10 essential German phrases for making a phone call
Master German phone calls with these 10 go-to phrases for greetings, requests, and farewells.
Whether you're booking an appointment, ordering food, or asking for directions, knowing how to navigate a phone call in German is crucial. These phrases will help you initiate conversations politely and clearly. This selection covers common scenarios, from identifying yourself and stating your purpose to asking for clarification and ending the call gracefully. Practice them to build confidence for your next German phone conversation.
What this lesson covers
Core German words for everyday conversation.
English meanings, pronunciation hints, and tap-to-hear audio.
A quick flashcard flow and quiz to make the words stick.
Start with these key words
Learn the first set, listen out loud, then move into the full list below.
Flashcards
Practice quiz
Full vocabulary list
Words 1–10
- Hallo, hier spricht [Your Name].HA-loh, heer SPRICHT [Your Name].Hello, [Your Name] speaking.
- Guten Tag, mein Name ist [Your Name].GOO-ten TAHK, mine NAH-meh IST [Your Name].Good day, my name is [Your Name].
- Ich rufe wegen [das Problem/die Frage] an.ish ROO-fuh VEH-gen [das PROB-lem/dee FRAH-guh] ahn.I am calling about [the problem/the question].
- Könnten Sie bitte langsamer sprechen?KOEN-ten zee BIT-tuh LANG-zah-mer SHPREH-chen?Could you please speak slower?
- Entschuldigung, das habe ich nicht verstanden.ent-SHOOL-dee-goong, das HAH-buh ish nisht fer-SHTAHN-den.Excuse me, I didn't understand that.
- Könnten Sie das bitte wiederholen?KOEN-ten zee das BIT-tuh vee-der-HO-len?Could you please repeat that?
- Einen Moment, bitte.EYE-nen moh-MENT, BIT-tuh.One moment, please.
- Ich möchte gerne einen Tisch reservieren.ish MOECH-tuh GEHR-nuh EYE-nen TISH reh-zehr-VEER-en.I would like to reserve a table.
- Vielen Dank für Ihre Hilfe.FEE-len DANK foor EE-ruh HIL-fuh.Thank you very much for your help.
- Auf Wiederhören.owf VEE-der-her-en.Goodbye. (literally: Until we hear again)
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