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How to Say ‘Can I say something real quick?’ in German

Darf ich kurz was sagen?

darf ikh koorts vas ZAH-gen

[darf ikh koorts vas ZAH-gen]

💬 Usage Tip: was here is casual speech for etwas "something". You'll hear it constantly: Ich muss dir was zeigen "I have to show you something".

Phrase Breakdown

Darf ich kurz

darf ikh koorts

May I briefly

'Darf ich' asks politely for permission. 'kurz' means 'briefly' and has a short 'u'.

Example

Darf ich kurz stören?

May I interrupt for a moment?

Words in this phrase

Darf

[darf]

may / am allowed to

A polite modal verb used to ask permission.

Example

Bevor ich nach der Unternehmenskultur frage, sage ich: Darf ich fragen?

Before I ask about company culture, I say: May I ask?

ich

[ikh]

The pronoun 'ich' in nominative form.

Example

Ich bin da.

I am here.

kurz

[koorts]

briefly / quickly

Describes doing something in a short, quick way.

Example

Der Techniker bleibt nur kurz.

The technician is staying only briefly.

was sagen?

vas ZAH-gen

say something?

In casual speech 'was' is short for 'etwas' (something). Say 'sagen' as 'ZAH-gen' with a soft 'z' sound.

Example

Willst du was sagen?

Do you want to say something?

Words in this phrase

was

[vas]

something

Colloquial short form of 'etwas'.

Example

Ich muss dir was sagen.

I have to tell you something.

sagen

[ZAH-gen]

say

A verb meaning to say or tell.

Example

Ich wollte sagen, dass nur kaltes Wasser kommt.

I wanted to say that only cold water is coming.

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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