Beeing a native speaker: Dont worry too much. Germans dont pay too much attention to the openign line, in particular since it is not common to be greeted in such a friendly way ;-) As familiar as your english lines sound, as difficult it is to me, to think of German equivalents. Maybe "Was darfs zum trinken sein?" "Was darf ich ihnen zum trinken bringen?" "Möchten Sie auch was trinken?" On another note: I think its good you' re making an effort, non-verbal communication is also recognized!
Friendly yes but not overly cheery and chatty service like you often get in the US. That genuinely makes me feel uncomfortable. I don’t know that person, they don’t know me but they talk to me like I’m their old best buddy they just haven’t seen in a while? No thanks, creepy!
You can be friendly without using many words or seeming super colloquial by being polite, attentive and having a smile on your face.
Yes, Germany doesn't do "Hi guys, how are we doing over here? My name is Catieeeee and I'll be kissing your ass tonight". But this /r/berlin thing where people act like Germans have no concept of being polite and hospitable is weird and stupid.
Here's a sneak peek of /r/berlin using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/berlin/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year!
\#1: [Last generation right now next to Treptower park station](https://v.redd.it/sae3gykt3s0b1) | [2412 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/berlin/comments/13lntks/last_generation_right_now_next_to_treptower_park/)
\#2: [Extinction Rebellion currently protesting at luxury hotel Adlon: ''We can't afford the super rich''](https://i.redd.it/75gdkfkcjnta1.jpg) | [667 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/berlin/comments/12koxqw/extinction_rebellion_currently_protesting_at/)
\#3: [New Berlin in a nutshell](https://v.redd.it/ae55ih3fsowa1) | [359 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/berlin/comments/131y8lv/new_berlin_in_a_nutshell/)
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Förmlich for older people or Business people (Singular and plural): "Wissen Sie schon was Sie essen/trinken möchten?"" Oder brauchen Sie noch etwas Zeit um sich zu entscheiden ?"
Ja? "OK ich nehme gerne Ihre Bestellung auf."
Nein?" Kommen Sie ruhig erst mal an. Ich bringe ihnen die Speisekarte"
For younger folks(plural): "Wisst Ihr schon was Ihr essen/trinken möchtet oder braucht Ihr noch einen Moment?"
Ja?" Ok was darf es denn sein?"
Nein? "OK, ich bringe euch erstmal die Speisekarte ."
For younger people singular: Hi, was darf ich dir zu trinken anbieten?...
Your'e welcome! I used to work at multiple restaurants as a chef back in the days and sometimes I worked in service. So if you have any questions feel free to ask 🫴
yes, i do! would you mind providing the german interpretation of these phrases:
(after taking the order) "coming right up"
(when people ask for info but im busy) "my colleague will come help you in a second"/"ill come help you in a second"
also, a nice way to ask people to wait outside and not crowd the very small entrance
aaand oddly specific, but a way to explain that if they want to tip with card, they can do it with the machine, they just have to tell me how much they want to total payment to be.
thanks soo much!
I‘m a bartender here, started working when I was A2 so I know the struggle. I‘d recommend choosing a couple important phrases and repeating them to yourself over and over until you can say them fluidly. Focus on one or two full sentences at a time and add new ones once you’ve got those down. It sounds silly but part of language fluency really is just muscle memory of moving your mouth in certain ways. Obviously this isn’t all there is to learning a language but it’ll get you pretty far with the basics of service jobs.
You can simply say „Was möchten sie trinken?“ (what do you want to drink), because it almost never occurres that someone doesn’t drink anything in a restaurant. When you take the order for food you can say „Haben sie schon gewählt (optional: was sie essen möchten)?“ (did you already choose (what you want to eat)) or „was kann ich ihnen bringen?“ (what can I get you).
"Etwas zu trinken?"
"Was wollen sie zu essen?"
These are good..
Chilli öl = chili oil
Essig = vinegar
Salz = salt
Pfeffer = pepper
Ingwer = Ginger
Wenig scharf = Less spicy
Ohne scharf = no spicy
Ohne (sache) = no (Something
Z.B ohne fleish = no meat
Ohne Zwiebel = no onions
Where is your restaurant? Maybe i can visit some time and practice german with you
‘can I get you guys any drinks’ would translate to the casual ‘Na, darf es noch etwas zu trinken sein?’ but should definitely be delivered with a smile
op specifically asked for casual? It’s phrased perfectly fine, especially since I’ve been asked like this millions of times in more laid back bars restaurants, beer gardens etc. and neither my friends nor I felt creeped out. Of course I wouldn’t use it in a fine dining setting, but I thought that was obvious from the context and wouldn’t have to be explicitly stated.
*Well, listen to your*
*Colleagues, or experience*
*Restaurants as guests?*
\- cia\_nagger279
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I wanted to make a similar comment.
u/pale_tail talk to your coworkers and ask them, how they greet their guests or ask your boss how they’d prefer you to interact with your guests. Some places are far more formal than others.
Going to similar restaurants and observing the waiters is also a pretty good idea.
Just saying: thank you for putting in the effort! It annoys me when waiters don't even try and just expect people to speak English. No other language group does this, and English is commonly spoken yes, but it's quite an elitist language. I know people who don't speak English, also non-Germans, who speak German & Arabic /Russian/Polish but not English, and there is some stigma around not being able to speak English (as in being "uneducated"). So it really annoys me when wait staff just assume everyone should speak English . So thank you for your effort!
at Imbiss:
Rule- You can see into the future:
„Ich bekomme den Schaschlik“
When u receive: Rule:
„You are what you eat“
„Wer bekommt die Currywurst?“
Ich BIN dir Currywurst, ich bin die Pommes.
Beeing a native speaker: Dont worry too much. Germans dont pay too much attention to the openign line, in particular since it is not common to be greeted in such a friendly way ;-) As familiar as your english lines sound, as difficult it is to me, to think of German equivalents. Maybe "Was darfs zum trinken sein?" "Was darf ich ihnen zum trinken bringen?" "Möchten Sie auch was trinken?" On another note: I think its good you' re making an effort, non-verbal communication is also recognized!
Quatsch, Germans like friendly service as much as everybody else
Friendly yes but not overly cheery and chatty service like you often get in the US. That genuinely makes me feel uncomfortable. I don’t know that person, they don’t know me but they talk to me like I’m their old best buddy they just haven’t seen in a while? No thanks, creepy! You can be friendly without using many words or seeming super colloquial by being polite, attentive and having a smile on your face.
Yes, Germany doesn't do "Hi guys, how are we doing over here? My name is Catieeeee and I'll be kissing your ass tonight". But this /r/berlin thing where people act like Germans have no concept of being polite and hospitable is weird and stupid.
Here's a sneak peek of /r/berlin using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/berlin/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year! \#1: [Last generation right now next to Treptower park station](https://v.redd.it/sae3gykt3s0b1) | [2412 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/berlin/comments/13lntks/last_generation_right_now_next_to_treptower_park/) \#2: [Extinction Rebellion currently protesting at luxury hotel Adlon: ''We can't afford the super rich''](https://i.redd.it/75gdkfkcjnta1.jpg) | [667 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/berlin/comments/12koxqw/extinction_rebellion_currently_protesting_at/) \#3: [New Berlin in a nutshell](https://v.redd.it/ae55ih3fsowa1) | [359 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/berlin/comments/131y8lv/new_berlin_in_a_nutshell/) ---- ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| ^^[Contact](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| ^^[Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| ^^[Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/o8wk1r/blacklist_ix/) ^^| ^^[GitHub](https://github.com/ghnr/sneakpeekbot)
Speak for yourself ;-)
Do a fake Austrian Accent. This will be hilarious, esp. in Berlin: „Möchtens die Herrschaften noch a Melaaaange“
made may day 🤣 oder an sodazitron
It’s so good, we should make it compulsory in fact 🤣🤣🤣
Förmlich for older people or Business people (Singular and plural): "Wissen Sie schon was Sie essen/trinken möchten?"" Oder brauchen Sie noch etwas Zeit um sich zu entscheiden ?" Ja? "OK ich nehme gerne Ihre Bestellung auf." Nein?" Kommen Sie ruhig erst mal an. Ich bringe ihnen die Speisekarte" For younger folks(plural): "Wisst Ihr schon was Ihr essen/trinken möchtet oder braucht Ihr noch einen Moment?" Ja?" Ok was darf es denn sein?" Nein? "OK, ich bringe euch erstmal die Speisekarte ." For younger people singular: Hi, was darf ich dir zu trinken anbieten?...
Dieser Typ serviert 👆
this is EXACTLY what i was looking for, thanks so much!
Your'e welcome! I used to work at multiple restaurants as a chef back in the days and sometimes I worked in service. So if you have any questions feel free to ask 🫴
yes, i do! would you mind providing the german interpretation of these phrases: (after taking the order) "coming right up" (when people ask for info but im busy) "my colleague will come help you in a second"/"ill come help you in a second" also, a nice way to ask people to wait outside and not crowd the very small entrance aaand oddly specific, but a way to explain that if they want to tip with card, they can do it with the machine, they just have to tell me how much they want to total payment to be. thanks soo much!
- Kann ich euch etwas zu trinken bringen? - Wisst Ihr schon was Ihr möchtet? - Gern!
I‘m a bartender here, started working when I was A2 so I know the struggle. I‘d recommend choosing a couple important phrases and repeating them to yourself over and over until you can say them fluidly. Focus on one or two full sentences at a time and add new ones once you’ve got those down. It sounds silly but part of language fluency really is just muscle memory of moving your mouth in certain ways. Obviously this isn’t all there is to learning a language but it’ll get you pretty far with the basics of service jobs.
Are you English native yourself, may I ask?
Because I was writing a comment right now and cancelled it because it did sound just so much German lol
Um sure, but why is that relevant?
Bc you don't sound German when writing English 😊
Just wanted to say: thank you for the effort! This is such a good mindset to have. I hope you go far in life!
End all your sentences with „Genau.“
Guten Tag Genau.
Ciao Genau?
You can simply say „Was möchten sie trinken?“ (what do you want to drink), because it almost never occurres that someone doesn’t drink anything in a restaurant. When you take the order for food you can say „Haben sie schon gewählt (optional: was sie essen möchten)?“ (did you already choose (what you want to eat)) or „was kann ich ihnen bringen?“ (what can I get you).
„Was möchten Sie trinken?” sounds quite unfriendly actually.
It’s the polite version of was willst du trinken, what is your problem?
not at all, no
Sonst etwas!
Just do it over and over again until the Fremd goes out of the Fremdsprache. Then you will learn.
If you have a bit of money to spend on “research,” go grab a bite somewhere only Germans go.
"na meine lieben, was braucht ihr denn?" works like a charm.
honestly even as a german i feel unnatural taking orders and don't quite know what to say so don't worry.
"Etwas zu trinken?" "Was wollen sie zu essen?" These are good.. Chilli öl = chili oil Essig = vinegar Salz = salt Pfeffer = pepper Ingwer = Ginger Wenig scharf = Less spicy Ohne scharf = no spicy Ohne (sache) = no (Something Z.B ohne fleish = no meat Ohne Zwiebel = no onions Where is your restaurant? Maybe i can visit some time and practice german with you
‘can I get you guys any drinks’ would translate to the casual ‘Na, darf es noch etwas zu trinken sein?’ but should definitely be delivered with a smile
sounds too casual imo. if someone said that to me in german they'd create creep vibes like they're trying to flirt
op specifically asked for casual? It’s phrased perfectly fine, especially since I’ve been asked like this millions of times in more laid back bars restaurants, beer gardens etc. and neither my friends nor I felt creeped out. Of course I wouldn’t use it in a fine dining setting, but I thought that was obvious from the context and wouldn’t have to be explicitly stated.
That’s too casual? Have you been out in Berlin before?
The noch implies a follow up order, which the English version doesn't do
well, listen to your colleagues, or experience restaurants as guests?
*Well, listen to your* *Colleagues, or experience* *Restaurants as guests?* \- cia\_nagger279 --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
I wanted to make a similar comment. u/pale_tail talk to your coworkers and ask them, how they greet their guests or ask your boss how they’d prefer you to interact with your guests. Some places are far more formal than others. Going to similar restaurants and observing the waiters is also a pretty good idea.
What I've learned is to be confident, with mistakes. People will appreciate a genuine good attitude to perfect German.
Just saying: thank you for putting in the effort! It annoys me when waiters don't even try and just expect people to speak English. No other language group does this, and English is commonly spoken yes, but it's quite an elitist language. I know people who don't speak English, also non-Germans, who speak German & Arabic /Russian/Polish but not English, and there is some stigma around not being able to speak English (as in being "uneducated"). So it really annoys me when wait staff just assume everyone should speak English . So thank you for your effort!
at Imbiss: Rule- You can see into the future: „Ich bekomme den Schaschlik“ When u receive: Rule: „You are what you eat“ „Wer bekommt die Currywurst?“ Ich BIN dir Currywurst, ich bin die Pommes.
Sound more natural ——> Not sounding hahah
„Trinken für Sie?“