Learn how to ask someone to lower the price
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| M: Hello and welcome to German Survival Phrases brought to you by germanpod101.com, this course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Germany. You will be surprised at how far a little German will go. Now before we jump in, remember to stop by germanpod101.com and there you will find the accompanying PDF and additional info in the post. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment. |
| F: German Survival Phrases. Lesson 17, Please Lower the Price. Today, we are covering several phrases related to bargaining. The first phrase covered in this lesson is related to the phrase, how much which in German is [wieviel] We also introduced, how much is this? [wieviel] And how much is that? [Wieviel kostet dies?] Now when you come to Germany, one of the most interesting and fun things to do is to haggle at the market. So when you are at the market and talking prices, there is another phrase that will come in very handy. That phrase is, lower the price please. In German, lower the price please is [Senken Sie bitte den Preis?] However if you really want to bargain, this way is too straightforward. In Germany, people seldomly bargain. So a more complex but also more friendly question [Können Sie bitte den Preis senken?] is likely to get you way further. [Können Sie bitte den Preis senken?] Let’s break it down by syllable [Können Sie bitte den Preis senken?] Literally this means, could you please the price lower. Yes, this sounds a lot like things [?] would say but you get the idea but let’s continue with German [Können Sie bitte den Preis senken?] The first word [können] means could. Let’s hear it again [können] This is followed by [Sie] which in English is the formal you [Sie]. This is followed by [bitte] is the German way of saying please. Let’s break down this word and hear it one more time. [bitte] The second to last word is [Preis] or rather [der Preis]. This is the German word for price because we need the accusative in this case, we use [den Preis] whatever. Let’s break down this word and hear it one more time. [Preis] The last word is [senken] which means to lower. Let’s break down this word and hear it one more time [senken] Now you have the whole phrase [Können Sie bitte den Preis senken?] could you please lower the price. So if we translate it in English, literally this would be lower you please the price. Another phrase that can be used in combination with this is, too expensive which in German is [zu teuer] Let’s break it down by syllable [zu teuer] Now let’s hear it once again [zu teuer] but let’s make it a whole sentence, shall we? You can say [Das ist teuer.] that is expensive. The fact that it is too expensive for you is already implied and you sound less aggressive. Let’s repeat the sentence [Das ist teuer] In Germany, it’s rather uncommon to bargain for prices though it doesn’t mean that you can’t try. If something already has a small dent in it or it’s slightly damaged in another way, chances are that you are going to get the item a bit cheaper. Not only on markets, this also applies to the department stores or retail sales. Every now and then, you might even see someone trying to bargain in a supermarket. If a product best before date was only a few days ago, you can try to bargain for example. After all, thanks to modern technology, many products are edible a long while and shrink wrapped bacon doesn’t miraculously turn into a rotten mess from one moment to another. However and this also applies to the department stores and retail sales, salesmen are not obliged to grant you a discount. It is entirely up to them if they do or don’t. So stay calm and friendly and maybe even smile. This is going to get you a long way. On country markets or flea markets, your chances for successful bargaining are higher especially if you are buying in large quantities. When you are buying 5 glasses of Marmalade, it’s not unreasonable to ask. The worst that can happen is no or in German [nein]. |
| M: Okay to close our today’s lesson, we’d like you to practice what you’ve just learned. I provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you are responsible for shouting it out aloud. You have a few seconds before I give you the answer. So [Viel Glück] which means good luck in German. |
| F: Lower the price please [Senken Sie bitte den Preis] Can you lower the price please? [Können Sie bitte den Preis senken?] Too expensive [zu teuer] that is expensive [Das ist teuer]. |
| M: That’s going to do it for today. |
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