ortPlayVocabulary selection
A1 German vocabulary: 44 words to start using.
A focused selection of everyday nouns and verbs from Wortplay, organized into small groups. Each has a useful meaning and an original example. Start with a few words and return to them.
The 44-word selection
Listen to the German headwords using Wortplay’s existing generated pronunciation clips where available. Audio reads a noun with its article; it does not read the new example sentence.
People
- der Mann
man
Plural: die Männer
Der Mann wartet hier.
The man is waiting here.
- die Frau
woman
Plural: die Frauen
Die Frau liest ein Buch.
The woman is reading a book.
- das Kind
child
Plural: die Kinder
Das Kind spielt im Zimmer.
The child is playing in the room.
- der Freund
friend (male)
Plural: die Freunde
Ein Freund kommt heute.
A friend is coming today.
- die Familie
family
Plural: die Familien
Meine Familie wohnt hier.
My family lives here.
- die Mutter
mother
Plural: die Mütter
Meine Mutter trinkt Kaffee.
My mother is drinking coffee.
- der Vater
father
Plural: die Väter
Mein Vater liest gern.
My father likes reading.
- der Bruder
brother
Plural: die Brüder
Mein Bruder arbeitet heute.
My brother is working today.
- die Schwester
sister
Plural: die Schwestern
Meine Schwester lernt Deutsch.
My sister is learning German.
At home
- das Haus
house
Plural: die Häuser
Unser Haus ist klein.
Our house is small.
- die Wohnung
apartment / flat
Plural: die Wohnungen
Die Wohnung hat zwei Zimmer.
The apartment has two rooms.
- das Zimmer
room
Plural: die Zimmer
Mein Zimmer ist hell.
My room is bright.
- die Küche
kitchen
Plural: die Küchen
Die Küche ist klein.
The kitchen is small.
- der Tisch
table
Plural: die Tische
Das Brot liegt auf dem Tisch.
The bread is on the table.
- das Buch
book
Plural: die Bücher
Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch.
The book is on the table.
- das Bett
bed
Plural: die Betten
Das Bett steht im Zimmer.
The bed is in the room.
Food and drink
- das Wasser
water
Plural: — · No everyday plural for this meaning.
Ich trinke ein Glas Wasser.
I am drinking a glass of water.
- das Brot
bread
Plural: die Brote
Wir kaufen ein Brot.
We are buying a loaf of bread.
- die Milch
milk
Plural: — · No everyday plural for this meaning.
Die Milch ist im Kühlschrank.
The milk is in the refrigerator.
- der Kaffee
coffee
Plural: — · No everyday plural for this meaning.
Morgens trinke ich Kaffee.
I drink coffee in the mornings.
- der Apfel
apple
Plural: die Äpfel
Der Apfel ist rot.
The apple is red.
Everyday life
- die Arbeit
work
Plural: — · No everyday plural for this meaning.
Nach der Arbeit gehe ich nach Hause.
After work, I go home.
- die Schule
school
Plural: die Schulen
Die Schule ist in unserer Straße.
The school is on our street.
- der Bahnhof
train station
Plural: die Bahnhöfe
Der Bahnhof ist in der Nähe.
The train station is nearby.
- das Auto
car
Plural: die Autos
Das Auto ist blau.
The car is blue.
- der Tag
day
Plural: die Tage
Heute ist ein guter Tag.
Today is a good day.
- die Woche
week
Plural: die Wochen
Eine Woche hat sieben Tage.
A week has seven days.
- das Jahr
year
Plural: die Jahre
Ein Jahr hat zwölf Monate.
A year has twelve months.
- die Zeit
time
Plural: — · No everyday plural for this meaning.
Heute habe ich Zeit.
I have time today.
- das Geld
money
Plural: — · No everyday plural for this meaning.
Ich habe etwas Geld dabei.
I have some money with me.
- der Name
name
Plural: die Namen
Mein Name ist Anna.
My name is Anna.
- die Stadt
city / town
Plural: die Städte
Unsere Stadt hat einen Bahnhof.
Our town has a train station.
Useful verbs
- sein
be
Verb · infinitive
Wir sind zu Hause.
We are at home.
- haben
have
Verb · infinitive
Ich habe eine Frage.
I have a question.
- kommen
come
Verb · infinitive
Wann kommt der Bus?
When is the bus coming?
- wohnen
live / reside
Verb · infinitive
Ich wohne in Berlin.
I live in Berlin.
- lernen
learn / study
Verb · infinitive
Wir lernen neue Wörter.
We are learning new words.
- arbeiten
work
Verb · infinitive
Ich arbeite am Montag.
I work on Monday.
- essen
eat
Verb · infinitive
Wir essen Brot und Käse.
We are eating bread and cheese.
- trinken
drink
Verb · infinitive
Sie trinkt gern Wasser.
She likes drinking water.
- gehen
go / walk
Verb · infinitive
Wir gehen jetzt nach Hause.
We are going home now.
- sprechen
speak
Verb · infinitive
Ich spreche ein wenig Deutsch.
I speak a little German.
- kaufen
buy
Verb · infinitive
Ich kaufe zwei Äpfel.
I am buying two apples.
- lesen
read
Verb · infinitive
Liest du gern Bücher?
Do you like reading books?
Take this selection with you
The two-field tab-separated file contains the German headword on the front and the selected meaning, plural and example on the back. In Anki, import it as a Basic note with the first column as Front and the second as Back. No add-on or account is required to download it.
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Turn a short list into recall
Choose five words. Read the German and English, listen where audio is available, and say each example. Then cover the English and recall the meaning; cover the German and try to produce the word.
For nouns, include the article. Compare the singular with the plural rather than assuming one ending works everywhere. Return the next day and retrieve the words before looking at the answers.
The example sentences may include supporting words beyond this 44-word selection. They show each word in use.
What “A1” means on this page
The selected course headwords carry Wortplay’s A1 tag, which follows the Goethe-Institut Start Deutsch 1 word list. The grouping, selected meanings, English translations and examples on this page are Wortplay’s.
This is a small practical starting set. It omits many A1 topics and words, and vocabulary alone does not demonstrate A1 proficiency. Use it alongside listening, reading, grammar and conversation. The official exam list is linked in Sources.
A dash in the plural field means no everyday plural is supplied for the meaning used here. Some words have plural forms in other senses. The list is not a dictionary of every meaning.
Try it yourself
A short practice round
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Question 1 of 5
All questions, answers and explanations
das Haus
Choose the article for “house”.
das. Learn das Haus together; the plural is die Häuser.
Ich wohne in Berlin.
I live in Berlin. Choose the verb for where someone resides.
wohne. Wohnen describes where you live: ich wohne.
die Kinder
Complete the plural of das Kind.
Kinder. The nominative/accusative plural is die Kinder. Kindern is used in the dative plural.
Wir trinken Wasser.
We drink water.
trinken. Trinken means to drink; wir trinken.
der Bahnhof
Choose the article for “train station”.
der. Learn der Bahnhof; the plural is die Bahnhöfe.
Sources
Wortplay wrote the explanations, translations and examples on this page.
- Goethe-Institut: Start Deutsch 1 vocabulary list
The A1 word list this selection follows; the examples and English translations are Wortplay’s.
- Ding German–English dictionary, TU Chemnitz
Underlying course lexical data; GNU GPL 2.0 or later. Public examples and selected English wording here are original.
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