Skip to content
German for English Speakers

Polite Expressions

This lesson is coming soon.

What you’ll learn:

  • The basics: Bitte (please/you’re welcome), Danke (thanks), Danke schön (thank you kindly)
  • Apologizing: Entschuldigung (excuse me), Es tut mir leid (I’m sorry)
  • Making requests politely: Könnten Sie…? (Could you…?), Ich hätte gern… (I would like…)
  • The Konjunktiv II (subjunctive) for politeness — why “könnte” is more polite than “kann”
  • Formal vs. informal politeness levels
  • Cultural notes: German directness isn’t rudeness — it’s a different communication style
  • Common polite phrases: Gern geschehen (You’re welcome), Kein Problem (No problem)