German for Beginners: Say 'I Didn't Get My ___' to Fix an Order Error
Learn to tell staff an item is missing from your order in German using 'Ich habe mein ___ nicht bekommen' and related phrases.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
When you order food or goods in a German-speaking country, sometimes an item is missing. You need to tell staff politely and clearly. This lesson teaches you to say 'I didn't get my ___' in German. You will learn the key phrase 'Ich habe mein ___ nicht bekommen' and how to use it with different nouns. You will also learn how to respond if the staff asks for clarification. This is different from asking for more; here you are correcting an error, not requesting extra.
By the end, you can…
- say that a specific item is missing from my order using 'Ich habe mein ___ nicht bekommen'.
- name common order items in German with correct articles.
- respond to a staff member's question about the missing item.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Ich habe mein ___ nicht bekommen.
I didn't get my ___.
ikh HAH-buh mine ___ nikht buh-KOM-men
Use this to state that a specific item you ordered is missing. Fill the blank with a noun. The possessive article must match the noun's gender and case: for masculine nouns like 'Kaffee' use 'meinen Kaffee' (accusative), for neuter nouns like 'Bier' use 'mein Bier', and for feminine nouns like 'Suppe' use 'meine Suppe'.
Entschuldigung, ich habe meine Bestellung noch nicht bekommen.
Excuse me, I haven't received my order yet.
ent-SHOOL-dee-goong, ikh HAH-buh MY-nuh buh-SHTEL-loong nokh nikht buh-KOM-men
Use this polite phrase when your entire order is missing or delayed. 'Bestellung' means 'order' and is feminine, so 'meine Bestellung'.
Ich habe die Pommes nicht bekommen.
I didn't get the fries.
ikh HAH-buh dee POM-mes nikht buh-KOM-men
Use 'die' for plural nouns like 'Pommes' (fries). This is common in restaurants. You can replace 'Pommes' with other plural items like 'Getränke' (drinks). Note that 'Pommes' is plural, so the possessive would be 'meine Pommes'.
Mir fehlt noch ein Salat.
I'm still missing a salad.
meer faylt nokh ine za-LAHT
This is a slightly more formal way to say something is missing. 'Mir fehlt' means 'I am missing' and takes the dative case. Use 'ein' for masculine/neuter nouns, 'eine' for feminine.
Könnten Sie bitte nachschauen?
Could you please check?
KÖN-ten zee BIT-tuh NAHKH-shou-en
Use this polite request to ask staff to check on your missing item. 'Könnten' is the polite form of 'können' (can).
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is: 'Ich habe' + [possessive article] + [noun] + 'nicht bekommen'. The possessive article changes based on the noun's gender and case. In the accusative case (used here because it is the direct object), masculine nouns take 'meinen' (e.g., 'meinen Kaffee'), neuter nouns take 'mein' (e.g., 'mein Brot'), and feminine/plural nouns take 'meine' (e.g., 'meine Suppe', 'meine Pommes'). The verb 'bekommen' means 'to receive/get' and its past participle is 'bekommen'. So 'Ich habe mein Bier nicht bekommen' literally means 'I have not received my beer'. In everyday speech, this is the standard way to report a missing item.
When to use it
Use these phrases when you are at a restaurant, café, or takeaway and an item you ordered is missing. For example, if you ordered a beer and a salad but only got the beer, say 'Ich habe meinen Salat nicht bekommen' (masculine 'Salat' takes 'meinen' in accusative). If you are missing multiple items, you can say 'Ich habe meine Pommes und mein Bier nicht bekommen'. Always start with 'Entschuldigung' (excuse me) to be polite. If the staff asks 'Was fehlt?' (What's missing?), you can reply with the specific item: 'Mein Salat' or 'Meine Suppe'.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Entschuldigung, ich habe mein Bier nicht bekommen.
Excuse me, I didn't get my beer.ent-SHOOL-dee-goong, ikh HAH-buh mine beer nikht buh-KOM-menOh, das tut mir leid. Was fehlt Ihnen denn?
Oh, I'm sorry. What are you missing?oh, dahs toot meer lite. vahs faylt EE-nen denMir fehlt noch ein Salat. Ich habe einen Salat bestellt.
I'm still missing a salad. I ordered a salad.meer faylt nokh ine za-LAHT. ikh HAH-buh INE-en za-LAHT buh-SHTELTAlles klar, ich bringe Ihnen den Salat sofort.
All right, I'll bring you the salad right away.AH-les klahr, ikh BRING-uh EE-nen dane za-LAHT zo-FORTA little context goes a long way
In German-speaking countries, directness is often appreciated, but politeness matters. Use 'Entschuldigung' and 'bitte' to soften your request. In formal situations, use 'Sie' (you formal) rather than 'du'. In Austria and Switzerland, some phrases may vary slightly, but 'Ich habe ... nicht bekommen' is widely understood. Tipping is common in restaurants, but if an item is missing, you are not expected to pay for it.
One thing to watch for
Using 'Ich habe nicht mein ___ bekommen' (placing 'nicht' before the possessive).
Try this instead: In German, 'nicht' typically comes after the specific item or at the end of the sentence. Say 'Ich habe mein Bier nicht bekommen', not 'Ich habe nicht mein Bier bekommen'. The correct word order emphasizes that it's your beer that is missing, not something else.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I didn't get my coffee' in German? (Coffee is masculine: 'der Kaffee'.)
Show a sample answer
Ich habe meinen Kaffee nicht bekommen.
Because 'Kaffee' is masculine, the possessive article in the accusative case is 'meinen'. The sentence follows the pattern 'Ich habe meinen Kaffee nicht bekommen'. A valid alternative is 'Ich habe meinen Kaffee nicht erhalten', but 'bekommen' is more common in speech.
2What is the correct possessive article for 'Suppe' (feminine) in 'I didn't get my soup'?
Show a sample answer
meine
For feminine nouns, the possessive article is 'meine' in both nominative and accusative. So 'Ich habe meine Suppe nicht bekommen'. If you used 'mein', it would be incorrect because 'Suppe' is feminine.
3Translate: 'Excuse me, I haven't received my order yet.'
Show a sample answer
Entschuldigung, ich habe meine Bestellung noch nicht bekommen.
'Bestellung' is feminine, so 'meine Bestellung'. 'Noch nicht' means 'not yet'. This is a polite way to address a missing order. You could also say 'Entschuldigung, ich habe meine Bestellung nicht bekommen', but adding 'noch' clarifies that you are still waiting.
To report a missing item, use 'Ich habe mein/meine ___ nicht bekommen'. Choose 'mein' or 'meine' based on the noun's gender. Start with 'Entschuldigung' to be polite. This corrects an error without asking for extra.
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