If you’ve already learned and practiced German 1 For Travel you’ll be ready to tackle the next 12 essentials.
12 Essential “Where is…?” Questions
Wo ist …? – Where is…? (German “w” has a “v” sound)
Entschuldigung, wo ist die Toilette? – Excuse me, where is the bathroom?
Wo ist eine Bank? – Where is a bank? (“eine”: eye-neh )
Entschuldigung, wo ist der nächste Geldautomat? – Excuse me, where is the next ATM? (
Wo ist die nächste Bushaltestelle? – Where is the next bus stop?
Entschuldigung, wo ist die nächste U-Bahnstation? – Excuse me, where is the next subway station.
Wo ist der Bahnhof? – Where is the train station?
Entschuldigung, wo ist die nächste Apotheke?– Excuse me, where is the next pharmacy?
Wo ist der Aufzug? – Where is the elevator?
Entschuldigung, wo ist die Touristen Information? – Excuse me, where is the tourist information
Sprechen Sie Französisch, Spanisch, Italienisch oder Englisch? – Do you speak French, Spanish, Italian, or English?
(You may also want to know if the person you’re talking with speaks French, Spanish, Italian, or English – maybe one of the languages you speak as well.)
The Next 12 German Phrases: “Wo ist…?”
Learn and Practice Tips
- Click the black arrow to hear the German speaker.
- Click the red dot once to record yourself.
- Click the black square to stop recording.
- When you click the black arrow again, you’ll hear the speaker and then yourself.
- Do it several times until you sound like the German speaker.
- Then “Choose a Study Mode” and test yourself with one of the Quizlet games! (You may need to adjust your Options with the top right icon
.)
Getting Around Austria, Germany, and Switzerland…
Austria, Germany, and Switzerland have excellent rail and bus systems and you can get to nearly everywhere by public transport.
We use the ÖBB (Austria), DBB Navigator (Germany) and SBB (Switzerland) apps to check for schedules and buy tickets online.
During our last visit to Switzerland we stayed for several weeks and bought the half-fare pass. (At SFr 180.- it obviously only makes sense, if you plan several longer trips.)
In all three countries, buying train tickets on-line well in advance and during off-peak travel times lets you also realize substantial savings.
“Wo ist…?”-Questions Answered…
Asking “Wo ist…?”- questions in German could let the person you are asking assume that you speak German.
The result will often be an answer and a stream of German words you may not understand.
It would therefore be good to know some basic directional words and phrases in German – left, right, straight ahead, etc.
You’ll find the next 13 phrases now in German 3 For Travel.