Borrowing a Charger and Adapter | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Kann ich ein Ladegerät ausleihen?

   Is there a charger I can borrow?

   Kann ich

   Can I…?

   Ladegerät

   charger

   ausleihen

   borrow

   More detail

   Kann ich is the reusable question frame “Can I …?” Here kann is the first-person singular present form of können (“can, be able to”), used with ich. In this sentence, the fixed translation gives it a permission/request meaning. In a yes/no question, the conjugated verb comes before the subject: Kann ich ...? Compare the statement Ich kann ... (“I can ...”). Ladegerät means “charger” here. It is a neuter noun: das Ladegerät; its plural is die Ladegeräte. The article in the sentence is ein, an indefinite article introducing a non-specific charger; it does not by itself assert a numerical count as the main point. Example: Ich brauche ein Ladegerät. — “I need a charger.” ausleihen is the infinitive meaning “borrow” in this sentence. German commonly uses it in the pattern sich etwas ausleihen (“borrow something”), although the fixed sentence places the borrowed item directly before ausleihen. With a modal verb such as kann, the other verb stays in the infinitive and goes to the end: Kann ich ... ausleihen? The form ausleihen is also a separable verb in other structures: Ich leihe mir ein Ladegerät aus. — “I borrow a charger.” Together, ein Ladegerät ausleihen means “borrow a charger,” and Kann ich ...? turns that action into a permission/request question. Thus Kann ich ein Ladegerät ausleihen? means “Is there a charger I can borrow?” or, more directly, “Can I borrow a charger?”

2. Benutz das neben meinem Laptop.

   Use the one beside my laptop.

   Benutz

   use

   das

   the one

   neben

   beside

   meinem

   my

   Laptop

   laptop

   More detail

   Benutz is the informal singular imperative of benutzen (“to use”). The final -z is part of this imperative form: du benutzt is the present-tense form, while the command is Benutz ...! Example: Benutz diesen Adapter! — “Use this adapter!” das means “the one” here. It is a standalone pronoun referring to an understood singular neuter item; the sentence and translation do not identify exactly which item it is. As a demonstrative/definite form, it can point to an item without repeating its noun. Do not read das here as the conjunction “that.” neben means “beside” or “next to” for a spatial relation. With the meaning “beside,” it takes the dative when the location is static: neben meinem Laptop — “beside my laptop.” meinem is the dative singular form of the possessive determiner mein (“my”). It agrees with the noun phrase governed by neben; it is not the form that marks the noun’s possession by itself. Compare mein Laptop in a basic subject or object phrase with neben meinem Laptop after this spatial neben. Laptop is a masculine noun in German, written with a capital letter. Its definite article is der; after dative neben, the phrase is neben meinem Laptop. Example: Das Kabel liegt neben meinem Laptop. — “The cable is beside my laptop.” Together, Benutz das gives the informal command “Use the one,” and neben meinem Laptop identifies that item by its location: “Use the one beside my laptop.” The command is directed to one person using the informal du form.

3. Brauche ich auch diesen Adapter?

   Do I need this adapter too?

   Brauche

   need

   ich

   I

   auch

   too

   diesen

   this

   Adapter

   adapter

   More detail

   Brauche is the first-person singular present form of brauchen, “to need.” German main-clause questions can place the conjugated verb first: Brauche ich ...? means “Do I need ...?” The same verb in a statement is Ich brauche ... (“I need ...”). ich means “I.” It is the first-person singular pronoun and appears after the conjugated verb here because this is a yes/no question. For example, Brauche ich Hilfe? means “Do I need help?” auch means “too” or “also.” Here it adds this adapter to something already relevant, without changing the question into a different tense or mood. Its position can vary in German depending on what is being emphasized, but in this sentence it occurs before the demonstrative noun phrase. diesen is the masculine singular accusative form of the demonstrative determiner dieser, “this.” The form is dieser for masculine nominative, but diesen for masculine accusative. It is accusative because the adapter is the direct object of brauchen. The determiner agrees with Adapter in masculine singular gender and number, while its accusative form marks its role in the sentence. For example, Ich nehme diesen Stift. means “I’m taking this pen.” Adapter means “adapter.” It is a masculine noun in German: der Adapter. As the direct object here, it appears in the accusative, but the noun itself has the same visible form in the singular nominative and accusative: der Adapter versus den Adapter. The demonstrative shows the case contrast clearly: dieser Adapter (“this adapter” as subject) versus diesen Adapter (“this adapter” as object). Together, Brauche ich forms a first-person yes/no question, auch adds the meaning “too,” and diesen Adapter identifies the object being needed. The complete utterance therefore means “Do I need this adapter too?”

4. Benutze ihn, wenn dein Stecker nicht passt.

   Use it if your plug does not fit.

   Benutze

   use

   ihn

   it

   wenn

   if

   dein

   your

   Stecker

   plug

   nicht passt

   does not fit

   More detail

   Benutze is the informal singular imperative of benutzen (“to use”), addressed to one person. The imperative gives a direct instruction: Benutze das Kabel. — “Use the cable.” ihn is the accusative form of the masculine singular pronoun er; here, the fixed translation identifies it as “it,” referring to the adapter mentioned in the preceding question. German uses ihn for a masculine singular object, while ihm is the corresponding dative form. wenn introduces a condition: “if/when.” In the clause it introduces, the finite verb moves to the end. This makes wenn ... a reusable conditional pattern: Benutze ihn, wenn ... — “Use it if ... .” dein means “your” and agrees here with the masculine singular noun Stecker. The form changes with the noun’s grammatical gender, number, and case; compare dein Stecker (“your plug”) with deine Buchse (“your socket”), where the feminine noun takes deine. Stecker is a masculine noun meaning “plug.” Its plural is Stecker as well: ein Stecker — “a plug,” zwei Stecker — “two plugs.” nicht passt means “does not fit.” passt is the third-person singular present form of passen (“to fit”); nicht negates it. In the wenn clause, passt comes at the end because this is a subordinate clause. The positive contrast is wenn dein Stecker passt — “if your plug fits.” Together, Benutze ihn gives the instruction “Use it,” and wenn dein Stecker nicht passt gives the condition “if your plug does not fit.” The whole utterance therefore means: “Use it if your plug does not fit.”

5. Reicht das Kabel bis zum Tisch?

   Will the cable reach the table?

   Reicht

   will reach

   Kabel

   cable

   bis zum

   up to the

   Tisch

   table

   More detail

   Reicht is the 3rd-person singular present form of reichen, “to reach” or “to be enough.” In this question, the present form asks about a possible result: whether the cable reaches the table. A useful form chain is reichen → reicht; the subject here is singular, das Kabel. Example: Das Seil reicht bis zum Fenster. — “The rope reaches to the window.” Kabel means “cable.” The observed noun is das Kabel, so it is neuter; its plural is also Kabel (die Kabel). The article, rather than the noun ending, shows the singular neuter form here. bis zum means “up to/to the.” It is the contraction of bis zu dem: zum combines zu with the dative article dem. This form is used here because Tisch is masculine: der Tisch becomes dem Tisch after zu. Example: Wir gehen bis zum Bahnhof. — “We go as far as the station.” Tisch means “table.” Its basic form is der Tisch, and after zu it appears as dem Tisch. The noun itself does not change; the article marks the case. Together, Reicht + das Kabel forms a yes/no question about the cable’s reach, and bis zum Tisch specifies the endpoint. The whole utterance means: “Will the cable reach the table?”

6. Es reicht, wenn du nahe an der Wand sitzt.

   It reaches if you sit near the wall.

   Es reicht

   It is enough

   wenn

   if / when

   du

   you

   nahe

   near; close

   Wand

   wall

   sitzt

   sit; are sitting

   More detail

   Es reicht uses reichen in the present form reicht. Here the impersonal expression means “it is enough” or “that suffices.” The es is a formal subject: the sentence does not identify a separate thing that es refers to. In another context, reichen can also mean “to reach,” as in Das Kabel reicht bis zum Tisch (“The cable reaches the table”), but the construction Es reicht, wenn ... introduces a condition for something to be sufficient. wenn introduces the condition: “if” or, depending on the time relation, “when.” In a German subordinate clause introduced by wenn, the finite verb normally moves to the end. The reusable pattern is Es reicht, wenn + subject + ... + verb. du is the informal singular “you.” It is the subject of the wenn clause. The corresponding formal or plural forms would be different, but this sentence specifically uses the informal singular form. nahe means “near” or “close.” In nahe an der Wand, it describes location. The related opposite is fern or, in an everyday expression, weit weg (“far away”). Example: Der Stuhl steht nahe an der Tür. — “The chair is near the door.” Wand means “wall.” Its base dictionary form includes the feminine article: die Wand. In an der Wand, the article appears as der because the phrase describes a stationary location; an takes the dative for this use. Compare Ich stelle den Stuhl an die Wand (“I place the chair against the wall”), where movement toward a destination uses the accusative instead. sitzt is the present-tense form of sitzen (“to sit”) for du: du sitzt. The verb describes being seated or remaining in a seated position, rather than the act of taking a seat. Example: Du sitzt nahe am Fenster. — “You are sitting near the window.” Together, wenn du nahe an der Wand sitzt means “if you sit near the wall.” The subordinate clause gives the condition, and Es reicht states that this condition is sufficient. The complete utterance therefore means that sitting near the wall is enough for the intended result: “It is enough if you sit near the wall.”

7. Ich lege alles zurück, wenn ich fertig bin.

   I will put everything back when I finish.

   Ich

   I

   lege … zurück

   put back

   alles

   everything

   wenn

   when

   fertig

   finished

   bin

   am

   More detail

   Ich means “I” and identifies the speaker as the subject. German subject pronouns include ich (“I”), du (“you,” singular informal), and sie (“they” or “she,” depending on context). Here, ich is the form required for the speaker. lege ... zurück is the separable verb zurücklegen, “to put back” or “to return something to its place.” In the fixed sentence, lege is the first-person singular present form and zurück moves to the end of the clause: Ich lege das Buch zurück. — “I put the book back.” The verb legen means “to lay” or “to put” something down, while liegen means “to lie” or “be located”; compare Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch. (“I put the book on the table”) with Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. (“The book is on the table”). alles means “everything” or “all of it” here. It is an indefinite pronoun referring broadly to the relevant things, without naming them individually. For example, Ich habe alles gelesen. means “I read everything.” wenn introduces a subordinate clause meaning “when” in this time-related use. In a German subordinate clause introduced by wenn, the finite verb goes to the end: wenn ich fertig bin (“when I am finished”). Wenn can also mean “if” when it introduces a condition, so the surrounding meaning determines whether it is temporal or conditional. fertig means “finished,” “done,” or “ready,” depending on context. Here it describes the speaker’s completed state in fertig sein, literally “to be finished,” which naturally corresponds to “finish” in the English translation. It is an adjective, not the verb that carries the person marking. For example, Ich bin fertig. means “I am finished” or “I’m done.” bin is the first-person singular present form of sein, “to be.” The relevant form chain is ich bin (“I am”), du bist (“you are”), and er/sie ist (“he/she is”). The form bin agrees with the subject ich; fertig itself does not show this person distinction. Together, Ich lege alles zurück means “I will put everything back” in the supplied translation. German present tense can refer to a future action when the context makes that timing clear. The subordinate clause wenn ich fertig bin means “when I finish” in the natural English perspective, while its German wording is literally “when I am finished.” The complete utterance therefore means: “I will put everything back when I finish.”

8. Lass es auf meinem Schreibtisch, damit ich es finden kann.

   Leave it on my desk so I can find it.

   Lass

   leave

   es

   it

   auf

   on

   meinem

   my

   Schreibtisch

   desk

   damit

   so that

   ich

   I

   finden

   find

   kann

   can

   More detail

   Lass is the informal singular imperative of lassen. Here it means “leave” and addresses one person: Lass das hier. — “Leave that here.” The imperative form is lass, not the infinitive lassen. es is a third-person singular neuter pronoun in the accusative case. It is the object being left, while the supplied sentence does not identify exactly what “it” refers to. The same form can serve other grammatical roles in German, so its role here comes from its position as the object of Lass. auf means “on” here. With a stationary location, this two-way preposition takes the dative; movement toward a location would normally take the accusative. Compare: Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. — “The book is on the table.” / Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch. — “I put the book on the table.” meinem is the inflected possessive determiner from mein, “my.” It is dative masculine singular here because it modifies Schreibtisch after the stationary use of auf. Possessive determiners take endings that show the required case and gender/number combination. Schreibtisch means “desk.” It is a masculine noun: der Schreibtisch; in this phrase, the dative singular form is dem Schreibtisch or, with the possessive determiner, meinem Schreibtisch. The noun itself has no visible ending in this dative form. damit introduces a purpose clause, meaning “so that.” It links the action of leaving something with the intended purpose: Ich schreibe es auf, damit ich es nicht vergesse. — “I write it down so that I do not forget it.” ich means “I” and is the subject of the purpose clause. It is the first-person singular personal pronoun; its form does not change for this nominative subject role. finden means “find.” It is the infinitive of finden. In the clause, it follows the modal verb kann, so it remains in the infinitive rather than being conjugated: Ich kann den Schlüssel finden. — “I can find the key.” kann is the first-person singular present form of the modal verb können, “can/be able to.” With ich, the form is kann; the infinitive finden is placed at the end of this subordinate clause. German purpose clauses introduced by damit normally have the finite verb at the end, so the sequence is damit ich es finden kann. Together, Lass es gives the command to leave the unspecified object, and auf meinem Schreibtisch specifies its stationary location. Damit ich es finden kann gives the purpose: the speaker wants to be able to find that same object. The complete meaning is “Leave it on my desk so I can find it.”