Lesson 38: Polite Ways of Saying What You Want

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to say what you want, need, or are looking for in German. These phrases are useful in shops, cafés, restaurants, train stations, and many everyday situations.

What you’ll learn

• how to say I would like with möchten…
• how to use simple polite phrases in real situations

Saying “I would like…”

A very useful phrase is:

Ich möchte … = I would like …

Examples:

Ich möchte einen Kaffee.
I would like a coffee.

Ich möchte ein Wasser.
I would like a water.

Ich möchte eine Tüte.
I would like a bag.

Ich möchte den Salat.
I would like the salad.

This phrase is useful when ordering or asking for something politely.

Ich möchte vs. Ich hätte gern

German has more than one way to say I would like…

Ich möchte … = I would like …
Ich hätte gern … = I would like … / I would like to have …

Both are useful, polite beginner phrases.

You can use Ich möchte … in many everyday situations when you want something.

Examples:

Ich möchte einen Kaffee.
I would like a coffee.

Ich möchte eine Tüte.
I would like a bag.

Ich hätte gern … is very common when ordering food or drinks, especially in cafés, restaurants, bakeries, or shops.

Examples:

Ich hätte gern einen Kaffee.
I would like a coffee.

Ich hätte gern ein Wasser.
I would like a water.

You do not need to choose perfectly every time. Both phrases are polite and understandable. But in cafés and restaurants, Ich hätte gern … sounds very natural. For general requests, Ich möchte … is easy and useful.

Exercise: Fill-in-the-blank sentences