24 German Essay Phrases

Writing an essay is an ability you can develop, no matter the language. With some vocabulary practice and a few straightforward techniques, you'll be ready to compose your first great piece.

Below you'll find a collection of helpful German words and phrases for your next essay, plus details on various German essay types, some writing tips and an example essay at the end.

German Essay Phrases

We'll begin with the actual words and phrases. They are organized based on when and how you might use them. First, let's look at some that help clarify your points.

General Explaining

Weil (Because)

Daniel muss lernen, weil er morgen einen Test hat.

(Daniel has to study because he has a test tomorrow.)

Da (Because)

Daniel muss lernen, da er morgen einen Test hat.

(Daniel has to study because he has a test tomorrow.)

Denn (Because)

Daniel muss lernen, denn er hat morgen einen Test.

(Daniel has to study because tomorrow he has a test.)

A quick note: Weil, da and denn are generally interchangeable. Keep in mind though that denn requires a different word order.

Damit (In order to; So that)

Lisa lernt viel, damit sie den Test besteht.

(Lisa is studying a lot in order to pass the test.)

Um (To; In order to)

Lisa lernt viel, um den Test zu bestehen.

(Lisa is studying a lot to pass the test.)

Im Grunde (Basically; Fundamentally)

Im Grunde ist Deutsch keine schwierige Sprache.

(Fundamentally, German is not a difficult language.)

Eigentlich (Actually)

Eigentlich ist Deutsch nicht so schwierig, wie es scheint.

(Actually, German is not as difficult as it seems.)

Ordering Facts and Ideas

Ein Beispiel anführen (To give an example)

Ich möchte ein Beispiel anführen.

(I would like to give an example.)

Dieses Beispiel zeigt, dass… (This example shows that…)

Dieses Beispiel zeigt, dass das Lernen einer Fremdsprache beim Reisen viele Vorteile hat.

(This example shows that studying a foreign language has many advantages when traveling.)

Erstens… zweitens… (Firstly… secondly…)

Erstens kann man sich auf Reisen besser verständigen und zweitens lernt man viele neue Leute kennen.

(Firstly, you can communicate better while traveling, and secondly, you meet many new people.)

Das Wichtigste ist… (The most important thing is…)

Das Wichtigste ist, die Angst vor der Sprache zu verlieren.

(The most important thing is to lose your fear of the language.)

Außerdem (Furthermore)

Außerdem kann man beim Reisen seine Sprachkenntnisse verbessern.

(Furthermore, you can improve your language knowledge while traveling.)

Nicht nur… sondern auch… (Not only… but also…)

Nicht nur im Unterricht, sondern auch im Alltag kann man viel Deutsch lernen.

(Not only in class, but also in everyday life you can learn a lot of German.)

Demonstrating Contrast

Obwohl (Even though)

Obwohl Anna viel lernt, hat sie Probleme mit der deutschen Grammatik.

(Even though Anna studies a lot, she has problems with German grammar.)

Allerdings (However)

Anna lernt gerne Deutsch, allerdings hat sie Probleme mit der Grammatik.

(Anna enjoys studying German; however, she has problems with the grammar.)

Trotz (Despite)

Trotz ihrer Probleme mit der Grammatik lernt Anna gerne Deutsch.

(Despite her problems with German grammar, Anna enjoys studying German.)

Im Vergleich zu (In comparison to)

Im Vergleich zu Russisch ist Deutsch eine einfache Sprache.

In comparison to Russian, German is an easy language.

Im Gegensatz zu (In contrast to; Unlike)

Im Gegensatz zu Anna lernt Paul gerne neue Vokabeln.

Unlike Anna, Paul enjoys learning new vocabulary.

Expressing Your Opinion

Meiner Meinung nach (In my opinion)

Meiner Meinung nach sollte jeder eine Fremdsprache lernen.

(In my opinion, everybody should study a foreign language.)

Ich bin der Ansicht, dass… (I believe that…)

Ich bin der Ansicht, dass jeder eine Fremdsprache lernen sollte.

(I believe that everybody should study a foreign language.)

Ich finde es schade, dass… (I think it’s a pity that…)

Ich finde es schade, dass die Schulen keine anderen Fremdsprachen unterrichten.

(I think it’s a pity that schools don’t teach other foreign languages.)

Summarizing and Concluding

Alles in Allem (Overall)

Alles in allem ist Deutsch nicht so schwierig, wie es scheint.

(Overall, German isn’t as difficult as it seems.)

Im Großen und Ganzen (Overall)

Im Großen und Ganzen ist Deutsch keine schwierige Sprache.

(Overall, German isn’t a difficult language.)

Zusammenfassend kann man sagen, dass… (In summary, it can be said that…)

Zusammenfassend kann man sagen, dass Sprachen beim Reisen sehr hilfreich sein können.

(In summary, it can be said that languages can be very helpful when traveling.)

What Are German Essays Like?

Now, let's delve a bit deeper into the essays themselves. How do they differ from the essays you are likely accustomed to writing?

• Their structure resembles that of English essays. Recall the basic essay parts: introduction, body and conclusion. The good news is that German essays follow this same pattern. A German essay typically includes an introductory paragraph stating your argument, several body paragraphs that develop it and a concluding section. Essay structure is one area where German and English show notable similarity.

• German essays tend to be more direct. While the structure is similar, German essays—much like German communication style—often express points more bluntly and clearly. There's no need to subtly hint at your conclusions or be vague in German: simply state your meaning directly.

• German punctuation has its own rules. The rules for punctuation in German differ from those in English. For instance, a colon is used to introduce a direct quote rather than a comma. Quotation marks are used for titles of books, films and newspapers instead of italics. Also, relative clauses starting with dass (that) are set off by a comma, which is not always the case in American English. Knowing these punctuation differences will help you avoid revealing yourself as a non-native writer just from your punctuation choices!

The Different Types of German Essays

Before beginning your essay, ensure you know which type you are supposed to write. If it's for a class, carefully read and comprehend the instructions.

Here are some notes on the most frequent essay types in German.

• An Erzählung is a narrative essay that relates a story. Your teacher might provide some keywords or images and ask you to build a story around them. An Erlebniserzählung ("experience story") focuses on a personal experience and can be written from a first-person perspective.

• An Erörterung is an argumentative essay, a written work intended to persuade the reader to adopt your viewpoint. This type of writing demands thorough research on your topic and solid evidence to support your argument.

• In a Nacherzählung you concisely retell a book, film or article you've read, maintaining an objective standpoint. Depending on the assignment, your personal opinion might be requested in the conclusion.

How to Write an Essay in German in 4 Steps

Ready to begin writing? Apply these four methods to impress your instructors and produce an excellent German essay.

1. Write down a list of words

View any new task as a chance to acquire and master new vocabulary. Rather than sticking to the words you use in everyday German conversation, use this essay as a chance to add new terms to your German vocabulary.

Furthermore, using academic language that helps you formulate and support your argument can give your essay a more professional and refined tone. So before you start writing, compile a list of German words you intend to use in your essay.

2. Do your research

As with any project, treat the research phase of essay writing as an opportunity to deepen your knowledge about Germany—this could be about German culture, history, politics or travel.

If you're writing this essay for a language class, you'll probably be given a topic related to one of these facets of German life, so use this chance to find out more about Deutschland.

For instance, Deutsche Welle provides information and materials on German history. Other newspapers like Berliner Zeitung and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung offer different viewpoints on politics and daily life in Germany.

3. Make an outline using transition words

An essay that doesn't progress smoothly from one idea to the next feels very awkward. Moreover, considering how your arguments and points relate to one another helps you structure your essay and effectively communicate your message. (Do they support one another? Contradict each other? How exactly do they help advance your argument?)

Examples of transition words:

• Vorher (prior)

• zur gleichen Zeit (at the same time)

• dann (then)

• trotzdem (nevertheless)

• noch (still)

4. Write directly in German

Composing an essay in English and then translating it to German frequently produces awkward, poorly structured sentences and unnatural phrasing.

For example, remember that German sentence structure differs from English. If you write "He didn't read the book," a word-for-word translation would be Er hat gelesen nicht das Buch. But the correct translation is actually Er hat nicht das Buch gelesen. Here, translating literally causes mistakes.

There's another, less concrete reason why writing in English first and then translating is not ideal. Sure, you could just remember to adjust the word order when translating into German. But wouldn't it be better to train your brain so that German word order feels natural and fluid?

Learning to think and compose directly in German is a crucial step toward fluency, and creating sentences originally in German, rather than through translation, will help you develop this skill.

One effective way to start thinking in a language is to hear it used in natural contexts. You can hear German spoken naturally in German TV series, films and YouTube videos.

Hearing German spoken at a natural pace and with a native accent will help you think in the language in real time. This will assist you in reaching the point where you can form your own sentences in German, instead of thinking of English sentences first and then mentally translating them before you speak or write. This will significantly enhance your speed and fluency when writing in German.

So, just start writing the essay in German. Look up any unfamiliar words and verify any grammatical structures you are unsure about. After finishing, have a German-speaking acquaintance review your essay to ensure it sounds natural.

An Example of a German Essay

Now that we've discussed methods and phrases for writing excellent German essays, let's examine a sample.

In the United States, World War I receives less attention than World War II (where the U.S. was more directly involved). But for Europe, World War I was a devastating demonstration of the perils of modern technological warfare and the terrors of violence.

Let's look at a sample opening paragraph and outline for an essay about World War I's impact on the German government and society.

Opening paragraph:

Der Erste Weltkrieg war ein totaler Krieg, der Deutschland völlig veränderte. Dieser Krieg hat 1914 angefangen, und 1918, als der Krieg zu Ende kam, waren die deutsche Gesellschaft, Regierung und Kultur nicht mehr erkennbar. Am Anfang hat der Erste Weltkrieg altväterliche Ideen und Systeme verstärkt. Am Ende hat dieser Krieg dagegen diese altväterlichen Dinge zerstört.

(The First World War was a total war that completely changed Germany. This war began in 1914 and in 1918, when the war came to an end, German society, government and culture were no longer recognizable. At the beginning, the First World War strengthened old-fashioned ideas and systems. However, by the end, this war destroyed these old-fashioned things.)

Notice that this opening paragraph isn't very different from the first paragraph of an English essay. You can employ the same structure you've always used for your German essay, allowing you to concentrate on grammar and vocabulary.

Also note the use of phrases like Am Anfang (at the beginning) and Dagegen (however). Such words can help you present a point and counterpoint in your introduction (or anywhere else in your essay).

Outline:

I. Am Anfang (at the beginning):

– Dieser Krieg hat Deutschland vereint . (This war united Germany.) – Menschen hatten ein patriotisches Gefühl. (People had a patriotic feeling.) – Menschen dachten, dass der Krieg bald zu Ende kommen würde. (People thought that the war would soon come to an end.)

Note that these points use words like dachten (thought). Written German often uses the Präteritum, a past tense form rarely used in spoken German. It's often called the "literary past tense" for this reason. Refer to a guide on the Präteritum to incorporate this tense into your essay.

II. Andrerseits (on the other hand):

– Bald gab es kein Essen mehr . (Soon there was no more food.) – Menschen wurden krank und desillusioniert . (People became sick and disillusioned.) – Es gab Proteste und Unruhen. (There was protest and unrest.)

Similar to an English essay, your second and third paragraphs can contain supporting points or contrasting ideas that add to the overall theme of your work. The word Andrerseits (on the other hand) is a perfect transition word to indicate you're moving into another section.

Also observe that this essay will use vocabulary that the average learner might not have encountered previously. After all, who learns terms for "disillusioned" and "unrest" in an intermediate German class? But don't be intimidated by the prospect of including specialized vocabulary. Instead, treat it as a learning opportunity.

III. zum Schluss (in conclusion):

– Der Kaiser hat abgedankt . (The Emperor abdicated.) – Eine Republik wurde geboren. (A Republic was born.) – Die alten Werte waren weg. (The old values were gone.)

Once again, abgedankt (abdicated) is an example of the literary past tense (and a word you probably haven't seen in your previous German studies!)

IV. Schließlich (finally)

– Der Erste Weltkrieg hat Deutschland verändert . (The First World War completely changed Germany.)

Again, as in an English essay, use this paragraph to reiterate your main point.

Feeling a bit more confident about your next German essay now?

Just create a solid essay plan, jot down some new words and phrases you want to include and you're set!

By incorporating these expressive elements into your German essays, you'll undoubtedly enhance your writing and make it more impactful.

Enjoy writing!