🗣️🤏🇩🇪

How to Say ‘I speak a little German.’ in German

Ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch.

ikh SHPREH-khe ine BISS-khen doytch

[ikh SHPREH-khe ine BISS-khen doytch]

🇩🇪 In Germany: Many Germans switch to English as soon as they hear an accent. Saying this, or adding lieber auf Deutsch, bitte "in German, please", usually keeps them speaking German.

Phrase Breakdown

Ich spreche

ikh SHPREH-khe

I speak

'sprechen' means 'to speak'. The 'sp' sounds like 'shp', and the 'ch' is soft: SHPREH-khuh.

Example

Ich spreche Englisch.

I speak English.

Words in this phrase

Ich

[ikh]

The pronoun 'ich' in nominative form.

Example

Ich bin da.

I am here.

spreche

[SHPREH-khe]

speak

Form of 'sprechen' (to speak) used with 'ich'.

Example

Ich spreche gern mit dir.

I like talking with you.

ein bisschen Deutsch.

ine BISS-khen doytch

a little German

'ein bisschen' means 'a little' or 'a bit'. 'Deutsch' sounds like 'doytch'.

Example

Ich habe ein bisschen Zeit.

I have a little time.

Words in this phrase

ein

[ine]

The indefinite article 'ein'.

Example

Ich brauche ein Auto.

I need a car.

bisschen

[BISS-khen]

little bit

Used to ask for a small amount of something, such as milk or sugar.

Example

Nur ein bisschen Milch, bitte.

Just a little milk, please.

Deutsch

[doytch]

German

The German language; written with a capital letter as a noun.

Example

Deutsch ist eine schöne Sprache.

German is a beautiful language.

Guides for German learners

Duolingo vs Pimsleur: Tapping on a Screen or Talking Out Loud?Duolingo vs Pimsleur: five minutes of tapping versus thirty minutes of speaking. What each is good at, what each costs, and which to pick for your goal.

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