Having a phone call in another language can be daunting. I remember when I first moved to Germany I avoided speaking on the phone in German, however in some situations you can’t avoid it. Here are some scenarios to help you prepare for your phone call. There is also another great post that you can find here for further vocabulary.

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Calling to make an appointment in German

Whether it is a doctors appointment, the dentist, the vet or to change your car tires to winter tires, here are some phrases to help you, also if you are making a doctors appointment, check out this post here so you can describe what is wrong.

Hallo, Elke Schmidt hier, ich möchte einen Termin machen
Hello, here is Elke Schmidt, I would like to make an appointment
Um was geht es genau?
What is it for?
Ich möchte meine Sommerreifen auf Winterreifen wechseln lassen
I would like to change my summer tires for my winter tires
Hätten Sie vormittags oder nachmittags Zeit?
Do you have time in the morning or afternoon?
Ja, der Termin am Freitag den 18ten um 11 Uhr passt gut. Vielen Dank
Yes, the appointment on Friday the 18th at 11 works well for me. Thank you

Reserving a table in German

Here are simple phrases to book a table at a restaurant:
Hallo, Elke Schmidt hier, ich möchte einen Tisch für zwei Personen für heute um 19 Uhr reservieren
Hello, here is Elke Schmidt, I would like to book a table for two people for today at 7pm
Drinnen oder draussen?
Inside or outside?
Um 19 Uhr sind wir ausgebucht, aber um 20 Uhr können wir Ihnen einen Tisch anbieten?
We are fully booked at 7pm, but we could offer you a table for 8pm?
Leider sind wir ausgebucht
Unfortunately we are fully booked

Calling a company when something has stopped working in German

Sometimes when the internet or electricity is down, all it needs is a quick phone call to the company to sort things out.
Hallo, Elke Schmidt hier, ich habe ein Problem, mein Internet funktioniert nicht mehr
Hello, here is Elke schmidt, I have a problem, my internet doesn’t work anymore
Hätten Sie ein Kundennummer?
Do you have a customer number?
Könnten Sie Ihre Internetbox ausschalten und wieder anschalten bitte?
Could you please turn your box off and on again?
Jemand wird morgen zwischen 10 und 11 Uhr vorbei kommen, sind Sie da zu Hause?
Someone will come round tomorrow between 10 and 11am, will you be at home?

Calling to ask a question in German

Here is what I say if I have a question:
Hallo, Elke Schmidt hier, ich hätte eine Frage, …
Hello here is Elke Schmidt, I have a question, …

Are there any other scenarios that you struggle with when on the phone to someone? Let me know in the comments below.
Thanks for reading,
Larissa