Today's words · 🧳 Packing
Before you zip the suitcase: 10 German packing words
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The night before a trip, pack some German along with your socks.
It's the night before your trip. You're sitting on your suitcase to close the zip when it hits you: did I pack the charger? The passport? So you open it all up again and check.
Today's ten words are the ones that come up every time you pack. Use them to write your own German packing list — and to say things like ‘I left my charger at home’ at the hotel desk. Let's open that bag! 🧳
📋 The ten words at a glance
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
der Koffer
[KOFF-er]suitcase(Pl. die Koffer)
📌 Mein Koffer ist zu schwer.
→ My suitcase is too heavy.
💡 Same root as English coffer — your suitcase is a treasure chest 💼
⚠ The plural looks the same: die Koffer
packen
[PACK-en]to pack(packt – hat gepackt)
📌 Ich muss noch meinen Koffer packen.
→ I still have to pack my suitcase.
💡 Just English pack 🎒 Koffer packen = to pack your suitcase.
Bonus to unpack = auspacken
einpacken
[INE-pack-en]to wrap (up); to pack(packt ein – hat eingepackt)
📌 Soll ich es als Geschenk einpacken?
→ Shall I gift-wrap it?
💡 ein (in) + packen = pack it in 🎁 Shops also use it for gift-wrapping.
⚠ Separable verb: Ich packe das Ladegerät ein.
das Handtuch
[HANT-tookh]towel(Pl. die Handtücher)
📌 Hier ist ein sauberes Handtuch.
→ Here's a clean towel.
💡 Hand + Tuch (cloth) = hand cloth 🧺 Even a big bath towel is often just a Handtuch.
⚠ Plural with umlaut: die Handtücher
der Reisepass
[RYE-zuh-pass]passport(Pl. die Reisepässe)
📌 Vergiss deinen Reisepass nicht!
→ Don't forget your passport!
💡 Reise (journey) + Pass = travel pass 🛂 People often just say der Pass.
Bonus valid = gültig: Ist der Pass noch gültig?
der Rucksack
[ROOK-zak]backpack, rucksack(Pl. die Rucksäcke)
📌 Ich packe meinen Rucksack.
→ I'm packing my backpack.
💡 Rücken (back) + Sack = back-sack 🎒 English borrowed rucksack from German!
⚠ Plural: die Rucksäcke
das Shampoo
[SHAM-poo]shampoo(Pl. die Shampoos)
📌 Das Shampoo ist alle, ich muss neues kaufen.
→ The shampoo is all gone, I need to buy new.
💡 Same as English 🧴 It originally comes from a Hindi word for ‘to massage’.
Bonus conditioner = die Spülung · soap = die Seife
die Zahnpasta
[TSAHN-pas-ta]toothpaste(Pl. die Zahnpasten · = die Zahncreme)
📌 Die Zahnpasta ist fast leer.
→ The toothpaste is almost empty.
💡 Zahn (tooth) + Pasta (paste) = tooth pasta 🍝 Not spaghetti, promise!
Bonus Also called die Zahncreme · toothbrush = die Zahnbürste
das Ladegerät
[LAH-duh-geh-rayt]charger(Pl. die Ladegeräte)
📌 Ich habe mein Ladegerät zu Hause vergessen.
→ I left my charger at home.
💡 laden (to load, charge) + Gerät (device) = loading device 🔌
Bonus power bank = die Powerbank · cable = das Kabel
der Badeanzug
[BAH-duh-an-tsook]swimsuit, swimming costume(Pl. die Badeanzüge)
📌 Vergiss deinen Badeanzug nicht!
→ Don't forget your swimsuit!
💡 baden (to bathe) + Anzug (suit) = bathing suit 👙 Word for word!
Bonus Men's swimming trunks = die Badehose
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
Many German youth hostels and budget places don't include towels, or charge extra for them. If you're planning a sauna visit, bring a big towel: in German saunas you usually sit or lie on your own towel.
German sockets take the round two-pin European plug. If you're coming from the UK, the US or elsewhere outside mainland Europe, pack an adapter.
And remember that most shops close on Sundays. If you've forgotten your toothpaste or shampoo, shops at big train stations and airports are your best friends. Pack early! 🧴
✅ Quick quiz
Q. You arrive at the hotel and your phone is at 0%. What do you tell reception?
- ① Ich habe mein Handtuch vergessen.
- ② Ich habe meinen Badeanzug vergessen.
- ③ Ich habe mein Ladegerät vergessen.
Show the answer
③ Ich habe mein Ladegerät vergessen.
Ladegerät = charger — exactly what you need for a dead phone.
Next time you pack, name each thing in German as it goes in: ‘Reisepass — check!’ Have a great trip! ✈️
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 🛫 At the airport