Basic directions: Asking for directions
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Key Phrases
Darf ich Sie kurz etwas fragen?
May I ask you something quickly?
Wo ist der Bahnhof, bitte?
Where is the train station, please?
Gehen Sie hier geradeaus bis zur Ampel.
Go straight ahead here to the traffic light.
Skills You'll Learn
Politely asking permission to ask someone something
Höflich um Erlaubnis bitten, jemanden etwas zu fragen
Asking for directions
Nach dem Weg fragen
Understanding and giving directions
Wegbeschreibungen verstehen und geben
Lesson Roleplay
Imagine you're walking down a street in a German town. You want to ask a stranger how to get to the train station.
Entschuldigung, darf ich Sie kurz etwas fragen?
Excuse me, may I ask you something quickly?
Ja, natürlich. Was gibt's?
Yes, of course. What's up?
Wo ist der Bahnhof, bitte?
Where is the train station, please?
Gehen Sie hier geradeaus bis zur Ampel.
Go straight ahead here to the traffic light.
Bis zur Ampel. Und dann?
To the traffic light. And then?
Lesson Vocabulary & Phrases
Entschuldigung
ent-SHOOL-dee-goong
Excuse me
🇩🇪 The standard way to stop a stranger on the street. Say it before your question, not instead of it.
See breakdown →Etwas fragen
ET-vahs FRAH-gen
To ask something
💬 fragen takes the person directly, with no word for "to" in between: ich frage Sie "I ask you". English speakers often try to add one.
See breakdown →Darf ich Sie kurz etwas fragen?
darf ikh zee koorts ET-vahs FRAH-gen
May I ask you something quickly?
💬 After darf ich, the main verb goes to the very end in its basic form. Same pattern: Darf ich hier sitzen? "May I sit here?"
🇩🇪 kurz signals you won't take much of their time. That makes strangers more willing to stop.
See breakdown →Ja, natürlich.
yah nah-TOOR-likh
Yes, of course.
Was gibt's?
vahs gibts
What's up?
💬 gibt's is gibt es squeezed together, and the apostrophe marks the missing e. You'll hear the same in Gibt's hier eine Toilette? "Is there a toilet here?"
See breakdown →Der Bahnhof
dair BAHN-hoff
The train station
🇩🇪 In big cities, say which one: der Hauptbahnhof "the main station" is usually what people mean. Locals often shorten it to Hbf on signs.
See breakdown →Wo ist der Bahnhof?
voh ist dair BAHN-hoff
Where is the train station?
💬 Swap in any place after Wo ist: Wo ist die Apotheke? "Where is the pharmacy?" Just keep the right der, die or das.
See breakdown →Wo ist der Bahnhof, bitte?
voh ist dair BAHN-hoff BIT-tuh
Where is the train station, please?
Geradeaus
geh-RAH-duh-ows
Straight ahead
💬 Built from gerade "straight" and aus "out". Say it as one word with the stress on aus: (geh-RAH-deh-OWSS).
See breakdown →Learn this vocabulary list the easy way
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