Today's words · 🗞️ Reading the news
10 German words that unlock the headlines
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German news feels tough at first, but the same ten words come up every single day.
On the morning train, the person next to you opens a newspaper. You can see the big headline but have no idea what happened. That evening a friend asks, ‘Hast du die Nachrichten gesehen?’
Today's ten words appear in the news every day. Learn them and headlines suddenly start making sense — and you can join in when people talk about what's going on. 🗞️
📋 The ten words at a glance
- die Nachricht — message; news; (pl.) the news
- die Zeitung — newspaper
- der Artikel — article; (grammar) article; item, product
- der Journalist — journalist
- berichten — to report
- der Bericht — report
- die Medien — media
- die Schlagzeile — headline
- aktuell — current, up-to-date, topical
- die Quelle — source; spring
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
die Nachricht
[NAKH-rikht]message; news; (pl.) the news(Pl. die Nachrichten)
📌 Ich habe dir eine Nachricht geschrieben.
→ I sent you a message.
💡 nach (after) + richten (to direct) = info you act on afterwards 📩 A text message is also a Nachricht.
⚠ For ‘the news’, use the plural: die Nachrichten.
die Zeitung
[TSY-toong]newspaper(Pl. die Zeitungen)
📌 Ich lese jeden Morgen die Zeitung.
→ I read the paper every morning.
💡 Hear Zeit (time) in it? The news of the day 📰 -ung, so die.
Bonus A magazine is die Zeitschrift.
der Artikel
[ar-TEE-kel]article; (grammar) article; item, product(Pl. die Artikel)
📌 Hast du den Artikel in der Zeitung gelesen?
→ Have you read the article in the newspaper?
💡 A newspaper article and der/die/das are both Artikel ✏️ Every learner's frenemy.
Bonus In shops it also means an item or product.
der Journalist
[zhoor-na-LIST]journalist(Pl. die Journalisten (f: die Journalistin))
📌 Sie arbeitet als Journalistin bei einer Zeitung.
→ She works as a journalist for a newspaper.
💡 From French journal, a daily paper 🎤 The J is soft, like in French.
Bonus A female journalist is die Journalistin.
berichten
[buh-RIKH-ten]to report(berichtet – hat berichtet)
📌 Die Zeitung berichtet über den Unfall.
→ The newspaper reports on the accident.
💡 be- + richten (to set right) = to set out the facts 📡
Bonus to report on = berichten über + accusative
der Bericht
[buh-RIKHT]report(Pl. die Berichte)
📌 Ich muss bis Freitag einen Bericht schreiben.
→ I have to write a report by Friday.
💡 Drop the -en from berichten and you have the noun 📋
Bonus The weather forecast is der Wetterbericht.
die Medien
[MAY-dee-en]media((plural) Sg. das Medium)
📌 Die Medien berichten über den Skandal.
→ The media are reporting on the scandal.
💡 Same Latin root as English media 📺
⚠ Usually plural: die Medien. The singular is das Medium.
die Schlagzeile
[SHLAHK-tsy-luh]headline(Pl. die Schlagzeilen)
📌 Der Skandal machte tagelang Schlagzeilen.
→ The scandal made headlines for days.
💡 schlagen (to strike) + Zeile (line) = the line that hits you 💥
Bonus Schlagzeilen machen = to make headlines
aktuell
[ak-too-EL]current, up-to-date, topical📌 Das sind die aktuellen Nachrichten.
→ That's the latest news.
💡 Hot off the press 🔥 aktuelle Nachrichten = the latest news
⚠ False friend: aktuell = current. ‘Actually’ is eigentlich.
die Quelle
[KVEL-uh]source; spring(Pl. die Quellen)
📌 Bitte nennen Sie Ihre Quellen.
→ Please cite your sources.
💡 A spring where water bubbles up — and where information comes from 💧
Bonus to cite your source = die Quelle angeben
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
The classic German evening news is the Tagesschau on the public broadcaster ARD. Its 8 pm edition is famous, and many households still end the day with it.
If you're learning German, try Deutsche Welle's slowly spoken news (Langsam gesprochene Nachrichten). It's real news, read at learner speed.
Most households in Germany also pay a public broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbeitrag). You'll often get a letter about it after you register a new address, so don't be surprised. 📺
✅ Quick quiz
Q. You want to tell a German friend, ‘Actually, I've got the day off today.’
- ① Aktuell habe ich eine Schlagzeile.
- ② Eigentlich habe ich heute frei.
- ③ Die Medien haben heute frei.
Show the answer
② Eigentlich habe ich heute frei.
‘Actually’ is eigentlich; aktuell means current, so it's the trap.
Open a German news site today and read three headlines out loud. Count how many words you recognise! 🗞️
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 🗳️ Elections & politics