Using a shared laundry room | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Kann ich den gemeinsamen Waschraum benutzen?

   Can I use the shared laundry room?

   Kann ich

   Can I

   gemeinsamen

   shared

   Waschraum

   laundry room

   benutzen

   use

   More detail

   Kann ich is a reusable way to ask whether the speaker is allowed or able to do something. kann is the first-person singular present form of können; the infinitive is können, but with ich the form is kann. In a yes/no question, the conjugated verb comes first and the subject follows: Kann ich ...? Example: Kann ich eintreten? — “Can I come in?” gemeinsamen means “shared” here. Its base form is the adjective gemeinsam. The ending -en appears because the adjective describes masculine Waschraum in the accusative after the definite article den: den gemeinsamen Waschraum. Example: Wir teilen einen gemeinsamen Raum. — “We share a room.” Waschraum is a masculine noun meaning “laundry room” in this sentence. Its basic form with the definite article is der Waschraum; after the verb, it is the accusative object: den Waschraum. The compound contains Wasch- (“washing”) and Raum (“room”), but the complete noun is the reusable word for the room. benutzen means “to use.” It is the infinitive form and stays at the end in this question because kann carries the conjugation while benutzen names the action. Example: Kann ich den Aufzug benutzen? — “Can I use the elevator?” Together, Kann ich asks for permission or possibility, den gemeinsamen Waschraum names the shared laundry room as the object, and benutzen supplies the action. The full utterance therefore means: “Can I use the shared laundry room?”

2. Der Waschraum ist jetzt offen.

   It is open now.

   Waschraum

   washroom; laundry room

   ist

   is

   jetzt

   now

   offen

   open

   More detail

   Waschraum is a masculine German noun meaning “washroom” or, in this context, “laundry room.” It is a compound noun: Wasch relates to washing and Raum means “room.” The noun is written with a capital letter, as German nouns are. Example: Der Waschraum ist nebenan. — “The laundry room is next door.” ist is the present-tense third-person singular form of sein, “to be.” It is used here because the subject Der Waschraum is singular. The useful present-tense forms include ich bin (“I am”), du bist (“you are”), and er/sie/es ist (“he/she/it is”). jetzt means “now.” It places the situation at the present time. Example: Jetzt ist die Tür offen. — “Now the door is open.” offen means “open.” Here it is an adjective used after sein to describe the subject, so it remains in this basic form rather than taking an adjective ending. Its opposite is geschlossen, “closed.” Example: Das Fenster ist offen. — “The window is open.” Together, Der Waschraum identifies the room, ist links it to its condition, jetzt specifies the time, and offen gives the condition. The whole sentence means: “The laundry room is open now.” In the fixed English translation, “it” refers to this explicitly named room.

3. Ist diese Maschine frei?

   Is this machine free?

   Ist

   is

   diese

   this

   Maschine

   machine

   frei

   free; available

   More detail

   Ist is the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”): sein → ist. In a yes/no question, the finite verb comes first: Ist ...? means “Is ...?” Compare the statement Die Maschine ist frei. (“The machine is available.”). diese means “this” here. It is the feminine singular form used with the nominative noun Maschine: dieser (masculine), diese (feminine), dieses (neuter) in this form. The demonstrative identifies the machine being asked about; the translation and context support the sense “this machine.” Maschine means “machine.” It is a feminine noun, so its dictionary form is commonly given with its article as die Maschine; its plural is Maschinen. Example: Die Maschine läuft. — “The machine is running.” frei means “free” in the sense relevant here: available or not occupied. As a predicate after sein, it has no adjective ending: Die Maschine ist frei. — “The machine is available.” This is different from the attributive form in eine freie Maschine, where frei receives an ending. Together, Ist places the finite verb at the start of the yes/no question, diese Maschine names the machine being asked about, and frei asks about its availability. The complete meaning is: “Is this machine free?”

4. Diese hier ist frei.

   This one is available.

   Diese hier

   this one

   frei

   available

   More detail

   Diese hier means “this one here.” diese is the demonstrative form used here for a feminine singular referent in the subject position; in the supplied context, it identifies the machine being discussed. German demonstratives change with grammatical gender, number, and case: dieser (masculine nominative), diese (feminine nominative), and dieses (neuter nominative) are useful examples. hier means “here” and adds a pointing or location contrast; it is not part of the demonstrative’s inflection. Example: Diese hier ist neu. — “This one here is new.” frei means “available” here, as it does in the preceding question about whether the machine is free. It is a descriptive adjective used after ist (the third-person singular form of sein, “to be”), so it describes the subject rather than appearing before a noun. In this use, frei contrasts naturally with besetzt (“occupied”). Example: Der Platz ist frei. — “The seat is available.” Together, Diese hier supplies the identified item and ist frei states its condition: “This one here is available.”

5. Wo soll ich meinen Korb hinstellen?

   Where should I put my basket?

   Wo

   where

   soll ich

   should I

   meinen

   my

   Korb

   basket

   hinstellen

   put/place

   More detail

   Wo asks for a place or location: “where”. It is a question adverb and does not itself identify a particular location. For example, Wo ist der Korb? means “Where is the basket?” soll ich combines sollen (“should; be supposed to”) with ich (“I”). soll is the present-tense form for ich; the infinitive sollen moves to the end in a question with a question word: Wo soll ich ...? means “Where should I ...?” Here it asks for appropriate placement rather than stating that the speaker must do something. meinen means “my” here. Its form agrees with the masculine singular accusative noun Korb: mein Korb is nominative, while meinen Korb is accusative. The accusative marks the basket as the object being placed. For comparison, meine Tasche uses meine because Tasche is feminine singular. Korb means “basket”. Its base form is Korb; the plural is Körbe. In this sentence it is masculine singular and is the object of hinstellen. hinstellen means “to put/place” something in a standing or upright position. It is a separable verb built from hin- and stellen; in a main-clause question, the finite verb form would separate (Wo stelle ich den Korb hin?), while after soll the infinitive remains together at the end (... hinstellen). stellen is useful when an object is placed upright; legen is used when it is placed lying down. Example: Ich stelle die Flasche auf den Tisch. — “I put the bottle on the table.” Together, Wo asks for the location, soll ich asks what placement is appropriate, meinen Korb identifies the object, and hinstellen describes placing it upright. The complete meaning is: “Where should I put my basket?”

6. Stell ihn neben die Wand.

   Set it beside the wall.

   Stell

   put; place

   ihn

   him; it

   neben

   beside; next to

   die Wand

   the wall

   More detail

   Stell is the singular informal imperative of stellen, “to put/place” something in an upright or set position. The subject is understood as “you.” In this sentence, Stell tells that person to perform the placing; it is not the infinitive stellen itself. For example: Stell das Glas auf den Tisch. — “Put the glass on the table.” ihn is the accusative singular masculine form of the personal pronoun, meaning “him” or, for a masculine noun, “it.” Here the fixed translation identifies its intended meaning as “it.” The form changes with grammatical case: er is nominative (“he”), while ihn is accusative (“him/it”) when it is the object of the action. For example: Ich sehe ihn. — “I see him.” neben means “beside” or “next to.” With a placement action that answers “where to?”, it takes an accusative noun phrase: neben die Wand means “beside the wall,” describing the destination of the object. With a location that is already established, German uses the dative instead: Das Regal steht neben der Wand. — “The shelf is standing beside the wall.” die Wand means “the wall.” Wand is a feminine noun, and its definite article is die in both nominative and accusative singular, so the case is shown by the preposition and the sentence structure rather than by a visible article change here. The dative form is der Wand, as in neben der Wand for a stationary location. Together, Stell ihn gives the command “put it,” and neben die Wand specifies the destination: “beside the wall.” The complete utterance is therefore “Set it beside the wall.”

7. Ich nehme meine Wäsche heraus, wenn sie fertig ist.

   I will take my clothes out when the wash is done.

   Ich

   I

   nehme … heraus

   take out

   meine

   my

   Wäsche

   clothes

   wenn

   when

   sie

   it

   fertig

   done

   ist

   is

   More detail

   Ich means “I” here, the subject of the sentence. German subject pronouns include ich (“I”), du (“you,” singular informal), and er/sie/es (“he/she/it”). nehme ... heraus is the separable verb herausnehmen, “to take out.” In the present tense, its parts separate in a main clause: Ich nehme die Wäsche heraus. — “I take the laundry out.” The form nehme is the first-person singular present form of nehmen; the prefix heraus appears at the end of the main clause. German present tense can also refer to a planned future action, so Ich nehme ... heraus can mean “I will take ... out” in this context. meine means “my” and agrees with the noun it determines. Here it is the feminine singular accusative form of the possessive determiner mein, because Wäsche is the direct object of nehmen: meine Wäsche. The ending is on meine, not on the noun. For example, Ich nehme meinen Mantel heraus. — “I take my coat out”; Mantel is masculine, so the form is meinen in the accusative. Wäsche means “laundry” or, in this sentence’s intended meaning, “clothes.” It is grammatically feminine and normally treated as a singular mass noun: die Wäsche. Its meaning here is the clothing being taken out, not a plural form marked with a plural ending. wenn introduces a condition or time clause meaning “when” here. It sends the finite verb to the end of that subordinate clause. A reusable pattern is wenn + subject + ... + verb: Ich gehe, wenn ich fertig bin. — “I’ll go when I’m finished.” sie means “it” here and refers to Wäsche, which is grammatically feminine singular. The form sie can have other functions in German, but in this sentence it is the third-person singular feminine pronoun used for that noun. Its grammatical form does not by itself mean “clothes” as a plural; the fixed translation supports the singular “it” reading here. fertig means “finished” or “done.” With sein, it describes a completed state: Die Arbeit ist fertig. — “The work is finished.” It is an adjective and does not take an ending after ist in this use. ist is the third-person singular present form of sein, “to be.” The form agrees with the singular subject sie: sie ist. Other present forms include ich bin (“I am”) and wir sind (“we are”). Together, Ich nehme meine Wäsche heraus means “I will take my clothes out.” The subordinate clause wenn sie fertig ist means “when it is done,” with ist at the end because wenn introduces the subordinate clause. The complete utterance therefore means: “I will take my clothes out when the wash is done.”

8. Bitte nimm sie sofort heraus.

   Please collect them right away.

   Bitte

   please

   nimm … heraus

   take ... out

   sie

   them

   sofort

   immediately

   More detail

   Bitte is a polite request marker meaning “please.” It softens an instruction without changing who performs the action. For example: Bitte komm herein. — “Please come in.” nimm ... heraus comes from herausnehmen, “to take out.” In the fixed sentence, nimm is the informal singular imperative of nehmen for du; the separable prefix heraus appears at the end. The reusable pattern is Nimm [object] heraus. — “Take [object] out.” For example: Nimm das Buch heraus. — “Take the book out.” sie is the object pronoun meaning “them” here, as confirmed by the fixed translation. Its specific referent is not identified in the supplied sentence. German sie can have other functions in other contexts, but here it receives the action of taking out and refers to plural objects. sofort means “immediately” or “right away.” It specifies that the requested action should happen without delay. For example: Komm sofort! — “Come immediately!” Together, Bitte makes the request polite, nimm ... heraus gives the informal singular command “take out,” sie identifies the objects as the thing acted on, and sofort adds urgency. The complete meaning is: “Please take them out right away.”