German Vocab

Arbeitslosigkeit

Unemployment

Beamter

Civil servant, government official

Befehl

Order, command

Besitz

Possession, property

Beutel

Bag, pouch

Bürgermeister

Mayor

Dichter

Poet, writer

Ehre

Honor

Erlebnis

Experience, event

Freiheit

Freedom, liberty

Führer

Leader, guide (can have Nazi connotation depending on context)

Gefahr

Danger

Gefängnis

Prison

Giftgas

Poison gas

Gottesgeißel

Scourge of God (often used to refer to someone seen as divine punishment)

Grenze

Border, limit

Heimat

Homeland, native place

Lüge

Lie

Macht

Power

Meinung

Opinion

Nachricht

Message, news

Parteigenosse

Party comrade (especially in political parties, e.g. Nazis)

Pflichtverteidiger

Public defender, court-appointed attorney

Postkutsche

Stagecoach

Predigt

Sermon

Prozeß (Prozess)

Trial, process

Rattenfänger

Rat catcher (often refers to the Pied Piper of Hamelin)

die Rechte

The right (political right), or rights

Stimmung

Mood, atmosphere

Strafe / Todesstrafe

Punishment / death penalty

Urteil

Verdict, judgment

Verantwortung

Responsibility

Widerstand

Resistance

Zionstern

Star of Zion (refers to the yellow star Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust)

Zwangsarbeit

Forced labor

ausdrucken

To print out

bauen

To build

bedrohen

To threaten

befehlen

To command, order

beten

To pray

blättern

To leaf through (pages)

begraben

To bury

bemerken

To notice

einziehen

To move in / draft (into military)

entlassen

To release, dismiss, lay off

erleben

To experience

erwachen

To awaken

feiern

To celebrate

hassen

To hate

kämpfen

To fight

pflücken

To pick (fruit, flowers)

quälen

To torment, torture

reden

To talk, speak

reinigen

To clean

retten

To rescue

rumpeln

To rumble, clatter

schweigen

To be silent

spucken

To spit

sterben

To die

überfüllen

To overcrowd

überraschen

To surprise

verbreiten

To spread, distribute

verhaften

To arrest

verschwinden

To disappear

versprechen

To promise

zerstören

To destroy

zweifeln

To doubt

anstrengend

Exhausting, strenuous

aufgeregt

Excited, nervous

eisern

Iron, firm, unyielding

gefährlich

Dangerous

geheimnisvoll

Mysterious

geisteskrank

Mentally ill

leer

Empty

merkwürdig

Strange, odd

mutig

Brave

reif

Mature, ripe

schuldig

Guilty

streng

Strict

verboten

Forbidden

wütend

Angry, furious

zahllos

Countless

zufrieden

Content, satisfied