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How to Say ‘Should I take it back with me instead?’ in German

Soll ich ihn lieber wieder mitnehmen?

zoll ikh een LEE-ber VEE-der mit-neh-men

[zoll ikh een LEE-ber VEE-der mit-neh-men]

💬 Usage Tip: Here ihn "it" stands for the wine, because der Wein counts as masculine. German "it" follows the word's gender, so a bottle, die Flasche, would be sie.

Phrase Breakdown

Soll ich ihn lieber

zoll ikh een LEE-ber

Should I rather

'Soll ich' is used to offer something. 'ihn' (him/it) refers to the wine, which is masculine. 'lieber' means 'rather'.

Example

Soll ich ihn lieber anrufen?

Should I rather call him?

Words in this phrase

Soll

[zoll]

should

Used to offer help or ask whether the speaker should do something.

Example

Soll ich eine Kerze vorbereiten?

Should I prepare a candle?

ich

[ikh]

The pronoun 'ich' in nominative form.

Example

Ich bin da.

I am here.

ihn

[een]

him / it

Masculine accusative pronoun referring back to a masculine noun.

Example

Ich reserviere ihn, sobald ich die Uhrzeit bestätigt habe.

I will reserve it as soon as I have confirmed the time.

lieber

[LEE-ber]

preferably

Shows preference between options.

Example

In Möchten Sie lieber drinnen sitzen? fragt lieber nach Ihrer Vorliebe.

In Would you prefer to sit inside?, preferably asks about your preference.

wieder mitnehmen?

VEE-der mit-neh-men

take it back with me?

'mitnehmen' is a separable verb meaning 'to take along'. Stress 'MIT'. Let your voice rise for the question.

Example

Kann ich das mitnehmen?

Can I take that with me?

Words in this phrase

wieder

[VEE-der]

back

With 'kommen', 'wieder' means to return.

Example

Wann kommst du wieder?

When are you coming back?

mitnehmen

[mit-neh-men]

take away

Refers to taking something, like food or drink, out of a place instead of consuming it there.

Example

Ich möchte den Kaffee mitnehmen.

I would like to take the coffee away.

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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