bitte

other
please, you''re welcome
A1

'bitte' can mean 'please' (request), 'you're welcome' (reply), or 'here you go' when offering something. It is a versatile polite particle/interjection used in many positions: sentence-initial for requests, after thanks to mean 'you're welcome', or when handing something over. Not a verb; no declension.

Examples

Bitte gib mir das Salz.
Please pass me the salt.
A: Danke! B: Bitte.
A: Thanks! B: You're welcome.
Der Besucher sagte "Bitte", als er um die Information bat, weil er dringend weiterfahren musste.
The visitor said "please" when he asked for the information because he urgently had to continue his journey.

Details

Mnemonics

👁️Imagine handing someone a small 'bit' of help with a smile
👂sounds like English 'bit' + 'uh' — a short polite word
⚧️n/a

Notes

The word 'bitte' is multifunctional: it can mean 'please', 'you're welcome', or be used to make offers or requests more polite.

Category

Vocabulary Explorer

Related Words

Nearby in Dictionary