German · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 11 of 12
Phone calls and messages
Am Telefon
Make a phone call in German, leave a message with dass, spell your name, and say who gets something with ihm, ihr and Ihnen.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Ask to speak to someone and leave a message
- Report what someone says or thinks with dass
- Spell your name on the phone
- Say who you give or send something to
Listen
Emre Kaya phones a furniture company in Essen to speak to Frau Neumann. Her colleague Jan Lorenz answers. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Jan Lorenz
Möbel Holt, Jan Lorenz, guten Tag.
Holt Furniture, Jan Lorenz speaking. Hello.
Emre Kaya
Guten Tag, hier ist Emre Kaya. Kann ich bitte mit Frau Neumann sprechen?
Hello, this is Emre Kaya. Could I speak to Ms Neumann, please?
Jan Lorenz
Frau Neumann ist heute leider nicht im Büro. Kann ich ihr etwas ausrichten?
I'm afraid Ms Neumann isn't in the office today. Can I give her a message?
Emre Kaya
Ja, gern. Sagen Sie ihr bitte, dass ich morgen nicht kommen kann.
Yes, please. Please tell her that I can't come tomorrow.
Jan Lorenz
Mache ich. Können Sie Ihren Namen bitte buchstabieren?
Will do. Could you spell your name, please?
Emre Kaya
K, A, Ypsilon, A. Kaya.
K, A, Y, A. Kaya.
Jan Lorenz
Danke, Herr Kaya. Hat Frau Neumann Ihre Nummer?
Thank you, Mr Kaya. Does Ms Neumann have your number?
Emre Kaya
Ich glaube, ja. Sie kann mir aber auch eine E-Mail schreiben.
I think so. But she can also send me an email.
Jan Lorenz
Gut. Möchten Sie einen neuen Termin?
Good. Would you like a new appointment?
Emre Kaya
Ja. Geht es vielleicht am Donnerstag?
Yes. Would Thursday be possible?
Jan Lorenz
Ich sage ihr, dass Sie am Donnerstag Zeit haben. Sie ruft Sie dann zurück.
I'll tell her that you're free on Thursday. She'll call you back.
Emre Kaya
Vielen Dank. Auf Wiederhören!
Thank you very much. Goodbye.
Understand
dass: saying what someone said or thinks
(that) starts a new part of the sentence and, like , sends the verb to the end: Put a comma before .
It often follows verbs like , (to think, to believe), (to know) and . In everyday speech people sometimes leave out and keep normal word order:
- Ich glaube, dass sie im Büro ist.I think she's in the office.
- Er sagt, dass der Zug Verspätung hat.He says the train is late.
- Ich weiß, dass du am Donnerstag Zeit hast.I know you're free on Thursday.
To whom? mir, ihm, ihr, Ihnen
Verbs like , , (to send), and (to show) often have two objects: the thing (accusative) and the person who gets it (dative). You know the dative pronouns from chapters 3 and 7: , , , , , , , .
When the person is a pronoun, it usually comes before the thing: A person with a noun is in the dative too:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| … | I'll tell her that … |
| Can I give him a message? | |
| She can write me an email. | |
| I'll send you a message. | |
| I'll give you my number. |
Spelling on the phone
German letters mostly sound like their name in the alphabet. These are the ones English speakers often get wrong. To make a letter clear, people add a word: (K as in Cologne) or .
| Letter | Sounds like |
|---|---|
| A | “ah” |
| E | “ay” |
| I | “ee” |
| J | “yot” |
| R | “air” |
| V | “fow” |
| W | “vay” |
| Y | “ÜP-see-lon” () |
| Z | “tset” |
| ß | “ess-TSET” |
More in the grammar: Personal pronouns: ich, du, Sie … · The German alphabet and pronunciation · Word order · Adjective endings after ein, kein and mein · The dative case
New words
- das Bürooffice · neuter, plural:
- ausrichtento pass on (a message) · separable: = Can I give her a message?
- dassthat · the verb goes to the end
- Mache ich.Will do.
- buchstabierento spell · Perfekt:
- die Nummernumber · feminine, plural: ; short for
- glaubento think, to believe · = I think so.
- die E-Mailemail · feminine, plural:
- schreibento write · Perfekt:
- vielleichtmaybe, perhaps
- zurückrufento call back · separable: ; = to call, to phone
- die Nachrichtmessage; text message · feminine, plural:
- schickento send
Practise
1.Which sentence is correct?
2.Write or .
Ms Neumann isn't here. Can I give her a message?
3.Complete with in the right place and form.
Please tell him that I can't come tomorrow.
4.Write or .
Can you send me a message?
5.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.Can I speak to Ms Neumann?
6.Match the phone words.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Kann ich bitte mit Frau Neumann sprechen?
Could I speak to Ms Neumann, please?
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.