The 10 German words you will actually use on day one

You do not need a thousand words to start speaking German. You need the right handful, the ones that come up in the first five minutes of almost any interaction. Here are ten to learn today.

Greetings and politeness

1. Hallo: hello. Works everywhere, any time of day.
2. Danke: thank you. Add schön to make it warmer: danke schön.
3. Bitte: please, and "you're welcome," and "here you go." One of the hardest-working words in German.
4. Entschuldigung: excuse me / sorry. Long to spell, essential to know.

Getting through a shop or café

1. Ich hätte gern: "I would like..." The polite way to order anything.
2. Ein Kaffee, bitte: a coffee, please. Swap in any noun and you are ordering.
3. Wie viel kostet das?: how much does that cost?

Keeping a conversation alive

1. Ja / Nein: yes / no. Obvious, but you will use them constantly.
2. Ich verstehe nicht: I don't understand. The phrase that saves every beginner.
3. Sprechen Sie Englisch?: do you speak English? Your safety net while you learn.

How to make them stick

Reading this list is the easy part. Making the words automatic is where most people stall. The trick is not to memorize all ten at once:

Learn two or three today, use them tomorrow, and let the rest come one lesson at a time.

That is exactly how a daily micro-lesson works. You meet a few new words in context, say them out loud, and see them again a few days later right as they start to fade. Within two weeks these ten are second nature, and you have built the habit that carries you to the next hundred.

Ready to start? Open SnackGerman and your first lesson is waiting.