Lesson 46 · German A1-2

Emergency Phrases

Notfälle

This is the one lesson you hope never to need, and the one most worth over-preparing anyway. A short, high-priority list - memorize these outright rather than reasoning through the grammar in the moment.

Today's win: know the German emergency number, how to call for help, and how to describe an emergency in one clear sentence.

The emergency number

112 (fire, ambulance, medical emergency - works across the EU)
110 (police)

Core phrases to say immediately

Hilfe! (Help!)
Ich brauche einen Krankenwagen. (I need an ambulance.)
Es gibt einen Unfall. (There's been an accident.)
Rufen Sie bitte einen Arzt! (Please call a doctor! - imperative, Lesson 25)

What the operator will ask - be ready to answer

Wo sind Sie? (Where are you? - have your address ready, Lesson 9's vocab)
Was ist passiert? (What happened?)
Wie viele Personen sind verletzt? (How many people are injured?)

Core emergency nouns

der Notfallemergencyder Unfallaccident
der Krankenwagenambulanceverletztinjured
Try it out loud, right now, before you ever need it: say your full home address out loud in German - this is the one piece of information you must be able to produce instantly, without thinking, in a real emergency.

Quick recall check

1. What's the EU-wide emergency number (fire/ambulance)?

Show answer
112

2. "I need an ambulance." - Ich brauche einen ______.

Show answer
Krankenwagen

3. What will the operator ask first?

Show answer
Wo sind Sie?

4. What's the German police emergency number?

Show answer
110

5. What does "verletzt" mean?

Show answer
injured

Primary source

Cross-checked against the "Gesundheit und Notfall" topic in the official Goethe-Zertifikat A1 Wortliste.

Want to rehearse a full emergency call, including your actual address? Ask your teaching agent to role-play it with you now, while it's low-stakes.

← Lesson 45 Lesson 47 →