Danke and bitte are the two words you'll say most often in Germany, and one of them is doing far more work than it looks. Bitte means please, you're welcome, here you are, and — with a rising tone — "sorry, what?"
There's also a trap hiding in danke, and it's the kind that gets you an empty cup. This page covers both.
Thank You
Thanks
Danke
Thank you
Danke schön
Thank you very much
Vielen Dank
Many thanks
Herzlichen Dank
Thanks a lot
Tausend Dank
Thank you (formal)
Ich danke Ihnen
Thanks for your help
Danke für Ihre Hilfe
Thanks in advance
Vielen Dank im Voraus
You too
Danke, gleichfalls
Practice these words
Danke
Quick notes:
- Vielen Dank is the safe default in any shop, office or email. Danke alone is fine everywhere too, just shorter.
- Vielen Dank im Voraus ends half the emails written in Germany. It's polite, slightly pushy, and completely standard.
- Germans thank less effusively than British or American speakers. One danke is enough; stacking three sounds anxious rather than polite.
The Four Jobs of Bitte
A coffee, please. (please)
Einen Kaffee, bitte.
— Thanks! — You're welcome.
— Danke! — Bitte.
Here you go. (handing something over)
Bitte schön.
Pardon?
Wie bitte?
Practice these words
Einen Kaffee, bitte.
Quick notes:
- Bitte schön and bitte sehr are what staff say as they hand you something. The expected reply is danke.
- Wie bitte? is the polite way to ask someone to repeat themselves. A bare Was? is blunt — fine among friends, rude at a counter.
- The same word covers "go ahead" when you're letting someone through a door or ahead of you in a queue.
You're Welcome
You're welcome
Bitte
You're welcome (slightly warmer)
Bitte schön
My pleasure
Gern geschehen
Happily
Gerne
No problem
Kein Problem
Don't mention it
Nichts zu danken
No cause (for thanks)
Keine Ursache
Practice these words
Bitte
Quick note: gerne on its own has become the most common reply in German service settings. You'll hear it a dozen times a day, and it works everywhere.
Sorry and Excuse Me
Excuse me (getting attention, small apologies)
Entschuldigung
Excuse me (formal)
Entschuldigen Sie
Excuse me (informal)
Entschuldige
Pardon me (more formal, slightly older)
Verzeihung
I'm sorry
Es tut mir leid
I'm very sorry
Es tut mir sehr leid
Sorry (borrowed, common among under-40s)
Sorry
May I get past? (in a crowd, on a train)
Darf ich mal?
Sorry to bother you
Entschuldigen Sie die Störung
Practice these words
Entschuldigung
Quick notes:
- Entschuldigung covers bumping into someone, getting a waiter's attention and interrupting. It's the word for small friction.
- Es tut mir leid is for actual regret — a mistake, bad news, a missed deadline. Using it when you step on someone's foot is too heavy; using Entschuldigung when you've missed a deadline is too light.
- Entschuldigen Sie, wissen Sie, wo…? is the standard opener for asking a stranger anything. The question words lesson has the rest of the sentence.
Please in Requests
Could you help me, please?
Können Sie mir bitte helfen?
Could you repeat that, please?
Können Sie das bitte wiederholen?
One moment, please.
Einen Moment, bitte.
Einen Moment, bitte.
Die Rechnung, bitte.
Could I have a receipt, please?
Kann ich bitte einen Beleg haben?
Please sign here.
Unterschreiben Sie bitte hier.
Please take a seat.
Nehmen Sie bitte Platz.
Practice these words
Können Sie mir bitte helfen?
Quick note: German is comfortable with direct requests softened by a single bitte. Unterschreiben Sie bitte hier is perfectly polite — the English instinct to pad it out ("would you mind possibly…") sounds evasive rather than courteous.
What to Know About German Politeness
Politeness lives in the form, not the volume. German has Sie, the subjunctive (könnten, hätte gern), and bitte — three tools that do the softening. Once they're in the sentence, nothing else is needed, which is why German requests sound abrupt in English translation and don't sound abrupt to Germans.
Thanks aren't automatic. A German cashier won't thank you three times for a transaction, and that isn't coldness. What you will get is bitte schön when handing over, danke on payment, and schönen Tag noch on the way out. Each one does a job.
Gerne is the modern reply. If you listen to service staff for an hour, gerne outnumbers bitte schön and gern geschehen combined. It's the one to have ready.
Three Mistakes to Avoid
Saying danke to accept an offer. It declines. Say ja, bitte or gerne.
Using es tut mir leid for minor bumps. It's for real apologies. Everyday friction takes Entschuldigung.
Answering Was? at a counter. It's blunt. Wie bitte? is the same question with manners.