Today's words · 📷 Photography
Say cheese! 10 German words for taking photos
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One polite question and a stranger can take your best holiday photo.
You're on the riverbank in Dresden and the sunset is stunning. Your selfie shows mostly your face and none of the view. The person next to you could help — but how do you ask in German?
Today's ten words are all about photos: cameras, flash, smiling and more. With them you can ask someone to take your picture and check whether photos are allowed in a museum. 📷
📋 The ten words at a glance
- das Foto — photo
- fotografieren — to take photos, to photograph
- die Kamera — camera
- der Fotoapparat — camera
- das Bild — picture, image; photo
- der Fotograf — photographer
- die Aufnahme — recording; photograph, shot; admission
- der Blitz — lightning; (camera) flash
- lächeln — to smile
- das Motiv — motive; motif, subject (of a picture)
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
das Foto
[FOH-toh]photo(Pl. die Fotos)
📌 Kannst du ein Foto von uns machen?
→ Can you take a photo of us?
💡 From Greek phōs (light) 💡 A picture drawn with light.
Bonus to take a photo = ein Foto machen · Kannst du ein Foto von uns machen?
fotografieren
[foh-toh-grah-FEE-ren]to take photos, to photograph(fotografiert – hat fotografiert)
📌 Darf man hier fotografieren?
→ Are you allowed to take photos here?
💡 Foto + -ieren 📸 -ieren verbs are always stressed on the ‘ee’.
⚠ -ieren verbs take no ge-: hat fotografiert.
die Kamera
[KAH-meh-rah]camera(Pl. die Kameras)
📌 Meine Kamera ist kaputt.
→ My camera is broken.
💡 Latin camera meant ‘room’ 🏠 Think of a dark room letting in light.
Bonus phone camera = die Handykamera
der Fotoapparat
[foh-toh-ah-pah-RAHT]camera(Pl. die Fotoapparate)
📌 Ich habe meinen Fotoapparat vergessen.
→ I forgot my camera.
💡 Foto + Apparat (device) = photo device 📷 Apparat is der, so it's der.
Bonus die Kamera is more common now; Fotoapparat sounds a bit old-fashioned.
das Bild
[BILT]picture, image; photo(Pl. die Bilder)
📌 Das Bild hängt im Wohnzimmer.
→ The picture hangs in the living room.
💡 A painting, a photo, an image on screen: all Bild 🖼️ A real all-rounder.
⚠ Plural: die Bilder.
der Fotograf
[foh-toh-GRAHF]photographer(Pl. die Fotografen (f: die Fotografin))
📌 Für die Hochzeit haben wir einen Fotografen gebucht.
→ We've booked a photographer for the wedding.
💡 phōs (light) + graphein (write) = someone who writes with light ✍️
⚠ Weak noun: den/dem/des Fotografen.
die Aufnahme
[OWF-nah-muh]recording; photograph, shot; admission(Pl. die Aufnahmen)
📌 Die Aufnahme von dem Konzert ist sehr gut.
→ The recording of the concert is very good.
💡 From aufnehmen (to take in) 🎞️ The camera ‘takes in’ the moment.
Bonus It also means an audio or video recording.
der Blitz
[BLITS]lightning; (camera) flash(Pl. die Blitze)
📌 Der Blitz hat in den Baum eingeschlagen.
→ Lightning struck the tree.
💡 Flash! Lightning and camera flash are both Blitz ⚡ English blitz comes from it.
Bonus A speed camera is colloquially der Blitzer.
lächeln
[LEKH-eln]to smile(lächelt – hat gelächelt)
📌 Das Baby lächelt mich an.
→ The baby smiles at me.
💡 lachen (laugh) + small -eln = a little laugh 😊
Bonus Photographer's line: Bitte lächeln!
das Motiv
[moh-TEEF]motive; motif, subject (of a picture)(Pl. die Motive)
📌 Das Motiv für die Tat ist unklar.
→ The motive for the crime is unclear.
💡 Like motif: the subject of your picture 🌄
⚠ It also means a motive for a crime — context tells you which.
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
Many Germans are quite sensitive about being photographed up close by strangers or appearing online. There's a well-known idea of a right to your own image (Recht am eigenen Bild), so it's good manners to ask first.
Museums and churches each have their own rules. Look for Fotografieren verboten or a crossed-out camera at the entrance; many places allow photos but no flash (ohne Blitz).
For visa or passport pictures you can use a photo shop or a photo booth (Fotoautomat), often found near stations and public offices. Berlin also has old-school booths that print black-and-white strips. 📸
✅ Quick quiz
Q. You want to know whether you can take pictures in a museum. What do you ask?
- ① Darf man hier fotografieren?
- ② Darf man hier lächeln?
- ③ Ist das ein Motiv?
Show the answer
① Darf man hier fotografieren?
Darf man hier fotografieren? means ‘Is it OK to take photos here?’
Take a photo today and call out Bitte lächeln! Your friends smile, and your German gets better. 😄
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 🎲 Board & card games