German Board Game Vocabulary | Vocabulary List

Board games are a great way to learn German in context. They’re fun, interactive, and full of useful vocabulary that you can use in everyday conversation, especially if you enjoy game nights with German-speaking friends or flatmates.

In this guide, we’ll introduce you to the most important German board game vocabulary so you can join the fun and understand the rules, game pieces, and phrases used while playing.

Core Board Game Vocabulary in German

Let’s start with some key words you’ll need for most games.

Game Pieces

Most board games come with game pieces you move around or use to play. In German, the general term here is die Spielfigur for a figure or pawn, and der Spielstein for a smaller token or chip.

You might also see die Spielfiguren used to talk about all the characters or pieces each player controls.

Here's an overview:

German Board Game Phrases

These are phrases and sentences you’ll hear all the time during board game nights — and they’re very useful for learning imperatives and everyday expressions in German.

Game Types and Genres in German

There are many kinds of games and they each come with their own special vocabulary. While we can't go through every single board game and its specific terms, there are a few words that might be useful to at least distinguish between games:

Talking About Your Favorite Games in German

Once you know the vocabulary, try using it to talk about your favorite games — either in writing or in conversation with friends or a language partner.

Using Board Games to Learn German

Here are a few more tips on how to use board games to improve your German:

• Play with German speakers: It might be tough in the beginning, but if you understand the game things will fall into place quite quickly
• Use the German version of the game and try to speak only German during play
• Watch German board game content on YouTube. There are many channels that explain games in slow, clear German
• Make your own cheat sheet: Write down key words for the game you’re playing

Final Thoughts

Learning board game vocabulary in German is not only fun, it also gives you a strong foundation in practical, everyday language. It's a great to immerse and learn German with comprehensible input.

Please let us know if we have missed any important words here, or if you would like to see a vocabulary list on a specific board game.