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Phone Call & Appointments ​

Booking, confirming, and changing appointments — on the phone, formal and informal.

Calls to a Praxis, office, or anyone you don't know well stay in Sie. Calls to friends switch straight to du. The core phrase for booking anything formally is einen Termin vereinbaren (to make an appointment) — learn it as a fixed unit.

Making a doctor's appointment ​

Formal (Sie) — calling a Praxis to book a first appointment.
Empfangsdame
Praxis Dr. Berger, guten Tag!
Dr. Berger's practice, good day!
Herr Klein
Guten Tag! Ich möchte einen Termin vereinbaren.
Good day! I'd like to make an appointment.
Empfangsdame
Gerne. Wann passt es Ihnen?
Sure. When does it suit you?
Herr Klein
Passt es am Mittwochnachmittag?
Does Wednesday afternoon work?
Empfangsdame
Da sind wir leider ausgebucht. Geht es am Montag um zehn Uhr?
We're unfortunately fully booked then. Does Monday at ten o'clock work?
Herr Klein
Ja, das passt mir gut. Vielen Dank!
Yes, that suits me well. Thank you very much!
Good to know: einen Termin vereinbaren is a fixed phrase — learn it as a chunk, not word-by-word. passen takes a Dativ person: es passt mir/Ihnen (it suits me/you). Notice the question word order without a question word: verb first — Geht es am Montag...? — is how yes/no questions are built in German.

Calling a friend to meet up ​

Informal (du) — arranging to meet a friend.
Lea
Hallo Tom! Hast du morgen Zeit?
Hi Tom! Do you have time tomorrow?
Tom
Ja, ich glaube schon. Was hast du vor?
Yes, I think so. What are you planning?
Lea
Wollen wir uns treffen?
Shall we meet up?
Tom
Klar, gerne! Wo und wann?
Sure, gladly! Where and when?
Lea
Treffen wir uns um drei im Café?
Shall we meet at three at the café?
Tom
Perfekt, bis morgen!
Perfect, see you tomorrow!
Good to know: Wollen wir...? is a handy pattern for suggestions ("Shall we...?"). sich treffen is a reflexive verb — uns treffen literally means "meet each other," so no separate word for "with each other" is needed. With a modal verb like wollen, the second verb stays in the infinitive and jumps to the end: Wollen wir uns treffen?

Changing an appointment ​

Formal (Sie) — a short call to reschedule.
Herr Klein
Guten Tag, hier ist Herr Klein. Ich kann den Termin am Montag leider nicht wahrnehmen. Können wir einen anderen Tag finden?
Good day, this is Mr. Klein. Unfortunately I can't make the appointment on Monday. Can we find another day?
Empfangsdame
Kein Problem. Ginge es am Donnerstag um elf Uhr?
No problem. Would Thursday at eleven o'clock work?
Herr Klein
Ja, das passt mir sehr gut.
Yes, that suits me very well.
Empfangsdame
Gut, dann sehen wir uns am Donnerstag!
Good, then we'll see you on Thursday!
Good to know: einen Termin wahrnehmen ("to keep an appointment") is the formal counterpart to the more casual zu einem Termin kommen. With the modal verb können, the word order is modal-second, infinitive-last: Können wir einen anderen Tag finden? "Ginge es...?" is a softer, more polite way of asking "Would ... work?" than the plain present tense.