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How to Say ‘Could you perhaps keep one of them free for me?’ in German

Könnten Sie mir vielleicht einen davon freihalten?

KURN-ten zee meer EYE-nen dah-FON FRY-hal-ten

[KURN-ten zee meer EYE-nen dah-FON FRY-hal-ten]

🇩🇪 In Germany: Holding a parking space isn't something restaurants normally do, so this is asking a real favour. Giving a reason, like a mobility issue, makes a yes much more likely.

Phrase Breakdown

Könnten Sie mir vielleicht

KURN-ten zee meer

Could you perhaps (for me)

This is a very polite request opener using the subjunctive 'könnten'.

Example

Könnten Sie mir vielleicht sagen…?

Could you perhaps tell me…?

Words in this phrase

Könnten

[KURN-ten]

could

Polite subjunctive form of 'können', used for courteous requests.

Example

Könnten Sie mir bitte helfen?

Could you please help me?

Sie

[zee]

you (formal)

Formal pronoun Sie used to address one person politely.

Example

Kommen Sie bitte herein.

Please come in.

mir

[meer]

to me

Dative pronoun used to show that something matters or happens to the speaker.

Example

Mir ist eine offene Kommunikation besonders wichtig.

Open communication is especially important to me.

vielleicht

einen davon freihalten?

EYE-nen dah-FON FRY-hal-ten

keep one of them free?

The infinitive 'freihalten' goes at the end. 'einen' refers to a parking space (masculine).

Example

Können Sie einen davon reservieren?

Can you reserve one of them?

Words in this phrase

einen

[EYE-nen]

a; one

Accusative masculine form of ein, used in the polite phrase Einen kleinen Moment.

Example

Einen kleinen Moment, bitte, ich suche die Datei.

One small moment, please, I'm looking for the file.

davon

[dah-FON]

of them

Refers to items mentioned before.

Example

Ich nehme zwei davon.

I'll take two of them.

freihalten

[FRY-hal-ten]

to keep free / save

To reserve a seat or space for another person.

Example

Kannst du mir den Platz freihalten?

Can you save the seat for me?

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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