Asking for a different size in German

1. 1
   Umkleidekabine/ˈʊmklaɪ̯dəkabiːnə/

   fitting roomnoun

   A small room in a shop where you put on and take off clothes.
2. 2
   anprobieren/ˈanpʁobiːʁən/

   to try onverb

   To put on a piece of clothing to see if it looks good.
3. 3
   passen/ˈpasən/

   to fitverb

   To be the right size for a body.
4. 4
   Nummer/ˈnʊmɐ/

   sizenoun

   The size for shoes or clothing.
5. 5
   Hose/ˈhoːzə/

   pantsnoun

   A garment with two legs, worn on the lower body.
6. 6
   Ärmel/ˈɛʁməl/

   sleevenoun

   The part of a garment that covers the arm.
7. 7
   zwicken/ˈtsvɪkən/

   to pinchverb

   To be so tight that the fabric presses uncomfortably into the skin.
8. 8
   spannen/ˈʃpanən/

   to feel tightverb

   To be pulled taut because something is pulling on it.
9. 9
   umtauschen/ˈʊmtaʊ̯ʃən/

   to exchangeverb

   To bring back something bought and get something else instead.
10. 10
    Verkäufer/fɛɐ̯ˈkɔʏ̯fɐ/

    salesmannoun

    A man who serves customers and sells goods in a shop.

The sentences

1. Entschuldigung, ist die Umkleidekabine hinten frei?

   Excuse me, is the fitting room in the back free?

2. Kann ich die Hose in Ruhe anprobieren?

   Can I try these pants on in peace?

3. Die Schuhe passen mir leider nicht richtig.

   The shoes don't quite fit me, unfortunately.

4. Haben Sie diese Hose in einer größeren Nummer?

   Do you have these pants in a bigger size?

5. Die Hose ist mir leider etwas zu eng.

   The pants are a bit too tight, unfortunately.

6. Die Ärmel sind mir ein bisschen zu lang.

   The sleeves are a bit too long for me.

7. Die Hose darf an der Hüfte nicht zwicken.

   The pants shouldn't pinch at the hip.

8. Die Ärmel spannen an den Schultern ein wenig.

   The sleeves feel a bit tight at the shoulders.

9. Kann ich die Hose später noch umtauschen?

   Can I still exchange the pants later?

10. Der Verkäufer holt mir die nächste Größe.

    The salesman is getting me the next size.

Pronunciation

• Umkleidekabine/ˈʊmklaɪ̯dəkabiːnə/

  One word, stress on Um-; the i in -bine is long.

• anprobieren/ˈanpʁobiːʁən/

  The stress is on an-, and the ie in -bie- is long.

• Hose/ˈhoːzə/

  The o is long, the s sounds like a z.

• zwicken/ˈtsvɪkən/

  Zw- sounds like ts plus w; the i is short.

• spannen/ˈʃpanən/

  Sp- at the start of a word sounds like shp.

• Verkäufer/fɛɐ̯ˈkɔʏ̯fɐ/

  The stress is on the second syllable: ver-KÄU-fer; the V sounds like f, äu like oy.

Questions

How do I ask for bigger pants in German?

You can say: „Haben Sie diese Hose in einer größeren Nummer?“ (Do you have these pants in a bigger size?)

What do you say when pants are too tight?

You can say: „Die Hose ist mir leider etwas zu eng“ (The pants are a bit too tight) or „Die Hose darf an der Hüfte nicht zwicken“ (The pants shouldn't pinch at the hip).

What does zwicken mean?

Zwicken means a piece of clothing is so tight that the fabric presses uncomfortably into the skin.