bitte
German, adverb
bitte is spelled B-I-T-T-E (5 letters) and appears 501 times per million words in written German, the 186th most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Bitte is a German adverb meaning “please, if you please (used to make a polite request or affirm an offer)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is also a first-person singular present of bitten. With a capital, Bitte is a different word: “request, plea”.
What does bitte mean in English?
adverb
- 1
please, if you please (used to make a polite request or affirm an offer)
interjection
- 1
you're welcome (acknowledgement of thanks)
- 2
excuse me, sorry (request to repeat information)
- 3
here you are (when handing something over to someone)
- 4
OK then, well then, all right (indication of mock acquiescence to someone's apparent demanding attitude)
verb
- 1
first-person singular present
- 2
first/third-person singular subjunctive I
- 3
singular imperative
noun
- 1
femininerequest, plea
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
noun: 1. höfliche Ausdrucksform eines Wunsches, einer Aufforderung, eines Ersuchens
particle: 1. höflich um etwas ersuchen; um etwas bitten 2. auf einen Dank antworten 3. Aufforderung zum Eintreten 4. der Wunsch nach Wiederholung von etwas bereits Gesagtem oder nicht richtig Verstandenem
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of bitte
- Bitten plural
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
English words that translate to bitte
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is bitte in German?
bitte appears 501 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).