Cancelling the day before in German

1. 1
   absagen/ˈapzaːɡən/

   to cancelverb

   To not let something planned take place.
2. 2
   verschieben/fɛʁˈʃiːbən/

   to rescheduleverb

   To move something to a later day or time.
3. 3
   Verabredung/fɛɐ̯ˈapʁeːdʊŋ/

   plansnoun

   An arranged meeting with someone.
4. 4

   leiderunfortunately

5. 5

   dazwischenkommento come up

6. 6

   kurzfristigat short notice

7. 7

   nachholento make up

8. 8

   Bescheidword

9. 9

   Verständnisunderstanding

10. 10

    schadea shame

The sentences3 of 10

1. Ich muss unser Essen morgen leider absagen.

   Unfortunately, I have to cancel our dinner tomorrow.

2. Können wir das Treffen auf nächste Woche verschieben?

   Could we move the get-together to next week?

3. Ich schaffe unsere Verabredung morgen Abend leider nicht.

   Unfortunately, I can't make it to our dinner tomorrow evening.

Pronunciation

• absagen/ˈapzaːɡən/

  The b in ab sounds like a p.

• verschieben/fɛʁˈʃiːbən/

  The v sounds like f, and the stress is on -schie-, with a long i.

• Verabredung/fɛɐ̯ˈapʁeːdʊŋ/

  The stress is on ab, not on ver.

Good to know

Trinkgeld

In restaurants people usually tip around 5 to 10 %, often by rounding up when paying. You say the amount when you pay instead of leaving it on the table.

Reservierung

For a dinner for two, a table is often reserved. If you can't come, it's best to tell your acquaintance and the restaurant early.

Sie und du

Among acquaintances people often use du, while with strangers and in restaurants they usually use Sie. When cancelling, what matters most is getting in touch in good time and politely.

Questions

How do I say I have to cancel our dinner in German?

You can say "Ich muss unser Essen morgen leider absagen." The verb absagen means to not let something planned take place.