Paying and Separating Items at Checkout | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ist diese Kasse jetzt geöffnet?

   Is this checkout open now?

   Ist

   is

   diese

   this

   Kasse

   checkout

   jetzt

   now

   geöffnet

   open

   More detail

   Ist is the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”). In a yes/no question, the finite verb comes first: Ist ...? means “Is ...?” The subject here is diese Kasse, so singular ist is appropriate. Example: Ist die Tür offen? — “Is the door open?” diese means “this” here and is the feminine singular form used with Kasse. German demonstratives change form according to the noun’s grammatical gender, number, and case; diese is the form used with a feminine singular noun in this construction. Example: Diese Tür ist offen. — “This door is open.” Kasse means “checkout” here: the place or station where goods are paid for. It is a feminine noun, so its dictionary form is die Kasse; the matching form in this sentence is diese Kasse. Example: Die Kasse ist dort. — “The checkout is there.” jetzt means “now” and specifies the time of the state. It can be placed in other positions depending on emphasis, but here it follows the subject phrase and precedes geöffnet. geöffnet means “open” in the sense of being available for use. It comes from the verb öffnen (“to open”) and is used here as a state description with sein: ist geöffnet means “is open.” This describes the current state, not the act of opening. Example: Das Geschäft ist geöffnet. — “The shop is open.” Together, Ist diese Kasse jetzt geöffnet? forms a yes/no question: Ist comes first, followed by the subject diese Kasse, the time word jetzt, and the state description geöffnet. The complete meaning is “Is this checkout open now?”

2. Sie können Ihre Sachen hier ablegen.

   You can place your items here.

   Sie können

   you can

   Ihre

   your

   Sachen

   items

   hier

   here

   ablegen

   place; put down

   More detail

   Sie können expresses the ability or permission “you can” here. können is the modal verb können; with Sie, it has the form können. A modal verb is followed by another verb in the infinitive, which appears at the end of this sentence. Example: Sie können warten. — “You can wait.” Sie is the formal singular or plural “you”; this sentence does not identify which of those two uses applies. Ihre means “your” and belongs to the formal Sie form of address. It is a possessive determiner, and its ending reflects the noun phrase it accompanies: Ihre Sachen is accusative plural. The capital letter also distinguishes this formal possessive from the unrelated lower-case form ihre, which can mean “their” or “her” in other contexts. Example: Ihre Tasche ist hier. — “Your bag is here.” Sachen means “items” or “things” here. Its base form is the singular noun Sache; Sachen is its plural form. In Ihre Sachen, the noun phrase is the direct object of ablegen, so it is in the accusative, although this plural noun has the same visible form in the nominative and accusative. Example: Ich sehe die Sachen. — “I see the items.” hier means “here” and indicates the relevant place. It is an adverb, so it does not change for number or case. Example: Warten Sie hier. — “Wait here.” ablegen means “to place” or “to put down.” It is a separable verb: in a finite clause without a modal, the prefix separates, as in Sie legen Ihre Sachen hier ab. — “You put your items down here.” After the modal können, however, the infinitive remains together at the end: Sie können Ihre Sachen hier ablegen. Together, Sie können + Ihre Sachen + hier + ablegen means “You can place your items here.” The sentence presents placing the items here as possible or permitted, without specifying which interpretation is intended beyond the fixed translation.

3. Soll ich zum Bezahlen den Bildschirm benutzen?

   Should I use the screen to pay?

   Soll ich

   Should I …?

   zum Bezahlen

   for paying

   Bildschirm

   screen

   benutzen

   use

   More detail

   Soll ich asks whether the speaker ought to do something: sollen means “should” here, and soll is its present-tense form with ich. The question pattern Soll ich + infinitive ...? is reusable for asking what action is appropriate. For example: Soll ich warten? — “Should I wait?” zum Bezahlen means “for paying” in this sentence. zum is the contraction of zu dem; Bezahlen is the capitalized infinitive used as a noun, so it is written with a capital letter. The phrase expresses the purpose of using the screen. A related pattern is zum Öffnen — “for opening.” Bildschirm means “screen.” The form here is den Bildschirm: Bildschirm is a masculine noun, and den marks the masculine accusative form required for the direct object of benutzen. The article is not expressing a numerical count here. For example: Ich sehe den Bildschirm. — “I see the screen.” benutzen means “use.” It is the infinitive and appears at the end because sollen is the finite modal verb: Soll ich den Bildschirm benutzen? — “Should I use the screen?” With another subject, the finite modal changes while benutzen remains an infinitive: Soll sie den Bildschirm benutzen? — “Should she use the screen?” Together, Soll ich asks whether the speaker should perform an action, zum Bezahlen gives the purpose, and den Bildschirm benutzen identifies the action and its direct object. The complete utterance therefore means: “Should I use the screen to pay?”

4. Benutzen Sie den Bildschirm rechts von Ihnen.

   Use the screen on your right.

   Benutzen Sie

   use

   Bildschirm

   screen

   rechts von Ihnen

   on your right

   More detail

   Benutzen Sie is a formal or polite command: “Use.” The verb is benutzen (“to use”), and the verb-first order is characteristic of this command pattern: Benutzen Sie ... = “Use ...”. Here Sie is the formal second-person pronoun. In less formal speech, German uses a different imperative form with du, so do not treat Benutzen Sie as an ordinary statement. Bildschirm means “screen” and is masculine: der Bildschirm. In this sentence it appears as den Bildschirm because it is the direct object of benutzen; the masculine definite article changes from nominative der to accusative den. A useful pattern is Ich benutze den Bildschirm — “I use the screen.” rechts von Ihnen means “on your right.” rechts gives the right-hand direction, while von is followed here by the dative form Ihnen of the formal “you” pronoun. Ihnen is capitalized because it is formal. The phrase describes the screen’s position relative to the person being addressed. Together, Benutzen Sie den Bildschirm means “Use the screen,” and rechts von Ihnen specifies which screen: the one on the addressee’s right. The complete utterance is therefore: “Use the screen on your right.”

5. Die Tüte fühlt sich zu voll an.

   The bag feels too full.

   Tüte

   bag

   fühlt sich … an

   feels

   zu voll

   too full

   More detail

   Tüte means “bag” here. It is a feminine noun: die Tüte (singular), die Tüten (plural). The feminine gender is shown by the article and affects forms such as eine Tüte and die Tüte; it is not inferred merely from the meaning “bag.” fühlt sich … an is the present-tense form of the separable verb sich anfühlen, “to feel.” In this sentence, fühlt is the third-person singular form agreeing with die Tüte; sich is the reflexive part, and the prefix an moves to the end of the clause. The basic pattern is Etwas fühlt sich + Beschreibung + an — “Something feels + description.” For example: Der Stoff fühlt sich weich an. — “The fabric feels soft.” This is different from fühlen without sich, which commonly means “to feel” something physically or emotionally, as in Ich fühle den Stoff. — “I feel the fabric.” zu voll means “too full.” voll is the adjective “full,” and zu placed before an adjective expresses an excessive degree: zu voll = “full to an undesirable or unsuitable extent.” The form voll itself does not change here because it follows the linking verb fühlt sich … an, rather than directly modifying a noun. Compare Die Tüte ist voll. — “The bag is full” — and Die Tüte ist zu voll. — “The bag is too full.” Together, Die Tüte supplies what is being evaluated, fühlt sich … an expresses how it seems by touch or impression, and zu voll gives the evaluation. The complete meaning is: “The bag feels too full.”

6. Ich kann den schweren Artikel in eine andere Tüte legen.

   I can move the heavy item to another bag.

   Ich kann

   I can

   schweren

   heavy

   Artikel

   item; article

   andere

   another; different

   Tüte

   bag

   legen

   put; place

   More detail

   Ich kann combines the subject Ich (“I”) with kann, the first-person singular present form of können (“can; be able to”). The infinitive of the main verb comes later in this pattern: Ich kann ... legen = “I can ... put/place.” schweren means “heavy” here. It is the inflected form of schwer. The adjective has the ending -en because it describes the masculine accusative singular noun Artikel after the definite article den: den schweren Artikel. Artikel is a masculine noun. In this sentence, the fixed translation establishes the meaning “item”; the same German noun can also mean “article” in other contexts. Its plural is Artikel, so the singular or plural meaning must be determined by context and the accompanying forms. andere means “another” here. It is the attributive form of ander- in eine andere Tüte: feminine accusative singular after the indefinite article eine. It presents the bag as different from the one already relevant, without itself stating a numerical count. Tüte means “bag” and is a feminine noun. In in eine andere Tüte, in introduces a destination because the action involves putting something into the bag; this use takes the accusative form eine. With a location rather than movement into a place, in can take the dative instead. legen means “put” or “place” and is the infinitive required after the modal verb kann. The verb legen describes placing something; liegen is a different verb describing something’s being in a lying position. For example: Ich lege das Buch auf den Tisch. — “I put the book on the table.” Together, Ich kann + den schweren Artikel + in eine andere Tüte + legen means “I can put/move the heavy item into another bag.” The direct object is the heavy item, and in eine andere Tüte gives the destination. The natural fixed translation uses “move,” while legen specifically focuses on placing the item in the bag.

7. Bitte legen Sie die Glasartikel in eine separate Tüte.

   Please put the glass items in a separate bag.

   Bitte

   please

   legen

   put/place

   Sie

   you (formal)

   Glasartikel

   glass items

   in eine

   into a

   separate

   separate

   Tüte

   bag

   More detail

   Bitte makes the request polite: “please.” It can introduce a request without changing the action itself. legen means “put” or “place” and is the base form of the verb. In this sentence it appears in the formal Sie imperative pattern: Bitte + infinitive + Sie .... Example: Bitte warten Sie. — “Please wait.” The verb legen describes placing something in a position; the related verb liegen describes something already being in a lying position. Sie is the capitalized formal “you.” In a polite imperative, the verb remains in the infinitive and Sie follows it: Legen Sie ... — “Put ...” This form does not identify a specific individual beyond the formal addressee. Glasartikel means “glass items” here. It is a compound noun formed from Glas (“glass”) and Artikel (“item/article”). Its form is identical for singular and plural, so the plural meaning in this sentence is supplied by the fixed translation and context rather than by a visible plural ending. Example: Die Glasartikel sind zerbrechlich. — “The glass items are fragile.” in eine expresses movement into something. in can describe location or direction; with a destination or movement into a container, German uses the accusative here. eine is the feminine accusative form of the indefinite article, because Tüte is feminine. This article does not by itself state a numerical count; it introduces an unspecified bag. separate means “separate” here, describing the bag as distinct from other bags. It is an adjective. After the feminine accusative indefinite article eine, it has the ending -e: eine separate Tüte. Example: Sie nimmt eine separate Kiste. — “She takes a separate crate.” Tüte means “bag,” specifically the bag being used as the destination. It is feminine: die Tüte; its plural is die Tüten. In in eine separate Tüte, the feminine accusative form eine marks the direction into the bag. Together, Bitte legen Sie forms a polite formal request to place something. die Glasartikel is the definite-article noun phrase naming the items, and in eine separate Tüte specifies their destination: into a separate bag. The complete meaning is: “Please put the glass items in a separate bag.”

8. Ich passe auf, während ich sie einpacke.

   I'll be careful while bagging them.

   Ich

   I

   passe … auf

   am careful

   während

   while

   sie

   them

   einpacke

   bag

   More detail

   Ich is the first-person singular pronoun: “I.” It identifies the speaker as the subject. Example: Ich lerne Deutsch. — “I am learning German.” passe ... auf comes from the separable verb aufpassen, “to be careful” or “to pay attention.” Here passe is the present-tense first-person singular form, and auf is the separated prefix. In a main clause, the parts are separated: Ich passe auf. — “I’m being careful.” The fixed translation uses the relevant sense “be careful,” not simply “watch.” während introduces a time relation meaning “while.” It makes the following clause subordinate, so its finite verb goes to the end. Pattern: während + subject + other material + finite verb. Example: Ich höre Musik, während ich koche. — “I listen to music while I cook.” sie means “them” here. It is the third-person plural accusative pronoun, used for the object of einpacke. The preceding context identifies the referent as the glass items (die Glasartikel). This form is also used as a third-person plural nominative pronoun (“they”), so its object role here comes from the clause structure and the meaning of einpacken. einpacke comes from the separable verb einpacken, “to pack” or “to put into a bag/package.” It is the present-tense first-person singular form of einpacken. In this subordinate clause, the prefix remains attached and the finite verb is final: während ich sie einpacke. Example: Ich packe die Bücher ein. — “I pack the books.” Together, Ich passe auf states that the speaker is being careful. während ich sie einpacke specifies when: the care applies while the speaker is packing the glass items. The complete utterance therefore means, “I’ll be careful while bagging them.”