German · Real conversations
How to say “What should I prioritize?” in German
Ask which competing task should receive attention first.
Was soll ich zuerst machen?
What should I prioritize?
Mention the alternatives if the other person does not know them.
Use it in three situations
Two urgent tasks
Was soll ich zuerst machen?
What should I prioritize?
Planning a workday
Welche Aufgabe soll ich zuerst machen?
Which task should I do first?
Checking a manager's expectations
Ist der Bericht dringender als die Präsentation?
Is the report more urgent than the presentation?
What to watch for
Prioritizing is about order or importance, rather than doing every task at once.
Read the whole expression before replacing a detail. The natural wording may use a different order or construction from the English sentence.
Your turn
Imagine work updates. Say this in German: Which task should I do first?
Reveal a sample reply
Welche Aufgabe soll ich zuerst machen?
Which task should I do first?
Build a useful exchange
Explain progress and agree on a priority.
This expression 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.
