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How to Say ‘I really don't want to miss the train.’ in German

Ich will den Zug auf keinen Fall verpassen.

ikh vill DEHN tsook owf kigh-nehn fahl fer-PAH-sen

[ikh vill DEHN tsook owf kigh-nehn fahl fer-PAH-sen]

💬 Usage Tip: With will, the main verb waits at the very end: Ich will den Zug ... verpassen. Same with muss and kann: Ich muss den Zug nehmen "I have to take the train".

Phrase Breakdown

Ich will den Zug

ikh vill DEHN tsook

I want the train / I don't want to … the train

'will' means 'want', not future tense. 'Ich' has a soft 'ch' sound.

Example

Ich will den Zug um acht nehmen.

I want to take the train at eight.

Words in this phrase

Ich

[ikh]

The pronoun 'ich' in nominative form.

Example

Ich bin da.

I am here.

will

[vill]

want

To have a desire to possess or do something.

Example

Er will mehr Kaffee.

He wants more coffee.

den

[DEHN]

The (accusative form)

Defines a specific object in the accusative case.

Example

Ich nehme den Cappuccino.

I'll take the cappuccino.

Zug

[tsook]

train

A railway vehicle for passenger or freight transport.

Example

Wann fährt der Zug ab?

When does the train leave?

auf keinen Fall verpassen.

owf kigh-nehn fahl fer-PAH-sen

under no circumstances miss.

'auf keinen Fall' means 'no way / under no circumstances'. The verb 'verpassen' comes at the end.

Example

Das Konzert will ich auf keinen Fall verpassen.

I don't want to miss the concert under any circumstances.

Words in this phrase

auf

[owf]

on (in 'auf keinen Fall')

Part of the fixed phrase 'auf keinen Fall' = by no means.

Example

Auf keinen Fall!

No way!

keinen

[kigh-nehn]

Not a single one; indicating the absence of something.

Example

Wir hatten keinen Platz für zusätzliche Möbel.

We had no space for additional furniture.

Fall

[fahl]

case

In 'auf keinen Fall': under no circumstances.

Example

In diesem Fall bleibe ich.

In this case I'll stay.

verpassen

[fer-PAH-sen]

miss

To fail to catch a train, bus, etc.

Example

Ich habe den Bus verpasst.

I missed the bus.

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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