Asking about the estimated waiting time | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Entschuldigung, wie lange muss ich ungefähr warten?

   Excuse me, what is the estimated waiting time?

   Entschuldigung

   excuse me

   wie lange

   how long

   muss ich

   do I have to

   ungefähr

   approximately

   warten

   wait

   More detail

   Entschuldigung is a polite way to get someone's attention or apologize; here it functions as “excuse me.” It comes from the verb entschuldigen, “to excuse” or “to forgive,” but this fixed form is commonly used independently at the start of a question. wie lange asks about duration: “how long.” It is a reusable question pattern, as in Wie lange dauert das? — “How long does that take?” Do not confuse it with wie oft, which asks how frequently something happens. muss ich contains müssen, “must” or “have to,” in the first-person singular present form muss, plus the pronoun ich, “I.” The form muss is irregular: ich muss, but wir müssen — “we must.” In this question, the modal expresses the speaker’s expected or required waiting, not a stated number of minutes. ungefähr means “approximately” or “roughly.” It makes the requested duration an estimate rather than an exact measurement. For example, ungefähr zehn Minuten means “about ten minutes.” warten means “to wait.” It is the infinitive and remains at the end of this German question because it follows the conjugated modal muss: Ich muss warten — “I have to wait.” With another subject, the modal changes while warten stays infinitive: Sie muss warten — “She has to wait.” Together, wie lange asks for the duration, muss ich warten asks how long the speaker has to wait, and ungefähr marks the answer as an estimate. With the polite opener, the utterance means: “Excuse me, what is the estimated waiting time?”

2. Etwa zehn Minuten, vielleicht etwas länger.

   About ten minutes, maybe a little longer.

   Etwa

   about

   zehn Minuten

   ten minutes

   vielleicht

   maybe

   etwas

   a little

   länger

   longer

   More detail

   Etwa means “about” here: it makes the time estimate approximate rather than exact. A reusable pattern is etwa + a number or amount, as in etwa fünf Tage — “about five days.” zehn Minuten is the duration being estimated. zehn is the number “ten,” and Minuten is the plural of Minute (“minute”); German uses this plural form after ten. The phrase zehn Minuten therefore means “ten minutes,” without asserting that the duration is exact because Etwa makes the whole estimate approximate. vielleicht introduces a possibility: “maybe” or “perhaps.” It signals that the speaker is less certain about the additional duration. etwas means “a little” in this context. With a comparative, the pattern etwas + comparative means “a little [more/less]” of the relevant property. For example, etwas schneller means “a little faster.” länger is the comparative form of lang, “long.” Here it describes duration, so it means “longer,” understood as longer than the estimated ten minutes. The comparative form is lang → länger → am längsten (“long” → “longer” → “the longest”). In this use, länger has no adjective ending because it stands as a predicative/adverbial description rather than directly modifying a noun. Together, Etwa zehn Minuten, vielleicht etwas länger. is a shortened answer to the waiting-time question: “About ten minutes, maybe a little longer.” The first part gives an approximate duration; the second adds the possibility that the wait will exceed that estimate slightly.

3. Ich habe danach noch einen anderen Termin.

   I have another appointment after this.

   Ich

   I

   habe

   have

   danach

   after that; afterwards

   noch

   still; additionally

   anderen

   other; another

   Termin

   appointment

   More detail

   Ich is the first-person singular pronoun, “I.” It is the subject here. German subject pronouns include ich (“I”), du (“you,” singular informal), and Sie (“you,” formal), but the choice depends on the intended person and formality. habe is the first-person singular present form of haben, “to have”: ich habe = “I have.” The same verb also helps form the perfect tense, as in Ich habe gearbeitet (“I have worked” / “I worked”), but here it is the main verb and expresses having something scheduled. danach is a temporal adverb meaning “after that” or “afterwards.” It refers back to an event or point already understood from the situation. Example: Wir sprechen danach. — “We’ll talk afterwards.” noch can mean “still,” “yet,” or “additionally,” depending on context. Here, before einen anderen Termin, it contributes the idea that the speaker has an additional appointment. Example: Ich warte noch. — “I am still waiting.” anderen is the inflected form of the adjective andere, meaning “other” or “another.” In this sentence it modifies Termin. The ending -en appears because the noun phrase is masculine accusative after the indefinite article einen: einen anderen Termin. Compare ein anderer Termin — “another appointment” when the masculine noun phrase is the subject. Termin is a masculine noun meaning an appointment or scheduled engagement. Its plural is Termine: Ich habe zwei Termine. — “I have two appointments.” It can refer to a scheduled meeting or another arranged time, depending on context. Together, Ich habe states that the speaker has something scheduled, danach places it after the relevant earlier point, and noch einen anderen Termin identifies it as an additional appointment. The complete utterance means: “I have another appointment after this.”

4. Wenn das zu spät ist, können Sie nach dem Mittagessen wiederkommen.

   If that is too late, you can come back after lunch.

   Wenn

   if

   das

   that

   zu spät

   too late

   können Sie

   you can

   nach dem Mittagessen

   after lunch

   wiederkommen

   come back

   More detail

   Wenn introduces a condition: “if …”. In a subordinate clause, the finite verb comes at the end, as in Wenn das zu spät ist. das is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. It is neuter singular in form; the sentence does not need to identify a more specific referent for you to reuse this pattern. Compare Das ist gut (“That is good”). zu spät means “too late”. zu before an adjective expresses an excessive degree: zu teuer means “too expensive”. The adjective is spät; its comparison forms include später (“later”) and am spätesten (“latest”). Do not confuse zu spät (“too late”) with später (“later”). können Sie means “you can” in the formal address form. können is the finite form of können used with formal Sie; the same form also occurs with plural sie (“they”), while the pronoun and context distinguish the use. With a modal verb, the other verb stays in the infinitive at the end: Sie können warten means “You can wait.” nach dem Mittagessen means “after lunch”. The preposition nach takes the dative in this time expression. Mittagessen is a neuter noun, so its definite article is dem in the dative singular. The same pattern works with another event: nach dem Unterricht means “after class.” wiederkommen means “come back” or “return”. It is the infinitive of wiederkommen; in a regular finite clause, the separable part appears apart: Sie kommen wieder (“You come back”). After the modal können, the complete infinitive remains together at the end: Sie können wiederkommen. Together, Wenn das zu spät ist sets the condition “If that is too late”. The main clause können Sie nach dem Mittagessen wiederkommen says that you can come back after lunch. The full utterance therefore means: “If that is too late, you can come back after lunch.”

5. Behalte ich meinen Platz, wenn ich später zurückkomme?

   Would I keep my place if I came back later?

   Behalte

   keep

   meinen

   my

   Platz

   place

   wenn

   if

   ich

   I

   später

   later

   zurückkomme

   come back

   More detail

   Behalte comes from behalten, “to keep” or “to retain.” Here it is the first-person singular present form: ich behalte. Because this is a yes/no question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Behalte ich ...? This is a question, not the imperative “Keep!” The phrase asks whether the speaker will still retain the place. meinen is the possessive determiner mein (“my”) in the masculine accusative singular form. Platz is masculine, and it is the accusative object of behalten: meinen Platz. The form of the possessive determiner reflects the noun’s grammatical case and gender here; the first-person possessor remains “I/my.” Platz means “place” here, in the sense of a person’s reserved or held position. The phrase meinen Platz is reusable for “my place.” wenn introduces a condition and is commonly translated as “if” in this use. In a wenn clause, the finite verb goes to the end. ich is the first-person singular subject, “I.” später is the adverb “later,” referring to a later time without specifying exactly when. zurückkomme comes from the separable verb zurückkommen, “to come back” or “to return.” It is the first-person singular present form: ich komme zurück in a main clause. After wenn, the parts appear together at the end of the subordinate clause: wenn ich später zurückkomme. German present tense can describe a future condition here, so the fixed translation naturally uses “if I came back later.” Together, Behalte ich meinen Platz asks whether the speaker keeps the place, and wenn ich später zurückkomme gives the condition “if I come back later.” The whole utterance means: “Would I keep my place if I came back later?”

6. Nach dem Mittagessen müssten Sie eine neue Wartenummer ziehen.

   You would need to take a new ticket after lunch.

   Nach

   after

   Mittagessen

   lunch

   müssten Sie

   you would need to

   neue

   new

   Wartenummer

   ticket number

   ziehen

   take

   More detail

   Nach means “after” here in a time expression. In German, nach takes the dative in this use, which is why the following noun phrase has dem: nach dem Mittagessen = “after lunch.” For a destination, nach can have a different spatial use, so the surrounding noun phrase matters. Mittagessen is the noun “lunch.” It is a neuter noun: das Mittagessen; after dative dem it appears as dem Mittagessen. A useful example is Nach dem Frühstück gehe ich los. — “After breakfast, I set off.” müssten Sie combines the formal second-person pronoun Sie with müssten, the Konjunktiv II form of müssen (“must” / “need to”). In this sentence, müssten expresses a conditional or softened necessity: “would need to.” The capitalized Sie is formal “you”; it is distinct from lowercase sie, which can mean “she” or “they.” The modal verb comes before the subject here because the sentence begins with the time phrase, while the subject remains in the finite-verb position: Nach dem Mittagessen müssten Sie .... neue is the adjective “new.” Its base form is neu; neue is an inflected form. In eine neue Wartenummer, it has the feminine accusative ending because Wartenummer is feminine and is the direct object of ziehen. The useful pattern is eine neue + feminine noun, for example eine neue Karte — “a new card.” Wartenummer means “ticket number” or “queue number” in this setting: the number on a ticket used to determine a person’s place in line. It is a feminine compound noun: die Wartenummer, so the phrase is eine neue Wartenummer. The noun itself does not mean a general admission ticket in every context; its meaning here is the number for waiting in a queue. ziehen normally means “pull” or “draw,” but with a queue ticket it means “take” or “draw” a ticket. It is the base form used after the modal verb: müssen/müssten ... ziehen; German modal constructions place the second verb in the infinitive at the end. Example: Sie müssen eine Nummer ziehen. — “You have to take a number.” Together, Nach dem Mittagessen sets the time, müssten Sie expresses the addressed person’s conditional or softened need, and eine neue Wartenummer ziehen means taking a new queue ticket. The complete meaning is: “You would need to take a new ticket after lunch.”

7. Dann warte ich erst einmal, weil ich schon hier bin.

   Then I'll wait for now since I'm already here.

   Dann

   then

   warte

   wait

   erst einmal

   for now

   weil

   because

   schon

   already

   hier

   here

   bin

   am; be

   More detail

   Dann means “then” here and can introduce the consequence or next step. In a main clause, placing it first causes the finite verb to come immediately after it: Dann warte ich ... (“Then I’ll wait ...”). warte is the first-person singular present form of warten (“to wait”): ich warte. German present tense can describe a current action or a planned/immediate action, so the fixed translation naturally uses “I’ll wait.” The form warte belongs to ich; it is not the noun or object of waiting. erst einmal is a reusable expression meaning “for now” or “for the time being.” It presents the action as the current temporary step, without asserting what will happen later. For example: Ich schaue erst einmal. — “I’ll look for now.” weil introduces a reason clause. In a clause beginning with weil, the finite verb normally goes to the end: weil ich schon hier bin (“since I’m already here”). schon means “already” in this sentence. It marks the situation as true by the relevant time; it does not mean “still” here. For example: Ich bin schon fertig. — “I’m already finished.” hier means “here,” referring to the speaker’s current location in the fixed sentence. It is a location word and does not itself identify a more specific place. bin is the first-person singular present form of sein (“to be”): ich bin. German uses sein to express being in a location, as in Ich bin hier — “I’m here.” In the weil clause, bin is placed at the end because it is the finite verb of that clause. Together, Dann warte ich erst einmal means “Then I’ll wait for now.” The reason clause weil ich schon hier bin adds “since I’m already here.” The complete utterance therefore means: “Then I’ll wait for now since I’m already here.”

8. Bitte achten Sie auf den Bildschirm.

   Please keep an eye on the screen.

   Bitte

   please

   achten Sie

   pay attention (formal)

   Bildschirm

   screen

   More detail

   Bitte makes the request polite. It can occur at the beginning or elsewhere in a request. Example: Bitte warten Sie. — “Please wait.” achten Sie uses the verb achten in the formal imperative. The capitalized pronoun Sie addresses one or more people formally; the verb form is also achten here. The useful pattern is Achten Sie auf ... — “Pay attention to ...” or “Keep an eye on ...”. Example: Achten Sie auf den Verkehr. — “Pay attention to the traffic.” Bildschirm means “screen.” Its base noun form with the definite article is der Bildschirm; in this sentence it appears as den Bildschirm, the masculine singular accusative form. The verb achten takes auf with the accusative: auf den Bildschirm means “on/to the screen” in the expression “pay attention to the screen.” Here den is therefore marking the noun phrase required by this construction, not a quantity. Together, Bitte achten Sie auf den Bildschirm. is a polite formal request: “Please keep an eye on the screen.”