German Numbers Flashcards

drei (three)

Memory Trick: Think of a dry towel cut into three pieces. The word drei sounds almost identical to English dry.

A dry towel cut into three.

vier (four)

Memory Trick: Vier sounds like English fear. Imagine having a irrational fear of the number four.

Don't fear the number four!

fünf (five)

Memory Trick: Fünf starts with an 'f' sound and ends with 'f', just like English five! High-fünf someone with five fingers.

High-fünf for number five!

acht (eight)

Memory Trick: Acht sounds like act. Imagine an actor who has to perform in eight shows every week.

An actor doing eight shows.

neun (nine)

Memory Trick: Neun is pronounced like noyn, which sounds very close to nine. It starts with 'n' and ends with 'n'.

Neun sounds like nine!

tausend (one thousand)

Memory Trick: Tausend is almost identical to thousand. Just substitute the 'th' sound with a crisp German 't' sound.

Tausend is a thousand with a T!

Quarter past time expressions (e.g., 10:15)

Western & Northern Germany, Austria: Viertel nach zehn
Eastern & Southern Germany: viertel elf

Quarter to time expressions (e.g., 10:45)

Western & Northern Germany, Switzerland: Viertel vor elf
Eastern & Southern Germany, Austria: drei Viertel elf

The number 'two' spoken on the phone

Standard German (written): zwei
Germany & Austria (spoken clear form): zwo

Top school grade number designation

Germany & Austria: Eins (Note 1 = best grade)
Switzerland: Sechs (Note 6 = best grade)

Colloquial term for a 10-cent coin

Germany: Groschen
Austria: Zehnerl
Switzerland: Zahni

Colloquial term for a hundred-currency note

Germany: Hunni
Austria: Hunderterl
Switzerland: Hunderter-Note