop! Knowing a few phrases to ask for directions and, crucially, to understand the directions given to you, will save you a lot of time, trouble and embarrassment.

In the pronunciation guide for the German words and phrases below, the following characters have been used:

X - the guttural “ch” sound (pronounced as in “loch” in Scotland)
ö - like “eau” in French

Apart from these, the pronunciation given should be read as for English.

Note that β is a special symbol used in some words (according to grammatical rules) for “double s”.

Excuse Me …

First of all, you need to get someone’s attention.

“Entschuldigen Sie bitte” [ent-SHOOL-di-gin zee bi-ttu] (formal and polite, to one or more adults) and
“Entschuldigung” [ent-SHOOL-di-goong] (to anyone)

Both mean “Excuse me.”

Asking the Questions

The nicest way of asking for directions is:

Wie komme ich am besten nach / in (+ town or area name) ? or
Wie komme ich am besten zu / in (+ building or street name)?

[VEE kom-ma iX am bes-ten naX / tsoo … ]

which translates as “What’s the best way to…?” (literally: “How do I best get to …?”)

Wie komme ich am besten nach Berlin?
Wie komme ich am besten in die Stadtmitte*? (“die” words)
Wie komme ich am besten zur Kirche*? (Use “zur” with “die” words.)
Wie komme ich am besten zum Rathaus*? (Use “zum” with “der” and “das” words.)

Less used is:

Kennen Sie den Wag nach (+ town or area name) ? / zu (+ building or street name)?

[Ken-nun zee dayn vayg naX / tsoo … ]

meaning “Do you know the way to … ?”

Kennen Sie den Wag nach Wien ?
Kennen Sie den Wag zum Rathaus*?

* These words are listed in the “Destinations” section below.

Destinations

Here is a list of places you may want to visit (also available as a download).

die Bank = bank
das Café= café
der Campingplatz=campground
die Disko=disco, nightclub
der Dom=cathedral
das Freibad=open-air swimming pool
der Hauptbahnhof=main railway station
die Jugendherberge=youth hostel
das Hotel=hotel
das Kino= cinema
die Kirche=the church
das Krankenhaus=hospital
das Museum= museum
die Oper=opera house
der Park =park
der Platz=plaza, square
die Post = post office
das Rathaus=town hall
das Restaurant=restaurant
der Sportplatz=sports field
die Stadion=sports stadium
der Supermarkt= supermarket
das Theater=theatre
das Verkehrsamt=tourist information office

Streets and Other Characteristics

der Allee = avenue
die Autobahn = motorway
die Brücke= bridge
der Fluβ= river
die Fuβgängerzone=pedestrian zone
die Kreuzung=crossing, crossroads, intersection
der Parkplatz=car park, parking space
die Stadtmitte= the town centre
die Straβe= street
der Tunnel= tunnel
der Verkehrskreis= traffic circle, roundabout
das Zentrum*=the town centre

*sometimes spelled “Centrum”

(Get the list as a download.)

Understanding the Answers

I don’t know = Ich weiβ nicht. [iX vice niXt]

Bad luck!

Hopefully you will hear something resembling the following:

geradeaus [ge-ra-du-ows] = straight ahead
links = on the left
rechts [reXts] = on the right

Thanks!

danke [dan-ku] = thanks / thank you
danke schön [dan-ku shön] = thank you very much
danke sehr [dan-ku zayr] = thank you very much
vielen Dank [fee-lin dank] = many thanks
(in Austria) danke vielmals [dan-ku feel-mals] = thanks a lot

And Goodbye

auf Wiedersehen [owf vee-dir-zay-in] = goodbye
(in Austria) auf Wiederschauen [owf vee-dir-show-in] = goodbye
ciao / tschau [chow] = ‘bye
tschüβ [choos] = ‘bye

This post is part of the series: Die Stadt

These lessons in German will help you find your way around town. Learn to read a German language map, ask for and understand directions, and buy items in shops.