When to use it
Use it in a shop or with customer service when you want your money back.
The sentence in English: “How can I get a refund?”
"How can I get a refund?" uses "can" before "I" and the common verb "get".
- How
- adverbquestion word asking about the way or manner
- can
- auxiliary verbcan · tense: present · modal verb of ability or permission
- I
- pronounpersonal pronoun, always written with a capital letter
- get
- verbget · form: base form (infinitive without "to") · here it means "obtain"
- a
- determinerindefinite article
- refund
- nounnoun; money given back
The sentence in German: “Wie kann ich eine Rückerstattung erhalten?”
"Wie kann ich eine Rückerstattung erhalten?" uses the more formal "erhalten" (receive) and puts it at the end.
- Wie
- adverb"how"
- kann
- auxiliary verbkönnen · tense: present · mood: indicative · person: first · number: singular · "can"
- ich
- pronoun"I"
- eine
- determinerindefinite article, feminine: "a"
- Rückerstattung
- nounfeminine noun: "refund"
- erhalten
- verberhalten · form: infinitive · "to receive", "to get"
What changes from one language to the other: English × German
English uses the everyday "get"; German prefers "erhalten" in this formal context. The verb goes to the end in German.
Example conversation
— Wie kann ich eine Rückerstattung erhalten?
— How can I get a refund?
— Haben Sie den Kassenbon dabei?
— Do you have the receipt with you?