Deutsch sprechen
/dɔʏ̯t͡ʃ ˈʃprɛçən/word by word
The English phrase speak german is translated into German as Deutsch sprechen.
Which one should you use?
While Deutsch sprechen means the act of speaking the language, Deutsch können is a common idiomatic way to say one 'knows' or 'is able to' speak German.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase Deutsch sprechen, Deutsch functions as the direct object and does not take an article. The verb sprechen is used in its infinitive form when it follows a modal verb like können (can) or wollen (want).
Did you know?
- The word Deutsch shares a common linguistic ancestor with the Persian word tude, meaning 'people' or 'nation'.
- The word Deutsch was originally used to distinguish the vernacular language of the people from Latin, the language of the elite.
- While Deutsch is the name of the language, the adjective deutsch is not capitalized when describing a quality, such as a 'german' forest.
Examples in context
- Ich will Deutsch sprechen.I want to speak German.Tatoeba #508352 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #524643 by Shishir
- Ihr könnt Deutsch sprechen.You can speak German.Tatoeba #2250513 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #69880 by shekitten
- Kannst du Deutsch sprechen?Can you speak German?Tatoeba #10038554 by wolfgangth, translation #69879 by adjusting
- Kann ich Deutsch sprechen?Can I speak German?
- Wir sollten Deutsch sprechen.We should speak German.
- Können wir Deutsch reden?Can we speak German?
- Lass uns Deutsch reden.Let's speak German.
- 20 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Maximilian and Julia are meeting at a language cafe.
- MaximilianHallo! Möchtest du heute Deutsch sprechen?Hello! Would you like to speak German today?
- JuliaJa, ich muss mehr Deutsch sprechen.Yes, I need to speak German more.
- MaximilianDas ist super, Julia.That is great, Julia.
- JuliaDanke, Maximilian!Thanks, Maximilian!
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (Deutsch, sprechen) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Deutsch, deutsch, sprechen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
