10 German sentence patterns and phrases for meetings
This lesson keeps all the vocabulary, sentence patterns, preparation checklist and short reading from the original. It is a very useful set of words for people who work, study or need to communicate in a German-speaking team.
Why is this topic important?
A lack of meeting-related vocabulary leads to poor listening, speaking, reading and writing in a work or study environment. This lesson focuses on the sentence patterns and phrases you can use right away when organizing, confirming, postponing or attending a meeting.
1. Core meeting vocabulary
| German | English |
|---|---|
| der Vorstand | the board of directors |
| die Vizepräsidentin / der Vizepräsident | vice president |
| der Repräsentant / die Repräsentantin | representative |
| vertagen | to postpone |
| (eine Besprechung) abhalten | to hold (a meeting) |
| teilnehmen an | to attend |
| vorläufig | tentative / provisional |
| jemandem zustimmen | to agree with someone |
| einen Termin verlegen | to reschedule an appointment |
| der Ansprechpartner | contact person |
| anwesend | present |
| flexibel | flexible |
| diskutieren | to discuss |
| herausfinden | to find out |
| beschäftigt | busy |
| festlegen | to set / finalize the schedule |
2. 10 important sentence patterns and expressions
- Die Besprechung hat um 9 Uhr begonnen.
- Leider musste Herr Phuong den Termin absagen.
- Leider müssen wir diesen Termin vertagen.
- Wann wollen Sie die Besprechung abhalten?
- Schicken Sie diese E-Mail an alle, die an dieser Besprechung teilnehmen.
- Können Sie mir sagen, wo die Besprechung stattfindet?
- Es ist höchste Zeit, die Besprechung zu planen.
- Wenn wir weit im Voraus buchen, könnten wir Geld sparen.
- Da sich die Situation kurzfristig geändert hat, müssen wir den Termin verschieben.
- Dann planen wir den Termin vorläufig für Mittwoch.
3. Preparation checklist before the meeting
- Write the agenda and a time frame for each item.
- Book the room, the equipment you need and prepare drinks if necessary.
- Remind participants by email or phone before the meeting.
- Arrive a bit earlier to check that everything is ready.
4. When inviting others to attend, which questions should you answer first?
- Wer? - Who will attend?
- Wo? - Where does the meeting take place?
- Tag? Uhrzeit? - Which day and time?
- Warum? - Why is this meeting being held?
5. Short reading
Herr Dũng hat mich gerade angerufen. Er möchte die Besprechung von 11:00 Uhr neu planen.
Mr. Dũng just called me. He wants to reschedule the 11 o'clock meeting.
Mẹo học nhanh
Learn this topic according to real situations: inviting to a meeting, changing the schedule, confirming attendance, asking about the location, apologizing for cancelling or postponing. These are the groups of sentences you use most often.