How to Say ‘I would like to...’ in German
Ich möchte gern...
ikh MURKH-teh gehrn
[ikh MURKH-teh gehrn]
💬 Usage Tip: [gern] often softens a request: [Ich möchte...] is fine, but [Ich möchte gern...] sounds a bit more natural and polite. You can use the same pattern with other verbs too, like [Ich hätte gern...]
Phrase Breakdown
Ich
[ikh]
I
First-person singular pronoun for talking about yourself.
Ich möchte gern einen Tisch reservieren.
I would like to reserve a table.
möchte
[MURKH-teh]
would like
Polite form of 'want'; commonly used when making requests.
Ich möchte gern für vier Personen reservieren.
I would like to reserve for four people.
gern
[gehrn]
gladly
A softening word that makes a request sound friendlier and more polite.
Ich möchte gern heute Abend reservieren.
I would gladly like to reserve for this evening.
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