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 flip two cards at a time and find each German phrase with its English meaning. When a German card appears, everyone says that German phrase aloud together so your ear gets another go.
Open your copy. Write the German for please and the German for thank you. Then copy the full drink request from the board, including the English underneath.
You are at the school kiosk in Berlin. Work with a partner. Keep the full German script on the board the whole time and stick to those lines.
Round 1: Order a drink politely, take what is handed over, and thank your partner.
Round 2: Practise a short excuse-me exchange after a gentle bump (choose the friend form or the adult form from the board).
Optional: One partner offers an imaginary drink; the other accepts or refuses, then thanks them if they take it.
When you hear the signal, swap roles so both of you ask and both of you answer.
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