Don’t be surprised if you find German people are more formal than you’re used to. Whether you’re traveling or living in Germany, or communicating with German speakers closer to home, polite manners will win you friends and gain you respect.
Listen to the audio and practice these German words aloud – as soon as you get the chance, try them out on your friends! After all, speaking German regularly is the best way to boost your confidence.
Resources for further reading:
How to say thank you in German
Practice Your Pronunciation With Rocket Record
Rocket Record lets you perfect your German pronunciation. Just listen to the native speaker audio and then use the microphone icon to record yourself. Once you’re done, you’ll get a score out of 100 on your pronunciation and can listen to your own audio playback. (Use a headset mic for best results.) Problems? Click here!
Vielen Dank,
Thank you,
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Entschuldigen Sie bitte.
Excuse me please. (formal)
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Entschuldige bitte.
Excuse me please. (casual)
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Verzeihung.
Excuse me please. (very polite)
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Entschuldigung.
Sorry.
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Das tut mir leid.
I'm sorry about that.
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Vielen Dank für Ihre Hilfe.
Thanks for your help. (formal)
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Vielen Dank für deine Hilfe.
Thanks for your help. (casual)
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Vielen Dank.
Thanks a lot.
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Danke sehr.
Many thanks.
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Gerne.
You're welcome.
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Das ist sehr freundlich.
That is very kind.
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Wie nett von Ihnen.
How kind of you. (formal)
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Wie nett von dir.
How kind of you. (casual)
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Use all of the above phrases liberally, and you’ll find that people will treat you better.
If you want to learn greetings in German or other German salutations then check these lessons out!
Bis bald!
Paul Weber: Rocket German
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