Vocabulary
Was fehlt Ihnen?
/vas ˈfeːlt ˈiːnən/· phrase
What's wrong? What seems to be the problem?
How doctors and pharmacists open the conversation — fehlen + dative, literally 'What is missing for you?'
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One word, many lives
Tap a meaning. Real German isn't a dictionary translation.
Was fehlt Ihnen?
What's the matter? (doctor to patient, formal)
Guten Morgen, Herr Kaya. Was fehlt Ihnen denn?
Good morning, Mr Kaya. What seems to be the problem?
Word family
Was fehlt Ihnen?fehlen (+ Dat)to be missing; to be wrong with someoneder Fehlermistakedie Fehlzeittime off sick, absence
Common combinations
- Was fehlt Ihnen denn?So what's the problem?
- Mir fehlt nichts.Nothing's wrong with me.
- Du fehlst mir.I miss you.
Similar & opposite
≈ Synonyms
Welche Beschwerden haben Sie?Was haben Sie denn?
Common learner mistakes
- Was fehlt Sie?Was fehlt Ihnen?fehlen takes the dative: Ihnen, dir, ihm.
- Ich fehle dich.Du fehlst mir.To say 'I miss you', the missed person is the subject and you are in the dative: Du fehlst mir.
Real examples
- Nehmen Sie Platz. Was fehlt Ihnen?Take a seat. What seems to be the problem?
- Was fehlt dir denn? Du bist so still.What's wrong? You're so quiet.
- Die Kinderärztin konnte nicht sagen, was dem Kleinen fehlt.The paediatrician couldn't say what was wrong with the little one.
