English | French | German |
Good morning | Bonjour | Guten Morgen |
Good day/afternoon | Bonjour | Guten Tag |
Good evening | Bonsoir | Guten Abend |
Good night (going to bed) | Bonne nuit | Gute Nacht |
Hello / Hi | Bonjour / Salut | Hallo / Tag |
Bye | Salut / Coucou | Tag / Tschüss / Tschau |
Goodbye | Au revoir | Auf Wiedersehen |
Thank you (very much) | Merci (beaucoup) | Danke (schön) |
You're welcome | De rien | Bitte schön |
Don't mention it | Il n'y a pas de quoi | Nichts zu danken! |
Please | S'il vous plaît | Bitte |
How are you? (formal) | Comment allez-vous? | Wie geht es Ihnen? |
How are you? (informal) | Ça va? | Wie geht's? |
I'm (really) good. | Je vais (très) bien. | Mir geht's (sehr) gut. |
I'm fine / OK. | Ça va. | Es geht. |
What's your name? (f) | Comment vous appelez-vous? | Wie heißen Sie? |
What's your name? (in) | Tu t'appelles comment? | Wie heißt du? |
My name is… | Je m'appelle… | Ich heiße… |
Where are you from? (f) | D'où venez-vous? | Woher kommen Sie? |
Where are you from? (in) | Tu es d'où? | Woher kommst du? |
I'm from…. | Je suis de… | Ich bin aus… |
How old are you? | Quel âge avez-vous? | Wie alt sind Sie? |
How old are you? | Tu as quel âge? | Wie alt bist du? |
I'm ___ years old. | J'ai ___ ans. | Ich bin ___ Jahre alt. |
Yes / No | Oui / Non | Ja / Nein |
Do you speak … ? (f) | Parlez-vous … | Sprechen Sie… |
Do you speak … ? (inf) | Est-ce que tu parles … | Sprichst du… |
I (don't) speak… | Je (ne) parle (pas)… | Ich spreche (kein)… |
I (don't) know | Je (ne) sais (pas). | Ich weiß (nicht). |
Do you understand? (f) | Comprenez-vous? | Verstehen Sie? |
Do you understand? (inf) | Est-ce que tu comprends? | Verstehst du? |
I (don't) understand | Je (ne) comprends (pas). | Ich verstehe (nicht). |
Can you help me? (f) | Pouvez-vous m'aider? | Können Sie mir helfen? |
Can you help me? (inf) | Est-ce que tu peux m'aider? | Kannst du mir helfen? |
Of course. | Bien sûr | Na klar. |
I would like… | Je voudrais… | Ich möchte… |
Where is / are … ? | Où est / sont… ? | Wo ist / sind… ? |
Excuse me | Excusez-moi | Entschuldigung! |
Pardon me | Pardonnez-moi | Verzeihung! |
I'm sorry | Je suis désolé(e). | Es tut mir leid. |
Come in | Entrez | Herein |
See you tomorrow | A demain | Bis morgen |
See you later / soon | A tout à l'heure / A bientôt | Bis später / Bis bald |
Mister / Misses / Miss | Monsieur / Madame / Mademoiselle | Herr / Frau / Fräulein |
Nice to meet you. | Enchanté(e). | Angenehm. |
Same here / likewise. | Enchanté(e). | Freut mich. |
Pardon? | Comment? | Wie bitte? |
How do you say … ? | Comment dit-on … ? | Wie sagt man … ? |
What's the matter? | Qu'est-ce qu'il y a? | Was ist los? |
What's happening? | Qu'est-ce qui se passe? | Was passiert? |
There is / are… | Il y a… | Es gibt… |
What is it? | Qu'est-ce que c'est que ça? | Was ist das? |
Right? | N'est-ce pas? | Nicht wahr? |
That depends | Cela dépend | Es kommt darauf an |
I don't think so | Je ne crois pas | Ich glaube nicht |
I think so | Je crois que oui | Ich glaube schon |
I don't mind | Ça me dérange pas | Es macht mir nichts aus |
It doesn't matter. | Ça ne fait rien | Das macht nichts |
I have no idea. | Je n'ai aucune idée | Ich habe keine Ahnung |
I don't care. | Ça m'est égal | Das ist mir egal. |
I'm tired / sick. | Je suis fatigué(e) / malade | Ich bin müde / krank |
I'm hungry / thirsty. | J'ai faim / soif | Ich habe Hunger / Durst |
I'm cold / hot. | J'ai froid / chaud | Mir ist kalt / heiss |
I'm bored. | Je m'ennuie | Mir ist langweilig |
I forgot. | J'ai oublié | Ich habe vergessen |
I have to go. | Je dois y aller | Ich muss gehen |
Welcome! | Bienvenue | Willkommen |
Let's go! | Allons-y | Gehen wir |
Good luck! | Bonne chance | Viel Glück |
Have fun! (f / inf) | Amusez-vous bien ! / Amuse-toi ! | Amüsiert dich! / Amüsieren Sie sich! |
Bless you! | A tes souhaits ! | Gesundheit! |
Cheers! | Santé ! | Prost! |
Pay attention! / Be careful! | Fais gaffe / Faites attention | Paß auf / Passen Sie auf |
Don't worry! (inf) | Ne t'en fais pas | Keine Angst |
Shut up! (f / inf) | Taisez-vous / Tais-toi | Seien ruhig / Sei ruhig |
Congratulations! | Félicitations | Herzlichen Glückwunsch |
Merry Christmas | Joyeux Noël | Frohe Weihnachten |
Happy New Year | Bonne Année | Gutes Neues Jahr |
Happy Easter | Joyeuses Pâques | Frohe Ostern |
Happy Birthday | Bon anniversaire | Alles Gutes zum Geburtstag |
Enjoy the meal! | Bon appétit | Guten Appetit |
Have a safe journey! | Bon voyage | Gute Reise |
Have a good holiday! | Bonnes vacances | Einen schönen Urlaub |
Have a nice day! | Bonne journée | Schönen Tag noch |
I love you. (sing.) | Je t'aime | Ich liebe dich |
I miss you. (sing.) | Tu me manques | Du fehlst mir |
Vowels in French and German are pure, so make sure not to add an extra yuh or wuh sound that is common in English, i.e. say ee, not ee-yuh. French has 12 vowels and German has 16. Some of these vowels (highlighted) do not exist in English. And it should be noted that some dialects of French, such as Quebecois, do have some of the same vowels as German and English that are missing from the standard French dialect: [ɪ], [ʏ], and [ʊ]. I'm using the International Phonetic Alphabet symbols for the pronunciaton.
French Vowels |
German Vowels
|
English Pronunciation |
||
[i] | vie, midi, lit, riz | [i] | viel, ziehen | meet, eat |
[y] | rue, jus, tissu, usine | [y] | kühl, Süden | ee rounded / long vowel |
[ɪ] | Tisch, bitte | mitt, it | ||
[ʏ] | hübsch | ih rounded / short vowel | ||
[e] | blé, nez, cahier, pied | [e] | Tee, Ähre | mate, wait |
[ø] | jeu, yeux, queue, bleu | [ø] | schön, böse | ay rounded / long vowel |
[ɛ] | lait, aile, balai, reine | [ɛ] | Bett, Hotel | met, wet |
[œ] | sœur, œuf, fleur, beurre | [œ] | zwölf, Köchin | eh rounded / short vowel |
[a] | chat, ami, papa, salade | [a] | Mann, danke | mop, not |
[ɑ] | bas, âne, grâce, château | [ɑ] | kam, Ahnung | ah / longer vowel than [a] |
[u] | loup, cou, caillou, outil | [u] | gut, Kuh | boot, suit |
[ʊ] | muss, Bus | put, soot | ||
[o] | eau, dos, escargot, hôtel | [o] | Sohn, Franzose | coat, goat |
[ɔ] | sol, pomme, cloche, horloge | [ɔ] | Stock, Post | caught, bought |
[ə] | fenêtre, genou, cheval, cerise | [ə] | Wette, bitte | cut, what |
[ɐ] | Wetter, Mutter | uhr / also short vowel like [ə] |
In addition to these pure vowels, French has 4 nasal vowels and 3 semi-vowels, while German has 3 diphthongs. (These same diphthongs exist in English.)
French nasal vowels |
French semi-vowels |
German Diphthongs |
|||
[ã] | gant, banc, dent | [w] | oui, Louis | [aɪ] | ein, mein, nein |
[ɛ̃] | pain, vin, linge | [ɥ] | lui, suisse | [aʊ] | auf, kaufen, Baum |
[œ̃] | brun, lundi, parfum | [j] | oreille, Mireille | [ɔɪ] | neu, Gebäude, Deutsch |
[õ] | rond, ongle, front |
The distinction between [a] and [ɑ] as well as between the two nasals [ɛ̃] and [œ̃] is disappearing in France, but not in Quebec!
French Consonants
The pronunciation of certain consonants in French depends on the spelling and/or origin of the word. Other consonants are pronounced relatively the same as in English, except h is silent and s is pronounced like z when it is between two vowels. The French r is probably the hardest consonant for English speakers to pronounce correctly as it is much further back in the throat. This sound varies according to the area of France too. For example, it is pronounced as a voiced uvular trill [R] in the Parisian accent, but as an alveolar trill [r] in the south of France.
ex + vowel | egz | examen, exercice | eg-zah-mawn, eg-zehr-sees |
ex + consonant | eks | exceptionnel, expression | ek-sehp-see-oh-nel, ek-spreh-see-ohn |
ch (Latin origin) | sh | architecte, archives | ar-shee-tekt, ar-sheev |
ch (Greek origin) | k | orchestre, archéologie | ohr-kehs-tr, ar-kay-oh-loh-zhee |
ti + vowel (except é) | see | démocratie, nation | day-moh-krah-see, nah-see-ohn |
German Consonants
There are a few German consonants that do not exist in English, and some consonant combinations that are not common in English. Notice that the German r is similar to the French r, but again, this pronunciation changes according to the location in the countries that speak German, i.e. [R] in northern Germany and [r] in southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Spelling | IPA | Sample words | How to pronounce: |
ch (with vowels e and i) | [ç] | Chemie, mich, nicht | Make yuh sound voiceless (no vibration of vocal cords) |
ch (with vowels a, o, u) | [x] | Buch, lachen, kochen | Make kuh sound a fricative (continuous airflow) |
pf | [pf] | Apfel, Pferd, Pfanne | Pronounce together as one sound |
z | [ts] | Zeit, Zug, Tanz | Pronounce together as one sound |
j | [j] | ja, Januar, Junge | yuh |
qu | [kv] | Quote, Quiz, Quitte | kv |
st / sp (at beginning of syllable) | [ʃt] / [ʃp] | Stadt, sprechen | sht / shp |
sch | [ʃ] | schenken, schlafen | sh |
th | [t] | Theater, Thron | t |
v | [f] | Vater, verboten | f |
w | [v] | Wasser, warm | v |
ß | [s] | Straße, groß | s |
s (before vowel) | [z] | Salz, seit, Sitz | z |
In addition, the sounds [b], [d], and [g] lose their voicing at the end of a syllable in German, so they are pronounced as their voiceless counterparts [p], [t], and [k], respectively. However, the spelling does not reflect the pronunciation.
Stress
In general, stress falls on the last syllable in French and the first syllable in German. However, French is a syllable-timed language so the rhythm is measured in syllables of equal weight; whereas German and English are stress-timed languages, so stressed syllables occur at a regular rate, and the unstressed syllables are shortened (sometimes with a change in the pronunciation of the vowel). Therefore, the time required to pronounce a French word/sentence depends on the number of syllables, while in German and English, it depends on the number of stressed syllables (regardless of the number of unstressed syllables).
English |
French |
German |
A | ah | ah |
B | bay | bay |
C | say | tsay |
D | day | day |
E | uh | ay |
F | eff | eff |
G | zhay | gay |
H | ahsh | hah |
I | ee | ee |
J | shee | yoht |
K | kah | kah |
L | ell | el |
M | emm | em |
N | enn | en |
O | oh | oh |
P | pay | pay |
Q | kew | koo |
R | air | ehr |
S | ess | ess |
T | tay | tay |
U | ew | oo |
V | vay | fow |
W | doo-blah-vay | vay |
X | eeks | eeks |
Y | ee-grek | irp-se-lon |
Z | zed | tset |
There is another letter in written German, ß (es-zet ), pronounced like [s]. However, this letter is only used after long vowels or diphthongs, and it is not used at all in Switzerland.
English | French | German | English | French | German |
zero | zéro | null | |||
one | un | eins | first | premier (ère) | erste |
two | deux | zwei | second | deuxième | zweite |
three | trois | drei | third | troisième | dritte |
four | quatre | vier | fourth | quatrième | vierte |
five | cinq | fünf | fifth | cinquième | fünfte |
six | six | sechs | sixth | sixième | sechste |
seven | sept | sieben | seventh | septième | siebte |
eight | huit | acht | eighth | huitième | achte |
nine | neuf | neun | ninth | neuvième | neunte |
ten | dix | zehn | tenth | dixième | zehnte |
eleven | onze | elf | twentieth | vingtième | zwanzigste |
twelve | douze | zwölf | |||
thirteen | treize | dreizehn | one-half | une moitié | eine Hälfte |
fourteen | quatorze | vierzehn | one-third | un tiers | ein Drittel |
fifteen | quinze | fünfzehn | one-fourth | un quart | ein Viertel |
sixteen | seize | sechzehn | |||
seventeen | dix-sept | siebzehn | once | une fois | einmal |
eighteen | dix-huit | achtzehn | twice | deux fois | zweimal |
nineteen | dix-neuf | neunzehn | three times | trois fois | dreimal |
twenty | vingt | zwanzig | |||
twenty-one | vingt et un | einundzwanzig | |||
twenty-two | vingt-deux | zweiundzwanzig | |||
twenty-three | vingt-trois | dreiundzwanzig | |||
thirty | trente | dreißig | |||
forty | quarante | vierzig | |||
fifty | cinquante | fünfzig | |||
sixty | soixante | sechzig | |||
seventy | soixante-dix | siebzig | |||
eighty | quatre-vingts | achtzig | |||
ninety | quatre-vingt-dix | neunzig | |||
hundred | cent | einhundert | |||
hundred one | cent un | hundert eins | |||
two hundred | deux cents | zwei hundert | |||
thousand | mille | eintausend | |||
two thousand | deux mille | zwei tausend | |||
million | un million | eine Million |
French only has two genders (masculine and feminine), while German has three (masculine, feminine, and neuter). There is no distinction among these genders for the plural forms. German also has a case system that changes the article (and sometimes the noun) according to its function in the sentence. Nominative means the subject of the sentence, accusative is the direct object, dative is the indirect object, and genitive shows possession (though the genitive case is used less often in speaking than in writing).
French |
German |
|||||||
Masculine | Feminine | Plural | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | Plural | ||
le | la | les | Nominative | der | die | das | die | |
* Use l' for nouns beginning with a vowel and sometimes h, regardless of the gender |
Accusative | den | die | das | die | |||
Dative | dem | der | dem | den | ||||
Genitive | des | der | des | der |
French |
German |
|||||
Masculine | Feminine | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter | ||
un | une | Nom. | ein | eine | ein | |
Acc. | einen | eine | ein | |||
Dat. | einem | einer | einem | |||
Gen. | eines | einer | eines |
Indefinite articles do not have a plural form. In French,
you must use des to mean some, but in German,
you do not have to express some (just as in English).
French |
German |
||||||||
Masc. | Masc.* | Fem. | Plural | Masc. | Fem. | Neuter | Plural | ||
ce | cet | cette | ces | Nom. | dieser | diese | dieses | diese | |
*Use cet before masculine nouns beginning with a vowel |
Acc. | diesen | diese | dieses | diese | ||||
Dat. | diesem | dieser | diesem | diesen | |||||
Gen. | dieses | dieser | dieses | dieser |
Nouns in French can either be masculine or feminine. Nouns in German can be masculine, feminine, or neuter. Sometimes the suffix will help you to determine a noun's gender, but in general, you should learn the article with the noun when you study vocabulary. Some proper nouns, such as days of the week or months of the year, are not capitalized in French. All nouns, whether common or proper, are capitalized in German.
Gender
In French, masculine singular nouns generally end with a consonant, -
age or -ment. Feminine singular nouns generally end with -ure, -sion,
-tion, -ence, -ance, -té, and -ette.
in German, nouns ending in -ant, -ast, -ich, -ig, -ismus, -ling, -or and -us are masculine. Nouns ending in -a, -anz, -ei, -enz, -heit, -ie, -ik, -in, -keit, -schaft, -sion, -sis, -tät, -tion, -ung and -ur are feminine. Nouns ending in -chen, -icht, -il, -it, -lein, -ma, -ment, -tel, -tum, and -um are neuter. Nouns referring to things that end in -al, -an, -ar, -ät, -ent, -ett, -ier, -iv, -o and -on, as well as most words with the prefix ge- and most nouns ending in -nis and -sal are also neuter.
Number
In French, singular nouns generally add -s (unless the noun already ends
in -s, -z, or -x, then they change nothing for the plural), though
nouns ending in -au, -eau, and -eu add -x instead (or change -al/-ail
to -aux) to form the plural. (Exceptions: festival, carnaval,
bal, pneu, bleu, landau, détail, chandail all add -s)
There are also seven nouns ending in -ou that add -x instead of -s: bijou,
caillou, chou, genou, pou, joujou, hibou
French Irregular Plurals: l'œil - les yeux (eye-eyes); le ciel - les cieux (sky-skies); le jeune homme - les jeunes gens (young man-young men); and three nouns are masculine in the singular, but feminine in the plural: amour, délice, orgue
In German, there are several ways to form the plural of a noun and because there are so many exceptions, it is best to learn the plural form as soon as you learn a new noun. Nevertheless, here are a few rules to keep in mind:
1. Feminine nouns usually add -n or -en. Nouns
that end in -in (such as the female equivalents of masculine nouns)
add -nen.
eine Lampe | zwei Lampen |
eine Tür | zwei Türen |
eine Studentin | zwei Studentinnen |
2. Masculine and neuter nouns usually add -e or -er. Many
masculine plural nouns ending in -e add an umlaut as well, but
neuter plural nouns ending in -e don't.
Plurals that end in -er add an umlaut when the stem vowel
is a, o , u or au.
Masculine | Neuter | ||
---|---|---|---|
ein Rock | zwei Röcke | ein Heft | zwei Hefte |
ein Mann | zwei Männer | ein Buch | zwei Bücher |
3. Masculine and neuter singular nouns that end in -er either
add an umlaut or change nothing at all. Many nouns with a stem
vowel of a, o, u or au add an umlaut.
Masculine | Neuter | ||
---|---|---|---|
ein Bruder | zwei Brüder | ein Fenster | zwei Fenster |
4. Nouns that end in a vowel other than an unstressed -e and nouns
of foreign origin add -s.
ein Hobby | zwei Hobbys |
ein Hotel | zwei Hotels |
English | French | German | English | French | German | English | French | German | English | French | German |
Subject / Nominative |
Direct Object / Accusative |
Indirect Object / Dative |
Object of a Preposition* |
||||||||
I | je | ich | me | me | mich | me | me | mir | me | moi | mich / mir |
you (s / inf) | tu | du | you | te | dich | you | te | dir | you | toi | dich / dir |
he / it | il | er | him | le | ihn | him | lui | ihm | him | lui | ihn / ihm |
she / it | elle | sie | her | la | Sie | her | lui | ihr | her | elle | sie / ihr |
it (neuter) | il / elle | es | it | le / la | es | it | lui | ihm | it | lui / elle | es / ihm |
one | on | man | |||||||||
we | nous | wir | us | nous | uns | us | nous | uns | us | nous | uns |
you (pl / inf) | vous | ihr | you | vous | euch | you | vous | euch | you | vous | euch |
you (formal) | vous | Sie | you | vous | Sie | you | vous | Ihnen | you | vous | Sie / Ihnen |
they (m) | ils | sie | them (m) | les | sie | them (m) | leur | ihnen | them (m) | eux | sie / ihnen |
they (f) | elles | sie | them (f) | les | sie | them (f) | leur | ihnen | them (f) | elles | Sie / Ihnen |
s = singular, inf = informal, pl = plural, m = masculine, f = feminine
Use the forms of tu / du when speaking to a family member, someone younger than you, animals or anyone you want to be informal with. Use the forms of vous for all other meanings of you in French. In German, use the forms of ihr as the plural of the informal du. Use the forms of Sie for all formal communication, whether singular or plural, in German.
Notice that it translates as the same words for he and she in all the forms. The context of the sentence should make it clear as to whether you mean a person or a thing.
*For German pronouns that are the object of a preposition, the form will depend on which case (accusative or dative; and in rare cases, genitive) that the preposition requires. See Prepositions for the lists.
to be - être & sein |
to have - avoir & haben |
to do - faire & machen |
||||||||||
être | Present | Past | Future | avoir | Present | Past | Future | faire | Present | Past | Future | |
French | je | suis | étais | serai | ai | avais | aurai | fais | faisais | ferai | ||
tu | es | étais | seras | as | avais | auras | fais | faisais | feras | |||
il/elle | est | était | sera | a | avait | aura | fait | faisait | fera | |||
nous | sommes | étions | serons | avons | avions | aurons | faisons | faisions | ferons | |||
vous | êtes | étiez | serez | avez | aviez | aurez | faites | faisiez | ferez | |||
ils/elles | sont | étaient | seront | ont | avaient | auront | font | faisaient | feront | |||
sein | Present | Past | Future | haben | Present | Past | Future | machen | Present | Past | Future | |
German | ich | bin | war | werde sein | habe | hatte | werde haben | mache | machte | werde machen | ||
du | bist | warst | wirst sein | hast | hattest | wirst haben | machst | machtest | wirst machen | |||
er/sie/es | ist | war | wird sein | hat | hatte | wird haben | macht | machte | wird machen | |||
wir | sind | waren | werden sein | haben | hatten | werden haben | machen | machten | werden machen | |||
ihr | seid | wart | werdet sein | habt | hattet | werdet haben | macht | machtet | werdet machen | |||
sie/Sie | sind | waren | werden sein | haben | hatten | werden haben | machen | machten | werden machen |
Notice that French is unlike English and German in the future tense. Rather than using an auxiliary verb before the infinitive, French adds different endings to the verb stem.
Interrogatives / Conjunctions / Adverbs
English | French | German | English | French | German |
Who? | qui | wer | there is/are | il y a | es gibt |
Whom? | qui | wen | and | et | und |
(To) Whom? | à qui | wem | or | ou | oder |
Whose? | de qui | wessen | but | mais | aber |
What? | quoi | was | not | pas | nicht |
Where? | où | wo | very | très | sehr |
Where to? | où | wohin | also | aussi | auch |
Where from? | d'où | woher | that | que | daß |
Why? | pourquoi | warum | never | jamais | nie |
When? | quand | wann | sometimes | parfois | manchmal |
How? | comment | wie | always | toujours | immer |
How much? | combien | wieviel | usually | d'habitude | gewöhnlich |
How long? | combien de temps | wie lange | often | souvent | oft |
Which? | quel/le/s | welche/r/s | although | bien que | obschon, obwohl |
because | parce que | weil | whereas | alors que | obwohl, als |
since / for | depuis | seit | so long as | tant que | solange |
during | pendant que | während | as soon as | dès que | sobald |
Direct Object / Accusative Case & Indirect Object / Dative Case
French: The difference between direct and indirect
objects in French is usually exhibited with the personal pronouns and/or
the preposition à following a verb. Compare these
two sentences:
Je le vois. I see him. [Direct object]
Je lui parle. I speak to him. [Indirect object]
The verb voir takes a direct object, while parler takes an indirect object (voir quelqu'un/to see someone vs. parler à quelqu'un/to speak to someone) in French. Sometimes these correspond exactly to English; and sometimes they don't. For example, the verbs répondre and obéir take indirect objects in French, while in English they take direct objects (répondre à quelqu'un/to answer someone and obéir à quelqu'un/to obey someone).
German: The case system is much more complicated in German, because there are more cases than in French, but also because the articles, adjectives, and sometimes the nouns, change according to which case they are in. In addition, certain prepositions are followed by the accusative, dative or genitive case depending on what they are and if the preposition expresses movement or location.
Ich habe einen Bruder. I have a brother. [Accusative
case]
Ich helfe ihm. I help him. [Dative case]
As in French, German verbs require either the accusative or dative case, and they do not always correspond exactly to the English usage. However, there is usually no preposition after the verb in German to help you with determining the case that is required (haben takes accusative, while helfen takes dative). For both languages, you just have to memorize which verbs take a direct object/accusative case and which verbs take an indirect object/dative case. Plus you have to memorize which prepositions use which case in German (Prepositions).
Dative Plural: In addition to changing the articles according to case, all German plural nouns in the dative case add an -n (unless they already end in -n, then they add nothing).
English | French | German | English | French | German |
Monday | lundi | Montag | afternoon | l'après-midi (m) | der Nachmittag |
Tuesday | mardi | Dienstag | century | le siècle | das Jahrhundert |
Wednesday | mercredi | Mittwoch | dawn | l'aube | der Tagesanbruch |
Thursday | jeudi | Donnerstag | day | le jour | der Tag |
Friday | vendredi | Freitag | dusk | la tombée de la nuit | die Dämmerung |
Saturday | samedi | Samstag / Sonnabend | evening | le soir | der Abend |
Sunday | dimanche | Sonntag | fortnight | la quinzaine | vierzehn Tage |
holiday | la fête | der Festtag | |||
January | janvier | Januar / Jänner | hour | l'heure (f) | die Stunde |
February | février | Februar / Feber | half hour | une demi-heure | eine halbe Stunde |
March | mars | März | quarter hour | un quart d'heure | eine Viertelstunde |
April | avril | April | hour and half | une heure et demi | anderthalb Studen |
May | mai | Mai | leap year | l'année bissextile | das Schaltjahr |
June | juin | Juni | midnight | la minuit | dier Mitternacht |
July | juillet | Juli | minute | la minute | die Minute |
August | août | August | month | le mois | der Monat |
September | septembre | September | morning | la matin | der Morgen |
October | octobre | Oktober | night | la nuit | die Nacht |
November | novembre | November | noon | le midi | der Mittag |
December | décembre | Dezember | season | la saison | die Jahreszeit |
second | la seconde | die Sekunde | |||
spring | le printemps | der Frühling | sunrise | le lever du soleil | der Sonnenaufgang |
summer | l'été (m) | der Sommer | sunset | le coucher du soleil | der Sonnenuntergang |
autumn | l'automne (m) | der Herbst | time | le temps | die Zeit |
winter | l'hiver | der Winter | today | aujourd'hui | heute |
tomorrow | demain | morgen | |||
week | la semaine | die Woche | |||
year | l'an (m) | das Jahr | |||
yesterday | hier | gestern |
English | French | German |
What time is it? | Quelle heure est-il? | Wie spät ist es? |
It is one o'clock | Il est une heure | es ist ein Uhr |
It is five o'clock | Il est cinq heures | es ist fünf Uhr |
It is noon | Il est midi | es ist mittags |
It is midnight | Il est minuit | es ist mitternachts |
half past five | cinq heures et demi | es ist halb sechs |
quarter to five | cinq heures moins un quart | es ist ein Viertel vor fünf |
quarter past five | cinq heures et quart | es ist ein Viertel nach fünf |
twenty to five | cinq heures moins vingt | es ist zwanzig Minuten vor fünf |
twenty past five | cinq heures vingt | es ist zwanzig Minuten nach fünf |
What's the weather like? | Quel temps fait-il? | Wie ist das Wetter heute? |
it's nice/beautiful | il fait beau | es ist schön |
it's bad | il fait mauvais | es ist schlect |
it's cold | il fait froid | es ist kalt |
it's hot / warm | il fait chaud | es ist heiß / warm |
it's sunny | il fait soleil | es ist sonnig |
it's rainy/raining | il pleut | es regnet |
it's snowy/snowing | il neige | es schneit |
it's windy | il y a du vent | es ist windig |
it's foggy | il y a du brouillard | es ist nebelig |
it's freezing | il gèle | es friert |
It's cloudy | il fait nuageux | es ist bewölkt |
north | nord | der Norden |
south | sud | der Süden |
east | est | der Osten |
west | ouest | der Westen |
northeast | nord-est | der Nordosten |
northwest | nord-ouest | der Nordwesten |
southeast | sud-est | der Südosten |
southwest | sud-ouest | der Südwesten |
to/on the left | à gauche | links |
to/on the right | à droite | rechts |
straight (ahead) | tout droit | geradeaus |
English | French | German | English | French | German |
red | rouge | rot | square | le carré | das Viereck |
pink | rose | rosa | circle | le cercle | der Kreis |
orange | orange | orange | triangle | le triangle | das Dreieck |
yellow | jaune | gelb | rectangle | le rectangle | das Rechteck |
green | vert | grün | oval | l'ovale | das Oval |
blue | bleu | blau | sphere | la sphère | die Kugel |
purple | lila / violet | lila / violett | cube | le cube | der Würfel |
brown | brun / marron | braun | pyramid | la pyramide | die Pyramide |
black | noir | schwarz | cone | le cône | der Kegel |
white | blanc | weiß | cylinder | le cylindre | der Zylinder |
gray | gris | grau | heart | le cœur | das Herz |
silver | argenté | silbern | star | l'étoile | der Stern |
gold | doré | golden | diamond | le diamant | der Diamant |
crescent | le croissant | der Bogen |
Because colors are adjectives, they must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. In French, most adjectives are placed after the noun instead of before the noun as in English and German.
English | French | German | English | French | German |
family | la famille | die Familie | mother-in-law | la belle-mère | die Schwiegermutter |
mother | la mère | die Mutter | father-in-law | le beau-père | der Schwiegervater |
mom | maman | Mutti | daughter-in-law | la belle-fille | die Schwiegertochter |
father | le père | der Vater | son-in-law | le gendre | der Schwiegersohn |
dad | papa | Vati | sister-in-law | la belle-sœur | die Schwägerin |
parents | les parents | die Eltern | brother-in-law | le beau-frère | der Schwager |
daughter | la fille | die Tochter | godmother | la marraine | die Patin |
son | le fils | der Sohn | godfather | le parraine | der Pate |
children | les enfants | die Kinder | |||
sister | la sœur | die Schwester | girl | la jeune fille | das Mädchen |
brother | le frère | der Bruder | boy | le garçon | der Junge |
wife | la femme / l'épouse | die Frau | toddler | le bambin / petit enfant | das Kleinkind |
husband | le mari / l'époux | der Mann | baby | le bébé | das Kind |
grandmother | la grand-mère | die Großmutter | child | l'enfant | das Kind |
grandfather | le grand-père | der Großvater | teenager | l'adolescent(e) | der Teenager |
grandparents | les grands-parents | die Großeltern | woman | la femme | die Frau |
granddaughter | la petite-fille | die Enkelin | man | l'homme | der Mann |
grandson | le petit-fils | der Enkel | adults | l'adulte | die Erwachsenen |
grandchildren | les petits-enfants | die Enkelkinder | relative | le parent | der Verwandte |
cousin (f) | la cousine | die Cousine | siblings | des frères et sœurs | die Geschwister |
cousin (m) | le cousin | der Vetter | twins | les jumeaux / jumelles | der Zwilling |
aunt | la tante | die Tante | birth | la naissance | die Geburt |
uncle | l'oncle | der Onkel | death | la mort | der Tod |
niece | la nièce | die Nichte | marriage | le mariage | die Ehe |
nephew | le neveu | der Neffe | divorce | le divorce | die Scheidung |
stepmother | la belle-mère | die Stiefmutter | |||
stepfather | le beau-père | der Stiefvater | |||
stepdaughter | la belle-fille | die Stieftochter | |||
stepson | le beau-fils | der Stiefsohn | |||
stepsister | la belle-sœur | die Stiefschwester | |||
stepbrother | le beau-frère | der Stiefbruder |
Possessive Adjectives & Pronouns
The gender of possessives depends on the noun that they describe, not the person that they refer to.
masc. | fem. | plural | masc. | fem. | masc. pl. | fem. pl. | ||
my | mon | ma | mes | mine | le mien | la mienne | les miens | les miennes |
your | ton | ta | tes | yours | le tien | la tienne | les tiens | les tiennes |
his | son | sa | ses | his | le sien | la sienne | les siens | les siennes |
her | son | sa | ses | hers | le sien | la sienne | les siens | les siennes |
its | son | sa | ses | its | le sien | la sienne | les siens | les siennes |
our | notre | notre | nos | ours | le nôtre | la nôtre | les nôtres | les nôtres |
your | votre | votre | vos | yours | le vôtre | la vôtre | les vôtres | les vôtres |
their | leur | leur | leurs | theirs | le leur | la leur | les leurs | les leurs |
Before feminine nouns beginning with a vowel, you must use the masculine possessive adjectives (to avoid the double vowel).
German Possessives
masculine |
feminine / plural |
neuter |
||||||||||
nom. | acc. | dat | gen. | nom. | acc. | dat | gen. | nom. | acc. | dat | gen. | |
my/mine | mein | meinen | meinem | meines | meine | meine | meiner | meiner | mein | mein | meinem | meines |
your/yours | dein | deinen | deinem | deines | deine | deine | deiner | deiner | dein | dein | deinem | deines |
his | sein | seinen | seinem | seines | seine | seine | seiner | seiner | sein | sein | seinem | seines |
her/hers | ihr | ihren | ihrem | ihres | ihre | ihre | ihrer | ihrer | ihr | ihr | ihrem | ihres |
its | sein | seinen | seinem | seines | seine | seine | seiner | seiner | sein | sein | seinem | seines |
our/ours | unser | unseren | unserem | unseres | unsere | unsere | unserer | unserer | unser | unser | unserem | unseres |
your/yours | euer | euren | eurem | eures | eure | eure | eurer | eurer | euer | euer | eurem | eures |
their/theirs | ihr | ihren | ihrem | ihres | ihre | ihre | ihrer | ihrer | ihr | ihr | ihrem | ihres |
your/yours | Ihr | Ihren | Ihrem | Ihres | Ihre | Ihre | Ihrer | Ihrer | Ihr | Ihr | Ihrem | Ihres |
Notice that the German possessives follow the same pattern as the indefinite article (ein) and euer loses its second e when the endings are added on.
Je prends mon livre, mon stylo et mon sac. / Ich
nehme mein Buch, meinen Füller und meine Tasche. I'm
taking my book, my pen and my bag.
Elle fait ses devoirs dans sa chambre. / Sie macht ihre Hausaufgaben
auf ihrem Zimmer. She does her homework in her room.
La voiture de mes parents est rouge. / Der Wagen meiner Eltern
is rot. My parents' car is red.
Mes yeux sont verts. / Meine Augen sind grün. My
eyes are green.
If you enjoy the tutorials, then please consider buying French, Informal French, Italian, Spanish, German, Swedish, or Dutch Language Tutorials as a PDF e-book with free mp3s and free lifetime updates.
Buy French TutorialPlease consider sending a donation of any amount to help support ielanguages.com. Thank you!
FluentU offers authentic videos in French, Spanish, German, English, Chinese and Japanese. Learn from captions and translations and enjoy access to ALL languages!
Learn Spanish, French, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese and English with authentic videos by Yabla that include subtitles and translations.
Learn to read languages with interlinear bilingual books that include the original language and an English translation below in a smaller font.
Hundreds of free and paid online language learning video courses at Udemy. By native speakers and experts, from Arabic to Zulu.