How to Say ‘Could you spell your last name, please?’ in German
Können Sie Ihren Nachnamen bitte buchstabieren?
KUR-nen zee EE-ren NAHKH-nah-men BIT-teh bookh-shtah-BEE-ren
[KUR-nen zee EE-ren NAHKH-nah-men BIT-teh bookh-shtah-BEE-ren]
🇩🇪 In Germany: Receptionists ask this routinely for foreign names. Spelling in German letters, e.g. A wie Anton "A as in Anton", makes it go much faster.
Phrase Breakdown
Können Sie Ihren Nachnamen
KUR-nen zee EE-ren NAHKH-nah-men
Can you ... your last name
A formal question using 'Sie'. 'Nachname' means surname. Say the 'ch' in 'Nach' from the back of the throat, as in Scottish 'loch'.
Können Sie Ihren Nachnamen wiederholen?
Can you repeat your last name?
Words in this phrase
Können
[KUR-nen]
can
Modal verb used to ask permission politely.
Können wir am Fenster reservieren?
Can we reserve by the window?
Sie
[zee]
you (formal)
Formal pronoun Sie used to address one person politely.
Kommen Sie bitte herein.
Please come in.
Ihren
[EE-ren]
your
Formal possessive article in the accusative masculine form, used with 'Besuch'.
Auf Ihren Besuch am Freitag freuen wir uns schon.
We are already looking forward to your visit on Friday.
Nachnamen
[NAHKH-nah-men]
surname, last name
Family name; this form is used as a direct object.
Wie ist Ihr Nachname?
What is your last name?
bitte buchstabieren?
BIT-teh bookh-shtah-BEE-ren
please spell?
'buchstabieren' means to spell letter by letter. Stress the 'bie' syllable: booch-shta-BEE-ren.
Bitte buchstabieren Sie das Wort.
Please spell the word.
Words in this phrase
bitte
[BIT-teh]
please
Polite word used in requests and answers.
Für vier Personen, bitte, wenn möglich.
For four people, please, if possible.
buchstabieren
[bookh-shtah-BEE-ren]
to spell
To say the letters of a word one by one.
Ich buchstabiere meinen Namen.
I spell my name.
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