Today's words · 💥 Accidents & claims
Crash course: 10 German words for accidents
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Accidents never warn you in advance, so it's worth packing the words ahead of time.
I was waiting at a red light when — bang — the car behind drove into me. Luckily nobody was hurt, but when the other driver started rattling off Versicherung, Personalien and Kennzeichen, my mind went blank.
Today's ten words are for when something goes wrong. With them you can explain what happened, swap details and deal with the insurance calmly. 🚨
📋 The ten words at a glance
- der Unfall — accident
- die Verletzung — injury, wound
- beschädigen — to damage
- die Versicherung — insurance; insurance company
- die Schuld — fault, blame, guilt; (pl.) debts
- der Zusammenstoß — collision, crash
- der Auffahrunfall — rear-end collision
- die Personalien — personal details
- das Kennzeichen — number plate, license plate; distinguishing mark
- der Blechschaden — damage to the car (bodywork only, no injuries)
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
der Unfall
[OON-fal]accident(Pl. die Unfälle)
📌 Auf der Autobahn gab es einen Unfall.
→ There was an accident on the motorway.
💡 un- (bad) + Fall (event, case) = something bad that befalls you 💥
Bonus to have an accident = einen Unfall haben · road accident = der Verkehrsunfall
die Verletzung
[fair-LETS-oong]injury, wound(Pl. die Verletzungen)
📌 Die Verletzung ist nicht schlimm.
→ The injury isn't serious.
💡 verletzen (to injure) + -ung 🩹 -ung, so always die!
Bonus to get hurt = sich verletzen: Ist jemand verletzt? = Is anyone hurt?
beschädigen
[buh-SHAY-dig-en]to damage(beschädigt – hat beschädigt)
📌 Beim Umzug wurde der Tisch beschädigt.
→ The table was damaged during the move.
💡 be- + Schaden (damage) = to damage 🚗 For things, not people.
Bonus Often passive: Das Auto wurde beschädigt.
die Versicherung
[fair-ZIKH-er-oong]insurance; insurance company(Pl. die Versicherungen)
📌 Die Versicherung bezahlt den Schaden.
→ The insurance pays for the damage.
💡 sicher (safe) is hiding inside 🛡️ Insurance keeps you safe.
Bonus After a car accident, always get the other driver's insurer and policy number.
die Schuld
[SHOOLT]fault, blame, guilt; (pl.) debts(Pl. die Schulden)
📌 Das ist nicht meine Schuld!
→ It's not my fault!
💡 Same root as sollen and English shall 🫣 Didn't do what you should? Your fault!
⚠ The plural die Schulden means debts. ‘Not my fault!’ = Das ist nicht meine Schuld!
der Zusammenstoß
[tsoo-ZAM-en-shtohs]collision, crash(Pl. die Zusammenstöße)
📌 Bei dem Zusammenstoß zweier Autos wurden drei Menschen verletzt.
→ Three people were injured in the collision of two cars.
💡 zusammen (together) + Stoß (impact) = two things banging together 💢
Bonus As a verb: zusammenstoßen (perfect: ist zusammengestoßen)
der Auffahrunfall
[OWF-fahr-oon-fal]rear-end collision(Pl. die Auffahrunfälle)
📌 Im Stau kam es zu einem Auffahrunfall mit drei Autos.
→ In the traffic jam there was a rear-end collision involving three cars.
💡 auffahren (to drive into the back of) + Unfall = rear-end crash 🚙💥🚗
Bonus The classic traffic-jam accident: Im Stau gab es einen Auffahrunfall.
die Personalien
[per-zo-NAH-lee-en]personal details(nur Pl.)
📌 Die Polizei hat seine Personalien aufgenommen.
→ The police took down his personal details.
💡 Spot Person inside? 👤 Your name, address and date of birth in one word.
⚠ Only plural: die Personalien. If the police say ‘Ihre Personalien, bitte’, show your ID.
das Kennzeichen
[KEN-tsye-khen]number plate, license plate; distinguishing mark(Pl. die Kennzeichen)
📌 Hast du das Kennzeichen von dem Auto gesehen?
→ Did you see the car's number plate?
💡 kennen (to know) + Zeichen (sign) = the sign that identifies 🔢 a number plate!
Bonus The first letters show the town: B = Berlin, M = München
der Blechschaden
[BLEKH-shah-den]damage to the car (bodywork only, no injuries)(Pl. die Blechschäden)
📌 Bei dem Unfall gab es zum Glück nur Blechschaden.
→ Fortunately the accident only caused damage to the cars.
💡 Blech (sheet metal) + Schaden (damage) = only the metal got dented 🥫 A lucky word — nobody's hurt.
Bonus If people are hurt, it's der Personenschaden.
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
After an accident in Germany, people switch on the hazard lights, put on a hi-vis vest (Warnweste) and set up a warning triangle (Warndreieck) — things you're expected to keep in the car. For injuries call 112; the police are 110.
For a minor crash, drivers usually swap names, addresses, number plates and insurance details, and take photos. Many people keep a European accident report form (Europäischer Unfallbericht) in the glovebox.
You'll often hear the advice not to admit fault on the spot. Calmly describe what happened and let the insurers sort out who's to blame. 🦺
✅ Quick quiz
Q. You've had a minor bump. The police ask: ‘Ist jemand verletzt?’ Nobody is hurt.
- ① Nein, zum Glück nur Blechschaden.
- ② Ja, ich habe eine Versicherung.
- ③ Ich habe das Kennzeichen nicht gesehen.
Show the answer
① Nein, zum Glück nur Blechschaden.
Blechschaden means only the cars are damaged and nobody is hurt.
Run through what you'd say after an accident, out loud, with today's words. And here's hoping you never need it! 🍀
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 🌪️ Disasters & alerts