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German Polite Requests — Höfliche Bitten

Twelfth graders learn to make polite requests in German — Könnten Sie…?, Ich hätte gern… — using the Konjunktiv II and formal address to sound courteous in real situations.

Grade 12Höfliche Bitten55 minutes1 class periodACTFL / CommunicativeExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Make polite requests.
  • ✓Use the Konjunktiv II.
  • ✓Use formal address.
  • ✓Sound courteous.
Essential Question

In a café, a shop, or asking for help — politeness matters. How do you make a polite request in German?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

German Polite Requests Check

Project each item and have students answer about making polite requests in German.

🤝 Understand German polite requestsTry it
Answer each question about polite requests in German.
The Lesson · Communicative Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

55 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Politeness Matters

6 min

In a café or asking for help, politeness matters — how in German?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Ask for something bluntly.
  • Ask how to soften it.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Try it.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Höfliche Bitten

13 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to German Polite Requests Check.
  • Note the Konjunktiv II.
  • Note “Sie.”

🎒 Student Actions

  • Answer.
  • Note it.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Practice

15 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say “Könnten Sie…?”
  • Order politely.
  • Say them aloud.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Order.
  • Say.
4

Speak — Speak

15 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Role-play a café order.
  • Ask for help politely.
  • Ask a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Order.
  • Ask it.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Make a polite request.
  • Say what makes it polite.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Ask it.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Intermediate-High).

ACTFL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: make polite requests.

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: understand register.

ACTFL
Cultures 2.1

Explore German politeness.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.1

Compare politeness strategies.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Request phrase cards.
  • Sentence frame: “Könnten Sie ___?”
  • Model a café order.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with “Ich hätte gern.”
  • Use one example.
  • Repeat aloud.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Role-play a full order.
  • Compare Sie vs du.
  • Write three polite requests.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • ☕Café props
  • 💻German Polite Requests Check
  • 🗣️Audio
  • ✏️Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

die BitterequesthöflichpoliteKönnten Sie…?Could you…? (formal)Ich hätte gernI would likebittepleasedankento thankformellformalgerngladly
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What is “Könnten Sie mir helfen?”?
A polite way to ask “Could you help me?”
QUESTION 2
What do polite German requests often use?
The Konjunktiv II (könnte, würde, hätte).
QUESTION 3
What does “Ich hätte gern einen Kaffee” mean?
I would like a coffee.

Reflect: höfliche Bitten.

Have students make one polite request in German (like “Ich hätte gern einen Kaffee, bitte”). A printable requests sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 German Polite Requests (Höfliche Bitten)Flip
Card 1
Term
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Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 German Polite Requests (Höfliche Bitten)Quiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ German Polite Requests (Höfliche Bitten)Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: bitte, danken, die Bitte, formell, gern, höflich, Ich hätte gern, Könnten Sie…?
  1. I would like
  2. Could you…? (formal)
  3. polite
  4. request
  5. formal
  6. gladly
  7. to thank
  8. please

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What is “Könnten Sie mir helfen?”?
  2. What do polite German requests often use?
  3. What does “Ich hätte gern einen Kaffee” mean?
Answer key — Part A: 1) Ich hätte gern · 2) Könnten Sie…? · 3) höflich · 4) die Bitte · 5) formell · 6) gern · 7) danken · 8) bitte
Part B: 1) A polite way to ask “Could you help me?” 2) The Konjunktiv II (könnte, würde, hätte). 3) I would like a coffee.