German Sports Vocabulary

Germany has a rich history of sports and is home to many popular sports teams and athletes. Some common sports in Germany include soccer (Fußball), basketball (Basketball), handball (Handball), and tennis (Tennis).

This is why in this post, we're going to have a look at German sports vocabulary and German words & expressions that are related to sport & physical activity.

Let's start with some very general German sports vocabulary. How would you express, that you simply love doing sports or that you are quite a sporty person?

Sport treiben

to do sports

ein Spiel spielen

to play a game

sportlich sein

to be sporty

der Ballsport

ball game

Names for Sports in German

Learning the vocabulary for the names for sports in German can be very helpful for sports fans who don't want to give up on their favourite sport after having moved to Germany.

Here is a vocabulary list of several types of sports:

der Fußball

football

das Tennis

tennis

der Basketball

basketball

der Volleyball

volleyball

das Golf

golf

der Baseball

baseball

das Skifahren

skiing

das Laufen

running

der Marathon

marathon

das Gewichtheben

weightlifting

die Leichtathletik

athletics

der Kampfsport

martial art

der Tanz

dance

Knowing the vocabulary for sports equipment and protective gear can also be very helpful. We have written a separate article just on German sports equipment vocabulary.

Verbs to Talk about Sports

In German, there are many verbs that are related to sports and physical activity. Some common sports verbs include spielen (to play), laufen (to run), springen (to jump), schwimmen (to swim), and fahren (to drive or ride).

There are also many German verbs that are related to specific sports, such as boxen (to box), schiessen (to shoot [in basketball or soccer]), and werfen (to throw [in handball or baseball]).

laufen

to run

dribbeln

to dribble

schießen

to shoot

daneben schießen

to miss

schlagen

to hit

rennen

to run

ein Eigentor machen

to score an own goal

ein Tor schießen

to score a goal

sich anstrengen

to make an effort

jdn. einwechseln

to substitute s.o. (a player)

Sports Competition Vocabulary

Lastly, here is some vocabulary that might be useful for any kind of sports competition.

der Wettkampf

competition

die Mannschaft

team

der Schiedsrichter

referee

die Pfeife

whistle

das Spielfeld

field, pitch

das Turnier

tournament

der Verein

club

das Ergebnis

score

das Abseits

offside

der Alleingang

solo run