Polite Words You Use Every Day
| German | Pronunciation guide | English |
|---|---|---|
| Bitte | BIT-eh | Please / You're welcome |
| Danke | DAN-keh | Thank you |
| Danke schön | DAN-keh shern | Thank you very much |
| Bitte schön | BIT-eh shern | You're welcome / Here you are |
| Entschuldigung | ent-SHOOL-dee-goong | Excuse me / Sorry |
| Es tut mir leid | es toot meer lyte | I'm sorry (apology) |
| Kein Problem | kyne pro-BLAYM | No problem |
| Natürlich | na-TUER-lish | Of course |
Asking for Help
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Können Sie mir helfen? | Can you help me? (formal) |
| Kannst du mir helfen? | Can you help me? (informal) |
| Ich verstehe nicht. | I don't understand. |
| Bitte wiederholen Sie das. | Please repeat that. (formal) |
| Wie bitte? | Pardon? / What did you say? |
| Sprechen Sie Englisch? | Do you speak English? (formal) |
| Langsamer, bitte! | Slower, please! |
Classroom Language
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Ich habe eine Frage. | I have a question. |
| Darf ich auf die Toilette? | May I go to the toilet? |
| Ich weiß es nicht. | I don't know. |
| Kann ich ein Wörterbuch benutzen? | Can I use a dictionary? |
| Was bedeutet …? | What does … mean? |
| Wie schreibt man …? | How do you write/spell …? |
| Auf welcher Seite? | Which page? |
Agreeing and Disagreeing
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Ja, genau. | Yes, exactly. |
| Ich stimme zu. | I agree. |
| Ich stimme nicht zu. | I disagree. |
| Vielleicht. | Maybe. / Perhaps. |
| Das stimmt. | That's right. |
| Das stimmt nicht. | That's not right. |
Bitte has two meanings: "please" and "you're welcome". Context makes it clear. If someone says Danke! and you respond Bitte! it means "You're welcome!"
A short conversation
– Entschuldigung, wo ist die Bibliothek? (Excuse me, where is the library?) – Die Bibliothek ist geradeaus. (The library is straight ahead.) – Danke schön! – Bitte schön!
Real world: asking for directions as a tourist
When you don't know where something is: „Entschuldigung, wo ist der Bahnhof?" „Ich verstehe nicht — können Sie das wiederholen?" „Sprechen Sie Englisch?" — these survival phrases get you out of almost any confused situation in a German-speaking country, even before your grammar is perfect.
Real world: in a German classroom
Every German learner needs classroom language: „Ich habe eine Frage." „Was bedeutet 'Hausaufgabe'?" „Wie schreibt man das?" „Darf ich auf die Toilette?" — these phrases let you participate actively in class and show your teacher that you're engaged.
Entschuldigung does double duty: it means both "Excuse me" (to get someone's attention) and "Sorry" (to apologise). You can also say Entschuldigen Sie (formal) or Tut mir leid for a deeper apology. These three cover almost every situation.
Practice Problems
How do you say 'I don't understand. Please repeat that' (formal) in German?
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What does 'Wie bitte?' mean and when do you use it?
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Someone hands you something and says 'Bitte schön!' What do they mean?