Adjusting a chair | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Dieser Stuhl ist zu niedrig.

   This chair is too low.

   Dieser

   this

   Stuhl

   chair

   ist

   is

   niedrig

   low

   More detail

   Dieser means “this” and points to one nearby or otherwise identifiable masculine singular noun here. It is the nominative masculine singular form of the demonstrative determiner dieser; compare diese with feminine nouns and plural nouns, and dieses with neuter singular nouns. Example: Dieser Tisch ist alt. — “This table is old.” Stuhl means “chair.” Its base form is the masculine noun der Stuhl; the plural is die Stühle, with an umlaut and the ending -e. Because Stuhl is the subject here, it appears in the nominative case, and Dieser matches its masculine singular form. ist is the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”). The useful present-tense contrast is ich bin, du bist, er/sie/es ist. Example: Der Stuhl ist bequem. — “The chair is comfortable.” niedrig means “low.” As a predicate adjective after sein, it stays uninflected: Der Stuhl ist niedrig. In other positions, an adjective can take an ending, for example ein niedriger Stuhl — “a low chair.” Do not confuse niedrig (“low”) with hoch (“high”). The pattern zu + adjective expresses an excessive degree: zu niedrig means “too low,” not merely “low.” Thus Dieser Stuhl ist zu niedrig. combines “This chair” + “is” + “too low,” yielding “This chair is too low.”

2. Du kannst die Höhe ändern.

   You can change the height.

   Du kannst

   you can

   die Höhe

   the height

   ändern

   change

   More detail

   Du kannst means “you can” here. kannst is the present-tense second-person singular form of the modal verb können, selected with du. In a German main clause with a modal verb, the other verb normally remains in the infinitive and appears at the end: Du kannst ... ändern = “You can ... change.” Compare ich kann = “I can” and du kannst = “you can.” die Höhe means “the height.” Höhe is a feminine noun, and German nouns are capitalized. Its lemma is Höhe; the related adjective hoch means “high,” but it is not the noun’s base form. The definite article is die, the form used with this feminine noun in this phrase. Example: Die Höhe ist wichtig. — “The height is important.” ändern means “to change” or, in this context, “to adjust.” It is the infinitive used after kannst; the modal verb carries the present-tense and person marking, while ändern stays in the infinitive. The form ändern is the verb’s infinitive, not an inflected form of hoch. Example: Ich möchte die Höhe ändern. — “I would like to change the height.” Together, Du kannst + die Höhe + ändern forms Du kannst die Höhe ändern. The modal construction expresses that the addressee has the ability or option to change the height. die Höhe is the object, and ändern comes at the end of this main clause.

3. Wie mache ich das?

   How do I do that?

   Wie

   how

   mache

   do

   das

   that

   More detail

   Wie asks about the way or manner: “how.” It can introduce a question about the method for an action. Example: Wie funktioniert das? — “How does that work?” mache is the first-person singular present form of machen, “to do” or “to make”: ich mache — “I do/I make.” In this question, it refers to the speaker’s action. The same verb can describe making something: Ich mache Kaffee. — “I make coffee.” das means “that” here and points to an already identifiable thing, action, or task without naming it again. Its exact referent is not specified by this sentence. The form das is also used as the neuter nominative or accusative demonstrative/article form, so its shape alone does not identify the referent. Example: Ich verstehe das. — “I understand that.” Together, Wie mache ich das? uses the pattern Wie + verb + ich + das? to ask for the method of carrying out the indicated task: “How do I do that?”

4. Drück den Knopf unter dem Sitz.

   Press the button under the seat.

   Drück

   press

   Knopf

   button

   unter

   under

   Sitz

   seat

   More detail

   Drück is the informal singular imperative of drücken, “to press.” It addresses one person with du; the same verb appears as drücken in the infinitive. Example: Drück den Knopf. — “Press the button.” Knopf means “button.” Its base form is the masculine noun der Knopf. Here it is the direct object of the command, so the masculine accusative article is den: den Knopf. Example: Der Knopf ist rot. — “The button is red.” unter means “under” here. With a stationary location, German uses the dative after this two-way preposition. A change of location toward a position under something instead uses the accusative. Example: Die Tasche liegt unter dem Sitz. — “The bag is under the seat.” Sitz means “seat.” It is the masculine noun der Sitz; after unter for this fixed location, it appears in the dative as dem Sitz. The ending is carried by the article, while the noun itself remains Sitz. Together, Drück den Knopf gives the command “Press the button,” and unter dem Sitz identifies the button’s location: “under the seat.” The complete utterance is therefore “Press the button under the seat.”

5. Das ist besser. Danke.

   That is better. Thank you.

   Das ist

   That is

   besser

   better

   Danke.

   Thank you

   More detail

   Das ist combines Das, meaning “that,” with ist, the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”). Here Das refers to something already understood in the situation—an outcome or condition—not to a newly named noun. Sein has the present forms ich bin, du bist, er/sie/es ist; ist is the form used with a singular third-person subject. The same pattern is reusable in sentences such as Das ist gut. — “That is good.” besser means “better” here. It is the comparative form of gut (“good”): gut → besser → am besten (“best”). After sein, the adjective appears as a predicate and does not take an attributive adjective ending: Das ist besser. means “That is better.” Danke. is a concise way to say “Thank you.” It is commonly used on its own; a somewhat fuller alternative is Vielen Dank. (“Many thanks”). Together, Das ist besser. evaluates the understood situation as improved or more satisfactory, and Danke. adds the speaker’s thanks: “That is better. Thank you.”

6. Sag mir, wenn es immer noch nicht passt.

   Tell me if it is still not right.

   Sag mir

   tell me

   wenn

   if

   immer noch

   still

   nicht

   not

   passt

   fits; is right

   More detail

   Sag mir means “tell me.” Sag is the informal singular imperative of sagen (“to say; to tell”): sagen → du sagst → Sag! The pronoun mir is the dative form of ich and means “to me.” This is a reusable request pattern: Sag mir, ... (“Tell me ...”). wenn introduces the condition “if” here. In a clause introduced by wenn, the finite verb normally goes to the end. Thus the condition begins with wenn and ends with passt. immer noch means “still,” indicating that the situation continues. The two words work together as a fixed adverbial expression; they are not a single inflected word. nicht supplies negation. Here it negates the idea expressed by passt: the situation is “not right” rather than right. passt is the third-person singular present form of passen (“to fit; to suit; to be right”): passen → es passt. In this sentence, passen has the context-appropriate sense “be right” or “be acceptable,” not physical fitting. es is the third-person singular subject form corresponding here to “it”; the specific referent of “it” is not identified in the supplied sentence. The verb appears at the end because of wenn. Together, Sag mir gives the request, and wenn es immer noch nicht passt gives its condition: “if it is still not right.” The complete utterance is therefore “Tell me if it is still not right.”