German

Guide Note

German is one of the world's major European languages, spoken in a number of countries, including Germany, Austria, Luxembourg and Switzerland. German is the 10th most spoken language in the world, with around 105 million native speakers and an additional 80 million who speak it non-natively. The language is similar in form to English and Dutch.

This page contains resources for learning and studying the German language.

Fast Facts

1. Language family: Indo-European, Germanic
2. Number of speakers: 105 million native and 80 million non-native speakers
3. Official language: 6 countries including Germany and Austria plus the Province of Bolzano-Bozen in Italy and the European Union
4. Major Dialects: High German, Low German
5. Structurally closest to Dutch and English

• Good Morning: Guten Morgen
• Hello/Good Day: Guten Tag
• Goodbye: Auf Wiedersehen
• Please: Bitte
• Thank you: Danke (schön)
• You're welcome: Bitte schön
• I am called...: Ich heiße...
• Where is...: Wo ist
• I love you: Ich liebe dich

German is a member of the branch of Germanic languages, which is part of the Indo-European language family. Within Germany, there are two prominent dialects, consisting of High German and Low German. High German is the most commmon dialect and that which is instructed in schools. There is a movement within Germany to preserve Low German, as it has been in decline since the end of World War II.