Leaving space in a crowded line | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Diese Schlange wird wirklich voll.

   This line is getting really crowded.

   Diese

   this

   Schlange

   line / queue

   wird

   is becoming

   wirklich

   really

   voll

   crowded / full

   More detail

   Diese is the demonstrative determiner meaning “this” here. It is the feminine singular nominative form used with Schlange: dieser (masculine), diese (feminine or plural), dieses (neuter). In this sentence it points to the queue being discussed. Schlange means “line” or “queue” in this context, not the animal. Its basic form is feminine: die Schlange; the plural is die Schlangen. For example: Die Schlange ist lang. — “The line is long.” wird is the third-person singular present form of werden. With a following adjective, werden expresses a change into a state: wird voll means “is becoming crowded/full.” Compare Die Schlange ist voll. — “The line is crowded/full,” which describes a state without emphasizing the change. wirklich is an adverb meaning “really” or “truly.” It intensifies the following description: wirklich voll means “really crowded.” voll is an adjective meaning “full” or, for a queue, “crowded.” Here it is used after werden, so it has no adjective ending: voll remains unchanged. Its opposite in this sense is leer, “empty.” Together, Diese Schlange identifies this queue, wird ... voll presents it as becoming crowded, and wirklich strengthens the description. The complete meaning is: “This line is getting really crowded.”

2. Lassen wir an der Seite etwas Platz.

   Let's leave some room on the side.

   Lassen wir

   let’s

   an der Seite

   on the side

   etwas

   some

   Platz

   room; space

   More detail

   Lassen wir means “let’s leave” here. lassen is the base form; wir lassen is the present-tense form with first-person plural subject wir. In this pattern, the verb in first-person plural followed by wir expresses a suggestion or joint action: Gehen wir! means “Let’s go!” The following verb, object, or place specifies what is being suggested. an der Seite means “on the side.” The preposition an takes the dative here because the phrase describes a fixed location rather than movement toward a location. der is the dative feminine form of the definite article, matching die Seite (“the side”). For example, Das Fahrrad steht an der Seite. means “The bicycle is standing on the side.” etwas means “some” in this sentence. It indicates an unspecified amount; it does not give an exact quantity. It can also mean “something” in other contexts, so its meaning comes from what follows here: etwas Platz is “some room.” Platz means “room” or “space” here. It is a masculine noun, with the base form der Platz; in this use, it refers to available space rather than a particular seat or location. German commonly uses Platz haben for “to have room” and Platz lassen for “to leave room.” For example, Lass bitte etwas Platz. means “Please leave some room.” Together, Lassen wir introduces a joint suggestion, an der Seite identifies where the space should remain, and etwas Platz identifies what should be left there. The complete utterance therefore means: “Let’s leave some room on the side.”

3. Soll ich ein bisschen zurückgehen?

   Should I move back a little?

   Soll ich

   Should I

   ein bisschen

   a little

   zurückgehen

   move back

   More detail

   Soll ich is a reusable German yes-or-no question pattern. soll is the first-person singular present form of sollen; here it asks whether the speaker ought to do something, naturally translated as “Should I…?” In a question of this type, the finite verb comes first, followed by the subject: Soll ich warten? — “Should I wait?” ein bisschen means “a little” or “slightly.” It expresses a small amount or degree and does not itself assert a specific numerical count. For example, Warte ein bisschen. means “Wait a little.” zurückgehen is the infinitive meaning “to go back” or, in this context, “to move back.” It is built from zurück (“back”) and gehen (“go”), but the combined verb is the useful form for this meaning. With the modal verb sollen, the infinitive stays at the end: Soll ich zurückgehen? — “Should I move back?” Together, Soll ich asks whether the speaker should perform the action, ein bisschen limits the extent of that action, and zurückgehen names the action. The complete utterance therefore means: “Should I move back a little?”

4. Dann können die Leute leichter vorbeigehen.

   That would make it easier for people to pass.

   Dann

   then; that way

   können

   can; be able to

   Leute

   people

   leichter

   more easily

   vorbeigehen

   pass by

   More detail

   Dann means “then” here and links this sentence to the proposed change in the preceding context: if you move back a little, the result is that people can pass more easily. It can also introduce a consequence with the sense “that way.” Example: Dann gehen wir. — “Then we’ll go.” können is the present-tense form of the modal verb können (“can; be able to”). Here it is the third-person plural form agreeing with die Leute. As a modal verb, it occupies the finite-verb position, while the other verb stays in the infinitive at the end. Example: Die Kinder können schwimmen. — “The children can swim.” die Leute means “the people.” Leute is a plural noun used for people collectively and normally has no ordinary singular form with the same collective meaning. For one person, German uses a different noun such as die Person or der Mensch, depending on the intended meaning; these are not singular forms of Leute. The article die here is the plural definite article. leichter is the comparative form of the adjective leicht (“easy” or “light”). Used here with vorbeigehen, it means “more easily”: the passing is easier than before or than under the previous conditions. The comparison is carried by leicht, not by the noun Leute. Example: So geht es leichter. — “It’s easier this way.” vorbeigehen means “to pass by” or “to go past.” It is a separable verb with the parts vorbei and gehen; after the modal können, the infinitive appears together at the end. In a finite clause, the parts separate: Die Leute gehen vorbei. — “The people pass by.” Together, Dann können die Leute leichter vorbeigehen. means “Then the people can pass more easily,” matching the fixed translation “That would make it easier for people to pass.” The word order places Dann first, können in the finite-verb position, the subject die Leute after it, and the infinitive vorbeigehen at the end. The sentence presents easier passing as the consequence of the suggested movement.

5. Ist das weit genug?

   Is this far enough?

   Ist das

   Is this?

   weit

   far

   genug

   enough

   More detail

   Ist das is the question frame “Is this …?”: ist is the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”), and das is a neuter demonstrative pronoun meaning “this” here. In a yes/no question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Ist das …? Compare the statement Das ist … (“This is …”) with the question Ist das …?. The translation identifies das as “this”; the sentence itself does not specify a more particular noun for what “this” refers to. weit means “far” in this sentence. It is the spatial adjective used predicatively after sein, and in this use it does not take an ending: Das ist weit (“That is far”). Its comparison forms are weiter (“farther”) and am weitesten (“farthest”), but the fixed sentence uses the basic form. genug means “enough” and comes after the adjective it qualifies: weit genug = “far enough.” This pattern can be reused with other adjectives, for example: Das ist groß genug. — “That is big enough.” Together, Ist das + weit genug forms the yes/no question “Is this far enough?” The wording asks whether the relevant distance has reached a sufficient point; it does not itself state the answer.

6. Jetzt ist der Weg frei.

   There is a clear path now.

   Jetzt

   now

   ist

   is

   Weg

   path; way

   frei

   clear; free

   More detail

   Jetzt means “now” and places the situation at the present time. It can also appear elsewhere in a German sentence, for example: Jetzt komme ich. — “Now I am coming.” ist is the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”). The form agrees with the singular subject der Weg; the base-form chain is sein → ist for “he/she/it is” or a singular noun. Example: Der Weg ist lang. — “The path is long.” der Weg means “the path” here. Weg is a masculine noun, so its definite article is der in the nominative when it is the subject. The same noun can also mean “way” in other contexts, but “path” fits the fixed translation here. Example: Der Weg ist kurz. — “The path is short.” frei is an adjective meaning “clear” here: nothing is blocking the path. As a predicate adjective after sein, it does not take an ending: Der Weg ist frei. A related contrast is besetzt (“occupied”), as in Der Platz ist besetzt. — “The seat/space is occupied.” Together, Jetzt sets the time, der Weg is the singular subject, ist links that subject to its description, and frei describes its current condition. The whole utterance means: “There is a clear path now.”

7. Ich kann näher an der Wand stehen.

   I can stand closer to the wall.

   Ich kann

   I can

   näher

   closer

   Wand

   wall

   stehen

   stand

   More detail

   Ich kann means “I can” here. Ich is the first-person singular pronoun. kann is the present-tense form of the modal verb können for ich; modal verbs such as können are followed by an infinitive. For example: Ich kann warten. — “I can wait.” näher means “closer” and is the comparative form of nah (“near”). It compares the position with another distance or reference point; the phrase näher an ... means “closer to ...”. The superlative is am nächsten (“closest”). For example: Der Stuhl steht näher am Fenster. — “The chair is closer to the window.” Wand means “wall”. It is a feminine noun, so the definite article is die in the basic form, but the fixed sentence has der because an takes the dative for a stationary location: an der Wand means “at/by the wall” or, in this sentence, “closer to the wall”. The noun is capitalized because German nouns are capitalized. stehen means “to stand” and is the infinitive after kann. The modal form carries the tense and person, while stehen remains in the infinitive and appears at the end of this main clause. For example: Sie kann dort stehen. — “She can stand there.” Putting the parts together, Ich kann expresses ability or possibility, näher adds the comparison, an der Wand identifies the wall as the reference point, and stehen names the action: “I can stand closer to the wall.”

8. So bleibt der Durchgang frei.

   That keeps the walkway open.

   So

   that way; thus

   bleibt

   stays; remains

   der Durchgang

   the passageway

   frei

   open; clear

   More detail

   So means “that way” or “thus” here: it points to the way described by the preceding context, without naming a new action. It can also introduce a result, as in So funktioniert es. — “That’s how it works.” bleibt comes from bleiben, “to stay” or “remain.” It is the present-tense form for er/sie/es and for a singular noun such as der Durchgang: ich bleibe, du bleibst, er bleibt. Unlike werden, bleiben presents the condition as continuing rather than changing into it. Example: Die Tür bleibt offen. — “The door stays open.” der Durchgang is a masculine noun meaning “the passageway” or “walkway.” Its definite article is der in the singular nominative here because it is the subject of bleibt; the noun itself is not an adjective form. The plural is die Durchgänge. frei is an adjective meaning “open” or “clear” in this sentence. Used after bleiben, it is a predicate adjective and does not receive an adjective ending: Der Weg bleibt frei. — “The path stays clear.” This form can also mean “free” in other contexts, so the intended sense here is that the passage remains unobstructed. Together, So bleibt der Durchgang frei means “That keeps the walkway open.” More literally, it says that in this way the passageway remains clear. The structure is reusable as So bleibt + [singular subject] + [predicate adjective], for example So bleibt der Eingang frei. — “That keeps the entrance clear.”