🙋🍺

How to Say ‘I would like a beer.’ in German

Ich hätte gern ein Bier.

ikh HET-uh gairn ine BEER

[ikh HET-uh gairn ine BEER]

💬 Usage Tip: Ich hätte gern plus any item is the standard way to order. For example: Ich hätte gern einen Kaffee. It sounds softer than Ich will "I want", which can come across as demanding.

Phrase Breakdown

Ich hätte

ikh HET-uh

I would have

This is the start of a very polite way to order. 'Hätte' sounds like 'HET-te'.

Example

Ich hätte eine Frage.

I would have a question.

Words in this phrase

Ich

[ikh]

The pronoun 'ich' in nominative form.

Example

Ich bin da.

I am here.

hätte

[HET-uh]

would have

A conditional phrase indicating possibility.

Example

Er hätte es besser machen können.

He could have done it better.

gern ein Bier.

gairn ine BEER

gladly a beer (= I'd like a beer).

'Gern' gives the meaning 'I'd like'. 'Bier' sounds like English 'beer'.

Example

Ich trinke gern ein Bier.

I like to drink a beer.

Words in this phrase

gern

[gairn]

gladly (with hätte: would like)

Used with 'hätte' to politely say what you would like.

Example

Ich hätte gern einen Tee.

I would like a tea.

ein

[ine]

a; an

The article used before the masculine noun "Schuss."

Example

In „Wow, was für ein Schuss!“ steht „ein“ vor „Schuss“.

In "Wow, what a shot!", "ein" comes before "Schuss."

Bier

[BEER]

beer

An alcoholic drink made from yeast-fermented malt flavored with hops.

Example

Ein kaltes Bier, bitte.

A cold beer, please.

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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