German · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 2 of 12
Travel and hotels
Im Hotel
Check in at a German hotel, ask about breakfast, make polite requests with Könnten Sie and use the dative after mit, zu and von.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Check in and give the dates of your stay
- Ask about breakfast and your room
- Make polite requests with Könnten Sie …?
- Use the dative after mit, zu, von and bei
Listen
Monika Wagner checks in at a hotel in Lübeck. A little later she comes back to reception. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Receptionist
Guten Abend. Willkommen im Hotel Hanse.
Good evening. Welcome to the Hotel Hanse.
Monika
Guten Abend. Ich habe ein Zimmer reserviert. Mein Name ist Wagner.
Good evening. I've booked a room. My name is Wagner.
Receptionist
Ja, Frau Wagner: ein Einzelzimmer für zwei Nächte, vom dritten bis zum fünften Mai.
Yes, Ms Wagner: a single room for two nights, from the third to the fifth of May.
Monika
Genau. Ist das Frühstück inklusive?
That's right. Is breakfast included?
Receptionist
Ja. Frühstück gibt es von sieben bis zehn Uhr im Restaurant.
Yes. Breakfast is from seven to ten in the restaurant.
Monika
Gut. Könnten Sie bitte für Freitag ein Taxi zum Bahnhof bestellen?
Good. Could you please book a taxi to the station for Friday?
Receptionist
Natürlich. Um wie viel Uhr?
Of course. What time?
Monika
Um Viertel nach acht, bitte.
At quarter past eight, please.
Receptionist
Gern. Hier ist Ihr Schlüssel. Sie haben Zimmer 305 im dritten Stock.
Certainly. Here's your key. You're in room 305 on the third floor.
Monika
Entschuldigung, in meinem Zimmer funktioniert die Heizung nicht.
Excuse me, the heating in my room isn't working.
Receptionist
Oh, das tut mir leid. Sie können Zimmer 307 haben. Da funktioniert alles.
Oh, I'm sorry. You can have room 307. Everything works there.
Monika
Danke, das ist nett.
Thanks, that's kind of you.
Understand
The dative after mit, zu, von, bei, nach, aus
You know phrases like and : after these words German uses a form called the dative. Six common prepositions (small words like “with” or “to”) always take the dative: (with, by), (to), (from), (at, at someone's place), (after; to a city) and (from, out of).
In the dative, and become , becomes , and plural becomes , with an extra -n on the noun if it can take one. becomes or , and , , and work like : . is shortened to , to and to .
| Use | masculine | feminine | neuter | plural |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| subject | / | / | / | |
| dative | / | / | / |
- Ich fahre mit dem Zug.I'm going by train.
- Wie komme ich zum Bahnhof?How do I get to the station?
- Ich wohne bei meiner Schwester.I'm staying at my sister's.
- Nach dem Frühstück fahren wir nach Hamburg.After breakfast we're going to Hamburg.
Polite requests: Könnten Sie …?
…? (could you …?) is a softer, more polite form of …? As with , the second verb goes to the very end: Add to sound friendly.
To ask for something at reception, you can also use … from A1, or ask …?
- Könnten Sie bitte ein Taxi bestellen?Could you please book a taxi?
- Könnten Sie das bitte noch einmal sagen?Could you say that again, please?
- Haben Sie noch ein Doppelzimmer frei?Do you still have a double room available?
- Ich hätte gern ein Zimmer für eine Nacht.I'd like a room for one night.
Dates and nights: vom … bis zum …, für …
For the dates of a stay, say … … with the ordinal number ending in -ten, as after : (from the 3rd to the 5th of May). is and is . The number of nights uses : , .
Careful: (for) is not a dative preposition. It always takes the accusative, like the object, and so do (without), (through), (against) and (around, at): , .
- Ich bleibe vom ersten bis zum vierten Juni.I'm staying from the first to the fourth of June.
- Ich habe ein Zimmer für drei Nächte reserviert.I've booked a room for three nights.
More in the grammar: Cases: nominative and accusative · German numbers: from 0 to a million · The perfect tense (Perfekt) · The dative case · The Konjunktiv II: würde, hätte, wäre, könnte
New words
- Willkommen!Welcome.
- reservierento book, to reserve · Perfekt: (no ge-)
- das Einzelzimmersingle room · neuter, plural: ; = double room
- die Nachtnight · feminine, plural:
- das Frühstückbreakfast · neuter, plural:
- inklusiveincluded
- Könnten Sie …?Could you …? · polite form of …?
- bestellento order; to book (a taxi, a table)
- natürlichof course
- der Stockfloor, storey · masculine; = on the third floor
- funktionierento work (machines) · = That doesn't work.
- die Heizungheating; radiator · feminine, plural:
- alleseverything
- der Zugtrain · masculine, plural: ; = by train
Practise
1.You'd like the receptionist to book a taxi. What's the most polite way to ask?
2.Write , or .
I'm going to Hamburg by train.
3.Write or .
How do I get to the station?
4.Complete the dates.
I'm staying from the third to the fifth of May.
5.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.Is breakfast included?
6.Match the hotel words.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Ich habe ein Zimmer reserviert.
I've booked a room.
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.