German Phrase
Wie leitest du einen Anruf weiter?
Meaning
The sentence asks someone to explain the steps for forwarding a telephone call. It is a practical request you might hear in an office, call‑center or when learning phone etiquette in German.
When to use
Use this phrase when you need a colleague, a customer‑service agent, or a friend to show you how to forward a call on a particular device or phone system.
✦Grammar Breakdown
WieleitestdueinenAnrufweiter?
Wie (question word)
Used to ask 'how' and starts a question.
leitest (verb leiten)
Second‑person singular present of the separable verb leiten; the prefix 'weiter' is split off.
du (personal pronoun)
Informal 'you' used in casual conversation.
einen Anruf (accusative object)
Masculine noun Anruf takes the indefinite article einen in the accusative.
weiter (separable prefix)
In main clauses the prefix moves to the end of the sentence.
🗨In Conversation
Wie leitest du einen Anruf weiter?
How do you forward a call?
Ich drücke die Weiterleiten‑Taste, wähle die Ziel‑Nummer und bestätige mit OK.
I press the forward button, dial the target number and confirm with OK.
✕Common Mistakes
Wie weiterleitest du einen Anruf?
In a main clause the separable prefix must be placed at the end, not attached to the verb.
Wie leitest du einen Anruf weiter?
In formal contexts you should use 'Sie' instead of 'du'.
↔Alternatives
Wie kann ich einen Anruf weiterleiten?
How can I forward a call?
Wie funktioniert das Weiterleiten eines Anrufs?
How does forwarding a call work?
Cultural Tip
In German‑speaking workplaces the formal 'Sie' is usually preferred, so a more polite version would be 'Wie leiten Sie einen Anruf weiter?'. The informal 'du' version is common among colleagues who already use 'du' with each other. Also, many phone systems have a dedicated 'Weiterleiten' button, so the verb is often spoken as a noun: 'die Weiterleitung'.