German Money & Currency Vocabulary
This set covers everyday money vocabulary: coins and notes (die Münze, der Schein), currencies (die Währung, der Euro), and the fine print around payment like das Wechselgeld and die Anmeldegebühr. One trap for English speakers: das Geld is always singular in German, so "moneys" or "the money are" has no German equivalent, you just adjust the verb to match das Geld as one thing.
Learn these 23 words
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All 23 words
foreign
Leider habe ich nur ausländisches Geld. — Unfortunately, I only have foreign money.
- barA1
cash
Muss ich bar zahlen oder geht‘s auch mit Karte? — Do I have to pay cash or can I use a card?
plural: die Cent
cent
Ich habe nur fünfzig Cent dabei. — I only have fifty cents with me.
plural: die Euro
euro
Das Buch kostet zehn Euro. — The book costs ten euros.
money
Hast du noch Geld? — Do you still have money?
shops
Sie kauft im Supermarkt ein und bezahlt bar. — She shops at the supermarket and pays in cash.
- proA2
per
Das Zimmer kostet 100 Euro pro Nacht. — The room costs 100 euros per night.
change (money returned)
Vergiss dein Wechselgeld nicht. — Don't forget your change.
plural: die Gewinne
profit
Ich habe bei einem Ratespiel mitgemacht. Der Hauptgewinn ist ein Auto. — I participated in a guessing game. The grand prize is a car.
gold
Ist der Ring aus Gold? Nein, der sieht nur so aus. — Is the ring made of gold? No, it just looks that way.
plural: die Münzen
coin
Der Automat nimmt nur Münzen. — The machine only accepts coins.
plural: die Portemonnaies
wallet
Ich habe nur Kleingeld in meinem Portemonnaie. — I only have small change in my wallet.
plural: die Scheine
banknote
Kannst du einen Schein in Kleingeld wechseln? — Can you change a banknote into small change?
pocket money
Wie viel Taschengeld bekommst du im Monat? — How much pocket money do you get per month?
plural: die Währungen
currency
Der Euro ist unsere gemeinsame Währung. — The euro is our common currency.
plural: die Anmeldegebühren
registration fee
Die Anmeldegebühr betrug fünfzig Euro. — The registration fee was fifty euros.
plural: die Quartale
a quarter (e.g., fiscal quarter)
Das Unternehmen meldet seine Gewinne jedes Quartal. — The company reports its profits every quarter.
fuel prices
Der Spritpreis ist in letzter Zeit gestiegen. — Fuel prices have risen recently.
plural: die Tauschhandel
barter
Früher war Tauschhandel die einzige Handelsmethode. — In the past, barter was the only trading method.
plural: die Wasserzeichen
a watermark
Das Wasserzeichen schützt die Banknote vor Fälschung. — The watermark protects the banknote from counterfeiting.
plural: die Zuschläge
surcharge / extra charge
Der Zuschlag von fünf Euro wird separat berechnet. — The surcharge of five euros is calculated separately.
plural: die Groschen
a groschen / penny / cent = a small coin
Der alte Groschen ist heute kein Zahlungsmittel mehr. — The old groschen is no longer a means of payment today.
income tax
Die Lohnsteuer wird monatlich vom Gehalt abgezogen. — Income tax is deducted from salary each month.
How to learn this set
Notice how many money words are neuter compounds built on Geld: das Wechselgeld and das Taschengeld both keep the das from their root. That pattern lets you guess gender on new Geld-compounds you meet later. For the trickier B2 words like der Zuschlag and die Anmeldegebühr, drill them in short phrases (ein Zuschlag von zehn Euro, die Anmeldegebühr bezahlen) rather than alone, since they rarely appear as bare nouns in real German.
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Frequently asked questions
Is der Euro or die Euro correct in German?
It's der Euro, masculine, and the plural is also Euro with no ending change: zehn Euro, not zehn Euros. The cent works the same way: der Cent, plural just Cent.
What is the difference between der Schein and die Münze?
Der Schein is a banknote (paper money), and die Münze is a coin. Ein Fünf-Euro-Schein is a note, while a 1-Euro-Stück is a Münze.
What does bar mean in German if it's not a noun?
Bar is an adjective/adverb meaning 'in cash', as in Ich zahle bar (I pay cash). Don't confuse it with die Bar, a bar you drink at, which is a completely different word despite looking identical.
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