Returning to work with better focus | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ich fühle mich jetzt erholter.

   I feel more refreshed now.

   Ich fühle mich

   I feel

   jetzt

   now

   erholter

   more refreshed

   More detail

   Ich fühle mich is the first-person singular form of sich fühlen, “to feel.” German uses the reflexive pronoun mich with ich: Ich fühle mich ... means “I feel ...” about one’s own state. The verb’s base form is fühlen; fühle marks the present-tense ich form. Example: Ich fühle mich besser. — “I feel better.” jetzt means “now” and places the feeling in the present situation or time. Example: Jetzt fühle ich mich ruhig. — “Now I feel calm.” erholter is the comparative form of erholt, meaning “more refreshed” or “more rested.” The comparison is carried by the adjective erholter, not by Ich or mich. The ending -er forms the comparative here; erholter does not state what the comparison is with, so the comparison can be understood from the situation. Example: Nach der Pause fühle ich mich erholter. — “After the break, I feel more refreshed.” Together, Ich fühle mich expresses the speaker’s own current condition, jetzt locates it in the present, and erholter compares that condition with an earlier or otherwise understood state. The complete meaning is: “I feel more refreshed now.”

2. Fangen wir mit dem wichtigsten Teil an.

   Let's start with the part that matters most.

   Fangen … wir … an

   let’s start

   wichtigsten

   most important

   Teil

   part

   More detail

   Fangen ... an: This is the separable verb anfangen (“to start, begin”). In Fangen wir ... an, its finite form fangen is split from the prefix an, and the first-person plural form with wir functions as an exhortation: “let’s start ...”. Example: Fangen wir an! — “Let’s start!” wichtigsten: This is the superlative form of the adjective wichtig (“important”): wichtig → wichtiger (“more important”) → am wichtigsten (“most important”) in a predicate or adverbial use. Before the noun with the definite article dem, it takes the attributive ending in dem wichtigsten Teil. It describes Teil, rather than functioning as a noun by itself. Example: Das ist der wichtigste Punkt. — “That is the most important point.” Teil: This masculine noun means “part” or “section.” After mit, the noun phrase is in the dative: mit dem Teil. Here dem is the masculine singular dative form of the definite article, agreeing with masculine Teil. Example: Wir beginnen mit dem ersten Teil. — “We begin with the first part.” The meaningful chunks combine as follows: mit introduces what the starting action concerns, dem wichtigsten Teil means “the most important part,” and wir identifies the group included in the exhortation. Together, Fangen wir mit dem wichtigsten Teil an means “Let’s start with the part that matters most.” This is a natural, neutral way to propose beginning with a particular section.

3. Sollen wir mit dem Abschnitt zum Diagramm weitermachen?

   Should we continue from the chart section?

   Sollen wir

   shall we

   Abschnitt

   section

   zum Diagramm

   to the chart

   weitermachen

   continue

   More detail

   Sollen wir asks whether the speaker and the other person should do something together. sollen is the present-tense form of sollen for wir; in a question, it commonly makes a suggestion such as “Shall we …?” The infinitive comes later in this sentence: Sollen wir … weitermachen? Compare the same pattern in an example: Sollen wir anfangen? — “Shall we start?” Abschnitt means a section or part of a text, presentation, or other organized material. Its plural is Abschnitte. In this sentence, it identifies the section connected with the chart; the word itself is masculine, as shown by der Abschnitt. zum Diagramm contains the contraction zum, which equals zu dem. Here, Diagramm is the neuter noun “diagram/chart,” and zum Diagramm means “to/on the chart” in the phrase naming the relevant section. zu takes the dative, so the article changes from nominative das Diagramm to dem Diagramm; zum combines zu and dem. Example: eine Erklärung zum Diagramm — “an explanation of the chart.” weitermachen means to continue or carry on. It is a separable verb built from weiter (“further/on”) and machen (“do/make”), but in the infinitive it is written as one word. In a main-clause question, the finite form separates: Machen wir weiter? — “Shall we continue?” With the modal sollen, the infinitive remains at the end: Sollen wir weitermachen? Together, Sollen wir mit dem Abschnitt zum Diagramm weitermachen? asks, “Shall we continue with/from the chart section?” mit dem Abschnitt presents that section as what the participants will continue with, while zum Diagramm specifies which section it is. The question is a joint proposal about continuing, following the earlier reference to beginning with an important part and leading into the statement that this part requires the most concentration.

4. Dieser Teil braucht die meiste Konzentration.

   That part needs the most focus.

   Dieser

   that

   Teil

   part

   braucht

   needs

   meiste

   most

   Konzentration

   focus

   More detail

   Dieser points to the specific part meant here: “that part.” It is the masculine, singular, nominative form of the demonstrative determiner dieser, agreeing with the subject Teil. The corresponding forms include diese for feminine singular or plural and dieses for neuter singular. Example: Dieser Abschnitt ist wichtig. — “That section is important.” Teil means “part” here and is a masculine noun: der Teil, plural die Teile. As the subject, it is in the nominative case. Example: Der erste Teil ist kurz. — “The first part is short.” braucht is the third-person singular present form of brauchen, “to need” or “to require.” The subject is singular, so German uses braucht; with wir, for example, the form is brauchen. Example: Der Text braucht mehr Zeit. — “The text needs more time.” meiste expresses the superlative “most” from viel: viel — “much/many,” mehr — “more,” am meisten — “most” in an adverbial use. In this sentence, the superlative is placed before the noun in the phrase die meiste Konzentration; the definite article and adjective ending agree with feminine singular Konzentration. Example: Sie braucht die meiste Zeit. — “She needs the most time.” Konzentration means “focus” or “concentration.” It is a feminine noun: die Konzentration. Here it is the thing that is needed, so the noun phrase die meiste Konzentration functions as the object of braucht. Example: Für diese Aufgabe brauche ich Konzentration. — “I need focus for this task.” Together, Dieser Teil is the subject, braucht says that it requires something, and die meiste Konzentration identifies what it requires in the greatest amount. The complete meaning is: “That part needs the most focus.”

5. Ich öffne die Datei und schaue sie mir an.

   I'll open the file and check it.

   Ich

   I

   öffne

   open

   Datei

   file

   und

   and

   schaue … an

   look at / check

   sie

   it

   More detail

   Ich means “I” here and is the first-person singular subject. German subject pronouns include ich (“I”), du (“you,” singular informal), and sie (“she” or “they,” depending on context). The form ich itself does not identify an action; the verb supplies the tense and action. öffne is the first-person singular present form of öffnen, “to open.” The present form can describe an action happening now or a planned action understood from context. The pattern is ich öffne ... = “I open / I’ll open ...”. die Datei means “the file.” Datei is a feminine noun, so its nominative singular definite article is die; the article is part of the noun phrase, not a statement that there is more than one file. Its plural is Dateien, as in die Dateien (“the files”). und joins the two coordinated actions: “and.” It does not change the subject, so ich also understood as the subject of the second verb. schaue ... an is the separable-verb construction from anschauen, “to look at” or, here, “to check.” In a main-clause present form, the conjugated part appears in the clause position and the prefix an moves to the end: Ich schaue die Datei an. The form schaue is again first-person singular present. The construction sich etwas anschauen commonly means to look at or inspect something; here mir is the reflexive dative form associated with ich, and sie is the thing being looked at. sie means “it” here because it refers to die Datei, a feminine singular noun, as confirmed by the fixed translation. In this use it is an accusative pronoun, the direct object of anschauen. German pronouns must match the noun’s grammatical gender and number: for example, der Bericht can be referred to as ihn in the accusative, while die Datei is sie. The sentence combines the two actions in order: Ich öffne die Datei (“I’ll open the file”) and schaue sie mir an (“I’ll check it”). Together, Ich öffne die Datei und schaue sie mir an. means “I’ll open the file and check it.” The first-person subject applies to both coordinated verbs, and the second verb uses the separable form schaue ... an.

6. Ich lese die Kommentare vom Team, während du das Diagramm prüfst.

   I'll read the team comments while you check the chart.

   lese

   read

   Kommentare

   comments

   Team

   team

   während du

   while you

   Diagramm

   chart

   prüfst

   check

   More detail

   lese is the first-person singular present form of lesen (“to read”): ich lese. German present tense can also describe a planned or expected action, so the fixed translation uses “I’ll read” without requiring a separate future form. Example: Ich lese den Bericht. — “I’m reading the report.” Kommentare is the plural of der Kommentar, “comment.” The plural form is used here because the sentence refers to comments collectively. Example: Die Kommentare sind hilfreich. — “The comments are helpful.” Team means “team.” In vom Team, vom is the contraction of von dem: von takes the dative, and dem is the dative form of the neuter noun das Team. The phrase therefore means “from the team.” Example: Die Nachricht kommt vom Team. — “The message comes from the team.” während du introduces a subordinate clause meaning “while you.” du is the informal singular “you.” während can introduce an action happening at the same time as the main action; in this sentence, it places your checking alongside the speaker’s reading. In a subordinate clause, the finite verb normally goes to the end, as in während du das Diagramm prüfst. Diagramm means “chart” or “diagram.” Here, das Diagramm is the accusative object of prüfst; das is also the nominative and accusative article for this neuter noun. Its plural is die Diagramme. Example: Ich erkläre das Diagramm. — “I explain the chart.” prüfst is the second-person singular present form of prüfen, “to check” or “to examine”: du prüfst. The ending -st marks du here. The umlaut remains in the stem: prüfen → du prüfst. Example: Du prüfst die Daten. — “You check the data.” Together, Ich lese die Kommentare vom Team means “I’ll read the team comments,” and während du das Diagramm prüfst means “while you check the chart.” The full sentence presents the two actions as simultaneous: the speaker reads the comments, and the addressee checks the chart. The structure is reusable as Ich [present-tense verb] ..., während du ....

7. Ich kann den Details jetzt besser folgen.

   I can follow the details better now.

   Ich kann

   I can

   Details

   details

   jetzt

   now

   besser

   better

   folgen

   follow

   More detail

   Ich kann combines the first-person pronoun Ich (“I”) with kann, the first-person singular present form of können (“can; be able to”). A modal verb such as können is followed by another verb in the infinitive; here that infinitive is folgen, placed at the end of the sentence. The construction Ich kann + infinitive is reusable for stating ability: Ich kann warten. — “I can wait.” Details is the plural of das Detail (“detail”). In the sentence, den Details is the dative plural form because folgen governs the dative: German says, literally, to follow the details. This use of folgen means to keep up with or understand a sequence or information, matching “follow the details” here. jetzt means “now” and locates the ability in the present situation. It is an adverb, so it does not change for number or gender. Example: Jetzt kann ich anfangen. — “Now I can start.” besser means “better” here. It is the comparative form of gut (“good”): gut → besser → am besten (“best”). The comparison indicates an improvement in how well the details can be followed; it does not itself specify what the earlier level was. folgen is the infinitive “to follow.” With information, an explanation, or a sequence, it can mean to understand or keep track of it. Unlike English “follow,” this German verb takes a dative complement, which is why the full phrase is den Details folgen. Together, Ich kann expresses present ability, den Details folgen expresses keeping up with or understanding the details, jetzt places this in the present, and besser marks improved ability. The complete meaning is: “I can follow the details better now.”

8. Die Pause hat die Arbeit leichter gemacht.

   The break made the work feel lighter.

   Pause

   break

   hat

   has

   Arbeit

   work

   leichter

   lighter; easier

   gemacht

   made

   More detail

   Pause means a break or pause. The noun is feminine: die Pause; its plural is die Pausen. In this sentence, Die Pause is the subject—the break is presented as the cause of the change. hat is the present-tense third-person singular form of haben. Here it is an auxiliary, not the main meaning “has”: together with the following participle gemacht, it forms the German perfect, hat gemacht. Arbeit means work. It is feminine: die Arbeit. German commonly uses it without an article when speaking about work in a general or uncounted sense, but this sentence uses die Arbeit, referring to the work in question. leichter is the comparative form of the adjective leicht (“light” or “easy”). leicht → leichter (“lighter” or “easier”) → am leichtesten (“lightest” or “easiest”). Here leichter describes the resulting experience of the work: the work felt easier or less burdensome, matching the fixed translation. gemacht is the past participle of machen (“to make” or “do”). With hat, it forms hat gemacht, literally “has made” and here “made.” The perfect construction places the auxiliary in the finite position and the participle at the end of the clause. Together, Die Pause (“the break”) is the subject, hat ... gemacht expresses the completed change, and die Arbeit leichter means “the work lighter/easier.” Thus Die Pause hat die Arbeit leichter gemacht. means “The break made the work feel lighter.”