Ich bin (leider) nicht für Sie/dafür zuständig.
(I’m sorry but) I am not the person responsible (for you/for the
matter).90.4 Requesting patience
See also^103 (p. 368) and 81.8–11 (pp. 291–3) for expressions of time referring to future
intentions.(a) der Augenblick/der Moment ‘moment’ suggest a wait of a few minutes:Einen Moment/Augenblick, bitte.
Just a moment, please.Wenn Sie bitte einen Augenblick warten würden. (very polite)
If you wouldn’t mind waiting for a moment, please.Moment noch! (fairly informal)
Just another moment! I won’t keep you much longer.Bitte nehmen Sie im Wartezimmer Platz. (at the doctor’s)
Please have a seat in the waiting room.(b) Requesting more patience-e Geduld, sich gedulden ‘patience, be patient’ (formal)Darf ich noch um ein paar Minuten Geduld bitten.
May I ask you to be patient for just a few more minutes.Sie müssen sich leider noch ein wenig gedulden.
You’ll have to be patient a little longer, I am afraid.Putting in leider ‘unfortunately’ makes the request for patience sound more
polite:Es dauert (leider) noch ungefähr eine Stunde.
It’ll take about another hour(, I am afraid).Ihr Wagen ist leider erst in etwa einer Stunde fertig.
Your car will not be ready for about an hour, I am afraid.90.5 Non-verbal ways of attracting attention
(a) When you are about to propose a toast or make a speech before or after dinner it is
common to clink a spoon against your glass, thus attracting everybody’s attention.(b) When you want to attract a waiter’s/waitress’s attention in a restaurant, lift your
hand when the waiter/waitress next comes by your table. She or he will probably
say Sofort ‘I’ll be right there’ or Einen Moment, bitte ‘Just a moment, please’.(c) When you want to stop a bus at a request stop (-e Bedarfshaltestelle), lift your arm
vertically and show your palm in the direction from which the bus is coming or simply
wave.90
Attracting attention