German · Tankstelle
At the petrol station till they offer you a car wash: what to say in German
At the petrol station till you are offered a car wash.
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How it's done. At a petrol station you pay for the car wash at the till: you get a code (on the receipt) that you enter at the wash itself; the wash takes a few minutes.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
THEY SPEAK FIRST
THEY SAY
Möchten Sie auch eine Autowäsche?MYOKH-tayn zee owkh IGH-neh OW-toh-veh-sheh?
Would you also like a car wash?
They might also say:
Soll es noch eine Wäsche sein?
Zol es nokh IGH-neh VEH-sheh zighn?
Would you like a wash as well?
YOU REPLY
Ja, bitte. Wie funktioniert das?
Yah, BEE-teh. Vee foonk-tsee-oh-NEERT dahs?
Yes, please. How does it work?
THEY SAY
Ich gebe Ihnen einen Code. Den tippen Sie an der Waschanlage ein.Eekh GEH-beh EE-nayn IGH-nayn kod. Dayn TEE-payn zee ahn dehr VAH-shahn-luh-geh ighn.
I'll give you a code. You type it in at the car wash.
They might also say:
Sie bekommen den Code auf dem Bon. Den geben Sie an der Anlage ein.
Zee beh-KOH-mayn dayn kod owf dem bohn. Dayn GEH-bayn zee ahn dehr AHN-luh-geh ighn.
You get the code on the receipt. You enter it at the machine.
2
YOU REPLY
Wie lange dauert die Wäsche?
Vee LAHN-geh DOW-ehrt dee VEH-sheh?
How long does the wash take?
THEY SAY
Etwa fünf Minuten. Bleiben Sie im Auto sitzen.EH-tvuh fyoonf mee-NOO-tayn. BLIGH-bayn zee eem OW-toh ZEE-tsayn.
About five minutes. Stay in the car.
3
YOU FINISH
Danke schön!
DAHN-keh shyohn!
Thank you!
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
Möchten
MYOKH-tayn
verb
would like
auch
owkh
adverb
also, too
Autowäsche
OW-toh-veh-sheh
noun
car wash
Ja
Yah
adverb
yes
Wie
Vee
adverb
how
funktioniert
foonk-tsee-oh-NEERT
verb
works
28 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
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