Practicing a role-play together | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Können wir dieses Rollenspiel zusammen üben?

   Can we practice this role-play together?

   Können wir

   can we

   dieses

   this

   Rollenspiel

   role-play

   zusammen

   together

   üben

   practice

   More detail

   Können wir is a reusable question pattern meaning “Can we …?” Here können is the infinitive form of können, used as the finite modal for wir; the lexical verb stays in the infinitive at the end of the question. Example: Können wir anfangen? — “Can we start?” dieses means “this” and points to one nearby or contextually identified thing. Its form agrees with the neuter singular noun Rollenspiel in the accusative case. The demonstrative changes with the noun’s grammatical gender, number, and case: for example, dieser can be masculine nominative, while dieses is used with a neuter singular noun in this form. The word’s form does not itself establish what the thing is; here the translation identifies it as the role-play. Rollenspiel is a neuter noun meaning “role-play” or “role-playing activity.” It is written as one compound noun in German; its plural is Rollenspiele. Example: Das Rollenspiel beginnt. — “The role-play begins.” zusammen means “together,” showing that the activity is shared by the participants. Example: Wir lernen zusammen. — “We study together.” üben means “to practice.” It is the infinitive here because können is the finite modal verb. With another subject, the finite form changes: Ich übe Deutsch. — “I practice German.” Together, Können wir dieses Rollenspiel zusammen üben? forms a yes-or-no question: “Can we practice this role-play together?” The modal können expresses ability or possibility, wir is the subject, dieses Rollenspiel is the activity being practiced, and zusammen specifies that the participants do it together. The pattern Können wir + [activity] + infinitive? is reusable for asking whether a shared activity is possible.

2. Ich kann die andere Rolle spielen.

   I can take the other role.

   Ich kann

   I can

   andere

   other

   Rolle

   role

   spielen

   play

   More detail

   Ich kann means “I can.” kann is the first-person singular present form of the modal verb können (“to be able to; can”). With a modal verb, German normally places the other verb in the infinitive at the end of the clause: Ich kann ... spielen = “I can ... play.” andere means “other” here. It is the inflected form of ander-; its ending reflects the noun phrase it modifies. In die andere Rolle, Rolle is feminine singular and accusative, while the definite article die marks that form; the adjective therefore has the ending -e. The phrase identifies a role different from the one being referred to in this role-play context. Rolle means “role.” It is a feminine noun: die Rolle. In the fixed sentence it is the direct object of spielen, so it is accusative, but its form is still Rolle because feminine singular has the same form here as in the nominative. A useful related expression is eine Rolle spielen, literally “to play a role,” meaning “to take or perform a role.” spielen means “to play.” It is the infinitive of spielen, and here it follows the modal kann. With Rolle, it forms the reusable expression eine/die Rolle spielen: “to play/take a role.” For example: Sie spielt die Hauptrolle. — “She plays the main role.” Together, die andere Rolle spielen means “play/take the other role.” The modal construction Ich kann ... spielen makes the complete utterance “I can take the other role.”

3. Bitte mach nach jeder Frage eine Pause.

   Please pause after each question.

   Bitte

   please

   mach

   do / make

   nach

   after

   jeder

   each / every

   Frage

   question

   Pause

   pause / break

   More detail

   Bitte is a polite way to make a request, equivalent here to “please.” It can also be used in other contexts, such as a response meaning “you’re welcome,” but that is not its function here. mach is the informal singular imperative of machen (“to do” or “to make”). The understood subject is du, so this form addresses one person informally. A reusable pattern is Mach ...! for a direct request to one person. Here, mach combines with Pause in the expression eine Pause machen, “to take a pause/break.” nach means “after” here and introduces the event that marks the time: nach jeder Frage, “after each question.” In this temporal use, nach is followed by the dative case. jeder means “each/every” here. It is the dative feminine singular form of jeder, agreeing with the feminine noun Frage after nach: nach jeder Frage. The form changes with the noun’s grammatical gender, number, and case; for example, jede Frage is nominative or accusative feminine singular, while jeder Frage is dative feminine singular. Frage is the feminine noun meaning “question.” Its plural is Fragen. Example: Ich habe eine Frage. — “I have a question.” Pause is the feminine noun meaning “pause” or “break.” With machen, it commonly appears in eine Pause machen, literally “make a pause,” meaning “take a break.” Example: Wir machen eine Pause. — “We are taking a break.” Together, Bitte mach forms a polite request to one person. eine Pause machen supplies the requested action, and nach jeder Frage specifies when it should happen: after each individual question. The whole utterance therefore means, “Please pause after each question.”

4. So hast du Zeit, natürlich zu antworten.

   That will give you time to answer naturally.

   So

   that way

   hast du

   you have

   Zeit

   time

   natürlich

   naturally

   antworten

   answer

   More detail

   So means “that way” here and points to the result of the preceding instruction: by doing that, the listener has time. German so can also mean “so” or “in this manner”; its exact meaning comes from the sentence. hast du contains haben (“to have”) in the present tense: du hast = “you have.” Because So comes first, the finite verb comes before the subject: So hast du .... This is a common German word order pattern after an element placed at the start of the sentence. The form hast is specifically the second-person singular form of haben; it is not the form used with ich (habe) or sie/Sie (haben). Zeit means “time.” With haben, German commonly uses Zeit haben for having enough available time: Ich habe Zeit. = “I have time.” The sentence does not state a numerical amount of time. natürlich means “naturally” in this sentence and describes the manner of answering. The same form can also be used as the adjective “natural” before a noun, but as an adverb here it does not show an adjective ending. antworten means “to answer.” It is the infinitive base form. With zu, zu antworten forms an infinitive phrase meaning “to answer”; after a verb such as Zeit haben, this phrase says what the available time is for. For example: Ich habe Zeit, die Frage zu beantworten. = “I have time to answer the question.” Together, So hast du Zeit, natürlich zu antworten means “That will give you time to answer naturally.” The opening So presents the way or action as producing the result hast du Zeit; zu antworten specifies the purpose of that time, and natürlich describes how the answering can happen.

5. Wenn ich einen Fehler mache, wiederhole bitte den Satz.

   If I make a mistake, please repeat the line.

   Wenn

   if

   ich

   I

   Fehler

   mistake; error

   mache

   make; do

   wiederhole

   repeat

   bitte

   please

   Satz

   sentence; line

   More detail

   Wenn introduces a condition: “if” here. In a German subordinate clause introduced by wenn, the finite verb normally goes to the end of that clause. ich means “I” and identifies the speaker as the subject. Its form is the first-person singular pronoun; for example, ich lerne means “I learn.” einen Fehler is the reusable expression “a mistake.” Fehler is a masculine noun, and einen marks masculine accusative after machen: einen Fehler machen means “to make a mistake.” The indefinite article does not by itself state a numerical count; it introduces the noun phrase here. mache is the first-person singular present form of machen (“to make; to do”): ich mache. In this sentence it completes the expression einen Fehler machen, so ich einen Fehler mache means “I make a mistake.” Because the clause begins with wenn, this verb appears at the end of the conditional clause. wiederhole is the informal singular imperative of wiederholen (“to repeat”). The same spelling can also be first-person singular present, ich wiederhole (“I repeat”), but here bitte and the intended request show that it is an instruction to one person. Example: Wiederhole den Satz. — “Repeat the sentence.” bitte means “please.” It makes the request more polite and does not change the imperative form. den Satz means “the sentence,” and in this context the fixed translation renders it as “the line.” Satz is a masculine noun; den marks masculine accusative after wiederholen, whose object is the thing being repeated. The definite article identifies a particular sentence or line in the situation. The structure is Wenn [subject] [object] [finite verb], [imperative] bitte [object]. Thus Wenn ich einen Fehler mache means “If I make a mistake,” and wiederhole bitte den Satz means “please repeat the line.” Together: “If I make a mistake, please repeat the line.”

6. Ich sage es langsam und zeige dir eine wichtige Korrektur.

   I will say it slowly and point out one important correction.

   Ich

   I

   sage

   say

   es

   it

   langsam

   slowly

   zeige

   point out

   dir

   to you

   wichtige

   important

   Korrektur

   correction

   More detail

   Ich is the first-person singular pronoun, “I.” It identifies the speaker. German contrasts it with du for one person addressed informally and Sie for formal address. sage is the first-person singular present form of sagen, “to say.” In this utterance, the present form describes what the speaker is about to do or is doing in the immediate situation, matching “I will say.” Compare ich sage (“I say / I will say”) with du sagst (“you say”). es is an accusative singular neuter pronoun meaning “it.” Here it refers to the content that will be said; the supplied translation does not identify that content more specifically. The verb sagen commonly takes a thing said as a direct object: Ich sage es means “I say it.” langsam means “slowly” here and describes how the saying is done. It is an adverb in this use. The same form can also be used as an adjective, as in ein langsamer Zug (“a slow train”); the adjective then receives an ending, while the adverb does not. zeige is the first-person singular present form of zeigen, “to show” or “to point out.” The useful pattern is jemandem etwas zeigen: the person shown something is marked with the dative, while the thing shown is the direct object. Compare ich zeige (“I show”) with du zeigst (“you show”). dir is the dative singular informal pronoun meaning “to you.” It marks the recipient in zeige dir; it is not the direct object being pointed out. The corresponding formal form is Ihnen, and the plural informal form is also euch only for several people, not one person. wichtige is the adjective form of wichtig, “important.” In eine wichtige Korrektur, it describes Korrektur and has the feminine singular accusative ending -e, because Korrektur is the direct object of zeige. The base form is wichtig; for example, eine wichtige Information means “an important piece of information.” Korrektur is a feminine noun meaning “correction.” Its plural is Korrekturen. In this sentence it is the thing the speaker will point out. The article phrase eine wichtige Korrektur marks one singular, indefinite correction; the article itself does not by itself assert a numerical count beyond the singular form required by the noun phrase. Together, Ich sage es langsam means “I will say it slowly,” and und zeige dir eine wichtige Korrektur adds a coordinated action: “and point out an important correction to you.” The complete utterance is therefore “I will say it slowly and point out one important correction.”

7. Das hilft mir, nicht so nervös zu sein.

   That helps me feel less nervous.

   Das

   That

   hilft

   helps

   mir

   me

   nicht so

   not so

   nervös

   nervous

   zu sein

   to be

   More detail

   Das is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. It points to something understood from the context, such as the helpful action or situation just mentioned; the sentence does not need to name that referent again. Demonstratives can also modify nouns, as in diese Szene (“this scene”), but Das here stands independently. hilft comes from helfen (“to help”). It is the present-tense form for er/sie/es or another singular subject: helfen → hilft. German helfen normally takes the person helped in the dative: Das hilft mir means “That helps me.” Example: Musik hilft mir. — “Music helps me.” mir is the first-person singular dative form of ich (“I”). It marks the person who receives the help. The matching contrast is ich for the subject and mir for a dative recipient: Ich helfe dir. — “I help you.” nicht so means “not so” or, with a degree adjective, “less …”. Here so marks the degree and nicht denies that degree, so the meaning is that the person is not as nervous as otherwise or as before. This does not by itself assert complete absence of nervousness. Example: Heute bin ich nicht so müde. — “Today I am not so tired.” nervös is an adjective meaning “nervous”. In this sentence it describes the state reached by the person represented by mir; it is not inflected here because it follows sein. Example: Vor der Prüfung bin ich nervös. — “I am nervous before the exam.” zu sein is the zu-infinitive of sein (“to be”): sein → zu sein. German commonly uses helfen with a dative person plus a zu-infinitive to express what the help enables or contributes to: Das hilft mir, ruhig zu bleiben. — “That helps me stay calm.” Together, Das hilft mir gives “That helps me,” and nicht so nervös zu sein states the result or condition: “not to be so nervous.” The complete utterance therefore means “That helps me feel less nervous.”

8. Fang mit dieser Szene an.

   Start with this scene.

   Fang … an

   start; begin

   mit

   with

   dieser

   this

   Szene

   scene

   More detail

   Fang ... an is the informal singular imperative of anfangen (“to start, to begin”). This verb is separable: in a main-clause imperative, fang comes at the beginning and the particle an moves to the end. The form fang addresses one person informally; the corresponding present-tense form is du fängst an. Example: Fang jetzt an! — “Start now!” mit means “with” here and takes the dative case when it introduces what someone starts with. The pattern mit + dative is reusable: Ich beginne mit dem ersten Teil. — “I begin with the first part.” dieser is the dative feminine singular form of the demonstrative diese (“this”). It agrees with Szene, whose base form is the feminine noun die Szene. The forms are diese Szene in the nominative or accusative and mit dieser Szene in the dative after mit. The demonstrative identifies the scene as “this” one in the situation. Szene means “scene.” Its plural is Szenen: Die Szenen sind kurz. — “The scenes are short.” Together, Fang ... an gives the command “start,” mit dieser Szene specifies what to start with, and the whole utterance means “Start with this scene.”

9. Ich mache in deinem Tempo mit.

   I will follow your pace.

   mache … mit

   follow along

   deinem

   your

   Tempo

   pace

   More detail

   mache ... mit is the separated present-tense form of mitmachen. The base verb is mitmachen; with ich, its finite part is mache, while the separable prefix mit moves to the end of the clause. In this sentence, the construction means following along or keeping up, rather than simply taking part in an activity. Example: Ich mache mit. — “I’m joining in.” deinem is the possessive determiner dein in the dative singular. In in deinem Tempo, the two-way preposition in takes the dative because this expression presents the pace as the setting or manner in which the speaker proceeds, not as a destination of movement. Tempo is neuter (das Tempo), so dein has the neuter dative form deinem. Compare dein Tempo (nominative or accusative) with in deinem Tempo (dative). Tempo means “pace” here. It is a neuter noun, so its article is das: das Tempo. In this expression it refers to the speed or rhythm at which someone proceeds. Example: Wir arbeiten in ihrem Tempo. — “We work at her pace.” Together, in deinem Tempo sets the pace that is being followed, and mache ... mit says that the speaker follows along at that pace. With Ich as the subject, Ich mache in deinem Tempo mit. means “I will follow your pace.” German present tense can express a future-oriented intention when the context supports it; the fixed translation gives that intended future reading here. The word order also shows the separable structure: mache appears in the main-clause position, while mit closes the clause.