Borrowing cleaning supplies | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Hast du ein Putztuch, das ich benutzen kann?

   Do you have a cleaning cloth I can use?

   Hast du

   do you have

   Putztuch

   cleaning cloth

   das

   that / which

   ich

   I

   benutzen

   use

   kann

   can

   More detail

   Hast du is the reusable present-tense question pattern for asking whether someone has or possesses something. hast is the second-person singular present form of haben (“to have”); the subject du follows it because German yes/no questions commonly place the finite verb first. Compare the statement Du hast ein Tuch. — “You have a cloth.” The question form is Hast du ein Tuch? — “Do you have a cloth?” Putztuch means “cleaning cloth” here. It is a German compound noun: putzen means “to clean,” and Tuch means “cloth,” while the combined noun names a cloth used for cleaning. As a noun, it is capitalized and is neuter: das Putztuch. The indefinite article ein agrees with that neuter singular noun in this context; it identifies an unspecified cloth, but by itself does not assert a particular numeric count. das is the relative pronoun referring to the cleaning cloth. It introduces the clause describing which cloth is meant. Because Putztuch is neuter singular, the form is das; here it is also the accusative object of benutzen, although neuter das has the same visible form in the nominative and accusative. Compare: Das ist das Tuch, das ich benutze. — “That is the cloth that I use.” ich is the first-person singular pronoun “I.” In the relative clause, it is the subject: the speaker is the person who would use the cloth. The corresponding second-person singular form is du, as in Du benutzt das Tuch. — “You use the cloth.” benutzen is the infinitive meaning “to use.” It follows the modal verb kann in the relative clause, and the person marking is carried by the modal rather than by the infinitive. The same verb can be used in a simple present statement: Ich benutze das Tuch. — “I use the cloth.” kann is the first-person singular present form of können, “can” or “to be able to.” In das ich benutzen kann, it expresses the speaker’s ability or possibility to use the cloth. German subordinate clauses introduced by a relative pronoun normally place the finite verb at the end, so the order is ich benutzen kann, not the main-clause order ich kann das Tuch benutzen. Together, ein Putztuch, das ich benutzen kann means “a cleaning cloth that I can use.” The relative clause narrows the request to a cleaning cloth suitable for the speaker’s use. The whole utterance Hast du ein Putztuch, das ich benutzen kann? is therefore a yes/no request asking whether the addressee has such a cloth.

2. In der Kiste ist eines.

   There is one in the box.

   Kiste

   box

   ist

   is

   eines

   one

   More detail

   Kiste means “box” here. It is a feminine noun: die Kiste; after in for a fixed location, it appears in the dative: in der Kiste (“in the box”). Example: Das Buch ist in der Kiste. — “The book is in the box.” ist is the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”): sein → ist. Here it links the item being located with its location. Example: Eines ist hier. — “One is here.” eines means “one” here, referring to one neuter item understood from the context, such as one Putztuch (“cleaning cloth”). As an indefinite pronoun, it can stand alone instead of repeating the noun. Its nominative form is eines because it is the subject of ist; compare ein with a masculine or neuter noun and eine with a feminine noun when the noun is stated: ein Tuch, eine Kiste. The form eines is not a numeral asserting a specific count beyond the meaning “one.” The pattern In der Kiste ist eines. places the location first, then uses ist and the pronoun eines to say that one such item is located there. Thus the whole utterance means “There is one in the box.”

3. Hast du auch Putzspray?

   Do you have cleaning spray too?

   Hast du

   do you have

   auch

   too

   Putzspray

   cleaning spray

   More detail

   Hast du is the question form of haben (“to have”) with subject du (“you”). hast is the present-tense form used with du; the full verb pattern is du hast. In a yes/no question, the finite verb comes first: Hast du ...? means “Do you have ...?” Example: Hast du Zeit? — “Do you have time?” auch means “too” or “also” here. It adds the idea that the speaker is asking about this item in addition to something already relevant. Its exact position can vary, but in this sentence it follows Hast du and comes before the noun being asked about. Putzspray is a compound noun meaning “cleaning spray.” Putz- contributes the cleaning-related meaning, while Spray identifies the product as a spray. German compound nouns are written as one word, so this is not normally written as two separate words. As a noun, it is capitalized. The whole question uses the reusable pattern Hast du auch + noun? — “Do you also have + noun?” Thus Hast du auch Putzspray? asks whether the person has cleaning spray too. The question itself does not state how much spray there is or whether the person will provide it.

4. Das Spray steht daneben.

   The spray is beside it.

   Spray

   spray

   steht

   is located

   daneben

   beside it

   More detail

   Spray is the noun for “spray.” In German it is used as a neuter noun: das Spray; the definite article Das in this sentence agrees with that singular noun. The capital letter reflects German noun capitalization. Example: Das Spray ist leer. — “The spray is empty.” steht is the third-person singular present form of stehen (“to stand”). With an object or item, stehen can describe its location, even when English uses “be”: Die Flasche steht dort. — “The bottle is there.” The form is steht with a singular third-person subject; the base form is stehen. daneben means “beside it” or “next to it” here. It is a location adverb, so it does not itself identify the thing referred to by “it”; that reference is supplied by the situation. Example: Der Eimer steht daneben. — “The bucket is beside it.” Together, Das Spray is the singular subject, steht states its location, and daneben places it beside the contextually understood item. Thus the complete utterance means “The spray is beside it.”

5. Ich muss diesen Schreibtisch putzen.

   I need to clean this desk.

   Ich muss

   I need to

   diesen

   this

   Schreibtisch

   desk

   putzen

   clean

   More detail

   Ich muss expresses “I need to” here. muss is the first-person singular present form of müssen; the infinitive is müssen. With a following infinitive, müssen is a modal verb, and the infinitive names the required action. Compare Ich muss gehen. — “I need to go.” diesen means “this” while marking the noun phrase as masculine singular accusative in this sentence. The masculine noun is Schreibtisch, and it is the object of putzen, so the demonstrative uses diesen; the nominative masculine form is dieser. The form of dies- also changes with gender, number, and grammatical case, so diese is not interchangeable with diesen here. Schreibtisch means “desk.” It is a masculine noun, so its dictionary form is normally written with the article der: der Schreibtisch. In this sentence, the noun phrase is the direct object: diesen Schreibtisch — “this desk.” putzen means “to clean.” This is the infinitive form. After the modal verb muss, German places the infinitive at the end of the clause: Ich muss den Tisch putzen. — “I need to clean the table.” Together, Ich muss + diesen Schreibtisch + putzen gives “I need to clean this desk.” The speaker is the person who has the need, diesen Schreibtisch is the specific object being cleaned, and putzen states the required action.

6. Benutze nur eine kleine Menge.

   Use only a small amount.

   Benutze

   use

   nur

   only

   kleine

   small

   Menge

   amount

   More detail

   Benutze is the informal singular imperative of benutzen (“to use”). It addresses one person directly: Benutze ... = “Use ...”. A formal command is Benutzen Sie .... nur limits the instruction to what follows: “only”. Here it restricts the amount being used. It does not mean that the speaker should use nothing; the instruction is to use only a small amount. kleine means “small” here and describes Menge. Its base form is the adjective klein. The ending in kleine is adjective inflection: Menge is feminine singular, and the noun phrase is accusative because it is the direct object of benutzen; with the determiner eine, these conditions produce kleine. Example: Benutze eine kleine Bürste. — “Use a small brush.” Menge means “amount” or “quantity”. It is a feminine noun: die Menge. Here Menge is singular and accusative as the direct object of benutzen. The plural is Mengen (“amounts” or “quantities”). The indefinite article does not by itself state a numerical count of the substance. Together, Benutze + nur + eine kleine Menge forms a direct instruction: “Use only a small amount.” The article eine and adjective kleine belong with the noun Menge; nur limits that noun phrase. The sentence does not specify the material whose amount is meant. In the surrounding cleaning context, it can be understood as an instruction about the material being used for the cleaning task, without identifying that material more specifically.

7. Ich wische den Schreibtisch ab und stelle beides zurück.

   I will wipe the desk and put both back.

   Ich

   I

   wische … ab

   wipe off

   Schreibtisch

   desk

   beides

   both

   stelle … zurück

   put back

   More detail

   Ich means “I” and is the first-person singular subject. German uses ich with the first-person singular verb form: ich wische and ich stelle. The pronoun identifies the speaker, but the sentence does not add any further information about that person. wische ... ab comes from the separable verb abwischen, “to wipe off.” In the sentence, wische is the first-person singular present form, while the prefix ab appears at the end of its clause. German present tense can describe a planned or imminent action, which fits the fixed translation “I will wipe.” The pattern is Ich wische [something] ab. Example: Ich wische den Tisch ab. — “I wipe the table.” Schreibtisch means “desk.” Its base form is the masculine noun der Schreibtisch; here den Schreibtisch is the accusative form because it is the thing being wiped. The article carries the masculine accusative marking: der becomes den. The noun itself does not change in this form. Example: Ich sehe den Schreibtisch. — “I see the desk.” beides is a neuter pronoun meaning “both” or “both of them,” referring jointly to two things. It is the object of stelle ... zurück; the supplied sentence does not identify those two things more specifically. Unlike a plural pronoun for two people or plural countable nouns, beides packages the pair as one combined neuter pronoun. Example: Ich nehme beides. — “I’ll take both.” stelle ... zurück comes from the separable verb zurückstellen, “to put back.” stelle is its first-person singular present form, and zurück moves to the end of the clause. The object appears between the verb and its prefix: Ich stelle beides zurück. — “I put both back.” This is different from abwischen: both are separable verbs, but their prefixes and meanings are different. Together, Ich wische den Schreibtisch ab says “I will wipe the desk,” and stelle beides zurück says “and put both back.” The conjunction und joins the two actions with the same implied subject, Ich, giving the complete meaning: “I will wipe the desk and put both back.”

8. Lass beides zusammen in der Kiste.

   Keep them together in the box.

   Lass

   keep; leave

   beides

   both things

   zusammen

   together

   Kiste

   box; crate

   More detail

   Lass is the informal singular imperative of lassen. Here it gives a command to keep or leave something in a particular state. Example: Lass das hier. — “Leave that here.” The command is addressed to one person informally. beides is a pronoun meaning “both things” or “both of them.” Here it refers to the two things identified by the fixed translation and the preceding context. Beides treats the pair collectively; beide is used when the two people or things are referred to individually as a pair. Example: Ich nehme beides. — “I’ll take both.” zusammen means “together.” With Lass, it says that the two things are to remain together. The sequence Lass ... zusammen can express the separable verb zusammenlassen, meaning to leave or keep things together. Example: Wir lassen die Bücher zusammen. — “We leave the books together.” Kiste is a feminine noun meaning “box” or “crate.” Its dictionary form is die Kiste. In the source phrase in der Kiste, the feminine singular article is der because in takes the dative for a stationary location. For movement into the box, German commonly uses the accusative: in die Kiste — “into the box.” Together, Lass beides zusammen means “Keep both things together,” and in der Kiste specifies the location: “in the box.” The complete utterance means: “Keep them together in the box.”