German A1.19 Listening Practice: Make A Polite Request With Möchten
German A1 listening practice with audio, transcript, key phrases, and a speaking challenge for make a polite request with möchten.
Podcast listening is in beta while creation and discussion tools are refined. This published chapter includes its complete segmented audio and transcript.
Level
A1.19
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
24 segments
What to notice while you listen
What you'll understand
Make a bounded polite request and ask about another person's preference.
Select möchte, möchtest, or möchten by participant and keep the requested or preferred action as an infinitive at the end.
New pattern
möchte, möchtest, and möchten for bounded polite wishes and requests, with bitte as a request marker and zahlen as one support infinitive
Practice aloud after listening
Ich möchte bitte zahlen. Möchten Sie heute kommen?
I would like to pay, please. Would you like to come today? (formal)
A short German listening chapter with transcript.
Make a polite request with möchte and ask what a familiar or formal addressee would like.
Read while you listen.
1. Hanna · Teacher
Welcome back! I'm Hanna, your German teacher. Today, we will learn how to make polite requests using möchten, which means would like.
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2. Lukas · Student
Hi Hanna! I'm Lukas. Is möchten used when asking for something politely?
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3. Hanna · Teacher
Exactly! Let's listen to Felix and Clara in a short conversation.
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4. Felix · Native Speaker 1
Möchtest du heute kommen?
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5. Clara · Native Speaker 2
Ja, ich möchte heute kommen.
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6. Felix · Native Speaker 1
Wir möchten bitte zahlen.
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7. Clara · Native Speaker 2
Ich möchte bitte zahlen.
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8. Felix · Native Speaker 1
Möchten Sie heute kommen?
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9. Hanna · Teacher
Great! Let's break down those five sentences. First, Felix asked Clara: Möchtest du heute kommen?
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10. Lukas · Student
Why does he say möchtest instead of möchte?
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11. Hanna · Teacher
Because he is addressing du, informal you. With du, we use möchtest, and the action verb kommen stays at the very end.
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12. Hanna · Teacher
Next, Clara replied: Ja, ich möchte heute kommen.
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13. Lukas · Student
So for ich, we use möchte?
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14. Hanna · Teacher
Spot on! Ich möchte means I would like.
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15. Hanna · Teacher
Then Felix said: Wir möchten bitte zahlen.
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16. Lukas · Student
What does zahlen mean, and where does bitte go?
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17. Hanna · Teacher
Zahlen means to pay. Bitte softens the request in the middle, while the action verb zahlen goes to the end.
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18. Hanna · Teacher
After that, Clara said: Ich möchte bitte zahlen.
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19. Lukas · Student
So Ich möchte bitte zahlen means I would like to pay, please?
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20. Hanna · Teacher
Precisely. It is the most common polite way to ask to pay the bill in German.
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21. Hanna · Teacher
Finally, Felix asked: Möchten Sie heute kommen?
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22. Lukas · Student
Why did he use möchten with Sie?
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23. Hanna · Teacher
For formal Sie, as well as wir and plural sie, we use möchten.
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24. Hanna · Teacher
Wonderful practice today! Keep using möchte and möchten whenever you want to be polite in German.
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