German for Elementary Learners: Accepting, Rejecting, and Changing Suggestions Politely
Learn to respond to German suggestions with polite agreement, soft refusal, or a modified plan, using elementary phrases such as Gute Idee! and Vielleicht ein andermal.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
When someone makes a suggestion in German, your reply matters as much as the suggestion itself. This lesson teaches you how to accept an idea warmly, reject it without sounding rude, or change part of the plan. You will practise set phrases such as Gute Idee!, Das passt mir gut, Vielleicht ein andermal, and Können wir stattdessen ...? These responses work in everyday situations with friends, classmates, and colleagues.
By the end, you can…
- accept a suggestion politely in German.
- reject a suggestion politely and give a simple reason.
- change one part of a suggestion with a counter-suggestion.
- choose between informal du and formal Sie responses.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Gute Idee!
Good idea!
GOO-tuh ee-DAY
Friendly, informal acceptance. Use with friends, family, or people you call du.
Das passt mir gut.
That works well for me.
dahs pahst meer goot
Neutral and polite. It accepts a time or plan and works with both du and Sie.
Vielleicht ein andermal.
Maybe another time.
feel-LYKHT yn AHN-der-mahl
A soft refusal. It does not give a reason, so it is useful when you want to be gentle.
Tut mir leid, das geht leider nicht.
I'm sorry, unfortunately that doesn't work.
toot meer lyt, dahs gayt LY-der nikht
Polite refusal. Leider softens the message; use it with acquaintances or in formal contexts.
Können wir stattdessen ins Kino gehen?
Could we go to the cinema instead?
KUR-nen veer shtaht-des-SEN ins KEE-noh GAY-en
Changes the plan with a counter-suggestion. Statdessen means 'instead' and introduces the new option.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
For polite acceptance, use Das passt mir gut or Gute Idee. For polite refusal, use Tut mir leid, das geht leider nicht or Vielleicht ein andermal. To modify a suggestion, use Können wir stattdessen ...? For example: A: Wir können am Samstag schwimmen gehen. B: Gute Idee! or B: Tut mir leid, das geht leider nicht. Können wir stattdessen am Sonntag gehen?
When to use it
Use Gute Idee! with friends and people you address as du. Use Das passt mir gut in neutral situations, including with colleagues you address as Sie. Use Vielleicht ein andermal when you do not want to explain a refusal. Use Tut mir leid, das geht leider nicht when you need a more formal or careful refusal. To change only the time, keep the activity and add a new time: Können wir stattdessen um drei Uhr gehen?
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Wir können am Samstag schwimmen gehen.
We can go swimming on Saturday.veer KUR-nen ahm ZAHMS-tahk SHVIM-men GAY-enGute Idee! Aber Samstag passt mir nicht. Können wir stattdessen am Sonntag gehen?
Good idea! But Saturday doesn't work for me. Could we go on Sunday instead?GOO-tuh ee-DAY! AH-ber ZAHMS-tahk pahst meer nikht. KUR-nen veer shtaht-des-SEN ahm ZOHN-tahk GAY-en?Ja, Sonntag ist gut. Um zehn Uhr?
Yes, Sunday is good. At ten o'clock?yah, ZOHN-tahk ist goot. um tsayn oor?Das passt mir gut. Bis Sonntag!
That works well for me. See you Sunday!dahs pahst meer goot. bis ZOHN-tahk!A little context goes a long way
German politeness often relies on softeners such as leider, vielleicht, and tut mir leid rather than on indirect grammar. A direct nein can sound abrupt in formal situations, while Vielleicht ein andermal is common and friendly. In Austria and parts of southern Germany, people may also say Passt schon or Schau ma mal, but standard German uses Das passt mir gut and Vielleicht ein andermal.
One thing to watch for
Using Gute Idee! with a formal Sie acquaintance or in a job interview.
Try this instead: Gute Idee! is informal. In formal contexts, say Das ist eine gute Idee or Das klingt gut. Example: Das ist eine gute Idee, aber ich habe leider keine Zeit.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1A friend says: Wir können am Freitag ins Kino gehen. Accept the idea informally.
Show a sample answer
Gute Idee!
Gute Idee! is a short, friendly acceptance for du situations. Das klingt gut is also possible and slightly more neutral.
2A colleague says: Können wir die Besprechung auf Montag verschieben? Reject politely and give a reason.
Show a sample answer
Tut mir leid, das geht leider nicht. Am Montag habe ich einen Termin.
Tut mir leid, das geht leider nicht is a polite refusal; adding a reason makes it clearer. Leider passt mir Montag nicht is another valid option.
3A friend suggests: Wir können am Samstag schwimmen gehen. Change the day to Sunday.
Show a sample answer
Können wir stattdessen am Sonntag schwimmen gehen?
Können wir stattdessen ...? introduces a counter-suggestion. Wie wäre es am Sonntag? is also correct and slightly softer.
Accept with Gute Idee! or Das passt mir gut, refuse softly with Vielleicht ein andermal or Tut mir leid, das geht leider nicht, and modify with Können wir stattdessen ...? Match du or Sie to the situation.
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