Using the Telephone in German
An Annotated English-German Glossary
German Telephone Vocabulary
Am Telefon > Glossary A-K > Glossary L-Z
Noun genders indicated by: r (der, masc.), e (die, fem.), s (das, neu.)
Abbreviations: adj. (adjective), Br. (British), n. (noun), pl. (plural), v. (verb)
Related vocabulary: Computer and Internet Glossary
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A German coin phone.
Some German public
phones only accept a
telephone card, not coins.
Foto: Hyde Flippo
A
address book s Adressbuch
answer (the phone) v. (den Hörer) abheben/abnehmen, sich melden
There was no answer. Keiner/Niemand hat sich gemeldet.
answering machine, answerphone (Br.) r Anrufbeantworter
area code, dialing code e Vorwahl, e Vorwahlnummer
See the comments below ("Null" column) for more about when and when not to dial the zero in front of a German area code.B
battery (rechargeable) r Akku (in wireless phones)
battery charger s Ladegerät (-e)
busy adj. besetzt
The line is busy. Die Leitung ist besetzt.
C
call n. r Anruf, s Gespräch
domestic call s Inlandsgespräch
international call s Auslandsgespräch
local call s Ortsgespräch
call v. anrufen, telefonieren
call forwarding e Rufumleitung
cell (cellular) phone, mobile phone s Handy, s Mobiltelefon
Some say that the German word "das Handy" comes from "handgehaltenes Telefon" or "hand-held telephone." But see the Denglisch Dictionary - 'Handy' entry for another version.
WEB > Will a U.S. Cell Phone Work in Germany? (The German Way and More)
See PHOTO of a wireless phone (with vocabulary)
charge (battery) (den Akku) laden
charge time e Ladezeit
charge(s), fee(s), toll e Gebühr(en)
minimum charge/fee e Mindestgebühr
toll-free gebührenfrei, zum Nulltarif
coin(s) e Münze (-n)
Insert coins. Münzen einwerfen/einstecken.
collect call s R-Gespräch, s Rück-Gespräch
connect verbinden
connection e Verbindung, r Anschluss
a good/bad connection eine gute/schlechte Verbindung
cord e (elektrische) Schnur
cordless phone das schnurlose Telefon
|
Null/Zero When dialing a German number from North America, be sure to leave out the initial zero in front of the Vorwahlnummer in a German telephone number. For example, a Berlin number listed on a letterhead or business card as 030 70 12 34 would be dialed as (011 49) 30 70 12 34 from the US. The 49 is the country code for Germany and the 30 is the area code for Berlin. Note: Unlike a standard seven-digit US phone number (+ area code), German phone numbers may have between four and eight digits. The traditional listing of German phone numbers in pairs (12 34 56 7) has in recent years given way to other formats, such as 123 4567. |
D
date (calendar) s Datum
Deutsche Telekom AG Germany's former phone monopoly, now a privatized stock company (AG = Aktiengesellschaft)
delete (entry/number) (einen Eintrag/eine Nummer) löschen
dial (a number) (eine Nummer) wählen
redial v. wiederwählen
redial (function) e Wahlwiederholung
redial list (menu) e Wiederwahl-Liste
dial a/the wrong number eine/die falsche Nummer wählen
Sorry, wrong number. Tut mir leid, falsch verbunden.
dial (on phone) n. e Tastatur (buttons, keys), e Wählscheibe (dial phone)
dial direct direkt wählen, durchwählen
dial tone s Amtszeichen, s Freizeichen
dialing code/prefix e Vorwahl, e Vorwahlnummer
digit e Ziffer
domestic call s Inlandsgespräch
international call s Auslandsgespräch, s internationale Gespräch
E
email/e-mail n. e E-Mail
to check one's email die E-Mail abrufen
to send an email message eine E-Mail senden/schicken
Das E-Mail? Some Germans will tell you that email in German is das rather than die. But since the English word stands for die E-Post or die E-Post-Nachricht, it's difficult to justify das. Dictionaries say it's die (feminine). (Das Email means "enamel.")
See our Computer Glossary for more about email.
emergency call r Notruf
emergency number e Notrufnummer (112)
Notruf | SOS: Americans and Canadians used to the 911 emergency phone number need to know that is not the case in most other countries. In Europe (the EU) the unified emergency number is 112. Dial 112 for any emergency in a European country, including the German-speaking countries. Some mobile phones (Handys) have an "SOS" menu feature that will dial 112 with one touch, and the GSM (European) cell phone standard uses 112 worldwide. Note: The emergency number in the U.K. is 999, but 112 also works. Germany continues to use 110 for police calls, but 112 also works. See Emergency telephone numbers and EENA.org for more.
end a call einen Anruf beenden
enter key, select key e Eingabetaste
See PHOTO of cell phone key pad
entering text e Texteingabe
F
fax v. faxen
fax (facsimile) n. s Fax, s Telefax
fax machine s Faxgerät
You can send a fax from most larger German post offices. You pay for each page sent and any phone charges.
fee(s), charge(s), toll e Gebühr(en)
minimum fee/charge e Mindestgebühr
G
Good-bye! (on phone) Auf Wiederhören!, Wiederhören!, Tschüs! (familiar)
Note: It makes no sense to say "Auf Wiedersehen" (lit., "see you again") on the phone, since you haven't seen the person you're talking to in the first place. Perhaps if/when video phones become more common?Note: Also see the article Am Telefon.
GSM Global System for Mobile communications
GSM is a digital mobile phone system used in Germany and most of Europe. Germany has four main competing digital phone standards: D1, D2, E2, and e-plus - all variations of GSM, and none of them compatible with US wireless systems. T-Mobile, AT&T, and some other US wireless firms do use GSM but on a different band than in Europe. Solution? A multi-band cell phone that works in the US and Europe.
See PHOTO of a GSM multi-band wireless phone
H
handset, receiver r Hörer
hang up (phone/receiver) (den Hörer) auflegen
end a call einen Anruf beenden
headset r Kopfhörer
Hello! (on phone) Person answering says his/her last name ("Schmidt." oder "Hier Schmidt."
This is Mr. Braun. (on phone) Hier ist/spricht Herr Braun.
Note: For a business, the response is the name of the firm. - There is a trend in Germany, especially among young people, to answer the phone with "Hallo!"
hold v. warten
be on hold (am Apparat) warten, in der Warteschleife sein
I've been on hold for five minutes. Ich warte schon (seit) fünf Minuten.
on hold in der Warteschleife
Please hold! Bitte bleiben Sie am Apparat!
I
information e Auskunft, e Telefonauskunft
Internet s Internet, s Netz
See our Computer and Internet Glossary!
K
key (on phone) n. e Taste (-n)
"Please press the pound key." = Bitte drücken Sie die Rautetaste.
keyboard, key pad e Tastatur (buttons, keys)
See PHOTO of cell phone key pad
key lock e Tastensperre (cell phone)
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