Beim Friseur
At the hairdresser's
Selin is at the hairdresser's. She only wants the ends trimmed and is worried they will cut off too much – so she has to say clearly what she wants.
Hallo! Was machen wir heute?Hello! What are we doing today?
Nur die Spitzen, bitte. Maximal zwei Zentimeter.Just the ends, please. Two centimetres at most.
Alles klar. Waschen wir die Haare vorher?All right. Shall we wash your hair first?
Ja, gern.Yes, please.
Möchten Sie auch einen Pony?Would you like a fringe as well?
Nein, lieber nicht. Ich hatte mal einen Pony — nie wieder!No, I'd rather not. I had a fringe once – never again!
(lacht) Verstehe. Also nur schneiden.(laughs) I see. So just a cut.
Genau. Und bitte nicht zu kurz. Das ist mir wichtig.Exactly. And please don't make it too short. That's important to me.
Keine Sorge. Zwei Zentimeter, nicht mehr.Don't worry. Two centimetres, no more.
So, fertig. Schauen Sie mal in den Spiegel.There, done. Have a look in the mirror.
Perfekt! Genau richtig. Was bekommen Sie?Perfect! Just right. What do I owe you?
Achtundzwanzig Euro.Twenty-eight euros.
Useful words
der Friseur / die Friseurinhairdresser
die Spitzenthe ends (of your hair)
der Zentimeter (die Zentimeter)centimetre
die Haarehair
waschento wash
der Pony (die Ponys)fringe
schneidento cut
kurzshort
wichtigimportant
der Spiegel (die Spiegel)mirror
fertigfinished, done; ready
Language note
Was bekommen Sie? is a very common way of asking what you owe. Careful: bekommen means to get or receive, never to become. Two more traps: die Haare is usually plural in German (Waschen wir die Haare?), and der Pony is a fringe, while das Pony is the little horse.
Culture note
Tipping at the hairdresser's is not compulsory in Germany, but it is common: people usually round the amount up (28 € → 30 €) and say Stimmt so (keep the change).
Written by: Fatih Ün, German teacher · Last updated: