German Phrase
Er ist gerade nicht erreichbar.
Meaning
The sentence tells the listener that the male person mentioned cannot be contacted at this very moment. It is often used when a phone call, message, or email goes unanswered because the person is busy, away, or has no signal.
When to use
Use this phrase when you need to explain why you cannot get hold of someone right now – for example, during a phone call, in a chat, or when you’re informing a colleague that a client is temporarily unavailable.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Eristgeradenichterreichbar
Er (personal pronoun)
Third‑person singular masculine pronoun, used as the subject of the sentence.
ist (sein – present)
The present tense of the verb "sein" (to be). It links the subject with the predicate adjective.
gerade (adverb)
Means "right now" or "just now"; placed before the negation to stress the current moment.
nicht (negation)
Negates the adjective that follows; in this construction it negates "erreichbar".
erreichbar (adjective)
Derived from the verb "erreichen"; describes something/someone that can be contacted or reached.
🗨In Conversation
Er ist gerade nicht erreichbar.
He is currently not reachable.
Okay, ich versuche es später noch einmal.
Okay, I’ll try again later.
✕Common Mistakes
Er ist nicht gerade erreichbar.
Placing "nicht" before "gerade" changes the meaning to "not just"; the correct order is "gerade nicht" to mean "right now not".
Er gerade nicht erreichbar.
Learners sometimes omit the verb "ist" and say "Er gerade nicht erreichbar," which is ungrammatical. The verb "sein" must be present.
Er hat gerade keine Erreichbarkeit.
Using the noun "Erreichbarkeit" instead of the adjective leads to a different structure: "Er hat gerade keine Erreichbarkeit" is awkward. Stick with the adjective form.
↔Alternatives
Er ist im Moment nicht erreichbar.
He is not reachable at the moment.
Er kann gerade nicht erreicht werden.
He cannot be reached right now.
Er ist momentan nicht zu erreichen.
He is temporarily unavailable.
Cultural Tip
In German business communication it is common to state availability explicitly. "Erreichbar" usually refers to phone or digital contact, not physical presence. If you want to sound more polite, you can add a brief reason: "Er ist gerade nicht erreichbar, weil er im Meeting ist." Also, avoid over‑using "gerade" in formal emails; a simple "Er ist momentan nicht erreichbar" is often sufficient.