This chapter offers phrases for your recreational pleasure, whether you’re going to the park or beach, swimming, biking, hiking, or enjoying other sports. It also covers your options for nightlife and entertainment.
| Where is the best place for...? | Wo kann man am besten...? voh kahn mahn ahm behs-tehn |
| ...biking | ...fahrrad fahren far-ahd far-ehn |
| ...walking | ...spazieren shpaht-seer-ehn |
| ...hiking | ...wandern vahn-dehrn |
| ...running | ...joggen “jog”-ehn |
| ...picnicking | ...picknicken “picnic”-ehn |
| ...sunbathing | ...sonnen zohn-ehn |
| Where is...? | Wo ist...? voh ist |
| ...a park | ...ein Park īn park |
| ...a playground | ...ein Spielplatz īn shpeel-plahts |
| ...a snack shop | ...ein Imbiss Laden īn im-bis lah-dehn |
| Are there toilets nearby? | Gibt es Toiletten in der Nähe? gibt ehs toy-leh-tehn in dehr nay-heh |
| Where can I rent...? | Wo kann ich... mieten? voh kahn ikh... mee-tehn |
| ...a bike | ...ein Fahrrad īn far-ahd |
| ...that | ...das dahs |
| What’s a fun activity...? | Was ist eine lustige Aktivität...? vahs ist ī-neh loos-tig-eh ahk-tiv-ee-tayt |
| ...for a (____-year-old) boy | ...für einen (____-jährigen) Jungen fewr ī-nehn (____-yeh-rig-ehn) yoong-ehn |
| ...for a (____-year-old) girl | ...für ein (____-jähriges) Mädchen fewr īn (____-yeh-rig-ehs) mayds-yehn |
At bigger parks, you can sometimes rent a paddleboat (Tretboot) or rowboat (Ruderboot), or see a puppet show (Puppenspiel or Marionettentheater)—fun to watch in any language. Many of the bigger parks also sport a family-friendly Biergarten.
German has two words for swimming, depending on how seriously it’s done: If you’re just out for a dip in the water, it’s Baden (think bathing), whereas Schwimmen is the better word for doing laps in a pool. At nearly any beach—and even in many city parks—German women enjoy going topless. Truly nude beaches are marked FKK, which stands for Freikörper Kultur (Free Body Culture).
| bicycle | Fahrrad / Velo (Switz.) far-ahd / feh-loh |
| I’d like to rent a bicycle. | Ich möchte ein Fahrrad mieten. ikh murkh-teh īn far-ahd mee-tehn |
| two bicycles | zwei Fahrräder tsvī far-ay-dehr |
| kid’s bike | Kinderrad kin-dehr-ahd |
| mountain bike | Mountainbike “mountain bike” |
| helmet | Helm hehlm |
| map | Karte kar-teh |
| lock | Schloss shlohs |
| chain | Kette keh-teh |
| pedal | Pedale peh-dah-leh |
| wheel | Rad rahd |
| tire | Reifen rī-fehn |
| air / no air | Luft / keine Luft looft / kī-neh looft |
| pump | Pumpe poom-peh |
| brakes | Bremsen brehm-zehn |
| How does this work? | Wie funktioniert das? vee foonk-see-ohn-eert dahs |
| How many gears? | Wie viele Gänge? vee fee-leh gehng-eh |
| Is there a bike path? | Gibt es einen Radweg? gibt ehs ī-nehn rahd-vayg |
| I don’t like hills or traffic. | Ich mag keine Hügel oder Autoverkehr. ikh mahg kī-neh hew-gehl oh-dehr ow-toh-fehr-kehr |
| I brake for bakeries. | Ich bremse für Bäckereien. ikh brehm-zeh fewr behk-eh-rī-ehn |
| hiking | Wandern vahn-dehrn |
| a hike | eine Wanderung ī-neh vahn-dehr-oong |
| trail | Wanderweg vahn-dehr-vayg |
| Where can I buy...? | Wo kann ich... kaufen? voh kahn ikh... kow-fehn |
| ...a hiking map | ...eine Wanderkarte ī-neh vahn-dehr-kar-teh |
| ...a compass | ...einen Kompass ī-nehn kohm-pahs |
| Where’s the trailhead? | Wo ist der Startpunkt? voh ist dehr shtart-poonkt |
| How do I get there? | Wie komme ich dorthin? vee koh-meh ikh dort-hin |
| Show me? | Zeigen Sie es mir, bitte? tsī-gehn zee ehs meer bit-teh |
| How is the trail marked? | Wie ist der Weg ausgeschildert? vee ist dehr vayg ows-geh-sheel-dehrt |
Most hiking trails are well-marked with signs listing the destination and the duration in hours (Std.) and minutes (Min.). When choosing trails, you’ll reach more scenery (and expend more effort) if you take the Panoramaweg (panoramic trail) or the Höhenweg (high trail). Join the locals on their Volksmärsche (people’s marches)—group hikes through the wilderness.
To reach the best views, consider taking advantage of the network of Bergbahnen (mountain railways). The generic term for these is Lift, but there are various types, listed below.
Bergbahn (behrg-bahn): Mountain railway
Zahnradbahn (tsahn-rahd-bahn): Cogwheel train (rack-and-pinion railway)
Standseilbahn (shtahnd-zīl-bahn): Funicular (incline railway)
Seilbahn (zīl-bahn): Cable car (one large car pulled up by cable)
Gondel (gohn-dehl): Gondola (smaller compartments pulled up by cable)
Sesselbahn (zeh-sehl-bahn): Chairlift
For a scenic perch within a city, look for a Fernsehturm (TV tower)—many of which (like Berlin’s) have observation decks. Or, for even higher-altitude views in the countryside, look for a chance to enjoy Segelfliegen (glider flights).
Screaming down a mountain slope on a luge (like a bobsled on wheels) is an unforgettable alpine experience.
| summer luge course | Sommerrodelbahn zoh-mehr-roh-dehl-bahn |
| lift | Lift lift |
| track | Bahn bahn |
| lever | Lenkstange lehnk-shtahng-eh |
| push / go faster | drücken / schneller fahren drew-kehn / shnehl-ehr far-ehn |
| pull / brake | ziehen / bremsen tsee-ehn / brehm-zehn |
| scrape | Schürfwunde shewrf-voon-deh |
| scab | Schorf shorf |
Here are a few Veranstaltungen (big events) you may encounter in your travels: Oktoberfest, the famous Munich beer festival, fills Bavaria’s capital with the sounds of “Prost!” plus carnival rides, sizzling Bratwurst, and oompah bands. The party starts the third Saturday in September and lasts for 16 days. The Salzburger Festspiele (Salzburg’s music festival) treats visitors to the sound of music from late July to the end of August.
In Germany and Austria, most foreign films are dubbed into German. All over Switzerland—and in some German and Austrian movie theaters—movies are screened in the original version (in English if it’s an American or British movie, with German subtitles). Look for OV, OU, OmU, or, in Switzerland, Edf (dialogue in English, with German and French subtitles).