Understanding a Lesson | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ich verstehe diesen Teil der Lektion nicht.

   I don't understand this part of the lesson.

   Ich

   I

   verstehe

   understand

   diesen

   this

   Teil

   part

   der

   of the

   Lektion

   lesson

   nicht

   not

   More detail

   Ich is the first-person singular pronoun in the subject role: “I.” It is the form used when the speaker is the one doing the understanding. Compare du (“you,” singular informal) and wir (“we”). verstehe is the present-tense first-person singular form of verstehen, “to understand.” The useful pattern is ich verstehe (“I understand”); with nicht, ich verstehe nicht means “I do not understand.” For example: Ich verstehe die Frage. — “I understand the question.” diesen means “this” here and points to Teil. It is the masculine singular accusative form of the demonstrative dieser: dieser (masculine nominative), diesen (masculine accusative). The accusative marks Teil as what is being understood. Teil is the noun “part” or “section.” Its base form is Teil; its plural is Teile. In this sentence, it refers to one section of the lesson. For example: Dieser Teil ist kurz. — “This part is short.” der belongs with Lektion and means “of the” in this noun phrase. Here it is the feminine singular genitive form of the definite article, marking the lesson as the whole to which the part belongs. The phrase pattern is der Teil der Lektion (“the part of the lesson”). Lektion is the feminine noun “lesson.” Its basic article is die Lektion; after a genitive phrase such as der Lektion, the article is der. For example: Die Lektion beginnt. — “The lesson begins.” nicht is the negator “not.” Here it negates the speaker’s understanding of the specified part, producing “do not understand,” rather than changing the meaning of Teil or Lektion. Together, Ich verstehe gives the speaker’s present understanding, diesen Teil der Lektion identifies the particular part concerned, and nicht negates that understanding. The complete meaning is: “I don’t understand this part of the lesson.”

2. Welche Frage ist schwierig für dich?

   Which question is giving you trouble?

   Welche

   which

   Frage

   question

   ist

   is

   schwierig

   difficult

   für dich

   for you

   More detail

   Welche means “which” and identifies one choice from a relevant set. Here it modifies Frage, so its form agrees with that noun: welche Frage. Compare Welche Antwort? (“Which answer?”) and Welches Problem? (“Which problem?”); the form changes with the noun’s grammatical gender and case. Frage means “question.” Its base form is the feminine noun die Frage; the plural is die Fragen. In this sentence, Frage is singular because welche asks for one question. ist is the present-tense form of sein (“to be”) for er, sie, or es, and it is also used with a singular noun such as die Frage. The useful present-tense pattern is ich bin, du bist, er/sie/es ist. schwierig means “difficult” or “troublesome.” It is an adjective describing Frage here: the question is difficult for the person addressed. Its base form is already schwierig; it is not a comparative form. The comparative is schwieriger (“more difficult”). Example: Diese Aufgabe ist schwieriger. — “This task is more difficult.” für dich means “for you.” für is a preposition that takes the accusative case, and dich is the accusative form of the informal singular pronoun du (“you”). Compare du as the subject in Du lernst. (“You are learning.”) with für dich when you are the person affected: Das ist schwierig für dich. — “That is difficult for you.” Together, Welche Frage asks which question is meant, and ist schwierig für dich says that it is difficult for the person addressed. Thus the whole utterance means “Which question is giving you trouble?” More literally, it asks, “Which question is difficult for you?”

3. Die Antwort hier ist für mich nicht klar.

   The answer here doesn't make sense to me.

   Antwort

   answer

   hier

   here

   ist

   is

   für mich

   for me

   nicht klar

   not clear

   More detail

   Antwort means “answer.” Its base form is die Antwort; the plural is die Antworten. In the sentence, Antwort is the noun being described. Example: Ich kenne die Antwort. — “I know the answer.” hier means “here” and indicates the relevant place or context. It is an adverb, so it does not change for gender or number. Example: Hier ist die Frage. — “Here is the question.” ist is the present-tense form of sein (“to be”) for er, sie, and es, and also for a singular noun such as die Antwort. The useful present-tense chain is ich bin, du bist, er/sie/es ist, wir/sie/Sie sind. Example: Die Frage ist schwierig. — “The question is difficult.” für mich means “for me.” für is a preposition that takes the accusative case, so the first-person pronoun is mich, not ich. Compare ich as the subject in Ich lese (“I read”) with für mich (“for me”). Example: Das ist für mich wichtig. — “That is important to me.” nicht klar means “not clear.” klar is an adjective meaning “clear” or, depending on context, “understandable.” nicht negates it. Here, the fixed translation shows that the answer does not make sense to the speaker; it is not being understood as a statement that the answer is physically unclear. Example: Die Erklärung ist klar. — “The explanation is clear.” With negation: Die Erklärung ist nicht klar. — “The explanation is not clear.” Together, Die Antwort hier identifies “the answer here,” ist links that noun to its description, für mich marks the speaker’s perspective, and nicht klar says that it is not clear or does not make sense to that speaker. The complete meaning is: “The answer here doesn’t make sense to me.”

4. Lesen wir zuerst den Satz.

   Let's read the sentence first.

   Lesen wir

   let’s read

   zuerst

   first

   Satz

   sentence

   More detail

   Lesen wir is a reusable German way to suggest an action that the speaker and listener should do together. lesen is the base form, “to read.” Here Lesen wir is the first-person plural imperative, used as a “let’s ...” pattern. Its form is identical to the first-person plural present indicative, as in Wir lesen (“we read” or “we are reading”), but the word order and context make it a suggestion. The verb comes before the subject in this pattern: Lesen wir ... = “Let’s read ...”. Example: Lesen wir das Buch. — “Let’s read the book.” zuerst means “first” or “first of all.” It marks the action or step that comes earlier in an ordered sequence. It can also appear at the beginning for emphasis: Zuerst lesen wir den Satz. — “First, let’s read the sentence.” Satz is the noun for “sentence.” The noun’s base form is Satz; it is masculine, so the basic definite-article combination is der Satz. In the fixed utterance, den Satz is accusative because it is the thing being read. The masculine singular article changes from der to den in the accusative. Its plural is die Sätze (“sentences”), with an umlaut. Example: Ich lese den Satz. — “I am reading the sentence.” Together, Lesen wir makes the suggestion, den Satz identifies what is to be read, and zuerst places this action first in the sequence. The complete meaning is: “Let’s read the sentence first.”

5. Dann prüfen wir die Antwort.

   Then check the answer.

   Dann

   then

   prüfen

   check; examine

   wir

   we

   Antwort

   answer

   More detail

   Dann means “then” and places this action after something already mentioned. It can begin a German sentence without changing the time sequence. prüfen means “to check” or “to examine.” Here it is the finite present-tense form used with wir: wir prüfen = “we check.” This form is also the infinitive, so it can be reused in Wir müssen die Antwort prüfen (“We have to check the answer”). wir means “we,” the first-person plural subject. In Dann prüfen wir ..., putting Dann first results in the finite verb coming before the subject: Dann + prüfen + wir. This is a common German word-order pattern when something other than the subject occupies the first position. Antwort means “answer.” It is a feminine noun and is capitalized because German nouns are capitalized. Its plural is Antworten (“answers”). In the sentence, die Antwort is the definite noun phrase functioning as the object. Because Antwort is feminine singular, the definite article is die here; the article alone does not establish all of those features, since die also has other uses. Together, Dann prüfen wir die Antwort. means “Then check the answer.” With the first-person plural subject wir, the sentence can also naturally express “Then let’s check the answer” in a context where the speakers are proposing their next joint action. It presents checking the answer as the next action after the earlier step.

6. Kannst du den Satz laut lesen?

   Can you read the sentence aloud?

   Kannst du

   can you

   Satz

   sentence

   laut

   aloud

   lesen

   read

   More detail

   Kannst du combines the second-person singular pronoun du with the modal verb können (“to be able to; can”). kannst is the present-tense form for du; other useful forms include ich kann and wir können. In a yes/no question, the finite verb comes first: Kannst du Deutsch lesen? — “Can you read German?” The following infinitive remains in its basic form and appears at the end of this question. Satz means “sentence.” The noun is masculine: der Satz. Here it appears as den Satz because it is the direct object of lesen; the masculine singular definite article changes from der to accusative den. Its plural is die Sätze. laut means “aloud” here: it describes how the reading is done. It is an adverb in this use and does not change for the person reading. Example: Bitte sprich laut. — “Please speak aloud.” lesen is the infinitive “to read.” After the modal verb können, it remains in the infinitive rather than taking a personal ending. In a simple present-tense statement without a modal, it can be Ich lese den Satz. — “I read the sentence.” Together, Kannst du asks whether the listener can perform the action, den Satz is the sentence being read, laut specifies that the reading should be audible, and lesen names the action. The whole utterance therefore means: “Can you read the sentence aloud?”

7. Ich lese ihn langsam vor.

   I'll read it slowly.

   lese … vor

   read aloud

   ihn

   it

   langsam

   slowly

   More detail

   lese … vor: These two separated parts belong to the separable verb vorlesen, “to read aloud.” In the present tense with ich, vorlesen becomes ich lese … vor: the finite form is lese, formed from the stem les- and the first-person singular ending -e, while the prefix vor moves to the end of the clause. The lexical verb lesen means “to read”; vorlesen adds the meaning of reading something aloud. Example: Ich lese das Buch vor. — “I read the book aloud.” ihn: This is the masculine singular accusative form of the personal pronoun whose nominative form is er (“he” or “it” for a masculine noun). Here it is the direct object of lese … vor, meaning the item being read aloud; the supplied context identifies that item as the sentence mentioned previously. Compare er as a subject with ihn as a direct object: Er liest ihn vor. — “He reads it aloud.” The pronoun’s form reflects its grammatical role and masculine singular reference, not the action of reading itself. langsam: This is the adverb “slowly,” describing how the reading is done. It is related to the adjective langsam (“slow”); German commonly uses the same form for this adverbial function. Example: Sie spricht langsam. — “She speaks slowly.” Together, Ich lese ihn langsam vor. means “I’ll read it slowly.” Ich is the subject, lese … vor is the separable present-tense form of vorlesen, ihn is the thing being read aloud, and langsam specifies the manner. In this context, the present tense is understood as the speaker’s intended upcoming action.

8. Ich schreibe die Schlüsselwörter in mein Notizbuch.

   I'll write the key words in my notebook.

   Ich

   I

   schreibe

   write

   Schlüsselwörter

   key words

   in mein

   in my

   Notizbuch

   notebook

   More detail

   Ich means “I” and is the first-person singular pronoun. It identifies the speaker as the subject, the person carrying out the action. The matching German forms include du (“you,” singular informal) and er/sie (“he/she”), but the verb form changes with the subject. schreibe is the first-person singular present form of schreiben (“to write”): ich schreibe. German present tense can also describe a planned or expected future action, so this form fits the translation “I’ll write” here. Example: Ich schreibe eine Nachricht. — “I’m writing a message.” Schlüsselwörter means “key words” or “keywords” here. It is the plural of Schlüsselwort (“keyword”); the plural ending and vowel change are part of this noun’s form. The compound combines Schlüssel (“key”) with Wort (“word”), but the whole compound means a word that is especially important for a topic or text. Example: Die Schlüsselwörter stehen im Text. — “The keywords are in the text.” in mein expresses movement into a place or container in this sentence. in takes the accusative when it answers “where to?” or indicates a destination. mein is the possessive determiner agreeing with the neuter noun Notizbuch; in the accusative neuter, it remains mein. For a fixed location, German uses the dative instead: in meinem Notizbuch means “in my notebook” as the place where something already is. Example: Ich lege den Stift in mein Notizbuch. — “I put the pen into my notebook.” Notizbuch means “notebook.” It is a neuter compound noun: das Notizbuch; its plural is Notizbücher. In this sentence it is the destination after in, so the accusative form is identical in appearance to the nominative: mein Notizbuch. Together, Ich schreibe gives the speaker’s writing action, die Schlüsselwörter gives what is being written, and in mein Notizbuch gives the destination. The complete utterance therefore means: “I’ll write the key words in my notebook.”

9. Dann versuchen wir die Antwort noch einmal.

   Then let's try the answer again.

   Dann

   then

   versuchen

   try

   wir

   we

   Antwort

   answer

   noch einmal

   again

   More detail

   Dann means “then” here and places this action after something already mentioned or understood. It is an adverb and does not change form. Example: Dann gehen wir. — “Then we’ll go.” versuchen means “to try.” This is the infinitive/base form. In the sentence, it follows wir, so the finite verb is versuchen: wir versuchen — “we try.” With another subject, the form changes: ich versuche, but wir versuchen. German main clauses normally put the finite verb in the second position; Dann occupies the first position, and versuchen remains in the second position. wir means “we,” the first-person plural subject. It identifies the speaker together with at least one other participant; the translation presents the action as a joint proposal, “let’s try.” The verb form agrees with this subject: wir versuchen. die Antwort means “the answer.” Antwort is a feminine noun, shown by the feminine singular article die; German nouns are capitalized. Its plural is die Antworten — “the answers.” In this sentence, die Antwort is the object of versuchen, and the definite article presents it as a specific answer. noch einmal means “again” or “once more.” It is a fixed adverbial expression made of noch and einmal; together, it says that the trying is repeated. Example: Wir lesen den Satz noch einmal. — “We read the sentence again.” Together, Dann versuchen wir die Antwort noch einmal. means “Then let’s try the answer again.” The initial Dann sets the time or sequence, versuchen wir expresses the joint action, die Antwort is what is being tried, and noch einmal marks repetition.