Reviewing together after class | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Was machst du nach dem Unterricht?

   What do you do after class?

   Was

   what

   machst

   do

   du

   you

   nach

   after

   Unterricht

   class; instruction

   More detail

   Was asks for information about an activity here: “what.” In a German W-question, the question word occupies the first position and the finite verb follows it. Compare Wer (“who”) and Wann (“when”) as other question words, but they ask for different kinds of information. machst is the present-tense second-person singular form of machen (“to do; to make”). In this sentence, machen means “do” in the sense of carrying out an activity. The pattern Was machst du ...? is a reusable way to ask what someone does. Example: Was machst du morgen? — “What are you doing tomorrow?” du is the nominative singular informal form meaning “you.” It is the subject of machst; the verb form identifies the addressee as one person in the informal second-person form. The formal counterpart is Sie, which uses a different verb form: Was machen Sie? — “What are you doing?” nach means “after” here and expresses a time relation. In this use, the following noun phrase is in the dative case. The same pattern appears in nach der Arbeit — “after work.” Unterricht means “class” or “instruction” in this context. It is a masculine noun, and its base form is der Unterricht. After dative nach, the masculine singular definite article changes from der to dem: nach dem Unterricht — “after class.” The noun itself does not change form here. Together, Was machst du asks what activity the addressee carries out, and nach dem Unterricht sets the time as after class. The whole utterance therefore means “What do you do after class?”

2. Ich bleibe hier und wiederhole den Stoff.

   I stay here and review.

   Ich

   I

   bleibe

   stay

   hier

   here

   wiederhole

   review; repeat

   Stoff

   material; content

   More detail

   Ich is the first-person singular pronoun: “I.” It identifies the speaker as the subject. German subject pronouns include ich (“I”), du (“you,” singular informal), and er/sie/es (“he/she/it”); the verb form must agree with the chosen subject. bleibe is the first-person singular present form of bleiben, “to stay” or “to remain”: ich bleibe, du bleibst, er/sie/es bleibt. Here it describes remaining in the current place. Example: Ich bleibe zu Hause. — “I’m staying at home.” hier means “here,” referring to the place associated with the speaker. It is a location adverb and does not change for person or number. Example: Wir warten hier. — “We are waiting here.” wiederhole is the first-person singular present form of wiederholen, “to repeat” or, with material such as lessons, “to review.” The form is ich wiederhole; the infinitive is wiederholen. In this sentence, the intended meaning is reviewing the material, as reflected in the translation. Example: Ich wiederhole die Wörter. — “I review the words.” Stoff is a masculine noun meaning “material” or “content”; in a learning context, it can mean the material being studied. Its base dictionary form is der Stoff. Here, den Stoff is the accusative form after wiederholen, because the material is the direct object: der Stoff becomes den Stoff. Example: Sie wiederholt den Stoff. — “She reviews the material.” The conjunction und links the two actions. Ich bleibe hier means “I stay here,” and ich wiederhole den Stoff means “I review the material.” Because the same subject performs both actions, German states ich before the first verb and leaves it understood for the second coordinated verb. Together, the utterance means: “I stay here and review.”

3. Können wir diesen Raum noch eine Weile nutzen?

   Can we use this room for a while longer?

   Können wir

   can we

   diesen

   this

   Raum

   room

   noch

   still; longer

   eine Weile

   for a while

   nutzen

   use

   More detail

   Können wir asks whether the speaker and others can or are allowed to do something. können is the base form; kann is used with ich or er/sie/es, while können is used with wir and also with sie/Sie. In a question, the finite modal verb comes first and the subject follows: Können wir ...? The main verb stays in the infinitive at the end. diesen means this here and identifies one specific nearby or contextually identified masculine noun in the accusative case. Its form matches the masculine noun Raum and the object role of that noun: dieser Raum (nominative subject), but diesen Raum (accusative object). The form is not a statement about quantity. Raum means room here. Its base form is the same form shown in this sentence; the plural is Räume. The compound noun Klassenraum, for example, means classroom. noch contributes the idea that the use can continue beyond the present point: still or longer in this context. Compare Wir bleiben noch. — We are staying a little longer. Its exact English rendering depends on the neighboring time expression, so with eine Weile it supports for a while longer. eine Weile is a time expression meaning for a while. Weile is a feminine noun, so the indefinite article is eine in this phrase. Example: Warte eine Weile. — Wait for a while. nutzen means to use in the sense of making use of something. It is an infinitive here because it follows the modal verb können. A useful contrast is benutzen, also meaning to use, often with an emphasis on using a concrete object; nutzen commonly emphasizes making practical use of something. Here, nutzen applies to the room. Together, Können wir diesen Raum noch eine Weile nutzen? forms a yes-or-no question: Can we use this room for a while longer? The question structure places können first, followed by wir; diesen Raum is the thing being used, noch eine Weile gives the continued duration, and nutzen closes the clause as the infinitive governed by können.

4. Wir können nach dem Unterricht hier bleiben.

   We can stay here after the lesson.

   Wir können

   we can

   nach

   after

   Unterricht

   lesson

   hier

   here

   bleiben

   stay

   More detail

   Wir können means “we can” here. wir is the first-person plural pronoun, “we.” können is the present-tense form of können for wir; as a modal verb, it expresses ability or permission depending on context. Here, together with bleiben, it means that staying is possible or permitted. In a modal construction, the modal verb is in the conjugated position and the other verb remains in the infinitive: Wir können bleiben = “We can stay.” nach means “after” in this time expression. When nach means “after” in this use, the following noun phrase is in the dative: nach dem Unterricht. The preposition itself does not change; the masculine article changes from der to dative dem. Unterricht is a masculine noun meaning “lesson” or “instruction.” Its base form is der Unterricht; after nach, it appears as dem Unterricht. The noun is normally used without a plural when referring to instruction or a lesson period as a general activity. hier means “here,” referring to the place understood in the situation. It is an adverb, so it does not change for person, number, or grammatical gender. For contrast, dort means “there.” bleiben means “to stay” or “to remain.” It is the infinitive after the modal verb können; the form is not conjugated separately in this sentence. For example, Wir können hier bleiben. means “We can stay here.” Together, Wir können ... bleiben expresses that “we” are able or permitted to stay. hier identifies the place, and nach dem Unterricht places the staying after the lesson. The complete meaning is: “We can stay here after the lesson.”

5. Das ist gut zu wissen.

   That is helpful to know.

   Das ist

   That is

   gut

   helpful

   zu wissen

   to know

   More detail

   Das ist combines the demonstrative pronoun Das (“that”) with ist, the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”). Here, Das refers to the information or situation being discussed, without identifying a particular noun. The same pattern is reusable: Das ist wichtig. — “That is important.” gut is an adjective meaning “good”; after sein, it describes the subject in a predicative position. In this sentence, the intended meaning is “helpful” or “good” in relation to knowing the information. The adjective does not take an ending here because it follows ist rather than directly modifying a noun. zu wissen is the infinitive “to know.” German commonly uses zu before an infinitive in a clause expressing an activity or proposition: Es ist leicht, das zu wissen. — “It is easy to know that.” The verb is wissen; zu wissen is its zu-infinitive form. Together, Das ist gut zu wissen literally presents the information as good to know. In the fixed translation, this is naturally “That is helpful to know.” The pattern Das ist [adjective] zu [infinitive] can be reused with other evaluations, for example Das ist wichtig zu verstehen. — “That is important to understand.”

6. Dann wiederholen wir hier gemeinsam.

   Then let's review here together.

   Dann

   then

   wiederholen

   review; repeat

   wir

   we

   hier

   here

   gemeinsam

   together

   More detail

   Dann means “then” here and links this action to what was just said. It can also refer to a later point in time: Dann sprechen wir. — “Then we’ll speak.” wiederholen means “to repeat”; in this context, the fixed translation makes “review” the intended sense. The form is also the present-tense form used with wir, while the infinitive is wiederholen. For example: Wir wiederholen den Satz. — “We repeat/review the sentence.” wir means “we”: the speaker includes themself and at least one other participant. German uses this subject form with the first-person plural verb form. It is also what gives the utterance the “let’s” meaning in the translation; the German wording uses a present-tense statement with wir, rather than a separate word meaning “let’s.” hier means “here,” indicating the place associated with the activity. For example: Wir lernen hier. — “We study here.” gemeinsam means “together,” emphasizing that the participants do the activity jointly. It is an adverb here, describing how they review. Wir arbeiten gemeinsam. — “We work together.” Together, Dann wiederholen wir hier gemeinsam. means “Then let’s review here together.” In the German word order, Dann comes first, the finite verb wiederholen follows it, and the subject wir comes after the verb. The place hier and manner gemeinsam then complete the action.