German · Real conversations
How to respond to “Möchtest du zum Abendessen kommen?” in German
An invitation can be accepted, declined, clarified, or considered. Make your response clear enough for the other person to plan.
What you might hear
Möchtest du zum Abendessen kommen?
Would you like to come to dinner?
Choose a reply that fits
Sehr gern.
I'd love to.
Accept warmly when you can attend.
Danke, aber ich kann leider nicht.
Thanks, but I can't.
Decline politely without an invented excuse.
Um wie viel Uhr fängt es an?
What time does it start?
Ask for practical information before deciding.
Kann ich dir morgen Bescheid geben?
Can I let you know tomorrow?
Ask for time and name when you can respond.
Two short exchanges
An invitation to dinner
Möchtest du zum Abendessen kommen?
Would you like to come to dinner?
Sehr gern.
I'd love to.
A group invitation
Möchtest du morgen mitkommen?
Would you like to join us tomorrow?
Danke, aber ich kann leider nicht.
Thanks, but I can't.
Your turn
Ask when the event begins before you decide.
Reveal a sample reply
Um wie viel Uhr fängt es an?
What time does it start?
This response guide in other languages
A note on speaking German
Use Sie for formal address and du with people you address informally. Könnten Sie …? is a useful polite request. Keep noun capitals and the verb position shown in each complete sentence.
The examples preserve German accents and ß. Read a full sentence before replacing a detail: a subordinate clause can move the verb to the end, and case can change an article or pronoun.
