Genau
Topic test · A2

Phrases with and without a German equivalent test

13questions
8minutes
60%pass mark
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One question at a time, the clock runs. Answers stay closed like a real exam: you see every correct answer with its explanation at the end. Score 60% to finish the topic.

Topic test

13 questions, easy to hard

Pick an option and press «Next». You can go back and change it. Anything left blank counts as wrong.

A friend’s father has died. What do you say?

Beileid = condolences. Gute Besserung is said to someone who will recover; it can’t be used for a death.

Your friend had a car accident but is unhurt. Which one?

He isn’t ill. Gute Besserung is only said to a body that will heal.

At the table someone says Guten Appetit! to you. Your reply?

Gleichfalls = “you too”. That is the standard reply to this phrase.

Your host cooked dinner and it was delicious. What do you say to thank them for the food?

There is no fixed phrase — there is praise. Even better when it is specific: Die Suppe war fantastisch.

What does Mahlzeit! mean in an office corridor at noon?

The phrase said at the table is Guten Appetit. Mahlzeit is the midday greeting.

Someone welcomes you with Herzlich willkommen! What is the set reply?

Herzlich willkommen has no obligatory answer. The back-and-forth chain of set replies that some languages have doesn’t exist in German.

Your neighbour is painting the stairwell. What is the best way to wish them an easy job?

There is no exact equivalent. To an acquaintance you say Frohes Schaffen or Viel Erfolg; to a worker you don’t know, saying nothing is normal too.

Someone sneezed. What do Germans say?

Gesundheit! = “bless you”. The reply is simply Danke.

Your friend has an exam tomorrow. Which one?

Daumen drücken = literally “to press thumbs”, the German “fingers crossed”. Glückwunsch comes after the thing has happened.

You hand someone a gift and want to say “enjoy it”. Which one?

It is a wish, not a fixed phrase: Viel Freude damit! or Viel Spaß damit! It isn’t obligatory, and nothing is missing if you skip it.

To wish someone an easy time at work, German uses the phrase Möge es einfach kommen!

False. German has no word-for-word phrase for this. Usually people say Frohes Schaffen!

Before a meal you say Guten !

Appetit. Guten Appetit! literally means “good appetite” and is the phrase to say before eating.

Build the sentence: It’s all the same to me.

Tap the pieces to build the sentence

egal is used very often for “it makes no difference”.
Quick rules

The rules in three lines

The full topic lives on its own page. This is only the core you need for the test.

  1. Six phrases have an equivalent — just memorise them

    Condolences, sneezing, enjoy your meal, good luck, get well, welcome: for these the German phrase fits the moment exactly. Say them the way you hear them.

    Mein herzliches Beileid. · Gesundheit! · Ich drücke dir die Daumen!

  2. Seven moments have NO phrase — don’t translate, say what the moment calls for

    Thanking the cook, wishing a worker an easy time, answering a welcome, “enjoy it” for a gift: German has no set phrase for these. A German says what they actually feel: the food was good, have a good day at work, thanks, enjoy.

    Das hat richtig gut geschmeckt. · Frohes Schaffen! · Viel Freude damit!

  3. The same idea needs two different phrases

    A single “get well” phrase may cover death and accidents in some languages; German separates them. Death → Beileid, accident/illness → Das tut mir leid or Gute Besserung.

    Zum Glück ist nichts Schlimmeres passiert.

Traps

Commonly mixed up

Where a direct translation breaks. The hard questions come from here.

  • Gesundheit für deine Hände!

    Das hat richtig gut geschmeckt.

    Translated word for word, “health to your hand” is not a German wish, just a meaningless sentence. Praise the meal, not the hand.

  • Möge es leicht kommen!

    Frohes Schaffen!

    There is no German for “may it come easy”; to someone working you say Frohes Schaffen or Viel Erfolg.

  • Mahlzeit! → thinking it means “enjoy your meal” and waiting for food

    Mahlzeit! = the midday greeting; you answer with “Mahlzeit!” too

    Said in the office corridor at noon, no table needed. You give it back like a hello.