Choosing an Event Activity | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Entschuldigung, an welchen Veranstaltungen können wir jetzt teilnehmen?

   Excuse me, which events can we join now?

   Entschuldigung

   Excuse me

   an

   in / at

   welchen

   which

   Veranstaltungen

   events

   können wir

   can we

   jetzt

   now

   teilnehmen

   participate / join

   More detail

   Entschuldigung means “Excuse me” here. It is a polite way to get someone’s attention before a question. The related verb is sich entschuldigen, “to apologize,” but this standalone noun is the conventional brief attention-getter in this use. an welchen: teilnehmen uses the pattern an + dative, meaning to participate in or take part in something. welchen is the dative plural form of the interrogative determiner welcher (“which”); the dative is required by an in this construction. Compare an welcher Veranstaltung (“at which event,” singular) with an welchen Veranstaltungen (“at which events,” plural). Veranstaltungen means “events” here. Its base form is the singular noun die Veranstaltung; Veranstaltungen is its plural. In the fixed question, the plural indicates that the question concerns which events are available for participation, without asserting how many events the speakers will join. können wir: können is the present-tense form of the modal verb können for wir (“we”), expressing ability or possibility: “can we.” In a main-clause question, the finite modal comes before the subject, while the other verb goes to the end. For example, Können wir teilnehmen? means “Can we participate?” jetzt means “now” or “at this time.” It places the possibility of participating in the present situation. Its meaning is separate from the ability expressed by können. teilnehmen means “to participate” or “to take part.” It is the infinitive required with können, and it keeps the preposition pattern an + dative: an einer Veranstaltung teilnehmen means “to participate in an event.” The verb is separable in finite forms: Wir nehmen teil, but after a modal its infinitive appears together at the end: Wir können teilnehmen. Together, an welchen Veranstaltungen asks “at which events,” können wir ... teilnehmen asks which participation is possible for “us,” and jetzt limits that possibility to the present time. The complete utterance is therefore: “Excuse me, which events can we join now?”

2. Sie können zwischen einem geführten Spaziergang und einer Tanzveranstaltung wählen.

   You can choose between a guided walk and a dance session.

   Sie können

   you can

   zwischen … und

   between … and …

   geführten

   guided

   Spaziergang

   walk

   Tanzveranstaltung

   dance session

   wählen

   choose

   More detail

   Sie können: Here Sie means “you” and is the capitalized German form used for formal singular or plural address; the form alone does not identify which of those applies. können is the modal verb meaning “can/be able to” here. Its base form is können; with Sie, it has the same form as with sie (“they”), while the context and capitalization identify the intended address. In a main clause, a modal normally sends the other verb to the end in the infinitive: Sie können wählen = “You can choose.” zwischen … und …: This is the reusable pairing “between … and …”. zwischen introduces the two alternatives, and und links the second one. Here both alternatives are in the dative after zwischen: einem geführten Spaziergang and einer Tanzveranstaltung. Example: Ich schwanke zwischen Tee und Kaffee. — “I am undecided between tea and coffee.” geführten: This describes the walk as guided. It is the adjective form geführt, related to the verb führen (“to lead/guide”), and it carries the ending -en here because it follows the masculine dative phrase einem Spaziergang. The ending belongs to geführten, not to the noun. Example: Wir machen einen geführten Rundgang. — “We are taking a guided tour.” Spaziergang: This masculine noun means “walk” or “stroll”; its base form is der Spaziergang. In this sentence it appears as Spaziergang after the dative article einem. A useful related contrast is spazieren gehen, “to go for a walk,” which is a verb phrase rather than the noun. Example: Der Spaziergang dauert eine Stunde. — “The walk lasts an hour.” Tanzveranstaltung: This feminine noun means “dance event” or, in this translation, “dance session.” It is a compound built from Tanz (“dance”) and Veranstaltung (“event”), but the complete word is the noun used here. Its gender is feminine: die Tanzveranstaltung; after zwischen, it appears with the dative article einer. Example: Die Tanzveranstaltung beginnt um acht. — “The dance event begins at eight.” wählen: This infinitive means “to choose” or “to select.” Its base form is wählen; with the modal können, it remains an infinitive and therefore stands at the end of this main clause. Do not confuse it with sich entscheiden, “to decide,” which is a different verb and construction. Example: Sie können einen Kurs wählen. — “You can choose a course.” Together, Sie können expresses the ability or permission relevant here, zwischen … und … presents two alternatives, and wählen supplies the action in infinitive position. The complete utterance therefore means: “You can choose between a guided walk and a dance session.”

3. Wie ist der geführte Spaziergang?

   What is the guided walk like?

   Wie ist

   What is ... like?

   geführte

   guided

   Spaziergang

   walk

   More detail

   Wie ist combines the question word wie (“how” or “what ... like”) with ist, the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”). With a noun after it, Wie ist ...? commonly asks for the noun’s qualities or overall character: Example: Wie ist der Film? — “What is the film like?” This is different from Wie geht es ...?, which asks how someone is feeling or doing. geführte means “guided” here. It is the adjective form of the past participle geführt, from the verb führen (“to lead” or “to guide”). The adjective describes Spaziergang, and its ending is -e because it stands before the masculine singular noun after the definite article der: der geführte Spaziergang. Example: Der geführte Spaziergang beginnt um zehn. — “The guided walk begins at ten.” Spaziergang is a masculine noun meaning “walk” or “stroll”; its plural is Spaziergänge. The definite-article form in this sentence is der Spaziergang, the masculine singular nominative form. Example: Der Spaziergang ist angenehm. — “The walk is pleasant.” Together, Wie ist der geführte Spaziergang? asks about the qualities or experience of the guided walk: “What is the guided walk like?”

4. Ein Guide führt den Spaziergang langsam.

   A guide leads the walk at a slow pace.

   Guide

   guide

   führt

   leads

   Spaziergang

   walk

   langsam

   slowly

   More detail

   Guide is a masculine noun meaning “guide.” In this sentence, Ein Guide is the subject: the guide performs the action. Ein is an indefinite article for a singular masculine noun in the nominative case; here it introduces a non-specific guide, not necessarily a numerical claim. The noun is borrowed into German and is used as a masculine noun in this sentence. führt comes from führen, “to lead” or “to guide.” It is the present-tense form for a third-person singular subject: er/sie/es führt. The umlaut is part of this inflected form. The subject is Ein Guide, so German uses führt, not a plural form such as führen. Example: Der Guide führt die Gruppe. — “The guide leads the group.” Spaziergang is a masculine noun meaning “walk” or “stroll.” In den Spaziergang, it is the direct object of führt, so the masculine definite article is accusative: der Spaziergang in the nominative becomes den Spaziergang in the accusative. Example: Wir machen einen Spaziergang. — “We are going for a walk.” langsam means “slowly” here and describes how the leading takes place. German can use this form adverbially without an ending. The related adjective is also langsam, as in ein langsamer Spaziergang — “a slow walk”; the adjective receives an ending there because it modifies the noun, whereas in this sentence langsam modifies the verb führt. Together, Ein Guide führt den Spaziergang langsam. means “A guide leads the walk at a slow pace.” The subject is the guide, führt expresses the present action of leading, den Spaziergang is what is being led, and langsam specifies the pace.

5. So kann man leicht folgen.

   So it is easy to follow.

   So

   in this way

   kann man

   one can

   leicht

   easily

   folgen

   follow

   More detail

   So means “in this way” here. It is a manner adverb: it points to the way something can be done, rather than naming a specific object. Example: So geht es. — “That’s how it works.” kann man combines kann, the present-tense third-person singular form of können (“can, be able to”), with man, the general pronoun “one” or “people.” The form kann is used because man takes a third-person singular verb, even when the meaning is general. The infinitive follows the modal verb: man kann folgen — “one can follow.” In a different subject pattern, ich kann folgen means “I can follow,” while wir können folgen uses the plural form können. leicht means “easily” in this sentence. The same form can also be the adjective “easy,” as in ein leichter Weg — “an easy path”; here it modifies the action folgen, so the natural English meaning is “easily” or “without difficulty.” folgen is the infinitive “to follow.” After the modal verb kann, German places the lexical verb in the infinitive at the end of the clause. Folgen often takes a dative complement when the thing or person followed is stated, for example: Sie folgt dem Guide. — “She follows the guide.” No such complement is expressed in the fixed sentence, so the sentence simply says that following is easy without specifying the object. Together, So kann man leicht folgen. means “In this way, one can follow easily,” naturally translated as “So it is easy to follow.” The pattern So kann man + adverb + infinitive is reusable when describing an easy or possible action in a particular way.

6. Das klingt für einen ersten Versuch machbar.

   That sounds manageable for a first try.

   klingt

   sounds

   ersten

   first

   Versuch

   try

   machbar

   manageable

   More detail

   klingt is the present-tense third-person singular form of klingen, “to sound.” Here it describes an impression: “sounds,” rather than directly stating that something is manageable. Example: Das klingt gut. — “That sounds good.” ersten is the inflected form of the ordinal adjective erst, “first.” It agrees with the masculine accusative noun Versuch after einen; the ending reflects this grammatical combination. Example: einen ersten Schritt — “a first step.” Versuch is a masculine noun meaning “attempt” or “try.” Its plural is Versuche. In this sentence it refers to an initial attempt, not to an experiment in a specialized sense. Example: Der Versuch war erfolgreich. — “The attempt was successful.” machbar is an adjective meaning “manageable” or “feasible,” formed with the productive adjective ending -bar, which often expresses possibility. It says that something can be done; it does not necessarily mean that it will be easy. Example: Die Aufgabe ist machbar. — “The task is manageable.” The sentence begins with Das, meaning “that” here, and klingt makes the statement an assessment based on how something appears or sounds. für einen ersten Versuch means “for a first attempt”: für takes the accusative, so einen and ersten have the forms required with masculine Versuch. machbar describes the implied situation or task. Together, Das klingt für einen ersten Versuch machbar. means “That sounds manageable for a first try.”

7. Wie aktiv ist die Tanzveranstaltung?

   How active is the dance session?

   Wie

   how

   ist

   is

   aktiv

   active

   Tanzveranstaltung

   dance session

   More detail

   Wie asks about degree here: “how” in the pattern Wie + adjective + sein ...?. It is not asking for a reason; German uses warum for “why.” Example: Wie groß ist das Haus? — “How large is the house?” ist is the present-tense form of sein (“to be”) for a singular third-person subject. The useful present-tense chain is sein — ist (he/she/it is). In this question, the verb comes before the subject because the sentence begins with a question word. aktiv describes the degree of activity of the event. Its form does not change here because it follows sein as a predicate adjective: Die Veranstaltung ist aktiv. — “The event is active.” With Wie, the adjective expresses the degree being asked about: “how active.” Tanzveranstaltung is a noun meaning “dance event” or, in this context, “dance session.” It is a compound of Tanz (“dance”) and Veranstaltung (“event”). German compound nouns are written as one word, and the final element, Veranstaltung, determines the noun’s grammatical gender: die Tanzveranstaltung. Example: Die Tanzveranstaltung beginnt um acht. — “The dance event begins at eight.” Together, Wie + aktiv asks for a degree, ist links that description to die Tanzveranstaltung, and the inverted question order gives the complete meaning: “How active is the dance session?”

8. Dort geht es schneller, mit einfachen Schritten in der Gruppe.

   It moves faster, with simple steps in a group.

   Dort

   there

   geht es

   it goes / it moves

   schneller

   faster

   mit

   with

   einfachen

   simple

   Schritten

   steps

   in

   in

   Gruppe

   group

   More detail

   Dort means “there” and points to a place understood from the situation. It can also appear in a contrast such as hier ... dort (“here ... there”). geht es is the useful German expression for how something proceeds or goes. In this sentence, es is an impersonal subject; it does not identify a particular person or object. The verb is gehen, and geht is the present-tense form for er, sie, or es. For example: Wie geht es? — “How is it going?” schneller is the comparative of schnell (“fast”): schnell → schneller (“faster”) → am schnellsten (“fastest”). Here it compares the speed of the activity with another possible way of proceeding; the comparison is understood rather than stated. mit means “with” and normally takes the dative case. It can introduce the means or accompanying method used for an activity. For example: Wir lernen mit Musik. — “We learn with music.” einfachen means “simple” here. Its base form is the adjective einfach. After mit, the adjective agrees with the plural dative noun Schritten, so it has the ending -en: mit einfachen Schritten. The adjective itself, not the noun, is the word carrying this form. Schritten means “steps.” Its singular is der Schritt; the plural is die Schritte, and the dative plural is den Schritten. The ending -n on Schritten marks the dative plural. In this sentence, the steps are a method or manner of proceeding. in can mean “in” for a location. With a stationary location, it takes the dative, as in in der Gruppe (“in the group”). With movement into a place, it can take the accusative instead: in die Gruppe (“into the group”). Gruppe means “group.” Its base noun is feminine: die Gruppe. After in for a location, it appears as der Gruppe, the feminine dative singular form. The phrase in der Gruppe describes the setting in which the activity proceeds. Together, Dort geht es schneller says that the activity proceeds faster there. mit einfachen Schritten gives the method, and in der Gruppe gives the setting. The complete meaning is: “It moves faster there, with simple steps in a group.”

9. Der geführte Spaziergang passt besser zu uns.

   The guided walk suits us better.

   geführte

   guided

   Spaziergang

   walk

   passt

   suits; fits

   besser

   better

   zu uns

   for us

   More detail

   geführte means “guided” here and describes Spaziergang. It is the inflected adjective form of geführt, related to führen (“to lead”). Because it modifies masculine singular nominative Spaziergang after the definite article der, it has the ending -e. Example: ein geführter Rundgang — “a guided tour.” Spaziergang means “walk” or “stroll.” It is a masculine noun: der Spaziergang; its plural is die Spaziergänge. Example: Wir machen einen Spaziergang. — “We are going for a walk.” passt is the third-person singular present form of passen (“to suit” or “to fit”). The subject here is singular: Der geführte Spaziergang passt. A useful pattern is etwas passt zu jemandem — “something suits someone”; zu takes the dative in this pattern. Example: Der Plan passt zu uns. — “The plan suits us.” besser is the comparative form of gut (“good”): gut → besser → am besten. It says that the walk suits the group more than some comparison point, although the sentence does not specify what that point is. Example: Dieser Weg ist besser. — “This route is better.” zu uns completes the pattern passen zu. zu means “to” in this construction, and uns is the first-person plural pronoun in the form required here. The fixed translation identifies us as the people whom the walk suits; it does not specify who belongs to that group. Example: Das passt zu uns. — “That suits us.” Together, Der geführte Spaziergang is the subject, passt ... zu uns expresses that it suits us, and besser adds the comparison. The whole utterance means: “The guided walk suits us better.”