English-German Shopping Phrases and Vocabulary

When you go shopping in Germany, Austria, or German Switzerland, you'll find a number of German words very useful.
This lesson includes the basic vocabulary you need to find the stores you're looking for, talk to the salesperson, and have an enjoyable shopping spree.

Shopping Phrases and Pronunciation


There are a number of sentences and phrases that you are likely to encounter when shopping in a German-speaking country.

From asking the price of an item to completing your transaction, this vocabulary list should cover most of the basics.

To give you a jump on your studies, the phonetic pronunciations for many of the trickier German words are included. They are only an approximate guide but will help you out considerably, especially if you're just beginning to learn German.

When entering a smaller German shop, it is customary to exchange hellos with the shopkeeper or sales clerk. Also, when leaving a shop in Austria or Germany, it is common for the customer and shopkeeper to exchange goodbyes.

If you travel at the right time of year, you might be able to get in on one of the two biggest sales many German stores offer. The Sommerschlussverkauf happens in late summer and the Winterschlussverkauf typically occurs towards the end of winter.

Englisch	Deutsch
salesperson	Verkäufer/in
customer	der Kunde m. die Kundin f.
cashier / check-out counter	die Kasse (dee KA-suh)
Sale! Special Offer! Reduced!	Ausverkauf! Sonderangebot! Reduziert!
Hello!	Guten Tag! Grüß Gott! (Austria/Bavaria)
May I help you?	Was darf es sein? Darf ich Ihnen helfen?
I'm looking for... ...a dress ...a shirt ...athletic shoes ...a postcard	Ich suche... ...ein Kleid (eye-n KLITE) ...ein Hemd (eye-n HEMT) ...Sportschuhe (SHPORT SHOO-a) ...eine Postkarte (eye-na POST-KAR-ta)
I'm just looking.	Ich sehe mich nur ein wenig um. Ich schau nur ein bisschen herum.
I'd like...	Ich möchte... (eech MURG-ta)
Can you fix/repair this?	Können Sie das reparieren? (KURN-en zee das REP-ah-rear-en)
What size are you?	Welche Größe haben Sie?
Do you have it in a different color?	Haben Sie das in einer anderen Farbe?
May I try it on?	Darf ich es/ihn/sie anprobieren? (das/der/die)
It's too big/small.	Das ist mir zu groß/klein.
How much is it? - How much does it cost?	Wie viel kostet es? (er/sie) (VEE feel KOST-et es)
That's too expensive.	Das ist zu teuer.
Do you take credit cards?	Nehmen Sie Kreditkarten? (NAME-en zee kred-DIT-kar-ten)
I'll take it.	Ich nehme es (ihn, sie). (ich NAY-muh es [een, zee])
Is this intended as a gift?	Soll das ein Geschenk sein?
Can I get this gift-wrapped?	Kann ich das als Geschenk eingepackt bekommen?
Goodbye!	Wiederseh'n! (VEE-der zane) auf Wiedersehen! (owf VEE-der zay-en)

English-German Glossary for Stores and Shops 

You will also find it useful to familiarize yourself with the various types of businesses (Geschäfte) and stores or shops (Läden) you may want to visit. Many of the most common are included in this next vocabulary list along with the items or services they offer.

Tip: For related vocabulary, do a Google.de or Yahoo.de search for the category you want to explore. For instance, to find vocabulary for pastry or pastry shops, use the term "Konditorei" to find online sources of vocabulary (and pastries). A few other helpful examples and tips are located within the list.

Noun genders: r (der, masc.), e (die, fem.), s (das, neu.)

Abbreviations: adj. (adjective), Br. (British), n. (noun), pl. (plural), v. (verb)

English	Deutsch	What They Sell
antique store	s Antiquitätengeschäft	Antiquitäten pl.
Don't confuse s Antiquariat (second-hand bookstore) with s Antiquitätengeschäft(antique store).
appliance store	s Elektrogeschäft	Elektrogeräte
auto dealer/dealership   car sales/dealership	r Autohändler e Autohandlung s Autohaus	Autos
auto mechanic auto repair/garage	r Automechaniker e Autowerkstatt	Autoreparaturen
bakery	e Bäckerei	Brot, Brötchen
bar, pub	e Kneipe	alkoholische Getränke
barber (shop)	r Herrenfriseur	e Herrenfrisur
beauty salon, parlor	r Damenfriseur	e Damenfrisur (hair-do)
bookstore, bookshop	e Buchhandlung	Bücher pl.
Bücher online > See the German Amazon.de or BOL.de online bookstores for German bookstore terms and books in German.
business, store, shop	s Geschäft, r Laden	--
butcher shop	e Fleischerei e Metzgerei	s Fleisch
candy store, confectionery	r Süßwarenladen	Süßwaren
car hire/auto rental	r Autoverleih e Autovermietung	Autovermietung
clothier clothing store	r Herrenausstatter (men) r Modesalon (ladies)	e Kleidung
computer store	s Computergeschäft r Computerladen	Computer, Rechner
dairy store	s Milchgeschäft	e Milch, r Käse
delicatessen	s Feinkostgeschäft	r Feinkost
department store	s Kaufhaus s Warenhaus	fast alles
drugstore	e Drogerie	Toilettenartikel pl.
A German Drogerie does not sell drugs or medicine. You can only buy toiletries and other non-drug items. For medicine (even just aspirin) you have to go to an Apotheke (pharmacy).
dry cleaner	e Reiningung, chemische Reinigung	Kleider reinigen
electrical store	s Elektrogeschäft	Elektrogeräte
Fachgeschäft > The German term das Fachgeschäft refers to any store or business that specializes in whatever it sells. In such a store there are usually Fachleute (specialists) who know a lot about the product or service offered.
florist	s Blumengeschäft	Blumen
furniture store	s Einrichtungshaus s Möbellager	r Hausrat Möbel pl
Ikea has more than 35 outlets (Niederlassungen) in Germany. See the German Web site of the international (Swedish) Ikea chain for furniture and housewares vocabulary.
gift shop	r Geschenkladen Geschenke (sign)	Geschenke
grocery store	s Lebensmittelgeschäft	Lebensmittel
hardware store	s Eisenwarengeschäft	Eisenwaren
health food store	s Reformhaus   Also see "organic food store"	Biokost/Lebensmittel Heilkräuter
jeweler, jewelry store	r Juwelier	Ringe, Schmucksachen
laundromat, laundrette	r Waschsalon	Kleider waschen
laundry (firm)	e Wäscherei	Kleider waschen
mail order store	r Versand, s Versandkaufhaus	fast alles
market	r Markt	fast alles
newsstand	r Kiosk	Zeitschriften, Zeitungen
office supplies store	r Bürobedarfladen	Bürobedarf, Büroausstattung
online store online shop	s Onlinegeschäft r Onlineshop	fast alles
Onlinegeschäfte > The German divisions of the Staples and Office Discount online stores are a good source of German vocabulary as well as office supplies.
optician	r Optiker	Augengläser, Brillen
organic food store (wholefood shop)	r Bioladen s Reformhaus	Biokost/Lebensmittel Heilkräuter
Bioläden > Besides fans of Biokost (organic/health food), a Bioladen is also popular with vegetarians (Vegetarier) and the ecologically-minded (recycled paper, bleach-free detergents, etc.). The British call this a "wholefood shop." Similar to, but older than Bioläden, the first Reformhäuser were established in the 1890s. In addition to organic and chemical-free food, a Reformhaus also sells herbal medicines (Heilkräuter) and other natural products.
pastry shop	e Konditorei	s Gebäck
pet store, pet shop	e Zoohandlung	Haustiere, Tierbedarf
pharmacy/chemist	e Apotheke	Medikamente
Apotheke > See Drogerie (drugstore) above for more about German pharmacies.
photo shop	s Fotogeschäft	Film, Kameras
rent-a-car/auto rental	r Autoverleih e Autovermietung	Autovermietung
restaurant	s Restaurant	s Essen
second-hand bookstore used-books store	s Antiquariat	antiquarische Bücher
shoe store	s Schuhgeschäft	Schuhe
shop, store, business	r Laden, s Geschäft	--
shopping center/mall	s Einkaufszentrum	--
souvenir shop	r Andenkenladen r Souvenirladen	s Andenken, s Souvenir
sporting goods store	s Sportgeschäft	Sportausrüstungen
stationery store	s Schreibwarengeschäft	Papier, Schreibwaren
supermarket	r Supermarkt	fast alles
tobacco shop tobacconist	r Tabakwarenladen e Trafik (Austria)	Zigaretten, Tabakwaren
toy store	s Spielwarengeschäft	Spielwaren, Spielzeuge
watch repair shop	r Uhrmacher	Uhren reparieren