German phrases that make you sound like a local
The gap between textbook German and real German is one of vocabulary — specifically, the short phrases that structure conversation. This is that list.
You can have perfect grammar and still sound foreign. Real fluency isn't about accuracy — it's about naturalness. Germans punctuate conversation with short reactions, softeners, and transitions that textbooks rarely teach.
70 phrases across 7 categories. Each has a "when to use" note where the usage isn't obvious. The idioms include their literal translations — part of what makes them memorable.
Reactions & interjections 12
- Ach so Oh, I see When something clicks — realization, understanding
- Wie bitte? Pardon? / Come again? More polite than "Was?" — use when you didn't catch something
- Echt? Really? / Seriously?
- Krass! Wow! / Crazy! (positive or negative) Very common among younger Germans — avoid in formal settings
- Schade Too bad / What a shame
- Genau Exactly / Precisely Agreement — but don't say it after every sentence, it sounds sycophantic
- Stimmt True / That's right
- Toll! Great! / Fantastic!
- Prima Excellent / Splendid Slightly formal — common in older German, but not archaic
- Quatsch! Nonsense! / No way!
- Na klar Of course / Sure
- Sicher Sure / Certainly
Small talk 10
- Wie geht's? How's it going?
- Es geht It's OK (lukewarm) Honest but non-committal answer — "fine-ish"
- Was läuft? What's up? Casual — use with friends, not strangers
- Alles klar All good / Got it / Understood
- Wie war dein Tag? How was your day?
- Was machst du so? What are you up to? / What do you do? Can mean either "what are you doing?" or "what do you do for work?" depending on context
- Lange nicht gesehen Long time no see
- Schön, dich zu sehen Nice to see you
- Grüße an... Say hi to... / Give my regards to...
- Viel Spaß! Have fun! / Enjoy!
Acknowledgments 8
- Macht nichts Doesn't matter / No worries
- Kein Problem No problem
- Keine Ahnung No idea / I have no clue
- Hoffentlich Hopefully / I hope so
- Bestimmt Definitely / Certainly
- Vielleicht Maybe / Perhaps
- Auf jeden Fall Definitely / In any case
- Stimmt nicht That's not right / That's wrong
Opinion softeners 6
- Meiner Meinung nach... In my opinion...
- Ich finde... I think / I find...
- Ich glaube schon I think so / I believe so
- Könnte sein Could be / Possibly
- Das kommt darauf an It depends
- Wenn du mich fragst... If you ask me...
Common idioms 15
- Das ist mir Wurst I don't care Literal: "That's sausage to me"
- Die Daumen drücken Fingers crossed Literal: "To press thumbs" — Germans press thumbs, not cross fingers
- Tomaten auf den Augen haben To be oblivious / not see what's obvious Literal: "To have tomatoes on your eyes"
- Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof It's all Greek to me Literal: "I only understand train station"
- Da liegt der Hund begraben That's the crux of it / That's the real problem Literal: "That's where the dog is buried"
- Schwein haben To be lucky Literal: "To have pig"
- Die Nase voll haben To be fed up Literal: "To have a full nose"
- Auf dem Schlauch stehen To draw a blank / be confused Literal: "To stand on the hose"
- Einen Kater haben To have a hangover Literal: "To have a tomcat"
- Ins Fettnäpfchen treten To put your foot in it / make a faux pas Literal: "To step in the grease bowl"
- Um den heißen Brei reden To beat around the bush Literal: "To talk around the hot porridge"
- Null Bock haben To not be in the mood / not feel like it Informal/youth language — "Ich hab null Bock" means "I can't be bothered"
- Das ist nicht mein Bier Not my problem / Not my business Literal: "That's not my beer"
- Jetzt reicht's! That's enough! / I've had it!
- Jetzt nicht, Hansi! Not now! / Give me a break! Playful version of telling someone to back off — mainly southern Germany
Conversational filler 10
- Na ja... Well... / I mean... Hesitation or mild resignation
- Weißt du... You know...
- Und so weiter And so on / et cetera
- Wie gesagt As I said / As I mentioned
- Unter uns gesagt Between you and me / Just between us
- Mal ehrlich Honestly / To be frank
- Ehrlich gesagt To be honest / Frankly speaking
- So was Something like that
- Tja Well... (resigned, accepting) Acknowledges a difficult or ironic situation — somewhere between "well" and "what can you do"
- Na? Well? / So? (prompt for a response) Used to prompt someone — "Na, wie war's?" = "So, how was it?"
Transitions in speech 10
- Übrigens By the way
- Außerdem Besides / Furthermore / Also
- Sonst Otherwise / Else / Apart from that
- Trotzdem Nevertheless / Still / Anyway
- Einerseits... andererseits On one hand... on the other hand
- Zum einen... zum anderen For one thing... for another
- Sozusagen So to speak / As it were
- Beziehungsweise (bzw.) Respectively / Or rather / That is to say Very common in written German, less so in speech
- Im Großen und Ganzen On the whole / By and large
- Was mich betrifft As far as I'm concerned / For my part
Phrases to avoid overusing
Every language has patterns that reveal a non-native speaker — not because they're wrong, but because they're used too much. Watch out for:
- Ich meine... Used too often sounds uncertain and apologetic — commit to your opinion
- Genau (every sentence) Agreeing with everything sounds sycophantic — save it for genuine agreement
- Krass (in formal settings) Sounds juvenile in professional or formal contexts
- Ich finde das... (repeatedly) Signals a lack of confidence — use more direct phrasing when you're sure
For the core 5 filler words that deserve dedicated treatment (genau, also, halt, doch, mal), see German filler words →
Still working on the basics? Survival phrases →
Hear these in context
Reading phrases helps — hearing them used naturally in dialogue is what makes them stick. The A1 course uses spaced repetition with real German audio.
Common questions
Start with reactions and small talk — they come up constantly in any conversation. "Genau", "Ach so", "Macht nichts", and "Keine Ahnung" will serve you in almost any situation. Idioms are fun but less essential for basic communication.
Most idioms are informal — fine with friends, colleagues you know well, or casual settings. "Das ist mir Wurst" at a job interview would be inappropriate. When in doubt, stick to the opinion softeners and transitions, which are register-neutral.
Most phrases on this page work with both — they're register-neutral or can be adapted. "Wie geht's?" is informal (du-register). "Wie geht es Ihnen?" is the Sie-register version. When meeting someone for the first time in Germany, default to Sie unless they suggest otherwise.
Younger Germans (under ~35) use it constantly — it's the Swiss-army-knife of emphasis. Older Germans may find it juvenile. It's regionally consistent across Germany now, though it originated in youth culture. Safe among peers, risky with managers or older relatives.