Ask before making a spontaneous visit in German

The idea

Among adults in Germany, visits are often arranged in advance, and many people like to know when someone is coming, even among friends. Dropping by unannounced is more common with close family, neighbours, in villages or among students, and attitudes vary from person to person. A quick call or text before you ring the bell is a safe habit. Grammar: “vorbeikommen” (to drop by) is separable, so in a main clause the prefix goes to the end: “Ich komme vorbei”; the person you visit follows “bei”: “bei dir”.

Other ways to say it

“Hast du kurz Zeit? Ich wäre in zehn Minuten bei dir.” – Casual text message; “wäre” keeps it tentative.

“Störe ich, wenn ich kurz vorbeikomme?” – Polite and considerate; asks whether you would be disturbing.

“Wann passt es dir diese Woche?” – Neutral way to arrange a later visit instead.

Examples

• Ich bin gerade in deiner Nähe; passt ein kurzer Besuch?I am nearby at the moment; would a short visit suit you?
• Heute bin ich schon anderweitig verabredet.Today I already have other plans.
• Dann komme ich nicht einfach unangekündigt vorbei.Then I will not simply drop by unannounced.
• Morgen hätte ich am Nachmittag Zeit.Tomorrow I would have time in the afternoon.
• Lass uns dafür lieber eine Uhrzeit absprechen.Let us agree on a time for that instead.
• Gern, dann können wir beide besser planen.Gladly; that lets both of us plan better.

Watch out

“Ich besuche dich vorbei.” → “Ich komme bei dir vorbei.”: Learners mix “besuchen” (with a direct object) and “vorbeikommen” (with “bei”). Either say “Ich besuche dich” or “Ich komme bei dir vorbei”, but not a blend of both.

Try it yourself

1. Translate into German: I am nearby at the moment; would a short visit suit you?

   Show answer or example answer

   Ich bin gerade in deiner Nähe; passt ein kurzer Besuch?

   A semicolon joins two main clauses. “In deiner Nähe” is dative after in (location), and “passt ein kurzer Besuch?” is a verb-first yes/no question.

2. Put the words in order: Dann / einfach / ich / komme / nicht / unangekündigt / vorbei

   Show answer or example answer

   Dann komme ich nicht einfach unangekündigt vorbei.

   “Vorbeikommen” splits: “komme … vorbei”. “Nicht einfach” comes before the adverb “unangekündigt” and negates the whole idea of turning up without warning.

3. Write this sentence in German: Gladly; that lets both of us plan better.

   Show answer or example answer

   Gern, dann können wir beide besser planen.

   “Gern” alone is a friendly “gladly”. After the comma, “dann” takes first position, so “können” follows, and “wir beide” is the subject.

Use it today

You are shopping near a friend’s flat. Write a text asking whether a short visit suits them now, and suggest another day if it does not.