Today's words · 💰 Money
Money talk: 10 German words for cash, coins and saving
A1A2B1
Can't get a trolley at a German supermarket? That's exactly when you'll need today's words.
You try to pull a trolley out at a German supermarket and it won't budge. It needs a coin — and your wallet is full of cards. Too shy to ask ‘Haben Sie eine Münze?’, you grab a basket instead.
Today's ten words are all about money: cash and coins, saving and spending, lending and borrowing. With them you'll be fine at the till and when money comes up with friends. 💰
📋 The ten words at a glance
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
das Geld
[GELT]money(no pl.)
📌 Ich habe leider kein Geld mehr.
→ Unfortunately I have no money left.
💡 Related to gelten (to be worth) 💶 Geld is what's worth something.
⚠ Uncountable, no plural: viel Geld, kein Geld
das Bargeld
[BAR-gelt]cash((no pl.))
📌 Hast du Bargeld dabei?
→ Do you have any cash on you?
💡 bar (bare) + Geld = money in your bare hand 💵
Bonus to pay in cash = bar bezahlen
sparen
[SHPAH-ren]to save (money); to economize(spart – hat gespart)
📌 Ich spare für eine Reise nach Italien.
→ I'm saving for a trip to Italy.
💡 Same root as English spare 🐷 A piggy bank is das Sparschwein.
Bonus Saving for something uses für: für eine Reise sparen
ausgeben
[OWS-gay-ben]to spend (money)(gibt aus – hat ausgegeben)
📌 Ich gebe zu viel Geld für Kleidung aus.
→ I spend too much money on clothes.
💡 aus (out) + geben (give) = money going out 💸
⚠ Separable: Ich gebe viel Geld aus. – hat ausgegeben
das Taschengeld
[TASH-en-gelt]pocket money, allowance(sg.)
📌 Ich bekomme 20 Euro Taschengeld im Monat.
→ I get 20 euros pocket money a month.
💡 Tasche (pocket) + Geld = pocket money, word for word 👖
die Münze
[MUEN-tsuh]coin(Pl. die Münzen)
📌 Hast du eine Münze für den Einkaufswagen?
→ Have you got a coin for the shopping trolley?
💡 Same root as English money and mint 🪙 Ends in -e, so die.
Bonus A banknote is der Schein (Geldschein).
das Kleingeld
[KLINE-gelt]small change, coins(sg.)
📌 Hast du Kleingeld für den Automaten?
→ Do you have change for the machine?
💡 klein (small) + Geld = small change 🪙
Bonus At the till you'll hear: Haben Sie es passend? (Do you have the exact amount?)
leihen
[LY-en]to lend; (sich + dat.) to borrow(leiht – hat geliehen)
📌 Kannst du mir dein Fahrrad leihen?
→ Can you lend me your bike?
💡 Same root as English loan 🤝 One verb for lending and borrowing.
⚠ Lend: jemandem etwas leihen · Borrow: sich etwas leihen
die Schulden
[SHOOL-den]debts(Pl. (sg. die Schuld = fault, guilt))
📌 Er hat hohe Schulden bei der Bank.
→ He has large debts with the bank.
💡 Lots of Schuld (what you owe) piles up into Schulden 😰
⚠ The singular die Schuld means fault or guilt: Das ist nicht meine Schuld.
der Geldbeutel
[GELT-boy-tel]wallet, purse(Pl. die Geldbeutel)
📌 Ich habe meinen Geldbeutel zu Hause vergessen.
→ I left my wallet at home.
💡 Geld (money) + Beutel (pouch) = money pouch 👛 Beutel makes it der.
Bonus In the north you'll also hear das Portemonnaie.
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
Germany has long had a reputation for loving cash. Card payments have become much more common, but some small bakeries and local restaurants still take cash only, so it's wise to carry a little.
Supermarket trolleys usually need a coin or a trolley token to unlock them, and you get it back when you return the trolley. Lots of people keep a token on their key ring.
Saving is also valued. Many children get Taschengeld and learn to manage it by putting some aside in a piggy bank. 🐷
✅ Quick quiz
Q. You've left your wallet at home and want to borrow ten euros from a friend. What do you ask?
- ① Kannst du mir zehn Euro leihen?
- ② Kannst du zehn Euro sparen?
- ③ Kannst du zehn Euro ausgeben?
Show the answer
① Kannst du mir zehn Euro leihen?
jemandem etwas leihen means to lend someone something, so you ask: can you lend me (mir) ten euros?
Open your wallet today and name what's inside in German: Bargeld, Münzen, Kleingeld… and hopefully no Schulden! 💶
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 💪 Health