Encouraging German Phrases to Motivate and Inspire (2024)

We get it – German can be a hard language, even for us native speakers! But don’t let that discourage you. Whether you’re on your own journey to master German and just need a little boost of positivity, or you want to inspire someone special, we’ve got what you need.

We’ve compiled 50 of the most encouraging German phrases that will help you stay motivated and feel supported. We even included a handy phonetic guide, so you can easily pronounce them.

And who knows? You might just find the perfect phrase to share with a friend who needs a little pick-me-up. So, let’s get started and spread some positivity – auf Deutsch! 😊

Table of Contents

Best 47 Encouraging German Phrases

1. Ich bin stolz auf dich.

~ I’m proud of you.
Pronunciation: Ik bin shtolts owf dikh
Phonetic:
[ɪç bɪn ʃtɔlts aʊf dɪç]

2. Mach weiter so.

~ Keep up the good work.
Pronunciation: Makh vie-ter zo
Phonetic:
[max ˈvaɪ̯tɐ zoː]

3. Gib nicht auf!

~ Don’t give up!
Pronunciation: Gib nikht owf
Phonetic:
[ɡɪp nɪçt aʊf]

4. Glaube an dich selbst.

~ Believe in yourself.
Pronunciation: Glow-beh an dikh zelbst
Phonetic:
[ˈɡlaʊ̯bə an dɪç zɛlpst]

5. Ich glaube an dich.

~ I believe in you.
Pronunciation: Ik glow-beh an dikh
Phonetic:
[ɪç ˈɡlaʊ̯bə an dɪç]

6. Es ist nie zu spät.

~ It’s never too late.
Pronunciation: Es ist nee tsew shpate
Phonetic:
[ɛs ɪst niː tsuː ʃpɛːt]

7. Gut gemacht!

~ Well done!
Pronunciation: Goot ge-mahkt
Phonetic:
[ɡuːt ɡəˈmaxt]

8. Es wird alles gut werden.

~ Everything is going to be alright.
Pronunciation: Es vird ah-les goot vair-den
Phonetic:
[ɛs vɪʁt ˈaləs ɡuːt ˈveːʁdn̩]

10. Aus Fehlern lernt man.

~ You learn from mistakes.
Pronunciation: Ows feh-lern lernt man
Phonetic:
[aʊ̯s ˈfeːlɐn lɛʁnt man]

11. Lass dich nicht entmutigen.

~ Don’t get discouraged.
Pronunciation: Lahs dikh nikht ent-moo-tih-gen
Phonetic:
[las dɪç nɪçt ɛntˈmuːtɪɡən]

12. Jeder Tag ist eine zweite Chance.

~ Every day is a second chance.
Pronunciation: Yay-der tahg ist eye-neh tsvy-teh shan-seh
Phonetic:
[ˈjeːdɐ taːk ɪst ˈaɪ̯nə ˈt͡svaɪ̯tə ˈʃaŋsə]

15. Du schaffst es!

~ You can do it!
Pronunciation: Doo shaffst es
Phonetic:
[duː ʃafst ɛs]

16. Du bist nicht alleine.

~ You are not alone.
Pronunciation: Doo bist nikht ah-ly-neh
Phonetic:
[duː bɪst nɪçt aˈlaɪ̯nə]

17. Nach oben sind keine Grenzen gesetzt.

~ The sky’s the limit.
Pronunciation: Nahkh oh-ben zint ky-neh gren-tsen geh-setzt
Phonetic:
[nax ˈoːbən zɪnt ˈkaɪ̯nə ˈɡʁɛnt͡sn̩ ɡəˈzɛt͡st]

18. Na, da haben wir es doch!

~ There you go!
Pronunciation: Nah, dah hah-ben veer es dokh
Phonetic:
[naː daː ˈhaːbən viːʁ ɛs dɔx]

19. Du bist die Nummer eins!

~ You’re number one!
Pronunciation: Doo bist dee noo-mer ayns
Phonetic:
[duː bɪst diː ˈnʊmɐ aɪ̯ns]

20. Bleib stark.

~ Stay strong.
Pronunciation: Blyb shtark
Phonetic:
[blaɪ̯p ʃtaʁk]

21. Was hast du zu verlieren?

~ What do you have to lose?
Pronunciation: Vahs hahst doo tsoo fer-lee-ren
Phonetic:
[vas hast duː t͡suː fɛɐ̯ˈliːʁən]

22. Mach schon!

~ Go for it!
Pronunciation: Makh shon
Phonetic:
[max ʃɔn]

23. Halte durch!

~ Keep fighting!
Pronunciation: Hal-teh door-kh
Phonetic:
[ˈhaltə dʊʁç]

24. Es gibt immer einen Weg.

~ There’s always a way.
Pronunciation: Es geebt im-mer eye-nen vayg
Phonetic:
[ɛs ɡɪpt ˈɪmɐ ˈaɪ̯nən veːk]

25. Du bist fähiger, als du denkst.

~ You’re more capable than you think.
Pronunciation: Doo bist fay-hee-ger als doo denkst
Phonetic:
[duː bɪst ˈfɛːɡɪɡɐ als duː dɛŋkst]

26. Die Zukunft gehört dir.

~ The future is yours.
Pronunciation: Dee tsoo-koonft geh-hoert deer
Phonetic:
[diː ˈt͡suːkʊnft ɡəˈhøːʁt diːɐ̯]

27. Alles ist möglich.

~ Everything is possible.
Pronunciation: Ah-les ist mer-glickh
Phonetic:
[ˈaləs ɪst ˈmøːklɪç]

28. Jeder Schritt zählt.

~ Every step counts.
Pronunciation: Yay-der shritt tsaylt
Phonetic:
[ˈjeːdɐ ʃʁɪt t͡sɛːlt]

29. Du kannst das schaffen.

~ You can make it happen.
Pronunciation: Doo kahnst dahs shaf-fen
Phonetic:
[duː kanst das ˈʃafn̩]

30. Hab Vertrauen in dich selbst.

~ Have faith in yourself.
Pronunciation: Hahb fer-trow-en in dikh zelbst
Phonetic:
[haːp fɛɐ̯ˈtʁaʊ̯ən ɪn dɪç zɛlpst]

31. Alles wird gut.

~ Everything will be fine.
Pronunciation: Ah-les vird goot
Phonetic:
[ˈaləs vɪʁt ɡuːt]

32. Mach es in deinem Tempo.

~ Do it at your own pace.
Pronunciation: Makh es in dy-nem tem-po
Phonetic:
[max ɛs ɪn ˈdaɪ̯nəm ˈtɛmpo]

33. Kopf hoch!

~ Chin up!
Pronunciation: Kopf hokh
Phonetic:
[kɔpf hoːx]

34. Jeder Anfang ist schwer.

~ Every beginning is difficult.
Pronunciation: Yay-der ahn-fang ist shvair
Phonetic:
[ˈjeːdɐ ˈanfang ɪst ʃvɛːʁ]

35. Gib dir selbst Zeit.

~ Give yourself time.
Pronunciation: Gib deer zelbst tsyt
Phonetic:
[ɡɪp diːɐ̯ zɛlpst t͡saɪ̯t]

36. Der Weg ist das Ziel.

~ The journey is the goal.
Pronunciation: Dair vayg ist dahs tseel
Phonetic:
[deːɐ̯ veːk ɪst das t͡siːl]

37. Du hast das Zeug dazu.

~ You’ve got what it takes.
Pronunciation: Doo hahst dahs tsoyg dah-tsoo
Phonetic:
[duː hast das t͡sɔʏ̯k daˈt͡suː]

38. Jeder Tag ist eine neue Chance.

~ Every day is a new chance.
Pronunciation: Yay-der tahg ist eye-neh noy-eh shan-seh
Phonetic:
[ˈjeːdɐ taːk ɪst ˈaɪ̯nə ˈnɔɪ̯ə ˈʃaŋsə]

39. Vertraue auf deinen Instinkt.

~ Trust your instincts.
Pronunciation: Fer-trow-eh owf dy-nen in-stinkt
Phonetic:
[fɛɐ̯ˈtʁaʊ̯ə aʊ̯f ˈdaɪ̯nən ɪnˈstɪŋkt]

40. Alles wird sich fügen.

~ Everything will fall into place.
Pronunciation: Ah-les vird zikh few-gen
Phonetic:
[ˈaləs vɪʁt zɪç ˈfyːɡən]

41. Glaub an deine Träume.

~ Believe in your dreams.
Pronunciation: Glowb an dy-neh troy-meh
Phonetic:
[ɡlaʊ̯p an ˈdaɪ̯nə ˈtʁɔɪ̯mə]

42. Hör nicht auf, es zu versuchen.

~ Don’t stop trying.
Pronunciation: Hur nikht owf, es tsoo fer-zoo-khen
Phonetic:
[høːɐ̯ nɪçt aʊ̯f, ɛs t͡suː fɛɐ̯ˈzuːxn̩]

43. Du bist stärker, als du denkst.

~ You’re stronger than you think.
Pronunciation: Doo bist shtair-ker als doo denkst
Phonetic:
[duː bɪst ˈʃtɛʁkɐ als duː dɛŋkst]

44. Du hast schon so viel geschafft.

~ You’ve already achieved so much.
Pronunciation: Doo hahst shon zo feel geh-shaf-ft
Phonetic:
[duː hast ʃoːn zoː fiːl ɡəˈʃaft]

45. Mach weiter – du kommst deinem Ziel näher.

~ Keep going – you’re getting closer to your goal.
Pronunciation: Makh vie-ter – doo komst im-mer nay-er
Phonetic:
[max ˈvaɪ̯tɐ – duː kɔmst ˈɪmɐ ˈnɛːɐ̯]

46. Der Erfolg ist nur einen Schritt entfernt.

~ Success is just one step away.
Pronunciation: Dair er-folg ist noor eye-nen shritt ent-fernt
Phonetic:
[deːɐ̯ ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlk ɪst nuːɐ̯ ˈaɪ̯nən ʃʁɪt ɛntˈfɛʁnt]

47. Du kannst jede Herausforderung meistern.

~ You can overcome any challenge.
Pronunciation: Doo kahnst yay-deh her-owss-fo-der-oong mys-tern
Phonetic:
[duː kanst ˈjeːdə hɛʁˈaʊ̯sfɔdɛʁʊŋ ˈmaɪ̯stɐn]

48. Alles ist ein Lernprozess.

~ Everything is a learning process.
Pronunciation: Ah-les ist ayn lairn-pro-tsess
Phonetic:
[ˈaləs ɪst aɪ̯n ˈlɛʁn pʁoˈt͡sɛs]

49. Deine Mühe wird sich auszahlen.

~ Your effort will pay off.
Pronunciation: Dy-neh my-eh vird zikh owss-tzah-len
Phonetic:
[ˈdaɪ̯nə ˈmyːə vɪʁt zɪç ˈaʊ̯sˌt͡saːlən]

50. Geh deinen eigenen Weg.

~ Walk your own path.
Pronunciation: Geh dy-nen eye-geh-nen vayg
Phonetic:
[ɡeː ˈdaɪ̯nən ˈaɪ̯ɡn̩ən veːk]

Conclusion: What are the best encouraging phrases in German?

German is filled with uplifting phrases that can truly make a difference: Whether you’re sharing these words with a friend in need or using them as personal affirmations, these phrases have the power to inspire and motivate.

Incorporating these encouraging expressions into your daily life can bring more positivity and strength, helping you or those around you face challenges with confidence.

So why not start today?

Use these phrases to brighten someone’s day—or your own—and see how a few kind words can shift your mindset for the better.

“Glaube an dich selbst.” (Believe in yourself.)

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Encouraging German Phrases to Motivate and Inspire (1)

Anna and Anne Hopfengärtner

Anna and Anne are the founders of Germany Things To Do. They grew up in Germany and have traveled all 16 regions in Germany from North to South and East to West.

They share their local tips with you to explore the authentic and beautiful parts in Germany.

Encouraging German Phrases to Motivate and Inspire (2024)

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