Snowy weather and safe travel | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. In der Nacht hat es viel geschneit.

   It snowed a lot during the night.

   In der Nacht

   during the night

   hat es

   it has

   viel

   a lot

   geschneit

   snowed

   More detail

   In der Nacht means “during the night.” The preposition in takes the dative here because this is a fixed time setting, not movement into a place. Nacht is feminine: die Nacht (nominative) becomes der Nacht (dative). Compare the time expression in der Nacht with in der Woche (“during the week”). hat es contains the finite form hat of haben plus impersonal es. With weather verbs such as schneien, German uses es as a formal subject; it does not refer to a particular person or thing. In the perfect tense, haben is the auxiliary: Es hat geschneit means “It snowed.” Because the time expression occupies the first position, the finite verb comes next: In der Nacht hat es .... viel is an adverb meaning “a lot” here. It describes the amount of snowfall and does not change form in this use. Compare Es schneit viel (“It is snowing a lot”) with Es schneit wenig (“It is snowing little / not much”). geschneit is the past participle of schneien (“to snow”). Its perfect-tense chain is schneien → hat geschneit; the auxiliary hat carries the tense, while geschneit remains the participle. For example, Gestern hat es geschneit means “It snowed yesterday.” Together, In der Nacht hat es viel geschneit says that a large amount of snow fell during the night: “It snowed a lot during the night.”

2. Die Gehwege können heute Morgen glatt sein.

   The sidewalks may be icy this morning.

   Gehwege

   sidewalks

   können

   may

   heute Morgen

   this morning

   glatt

   icy or slippery

   sein

   be

   More detail

   Gehwege means “sidewalks” here. It is the plural of der Gehweg (“sidewalk” or “walkway”): der Gehweg → die Gehwege. The plural form identifies the subject as more than one sidewalk, but the sentence does not state an exact number or whether these are sidewalks in general or particular known sidewalks. können is the present-tense form of können used with the third-person plural subject die Gehwege. With a following infinitive, können expresses possibility here: the sidewalks may be slippery. In a different context, it can also express ability, as in Die Kinder können schwimmen. (“The children can swim.”) The possibility meaning is supported here by the weather context and the fixed translation. heute Morgen is a time expression meaning “this morning.” heute means “today,” and Morgen means “morning” in this expression. Morgen is capitalized because it is a German noun. The expression identifies when the possibility applies. glatt is an adjective meaning “slippery” here, rendered as “icy” in the fixed translation. In the snowfall context, it describes walking surfaces that may lack secure grip. glatt can also mean “smooth” in another context, for example Der Tisch ist glatt. (“The table is smooth.”) As a predicate after sein, it appears without an adjective ending. sein is the infinitive of “to be.” It follows the modal verb können, so the modal is conjugated and sein remains in the infinitive. This pattern is reusable: kann/können + infinitive, as in Die Straße kann nass sein. (“The road may be wet.”) Together, Die Gehwege is the plural subject, können ... sein forms the possibility construction, heute Morgen gives the time, and glatt describes the sidewalks. The complete meaning is: “The sidewalks may be icy this morning.”

3. Dann sollte ich Stiefel mit besserem Halt tragen.

   Then I should wear boots with better grip.

   Dann

   then

   sollte ich

   I should

   Stiefel

   boots

   besserem

   better

   Halt

   grip

   tragen

   wear

   More detail

   Dann means “then” here and links this conclusion to what was just established. It can also refer to a time or sequence in other sentences: Dann gehen wir. — “Then we’ll go.” sollte ich expresses “I should.” sollte is the first-person singular form of sollen in the subjunctive form used here for advice or a recommended action; ich is the first-person singular subject. The same form can also be the simple past of sollen in a different context, so the surrounding meaning matters. Compare Du solltest vorsichtiger gehen. — “You should walk more carefully.” Stiefel means “boots.” The noun’s base form is der Stiefel; Stiefel is its plural form here. In this sentence it is the accusative object of tragen, and the plural form has the same visible shape in the nominative and accusative. besserem means “better” and describes Halt. Its adjective base and comparison chain are gut (“good”), besser (“better”), and am besten (“best”). The ending -em appears because mit requires the dative and Halt is masculine singular here: mit besserem Halt. The inflection is on the adjective besserem, not on the noun Halt. Halt means “grip” or “traction” in this context. Its base form is der Halt. The phrase mit Halt describes something that provides or has grip; mit besserem Halt specifies improved grip. For example, Diese Schuhe haben guten Halt. — “These shoes have good grip.” tragen means “to wear” here. It is the infinitive of the verb and follows the modal verb sollen: ich sollte ... tragen. German keeps the lexical verb in the infinitive after this modal construction. Ich trage Stiefel. — “I wear boots.” Together, sollte ich expresses the recommendation, Stiefel is what should be worn, and mit besserem Halt describes those boots. The complete utterance is: “Then I should wear boots with better grip.”

4. Du solltest auch vorsichtiger als sonst gehen.

   You should also walk more carefully than usual.

   Du solltest

   you should

   auch

   also

   vorsichtiger

   more carefully

   als sonst

   than usual

   gehen

   walk

   More detail

   Du solltest combines the second-person singular pronoun du with solltest, the form of sollen used here for advice or a recommendation: “you should.” In this use, solltest is not simply a past-tense statement. Compare Du sollst warten. (“You are supposed to wait.”), which can sound more like an instruction. With a modal verb such as solltest, the other verb stays in the infinitive and comes later in the clause. Example: Du solltest dich ausruhen. — “You should rest.” auch means “also” and adds this recommendation to something else that is relevant. Its exact placement can vary in German, but here it appears directly after the subject-and-modal unit. vorsichtiger is the comparative form of the adjective vorsichtig (“careful,” “cautious”). Here it is used adverbially, so it describes how the walking should be done: “more carefully,” rather than describing a noun. The useful comparison chain is vorsichtig → vorsichtiger → am vorsichtigsten (“careful” → “more careful/carefully” → “most careful/most carefully”). Example: Sie fährt vorsichtiger als früher. — “She drives more carefully than before.” als sonst completes the comparison. After a comparative form, als introduces what the comparison is measured against; sonst means “otherwise” or, as it does here, “usually/in normal circumstances.” Thus vorsichtiger als sonst means “more carefully than usual.” This does not state a numerical amount; it compares the current manner with the person’s usual manner. gehen is the infinitive “to go” or “to walk.” The fixed translation selects “walk” in this sentence. Because it follows the modal solltest, it remains in the infinitive rather than being conjugated. Gehen can describe movement generally, while context can make walking the intended sense. Example: Wir gehen langsam. — “We walk slowly.” Together, Du solltest expresses advice addressed to one person, auch adds this advice, vorsichtiger als sonst specifies that the manner should be more careful than normal, and gehen names the action. The whole utterance therefore means: “You should also walk more carefully than usual.”

5. Glaubst du, dass die Busse Verspätung haben werden?

   Do you think buses will be delayed?

   Glaubst du

   Do you think?

   dass

   that

   Busse

   buses

   Verspätung

   delay

   haben

   have

   werden

   will

   More detail

   Glaubst du means “Do you think?” here. glauben is the base form; glaubst is its present-tense form for du. In a German yes/no question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Glaubst du ...? Compare the statement Du glaubst ... — “You think ...”. dass introduces a subordinate clause meaning “that”. In this clause, the conjugated verb is placed at the end. This word order is reusable: Ich weiß, dass er kommt. — “I know that he is coming.” Busse means “buses” in this sentence. Its base singular form is Bus, and Busse is the plural. German nouns are capitalized. Example: Die Busse kommen. — “The buses are coming.” Verspätung means “delay” here. The expression Verspätung haben is a useful way to say that a vehicle is delayed; it literally uses “have” with “delay.” The noun itself is singular in this expression, while the number of buses is expressed separately by Busse. haben means “to have” here. It is the infinitive selected by the future auxiliary werden; it is not a plural finite form in this clause. In the present tense without that auxiliary, the plural form is also haben: Die Busse haben Verspätung. — “The buses are delayed.” werden expresses the future here: “will.” It is not the passive auxiliary in this sentence. In a main clause, the finite form comes early: Die Busse werden Verspätung haben. In the dass clause, the finite future auxiliary is at the end: ..., dass die Busse Verspätung haben werden. Together, Glaubst du asks for the listener’s view, and dass die Busse Verspätung haben werden gives the content of that thought. The subordinate-clause order places the infinitive haben before the finite future auxiliary werden, producing the complete meaning: “Do you think buses will be delayed?”

6. Wahrscheinlich, weil sich der Verkehr im Schnee langsam bewegt.

   Probably, because traffic moves slowly in snow.

   Wahrscheinlich

   probably

   weil

   because

   sich

   itself

   Verkehr

   traffic

   im

   in the

   Schnee

   snow

   langsam

   slowly

   bewegt

   moves

   More detail

   Wahrscheinlich means “probably” here. It marks the statement as probable rather than certain. Example: Wahrscheinlich kommt sie später. — “She will probably come later.” weil introduces a reason. In a German weil clause, the finite verb normally comes at the end: weil es regnet — “because it is raining.” sich is the reflexive pronoun used with sich bewegen, “to move.” In this sentence, it refers back to the subject der Verkehr; German sich is used for third-person singular and plural reflexive subjects and does not show gender. The parts of the construction are separated here by the subject: sich ... bewegt. Verkehr means “traffic” here. It is the masculine noun der Verkehr and is commonly used as a mass or general term rather than as a counted individual. Example: Der Verkehr ist dicht. — “The traffic is heavy.” im is the contraction of in dem. Here, im Schnee gives the setting or conditions in which the movement occurs. Schnee means “snow.” It is the masculine noun der Schnee; therefore in dem Schnee contracts to im Schnee. langsam means “slowly” here because it describes the manner of movement. The same form can be an adjective meaning “slow”: ein langsamer Bus — “a slow bus.” As an adverb, it has no adjective ending. bewegt is the third-person singular present form of bewegen, “to move.” With the reflexive pronoun, sich bewegen means “to move.” Because this is a weil clause, bewegt appears at the end. Example: Der Bus bewegt sich langsam. — “The bus moves slowly.” Together, weil sich der Verkehr im Schnee langsam bewegt means “because traffic moves slowly in snow.” The opening Wahrscheinlich adds “probably,” so the whole utterance means: “Probably, because traffic moves slowly in snow.”

7. Lass mich vor dem Losgehen die Verkehrs-App prüfen.

   Let me check the transport app before leaving.

   Lass mich

   let me

   vor dem Losgehen

   before leaving

   Verkehrs-App

   transport app

   prüfen

   check

   More detail

   Lass mich uses the imperative lass of lassen with the accusative pronoun mich. In this pattern, Lass mich + infinitive means “let me do something”; the person asking to act is mich, while the implied addressee is the person addressed by lass. Example: Lass mich helfen. — “Let me help.” vor dem Losgehen expresses a time relation: vor means “before” here and takes the dative in this use. Losgehen is a nominalized infinitive, so it is capitalized and treated as a neuter noun; dem is its dative article. The phrase therefore means “before leaving” or, more literally, “before setting off.” Example: Vor dem Schlafengehen lese ich. — “I read before going to bed.” Verkehrs-App is a compound noun: Verkehr refers here to traffic or transport, and App means an app. The compound names an app connected with transport or traffic. German compound nouns are written as one unit, with the final noun, App, supplying the grammatical gender; die Verkehrs-App is feminine. prüfen is the infinitive “to check” or “to examine.” After Lass mich, the infinitive stays at the end of the clause: Lass mich die App prüfen means “Let me check the app.” Its base form is already visible here; a present-tense example is Ich prüfe die App. — “I check the app.” Together, Lass mich introduces the speaker’s requested action, die Verkehrs-App prüfen states that action, and vor dem Losgehen places it before leaving. The complete meaning is: “Let me check the transport app before leaving.”

8. Das kann dir Zeit sparen.

   That may save you time.

   Das

   that / it

   kann

   may / can

   dir

   to you

   Zeit

   time

   sparen

   save

   More detail

   Das is a demonstrative pronoun functioning as the subject. Here it means “that,” referring to something understood from the situation; the sentence itself does not identify a more specific referent. Its form is neuter singular, but as a pronoun it can point to an understood matter or situation rather than naming a particular noun. kann is the third-person singular present form of können (“can, be able to”). In this sentence, with Das as its subject, it expresses possibility: “may/can save.” The modal verb appears in a finite position, while the other verb remains in the infinitive at the end. For example: Das kann helfen. — “That may help.” dir is the informal second-person singular dative pronoun, meaning “to you” or “for you.” It marks the person who benefits from the possible saving; it is not the subject. The corresponding formal or plural form is Ihnen in this dative use, but dir is the appropriate form for one person addressed informally. Zeit is the noun “time.” It is feminine: die Zeit; its plural is die Zeiten, although the uncountable idea of time commonly appears in the singular. In Zeit sparen, it forms a common expression meaning “to save time.” sparen is the infinitive “to save,” here used with kann. Its subject is still Das, so the complete verb meaning is “may save,” not a command. The same verb can also be used for saving money or resources, but here its object is Zeit. Together, Das kann presents a possibility, dir identifies the person who benefits, and Zeit sparen means “save time.” The full utterance therefore means “That may save you time.”