German conversation runs on a small set of high-frequency verbs. The most fundamental are "sein" (to be), "haben" (to have), "gehen" (to go), and "kommen" (to come). Everyday activities use "machen" (to make/do), "sprechen" (to speak), "verstehen" (to understand), "wissen" (to know), "sehen" (to see), "geben" (to give), "kaufen" (to buy), "arbeiten" (to work), "wohnen" (to live), "lesen" (to read), "schreiben" (to write), "lernen" (to learn), "schlafen" (to sleep), "helfen" (to help), "lieben" (to love), "brauchen" (to need), "mögen" (to like), "wollen" (to want), "können" (to be able to / can), and "spielen" (to play).
The question words are essential building blocks. "Wer" means "who," "was" means "what," "wo" means "where," "wann" means "when," "warum" means "why," "wie" means "how," "wie viel" means "how much/how many," and "welche" means "which." You can use them in everyday questions such as "Wo wohnst du?" (Where do you live?) and "Wie viel kostet das?" (How much does that cost?).
A handful of stock phrases will rescue you in most situations. To ask for help, say "können Sie mir helfen?"; to express confusion, use "ich verstehe nicht"; to order politely, try "ich möchte …"; to find something, ask "wo ist …?"; if German is difficult, "ich spreche nicht gut Deutsch" lets you apologise; to switch languages, "sprechen Sie Englisch?"; and a friendly "natürlich" (of course) responds to most requests. With these verbs, question words, and phrases, you can build almost any basic conversation in German.