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Translate NowEnglish to German Translation
Translate English text to German instantly with our free online translator, and learn what makes German unique so you can judge and improve the results.
About the German Language
German is spoken by around 135 million people and is the most widely spoken native language in the European Union. It is the official language of Germany, Austria, and Liechtenstein and a co-official language of Switzerland, Belgium, and Luxembourg, and it is a key language of engineering, science, and European business.
German and English are both Germanic languages, so core vocabulary is often recognizably similar (Haus/house, Wasser/water). German grammar, however, preserves features English lost centuries ago - notably a case system and grammatical gender - which is where most translation difficulty comes from.
How German Differs from English
Knowing these structural differences helps you write source text that translates well and spot problems in the output:
- Three genders: Nouns are masculine (der), feminine (die), or neuter (das), and gender is often unpredictable: das Mädchen (the girl) is grammatically neuter.
- Four cases: Articles and adjectives change form across nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive cases depending on the noun's role in the sentence.
- Capitalized nouns: Every noun is capitalized in German - correct output will capitalize mid-sentence words.
- Verb position: The verb is second in main clauses but moves to the very end in subordinate clauses, which reorders long sentences dramatically.
- Compound words: German joins words freely: Krankenversicherung (health insurance) is literally "sick-insurance" as a single word.
Essential English to German Phrases
These everyday phrases are a useful starting point. Use the Listen button on our translator to hear them spoken aloud:
| English | German | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Hallo | HAH-loh |
| Thank you | Danke | DAHN-kuh |
| Yes | Ja | yah |
| No | Nein | nine |
| How are you? | Wie geht es Ihnen? | vee GATE es EE-nen |
| Please | Bitte | BIT-tuh |
| Sorry | Entschuldigung | ent-SHOOL-di-goong |
| What is your name? | Wie heißen Sie? | vee HIGH-sen zee |
| Water | Wasser | VAH-ser |
| Goodbye | Auf Wiedersehen | owf VEE-der-zayn |
Common Pitfalls When Translating English to German
- German distinguishes informal du from formal Sie. Business correspondence should use Sie; translators generally default to it, so casual messages may need adjusting.
- Long English sentences become hard to follow once German pushes verbs to the end of clauses - split complex sentences before translating.
- Watch false friends: Gift means "poison", bekommen means "to receive" (not "to become").
- The character ß (as in heißen) is a real letter, not a typo; in Switzerland it is written as ss.
For a broader look at translation errors and how to avoid them, read our guide to 10 common translation mistakes.
How to Translate English to German
- Open the Translate All Words home page
- Select English as the source language and German as the target
- Type or paste your English text and click Translate
- Use the Listen button to hear the German pronunciation, and Copy to save the result
- For anything important, review the output against the tips above or ask a native speaker