German Phrase
Warte kurz.
Meaning
‘Warte kurz.’ is a short, informal way to ask someone to wait for a moment. It implies that the pause will be brief and is commonly used in everyday conversation.
When to use
Use this phrase with friends, family, or colleagues in casual settings when you need a quick pause. In formal contexts you would switch to the Sie‑imperative: ‘Warten Sie kurz.’
✦Grammar Breakdown
Wartekurz
Imperative (du) – warten
‘Warte’ is the du‑imperative of the verb ‘warten’ (to wait). It is formed by dropping the infinitive ending –en and adding –e.
Adverb – kurz
‘kurz’ functions as an adverb meaning ‘briefly’ or ‘for a short time’, placed after the verb in simple commands.
🗨In Conversation
Warte kurz.
Wait a moment.
Klar, ich bin gleich zurück.
Sure, I’ll be right back.
✕Common Mistakes
Warten kurz.
The verb must be in the imperative form; ‘Warten’ is infinitive and cannot be used alone here.
Warte bitte kurz.
While understandable, native speakers usually place ‘bitte’ at the end: ‘Warte kurz, bitte.’
Warte kurz bitte.
The more natural order is ‘Warte kurz, bitte.’ – the comma separates the request from the politeness marker.
↔Alternatives
Warte einen Moment.
Wait a moment.
Warte mal kurz.
Hold on a sec.
Einen Moment bitte.
One moment, please.
Cultural Tip
In German, adding ‘kurz’ after a verb is a common way to stress that the requested action will take only a short time. It’s perfectly natural in informal speech, but avoid it in very formal emails or when speaking to strangers; there you’d use the polite form ‘Warten Sie kurz, bitte.’