English to German Translator
Free English to German translation, plus the German grammar that trips up English speakers.
What changes when you translate English to German
Translating English into German changes more than the words. German has three grammatical genders and four cases, builds long compound nouns, and pushes the verb to the end of subordinate clauses. German sentences often keep the main verb until the very end and stack cases and compounds, so sentence structure has to be rebuilt rather than translated word by word. A word-for-word tool gets the vocabulary right and these things wrong, which is why the translator above reads the whole sentence before it writes anything.
English and German: key differences
English and German diverge on word order, grammatical gender, formality, and articles. Each row below is a place where swapping words one for one produces the wrong German sentence.
| Feature | English | German |
|---|---|---|
| Typical word order | subject–verb–object | verb-second, with verb-final subordinate clauses |
| Grammatical gender | no grammatical gender | three genders (masculine, feminine, neuter) |
| Formality | no formal/informal distinction | informal and formal second person (du / Sie) |
| Articles | definite and indefinite | definite and indefinite, marked for gender, number, and case |
English to German example sentences
Full sentences translated from English to German:
| English | German |
|---|---|
| Could you please send me the revised invoice? | Könnten Sie mir bitte die korrigierte Rechnung schicken? Professional email · formal — Formal Sie is capitalized and takes third-person plural verb forms |
| Call me when you get home. | Ruf mich an, wenn du zu Hause bist. Message to a friend · informal — Separable anrufen splits in the main clause; the subordinate-clause verb goes last |
| I'm giving the new team member the office key. | Ich gebe dem neuen Teammitglied den Büroschlüssel. Workplace update · neutral — Dative recipient and accusative object require different article and adjective endings |
| Because the train was cancelled, we are working from home today. | Weil der Zug ausgefallen ist, arbeiten wir heute von zu Hause aus. Team status message · neutral — Verb-final subordinate clause followed by verb-first placement after the fronted clause |
| Please enter your health insurance number here. | Bitte tragen Sie hier Ihre Krankenversicherungsnummer ein. Instruction on an official form · formal — German compound noun and a separable formal imperative |
| My daughter eventually became a doctor. | Meine Tochter wurde schließlich Ärztin. Personal biography · neutral — English become translates as werden, not the false friend bekommen; the profession is gendered |
Common English to German phrases
Everyday expressions translated from English to German:
| English | German (Deutsch) |
|---|---|
| Hello | Hallo |
| Good night | Gute Nacht |
| Thank you | Danke |
| Please | Bitte |
| How are you? | Wie geht es dir? |
| What is your name? | Wie heißt du? |
| I love you | Ich liebe dich |
| Excuse me | Entschuldigung |
| Where is the bathroom? | Wo ist die Toilette? |
| Goodbye | Auf Wiedersehen |
About the German language
German (Deutsch) is spoken by about 135 million people across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It belongs to the Germanic (Indo-European) language family and is written in the Latin alphabet.
- Native name
- Deutsch
- Speakers
- 135 million
- Language family
- Germanic (Indo-European)
- Writing system
- the Latin alphabet
- Word order
- verb-second, with verb-final subordinate clauses
English to German translation tips
- English uses subject–verb–object word order, while German is verb-second, with verb-final subordinate clauses, so the AI restructures whole sentences instead of substituting words one by one.
- Choose du for familiar address or Sie for formal address and keep the choice consistent. Formal Sie and its related forms are capitalized.
- German marks grammatical roles through four cases. Articles and adjective endings often carry information that English expresses through word order.
- In a main declarative clause the finite verb occupies the second position; in subordinate clauses introduced by words such as weil, it normally moves to the end.
- This bundle uses Standard German as written in Germany. Austrian and Swiss standard usage differs in some vocabulary, and Swiss orthography uses ss instead of ß.
German false friends to watch for
- Handy looks like “handy” but means mobile phone.
- bekommen looks like “become” but means to get / to receive.
- Gift looks like “gift” but means poison.
English to German translation FAQ
How accurate is AI English to German translation?
The translator uses a modern AI language model that understands context, so English to German results read more naturally than word-for-word tools. For legal, medical, or other high-stakes text, have a fluent speaker review the output.
How do you say hello in German?
Hello in German is Hallo. The common-phrases table on this page lists more everyday German expressions, such as Danke (thank you) and Auf Wiedersehen (goodbye).
Does the translator handle both German (Germany) and Austrian/Swiss German?
This bundle uses Standard German as written in Germany. Specify Austria or Switzerland when regional vocabulary matters, and remember that Swiss standard spelling uses ss rather than ß.
Can it keep the formal 'Sie' form consistently?
Name the relationship or register, then verify that Sie, Ihnen and Ihr remain capitalized and that the text never switches to du forms.
Sources
- Duden: Groß- und Kleinschreibung
- Duden: Groß- oder Kleinschreibung von du/Du und ihr/Ihr
- Duden dictionary: Handy
- Duden dictionary: bekommen
- Duden dictionary: Gift
- University of Michigan: German grammar resources
- Swiss Federal Chancellery: guide to German orthography
The language facts and grammar notes on this page are checked against these references.
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