Checking and asking about status | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ist das okay?

   Is this okay?

   Ist das

   Is this

   okay

   okay

   More detail

   Ist das contains the verb ist and the demonstrative das. ist is the present-tense form of sein (“to be”) for a third-person singular subject. The base form is sein; useful forms include ich bin (“I am”), du bist (“you are”), and sie ist (“she is”). In a yes/no question, the finite verb comes first: Ist das ...? means “Is this ...?” Here, das is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “this.” Its exact referent is supplied by the situation rather than named in this sentence. In the reusable pattern Ist das + adjective?, das identifies the thing being evaluated. okay is an informal, widely used predicate word meaning that something is acceptable or satisfactory. It does not change form here. For example: Ist das richtig? — “Is this correct?” Together, Ist das okay? asks whether the relevant thing or situation is acceptable: “Is this okay?”

2. Ist das deine Tasche?

   Is this your bag?

   Ist das

   Is this?

   deine

   your

   Tasche

   bag

   More detail

   Ist das forms a yes/no question: ist is the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”), and das means “this” here. In a German yes/no question, the finite verb comes first, followed by the subject or demonstrative element. Compare the reusable pattern Ist das ...? (“Is this ...?”), as in the supplied question Ist das okay? (“Is this okay?”). The form ist is not the infinitive; the infinitive is sein. deine means “your” when addressing one person informally and referring to a feminine noun in the singular. It is the possessive form related to du (“you”); its ending agrees with the possessed noun, not with the owner. Compare dein with a masculine or neuter singular noun, for example dein Buch (“your book”), and deine with a feminine singular noun, for example deine Tasche (“your bag”). Tasche is a feminine noun meaning “bag.” Its usual singular form is die Tasche, and its plural is die Taschen (“bags”). German nouns are capitalized. Because Tasche is feminine singular here, the possessive form is deine rather than dein. Together, Ist das deine Tasche? asks whether the thing indicated by das is the addressee’s bag: “Is this your bag?” The question uses the reusable yes/no pattern Ist das ...?, followed by the possessive noun phrase deine Tasche.

3. Sitzt hier jemand?

   Is anyone sitting here?

   Sitzt

   is sitting

   hier

   here

   jemand

   someone; anyone

   More detail

   Sitzt comes from sitzen, “to sit” or “to be seated.” Here it is the present-tense form for er/sie/es (“he/she/it sits”); German uses this same form with the singular indefinite pronoun jemand. In a yes/no question, the finite verb comes first: Sitzt du hier? — “Are you sitting here?” Do not confuse sitzen with setzen, which means “to seat” or “to sit down” and describes an action of putting someone or oneself into a seated position. hier is the location adverb “here.” It can be reused without changing for the person or object located there: Ich sitze hier. — “I am sitting here.” jemand is an indefinite pronoun meaning “someone.” In this question, English naturally uses “anyone”: the sentence asks whether there is a person sitting here. Jemand sitzt hier. — “Someone is sitting here.” In the supplied sentence, jemand is the grammatical subject and has the singular form; its specific identity is not given. Together, the verb-first question pattern Sitzt ...? asks whether the subject is seated, while hier specifies the location and jemand identifies the subject only generally. Thus Sitzt hier jemand? means “Is anyone sitting here?”

4. Bist du jetzt beschäftigt?

   Are you busy now?

   Bist du

   are you

   jetzt

   now

   beschäftigt

   busy

   More detail

   Bist du uses the present-tense form bist of sein (“to be”) with the second-person singular pronoun du (“you”). In a German yes/no question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Bist du ...? means “Are you ...?” The corresponding statement order is Du bist ... (“You are ...”). jetzt means “now” and places the situation at the present moment. For example, Bist du jetzt bereit? means “Are you ready now?” beschäftigt means “busy” or “occupied” here. It is an adjective used after sein, so it describes du; in this predicative position, it has no adjective ending. The related adjective frei means “free” in the sense of not busy: Bist du frei? means “Are you free?” Together, Bist du jetzt beschäftigt? asks whether the person addressed is busy at the present time. The structure is Bist du + time expression jetzt + predicate adjective beschäftigt: “Are you busy now?”

5. Bist du jetzt bereit?

   Are you ready now?

   Bist du

   are you

   jetzt

   now

   bereit

   ready

   More detail

   Bist du is the question form of German sein (“to be”) with du (“you,” singular informal). The verb comes before the subject because this is a yes/no question: Bist du ...? means “Are you ...?” The form bist is present tense, second-person singular; it is not the base form. Example: Bist du müde? — “Are you tired?” jetzt means “now” and places the situation at the present time. It can also appear elsewhere in a German sentence when emphasis or sentence structure calls for it, but here it directly asks about the listener’s current state. Example: Ich bin jetzt bereit. — “I am ready now.” bereit is an adjective meaning “ready” or “prepared.” With sein, it describes a person’s state: bereit sein — “to be ready.” It does not change form here because it follows sein as a predicate adjective. Example: Wir sind bereit. — “We are ready.” Together, Bist du forms the yes/no question, jetzt specifies the present time, and bereit describes the listener’s state. The complete utterance therefore means, “Are you ready now?”

6. Brauchst du Hilfe?

   Do you need help?

   Brauchst

   need

   du

   you

   Hilfe

   help

   More detail

   Brauchst is the present-tense second-person singular form of brauchen, “to need.” The ending -st marks the du form here: ich brauche, du brauchst. Example: Brauchst du Wasser? — “Do you need water?” du means “you” when addressing one person informally. It is the subject of brauchst; the verb form agrees with it. In a more formal situation, German uses Sie with a different verb form: Brauchen Sie Hilfe? — “Do you need help?” Hilfe means “help.” It is a feminine noun, so its dictionary form is commonly given with the article die: die Hilfe. German nouns are capitalized. In this sentence, Hilfe is what is needed and appears without an article, which is natural when referring to help generally. The whole utterance is a yes-or-no question. German commonly places the finite verb first in this question pattern: Brauchst du ...? Literally, it asks whether you need help. Thus Brauchst du Hilfe? means “Do you need help?”