Today's words · 📱 Phone & internet contract
Getting connected: 10 German words for phones and the internet
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In your first week in Germany, you'll hunt for Wi-Fi before you hunt for a flat.
You land, switch on your phone and… nothing. In the phone shop the assistant talks about Tarif, Laufzeit and Datenvolumen without a pause. You nod along, but you've understood almost nothing.
Today's ten words come up every time you sign a phone or internet contract. With them you can compare plans, read the small print and, later, cancel it yourself. 📱
📋 The ten words at a glance
- das Handy — mobile phone, cell phone
- der Vertrag — contract; agreement
- der Tarif — tariff, (price) plan
- die SIM-Karte — SIM card
- das Datenvolumen — data allowance, data volume
- das WLAN — Wi-Fi, wireless LAN
- das Internet — internet
- der Anbieter — provider, supplier
- die Laufzeit — term (of a contract); running time
- kündigen — to cancel (a contract); to quit (a job); to give notice, to dismiss
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
das Handy
[HEN-dee]mobile phone, cell phone(Pl. die Handys)
📌 Mein Handy ist kaputt.
→ My mobile is broken.
💡 Looks English, but only Germans call a phone a Handy 📱
⚠ False friend: ‘handy’ (useful) in German is praktisch.
der Vertrag
[fair-TRAHK]contract; agreement(Pl. die Verträge)
📌 Bitte lesen Sie den Vertrag genau, bevor Sie unterschreiben.
→ Please read the contract carefully before you sign.
💡 ver- + tragen (to carry) = a deal where both sides carry their part 🤝
Bonus Rental contract: der Mietvertrag · job contract: der Arbeitsvertrag
der Tarif
[tah-REEF]tariff, (price) plan(Pl. die Tarife)
📌 Welcher Tarif passt am besten zu mir?
→ Which plan suits me best?
💡 Same word as English tariff — a price list with a German accent 📊
Bonus A mobile plan is der Handytarif.
die SIM-Karte
[ZIM-kar-tuh]SIM card(Pl. die SIM-Karten)
📌 Wo bekomme ich eine SIM-Karte?
→ Where can I get a SIM card?
💡 German S sounds like Z, so SIM becomes ‘zim’ 🗂️
Bonus Many people now use die eSIM.
das Datenvolumen
[DAH-ten-vo-LOO-men]data allowance, data volume((plural rare))
📌 Mein Datenvolumen ist schon aufgebraucht.
→ I've already used up my data.
💡 Daten (data) + Volumen (volume) = the size of your data bucket 📶
Bonus When it's gone: Mein Datenvolumen ist aufgebraucht.
das WLAN
[VAY-lahn]Wi-Fi, wireless LAN((pl. rare))
📌 Wie ist das WLAN-Passwort?
→ What's the Wi-Fi password?
💡 German W sounds like V, so it's ‘VAY-lahn’, not ‘wi-fi’ 📡
Bonus Useful in a café: Gibt es hier WLAN?
das Internet
[IN-ter-net]internet((no pl.))
📌 Ich suche das im Internet.
→ I'll look it up on the internet.
💡 A free word — it's the same as in English 🌐 im Internet = online
⚠ It's neuter: das Internet.
der Anbieter
[AHN-bee-ter]provider, supplier(Pl. die Anbieter (f: die Anbieterin))
📌 Ich wechsle meinen Handyanbieter, weil er zu teuer ist.
→ I'm switching my mobile provider because it's too expensive.
💡 an + bieten (to offer, like English bid) + -er = the one offering you a deal 🏪
Bonus The offer itself: das Angebot
die Laufzeit
[LOWF-tsite]term (of a contract); running time(Pl. die Laufzeiten)
📌 Der Vertrag hat eine Laufzeit von 24 Monaten.
→ The contract has a term of 24 months.
💡 The time (Zeit) a contract runs (laufen) ⏳
Bonus It also means a film's running time.
kündigen
[KUEN-di-gen]to cancel (a contract); to quit (a job); to give notice, to dismiss(kündigt – hat gekündigt)
📌 Er hat seine Stelle gekündigt.
→ He quit his job.
💡 Done with a contract or a job? kündigen ✂️
⚠ It works for being fired too: Mir wurde gekündigt. (I was let go.)
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
In Germany you usually choose between a contract (Vertrag) and a prepaid SIM. Many newcomers start with a prepaid card from a supermarket or chemist. You'll normally have to verify your identity, for example with your passport, before it works.
Contracts often run for 24 months, so check the Laufzeit and the notice period (Kündigungsfrist). Some contracts roll on automatically at the end, so if you want out, kündigen in good time.
Home internet can take a few weeks to set up, especially if a technician needs to come. Once you know your moving date, sort out the internet first. 📶
✅ Quick quiz
Q. You're in a café and want to get online. What do you ask?
- ① Ich kündige den Vertrag.
- ② Wie ist das WLAN-Passwort?
- ③ Mein Handy ist kaputt.
Show the answer
② Wie ist das WLAN-Passwort?
Wie ist das WLAN-Passwort? = What's the Wi-Fi password? Exactly what you need in a café.
Describe your own phone plan in German today. Start with Mein Tarif hat… and keep going! 📶
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 💇 Hair salon