During the coalition talks, a prominent Green Party member, Robert Habeck, recalls in a new book, “There was an astonishing lack of authority.” Instead of addressing conflicts, Ms. Merkel let the negotiators be lulled into complacency. “In the decisive talks,” he said, “nothing was decided.”

Maybe it’s not about her per se — maybe 12 years as a chancellor is too long not to become complacent, no matter who you are. Ms. Merkel’s first comment after Election Day, when her party came in first but also racked up its largest decline in votes ever, was that she was “not disappointed” and that she could not see what needed to change now.

No wonder the public is no longer sure whether Ms. Merkel herself still knows the difference between serenity and fatigue. If one European, after all, has reason to be tired, it is Ms. Merkel.

She certainly has been confusing two things for far too long: quiet and silence. While one might still think it wise for a head of government to stay away from the hastiness of Twitter, to rarely speak to the public at all is the other extreme. With the exception of dutiful TV appearances during the election campaigns, Ms. Merkel speaks so little to the Germans that it appears she doesn’t have anything to say, or doesn’t see a reason to explain herself or doesn’t deem it necessary to convince anyone of her sapience.

All this merges into the impression that she feels she herself embodies the country, similar to a monarch who makes rareness a sign of authority. It conveys a whiff of arrogance to tell the Germans, during the migration crisis, “We will manage this,” and then to switch back to loaded silence instead of explaining exactly how “this” will be managed.

That the lady’s not for talking is a particular disappointment to reporters and politicians who have interacted with her in background conversations, where she is outspoken and charming. Had Ms. Merkel displayed more of the talent publicly, she could have spared Germany a good part of the rise of right-wing populism.

In times like these, it is simply not enough for the chancellor to be the country’s first civil servant, particularly not when the electorate calls for action. That is what is on offer from President Emmanuel Macron of France and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz of Austria. Whatever one thinks of their aims (and in Mr. Kurz’s case, of his far-right coalition partner), both manage to convey ambition. During a recent 24-hour stint in Berlin, Mr. Kurz delivered more clear ideas on migration than Ms. Merkel did in the past 24 months. You may take issue with his policies — which are more restrictive than many Germans would like — but at least they are clear.

Ms. Merkel has lost her message over too many issues. There is no reason to believe this is going to change in a shaky coalition with the Social Democrats, unless the chancellor is planning a surprise. After all, she has indicated that this is her last spin on the Berlin merry-go-round. And nobody knows yet how she’ll behave, freed of the pressure to win — or lose — another election. The lady was not for talking. But perhaps, now, for turning?