Borrowing a Book and Reading Quietly | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Diese Bibliothek ist sehr ruhig.

   This library is very quiet.

   Diese

   this

   Bibliothek

   library

   sehr

   very

   ruhig

   quiet

   More detail

   Diese means “this” here and is the feminine singular nominative form of the demonstrative determiner. It agrees with the subject noun Bibliothek: diese Bibliothek = “this library.” Other forms include dieser for a masculine nominative noun and dieses for a neuter nominative noun; the form is chosen by the noun’s grammatical gender and case, not by an asserted quantity. Bibliothek is the noun “library.” It is feminine in German, so the phrase uses die Bibliothek and, with this demonstrative, diese Bibliothek. Its plural is Bibliotheken: Die Bibliotheken sind ruhig. = “The libraries are quiet.” sehr is an adverb meaning “very.” It strengthens the adjective that follows: sehr ruhig means “very quiet.” It does not itself describe the library or carry the adjective’s grammatical form. ruhig means “quiet” in this sentence. It is an adjective used after the linking verb ist, so it appears in its basic, uninflected form; German predicative adjectives do not take an ending in this position. The comparison chain is ruhig (“quiet”), ruhiger (“quieter”), and am ruhigsten (“the quietest”). Example: Der Raum ist ruhig. = “The room is quiet.” Together, Diese Bibliothek identifies the subject, ist states that it has the described quality, and sehr ruhig expresses a strong degree of quietness. The complete meaning is: “This library is very quiet.”

2. Wir sprechen leise, damit die Leute lernen können.

   We keep our voices low so people can study.

   sprechen

   speak; talk

   leise

   quietly; softly

   damit

   so that

   Leute

   people

   lernen

   study; learn

   können

   can; be able to

   More detail

   sprechen is the verb “to speak” or “to talk.” In the sentence, Wir sprechen is the present-tense first-person plural form: “we speak.” The infinitive is sprechen; the subject wir selects this plural form. Example: Wir sprechen Deutsch. — “We speak German.” leise describes how the speaking happens: “quietly” or “softly.” German uses the same form leise here as an adverb; it does not take an adjective ending because it is modifying the verb sprechen, not a noun. Example: Bitte sprich leise. — “Please speak quietly.” damit introduces a purpose clause, meaning “so that” or “in order that.” It connects an action with the intended result or purpose. A clause introduced by damit places its conjugated verb at the end. Leute means “people.” It is a plural noun. In this sentence, die Leute is the subject of the purpose clause, meaning “the people” or, in the fixed translation, simply “people.” The plural form is Leute; it does not take a plural ending like many other German nouns. Example: Die Leute warten. — “The people are waiting.” lernen means “to learn” and can also mean “to study,” as it does in the fixed translation. Its infinitive is lernen. Example: Ich lerne für die Prüfung. — “I am studying for the exam.” können means “can” or “be able to.” It is a modal verb. With a plural subject such as die Leute, its finite present form in a main clause would be können: Die Leute können lernen. — “The people can study.” In the damit clause here, können follows the other infinitive lernen at the end, producing lernen können; the modal meaning remains “can.” Together, Wir sprechen leise says “We speak quietly.” The damit clause gives the purpose: damit die Leute lernen können means “so that people can study.” The complete utterance therefore means “We keep our voices low so people can study.”

3. Ich möchte dieses Buch ausleihen.

   I want to borrow this book.

   Ich möchte

   I would like

   dieses

   this

   Buch

   book

   ausleihen

   borrow

   More detail

   Ich möchte is a common way to express a wish or request, often more polite than a direct statement with Ich will. möchte is the first-person singular form of mögen in the subjunctive II form used as a polite or softened expression; it is not a form of an infinitive möchten. In this sentence, the intended meaning is “I want to” or “I would like to.” It is followed by an infinitive: Ich möchte gehen. — “I would like to go.” dieses identifies one selected thing as “this.” Here it is the demonstrative determiner agreeing with Buch: neuter, singular, accusative. Its dictionary form is dieser; forms such as diese and dieses vary with grammatical gender, number, and case, so singularity alone does not determine dieses. Example: Ich nehme dieses Buch. — “I’ll take this book.” Buch means “book.” Its dictionary form is das Buch; it is a neuter noun, and here it is singular accusative because it is the object of ausleihen. The form Buch happens to be the same in nominative and accusative singular. Example: Das Buch ist interessant. — “The book is interesting.” ausleihen means “to borrow” here, namely to take the book for temporary use. It is a separable verb: in a simple finite clause, its parts separate, as in Ich leihe das Buch aus. — “I borrow the book.” After möchte, however, the infinitive remains together at the end: Ich möchte das Buch ausleihen. — “I would like to borrow the book.” Together, Ich möchte + dieses Buch + ausleihen means “I want to borrow this book.” The speaker expresses a wish, identifies one book as “this,” and places the infinitive ausleihen at the end after möchte.

4. Ich kann es für Sie am Schalter ausleihen.

   I can check it out for you at the desk.

   Ich kann

   I can

   es

   it

   für Sie

   for you

   am Schalter

   at the desk

   ausleihen

   check out; borrow

   More detail

   Ich kann uses können in the first-person singular present: ich kann = “I can” or “I am able to.” As a modal verb, it is followed by an infinitive, and that infinitive goes to the end of the clause. Compare Ich kann helfen. — “I can help.” es is an accusative neuter pronoun meaning “it” here: the item being checked out. Its grammatical form identifies it as neuter singular in this use; the sentence and translation do not specify the item by name. für Sie means “for you.” The preposition für requires the accusative. Sie is the formal second-person pronoun, and its form is the same in the nominative and accusative: Sie can mean “you” formally as subject or object depending on its role. am Schalter means “at the desk” or “at the counter.” am is the contraction of an dem; the dative form marks a location here. Schalter is a noun meaning a service counter or desk in this context. ausleihen is the infinitive meaning “to borrow” or, for a library item, “to check out.” It is a separable verb in other clause patterns: Ich leihe das Buch aus. — “I check out the book.” After the modal kann, however, the infinitive remains together at the end: Ich kann es ... ausleihen. Together, Ich kann es für Sie am Schalter ausleihen. means “I can check it out for you at the desk.” The speaker presents checking out the item as something they are able or willing to do, identifies the item with es, specifies the beneficiary with für Sie, gives the location with am Schalter, and places the infinitive ausleihen at the end as required after kann.

5. Wo soll ich es zurückgeben?

   Where should I return it?

   Wo

   where

   soll ich

   should I

   es

   it

   zurückgeben

   return

   More detail

   Wo asks for a place: “where.” It is a location question word, not a question about a person or object. Example: Wo ist der Schalter? — “Where is the desk?” soll ich combines the first-person subject ich (“I”) with soll, the first-person singular form of the modal verb sollen (“should; be supposed to”). The modal expresses what the speaker is expected or advised to do. The infinitive that completes the action comes later in this sentence. Example: Soll ich warten? — “Should I wait?” es means “it” here and functions as the accusative object of zurückgeben. The form es is used for both nominative and accusative in some contexts, so its grammatical role comes from the sentence rather than from a special accusative ending. The fixed translation and surrounding context identify it as the item being checked out and brought back; the pronoun itself does not name that item. zurückgeben is the infinitive of the separable verb zurückgeben, meaning “to return” or “to give back.” Its parts are zurück (“back”) and geben (“give”), but the verb is learned and used as the combined form zurückgeben. After a modal such as sollen, the infinitive stays at the end: Ich soll es zurückgeben. — “I should return it.” In a main clause without a modal, the parts separate: Ich gebe es zurück. — “I am returning it.” Together, Wo asks for the destination or place, soll ich asks what action is expected of the speaker, es refers to the item, and zurückgeben supplies the action. The complete utterance therefore means “Where should I return it?” The question asks for the place to which the item should be returned; the context identifies the desk as the relevant return location.

6. Bringen Sie es zurück zum Schalter, wenn Sie fertig sind.

   Bring it back to the desk when you are finished.

   Bringen

   bring

   Sie

   you

   es

   it

   zurück

   back

   zum

   to the

   Schalter

   desk

   wenn

   when

   fertig

   finished

   More detail

   Bringen is the imperative form of bringen (“to bring”) for formal Sie. In this sentence it gives a direct instruction. Compare the informal singular imperative Bring ...! with formal Bringen Sie ...!. Example: Bringen Sie den Schlüssel. — “Bring the key.” Sie is the formal second-person pronoun “you”; its capitalization distinguishes it from lowercase sie, which can have other functions. Here it is the subject of the instruction and of the later clause. es is the accusative form meaning “it” here. The pronoun refers to the item being returned, but the supplied sentence does not identify that item more specifically. Example: Ich sehe es. — “I see it.” zurück means “back” and completes the directional idea of returning something to an earlier place. With bringen, the reusable pattern is etwas zurückbringen (“to bring something back”); in the sentence, the parts are separated: Bringen ... zurück. zum is the contraction of zu dem. It introduces the destination here: “to the”. zu is commonly used for a destination or person, while in can describe movement into an interior space. Example: Gehen Sie zum Eingang. — “Go to the entrance.” Schalter means “desk” here, specifically a service or information counter. Its plural is Schalter; the singular and plural have the same form, so an article or other context can show the number. Example: Der Schalter ist dort. — “The desk is there.” wenn introduces a time condition, “when” in this sentence. The clause after wenn places its finite verb at the end: wenn Sie fertig sind (“when you are finished”). This word can also introduce a condition such as “if,” but the fixed translation supports the time meaning here. fertig is an adjective meaning “finished” or “done.” With sein, fertig sein describes being in a completed state: Sie sind fertig means “you are finished.” In the subordinate clause, sind comes at the end because wenn introduces it. Example: Ich bin fertig. — “I am finished.” Together, Bringen Sie es zurück means “Bring it back,” and zum Schalter specifies the destination, “to the desk.” The clause wenn Sie fertig sind adds the time condition, “when you are finished.” The complete instruction is therefore: “Bring it back to the desk when you are finished.”

7. Der Platz am Fenster sieht bequem aus.

   The window seat looks comfortable.

   Platz

   seat; place

   Fenster

   window

   sieht … aus

   looks; appears

   bequem

   comfortable

   More detail

   Platz means “place” here, and the translation specifies the intended sense “seat.” Its plural is Plätze. The same noun can refer to a place or spot more generally, so the surrounding phrase identifies this one as a seat. Fenster means “window.” Its plural is Fenster as well. In am Fenster, am is the contraction of an dem; this phrase describes a location next to or by the window. The definite article dem is dative here because an expresses a fixed location in this use. sieht ... aus is the separated form of aussehen, “to look” or “to appear.” In the present tense, the finite part is sieht and the prefix aus appears at the end of the clause: Der Platz sieht bequem aus. The base form is aussehen; its third-person singular form is sieht ... aus. This verb describes how something appears, rather than directly asserting an objective permanent property. Example: Das Zimmer sieht hell aus. — “The room looks bright.” bequem means “comfortable.” It is an adjective and does not change here because it follows sieht ... aus as a predicate adjective; it describes the subject without an adjective ending. Example: Der Stuhl ist bequem. — “The chair is comfortable.” The sentence begins with Der Platz, “the seat.” am Fenster specifies which seat: the one by the window. The verb construction sieht ... aus places aus at the end and connects the subject with the predicate adjective bequem. Together, Der Platz am Fenster sieht bequem aus. means “The window seat looks comfortable.”

8. Sie können dort sitzen und lesen, bevor Sie gehen.

   You can sit there and read before you leave.

   Sie können

   you can

   dort

   there

   sitzen

   sit

   und

   and

   lesen

   read

   bevor

   before

   gehen

   leave

   More detail

   Sie können means “you can” here. Sie is the capitalized formal “you,” used for one person or for several people; the translation does not specify which. With this pronoun, können has the same form for singular and plural. können is the present-tense form of können (“to be able to; can”). As a modal verb, it places the other verb in the infinitive: Sie können sitzen (“you can sit”). dort is a location word meaning “there.” It points to a place understood from the situation; the preceding context mentions the window seat, but the sentence itself does not grammatically make dort a noun. sitzen is the infinitive “to sit.” After a modal such as können, it remains in the infinitive rather than taking a present-tense ending. Example: Ich kann sitzen. — “I can sit.” und connects two coordinated actions. Here it joins sitzen and lesen, so the same subject, Sie, can perform both actions: “sit and read.” lesen is the infinitive “to read.” It follows und and remains coordinated with sitzen under können; the modal applies to both actions. Example: Sie können lesen. — “You can read.” bevor introduces a subordinate time clause meaning “before.” It places the event in that clause earlier than the event in the main clause. In German, a finite verb normally goes to the end of a clause introduced by bevor. gehen means “to go” or, in this translation, “to leave.” In bevor Sie gehen, gehen is the present-tense finite form for formal Sie; it looks identical to the infinitive gehen (“to go”). The subject Sie is stated again in this subordinate clause, and the verb is placed at the end: bevor Sie gehen — “before you leave.” Together, Sie können dort sitzen und lesen says that the addressed person or people have the possibility or permission to sit there and read. bevor Sie gehen adds the time limit: this is to happen before that same formal “you” leaves. The complete meaning is: “You can sit there and read before you leave.”