Short answer: ward German is narrower than general German, but it forgives far less. You can survive small talk with a wrong article. You cannot chart „Patient klagt über Schmerzen" wrongly, and you cannot mishear nüchtern before a procedure. This list covers the 60 highest-frequency words and phrases in six daily nursing situations. It gives the gender and the plural for each one, because German exams and real documentation both demand them. For the exam that usually accompanies this vocabulary, see our telc B1-B2 Pflege exam guide.
1. People and roles on the ward
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| die Pflegefachkraft, ¨-e | qualified nurse | The current official job title; replaces older terms |
| der/die Patient/-in, -en/-nen | patient | der Patient is an n-noun: dem Patienten |
| der/die Arzt/Ärztin, ¨-e/-nen | doctor | On a ward usually der Stationsarzt |
| die Station, -en | ward | auf Station — no article in ward jargon |
| die Schicht, -en | shift | Frühdienst, Spätdienst, Nachtdienst |
| die Übergabe, -n | handover | The key communication ritual between shifts |
| der Angehörige, -n | relative, family member | Adjective noun: ein Angehöriger, die Angehörigen |
| die Bezugspflege | primary nursing | One nurse responsible for specific patients |
2. The body and common complaints
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| der Schmerz, -en | pain | Nearly always plural: Schmerzen haben |
| die Wunde, -n | wound | die Wundversorgung = wound care |
| der Druck | pressure | der Dekubitus = pressure ulcer |
| die Atmung | breathing | die Atemnot = shortness of breath |
| der Kreislauf | circulation | Kreislaufprobleme — a classic ward complaint |
| die Übelkeit | nausea | Mir ist übel — dative construction |
| der Schwindel | dizziness | Mir ist schwindelig |
| das Fieber | fever | Fieber messen = to take a temperature |
| der Blutdruck | blood pressure | den Blutdruck messen |
| der Puls | pulse | den Puls fühlen/messen |
3. Care activities (the verbs that fill your documentation)
| German | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| die Grundpflege | basic care | Washing, dressing, positioning |
| jemanden lagern | to position someone | Der Patient wurde gelagert |
| die Mobilisation | mobilisation | mobilisieren — getting the patient moving |
| verabreichen | to administer (medication) | Formal; charting register: Medikament verabreicht |
| die Verordnung, -en | (doctor's) order, prescription | nach ärztlicher Verordnung |
| den Verband wechseln | to change a dressing | der Verbandswechsel |
| die Infusion, -en | IV drip | eine Infusion anlegen |
| die Injektion, -en | injection | subkutan (s.c.), intramuskulär (i.m.) |
| absaugen | to suction | Airway care |
| die Ausscheidung | elimination, excretion | Documentation category |
| der Katheter, - | catheter | einen Katheter legen |
| die Prophylaxe, -n | preventive measure | Dekubitusprophylaxe, Sturzprophylaxe |
4. Talking to patients (B1 phrases that carry your shift)
- „Wie fühlen Sie sich heute?" — How are you feeling today? The standard opener.
- „Haben Sie Schmerzen? Wo genau? Auf einer Skala von eins bis zehn?" — the pain assessment sequence, exactly as the oral exam expects it.
- „Ich helfe Ihnen beim Aufstehen." — helfen + dative + bei — the grammar pattern behind half of care communication.
- „Sie müssen nüchtern bleiben." — You must not eat or drink. Nüchtern (fasting) is a safety-critical word; never guess it from context.
- „Ich rufe den Arzt." — escalation phrase; in documentation: Arzt informiert.
- „Machen Sie sich keine Sorgen." — reassurance; softer than „Keine Angst".
5. Documentation and handover language
German charting is nominal style: verbs become nouns, sentences shrink. The patient complained of pain at night becomes „Patient äußerte nachts Schmerzen" or just „nächtliche Schmerzäußerung". Five patterns cover most entries:
- „Patient klagt über…" + accusative — complains of
- „Vitalzeichen unauffällig" — vitals unremarkable (unauffällig is the most common word in German charts)
- „Medikamente laut Plan verabreicht" — meds given as scheduled
- „Patient lehnt … ab" — patient refuses (must always be documented)
- „an Arzt weitergeleitet" — passed on to the doctor
The telc B1-B2 Pflege writing task uses exactly this register: a short nursing report. The exam guide covers the format. Our comparison of preparation resources lists where to practise it for free.
6. Safety-critical pairs (learn these first)
Some word pairs cause real clinical misunderstandings when confused:
- nüchtern vs müde — fasting vs tired. A patient who is nüchtern hasn't eaten; nothing to do with sleep.
- die Spritze vs der Tropf — injection/syringe vs drip.
- verabreichen vs absetzen — to administer vs to discontinue a medication. Opposite actions, both common in orders.
- der Stuhl — chair and stool (bowel movement). In documentation it almost always means the latter.
- übel vs schlecht — „Mir ist übel" = I'm nauseous; „Mir geht es schlecht" = I'm doing badly. Patients say both; chart them differently.
How to actually retain 60 words
Reading a list once creates recognition, not recall. Recall comes from meeting the same vocabulary inside changing texts and tasks, the way the exam and the ward serve it to you.
soruLab's German Workbench generates fresh B1-B2 reading and vocabulary exercises on care topics. The telc B1-B2 Pflege practice sets put this exact word field into exam-format tasks with an answer key. Five generations are free.
If you still map the bigger picture of recognition, licence and visa, start with the step-by-step guide to working as a nurse in Germany.