How to Say Please in German: 15+ Polite Phrases for Every Situation

The Short Answer

The most common way to say please in German is Bitte (BIT-teh). It works everywhere: in a Berlin bakery, a Viennese coffee house, or a Zurich boardroom. But what makes Bitte truly remarkable is that it is arguably the single most versatile word in the entire German language.

German is spoken by approximately 132 million people worldwide across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and parts of Belgium and northern Italy, according to Ethnologue's 2024 data. Across all these regions, Bitte serves as the backbone of everyday politeness, but it goes far beyond just "please."

"Politeness in language is not merely a social nicety but a fundamental dimension of communicative competence. The ways speakers modulate requests reveal deep cultural assumptions about power, distance, and solidarity."

(Claire Kramsch, Language and Culture, Oxford University Press, 1998)

This guide covers 15+ ways to express "please" in German, from the simple Bitte to the ultra-polite Konjunktiv II request forms. Each entry includes pronunciation, formality level, example sentences, and cultural context so you can navigate German politeness with confidence.

Quick Reference: German "Please" Phrases at a Glance

Standard Ways to Say Please

These are the core "please" expressions that every German learner should know. According to the Duden dictionary, Bitte ranks among the 100 most frequently used words in everyday German.

Bitte

Bitte is the Swiss Army knife of the German language. No other word covers as many social functions. You will use it dozens of times per day in any German-speaking country. It can sit at the end of a sentence (Ein Wasser, bitte), at the beginning (Bitte, nehmen Sie Platz), or stand completely alone as a one-word response.

The word descends from the Middle High German biten (to ask, to request), and its centrality to German communication has only grown over the centuries. The DWDS corpus shows that Bitte appears in approximately 0.15% of all written German text, an extraordinarily high frequency for a single word.

Bitte schön

Adding schön (beautifully, nicely) to Bitte elevates the politeness. You will hear this constantly in German service culture: a waiter placing your meal in front of you will say Bitte schön ("here you go"), and you can use the same phrase when making a request. The dual function makes it one of the most common two-word phrases in German.

Bitte sehr

Bitte sehr carries a touch more formality than Bitte schön. You will encounter it in higher-end restaurants, hotels, formal receptions, and professional correspondence. The difference between schön and sehr is subtle: schön feels warmer and more personal, while sehr feels more dignified and professional.

A practical rule of thumb: use Bitte schön at your favorite neighborhood bakery and Bitte sehr at a business dinner. Both are polite, but the register differs.

Formal Request Phrases

German has a rich system of formal politeness that goes well beyond a simple Bitte. These phrases are essential in business settings, official correspondence, and interactions with strangers. For more on navigating formal German registers, check out our German learning hub.

Ich bitte Sie

This construction uses bitten as a full verb rather than a particle. It carries weight and signals that you are making a deliberate, considered request, not just tossing a casual bitte onto a sentence. You will find it in business emails, formal speeches, and official documents.

Note the grammatical structure: Ich bitte Sie + zu + infinitive. For example: Ich bitte Sie, die Unterlagen bis Freitag einzureichen (I ask you to submit the documents by Friday). This is standard corporate German.

Wären Sie so freundlich

This phrase uses Wären, the Konjunktiv II (subjunctive) form of sein (to be). By framing the request as hypothetical ("would you be so kind"), the speaker creates social distance that signals deep respect. Brown and Levinson's politeness theory calls this a "negative politeness strategy" that minimizes the imposition on the listener.

Dürfte ich Sie bitten

This is the pinnacle of German polite requests. Dürfte is the Konjunktiv II form of dürfen (to be allowed), so you are essentially saying "Might I be allowed to request of you..." with three layers of politeness stacked on top of each other. Use this in government offices, formal business negotiations, or when you really need a favor from someone important.

Casual Ways to Say Please

Among friends, family, and close colleagues, German speakers drop the formality and reach for more relaxed expressions.

Bitteschön

When written as one compound word, Bitteschön takes on a casual, everyday feel. It is the natural response when you hand someone an item: the cashier gives you your change and says Bitteschön, you hand a friend their phone and say Bitteschön. Simple, warm, and automatic.

Ach bitte!

Ach bitte! is the German equivalent of "Oh come on, please!" It carries emotional weight: a child asking for ice cream, a friend trying to convince you to join a party. The interjection Ach softens the request and makes it feel personal rather than transactional.

Komm schon

Komm schon is less about politeness and more about persuasion. It is the German "come on," used when you want to nudge someone toward a decision. Use it only with people you know well, as it can come across as pushy with strangers.

You might also hear the variation Na komm (come on now), which softens the tone slightly with the interjection Na. Among close friends, Komm schon, bitte! combines both casual persuasion and a direct plea.

Indirect Polite Requests: The Power of Konjunktiv II

German has a built-in grammatical politeness system that English lacks: the Konjunktiv II (subjunctive II). By shifting a verb into its subjunctive form, you transform a direct question into a polite, hypothetical one. This is one of the most important concepts for sounding naturally polite in German.

Könnten Sie...?

The difference between Können Sie (can you) and Könnten Sie (could you) may seem small, but native German speakers perceive it as significant. Können Sie is a factual question about ability. Könnten Sie is a polite, hypothetical request that leaves the listener room to decline gracefully. In professional and formal contexts, always choose the Konjunktiv II form.

According to the Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache (GfdS), the use of Konjunktiv II in polite requests has increased in written German over the past two decades, reflecting a broader cultural trend toward indirect communication in professional settings.

Würden Sie...?

Würden Sie is a politeness workhorse. Because it pairs with any infinitive verb, it gives you a universal formula for polite requests: Würden Sie + bitte + infinitive verb at the end. Master this pattern and you can make any request sound impeccably polite.

Dürfte ich?

Dürfte ich? is the ultimate polite permission request. While Kann ich? (Can I?) sounds like you are questioning your own ability, and Darf ich? (May I?) is a direct permission request, Dürfte ich? wraps the question in a hypothetical layer that says "Would it perhaps be possible that I might be allowed to...?" Elegant, respectful, and distinctly German.

The Many Meanings of "Bitte"

One word, at least six meanings. Context and intonation do all the work:

How to Position "Bitte" in a Sentence

Unlike English, where "please" typically goes at the beginning or end of a sentence, German Bitte is remarkably flexible. Here are the three standard positions:

All three are grammatically correct. The middle position (nach dem Verb) is considered the most natural by many native speakers, according to the Institut für Deutsche Sprache (IDS) in Mannheim. It integrates bitte into the sentence flow rather than tacking it on.

Interestingly, the position of bitte can subtly change emphasis. Placing it at the beginning (Bitte, schließen Sie die Tür) foregrounds the politeness, making the request feel more urgent. Placing it in the middle (Schließen Sie bitte die Tür) makes it feel most natural and neutral.

How to Respond When Someone Says "Bitte"

Since Bitte has so many meanings, your response depends entirely on context:

When someone says Danke (thank you) to you, the most natural response is simply Bitte, making it one of the most common two-word exchanges in all of German: Danke. Bitte. You will hear this exchange hundreds of times per day in any German-speaking city.

Practice With Real German Content

Understanding German politeness patterns is one thing, but hearing them used naturally in conversations is what builds real fluency. German-language films and shows are ideal for this. Listen for how characters modulate between casual Bitte and formal Könnten Sie depending on context, age, and relationship.

Wordy lets you watch German movies and shows with interactive subtitles, tapping on any word or phrase to see its meaning, pronunciation, and formality level in real time. Instead of memorizing phrases from a list, you absorb natural politeness patterns from authentic German speech.

For more German content, explore our blog for guides including the best movies to learn German. You can also visit our German learning page to start practicing today.