Lesson 2. When you can't make it: a message to a friend, mal / doch / denn — and calling 112

I can write to a friend or my boss that I can't make it, suggest another day, and ask whether the new time works — and call 112 for help, saying where I am, what happened, and who is hurt.

Can't make it: how to write that

Plans fall through for everyone. In Germany you say so briefly and in advance, by message or by phone; silence counts as rude. The table shows the parts of such a message: an apology, a reason with weil, “I can't make it” (Ich schaffe es nicht, Es klappt bei mir nicht), a new date, your own suggestion, and a question at the end. passen takes the Dativ (the “to whom” case): Passt dir der Freitag? Das passt mir nicht. English says “work for you”; German has no für here. When someone cancels, answer Schade! and name a new time right away. Bescheid sagen means “to let someone know”. It's a set phrase: Bescheid takes no article and never changes. Three little words make a request softer; they have no meaning of their own: • mal — a softener, like “just”: Ruf mich mal an! Also in set openings: Sag mal, … Moment mal, … • doch — “come on”, or contradicting the other person: Komm doch mit! • denn — interest in a question, like “so …?”: Wie heißt du denn? All three go in the same place: after the verb and the pronouns, before everything else. In a question, denn comes after the subject, never at the start. Common mistakes: • NOT “Denn wann hast du Zeit?” → Wann hast du denn Zeit? • NOT “Ich sage dir das Bescheid” → Ich sage dir Bescheid. • NOT “Passt du der Termin?” → Passt dir der Termin? • NOT “Ich schaffe nicht es” → Ich schaffe es nicht.

The “can't make it” message, part by part

The parts go in this order; the last one is a question to the person you're writing to.

Part	Set phrase	Translation
apology	Es tut mir leid	I'm very sorry
reason	weil ich krank bin	because I'm sick
it won't work out	Ich schaffe es nicht	I can't make it in time
rescheduling	Ich muss den Termin verschieben	I need to reschedule the appointment
your own suggestion	Ich habe einen Vorschlag	I have a suggestion
a question at the end	Passt es dir?	does that work for you?

Three little words: mal, doch, denn

They have no meaning of their own — they change the tone.

Little word	What it adds	Example
mal	just, sometime; set openings	Ruf mich mal an! · Sag mal, wo warst du?
doch	come on, after all; contradicting the other person	Komm doch mit! · Das weißt du doch!
denn	then — interest in a question	Wie heißt du denn? · Warum fragst du denn?
position in the sentence	after the verb and the pronouns	Kommen Sie doch am Montag!

Lesson notes

Can't make it: how to write that

Plans fall through for everyone. In Germany you say so briefly and in advance, by message or by phone; silence counts as rude. The table shows the parts of such a message: an apology, a reason with weil, “I can't make it” (Ich schaffe es nicht, Es klappt bei mir nicht), a new date, your own suggestion, and a question at the end. passen takes the Dativ (the “to whom” case): Passt dir der Freitag? Das passt mir nicht. English says “work for you”; German has no für here. When someone cancels, answer Schade! and name a new time right away. Bescheid sagen means “to let someone know”. It's a set phrase: Bescheid takes no article and never changes. Three little words make a request softer; they have no meaning of their own: • mal — a softener, like “just”: Ruf mich mal an! Also in set openings: Sag mal, … Moment mal, … • doch — “come on”, or contradicting the other person: Komm doch mit! • denn — interest in a question, like “so …?”: Wie heißt du denn? All three go in the same place: after the verb and the pronouns, before everything else. In a question, denn comes after the subject, never at the start. Common mistakes: • NOT “Denn wann hast du Zeit?” → Wann hast du denn Zeit? • NOT “Ich sage dir das Bescheid” → Ich sage dir Bescheid. • NOT “Passt du der Termin?” → Passt dir der Termin? • NOT “Ich schaffe nicht es” → Ich schaffe es nicht.

Notruf 112

112 is the emergency number in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and all of Europe, like 911 in the US. It brings die Feuerwehr and der Krankenwagen. The police have their own number: 110. The call is free and works even with no credit on your phone. The call follows five steps, shown in the table: where it happened, what happened, who is hurt, who is speaking — then you wait for the operator's questions. You give your name with Hier spricht …, familiar from phone calls. Name the place as exactly as you can: street, house number, city. passieren forms the Perfekt with sein: Was ist passiert? Der Unfall ist am Morgen passiert. English has “has happened”; German has ist. As in English, you ask for help with no article: Ich brauche Hilfe. If you're nervous and can't find the words, say the familiar Sprechen Sie bitte langsam — the operator will speak slowly and ask the questions. Common mistakes: • NOT “Was hat passiert?” → Was ist passiert? • NOT: hanging up right after you've said what happened — the operator ends the call and says Bleiben Sie am Telefon.