German for Nurses: Care Vocabulary & Shift Phrases
Care work (Pflege) is one of the most in-demand jobs in Germany, Switzerland and Austria — and the German you need is very specific. Here are the phrases you use with patients and colleagues every shift, plus the vocabulary that gets you there.
Key phrases on the job
How much German do you need before the first shift?
We graded every word in this job's topics against the CEFR levels: 1,954 words in total, but only 181 of them sit at A1 or A2. That smaller number is the one that matters: it is what you need before your first shift, and the rest is what you pick up over the following year.
Which of these words do people actually say?
We indexed the subtitles of 192 real German videos — 4,575 lines of unscripted speech — and checked this job's beginner vocabulary against them. 104 of the 181 A1–A2 words turned up in what people really said. The most common ones, with the line they were said in:
“Sie lernen schnell Jetzt drücken Sie” watch it said →
“Heute ist der Tag Ich frage Herr Becker nach einem Homeoffice Tag und ich habe Beweise” watch it said →
“Anna ich muss diese E Mail heute noch schicken” watch it said →
“Experten warnen vor möglichen Gefahren beim Baden” watch it said →
“Heute ist der Tag Ich frage Herr Becker nach einem Homeoffice Tag und ich habe Beweise” watch it said →
“Rum Um drei Uhr nachmittags Das” watch it said →
“Wir frühstücken am Morgen — we have breakfast in the morning” watch it said →
“Ich warte seit zwei Stunden Nummer Meine war A215 Jetzt zeigt es A247” watch it said →
The phrases, word by word
Some of the words above you will meet anyway, just by watching German video. Others are job-specific and never came up once in 192 videos — those are the ones worth drilling deliberately, because nothing will teach them to you by accident.
Wie geht es Ihnen heute?
How are you today?
heard: heute (93)|never heard: geht
Haben Sie Schmerzen?
Are you in pain?
never heard: Schmerzen
Ich helfe Ihnen beim Aufstehen.
I’ll help you get up.
heard: Aufstehen (1)|never heard: helfe · beim
Nehmen Sie bitte Ihre Medikamente.
Please take your medication.
heard: Nehmen (12)|never heard: Ihre · Medikamente
Ich messe kurz Ihren Blutdruck.
I’ll quickly measure your blood pressure.
heard: kurz (84) · messe (1)|never heard: Ihren · Blutdruck
Können Sie mir Bescheid geben, wenn etwas ist?
Can you let me know if anything’s wrong?
heard: wenn (19) · etwas (17) · geben (2)|never heard: Bescheid
Ich übergebe an die Spätschicht.
I’m handing over to the late shift.
never heard: übergebe · Spätschicht
Bleiben Sie ruhig, ich bin gleich zurück.
Stay calm, I’ll be right back.
heard: zurück (13) · Bleiben (9) · ruhig (7) · gleich (5)
The lessons that teach it
These are the lessons from the free A1 course that drill this language directly — each is about three minutes, with a video and its own exercises.
Vocabulary you need
Build the core words for this job — each list is free to browse and download (CSV or Anki):
Themed decks: At the Hospital German flashcards · At the Doctor German flashcards · Illness & Symptoms German flashcards. More: German job vocabulary you actually use at work.
Learn it faster — free
Test yourself with a quick quiz on these words, then watch real German videos with dual subtitles so the phrases stick in context — tap any word to learn it.
Frequently asked questions
What German level do nurses need in Germany?
Regulated care roles usually require B1–B2 German, plus profession-specific vocabulary. B1 is the common minimum for recognition of foreign nursing qualifications.
How do I learn German medical vocabulary fast?
Start with the Body & Health word list, drill it with spaced repetition, and watch German care/health videos with dual subtitles so the terms stick in context.