Giving specific restaurant feedback politely | Learn German in English

German lesson set in a contemporary Berlin everyday setting: At a restaurant, a guest gives specific feedback about uneven course timing while a staff member notes it as a service issue..

EN → DE / Level: B2

About This Lesson

Use Giving specific restaurant feedback politely to practice German conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Das Essen war angenehm, aber der zeitliche Abstand zwischen den Gängen wirkte uneinheitlich.

DAHSS ESS-en vahr AHN-guh-NAYM, AH-ber dair TSITE-lih-khuh AHHP-shtahnt tsvish-en den GENG-en VEERK-tuh OON-ine-HITE-lihkh. The meal was enjoyable, but the timing between courses felt uneven.
B

Es tut mir leid, dass der Ablauf das Essen beeinträchtigt hat.

ess toot meer LITE, dahss dair AHHP-lowf dahss ESS-en buh-INE-traykh-tikt haht. I'm sorry the pacing got in the way of the meal.
A

Ich verstehe, dass viel los war.

ikh fair-SHTAY-uh, dahss feel lohs vahr. I understand it was busy.
A

Aber einige Gänge kamen zu dicht hintereinander, während andere auf sich warten ließen.

AH-ber EYE-ni-guh GENG-uh KAH-men tsoo dikht hin-ter-ine-AHN-der, VAY-rent AHN-duh-ruh owf zikh VAHR-ten LEE-sen. But a few courses arrived too close together and others lagged.
B

Das hätte für den ganzen Tisch besser koordiniert werden müssen.

DAHSS HET-tuh fyoor den GAHN-tsen TISH BESS-er koh-or-di-NEERT VAIR-den MOOS-en. That should have been coordinated better across the table.
A

Ich möchte nichts Zusätzliches.

ikh MURKH-tuh nikhts tsoo-ZETS-lih-khuss. I'm not looking for anything extra.
A

Ich wollte nur, dass Sie wissen, was passiert ist.

ikh VOL-tuh noor, dahss zee VISS-en, vahss pah-SSEERT ist. I just wanted you to know what happened.
B

Ich weiß die Details zu schätzen, weil sie auf ein Serviceproblem hinweisen, das wir beheben können.

ikh VICE dee day-TAH-ils tsoo SHET-sen, vile zee owf ine ZUR-viss-proh-BLAYM HIN-vy-zen, dahss veer buh-HAY-ben KURN-en. I appreciate the detail, because it points to a service issue we can fix.
A

Das Personal war die ganze Zeit höflich, daher scheint es eher ein organisatorisches als ein persönliches Problem zu sein.

DAHSS pair-zoh-NAHL vahr dee GAHN-tsuh TSITE HURF-lihkh, DAH-hair shyme-t ess AY-er ine or-gah-nee-zah-TOH-ri-shuss-ess ahls ine pair-ZURN-lih-khess proh-BLAYM tsoo zine. The staff were polite throughout, so it seems more operational than personal.
B

Ich werde diese Unterscheidung an den Manager weitergeben.

ikh VAIR-duh DEE-zuh OON-ter-SHYE-doong ahn den MEN-ah-jer VY-ter-GAY-ben. I'll pass that distinction on to the manager.

Word by Word

Das Das means the in Das Essen and introduces the meal being discussed. It is the definite article used before Essen here.
Essen Essen means the meal or food in this restaurant context. The phrase Das Essen refers to the meal as a whole.
war War means was and describes the meal’s condition in Das Essen war angenehm. It is the past form of sein used for a past description.
angenehm Angenehm means pleasant or enjoyable here and describes the meal. A useful pattern is etwas ist angenehm, when something provides a pleasant experience.
aber Aber means but and introduces a contrast between the enjoyable meal and the uneven timing. It commonly links two statements with opposing or qualifying information.
der Der means the in der zeitliche Abstand and identifies Abstand as the noun being described. It is used here with the masculine noun Abstand.
zeitliche Zeitliche means relating to time or timing and describes the Abstand between courses. The phrase der zeitliche Abstand focuses on the timing of an interval.
Abstand Abstand means interval or gap, here referring to the time between courses. A useful pattern is der Abstand zwischen two things, when describing the space or time separating them.
zwischen Zwischen means between and identifies the two sides of the interval: the courses. It is commonly used in the pattern zwischen A und B.
den Den means the in den Gängen and accompanies Gängen in the phrase between the courses. Here it is the article used with the plural noun Gängen after zwischen.
Gängen Gängen means courses in the meal. It is the form used in der Abstand zwischen den Gängen, referring to multiple courses as the points between which timing is measured.
wirkte Wirkte means seemed or appeared and describes how the timing came across to the guest. It is the past form of wirken, as in etwas wirkt uneinheitlich.
uneinheitlich Uneinheitlich means uneven or inconsistent here and describes the timing between courses. It is useful when different parts of a process do not follow a consistent pattern.
Es tut mir leid The whole expression Es tut mir leid means I’m sorry. Es provides the impersonal subject, tut is the form of tun, mir means to me, and leid completes the fixed expression; use it before a dass-clause when apologizing.
dass Dass means that and introduces the situation being apologized for in dass der Ablauf das Essen beeinträchtigt hat. It commonly introduces a subordinate clause expressing the content of an apology, statement, or reaction.
Ablauf Ablauf means the sequence or pacing of an event, here the way the meal proceeded. It can be used for the organized progress of a service, process, or event.
beeinträchtigt Beeinträchtigt means negatively affects or impairs the meal in das Essen beeinträchtigt hat. The form describes an adverse effect on something, here the meal.
hat Hat means has in beeinträchtigt hat and helps place the negative effect in a completed event. It is the form of haben used with the participle beeinträchtigt in this clause.
Ich Ich means I and identifies the guest as the person who understands and reports the experience. It is used as the subject at the beginning of Ich verstehe.
verstehe Verstehe means understand here and shows that the guest accepts the explanation that the restaurant was busy. A useful pattern is Ich verstehe, dass ..., when acknowledging someone’s circumstances.
viel Viel means a lot in viel los and contributes to the idea that there was a lot happening. In the pattern viel los sein, it describes a busy situation rather than an amount of a named object.
los Los means going on in viel los war, referring to activity or events happening at the restaurant. The common pattern viel los sein means that a place or situation is busy.
einige Einige means some or a few and refers to only part of the courses. It is used before the plural noun Gänge in einige Gänge.
kamen Kamen means arrived in einige Gänge kamen. It is the past form of kommen and describes the courses reaching the table.
zu Zu means too in zu dicht hintereinander and intensifies dicht beyond what was appropriate. The pattern zu plus an adjective or adverb expresses an excessive degree.
dicht Dicht means close together in zu dicht hintereinander and describes the small spacing between arrivals. It refers here to timing, not to physical density.
hintereinander Hintereinander means one after another and describes the sequence of the courses’ arrivals. It is useful for events that occur consecutively in a line or sequence.
während Während means while and contrasts the courses that arrived close together with those that were delayed. It commonly introduces a contrasting clause involving two simultaneous or opposing situations.
andere Andere means others and refers to the remaining courses, in contrast with einige Gänge. The pattern einige ... andere ... is useful when dividing a group into different parts.
auf sich warten ließen The whole expression auf sich warten ließen means were slow to arrive or kept people waiting. Auf introduces what is awaited, sich refers back to the courses, warten means wait, and ließen is the past form of lassen that expresses the courses causing the waiting.
hätte Hätte contributes would have to the retrospective assessment in Das hätte ... koordiniert werden müssen. It presents the coordination as a past requirement that was not fulfilled as it should have been.
für Für means for and marks the scope of the coordination in für den ganzen Tisch. Here it shows that the service should have been coordinated for the whole table.
ganzen Ganzen means whole or entire in den ganzen Tisch and emphasizes that the coordination concerned the table as a complete unit. It modifies Tisch within the phrase für den ganzen Tisch.
Tisch Tisch means table, here referring to the full dining party or service area represented by the table. The phrase für den ganzen Tisch sets the scope of the coordination.
besser Besser means better and evaluates the coordination as insufficient in the actual situation. It compares the required coordination with what happened.
koordiniert Koordiniert means coordinated and describes the organization of service across the table. In koordiniert werden müssen, it appears in a passive construction describing what should have been organized.
werden Werden helps form the passive expression koordiniert werden müssen, meaning that the service should have been coordinated. Here it does not mean become; it supports the idea of an action being carried out.
müssen Müssen expresses necessity in koordiniert werden müssen: the coordination was required. At the end of this construction, it completes the modal expression about what should have happened.
möchte Möchte means would like and politely expresses the guest’s preference in Ich möchte nichts Zusätzliches. It is useful for making a request or stating a desire in a softened way.
nichts Nichts means nothing and denies that the guest wants an additional item or compensation. It is used before Zusätzliches in the phrase nichts Zusätzliches.
Zusätzliches Zusätzliches means anything additional in nichts Zusätzliches. The capitalized adjective functions as a noun and refers generally to an extra item, benefit, or response.
wollte Wollte means wanted in Ich wollte nur, dass Sie wissen, was passiert ist. It presents the guest’s intention in a restrained way, making clear that the purpose was simply to inform.
nur Nur means only or just and limits the guest’s intention to informing the staff. In Ich wollte nur, dass ..., it helps make the statement sound less demanding.
Sie Sie means you in the formal form used when addressing the staff member politely. It is the person who is expected to know what happened.
wissen Wissen means know in dass Sie wissen, was passiert ist. The pattern wissen, was ... is useful when referring to knowledge of a fact or event.
was Was means what and introduces the information being known in was passiert ist. It refers to the event that occurred and forms part of the embedded question-like clause.
passiert Passiert means happened here in was passiert ist and identifies the event the guest wants the staff member to know about. The form comes from passieren and is used in the clause describing what occurred.
ist Ist completes the clause passiert ist and helps express the event as what happened. Here it is the form of sein used with passiert in this construction.
weiß die Details zu schätzen The whole expression weiß die Details zu schätzen means appreciate the details. Weiß expresses knowing how to value something, die identifies Details, Details is the appreciated information, and zu introduces the infinitive schätzen; the reusable pattern is etwas zu schätzen wissen.
weil Weil means because and introduces the reason the details are appreciated. It commonly begins a reason clause, with the clause’s verb placed at the end.
auf Auf is part of auf ein Serviceproblem hinweisen and contributes the meaning point to or indicate. The reusable pattern is auf etwas hinweisen when directing attention to an issue or fact.
ein Ein means a or an before Serviceproblem and introduces one service issue. It is the indefinite article in ein Serviceproblem.
Serviceproblem Serviceproblem means service issue and identifies the practical problem indicated by the details. It names a problem in the delivery or organization of the service.
hinweisen Hinweisen means point to or indicate in auf ein Serviceproblem hinweisen. It is commonly used with auf to direct attention to a specific issue, fact, or sign.
wir Wir means we and refers to the restaurant staff or organization that can address the issue. It is the subject of wir beheben können.
beheben Beheben means fix or remedy and refers to correcting the service problem. In das wir beheben können, it is the action the staff says is possible.
können Können means can or be able to and expresses the staff’s ability to fix the problem. It combines with the infinitive beheben in wir beheben können.
Personal Personal means staff and refers collectively to the people working at the restaurant. In Das Personal war höflich, it is the group being described.
die Die means the in die ganze Zeit and introduces the time expression. It is the definite article used before Zeit.
ganze Ganze means whole or entire in die ganze Zeit and emphasizes that the staff remained polite throughout the period. The phrase die ganze Zeit means throughout the whole time.
Zeit Zeit means time in die ganze Zeit and forms an expression describing the entire duration of the visit. Die ganze Zeit is useful for saying that something continued throughout a period.
höflich Höflich means polite and describes the staff’s behavior throughout the meal. It is useful when evaluating respectful or courteous conduct.
daher Daher means therefore or so and connects the staff’s polite behavior with the conclusion about the nature of the problem. It signals a conclusion based on the preceding information.
scheint Scheint means seems and presents the classification as an assessment rather than an absolute claim. It appears in scheint es eher ein organisatorisches als ein persönliches Problem zu sein.
es Es refers to the situation or problem being assessed in scheint es ... zu sein. It carries the subject of the conclusion without naming the problem again at that point.
eher Eher means rather or more likely and makes the classification less absolute. The pattern eher A als B presents one explanation as more fitting than another.
organisatorisches Organisatorisches means organizational in organisatorisches Problem and describes the problem as related to organization or operations. It is contrasted directly with persönliches through eher ... als ... .
als Als means than in the contrast eher ein organisatorisches als ein persönliches Problem. It introduces the alternative against which the first description is being compared.
persönliches Persönliches means personal in persönliches Problem and presents the alternative explanation that the issue was personal. The form is paired with organisatorisches in the contrast rather organizational than personal.
Problem Problem means problem or issue and names what is being classified as organizational rather than personal. The phrase ein organisatorisches als ein persönliches Problem identifies the type of issue.
sein Sein means be in zu sein and completes the expression scheint es ... zu sein. It is the infinitive used after zu to describe what the situation appears to be.
werde Werde means will in Ich werde diese Unterscheidung weitergeben and expresses a future intention. The pattern Ich werde ... is useful for promising or announcing a later action.
diese Diese means this and points back to the distinction just made between an organizational and a personal problem. It identifies Unterscheidung as the specific distinction being passed on.
Unterscheidung Unterscheidung means distinction and refers to the difference between an organizational issue and a personal one. Here it is the information the staff member intends to communicate to the manager.
an An means to in an den Manager and marks the recipient of the information. It is part of the pattern etwas an jemanden weitergeben.
Manager Manager means manager and identifies the person who should receive the distinction. In an den Manager, it is the recipient of the information.
weitergeben Weitergeben means pass on or forward and describes transferring the distinction to another person. The reusable pattern is etwas an jemanden weitergeben, with the item being passed on and the recipient both stated.

Grammar Points

auf etwas hinweisen

Ich weise auf das Serviceproblem hin.

ikh VY-zuh owf dahss ZUR-viss-proh-BLAYM hin.

I point out the service issue.

The separable verb splits in a main clause: weise ... hin. The preposition auf introduces what is being indicated.

etwas zu schätzen wissen

Ich weiß die Details zu schätzen.

ikh VICE dee day-TAH-ils tsoo SHET-sen.

I appreciate the details.

This fixed expression uses wissen with zu + infinitive: etwas zu schätzen wissen means to appreciate something.

German Vocabulary

Ablauf noun
AHHP-lowf process; pacing; sequence of events

dass der Ablauf das Essen beeinträchtigt hat

angenehm adj
AHN-guh-NAYM pleasant; enjoyable

Das Essen war angenehm.

auf sich warten lassen phrase
owf zikh VAHR-ten LAHSS-en to be delayed; to keep someone waiting auf sich warten ließen

andere auf sich warten ließen

beeinträchtigen verb
buh-INE-traykh-tig-en to impair; to affect negatively beeinträchtigt

das Essen beeinträchtigt hat

dicht hintereinander phrase
dikht hin-ter-ine-AHN-der close together; one right after another

zu dicht hintereinander

einige det
EYE-ni-guh some; several

einige Gänge

Essen noun
ESS-en meal; food

Das Essen war angenehm.

Gang noun
GAHNK course Gängen

zwischen den Gängen

uneinheitlich adj
OON-ine-HITE-lihkh uneven; inconsistent

wirkte uneinheitlich

verstehen verb
fair-SHTAY-en to understand verstehe

Ich verstehe

viel los sein phrase
feel lohs zine to be busy; to have a lot going on

dass viel los war

zeitliche Abstand phrase
TSITE-lih-khuh AHHP-shtahnt time interval

der zeitliche Abstand zwischen den Gängen

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

I understand it was busy.

Show AnswerIch verstehe, dass viel los war.

I'm not looking for anything extra.

Show AnswerIch möchte nichts Zusätzliches.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

meal; food

Show AnswerEssen

process; pacing; sequence of events

Show AnswerAblauf

course

Show AnswerGängen

pleasant; enjoyable

Show Answerangenehm