13 Phrases of Directions
(For the ambitious learner.)
Könnten Sie bitte langsamer sprechen? – Could you please speak more slowly.
Gehen Sie nach links! – Take a left!
Die zweite Straße rechts – The second street on the right
Gehen Sie geradeaus! – Go straight ahead!
An der Ampel vorbei – Past the traffic light
An der nächsten Ecke dann rechts – At the next corner turn right
Über die Brücke – Across the bridge
An der zweiten Straße nach links – At the second street to the left
An der Bäckerei vorbei – Past the bakery
Über den Marktplatz – Across the market square
Hinter der U-Bahnstation – Behind the subway station
Der Geldautomat befindet sich neben der Apotheke. – The ATM is beside the pharmacy.
Vielen Dank für Ihre Hilfe. – Many thanks for your help.
In German 2 For Travel we added “Where …” questions – if you’re looking for the bathroom, a pharmacy, public transport, a bank/ATM, etc.
Asking such questions in German – especially if you have practiced your pronunciation a bit – may let your conversation partner assume that you understand German quite well.
The result will be an answer and a stream of words that will fly right by you.
So asking the person to speak more slowly could be your first reply in such a case: “Könnten Sie bitte langsamer sprechen!”
And it would be good to also know some basic directional words and phrases in German – left, right, straight ahead – as the typical answers may well include them.
Why These Phrases?
In Essential German 1 and 2, we listed greetings and typical “where is…?” questions. Even if you have never studied German before, it will be useful to learn and practice saying them.
In Essential German 3, there are only two sentences you may want to practice saying: “Could you please speak more slowly?” and “Many thanks for your help.”
The other 11 phrases and sentences will be useful to understand as you receive answers to your “where is…?” question. You still may want to record yourself saying them, so you can confirm, what you thought you understood- and – you’ll also remember them better that way.
Food, Drinks, Restaurants
Finding a recommended restaurant, Café, or bar has been made much easier with GPS equipped smart phones and mobile devices.
Once you have arrived at the place, you may have to ask for a table and the Menu, place an order and then ask for and pay the check.
Knowing a few German key phrases will make all this much easier.
You’ll find them among the next 14 Phrases in German 4 For Travel.
If you are used to the 15-20% tips, generally expected in US restaurants, you’ll be pleasantly surprised: In nearly all West-European countries tips are included in your check.
But for good service 5-10% tips are always welcome.