Basic German Vocabulary: Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives & More

Essential German Words for Beginners

German is a Germanic language with grammatical gender, cases, and compound words. Here's a curated starter set across key parts of speech.

🇩🇪 Nouns (with Gender & Plural)

⚡ Verbs (Infinitive → Present Tense ich Form)

• sein (to be) → ich bin
• haben (to have) → ich habe
• kommen (to come) → ich komme
• gehen (to go) → ich gehe
• sehen (to see) → ich sehe

🎨 Adjectives (Base Form)

• groß — big / tall
• klein — small
• alt — old
• jung — young
• schön — beautiful (not "schöner" — that's comparative)

👤 Pronouns (Nominative)

• ich — I
• du — you (informal singular)
• er / sie / es — he / she / it
• wir — we
• ihr — you (informal plural)
• sie / Sie — they / you (formal)

📝 Articles

Start with these building blocks. Practice gender + noun together (der Tisch, die Lampe, das Buch). Use apps like Duolingo, Anki, or Deutsche Welle's free courses for structured learning.