How do you say Pound in German?

Whether you’re weighing apples or exchanging money for your trip to London, the German word Pfund will come up. It’s about weight, currency - and sometimes, muscle.

The noun Pfund means pound, and it refers to both the unit of weight and the British currency. It’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German, especially in cooking, finance, and everyday speech.

It’s a neuter noun, so we say das Pfund.

Pronunciation

Pfund is pronounced [pfʊnt], and yes, that “pf” combo at the start is very German.

• Start with a soft puff of air, like blowing out a candle (p) and immediately follow it with f - like “pfff…”
• Then finish it off with “und” - a short u as in “put,” and the final d sounds like t.

It may feel tricky at first, but once you get the “pf” combo, it’s a punchy, satisfying word.

Example sentences:

• Ich hätte gern ein Pfund Trauben, bitte.I’d like a pound of grapes, please.
• Das kostet zehn Pfund.That costs ten pounds. (British currency)

Nuance and usage tips

Pfund has two common meanings:

1. Weight - equal to 500 grams in modern German usage.The international avoirdupois pound used in the United States is exactly 453.59237 grams. In German everyday weight usage, ein Pfund usually means 500 grams; it is not the official SI unit.You’ll often hear it at markets and in older recipes:
   • ein halbes Pfund Butter - 250 grams of butter
     zwei Pfund Äpfel - one kilogram of apples (as a quantity measure, Pfund stays unchanged after numbers)
2. Currency - the British Pound Sterling
   • ein Pfund - one pound (£1)
   • Pfund Sterling - Pound Sterling (formal)
   • Ich muss meine Euro in Pfund umtauschen. - I have to exchange my euros for pounds.

Pfund also appears in figurative expressions: