61.1 Making initial contact
(a) To attract someone’s attention say:Entschuldigung!/Verzeihung!
Excuse me./I’m sorry. (See also 68.1 on ‘apologizing and seeking
forgiveness’.)Entschuldigen Sie bitte, wo ist hier der Bahnhof?
Excuse me, please, can you tell me where the station is?(b) To attract someone’s attention or to hail someone from afar, Hallo! might be used.
Alternatively, if the aim is to attract attention urgently or to warn someone, the
following would be more appropriate:Vorsicht, passen Sie doch auf!
(Be careful), watch out!Heh!/Heh, du! Pass mal auf. (informal)
Hey/hey you. Listen.Depending on the tone of voice, the second of these may sound rude or mildly
threatening.Vorsicht!/Achtung!
Look out/Watch it!He, du da! ‘Oi, you!’ is distinctly rude.61.2 Reacting when spoken to
(a) Appropriate responses to the above include:Bitte?
I’m sorry?Ja, (bitte)?
Yes (what is it)?Ja, was gibt’s?
Yes, what’s the matter?(b) More informally and abruptly one could say:Na, was denn?
Well, what is it?61.3 Formal introductions
(a) When introducing oneself, say:Darf ich mich vor*stellen?
May I introduce myself?It is quite common for people to introduce themselves in formal and business
situations by their surname only: Guten Tag, Meier ‘Hello, my name’s Meier’.61
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