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How to Say ‘Shall we drink a coffee?’ in German

Wollen wir einen Kaffee trinken?

VOL-len veer EYE-nen ka-FAY TRINK-en

[VOL-len veer EYE-nen ka-FAY TRINK-en]

🇩🇪 In Germany: This is a low-pressure, common way to suggest a first date. Coffee usually feels safer than asking someone out for dinner.

Phrase Breakdown

Wollen wir

VOL-len veer

Shall we

'Wollen wir...?' is a friendly way to suggest doing something together. 'W' sounds like English 'v'.

Example

Wollen wir gehen?

Shall we go?

Words in this phrase

Wollen

[VOL-len]

shall we

Used to make a polite suggestion together.

Example

Wollen wir später noch tanzen?

Shall we dance later?

wir

[veer]

Pronoun for a group including the speaker.

Example

Wir arbeiten gern zusammen.

We like working together.

einen Kaffee trinken?

EYE-nen ka-FAY TRINK-en

have a coffee?

The accusative object comes first, and the infinitive 'trinken' goes at the end after the modal verb.

Example

Lass uns einen Kaffee trinken.

Let's have a coffee.

Words in this phrase

einen

[EYE-nen]

Indefinite article before a masculine accusative noun.

Example

Ich plane einen kurzen Austausch nächste Woche.

I am planning a short exchange next week.

Kaffee

[ka-FAY]

coffee

Often used as shorthand for an informal coffee meeting.

Example

Lass uns auf einen Kaffee treffen.

Let's meet for a coffee.

trinken

[TRINK-en]

to drink

The infinitive verb meaning to drink beverages.

Example

Was möchtest du trinken?

What would you like to drink?

Guides for German learners

Duolingo vs Pimsleur: Tapping on a Screen or Talking Out Loud?Duolingo vs Pimsleur: five minutes of tapping versus thirty minutes of speaking. What each is good at, what each costs, and which to pick for your goal.

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