German · Restaurant
Your food arrives cold and you politely say so: what to say in German
Your food arrives cold and you say so politely.
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How it's done. Say a complaint about food calmly and politely: Entschuldigung, ...; waiters in Germany usually put it right gladly, so there is no need to feel shy.Prepared by the Movko team, November 2026. This is language help, not legal or medical advice: check the rules with the office itself.
Cheat sheet for your visit
The first phrase is open: tap ▶ to listen, or “Show” to show it to the other person. The rest of the dialogue is in the course in the app.
1
YOU START
Entschuldigung, das Essen ist kalt.
Aynt-SHOOL-dee-goong, dahs EH-sayn eest kahlt.
Excuse me, the food is cold.
Or say:Entschuldigung, die Suppe ist leider nur lauwarm.
Aynt-SHOOL-dee-goong, dee ZOO-peh eest LIGH-duh noor LOW-vuhrm.
THEY SAY
Oh, das tut mir leid. Soll ich es noch einmal aufwärmen?Oh, dahs toot meer light. Zol eekh es nokh IGHN-muhl OW-fvehr-mayn?
Oh, I'm sorry. Shall I warm it up again?
They might also say:
Das tut mir leid. Ich bringe Ihnen gleich eine neue Portion.
Dahs toot meer light. Eekh BREEN-geh EE-nayn glighkh IGH-neh NOY-eh por-tsee-OHN.
I'm sorry. I'll bring you a new portion right away.
2
YOU REPLY
Ja, bitte, das wäre nett.
Yah, BEE-teh, dahs VEH-reh net.
Yes, please, that would be nice.
THEY SAY
Selbstverständlich. Es dauert nur einen Moment.ZELPST-fehrs-tayn-dleekh. Es DOW-ehrt noor IGH-nayn moh-MAYNT.
Of course. It will only take a moment.
3
YOU FINISH
Vielen Dank!
FEE-layn dahnk!
Thank you very much!
THEY SAY
Bitte sehr. Entschuldigen Sie die Umstände.BEE-teh zehr. Aynt-SHOOL-dee-gayn zee dee OOMSH-tayn-deh.
You're welcome. Sorry for the inconvenience.
The course is in the app
This dialogue is part of the course “German for life in Germany”: 416 situations with audio, a pronunciation guide and spaced review.
On the website the first dialogue, the 112 category, the rescue phrases and the “Basics” are fully open.
Words worth knowing
Essen
EH-sayn
verb
to eat
ist
eest
verb
is
kalt
kahlt
adjective
cold
tut
toot
verb
does
leid
light
noun
sorrow
Soll
Zol
verb
is to, should
25 more words, with explanations, base forms and tap-a-word help, are in the app.
If you did not understand
Können Sie das bitte wiederholen?
KYOH-nayn zee dahs BEE-teh vee-dehr-KHOH-layn?
Can you repeat that, please?
Können Sie bitte langsamer sprechen?
KYOH-nayn zee BEE-teh LAHNG-zuh-muh SHPREH-khayn?
Can you speak more slowly, please?
Similar situations
You walk into a restaurant without a reservation and ask if there is a tableRestaurant · A1 in the app
→The waiter takes your order: food and drinksRestaurant · A1 in the app
→You ask whether the dish contains what you are allergic toRestaurant · A2 in the app
→You ask for the bill and payRestaurant · A1 in the app
→Found a mistake? Write to us and we will fix it. This is language help, not medical or legal advice.Report