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How to Say ‘May I ask you something quickly?’ in German

Darf ich Sie kurz etwas fragen?

darf ikh zee koorts ET-vahs FRAH-gen

[darf ikh zee koorts ET-vahs FRAH-gen]

💬 Usage Tip: 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?"

🇩🇪 In Germany: kurz signals you won't take much of their time. That makes strangers more willing to stop.

Phrase Breakdown

Darf ich Sie

darf ikh zee

May I (ask) you

A polite opening. 'Darf' is from 'dürfen' (may, to be allowed). 'Sie' is the formal 'you'. The 'r' in 'darf' is soft, almost like 'dahf'.

Example

Darf ich Sie stören?

May I disturb you?

Words in this phrase

Darf

[darf]

may; am allowed to

Used to ask permission politely in a professional setting.

Example

In Darf ich Ihnen meine Kontaktdaten geben? macht Darf die Frage höflich.

In 'Darf ich Ihnen meine Kontaktdaten geben?' 'Darf' makes the question polite.

ich

[ikh]

The pronoun 'ich' in nominative form.

Example

Ich bin da.

I am here.

Sie

[zee]

You (formal)

Formal second-person pronoun.

Example

Denken Sie, dass Netzwerken wichtig ist?

Do you think networking is important?

kurz etwas fragen?

koorts ET-vahs FRAH-gen

briefly ask something?

'kurz' means 'briefly' and softens the request. 'etwas' means 'something'. 'fragen' means 'to ask' and goes at the end of the sentence. 'kurz' has a 'ts' sound at the end.

Example

Kann ich dich kurz etwas fragen?

Can I quickly ask you something?

Words in this phrase

kurz

[koorts]

briefly; short

Kurz means short or briefly, depending on context.

Example

Bitte antworten Sie kurz.

Please answer briefly.

etwas

[ET-vahs]

something

An unspecified thing.

Example

Wo ist etwas zu essen?

Where is something to eat?

fragen

[FRAH-gen]

ask

Infinitive verb meaning to ask a question; used after modal verbs like 'darf'.

Example

Ich möchte dich etwas fragen.

I'd like to ask you something.

Guides for German learners

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