Negotiate a time that actually fits
Passt Ihnen Donnerstag um fünfzehn Uhr, oder wäre Freitag günstiger?
Compare both parties’ constraints, reject unsuitable options politely and propose a workable slot.
Negotiating an appointment requires listening to the other person’s limits, not just repeating your first choice. Use Leider passt mir … nicht and give a brief reason if helpful. Wäre … möglich? offers an alternative; lieber and günstiger express preference, not automatic unavailability. Check the exact day, start time, duration and travel or preparation time supplied by the task. Ab fourteen means from fourteen onwards; bis fourteen means up to fourteen. If two free windows do not overlap long enough, neither person has yet agreed a feasible appointment. Confirm the selected slot explicitly rather than treating a question as acceptance.
Passt Ihnen Donnerstag um fünfzehn Uhr, oder wäre Freitag günstiger?
Does Thursday at 3 p.m. suit you, or would Friday be more convenient?
Donnerstag bin ich erst ab sechzehn Uhr frei.
On Thursday I am only free from 4 p.m.
Der Termin dauert ungefähr eine halbe Stunde.
The appointment takes about half an hour.
Freitag könnte ich zwischen zehn und zwölf Uhr kommen.
On Friday I could come between ten and twelve.
Dann schlage ich Freitag um zehn Uhr dreißig vor.
Then I suggest Friday at half past ten.
Ja, diesen Termin kann ich wahrnehmen.
Yes, I can attend that appointment.
Negotiating an appointment requires listening to the other person’s limits, not just repeating your first choice. Use Leider passt mir … nicht and give a brief reason if helpful. Wäre … möglich? offers an alternative; lieber and günstiger express preference, not automatic unavailability. Check the exact day, start time, duration and travel or preparation time supplied by the task. Ab fourteen means from fourteen onwards; bis fourteen means up to fourteen. If two free windows do not overlap long enough, neither person has yet agreed a feasible appointment. Confirm the selected slot explicitly rather than treating a question as acceptance.
Compare both parties’ constraints, reject unsuitable options politely and propose a workable slot.
A thirty-minute appointment cannot fit a twenty-minute overlap. A question proposing Thursday is not yet an acceptance of Thursday.
Compare both time windows and required duration → propose → respond → explicitly agree. Ab = from; bis = until; preference is not a hard restriction.
Write an eight-turn formal dialogue negotiating a 45-minute appointment. Include two constraints, one rejected option, a workable alternative and explicit agreement.