Asking for a quiet study room | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ist ein Studierraum frei?

   Is a study room available?

   Ist

   is

   ein

   a

   Studierraum

   study room

   frei

   available

   More detail

   Ist is the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”). In a yes/no question, German commonly places the finite verb first: Ist ...? = “Is ...?” Compare the statement Ein Studierraum ist frei. (“A study room is available.”). ein is the indefinite article used here with the masculine noun Studierraum in the nominative singular. It introduces an unspecified study room; it does not by itself assert a numerical count. The matching feminine form is eine, as in eine Tür (“a door”), while the masculine nominative form remains ein. Studierraum is a masculine compound noun meaning “study room”: studieren contributes the idea of studying, and Raum means “room” or “space.” Its plural is Studieräume (“study rooms”), with the umlaut marking the plural form. In German, nouns are capitalized. frei is an adjective meaning “available” in this sentence. It is used after sein as a predicate adjective, so it has no ending here: Der Raum ist frei. (“The room is available.”) In another context, frei can also mean “free” in the sense of not occupied or not restricted; the intended sense here is availability. Together, the pattern Ist + ein + noun + adjective? forms a yes/no question. Ist ein Studierraum frei? asks whether an unspecified study room is available. The following context uses einer to refer back to such a room: Jetzt ist einer frei. means “One is available now.”

2. Jetzt ist einer frei.

   One is open now.

   Jetzt

   now

   ist

   is

   einer

   one

   frei

   available; open

   More detail

   Jetzt means “now” and places the situation at the present time. It can also appear in reusable patterns such as Jetzt ist ... (“Now ... is ...”) and Jetzt kann ich ... (“Now I can ...”). ist is the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”): sein → ist. In this sentence it links the subject einer with its current state, frei. einer means “one” here, standing for one available study room in the established context. It is the masculine nominative form used when einer replaces a masculine noun such as der Raum; it is not the indefinite article ein. The related forms are eine for feminine nouns and eins when the number is used on its own or with a neuter reference in the relevant construction. Example: Einer ist frei. — “One is available.” frei means “available” here: the room is not occupied and can be used. The same adjective can also mean “free” in other contexts, but this sentence uses the availability meaning. Example: Der Platz ist frei. — “The seat is available.” Together, einer ist frei means “one is available,” with einer referring to one study room rather than repeating the noun. Adding Jetzt gives Jetzt ist einer frei. — “One is open now.” The sentence therefore states that one study room is available at the present time.

3. Kann ich dort lesen?

   Can I read in there?

   Kann ich

   Can I

   dort

   there

   lesen

   read

   More detail

   Kann ich combines the present-tense form kann of können (“can/be able to”) with the subject pronoun ich (“I”). In a yes/no question, German places the finite verb first: Kann ich ...? = “Can I ...?” The form kann is specifically the first-person singular form; compare du kannst (“you can”), as in the following context. Example: Kann ich kommen? — “Can I come?” dort is a place adverb meaning “there,” referring to a location understood from the situation. It does not itself identify which place; here the fixed translation supports the meaning “in there.” Example: Ich war dort. — “I was there.” lesen means “to read.” It is the infinitive, the form used after a modal verb such as können: ich kann lesen — “I can read.” The modal carries the person and tense, while lesen remains infinitive. Example: Du kannst lesen. — “You can read.” Together, Kann ich + dort + lesen forms the yes/no question “Can I read in there?” The question asks whether the speaker is able or permitted to read at that location; the sentence itself does not specify which kind of ability or permission is intended.

4. Du kannst ihn zum Lesen benutzen und die Tür schließen.

   You can use it for reading and close the door.

   Du kannst

   you can

   ihn

   it

   zum Lesen

   for reading

   benutzen

   use

   Tür

   door

   schließen

   close

   More detail

   Du kannst addresses one person informally: Du is the second-person singular pronoun, and kannst is the present-tense second-person singular form of können (“can”). A modal verb such as können is followed by an infinitive; here the fixed translation gives the meaning “can.” ihn means “it” here. It is the accusative singular masculine form of the pronoun er; this form is used for a masculine noun when that noun is the direct object. The supplied sentence and translation do not identify the pronoun’s specific referent. Compare accusative ihn with dative ihm: Ich sehe ihn. — “I see him/it.” zum Lesen expresses purpose: “for reading.” zum is the contraction of zu dem, and Lesen is a nominalized infinitive, which is why it is capitalized. The reusable pattern is zu(m) + nominalized infinitive, as in zum Schlafen — “for sleeping.” benutzen means “to use.” It is the infinitive required after the modal kannst, and ihn ... benutzen means to use the pronoun’s referent. Example: Ich benutze den Stift. — “I use the pen.” Tür means “door.” It is a feminine noun; in the source, die is its definite article: die Tür. In this clause, die Tür is the direct object of schließen, so it is accusative. For a feminine noun, the definite article has the same form die in nominative and accusative, so the article alone does not visibly distinguish those two cases here. schließen means “to close.” It is an infinitive after kannst. Example: Du kannst das Fenster schließen. — “You can close the window.” The structure is Du kannst [ihn zum Lesen benutzen] und [die Tür schließen]: “You can use it for reading and close the door.” The single modal kannst applies to both coordinated actions; zum Lesen gives the purpose of the first action, and die Tür is the object of the second action.

5. Bleibt es dort ruhig?

   Will it stay quiet?

   Bleibt

   stays; remains

   dort

   there

   ruhig

   quiet; calm

   More detail

   Bleibt is the third-person singular present form of bleiben, “to stay” or “to remain.” The present form can refer to a future situation when the time is clear from context, which supports the fixed translation “will stay”; German does not need a separate future form here. Compare: bleiben → bleibt for “it/he/she stays.” Example: Bleibt er hier? — “Will he stay here?” dort means “there” and points to a place understood from the situation. It is an adverb, so it does not change for number or grammatical gender. Example: Wir bleiben dort. — “We are staying there.” ruhig means “quiet” here. With bleiben, it describes the continuing state: something remains quiet. As a predicate adjective after bleiben, it has no adjective ending. Example: Der Raum bleibt ruhig. — “The room stays quiet.” The full question follows the pattern Verb + subject + place + predicate adjective: Bleibt + es + dort + ruhig? es is the grammatical subject, while the sentence does not specify what concrete thing or place it refers to. Together, the utterance asks whether the relevant situation there will remain quiet.

6. Die Wände halten den meisten Lärm ab.

   The walls block most of the noise.

   Wände

   walls

   halten … ab

   block off

   meisten

   most

   Lärm

   noise

   More detail

   Wände is the plural of Wand (“wall”). Here it is the subject: Die Wände means “the walls.” The article Die and the plural noun show that more than one wall is meant. Example: Die Wand ist weiß. — “The wall is white.” halten ... ab comes from the separable verb abhalten, “to keep or block something off.” In the present tense, the prefix ab moves to the end: Die Wände halten ... ab. The form halten is the third-person plural present form, matching Die Wände; its base form is halten. Example: Vorhänge halten das Licht ab. — “Curtains block the light.” meisten expresses “most” in den meisten Lärm, meaning “most of the noise.” It belongs to the viel comparison series: viel (“much/many”), mehr (“more”), am meisten (“the most”) or, before a noun, der/die/das meiste and inflected forms such as den meisten. Here meisten has the ending required by the noun phrase den ... Lärm; it is not the form of Lärm. Lärm means “noise” and is a masculine noun: der Lärm. In this sentence it is the object of abhalten, so the masculine accusative article is den: den meisten Lärm. Example: Die Tür hält den Lärm ab. — “The door blocks the noise.” Together, Die Wände names the subject, halten ... ab says that they block something, and den meisten Lärm identifies what they block. The complete meaning is: “The walls block most of the noise.”

7. Dieser Raum passt für mich.

   This room works for me.

   Dieser

   this

   Raum

   room

   passt

   works; suits

   für mich

   for me

   More detail

   Dieser means “this” here and is the masculine singular nominative form used with Raum. The demonstrative agrees with the noun it accompanies; the form is not chosen merely because the room is nearby. Compare dieser Raum (“this room”) with diese Wand (“this wall”), where diese agrees with the feminine noun Wand. Raum is a masculine noun meaning “room” in this sentence. Its plural is Räume (“rooms”), with the vowel change shown in the written form. Example: Der Raum ist groß. — “The room is large.” passt is the third-person singular present form of passen, “to fit” or “to suit/work for.” The subject here is Dieser Raum, so passen appears as passt. With a plural subject, the form is passen: Diese Räume passen für uns. — “These rooms work for us.” für mich means “for me.” für takes the accusative form of the pronoun, so ich (“I”) becomes mich (“me”) after this preposition. Example: Das passt für mich. — “That works for me.” Together, Dieser Raum is the subject, passt says that it suits or works, and für mich identifies the person for whom it works. The whole utterance therefore means “This room works for me.”

8. Bitte hinterlasse den Raum für andere sauber.

   Please leave it clean for other people.

   Bitte

   please

   hinterlasse

   leave

   Raum

   room

   für andere

   for other people

   sauber

   clean

   More detail

   Bitte makes the utterance a polite request. At the beginning, it introduces an imperative without changing the requested action. hinterlasse is the informal singular imperative of hinterlassen (“to leave something in a particular state or place”). The base form is hinterlassen; the imperative addresses one person with du. Compare the separate verb lassen in Lass den Raum sauber (“Leave the room clean”); lassen is not the base form of hinterlasse. Raum means “room” here. In den Raum, the noun is masculine, and den is the masculine singular definite article in the accusative because the room is the direct object of hinterlassen. The form der Raum is used for masculine singular nominative, for example when the noun is the subject. für andere means “for other people.” für takes the accusative case. andere is used substantively here: the people are understood rather than named, and this form expresses the plural meaning “others” in this phrase. sauber means “clean.” It is an adjective describing the state in which the room should be left. The same adjective can be attributive in ein sauberer Raum (“a clean room”); after the verb in this sentence, it has no adjective ending. Together, hinterlasse den Raum means “leave the room,” für andere adds that this is for other people, and sauber states the required resulting condition. The complete request is: “Please leave the room clean for other people.”