Today's words · 🙏 Thanks, sorry & favours
Please, thank you, sorry: 10 German words for good manners
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Swap in a few of these words and you'll notice people in Germany warm up to you straight away.
Have you ever pointed at a pastry and just said ‘Das!’, then noticed the baker's smile fade a little? You got your pastry, but something was missing.
Today's ten words are all about saying thank you, sorry and please. With them you can ask for directions, apologise for a mistake and even ask a neighbour for a small favour, all politely. 🙏
📋 The ten words at a glance
- danke — thanks, thank you
- bitteschön — you're welcome; here you are (colloquial)
- die Entschuldigung — apology; excuse me, sorry
- sich entschuldigen — to apologize
- leidtun — to be sorry
- Verzeihung — excuse me; sorry
- bitten — to ask, request (um + acc.)
- sich bedanken — to say thank you, to thank (bei + dat., für + acc.)
- einen Gefallen tun — to do (sb) a favour
- höflich — polite, courteous
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
danke
[DAN-kuh]thanks, thank you(expression)
📌 Danke für deine Hilfe!
→ Thanks for your help!
💡 Practically a twin of English thank 🙏
Bonus More polite: Danke schön / Vielen Dank · ‘You too!’: Danke, gleichfalls!
bitteschön
[BIT-uh-shern]you're welcome; here you are (colloquial)📌 Danke! – Bitteschön!
→ Thanks! – You're welcome!
💡 Danke comes over the net, Bitteschön goes back 🏓
Bonus Also when handing something over: Bitteschön! = Here you are · Same reply: Gern geschehen!
die Entschuldigung
[ent-SHOOL-di-goong]apology; excuse me, sorry(Pl. die Entschuldigungen)
📌 Entschuldigung, ist hier noch frei?
→ Excuse me, is this seat free?
💡 ent- (remove) + Schuld (guilt) = please take my guilt away 😅
Bonus To get someone's attention: Entschuldigung, wo ist der Bahnhof?
sich entschuldigen
[zikh ent-SHOOL-di-gen]to apologize(entschuldigt sich – hat sich entschuldigt)
📌 Ich möchte mich für die Verspätung entschuldigen.
→ I'd like to apologize for being late.
💡 The verb that brushes the guilt (Schuld) away 🧹
⚠ It's reflexive. To a person: bei; for something: für. Ich entschuldige mich bei dir für die Verspätung.
leidtun
[LITE-toon]to be sorry(tut leid – tat leid – hat leidgetan · = leid tun)
📌 Es tut mir leid, ich bin zu spät.
→ I'm sorry I'm late.
💡 Leid means sorrow — something ‘does sorrow’ to me 😢
Bonus For sympathy too: Das tut mir leid. = I'm sorry to hear that.
⚠ The subject is es and you are dative mir: Es tut mir leid. (Not: Ich tue leid.)
Verzeihung
[fair-TSY-oong]excuse me; sorry📌 Verzeihung, wo ist hier die Toilette?
→ Excuse me, where is the toilet here?
💡 Literally ‘forgiveness’ — a slightly elegant way to say sorry 🎩
Bonus The verb verzeihen = to forgive: Verzeihen Sie bitte!
bitten
[BIT-en]to ask, request (um + acc.)(bittet – hat gebeten)
📌 Darf ich Sie um einen Gefallen bitten?
→ May I ask you a favour?
💡 The verb behind bitte 🤲 A distant cousin of English bid.
⚠ Don't mix up bitten (ask), bieten (offer) and beten (pray). You ask for something with um + acc.: um Hilfe bitten
sich bedanken
[zikh buh-DAN-ken]to say thank you, to thank (bei + dat., für + acc.)(bedankt sich – hat sich bedankt)
📌 Ich möchte mich für Ihre Hilfe bedanken.
→ I'd like to thank you for your help.
💡 be- + Dank (thanks) = to give your thanks properly 💌
Bonus Ich bedanke mich bei Ihnen für die Einladung. = Thank you for the invitation.
einen Gefallen tun
[EYE-nen guh-FAL-en TOON]to do (sb) a favour(tut – tat – hat getan (+ dat.))
📌 Kannst du mir einen Gefallen tun und die Post mitnehmen?
→ Can you do me a favour and take the post with you?
💡 A Gefallen is a little gift of kindness 🎁 Kannst du mir einen Gefallen tun? = Could you do me a favour?
⚠ der Gefallen (favour) is not das Gefallen (liking). Same spelling, different article!
höflich
[HURF-likh]polite, courteous(höflicher – am höflichsten)
📌 Der Verkäufer war sehr höflich.
→ The shop assistant was very polite.
💡 Hof (court) + -lich = behaving like someone at court 👑 Just like courteous comes from court.
Bonus The opposite: unhöflich · the noun: die Höflichkeit
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
If someone offers you a drink in Germany and you just say ‘Danke’, it often sounds like ‘No, thanks’. If you'd like it, say ‘Ja, bitte!’ or ‘Gerne!’ clearly.
Many people say ‘Hallo’ or ‘Guten Tag’ when they walk into a small shop or a doctor's waiting room, and ‘Tschüss’ or ‘Auf Wiedersehen’ when they leave. A greeting at the till is normal too.
Germans tend to speak quite directly, which can feel cold at first. But usually it isn't rudeness: many people see being clear as the polite thing to do. 🙂
✅ Quick quiz
Q. You hold the door for someone and they say ‘Danke!’. What do you reply?
- ① Bitteschön!
- ② Es tut mir leid.
- ③ Verzeihung!
Show the answer
① Bitteschön!
Bitteschön! means ‘You're welcome’ — the natural answer to Danke.
Challenge for today: use Danke, Bitteschön and Entschuldigung at least once each. See if the baker smiles a bit more! 🥨
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 😊 Emotions