Asking for a Place to Wait | Learn German in English

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Use Asking for a Place to Wait to practice German conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Ich komme nicht in meine Wohnung.

ikh KOM-uh nikht in MY-nuh VOHN-oong. I am locked out of my apartment.

Hast du irgendwo einen Ersatzschlüssel?

hahst doo IR-gent-voh EYE-nen er-ZAHTS-SHLOO-sel? Do you have a spare key somewhere?

Nein, aber mein Vermieter hat vielleicht einen.

nine, AH-ber mine fer-MEE-ter haht fee-LYKHT EYE-nen. I do not, but my landlord may have one.

Versuch jetzt, deinen Vermieter anzurufen.

fer-ZOOK yetst, DYE-nen fer-MEE-ter AHN-tsoo-ROO-fen. Try calling them now.

Könnte ich drinnen warten, während ich anrufe?

KURN-tuh ikh DRIN-nen VAR-ten, VEH-rent ikh AHN-roo-fuh? Could I wait inside while I make the call?

Komm eine Weile rein.

kohm EYE-nuh VY-luh rine. Come in for a while.

Draußen ist es kalt.

DROW-sen ist ess kahlt. It is cold out there.

Ich erkläre, was passiert ist, und frage nach dem Schlüssel.

ikh er-KLEH-ruh, vahs pah-SEE-ert ist, oont FRAH-guh nahkh daym SHLOO-sel. I will explain what happened and ask about the key.

Sag mir, wenn du beim Warten etwas brauchst.

zahk meer, ven doo byme VAR-ten ET-vahs browkhst. Tell me if you need anything while you wait.

Word by Word

Ich Ich means “I” and is the subject in “Ich komme nicht in meine Wohnung.” It refers to the person speaking. A common reuse pattern is Ich + verb when stating what you do or experience.

komme In “Ich komme nicht in meine Wohnung”, komme expresses getting into or reaching the apartment. It is the form of kommen used with the speaker Ich. A common reuse pattern is Ich komme in + place when saying that you get into a place.

nicht Nicht negates the speaker’s ability to get into the apartment in “Ich komme nicht in meine Wohnung.” It makes the statement negative. It commonly appears before the part of the sentence being negated.

in In “in meine Wohnung”, in marks the apartment as the destination or interior the speaker cannot enter. Here it means “into.” A common reuse pattern is in + place when describing movement into a place.

meine Meine means “my” in “meine Wohnung” and identifies the apartment as belonging to the speaker. The exact form appears directly before Wohnung. A common reuse point is the noun phrase meine Wohnung for referring to one’s apartment.

Wohnung Wohnung means “apartment” in “meine Wohnung.” It names the place the speaker is trying to enter. A common reuse pattern is in meine Wohnung when talking about entering or being in one’s apartment.

Hast Hast means “have” in the question “Hast du irgendwo einen Ersatzschlüssel?” It asks whether the person addressed possesses or has access to something. “Hast du ...?” is a common question pattern for asking one person whether they have something.

du Du means “you” and refers to the one person being addressed in “Hast du irgendwo einen Ersatzschlüssel?” It is used for direct informal address. A common reuse pattern is du + verb in a question or statement addressed to one person.

irgendwo Irgendwo means “somewhere” in the question about whether a spare key is available. It leaves the exact location unspecified. A common reuse pattern is irgendwo + verb when saying that something is located at an unknown place.

einen Einen means “a” or “one” in “einen Ersatzschlüssel” and refers to one spare key. It is the article form used directly before Ersatzschlüssel here. A common reuse point is einen + object noun when asking whether someone has one item.

Ersatzschlüssel Ersatzschlüssel means “spare key” in “Hast du irgendwo einen Ersatzschlüssel?” It refers to a backup key that could open the apartment. A common reuse pattern is einen Ersatzschlüssel haben when asking whether someone has a spare key.

Nein Nein means “no” and gives the negative answer in “Nein, aber mein Vermieter hat vielleicht einen.” It directly answers the question about having a spare key. It can be used at the start of a reply when rejecting or denying what was just asked.

aber Aber means “but” and connects the negative answer with a possible alternative in “Nein, aber mein Vermieter hat vielleicht einen.” It signals that the second part adds information that changes the direction of the reply. A common reuse pattern is Nein, aber ... when giving a negative answer followed by another possibility.

mein Mein means “my” in “mein Vermieter” and identifies the landlord as connected to the speaker. It appears directly before Vermieter. A common reuse pattern is mein + noun when referring to something or someone associated with the speaker.

Vermieter Vermieter means “landlord” in “mein Vermieter hat vielleicht einen.” It names the person who may have the spare key. A common reuse pattern is mein Vermieter when referring to one’s landlord.

hat Hat means “has” in “mein Vermieter hat vielleicht einen.” It is the form of haben used with the landlord as the subject. A common reuse pattern is a person + hat + object when saying that someone possesses or has something.

vielleicht Vielleicht means “perhaps” or “maybe” in “hat vielleicht einen.” It shows that the speaker is not certain whether the landlord has a spare key. It can be placed with the verb phrase when presenting a possibility.

Versuch Versuch means “try” in the instruction “Versuch jetzt, deinen Vermieter anzurufen.” It tells one person to make an attempt. A common reuse pattern is Versuch ..., followed by the action the person should attempt.

jetzt Jetzt means “now” in “Versuch jetzt, deinen Vermieter anzurufen.” It tells the person to make the call at the present time. It can be used with an instruction to specify when the action should happen.

deinen Deinen means “your” in “deinen Vermieter” and identifies the landlord as belonging or being connected to the person addressed. It appears directly before Vermieter in the call instruction. A common reuse point is deinen Vermieter anrufen when referring to calling one’s landlord.

anzurufen Anzurufen means “to call” in “deinen Vermieter anzurufen.” It is the infinitive form of anrufen with zu inserted into the separable verb. A common reuse pattern is Versuch ..., jemanden anzurufen when telling someone to try calling a person.

Könnte Könnte means “could” in “Könnte ich drinnen warten, während ich anrufe?” It makes a polite request for permission to wait inside. A common reuse pattern is Könnte ich ...? when politely asking whether something is possible.

drinnen Drinnen means “inside” in “drinnen warten.” It describes the place where the speaker would wait. A common reuse pattern is drinnen + activity when saying that an activity happens indoors.

warten Warten means “wait” in “drinnen warten.” It names the activity the speaker wants to do inside. A common reuse pattern is warten while naming the place or person being waited for.

während Während means “while” in “während ich anrufe.” It introduces an action happening at the same time as waiting. A common reuse pattern is während + clause when connecting two simultaneous actions.

anrufe Anrufe means “call” in “während ich anrufe.” With ich as the subject, it says that the speaker will make the call. A common reuse pattern is während ich anrufe when describing another action happening during the speaker’s call.

Komm Komm means “come” in the invitation “Komm eine Weile rein.” It directly invites one person to enter. A common reuse pattern is Komm ... when inviting someone to move toward the speaker or into a place.

eine Eine means “a” or “one” in “eine Weile.” It introduces one period of time. A common reuse point is the fixed expression eine Weile for referring to a while.

Weile Weile means “while” or “period of time” in “eine Weile.” Together, eine Weile means for a while. This expression is useful when suggesting that someone stay for a short, unspecified period.

rein Rein means “in” or “inside” in “Komm eine Weile rein.” It indicates movement into the speaker’s indoor space. Together with Komm, it forms an invitation to come inside; the whole expression is not conveyed by rein alone.

Draußen Draußen means “outside” in “Draußen ist es kalt.” It locates the cold conditions outdoors. A common reuse pattern is Draußen ist es ... when describing a condition outside.

ist Ist means “is” in “Draußen ist es kalt.” It links the subject es with the description kalt. It is the form of sein used here with es.

es Es means “it” in “Draußen ist es kalt.” Here it fills the subject position in a statement about the weather or outside conditions. A common reuse pattern is es ist + adjective for describing a general condition.

kalt Kalt means “cold” in “Draußen ist es kalt.” It describes the temperature outside. A common reuse pattern is Es ist kalt when saying that the surroundings or weather are cold.

erkläre Erkläre means “explain” in “Ich erkläre, was passiert ist.” It says that the speaker will give an account of the event. It is the form of erklären used with Ich. A common reuse pattern is Ich erkläre, was ... when explaining an event or situation.

was Was means “what” in “was passiert ist.” It introduces the content of what the speaker will explain, rather than forming a separate question here. A common reuse pattern is erklären, was ... when saying that someone explains what happened or what something means.

passiert Passiert contributes “happened” in the phrase “was passiert ist.” Together with ist, it identifies the event that took place. A common reuse point is was passiert ist when referring to an earlier event that needs to be explained.

und Und means “and” in “Ich erkläre, was passiert ist, und frage nach dem Schlüssel.” It links the actions of explaining and asking. A common reuse pattern is one action und another action when listing connected actions.

frage Frage means “ask” in “frage nach dem Schlüssel.” It is the form of fragen used with the speaker Ich. The reusable pattern is nach etwas fragen when asking about or asking for something.

nach Nach contributes “about” or “for” in the expression “nach dem Schlüssel fragen.” With fragen, it forms the pattern for asking about or asking for something. A common reuse pattern is nach + thing + fragen.

dem Dem is the article used with Schlüssel in “nach dem Schlüssel.” It belongs to the complete phrase referring to the specific key. A common reuse point is learning dem Schlüssel together with nach ... fragen.

Schlüssel Schlüssel means “key” in “nach dem Schlüssel.” It refers to the key needed to get into the apartment. A common reuse pattern is nach dem Schlüssel fragen when asking about or for the key.

Sag Sag means “tell” in “Sag mir, wenn du beim Warten etwas brauchst.” It instructs one person to give the speaker information. It is the informal command form used in this direct request. A common reuse pattern is Sag mir, wenn ... when asking someone to inform you about a condition.

mir Mir means “to me” in “Sag mir.” It identifies the speaker as the person who should receive the information. A common reuse pattern is Sag mir ... when asking someone to tell you something.

wenn Wenn means “if” in “wenn du beim Warten etwas brauchst.” It introduces the condition under which the listener should tell the speaker. A common reuse pattern is Sag mir, wenn ... when offering help or asking someone to report a need.

beim Beim means “while” or “at the” in “beim Warten.” It is the contracted form of bei dem and introduces the activity of waiting. A common reuse pattern is beim + activity when describing something that happens during an activity.

etwas Etwas means “anything” in “etwas brauchst.” In this conditional question, it asks whether the listener needs any thing at all. A common reuse pattern is etwas brauchen for saying that someone needs something.

brauchst Brauchst means “need” in “wenn du beim Warten etwas brauchst.” It is the form of brauchen used with du. A common reuse pattern is du brauchst etwas when saying that one person needs something.

Grammar Points

anrufen → anzurufen

Ich brauche den Vermieter anzurufen.

ikh BROW-khuh dehn fer-MEE-ter AHN-tsoo-ROO-fen.

I need to call the landlord.

With zu, the separable prefix joins the verb: anrufen becomes anzurufen.

German Vocabulary

anrufen verb

AHN-roo-fen to call anzurufen

Versuch jetzt, deinen Vermieter anzurufen.

draußen adv

DROW-sen outside; outdoors

Draußen ist es kalt.

drinnen adv

DRIN-nen inside; indoors

Könnte ich drinnen warten?

eine Weile phrase

EYE-nuh VY-luh for a while

Komm eine Weile rein.

Ersatzschlüssel noun

er-ZAHTS-SHLOO-sel spare key

Hast du irgendwo einen Ersatzschlüssel?

kalt adj

kahlt cold

Draußen ist es kalt.

kommen verb

KOM-uhn to come; to get in komme

Ich komme nicht in meine Wohnung.

rein adv

rine in; inside

Komm eine Weile rein.

Schlüssel noun

SHLOO-sel key

Ich frage nach dem Schlüssel.

Vermieter noun

fer-MEE-ter landlord

Mein Vermieter hat vielleicht einen.

warten verb

VAR-ten to wait

Könnte ich drinnen warten?

Wohnung noun

VOHN-oong apartment

Ich komme nicht in meine Wohnung.

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

I am locked out of my apartment.

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Ich komme nicht in meine Wohnung.

Do you have a spare key somewhere?

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Hast du irgendwo einen Ersatzschlüssel?

Try calling them now.

Show Answer

Versuch jetzt, deinen Vermieter anzurufen.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

inside; indoors

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drinnen

landlord

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Vermieter

to call

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anzurufen

apartment

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Wohnung