Today's words · 🚑 Emergencies & 112
Before you dial 112: 10 German words for emergencies
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Emergencies don't send a warning first, so these are words worth learning today.
A cyclist falls in the park and doesn't get up. His leg is bleeding, and someone shouts, “Ruf einen Krankenwagen!” You grab your phone — but what will you say in German when 112 answers?
Today's ten words are the ones you need in an emergency. With them you can call 112, explain what's happening and manage the basics in A&E. Here's hoping you never need them. 🚑
📋 The ten words at a glance
- der Notfall — emergency
- die Hilfe — help
- der Notruf — emergency call; emergency number
- der Krankenwagen — ambulance
- verletzt — injured, hurt
- sich verletzen — to hurt oneself, to get injured
- bluten — to bleed
- bewusstlos — unconscious
- Erste Hilfe leisten — to give first aid
- die Notaufnahme — emergency room, A&E
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
der Notfall
[NOHT-fal]emergency(Pl. die Notfälle)
📌 Im Notfall rufen Sie 112 an.
→ In an emergency, call 112.
💡 Not (distress) + Fall (case) = a case of need 🚨
Bonus emergency exit: der Notausgang · emergency doctor: der Notarzt
die Hilfe
[HIL-fuh]help((no pl.))
📌 Danke für deine Hilfe!
→ Thanks for your help!
💡 Same root as English help 🆘 In a crisis, just shout “Hilfe!”
Bonus Can you help me? = Können Sie mir helfen?
der Notruf
[NOHT-roof]emergency call; emergency number(Pl. die Notrufe)
📌 Der Notruf in Deutschland ist 112.
→ The emergency number in Germany is 112.
💡 Not (emergency) + Ruf (call) = the number you call in an emergency ☎️
Bonus In Germany: ambulance and fire 112, police 110
der Krankenwagen
[KRAHN-ken-vah-gen]ambulance(Pl. die Krankenwagen)
📌 Schnell, ruf einen Krankenwagen!
→ Quick, call an ambulance!
💡 Kranke (sick people) + Wagen (vehicle) = ambulance 🚑
⚠ The plural is the same: die Krankenwagen.
verletzt
[fair-LETST]injured, hurt📌 Der Spieler ist verletzt und kann heute nicht spielen.
→ The player is injured and can't play today.
💡 The past participle of verletzen (to injure) 🩹 Bodies and feelings can both be verletzt.
Bonus an injured person = der/die Verletzte
sich verletzen
[zikh fair-LET-sen]to hurt oneself, to get injured(verletzt sich – hat sich verletzt)
📌 Er hat sich beim Fußball verletzt.
→ He hurt himself playing football.
💡 To injure yourself (sich) = to get hurt 🤕
⚠ It's reflexive, so you need sich: Ich habe mich verletzt.
bluten
[BLOO-ten]to bleed(blutet – hat geblutet)
📌 Du blutest an der Hand, was ist passiert?
→ Your hand is bleeding – what happened?
💡 Blut (blood) + -en = to bleed 🩸 A cousin of English blood and bleed.
Bonus a plaster = das Pflaster
bewusstlos
[beh-VOOST-lohs]unconscious📌 Der Radfahrer lag bewusstlos auf der Straße.
→ The cyclist was lying unconscious in the road.
💡 bewusst (conscious) + -los (-less) = unconscious 😵 -los works like English -less.
Bonus Key sentence for 112: Die Person ist bewusstlos.
Erste Hilfe leisten
[AIR-stuh HIL-fuh LYE-sten]to give first aid(leistet – hat geleistet)
📌 Bis der Krankenwagen kam, leistete eine Passantin Erste Hilfe.
→ A passer-by gave first aid until the ambulance arrived.
💡 To perform (leisten) the first (erste) help (Hilfe) ⛑️
Bonus a first-aid course = der Erste-Hilfe-Kurs
die Notaufnahme
[NOHT-owf-nah-muh]emergency room, A&E(Pl. die Notaufnahmen)
📌 Wir mussten nachts in die Notaufnahme.
→ We had to go to the emergency room at night.
💡 Not (emergency) + Aufnahme (admission) = where emergencies are taken in 🏥
Bonus to go to A&E = in die Notaufnahme gehen
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
In Germany, 112 is for an ambulance or the fire brigade, and 110 is for the police. 112 also works as the emergency number across most of Europe.
When you call 112, stay calm and say where it is (Wo?), what happened (Was?) and how many people are hurt (Wie viele?). Don't hang up until the operator ends the call. Help in English is often possible.
If it's not life-threatening but you need a doctor at night or at the weekend, you can call 116117, the out-of-hours medical service, instead of going to A&E. Save both numbers in your phone today. ☎️
✅ Quick quiz
Q. Someone has collapsed in the street and isn't moving. What do you tell 112?
- ① Ich habe mich verletzt.
- ② Eine Person ist bewusstlos.
- ③ Danke für deine Hilfe!
Show the answer
② Eine Person ist bewusstlos.
Eine Person ist bewusstlos. = Someone is unconscious. It tells them straight away how serious it is.
Imagine a call to 112 and practise Wo, Was and Wie viele out loud in German. 🚑
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 👮 Police & reporting