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How to Say ‘Can you pass me the bread?’ in German

Kannst du mir das Brot reichen?

kahnst doo meer dahs broht RYE-khen

[kahnst doo meer dahs broht RYE-khen]

💬 Usage Tip: mir "to me" goes before the thing being passed, and reichen waits until the end. Swap in anything: Kannst du mir das Wasser reichen? "Can you pass me the water?".

Phrase Breakdown

Kannst du mir

kahnst doo meer

Can you (to) me

The polite request opener. 'Kannst du' often blends together in speech, almost like 'kannstu'.

Example

Kannst du mir helfen?

Can you help me?

Words in this phrase

Kannst

[kahnst]

can (you)

Du-form of 'können' (to be able to).

Example

Kannst du mir helfen?

Can you help me?

[doo]

you

The pronoun 'du' in nominative form.

Example

Du bist schön.

You are beautiful.

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.

das Brot reichen?

dahs broht RYE-khen

pass the bread?

The object plus the verb at the end. 'Brot' has a long 'o'. In 'reichen' the 'ei' sounds like English 'eye', and the 'ch' is soft.

Example

Kannst du mir das Brot reichen, bitte?

Can you pass me the bread, please?

Words in this phrase

das

[dahs]

the

Definite article used with the noun 'Gespräch.'

Example

Das Gespräch hat mir neue Einblicke gegeben.

The conversation gave me new insights.

Brot

[broht]

bread

Basic food word, very useful in bakeries and supermarkets in Germany.

Example

Das Brot ist frisch vom Bäcker.

The bread is fresh from the baker.

reichen

[RYE-khen]

to pass / hand

Infinitive at the end after a modal verb; to hand over.

Example

Er will mir das Glas reichen.

He wants to hand me the glass.

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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