Waiting for Your Turn | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ich warte immer noch auf meinen Aufruf.

   I am still waiting for my turn.

   Ich

   I

   warte

   wait

   immer noch

   still

   auf

   for

   meinen

   my

   Aufruf

   call; turn

   More detail

   Ich is the first-person singular subject: the speaker is the one waiting. German uses ich for “I” when the speaker is the grammatical subject. warte is the first-person singular present form of warten (“to wait”): ich warte. The present tense can describe an action continuing now, so it corresponds here to “am waiting,” not only to a general habit. Example: Ich warte draußen. — “I am waiting outside.” immer noch means “still.” It marks that the waiting continues at the relevant time. Example: Sie ist immer noch hier. — “She is still here.” auf belongs to the construction auf etwas warten, “to wait for something.” In this construction, auf takes the accusative: Ich warte auf den Bus. — “I am waiting for the bus.” Other uses of auf can have different meanings, but “for” is its meaning here. meinen is the inflected possessive form of mein (“my”). It is masculine accusative singular because it accompanies the masculine noun Aufruf in meinen Aufruf; the accusative is also required after auf in auf etwas warten. Compare mein Aufruf (masculine nominative) with meinen Aufruf (masculine accusative). Aufruf is a masculine noun meaning a call or summons. Here, the fixed translation identifies the result as the speaker’s “turn”: the speaker is waiting to be called. The following context, jede Person aufzurufen (“to call each person”), supports this sense. Example: Mein Aufruf kommt später. — “My turn comes later.” Together, Ich warte says “I am waiting,” immer noch says that the waiting continues, and auf meinen Aufruf specifies what the speaker is waiting for. The complete meaning is: “I am still waiting for my turn.”

2. Heute brauchen sie lange, um jede Person aufzurufen.

   They are taking a long time to call each person today.

   Heute

   today

   brauchen sie lange

   take a long time

   jede

   each

   Person

   person

   aufzurufen

   to call

   More detail

   Heute means “today” and sets the time of the situation. German time expressions can stand at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis or clear orientation. brauchen sie lange: brauchen is the present-tense form for sie meaning “they need/take”; sie here is the third-person plural pronoun “they,” as supported by the fixed translation. lange describes an extended amount of time in this expression. The pattern jemand braucht lange, um ... zu ... means that someone takes a long time to do something. The present tense can describe the current situation; German does not need a separate progressive form here. jede: This is the form of jeder meaning “each/every” before a feminine singular noun in this use. It presents the people individually rather than as one unspecified group. The form changes with the noun’s grammatical gender, case, and number; here Person is feminine singular and is the object of aufzurufen. Person: Person means “person.” Its plural is Personen. In this sentence it is the object of the calling action, and jede Person means “each person.” aufzurufen: The base verb is the separable verb aufrufen, “to call” or “to summon.” In the um ... zu infinitive construction, the zu is placed inside this verb: auf-rufen becomes auf-zu-rufen, written aufzurufen. The structure um jede Person aufzurufen means “in order to call each person.” Together, Heute brauchen sie lange says “Today they are taking a long time,” and um jede Person aufzurufen gives the activity connected with that delay: “to call each person.” The complete meaning is: “They are taking a long time to call each person today.”

3. Dann sollte ich in der Nähe bleiben.

   So I should stay nearby.

   Dann

   then

   sollte ich

   I should

   in der Nähe

   nearby

   bleiben

   stay

   More detail

   Dann means “then” here: it links this decision or consequence to something already established. It can also introduce a main clause while taking the first position. sollte ich expresses “I should.” sollte is the first-person singular form of sollen in the Konjunktiv II form, commonly used for advice or a tentative recommendation. Compare ich soll (“I am supposed to / I should,” more direct) with ich sollte (“I should,” often softer or more tentative). Because Dann comes first, the finite verb follows it and the subject comes next: Dann sollte ich .... in der Nähe is the reusable phrase “nearby” or “in the vicinity.” Nähe is a feminine noun, and the static-location phrase uses in with the dative: in der Nähe. The article der marks that dative form here. Example: Das Hotel ist in der Nähe. — “The hotel is nearby.” bleiben means “to stay” or “to remain.” It is the infinitive of bleiben; after the modal verb sollte, the infinitive appears at the end of the main clause. Example: Ich sollte hier bleiben. — “I should stay here.” Together, Dann + sollte ich + in der Nähe + bleiben gives “So I should stay nearby.” The structure is a main clause with the linking adverb first, the finite modal verb in second position, the subject after it, and the infinitive at the end.

4. Sie rufen dich vielleicht bald auf.

   They may call you soon.

   Sie

   they

   rufen … auf

   call

   dich

   you

   vielleicht

   perhaps

   bald

   soon

   More detail

   Sie means “they” here, as fixed by the translation. It is the third-person plural personal pronoun. The same spelling can also be formal “you” in other contexts, so the intended meaning must come from the sentence and context; here it is the group who may make the call. rufen and auf belong to the separable verb aufrufen, meaning “to call” or “to call up.” In this sentence, rufen is the finite part and auf is separated and placed at the end: Sie rufen dich auf. This separation is a reusable German pattern for many separable verbs. For example: Ich stehe früh auf. — “I get up early.” dich means informal singular “you” as the person affected by the calling. It is the accusative form of du: du is used for the subject, while dich is used here for the direct object. Example: Ich sehe dich. — “I see you.” vielleicht means “perhaps” or “maybe.” It expresses uncertainty about the event, not uncertainty about who is being called. Example: Vielleicht kommt sie morgen. — “Maybe she is coming tomorrow.” bald means “soon,” referring to a relatively near future time. It is different from früh, which means “early.” Example: Wir gehen bald. — “We are leaving soon.” Together, Sie rufen dich auf says that they call you, while vielleicht makes that event uncertain and bald places it in the near future. The complete utterance means: “They may call you soon.”

5. Auf welchen Schalter soll ich achten?

   Which counter should I watch?

   Auf … achten

   watch / pay attention to

   welchen

   which

   Schalter

   counter

   soll ich

   should I

   More detail

   Auf ... achten is the reusable expression meaning “to pay attention to” or “to watch.” In this sentence, auf introduces what receives the attention, and achten is the infinitive. The construction is auf + accusative: Ich achte auf den Bildschirm. — “I pay attention to the screen.” welchen means “which” here. It is the accusative masculine singular form of welcher, agreeing with Schalter, which is masculine singular. The same pattern is useful with other nouns: Welchen Bus soll ich nehmen? — “Which bus should I take?” Schalter is the noun understood here as “counter.” Its meaning can vary by context; the supplied translation and surrounding context establish the counter that the screen will identify. Der Schalter is singular; its plural is die Schalter. soll ich contains soll, the first-person singular present form of the modal verb sollen, plus ich, “I.” With a modal verb, the other verb normally appears as an infinitive at the end: Soll ich warten? — “Should I wait?” The question asks which counter the speaker should watch, rather than asserting that the speaker is already watching one. Together, Auf welchen Schalter soll ich achten? asks: “Which counter should I watch?” The question uses auf welchen Schalter for the object of attention, soll ich for the recommendation or instruction directed at the speaker, and achten as the main action.

6. Der Bildschirm zeigt den richtigen Schalter an.

   The screen will show the right counter.

   Bildschirm

   screen

   zeigt … an

   shows/displays

   richtigen

   right/correct

   Schalter

   counter

   More detail

   Bildschirm means “screen” here. Its base form is der Bildschirm, a masculine noun. In this sentence it is the subject, so it appears in the nominative: Der Bildschirm. zeigt ... an comes from the separable verb anzeigen, “to display” or “to show.” In the observed form, zeigt is the third-person singular present form, used with Der Bildschirm; the prefix an moves to the end of the clause. A reusable pattern is X zeigt Y an — “X displays Y.” Example: Das Gerät zeigt die Nummer an. — “The device displays the number.” richtigen comes from the adjective richtig, “right” or “correct.” It describes Schalter and has the ending -en because it follows the definite article den in the accusative masculine phrase den richtigen Schalter. The adjective itself, not the noun, carries this inflection. A useful contrast is der richtige Schalter (nominative) versus den richtigen Schalter (accusative). Schalter means “counter” in the intended meaning here, as established by the fixed translation and the preceding question. The same German noun can also mean “switch” in another context, but that is not the intended meaning in this utterance. Schalter has the same form in the singular nominative and accusative: der Schalter, den Schalter. Together, Der Bildschirm is the subject, zeigt ... an says what the screen displays, and den richtigen Schalter is the displayed object. The complete meaning is: “The screen will show the right counter.” The German verb form itself is present tense (zeigt ... an); the fixed English translation expresses the intended event with “will show.”

7. Dann behalte ich das Ticket in der Hand.

   Then I'll keep the ticket in my hand.

   Dann

   then

   behalte

   keep

   Ticket

   ticket

   in der Hand

   in the hand

   More detail

   Dann means “then” and places the action after an understood earlier point in time or sequence. It can begin a sentence, as it does here. behalte is the first-person singular present form of behalten (“to keep”): ich behalte. The verb is separable in some other constructions only when it has a separable prefix; behalten itself stays together. German present tense can refer to a future action when the time is clear, so the fixed translation’s “I’ll keep” fits this form. Example: Ich behalte den Schlüssel. — “I’m keeping the key.” Ticket is the noun “ticket.” In this sentence it is neuter, shown by das Ticket; the article is not part of the quoted word itself. Example: Das Ticket ist hier. — “The ticket is here.” in der Hand gives the location “in the hand.” Hand is feminine, and der here is its dative singular article after in because the phrase describes a location, not movement into a location. The same case pattern appears in in der Tasche (“in the bag”). Here, the location phrase combines with behalte to say that the speaker keeps the ticket in the hand. Together, Dann sets the sequence, behalte ich says that the speaker keeps something, das Ticket identifies what is kept, and in der Hand gives its location. The complete meaning is: “Then I’ll keep the ticket in my hand.”

8. Das macht es leichter, wenn du an der Reihe bist.

   That makes it easier when your turn comes.

   Das

   That

   macht

   makes

   es

   it

   leichter

   easier

   wenn

   when

   du

   you

   an der Reihe

   one’s turn

   bist

   are

   More detail

   Das means “that” here and functions as the subject. It points back to the situation or action just mentioned, rather than naming a new noun. German demonstratives such as das can refer to a preceding fact or situation. macht is the third-person singular present form of machen (“to make; do”): machen → macht. In etwas macht etwas leichter, the first element is what causes the change and the second describes the result. Example: Übung macht die Aufgabe leichter. — “Practice makes the task easier.” es is a formal object in this pattern. The construction Das macht es + adjective means “That makes it + adjective”; the later wenn clause specifies when this is true. Example: Das macht es leichter, wenn du übst. — “That makes it easier when you practise.” leichter is the comparative form of leicht (“easy; light”): leicht → leichter (“easier; lighter”) → am leichtesten (“easiest; lightest”). Here it means “easier,” not “lighter” in physical weight. Example: Eine Liste macht das Lernen leichter. — “A list makes learning easier.” wenn introduces a subordinate clause meaning “when” here. It places the main situation in the circumstance or time described by the clause. In a German wenn clause, the finite verb normally goes to the end. du is the informal second-person singular pronoun, “you,” used for one person. Its matching formal counterpart is Sie, but that is not the form used here. an der Reihe is a fixed expression meaning “one’s turn.” The noun Reihe is feminine, and der here is the feminine dative article after an: an der Reihe. The expression is completed by a form of sein, as in Du bist an der Reihe. — “It is your turn.” bist is the second-person singular present form of sein (“to be”): sein → du bist. It appears at the end because wenn introduces the subordinate clause. The pattern wenn du an der Reihe bist means “when it is your turn” or, literally, “when you are the one whose turn it is.” Together, Das macht es leichter says “That makes it easier,” and wenn du an der Reihe bist specifies the situation: “when it is your turn.” The complete utterance therefore means, “That makes it easier when your turn comes.”