Complaints & Problems
Complaints & Problems
Complaining effectively and describing a problem clearly are practical, exam-relevant skills — this lesson gives the standard phrases for both spoken and written complaints.
Grammar Comparison
Grammar Comparison
sich beschweren über + accusative
Ich möchte mich über den Service beschweren.
I'd like to complain about the service.
sich beschweren über is a reflexive prepositional verb — another instance of the reflexive-plus-fixed-preposition pattern that recurs across complaint and opinion vocabulary. English 'complain about' has no reflexive pronoun at all, so remembering the mich is the main trap here.
Das Problem besteht darin, dass...
Das Problem besteht darin, dass das Gerät nicht funktioniert.
The problem is that the device doesn't work.
This reuses the bestehen in + darin + dass pattern from the advantages/disadvantages lesson, now applied to describing a problem rather than an argument — a good sign these formulaic patterns are meant to be reused productively across topics, not memorized as one-off phrases.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
| German | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| sich beschweren über | zikh beh-SHVAIR-en UE-ber | to complain about |
| das Problem | dahs proh-BLAME | the problem |
| Das Problem besteht darin, dass... | dahs proh-BLAME beh-SHTAYT dah-RIN, dahs | The problem is that... |
| es funktioniert nicht | es foonk-tsee-oh-NEERT nikht | it doesn't work |
| ich bin unzufrieden mit... | ikh bin OON-tsoo-free-den mit | I am dissatisfied with... |
| die Reklamation | dee reh-klah-mah-TSYOHN | the complaint (formal/written) |
| der Fehler | dair FAY-ler | the error / mistake |
| ich fordere eine Rückerstattung. | ikh FOR-deh-reh EYE-neh RUEK-air-shtah-toong | I am requesting a refund. |
| das ist inakzeptabel | dahs ist in-ahk-tsep-TAH-bel | that is unacceptable |