Making and changing appointments

Termin machen und verschieben

Arrange an appointment, accept a time, ask to reschedule or cancel politely.

Use einen Termin machen to arrange an appointment. Ask Passt Dienstag um zehn? to check a time, and answer Ja, das passt if it suits you. Verschieben means reschedule; absagen means cancel. Give a clear day and time when proposing a new arrangement. Before practising, review möchte, muss, kann and the weekday phrases with am. In the dialogue, the customer asks to reschedule; the other speaker proposes a day, and the customer suggests Wednesday instead.

Möchte expresses what you would like; muss says what you have to do. Put the action at the end: Ich muss den Termin verschieben. In Kann ich am Mittwoch kommen?, kann starts the question and kommen is last.

When you cannot attend, say whether you need another time or want to cancel. After asking to reschedule, suggest a day with Kann ich am Mittwoch kommen? Confirm the exact time before ending the conversation.

Use ich muss, not ich musst. Do not use absagen if you mean to move the appointment. In these sentences, keep verschieben or absagen at the end after the first verb.

Make: einen Termin machen. Reschedule: den Termin verschieben. Cancel: den Termin absagen. Use am for the day and um for the clock time.

Act out a call with familiar days and times. First agree to a time, then explain that you must reschedule and offer another day. Try a separate cancellation request.