German · Notaufnahme / Krankenhaus
You wait a long time and ask when it is your turn: what to say in German
You wait a long time and ask when it is your turn.
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How it's done. In the emergency department the order depends on severity, not arrival time; asking about waiting is normal.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, wie lange muss ich noch warten?
Aynt-SHOOL-dee-goong, vee LAHN-geh moos eekh nokh VAHR-tayn?
Excuse me, how much longer do I have to wait?
Or say:Entschuldigung, wann komme ich dran?
Aynt-SHOOL-dee-goong, vahn KOH-meh eekh drahn?
THEY SAY
Die Wartezeit beträgt etwa zwei Stunden.Dee VAHR-teh-tsight beh-TREKT EH-tvuh tsvigh SHTOON-dayn.
The waiting time is about two hours.
They might also say:
Es dauert noch etwa eine Stunde. Es sind dringendere Fälle vor Ihnen.
Es DOW-ehrt nokh EH-tvuh IGH-neh SHTOON-deh. Es zeent DREEN-gayn-deh-reh FEH-leh for EE-nayn.
It will take about another hour. There are more urgent cases ahead of you.
2
YOU FINISH
Ich verstehe. Mir geht es nicht schlechter.
Eekh fehrsh-TEH-eh. Meer get es neekht SHLEKH-tuh.
I understand. I'm not getting worse.
THEY SAY
Gut. Sagen Sie bitte sofort Bescheid, wenn es schlimmer wird.Goot. ZAH-gayn zee BEE-teh zoh-FORT beh-SHIGHT, vayn es SHLEE-muh veert.
Good. Please tell us straight away if it gets worse.
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
wie
vee
adverb
how
lange
LAHN-geh
adverb
for a long time
muss
moos
verb
must, has to
noch
nokh
adverb
still, yet
warten
VAHR-tayn
verb
to wait
Wartezeit
VAHR-teh-tsight
noun
waiting time
22 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
Your child fell and you rush to the emergency departmentNotaufnahme / Krankenhaus · A2 in the app
→You are discharged from hospital and the doctor gives you a letter for your family doctorNotaufnahme / Krankenhaus · A2 in the app
→You look for the emergency department at the hospitalNotaufnahme / Krankenhaus · A2 in the app
→You are admitted and asked what happenedNotaufnahme / Krankenhaus · A2 in the app
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