How to Request a Wake-Up Call in German (and Confirm It)
Learn to ask for a wake-up call in German at a hotel, name the time, and confirm the arrangement — a phone-based service, not your phone alarm.
By SofiaGetting around · Yapr Learn
At a hotel, a wake-up call is a service the front desk arranges for you. In German it is called der Weckruf, and the standard polite request uses the verb phrase einen Weckruf bekommen (to get a wake-up call). This lesson teaches you to ask for a wake-up call at a specific time, confirm it, and understand the receptionist's reply. This is different from setting an alarm on your phone, which in German is einen Wecker stellen. Here you are talking to a person, so you need polite request forms and clear time expressions.
By the end, you can…
- politely request a wake-up call at a specific time in German.
- confirm a wake-up call and understand a receptionist's reply.
- distinguish a hotel wake-up call (Weckruf) from a phone alarm (Wecker).
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Ich möchte einen Weckruf für sieben Uhr.
I would like a wake-up call for seven o'clock.
ikh MÖKH-tuh EYE-nen VEK-roof fewr ZEE-ben oor
Standard polite request at a hotel front desk. Use möchte, not will, to sound courteous.
Können Sie mich bitte um sieben Uhr wecken?
Could you please wake me at seven o'clock?
KÖN-nen zee mikh BIT-tuh um ZEE-ben oor VEK-en
Direct but polite; uses the verb wecken (to wake someone) with bitte.
Um wie viel Uhr ist der Weckruf?
What time is the wake-up call?
um vee feel oor ist dair VEK-roof
Useful for checking or repeating the time you arranged.
Der Weckruf ist um sieben Uhr.
The wake-up call is at seven o'clock.
dair VEK-roof ist um ZEE-ben oor
A simple confirmation sentence; der Weckruf is masculine.
Vielen Dank, das passt so.
Thank you very much, that works.
FEE-len dahnk, dahs pahst zoh
Natural way to accept the arrangement and close the conversation.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is Ich möchte einen Weckruf für + time. For example: Ich möchte einen Weckruf für sechs Uhr dreißig. (I would like a wake-up call for 6:30.) You can also use um: Ich möchte einen Weckruf um sechs Uhr dreißig. Both für and um are common with clock times here. The verb möchte is a polite form of mögen and is safer than ich will (I want), which can sound blunt. To name the time, use Uhr after the hour: sieben Uhr, halb acht (7:30, literally 'half eight'), Viertel nach sieben (7:15), Viertel vor acht (7:45).
When to use it
Use these phrases when speaking to hotel reception, either in person or by phone. Say Ich möchte einen Weckruf für sieben Uhr, morgen früh. (I would like a wake-up call for seven o'clock, tomorrow morning.) If you need to confirm, ask Ist der Weckruf für sieben Uhr eingetragen? (Is the wake-up call set for seven o'clock?) The receptionist may answer Ja, ich habe einen Weckruf für sieben Uhr notiert. (Yes, I have noted a wake-up call for seven o'clock.) This is a staff-arranged service, so do not use Wecker (alarm clock) for it; Wecker refers to a device or phone alarm.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Guten Abend, ich möchte einen Weckruf für sieben Uhr.
Good evening, I would like a wake-up call for seven o'clock.GOO-ten AH-bent, ikh MÖKH-tuh EYE-nen VEK-roof fewr ZEE-ben oorGerne. Für sieben Uhr morgen früh?
Certainly. For seven o'clock tomorrow morning?GAIR-nuh. fewr ZEE-ben oor MOR-gen frewJa, genau. Können Sie mich bitte um sieben Uhr wecken?
Yes, exactly. Could you please wake me at seven o'clock?yah, guh-NOW. KÖN-nen zee mikh BIT-tuh um ZEE-ben oor VEK-enJa, ich habe einen Weckruf für sieben Uhr notiert.
Yes, I have noted a wake-up call for seven o'clock.yah, ikh HAH-buh EYE-nen VEK-roof fewr ZEE-ben oor no-TEERTA little context goes a long way
In German-speaking countries, hotel wake-up calls are usually arranged with reception and confirmed orally; the verb wecken is used for a person waking you, while Wecker is the device. Politeness matters: use möchte and bitte rather than ich will. Time expressions are generally shared across the German-speaking region, but note that halb sieben means 6:30 in standard German, in Austria, and in southern Germany alike — the 'half' refers to the half hour before the named hour, so halb sieben is 6:30, not 7:30.
One thing to watch for
Saying Ich möchte einen Wecker um sieben Uhr at the hotel desk.
Try this instead: Wecker means an alarm clock or phone alarm, not a hotel service. For a wake-up call, say Ich möchte einen Weckruf um sieben Uhr. If you mean your own phone alarm, then Ich stelle einen Wecker für sieben Uhr is correct.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you politely ask for a wake-up call at 6:30 in German?
Show a sample answer
Ich möchte einen Weckruf für sechs Uhr dreißig.
This uses the polite möchte plus the masculine accusative einen Weckruf and a clear time. Ich möchte einen Weckruf um halb sieben is also correct and very common.
2What is the difference between Weckruf and Wecker?
Show a sample answer
Weckruf is a wake-up call arranged by hotel staff; Wecker is an alarm clock or phone alarm.
The distinction is functional: Weckruf is a service, Wecker is a device. Using Wecker at reception would suggest you are asking about an alarm clock, not the hotel service.
3How would you confirm that the wake-up call is at 7:00?
Show a sample answer
Der Weckruf ist um sieben Uhr.
This states the time clearly with um plus the clock time. You could also ask Ist der Weckruf für sieben Uhr? to check, which is equally valid in context.
At a hotel, ask Ich möchte einen Weckruf für sieben Uhr, confirm with der Weckruf ist um sieben Uhr, and remember: Weckruf is the service, Wecker is your phone alarm.
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