05 / Getting Around

Securing a Room

If you’re touring Germany, you’re not going to want to spend the night on a park bench or curled up in a corner somewhere in an airport. There are always comfortable places to stay with a variety of price ranges throughout the country. Tourism is a big industry in Germany, so a lot of effort goes into providing suitable accommodations for visitors.

The word Hotel denotes exactly what it sounds like. This is an obvious place to stay. But just like in the United States, German hotels run the gamut of price range, facilities, and quality. If you’re looking for luxury, it’s there for you. If you want a cheap place to lay your head for the night, you’ll find that, too.

But besides das Hotel, there are other places to spend the night, such as an inn. They can be called Gaststätte, Gasthaus, or Gasthof. And in many places, little villages or big cities, you can find a bed-and-breakfast: Zimmer frei. And if you’re young at heart, a Jugendherberge (youth hostel) is a very inexpensive option.

  What You Can Expect in a German Hotel

German Name	English Name
der Aufzug	elevator
das Badetuch	bath towel
die Badewanne	bathtub
die Bettdecke	blanket
die Dusche	shower
das Fax	fax
der Fernseher	TV
der Geldautomat	ATM
der Gepäckträger	porter
die Halbpension	breakfast included
das Handtuch	hand towel
das Kissen	pillow
der Parkplatz	parking lot
der Pförtner	porter, doorkeeper
die Rezeption	reception desk
die Reinigung	cleaners
das Restaurant	restaurant
die Rolltreppe	escalator
der Schlüssel	key
das Schwimmbad	swimming pool
die Toilette	bathroom
die Vollpension	all meals included
die Wechselstube	money exchange office
das Zimmermädchen	maid

When checking in at die Rezeption, you ask, “Haben Sie ein Zimmer frei?” (“Do you have a room available?”) You can specify Doppelzimmer or Einzelzimmer (a double or a single room). If you’re bringing along your computer or electric shaver or hair dryer, you might request an Adapter, if you haven’t brought your own along. Germany, like all of Europe, is on 220 volts, not 110 volts like the United States.

Around the House

An interesting category of vocabulary words has to do with the home, household objects, and furniture. You can use these to talk about what’s in your house and what goes on inside your four walls. Look at the words listed below and practice using them in sentences you already know.

  Eigner Herd ist Goldes Wert. (There’s no place like home.)

German Phrase	English
aufmachen	to open
aufschließen	to unlock
baden	to take a bath
die Badewanne	bathtub
das Badezimmer	bathroom
der Bücherschrank	bookcase
das Dach	roof
der Dachziegel	roof tile
die Dachstube	attic
die Decke	ceiling
die Dusche	shower
duschen	to take a shower
das Esszimmer	dining room
das Fenster	window
die Fliese	(floor) tile
der Fußboden	floor
der Herd	kitchen range
der Kamin	fireplace
die Küche	kitchen
der Kühlschrank	refrigerator
die Lampe	lamp
der Ofen	oven
das Schlafzimmer	bedroom
das Schloss und der Schlüssel	lock and key
hinter Schloss und Riegel	behind lock and key
der Schornstein	chimney
der Schrank	closet
das Sofa	sofa, couch
der Spiegel	mirror
die Stehlampe	floor lamp
der Stuhl	chair
die Terrasse	terrace
der Tisch	table
den Tisch abräumen	to clear the table
den Tisch decken	to set the table
am Tisch sitzen	to sit at the table
die Treppe	stairway
die Tür	door
die Wand	wall
das Wohnzimmer	living room
der Zaun	fence
zumachen	to close
zuschließen	to lock

Kaffee und Kuchen

Did you know that late afternoon is one of the most pleasant times in Germany? That’s when families and friends sit down for Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake).

Most families actually serve more than just coffee. Depending on the region in Germany and the time of year, you’ll find tea, beer, wine, and various soft drinks on the table. A special treat is a Bowle—a punch often filled with fresh fruit.

The pastries served can be just as varied. If Mutti hasn’t baked them herself, they were probably just brought in from a local Konditorei. Here are just some of the things you’ll find on the table:

  The Goodies for Kaffee und Kuchen

German Names	English Translation
Kaffee mit Zucker	coffee with sugar
Kaffee mit Sahne	coffee with cream
Tee mit Zucker	tea with sugar
Tee mit Honig	tea with honey
Limonade	lemonade
Schokoladenmilch	chocolate milk
Plätzchen	cookies
Apfelkuchen	apple cake (tart)
Obsttorte	fruit torte
Pflaumentorte	plum torte
Pfirsichtorte	peach torte
Eis	ice cream
Schlagsahne	whipped cream

When you’re in Germany, don’t miss the event. If you can’t enjoy it with a family, go to a Konditorei. Guten Appetit! Enjoy your food!

Modern Times and Technology in Germany

You already know many words that are the same in both German and English. But here’s a special category of words that deal with modern technology. They’re mostly English words, picked up by Germans without changes, but to use them in German, you need to know their gender if they’re nouns and their conjugation if they’re verbs.

 die Hotline: Rufen Sie unsere Hotline an! (Call our hotline.)

 faxen: Ich möchte etwas faxen. (I’d like to fax something.)

 das Fax: Ich bekam ein Fax von ihm. (I got a fax from him.)

 das Internet: Das Internet wird immer wichtiger. (The Internet is getting more and more important.)

 der Benutzername: Was ist Ihr Benutzername? (What’s your username?)

 das Passwort: Hast du kein Passwort? (Don’t you have a password?)

 klicken: Klicken Sie auf eine Kategorie! (Click on a category.)

 der Chat-Raum: Dieser Chat-Raum ist dumm. (This chat-room is stupid.)

 chatten: Ich kann nicht lange chatten. (I can’t chat for long.)

 das Domain: Was ist der Domain Name? (What’s the domain name?)

 die Mail: Ich habe wieder Mail. (I’ve got mail again.)

 die E-Mail: Ich bekam keine E-Mail. (I didn’t get any e-mail.)

 der Download: Der Download wird zehn Minuten dauern. (The download will take ten minutes.)

 online: Ich habe es online bestellt. (I ordered it online.)

 der Laserdrucker: Wir haben jetzt einen Laserdrucker in unserem Büro. (We now have a laser printer in our office.)

 die DVD: Er hat viele DVDs. (He has a lot of DVDs.)

 die CD: Wir haben keine CDs. (We don’t have any CDs.)

 das Video: Das Video dauert zwei Stunden. (The video lasts for two hours.)

 der Scanner: Ich soll einen neuen Scanner kaufen. (I should buy a new scanner.)

 der Chip: Jetzt ist der Chip verdorben. (The chip is ruined now.)

Games and Sports

Did you know that Germans are into fitness and athletics just like Americans? They love games and sports. Not surprisingly, many German words for games and sports are taken directly from English. The list below gives some popular sports along with a sentence that you might hear in a conversation.

 Basketball (or Korbball): Er spielt gern Basketball. (He likes playing basketball.)

 Fahrrad fahren: Wo fahren Sie Fahrrad? (Where do you go bike riding?)

 Fußball: Karl spielt gut Fußball. (Karl plays soccer well.)

 Golf: Golf ist mein Lieblingssport. (Golf is my favorite sport.)

 Handball: Wo spielt ihr Handball? (Where do you play handball?)

 joggen: Ich möchte gern joggen. (I’d like to go jogging.)

 Karten: Die Jungen spielen Karten. (The boys are playing cards.)

 Schach: Sabine spielt gern Schach. (Sabine likes to play chess.)

 Schlittschuh laufen: Wir gehen Schlittschuh laufen. (We’re going ice skating.)

 schwimmen: Schwimmst du gern? (Do you like swimming?)

 Ski laufen: Wir gehen Ski laufen. (We’re going skiing.)

 Tennis: Wir spielen gern Tennis. (We like playing tennis.)

 Tischtennis: Er möchte gern Tischtennis spielen. (He’d like to play Ping-Pong.)

A Love for Animals

An interesting category of words is animals and birds. Whether domestic or exotic, you’ll find many animal names in German similar to English. Let’s take a look.

  Tiere und Vögel (Animals and Birds)

German	English
der Adler	eagle
der Affe	ape, monkey
der Bär	bear
der Elch	elk
der Elefant	elephant
die Ente	duck
der Fuchs	fox
die Gans	goose
der Geier	vulture
die Giraffe	giraffe
der Gorilla	gorilla
das Huhn	chicken
der Jaguar	jaguar
die Kuh	cow
der Löwe	lion
das Pferd	horse
das Reh	deer
das Schaf	sheep
der Schimpanse	chimpanzee
die Schlange	snake
der Schwan	swan
das Schwein	pig
der Seehund	seal
die Seemöwe	seagull
der Stier	bull
das Stinktier	skunk
die Taube	pigeon, dove
der Tiger	tiger
der Wal(fisch)	whale
das Walross	walrus
der Wolf	wolf
die Ziege	goat

Paying with the Euro

Most of continental Europe is using the Euro as its official currency. That includes Germany. The German Mark (its symbol is DM) is no longer in use. There are 100 Cent in approximately one Euro, which corresponds easily to 100 cents in a dollar, and which makes understanding European money quite simple. Compare the following:

  Dollars and Euros

American Dollars and Cents	European Euro and Cent
$5.50	5,50 EUR
$10.95	10,95 EUR
$1.25	1,25 EUR

Prices are said with the Euro amount first and followed by the number of Cent. For 6,10 EUR and 2,05 EUR you would say “Sechs Euro und zehn Cent” and “Zwei Euro und fünf Cent.”

Be aware that sometimes the letters EUR stand in front of the figure and sometimes behind it. You’ll encounter both: EUR 3,15 and 3,15 EUR. It may also appear with the symbol €: 3,15 €.

You can ask how much something costs by asking, Wie viel kostet das? (How much does that cost?) The reply might be something like, Das kostet zwei Euro und fünf Cent.