Waiting for a delayed bus | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Entschuldigung, hat der Bus Verspätung?

   Excuse me, is the bus delayed?

   Entschuldigung

   Excuse me

   hat

   has

   Bus

   bus

   Verspätung

   delay

   More detail

   Entschuldigung is used here as a polite way to get someone’s attention: “Excuse me.” It is also the noun meaning “apology” in other contexts. As a standalone polite opener, it does not itself identify a person or explain why the speaker is interrupting. hat is the present-tense third-person singular form of haben (“to have”). In this sentence, the subject is der Bus, so the form is hat, not haben. A useful pattern is X hat ... for “X has ...”. Bus means “bus.” Its base noun is masculine: der Bus in the nominative, as the subject here. The plural is die Busse. Example: Der Bus kommt. — “The bus is coming.” Verspätung means “delay” here. German commonly uses the construction Verspätung haben for a vehicle or service being delayed: Der Zug hat Verspätung. — “The train is delayed.” The noun is feminine: die Verspätung; the form in this sentence has no article because it appears in this fixed construction. The question begins with the conjugated verb: Hat der Bus ...? This verb-first order marks a yes-or-no question. The chunks combine as hat + der Bus + Verspätung: literally, “Does the bus have a delay?”, with the natural intended meaning “Is the bus delayed?” Entschuldigung politely introduces the question.

2. In der Nähe ist viel Verkehr.

   There's heavy traffic nearby.

   In der Nähe

   nearby

   ist

   is

   viel

   a lot of

   Verkehr

   traffic

   More detail

   In der Nähe means “nearby” or literally “in the vicinity.” It is a reusable location phrase: in der Nähe = nearby, while in der Nähe von + noun means near a specified person or thing. Example: Das Hotel ist in der Nähe. — “The hotel is nearby.” ist is the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”): sein → ist. It describes a singular subject or an impersonal situation in the present. Example: Der Bahnhof ist in der Nähe. — “The train station is nearby.” viel means “a lot of” or “much” here. It is used with the mass noun Verkehr, so the sentence describes a large amount of traffic rather than a counted number of vehicles. With a countable plural noun, German uses viele, as in the example Viele Autos sind unterwegs. — “Many cars are on the road.” Verkehr is the noun for “traffic.” It is normally used as a mass noun in this meaning, so viel Verkehr means “heavy traffic” or “a lot of traffic.” The noun is masculine: der Verkehr. Example: Am Morgen gibt es viel Verkehr. — “There is heavy traffic in the morning.” Together, In der Nähe ist viel Verkehr. says that a large amount of traffic is located nearby: “There’s heavy traffic nearby.” The location phrase comes first, and ist follows it; the sentence still has the normal German verb-second pattern. Here viel Verkehr is the subject-like noun phrase, and the translation’s “there’s” is a natural English way to express the German statement.

3. Wissen Sie, wann er ankommt?

   Do you know when it will arrive?

   Wissen

   know

   Sie

   you (formal)

   wann

   when

   er

   it

   ankommt

   arrives

   More detail

   Wissen is the present-tense form of wissen (“to know”) used with formal Sie: Sie wissen. It is capitalized here because it begins the sentence; German verbs are not generally capitalized merely because a question is being asked. A useful contrast is kennen for being familiar with a person or place, while wissen is used for knowing a fact or answer. Sie is the formal second-person pronoun. In this sentence it addresses one or more people politely; the form is the same for formal singular and formal plural. Its capitalization distinguishes it from lowercase sie, which has other pronoun functions. wann means “when” and introduces an indirect question about time. In a German subordinate clause introduced by wann, the conjugated verb goes to the end: wann er ankommt = “when it will arrive.” er is a masculine singular third-person pronoun. Here the fixed translation renders it as “it,” identifying the arriving participant without requiring an English masculine pronoun. The German form itself marks masculine grammatical gender; the supplied texts do not establish a more specific English noun for that participant. ankommt is the third-person singular present form of the separable verb ankommen (“to arrive”). In a main clause, the parts separate: Er kommt an. In the subordinate clause after wann, they stay together, so the form appears as ankommt at the end. German present tense can refer to an expected or scheduled future event, which is why the fixed translation uses “will arrive.” Together, Wissen Sie asks formally whether the addressee knows something. wann er ankommt is the embedded question specifying what is known: the time at which the participant arrives. The complete meaning is “Do you know when it will arrive?”

4. Er ist noch unterwegs.

   It's still on the way.

   Er

   he

   ist

   is

   noch

   still

   unterwegs

   on the way

   More detail

   Er is the subject pronoun in the nominative case. It is the masculine singular form corresponding to sie for “she” and es for “it”; German pronoun gender follows grammatical agreement and does not by itself identify a real-world male person. Here the fixed translation renders the reference as “it,” while the German form is still Er. ist is the third-person singular present-tense form of sein (“to be”): ich bin, du bist, er/sie/es ist. It links the subject to a state or description. Example: Er ist müde. — “He is tired.” noch means “still” here: the situation continues at the relevant time. Its position can change in other sentences, but its meaning depends on the surrounding statement. Example: Sie wartet noch. — “She is still waiting.” unterwegs means “on the way” or “out and about.” It is commonly used with sein: Wir sind unterwegs. — “We are on our way.” The form unterwegs does not change for person or number. Together, Er ist unterwegs says that the subject is currently on the way. Adding noch gives Er ist noch unterwegs: the subject has not yet reached the expected destination, so the situation is still continuing. The complete utterance therefore means “It’s still on the way.”

5. Dann kann die Wartezeit länger sein.

   So the wait may be longer.

   Dann

   then; so

   kann

   may

   die Wartezeit

   the waiting time

   länger

   longer

   sein

   be

   More detail

   Dann is an adverb meaning “then” here; in this sentence it links the statement to the situation already being discussed, so “so” is a natural translation. It can also refer to a time or condition in other sentences. kann is the third-person singular present form of können (“can; may”). Here it expresses possibility: the waiting time may be longer. The modal verb is followed by the infinitive at the end of the clause. Compare Ich kann kommen — “I can/may come.” die Wartezeit means “the waiting time” or “the wait.” Wartezeit is a feminine noun, so its definite singular form here is die. It is a compound noun referring to the time spent waiting; the noun’s grammatical gender is not a claim about the people or things involved in the wait. länger is the comparative form of the adjective lang (“long”): lang → länger (“longer”) → am längsten (“the longest”). The comparison is understood against a relevant expected or previously considered waiting time; the sentence does not specify the exact comparison point. Example: Der Weg ist länger. — “The route is longer.” sein is the infinitive of sein (“to be”). After the modal kann, it remains in the infinitive and appears at the end of the clause. Together, länger sein means “to be longer.” The pattern is Dann kann + subject + comparative adjective + sein: Dann kann die Wartezeit länger sein. The modal kann marks the possibility, die Wartezeit is the subject, and länger sein describes it as longer. Thus the complete utterance means, “So the wait may be longer.”

6. Gibt es noch einen anderen Bus für dieselbe Strecke?

   Is there another bus for the same route?

   Gibt es

   is there

   noch

   another; an additional one

   anderen

   another

   Bus

   bus

   für

   for

   dieselbe

   the same

   Strecke

   route

   More detail

   Gibt es is the standard German pattern for asking whether something exists or is available: Gibt es ...? means “Is there ...?” Here gibt is the third-person singular present form of geben (“to give”), while es functions as an expletive subject in this existential pattern. Example: Gibt es hier einen Bahnhof? — “Is there a train station here?” noch means “another” or “an additional one” here. It adds a further possible option; it does not mean that the bus is still doing something. Example: Gibt es noch einen Platz? — “Is there another seat available?” anderen is the form of the adjective andere (“other; another”) used in einen anderen Bus. Because Bus is masculine singular and the noun phrase is accusative after the omitted existential relation, the adjective has the ending -en in this phrase. The ending belongs to anderen, not to the noun. Example: Ich nehme einen anderen Zug. — “I’ll take another train.” Bus is the masculine noun “bus.” Its plural is Busse. In einen anderen Bus, it is the noun whose existence is being asked about; the indefinite article does not by itself state a numerical count. für means “for” and introduces an accusative noun phrase. It connects the bus with the route it is intended for: für dieselbe Strecke means “for the same route.” dieselbe means “the same” in the sense of the identical route, not merely a similar route. It is the feminine singular accusative form of the same-identity demonstrative series derselbe, dieselbe, dasselbe, and it agrees with the feminine noun Strecke. Example: Wir nehmen dieselbe Straße. — “We are taking the same street.” Strecke is a feminine noun meaning “route” here. Its plural is Strecken. The phrase dieselbe Strecke identifies the route as the same one already relevant in the question. Together, noch einen anderen Bus means “another bus,” while für dieselbe Strecke specifies that this additional bus serves the same route. The whole question therefore asks whether another bus is available for that same route: “Is there another bus for the same route?”

7. Ja, aber mit diesem Bus dauert es länger.

   There is, but that option takes longer.

   Ja

   yes

   aber

   but

   mit

   with; by means of

   diesem

   this

   Bus

   bus

   dauert

   takes time

   länger

   longer

   More detail

   Ja means “yes” here and confirms the relevant option in the preceding question. aber means “but” and introduces a limitation or contrast. mit means “with” or, in this context, “by means of.” It takes the dative case. diesem is the dative masculine singular form of the demonstrative dieser (“this”). The dative form is required here because mit governs the dative. Bus is a masculine noun, so the phrase is mit diesem Bus—“with/by this bus.” dauert is the third-person singular present form of dauern (“to take [time]” or “to last”). German commonly uses the pattern es dauert ... when stating how long something takes. For example: Die Fahrt dauert zehn Minuten. — “The journey takes ten minutes.” länger is the comparative form of lang (“long”): lang → länger (“longer”). It compares the time required with another relevant option or route. The umlaut is part of this comparative form. Together, mit diesem Bus identifies the means being discussed, while dauert es länger says that the relevant journey or process takes more time. Thus the utterance means: “Yes, but with this bus it takes longer.”

8. Ich warte hier auf diesen Bus.

   I'll stay here for this bus.

   Ich

   I

   warte

   wait

   hier

   here

   auf

   for (with warten)

   diesen

   this

   Bus

   bus

   More detail

   Ich means “I” here. It is the first-person singular subject pronoun. The corresponding object form is mich, as in Sie sehen mich (“They see me”). warte is the present-tense form of warten (“to wait”) for ich: ich warte. The present tense can describe what is happening now; in this fixed translation, the natural English rendering is “I’ll stay,” but the German form itself is present tense. Example: Ich warte draußen. — “I’m waiting outside.” hier means “here.” It is an adverb and does not change for person, number, or gender. auf belongs with warten in the reusable pattern auf etwas/jemanden warten (“to wait for something/someone”). In this pattern, auf takes the accusative: Ich warte auf den Bus (“I’m waiting for the bus”). This is a verb–preposition combination, not simply the spatial meaning “on.” diesen means “this” in the form required here. It agrees with Bus, which is masculine singular, and it is accusative because warten auf requires an accusative object. The relevant form chain is dieser Bus (nominative) but diesen Bus (accusative). The demonstrative determiner carries this case marking; Bus itself remains Bus. Bus means “bus.” Its base form is the masculine noun der Bus; the plural is die Busse. In this sentence, diesen Bus is the bus being waited for. Together, Ich warte gives “I am waiting,” hier adds the location “here,” and auf diesen Bus identifies what the speaker is waiting for: “for this bus.” The whole utterance therefore means “I’ll stay here for this bus,” matching the fixed translation. The reusable pattern is Ich warte hier auf ... (“I’m waiting here for ...”); replace diesen Bus with another suitable accusative noun phrase, such as den Zug (“the train”).

9. Das ist wahrscheinlich am besten, wenn Sie warten können.

   That's probably best if you can wait.

   Das

   that

   ist

   is

   wahrscheinlich

   probably

   am besten

   best

   wenn

   if

   Sie … können

   you can

   warten

   wait

   More detail

   Das means “that” here. It is a demonstrative pronoun, so it can point to an already understood situation or option; the supplied sentence does not identify a more specific referent. As a pronoun, it is different from dieser/diese/dieses, which is another demonstrative set with forms that agree with a noun’s gender, number, and case. ist is the present-tense third-person singular form of sein, “to be.” A useful present-tense contrast is ich bin (“I am”), du bist (“you are”), and er/sie/es ist (“he/she/it is”). Example: Das ist gut. — “That is good.” wahrscheinlich is the adverb “probably.” It expresses likelihood rather than certainty. Example: Sie kommt wahrscheinlich später. — “She will probably come later.” am besten means “best” in this sentence. It is the common superlative form used adverbially or in a predicative recommendation. The useful comparison chain is gut (“good”), besser (“better”), am besten (“best”). Here, am besten evaluates the situation introduced by Das ist, rather than modifying a noun. wenn introduces a condition: “if” here. In a German subordinate clause introduced by wenn, the finite verb normally goes to the end. Compare the reusable pattern wenn ... können in this sentence with the main-clause order Sie können .... Sie können means “you can.” Sie is the formal “you” and is written with a capital letter; in the present tense, formal Sie uses the same verb form as third-person plural sie. können is the present-tense form of können, “can/be able to,” for formal Sie and for sie meaning “they.” With a modal verb, the other verb stays in the infinitive: Sie können warten. — “You can wait.” warten means “wait.” It is the infinitive after können; the finite modal carries the tense and person marking. A common pattern is auf etwas/jemanden warten, “wait for something/someone.” Example: Ich warte auf den Bus. — “I am waiting for the bus.” Together, Das ist wahrscheinlich am besten says “That is probably best.” The conditional clause wenn Sie warten können adds the condition “if you can wait”; its finite verb können appears before the final infinitive warten. The complete utterance therefore means: “That’s probably best if you can wait.”