Watch what happens when we ask for a pencil with and without please. Which version works better?
Today you will learn eight German polite phrases so you can ask for something properly, not just point. Think of a busy school kiosk in Berlin: a little word can open the queue.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Say please, thank you and excuse me in German
- Ask for a drink politely
- Practise a short polite exchange with a partner
Here are today's eight polite phrases. Tap each one, listen, then say it back together. Notice how short most of them are: a little word can do a lot of work.
Watch the board. Volunteers click each German phrase, then its English meaning. When a volunteer picks a German phrase, everyone says it aloud together so your ear gets another go.
Open your copy. Write the German for please and the German for thank you. Then copy this drink request, and the English underneath it:
Ein Wasser, bitte.
A water, please.
- bitte — Please / here you are
- danke — Thank you
- Bitte schön — You're welcome
- Entschuldigung — Excuse me / sorry
- entschuldige — Excuse me (to a friend)
- Entschuldigen Sie — Excuse me (formal)
- ja — Yes
- nein — No
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