German for English speakers Bakery · Lesson 4

Coming in

Polite German for entering — Darf ich reinkommen? (May I come in?) — with the modal verb dürfen.

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Pronunciation Translations Tips

Shelladonna

Entschuldigen Sie, aber darf ich reinkommen?

Hi. Excuse me, may I come in?
Yaya

Natürlich, die Tür ist offen.

Sure. The door is open.
Shelladonna

Wo sind Sie? Was machen Sie?

Where are you? What are you doing?

Tip: <Sie> = lit. You (formal) should always be capitalized in German.
Yaya

Ich bin in der Küche und bereite etwas vor.

I'm in the kitchen. I'm cooking.

Tip: Since "bin" and "bereite" share the same subject "ich", there is no need to repeat the pronoun.

Quick answers about this lesson's grammar and vocabulary.

What does dürfen mean?

'May' or 'to be allowed to' — a modal verb for permission. Darf ich? = 'may I?'. Different from können (can) which expresses ability.

Reinkommen vs eintreten?

Reinkommen = come in (casual). Eintreten = enter (more formal). Both used for going inside a place.

Common German politeness phrases?

Entschuldigung (excuse me / sorry), bitte (please / you're welcome), danke (thanks), gern geschehen (you're welcome).