How to Ask for Help in German

If you ever had to ask somebody for help in English, you know it can sometimes be quite uncomfortable. Asking for help in a foreign language is no less uncomfortable. But let's try to at least get the words right! 😊

How to Ask for Help in German

If you need to ask for help in German, there are 2 options: You can ask the formal version, when you do not know the person you're talking to, or when the person you want to ask for help is your superior (like your boss or your professor).

Then you would ask:

Alternatively, if the person you're talking to is a friend or an acquaintance you've known for some time, you might want to use the casual version.

For example:

This is already it. This is how you ask someone for help in German.

Asking for Help in German - Example Dialogue

Let's have a look at a dialogue now where this second example is being put into practice. Peter is out in the streets, late for work and his phone just ran out of battery:

Entschuldigen Sie? Könnten Sie mir vielleicht helfen?

Excuse me? Could you perhaps help me?

Ja, aber sicher doch! Worum geht es denn?

Yes, of course! What is it about?

Mein Handy hat keinen Akku mehr und ich muss dringend bei der Arbeit anrufen, weil ...

My phone's battery is dead, and I urgently need to make a call at work because ...

Ich muss jetzt los, meine vier Katzen warten auf mich. Vielen Dank für das freundliche Gespräch. Tschüß!

I have to go now; my four cats are waiting for me. Thank you for the kind conversation. Goodbye!

How to Beg for Help in German

We hope you will never need to use these, but if you ever need to really ask someone for help , this is what you could say:

• Ich brauche wirklich deine Hilfe.
• Ich brauche deine Hilfe wirklich.
• Ich flehe dich an!
• Bitte hilf mir.
• Lass mich nicht im Stich.