A2-49 · Understand short urgent instructions

Emergencies

Review du, ihr and Sie imperatives with emergency vocabulary and clear requests for help.

About 5 minutes to read · 12 quiz questions

Two adults stand safely on a pavement near a fallen bicycle, one using a phone to ask for help.

Speak to one familiar person

For one familiar person, use a du imperative without du: Ruf Hilfe! Warte hier! Some verbs change their vowel: helfen → hilf, nehmen → nimm.

Ruf Hilfe!

Call for help, one friend!

Warte hier!

Wait here, one friend!

Hilf bitte!

Please help, one friend!

Nimm das Telefon!

Take the phone, one friend!

Der Unfall means accident and die Hilfe help. These phrases practice asking for help and communicating clearly.

A group waits together on a safe pavement while an ambulance approaches in the background.

Address a group

For several familiar people, use the ihr form without ihr: Ruft Hilfe! Wartet hier! For reflexive verbs, use euch: Setzt euch!

Ruft Hilfe!

Call for help, everyone!

Wartet hier!

Wait here, everyone!

Helft bitte!

Please help, everyone!

Setzt euch bitte!

Please sit down, everyone!

Der Krankenwagen means ambulance and die Feuerwehr fire service. When reporting an event, Der Unfall ist hier identifies its location.

An adult calmly speaks with an emergency operator on the phone while a companion points to a building entrance.

Make a polite urgent request

The polite imperative keeps Sie: Rufen Sie bitte Hilfe! With separable verbs, the prefix goes last: Rufen Sie die Polizei an! Sein has the polite form Seien Sie.

Rufen Sie bitte Hilfe!

Please call for help, politely!

Rufen Sie die Polizei an!

Call the police, politely!

Seien Sie bitte ruhig!

Please remain calm, politely!

Sagen Sie bitte die Adresse.

Please say the address.

Die Polizei means police. Die Adresse means address. You can ask Sagen Sie bitte die Adresse to request the location clearly.

Ready to try it?

Check what you remember with 12 short questions.