Around 1000 words are enough to understand roughly 85% of everyday speech. That is exactly what 1000 Words focuses on: instead of endless grammar tables, you first learn the German vocabulary you will actually meet in real life – nouns, verbs, adjectives and full sentences, each with translation, example sentence and native-speaker audio.
Learn the way that fits your day: as a video to read along, as an audiobook for your commute or for falling asleep, as an ebook, or with the built-in vocabulary trainer that shows you every word again at the scientifically optimal moment (spaced repetition). Everything is available on the website and in the free app for iOS and Android.
| English | German | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| the apple | der Apfel | I eat the apple. Ich esse den Apfel. |
| the book | das Buch | She reads the book. Sie liest das Buch. |
| the cat | die Katze | The cat is sleeping. Die Katze schläft. |
| the dog | der Hund | The dog is barking. Der Hund bellt. |
| the car | das Auto | He drives the car. Er fährt das Auto. |
| the house | das Haus | We live in a house. Wir wohnen in einem Haus. |
| the chair | der Stuhl | She sits on the chair. Sie sitzt auf dem Stuhl. |
| the table | der Tisch | Put the book on the table. Leg das Buch auf den Tisch. |
| the window | das Fenster | Open the window. Öffne das Fenster. |
| the door | die Tür | Close the door. Schließe die Tür. |
| the pencil | der Bleistift | I write with the pencil. Ich schreibe mit dem Bleistift. |
| the paper | das Papier | The paper is on the table. Das Papier ist auf dem Tisch. |
| the school | die Schule | The school is big. Die Schule ist groß. |
| the teacher | der Lehrer | The teacher teaches math. Der Lehrer unterrichtet Mathe. |
| the student | der Schüler | The student is studying. Der Schüler lernt. |
| the boy | der Junge | The boy is playing. Der Junge spielt. |
| the girl | das Mädchen | The girl is singing. Das Mädchen singt. |
| the adult | der Erwachsene | The adult is working. Der Erwachsene arbeitet. |
| the friend | der Freund | My friend is here. Mein Freund ist hier. |
| the tree | der Baum | The tree is tall. Der Baum ist hoch. |
Every word explained individually – with example sentence and audio: Browse all 1000 words →
| to accept | akzeptieren |
| to add | hinzufügen |
| to agree | zustimmen |
| to allow | erlauben |
| to ask | bitten |
| to believe | glauben |
| to borrow | leihen |
| to break | brechen |
| to bring | bringen |
| to build | bauen |
| I like apples | Ich mag Äpfel |
| She is my friend | Sie ist meine Freundin |
| It is a sunny day | Es ist ein sonniger Tag |
| He runs fast | Er läuft schnell |
| We are happy | Wir sind glücklich |
| They play soccer | Sie spielen Fußball |
Every word narrated and illustrated – read along and repeat.
All vocabulary as audio – including a 3x repetition version, perfect for learning while you sleep.
All words and sentences to look up and read offline.
Spaced-repetition system like flashcards – reviews exactly when you need them.
Short stories built from the words you already know, with audio and tap-to-explain.
Download Premium content and keep learning without internet.
With the 1000 most frequent words you understand about 85% of everyday spoken language. That is why 1000 Words focuses exactly on this core vocabulary – organized into nouns, verbs & adjectives and full sentences.
Research shows the brain consolidates previously learned material during sleep. Our audiobooks with triple repetition are made for this: listen in the evening, relax, and anchor what you learned. Read more in our article on learning while you sleep.
Yes, getting started is free: parts of the videos and audiobooks, the vocabulary trainer, the matching game and previews of all content. Premium unlocks everything – including downloads for offline mode.
For beginners and returners (level A1–B1) who want to build a usable German vocabulary fast – without grammar overload, with native-speaker audio.