Restaurant reservations (Advanced): Checking table availability for specific dates and times.

💬 nachschauen "to check" splits, with nach going to the end. Little mal softens it to "just quickly".

💬 "To think of" is denken an, so an comes at the very start of the question. The denn adds a friendly, interested tone rather than any meaning.

💬 am liebsten is the top step of gern "gladly", lieber "rather". Handy for any preference: am liebsten draußen "ideally outside".

💬 halb acht means half an hour before eight, so 7:30, not 8:30. Likewise halb neun is 8:30.

💬 wäre "would be" makes the request sound polite and tentative, and the verb lands at the end after wenn.

🇩🇪 Giving a rough time plus a polite hedge signals flexibility, which staff appreciate on busy evenings.

💬 da here means "then, at that time", not "there". It points back to the time just mentioned.

💬 Ihnen is formal "to you", the form used for the person receiving something. Same with geben: Ich gebe Ihnen "I'll give you".

💬 anbieten splits when it's the main verb: Ich biete Ihnen etwas an. Here it stays together because könnte takes the verb's place.

🇩🇪 Germans use the 24-hour clock for bookings and schedules, so expect 21 Uhr rather than "9 pm" on the phone.

💬 uns "for us" sits right after the verb with no word for "for". Same pattern: Das ist mir zu teuer "That's too expensive for me".

💬 The verb aussehen splits, so aus goes to the very end. Reusable for any date: Wie sieht es am Samstag aus?

💬 The dot after 13 means it's read as an ordinal: dem dreizehnten (dem DRY-tsayn-ten).

💬 hätte "would have" softens habe into a polite offer. sogar noch "even still" stresses that something is unexpectedly available.

🇩🇪 Terrace tables are prized in summer and often can't be reserved, so being offered one is a small win.

💬 Days need der, which becomes den when it's the thing taken or chosen. Same with Wir nehmen den Montag.

💬 dürfte is an extra-polite "may I", and the main verb haben goes to the end. Swap the verb: Dürfte ich fragen? "May I ask?"

🇩🇪 Restaurants routinely ask for a number in case of changes, so giving one is expected, not intrusive.

💬 falls "in case" sends the verb to the very end: es gibt Rückfragen becomes falls es Rückfragen gibt. Rückfragen means "follow-up questions", not just any question.

💬 German books things "on" a name with auf, where English says "under". Don't translate word for word with unter.

🇩🇪 Staff will usually ask Auf welchen Namen? "Under what name?" Giving just your surname is normal and often enough.

💬 freuen always needs a word pointing back at the speaker: ich freue mich, wir freuen uns. Leaving out uns sounds broken.

💬 sich freuen auf means looking forward to something still coming. For something already happening, use über: wir freuen uns über Ihren Besuch "we're glad about your visit".

🇩🇪 A standard friendly sign-off when a restaurant confirms your booking by phone or email. No reply is expected.

💬 After für, Ihre keeps its plain form. Compare mit, which changes it: mit Ihrer Hilfe "with your help".

💬 Wiederhören swaps the "see" in Auf Wiedersehen for hören "hear", since you can't see each other on the phone.