Asking about a close deadline | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ist die Frist bald fällig?

   Is the deadline coming up soon?

   Ist

   is

   Frist

   deadline

   bald

   soon

   fällig

   due

   More detail

   Ist is the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”). In a yes/no question, the finite verb comes first: Ist die Frist ...? = “Is the deadline ...?” Compare the statement Die Frist ist ... (“The deadline is ...”). Frist is a feminine noun meaning a deadline or time limit. Its plural is Fristen. The feminine article appears here as die: die Frist (“the deadline”). bald means “soon” or “before long.” It places the expected time relatively near the present. Example: Ich komme bald. — “I’ll come soon.” fällig is an adjective meaning “due,” especially when something must be paid, submitted, or dealt with by a specified time. It is used here after sein, so it describes the deadline: Die Frist ist fällig. — “The deadline is due.” A related useful form is überfällig (“overdue”), which means that the due time has already passed. Together, Ist ... fällig? forms a yes/no question asking whether something is due. die Frist identifies the time limit, while bald places the due point in the near future. The complete utterance therefore means: “Is the deadline coming up soon?”

2. Die Frist läuft bald ab.

   The deadline is close.

   Frist

   deadline

   läuft … ab

   expires / runs out

   bald

   soon

   More detail

   Frist means a fixed period or deadline within which something must happen. Its base form is die Frist; the plural is die Fristen. In this sentence, Die Frist is the definite subject: the context identifies a particular deadline. läuft ... ab comes from the separable verb ablaufen, meaning that a period or deadline ends or expires. Here läuft is the present-tense third-person singular form of laufen, agreeing with singular Die Frist, while the prefix ab appears at the end of the clause. Compare: Die Frist läuft ab. — “The deadline expires.” With a plural subject, the form changes: Die Fristen laufen ab. — “The deadlines expire.” bald means “soon” or “before long.” It places the expiry near the present, but it does not specify an exact time. For example, Der Kurs beginnt bald. means “The course starts soon.” Together, Die Frist is the subject, läuft ... ab says that the deadline is ending, and bald says this will happen soon. Thus Die Frist läuft bald ab. means “The deadline is close,” or more literally, “The deadline will expire soon.”

3. Dann beginnen wir mit dem Hauptteil.

   So let's start with the main part.

   Dann

   then / so

   beginnen

   begin

   wir

   we

   mit

   with

   Hauptteil

   main part

   More detail

   Dann means “then” or, in this context, “so,” linking the statement to what has just been said. It is an adverb and does not change form. In this sentence it comes first, so the finite verb follows it directly: Dann beginnen .... beginnen means “to begin” or “to start.” The form here is the present-tense form used with wir: wir beginnen. Useful forms include ich beginne (“I begin”) and sie beginnen (“they begin” or “they begin/formal you begin,” depending on context). Example: Wir beginnen jetzt. — “We are starting now.” wir means “we.” It is the first-person plural personal pronoun: the speaker refers to themself together with at least one other person. With wir, the verb is in the first-person plural form: wir beginnen. mit means “with.” In this use, it introduces what the activity starts with and requires the dative case. The following phrase is therefore mit dem Hauptteil, not an accusative phrase. Hauptteil means “main part” or “main section.” It is a masculine noun, and after dative mit, the article appears as dem: mit dem Hauptteil. The noun is a compound built from Haupt (“main”) and Teil (“part”), but the complete word is the usual expression for the principal section of something. Example: Wir beginnen mit dem ersten Teil. — “We are starting with the first part.” Together, Dann beginnen wir gives “So then we start,” and mit dem Hauptteil specifies what the group starts with. The complete utterance means: “So let’s start with the main part.” The word order is also a reusable German pattern: Dann + finite verb + subject, as in Dann gehen wir. — “Then we’ll go.”

4. Willst du das jetzt übernehmen?

   Do you want to take that on now?

   Willst du

   do you want

   das

   that

   jetzt

   now

   übernehmen

   take on; take over

   More detail

   Willst du is a reusable yes/no-question pattern: willst is the present-tense, second-person singular form of wollen (“to want”), used with du (“you”). The form is for addressing one person informally. Example: Willst du anfangen? — “Do you want to start?” das is the neuter singular form of the demonstrative pronoun here, functioning as the object of übernehmen. In this sentence it means “that,” referring to an understood task or responsibility without specifying the exact referent. The same form can also serve other grammatical functions, so its role here comes from its position as the object of the verb. jetzt means “now” and places the proposed action at the present time. Example: Ich mache das jetzt. — “I’m doing that now.” übernehmen is the infinitive of the verb übernehmen. In this context it means “to take on” a task or responsibility; in other contexts it can mean “to take over” something. After willst du, German uses the infinitive at the end of the question: Willst du das übernehmen? — “Do you want to take that on?” Together, Willst du asks about the addressee’s willingness, das identifies the understood task, jetzt sets the time, and übernehmen names the action. The whole utterance therefore means: “Do you want to take that on now?”

5. Ich kann anfangen, während du die Datei prüfst.

   I can start while you check the file.

   Ich kann

   I can

   anfangen

   start

   während

   while

   du

   you

   Datei

   file

   prüfst

   check

   More detail

   Ich kann means “I can” here. kann is the first-person singular present form of können; the subject Ich determines this form. With a modal verb such as können, the other verb stays in the infinitive and comes later in the clause: Ich kann warten. — “I can wait.” anfangen means “to start” or “to begin.” It is a separable verb: in an ordinary main-clause present form, ich fange an; after kann, its infinitive remains together as anfangen. Example: Wir können morgen anfangen. — “We can start tomorrow.” während introduces a time relation meaning “while.” It makes the following clause subordinate, so the finite verb comes at the end of that clause. The reusable pattern is während + subject + ... + finite verb. du is the informal singular “you” and is the subject of the clause introduced by während. It is the second-person singular form; a formal or plural “you” would use a different form in German. Datei means “file.” It is a feminine noun, conventionally written with a capital letter. In die Datei, the noun phrase is singular and serves as the object of prüfst; for this feminine noun, the definite article is die in both nominative and accusative singular. Example: Ich öffne die Datei. — “I open the file.” prüfst means “check” here. It is the second-person singular present form of prüfen: du prüfst. The ending -st marks the du form in this verb. Example: Du prüfst den Text. — “You check the text.” Together, Ich kann anfangen expresses the speaker’s ability or readiness to start, and während du die Datei prüfst states that this happens at the same time as the listener checks the file. The complete meaning is: “I can start while you check the file.”

6. Wonach soll ich zuerst suchen?

   What should I look for first?

   Wonach

   what ... for

   soll ich

   should I

   zuerst

   first

   suchen

   look for

   More detail

   Wonach means “what ... for” here: it asks for the thing being sought. German uses nach etwas suchen (“to look for something”), and wonach combines the question meaning “what” with nach. For a person, German uses nach wem instead. Example: Wonach suchst du? — “What are you looking for?” soll ich contains the first-person singular present form soll of sollen plus ich. In this question, sollen expresses what the speaker is advised or expected to do, giving the intended meaning “should I.” Because the question word Wonach occupies the first position, the finite modal verb soll comes next and the subject ich follows it. The other verb goes to the end in its infinitive form. Example: Soll ich anfangen? — “Should I start?” zuerst means “first,” indicating the initial step in an order. It does not itself say how many later steps there will be. Example: Lies zuerst die Notizen. — “Read the notes first.” suchen is the infinitive meaning “to look for” or “to search.” With nach, it forms the useful pattern nach etwas suchen: “to look for something.” In this sentence, suchen stays in the infinitive because it follows the modal verb soll. Example: Ich suche nach der Datei. — “I am looking for the file.” Together, Wonach asks what the object of the search is, soll ich asks which action is advisable for the speaker, zuerst places that action first, and suchen supplies the action. The whole utterance therefore means: “What should I look for first?”

7. Achte darauf, dass die Notizen zur Anfrage passen.

   Make sure the notes match the request.

   Achte darauf

   make sure

   Notizen

   notes

   Anfrage

   request

   passen

   match

   More detail

   Achte darauf is the informal singular imperative of achten (“to pay attention”), used with auf for “pay attention to.” In this pattern, darauf, dass ... introduces the thing to be ensured: “make sure that ...”. The imperative addresses one person. A formal or plural command uses Achten Sie darauf, dass .... Notizen means “notes” here. It is the plural of the feminine noun die Notiz; the singular is die Notiz, and the plural is die Notizen. The plural form is also why the verb later appears as passen rather than a singular form. Anfrage means “request” or “inquiry” here. It is the feminine noun die Anfrage. In zur Anfrage, zur is the contraction of zu der; the phrase means “to the request” and expresses what the notes are being matched to. passen means “match” or “fit” here. With zu, passen zu means that something corresponds to or is suitable for something: Die Antwort passt zur Frage. — “The answer matches the question.” In the fixed sentence, passen is present tense, third-person plural, agreeing with die Notizen. Its base form is also passen; the singular form would be passt, as in Die Notiz passt zur Anfrage. Together, Achte darauf, dass sets up an instruction to ensure a following fact. die Notizen is the subject of the subordinate clause, zur Anfrage identifies what they should correspond to, and passen states the required relation. The whole utterance therefore means: “Make sure the notes match the request.”

8. Dann schreibe ich ein kurzes Update.

   Then I'll write a short update.

   Dann

   then

   schreibe

   write

   ich

   I

   ein

   a/an

   kurzes

   short

   Update

   update

   More detail

   Dann means “then” and places the action in sequence with what came before. At the start of a German main clause, it occupies the first position, so the finite verb comes next and the subject follows: Dann schreibe ich .... This verb–subject order is a common pattern after an initial adverb. schreibe is the first-person singular present form of schreiben (“to write”). German present tense can refer to a planned near-future action when the time is clear; here, the fixed translation therefore gives “I’ll write,” although the German form itself is present tense. Compare: Ich schreibe eine Nachricht. — “I am writing a message.” ich is the first-person singular subject pronoun, “I.” In this sentence it comes after the finite verb because Dann is placed first. The subject is still the person carrying out schreibe. ein is the indefinite article used with the neuter noun Update in the accusative object phrase. It introduces an unspecified update here; it does not by itself state a numerical count. Compare the masculine accusative form einen in Ich schreibe einen Bericht. — “I’m writing a report.” kurzes is the adjective form of kurz (“short”). It describes Update. The ending -es appears because the adjective is inside the neuter accusative phrase ein kurzes Update: Update is neuter, and the phrase is the direct object of schreibe. The adjective agrees with that noun phrase rather than serving as the noun’s base form. Compare the basic form kurz in Der Text ist kurz. — “The text is short.” Update is a neuter noun meaning “update,” used here for the short update being written. As a borrowed noun, it is capitalized in German like other nouns. Its plural is commonly Updates, as in zwei Updates (“two updates”). Together, Dann schreibe ich means “Then I’ll write,” and ein kurzes Update identifies what will be written: a short update. The complete utterance is therefore “Then I’ll write a short update.”

9. Wenn es fertig ist, können wir es teilen.

   When it's ready, we can share it.

   Wenn

   when

   es

   it

   fertig

   ready

   ist

   is

   können wir

   we can

   teilen

   share

   More detail

   Wenn introduces the first clause and here means “when.” German wenn can also introduce a condition (“if”), but the fixed translation gives the temporal reading in this sentence. The clause it introduces has the finite verb at the end. es is the third-person singular neuter pronoun. Here it is the subject of the first clause and is translated as “it”; the sentence does not identify what “it” refers to. The same form appears later with a different grammatical role: there it is the object of teilen. fertig is an adjective meaning “ready” or “finished.” It is used here after sein as a predicate, so it does not take an ending: etwas ist fertig = “something is ready.” ist is the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”): sein → ist. Together, es ... ist fertig says that “it is ready.” Because this is a wenn clause, ist comes at the end: Wenn es fertig ist. können wir combines the first-person plural form können of the modal verb können (“can, be able to”) with wir (“we”). können is used with an infinitive, which appears later in the clause. The first clause comes first, so the main clause begins with the finite verb: ..., können wir ..., rather than ..., wir können .... teilen is the infinitive meaning “to share” in this context. With können, it remains in the infinitive and goes to the end of the main clause. Example: Wir können den Text teilen. — “We can share the text.” Together, Wenn es fertig ist means “When it is ready.” Then können wir es teilen means “we can share it”: es is the object of teilen in this clause. The complete utterance therefore means, “When it’s ready, we can share it.”