Reading Medicine Instructions | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ich habe dieses Medikament in der Apotheke abgeholt.

   I picked up this medicine at the pharmacy.

   Ich habe

   I have

   dieses

   this

   Medikament

   medicine

   Apotheke

   pharmacy

   abgeholt

   picked up

   More detail

   Ich habe is the first- and singular form of haben used here as the auxiliary for the German perfect tense. With a past participle, it expresses a completed event: Ich habe gelernt. = “I studied” or “I have studied.” The subject is Ich, so habe is the correct form; other present-tense forms include du hast and er/sie hat. dieses means “this” here and agrees with Medikament. The noun is neuter and singular, and it is the direct object of abgeholt, so the demonstrative has the neuter accusative form dieses. Compare the reusable pattern dieses Buch = “this book”; dieser is used with a masculine nominative noun, as in dieser Apotheker = “this pharmacist.” Medikament is a neuter noun meaning “medicine” or “medication.” Its plural is Medikamente. In this sentence, dieses Medikament is the thing that was picked up, so it functions as the direct object. Apotheke means “pharmacy.” The phrase here is in der Apotheke: in with the dative expresses a location, and der is the dative singular form of the feminine article. Compare in die Apotheke when movement into the pharmacy is being expressed, versus in der Apotheke for being or acting at that location. abgeholt is the past participle of the separable verb abholen, “to pick up” or “to collect.” In the perfect tense, the auxiliary carries the person and tense while abgeholt stays as the participle: Ich habe das Paket abgeholt. = “I picked up the package.” The verb’s present-tense separable form is Ich hole das Paket ab = “I pick up the package.” Together, Ich habe marks a completed past event, dieses Medikament identifies what was picked up, in der Apotheke gives the location, and abgeholt supplies the main action. The complete meaning is: “I picked up this medicine at the pharmacy.”

2. Hat der Apotheker die Anweisungen erklärt?

   Did the pharmacist explain the instructions?

   Hat der Apotheker

   Did the pharmacist

   die Anweisungen

   the instructions

   erklärt

   explained

   More detail

   Hat der Apotheker begins a yes/no question. German commonly forms this type of question by placing the finite verb first: Hat ...? Here hat is the third-person singular present form of haben (“to have”). Together with the participle erklärt at the end, it forms the present perfect: “has explained” / “did explain.” der Apotheker means “the pharmacist”; der marks this masculine singular noun as the subject in the nominative case. die Anweisungen means “the instructions.” Anweisungen is the plural of Anweisung (“instruction”). In this sentence it is the direct object, so it is in the accusative; for plural nouns, the definite article die has the same form in the nominative and accusative. The phrase therefore identifies what was explained. erklärt is the past participle of erklären (“to explain”). With haben, it appears at the end of a main-clause perfect construction: hat ... erklärt. The ending -t is typical of this regular verb’s participle formation. As a reusable pattern, a German yes/no question in the perfect can be formed as Hat + subject + object + past participle? For example: Hat die Ärztin den Bericht gelesen? — “Did the doctor read the report?” Putting the parts together, Hat der Apotheker die Anweisungen erklärt? asks whether the pharmacist explained the instructions: “Did the pharmacist explain the instructions?”

3. Auf dem Etikett steht, dass du es nach dem Essen nehmen sollst.

   The label says to take it after meals.

   Auf dem Etikett

   on the label

   steht

   says; is written

   du … sollst

   you are supposed to

   es

   it

   nach dem Essen

   after eating; after a meal

   nehmen

   take

   More detail

   Auf dem Etikett means “on the label.” auf takes the dative here because this is a fixed location, not movement toward a location. dem is the dative form of the neuter article das; Etikett is neuter. Example: Das steht auf dem Etikett. — “That is written on the label.” steht is the third-person singular present form of stehen (“to stand”). With a label, it means that something is written or stated there; it does not mean that the label is physically standing. Example: Auf dem Schild steht „Eingang“. — “The sign says ‘Entrance.’” du ... sollst is the second-person singular present form of the modal verb sollen, used here for an instruction or recommended action: “you are supposed to.” The subject du is separated from sollst by the subordinate clause material. With a modal verb, the other verb normally appears as an infinitive at the end: Du sollst warten. — “You are supposed to wait.” sollst is not the future form of nehmen; it expresses what is required or recommended. es is an accusative pronoun meaning “it.” Its grammatical form is neuter singular, but the supplied sentence does not identify exactly what the pronoun refers to. It is the thing being taken, and the fixed translation supports that role without specifying the item. nach dem Essen means “after eating” or, in this instruction, “after a meal.” For time expressions, nach takes the dative: dem is the dative form of neuter das Essen. Essen is capitalized here because it is a noun; it can refer to eating as an activity or to a meal, with the intended sense determined by context. Example: Wir gehen nach dem Essen spazieren. — “We go for a walk after the meal.” nehmen is the infinitive “to take.” It stays at the end because it depends on the modal sollst. The pattern is Du sollst es nach dem Essen nehmen — “You are supposed to take it after a meal.” Together, Auf dem Etikett steht, dass ... introduces the information written on the label. Inside the dass-clause, du sollst ... nehmen says that you are instructed or advised to take es, and nach dem Essen specifies the time. The whole utterance therefore means: “The label says to take it after meals.”

4. Dann nimm es nicht vor dem Frühstück.

   Then do not take it before breakfast.

   Dann

   then

   nimm

   take

   es

   it

   nicht

   not

   vor dem

   before the

   Frühstück

   breakfast

   More detail

   Dann means “then” here and connects this instruction with the preceding information. It can also introduce a next step: Dann gehen wir. — “Then we’ll go.” nimm is the informal singular imperative of nehmen (“to take”). It addresses one person directly, with the subject du understood and normally omitted. A useful form chain is nehmen — du nimmst — nimm!; the vowel change belongs to the inflection of this verb. Example: Nimm die Tablette. — “Take the tablet.” es is an accusative singular neuter pronoun meaning “it.” Here it refers to the item that the surrounding wording says should be taken, without identifying that item more specifically. The accusative form is used because nehmen has a direct object. Example: Ich sehe es. — “I see it.” nicht is the ordinary negation word “not.” Here it negates the taking: nimm es nicht means “do not take it.” In this utterance, it follows the object and comes before the time expression. Example: Komm nicht so spät. — “Don’t come so late.” vor dem begins a temporal expression meaning “before the.” In this use, vor governs the dative, and dem is the dative singular definite article. A reusable pattern is vor dem + noun, as in vor dem Schlafengehen — “before going to bed.” Frühstück is the noun “breakfast.” Its citation form is the neuter noun das Frühstück. In vor dem Frühstück, the noun itself keeps the same form, while dem marks the dative required by the temporal vor. Example: Das Frühstück beginnt um acht. — “Breakfast starts at eight.” Together, Dann nimm es nicht gives the informal singular instruction “Then do not take it,” and vor dem Frühstück specifies the time before which the taking must not happen. The complete utterance is: “Then do not take it before breakfast.”

5. Ich bin mir bei der Dosis nicht sicher.

   I am not sure about the dose.

   Ich bin mir … nicht sicher

   I am not sure

   Dosis

   dose

   More detail

   Ich bin mir ... nicht sicher is a reusable German pattern meaning “I am not sure.” The form bin is the first-person singular present form of sein (“to be”): ich bin, du bist, er/sie ist. mir is the dative reflexive pronoun corresponding to ich; it belongs to the expression sich sicher sein. nicht negates the adjective sicher, which means “sure” or “certain” here. Example: Ich bin mir nicht sicher. — “I am not sure.” Dosis is a feminine noun meaning “dose.” Its definite article is die Dosis in the nominative and accusative, and der Dosis in the dative and genitive. Here, bei der Dosis uses the dative after bei and identifies what the uncertainty concerns. Example: Die Dosis ist zu hoch. — “The dose is too high.” The sentence assembles as Ich bin mir + bei der Dosis + nicht sicher: “I am not sure about the dose.” It is a neutral way to express uncertainty about the dose.

6. Ruf in der Apotheke an, wenn das Etikett unklar ist.

   Call the pharmacy if the label is unclear.

   Ruf … an

   call

   Apotheke

   pharmacy

   Etikett

   label

   unklar

   unclear

   More detail

   Ruf ... an is the separable imperative of anrufen (“to call”): Ruf is the du command form, and the prefix an moves to the end in this main-clause imperative. The reusable pattern is Ruf [person/place] an. — “Call [someone/somewhere].” For example: Ruf deine Mutter an. — “Call your mother.” Apotheke means “pharmacy.” It is a feminine noun: die Apotheke in the basic form. After the location expression in here, German uses the dative for a fixed location, so the article appears as der: in der Apotheke — “at/in the pharmacy.” This is different from movement into the pharmacy, which uses the accusative: Ich gehe in die Apotheke. — “I am going to the pharmacy.” Etikett means “label.” It is a neuter noun: das Etikett. In das Etikett ... ist, it is the subject, so it appears in the nominative with the neuter article das. The noun itself does not change here; the article shows the case and gender. unklar means “unclear” or “not clear.” It is a predicative adjective after ist, so it has no adjective ending: Das Etikett ist unklar. — “The label is unclear.” An attributive form such as klares appears in a phrase such as ein klares Etikett — “a clear label”; unklar is the opposite of klar (“clear”). Together, Ruf in der Apotheke an gives the command “Call the pharmacy,” and wenn das Etikett unklar ist adds the condition “if the label is unclear.” The full utterance is therefore: “Call the pharmacy if the label is unclear.”

7. Das ist sicherer, als zu raten.

   That is safer than guessing.

   Das

   That

   ist

   is

   sicherer

   safer

   zu raten

   to guess

   More detail

   Das is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. It points to an already understood situation or option; its specific referent is not named in this sentence. German also uses dieses/diese/dieser for “this/that” distinctions involving grammatical gender, number, and case, but Das itself does not identify the referent here. ist is the third-person singular present form of sein, “to be.” The pattern Das ist ... is a reusable way to describe or evaluate something: Das ist wichtig. — “That is important.” sicherer means “safer” in this sentence. It is the comparative form of the adjective sicher (“safe”); the basic comparison chain is sicher → sicherer → am sichersten (“safe” → “safer” → “safest”). Here sicherer is used predicatively after ist, so it does not show a separate gender, number, or case ending. zu raten means “to guess” here. raten is the infinitive, and zu marks it as an infinitive construction. The verb raten has other uses in other contexts, including “to advise,” but the fixed translation establishes the meaning “to guess” here. A reusable example is Es ist besser, nachzufragen, als zu raten. — “It is better to ask than to guess.” Together with als, the comparative pattern X ist [comparative], als ... compares two options or actions. Thus Das ist sicherer, als zu raten. says that the situation referred to by Das is safer than the action of guessing. The comma separates the comparison clause, and the complete sentence means “That is safer than guessing.”

8. Der Apotheker kann dir die richtige Dosis sagen, bevor du es einnimmst.

   The pharmacist can tell you the correct dose before you take it.

   Apotheker

   pharmacist

   kann

   can; be able to

   dir

   to you

   Dosis

   dose

   richtige

   correct; right

   sagen

   tell; say

   bevor

   before

   du

   you

   es

   it

   einnimmst

   take; ingest

   More detail

   Apotheker means “pharmacist” here. Its base form is Apotheker; the noun is masculine, as shown by der in the subject phrase Der Apotheker. Example: Der Apotheker arbeitet heute. — “The pharmacist is working today.” kann is the third-person singular present form of können (“can; be able to”). With a modal verb such as können, the other verb normally appears as an infinitive at the end of the clause: Er kann helfen. — “He can help.” Here, kann expresses ability or possibility, while sagen supplies the action. dir is the dative form of du (“you”). It marks the person who receives the information, not the thing being told. The forms are du for a subject and dir for an indirect object: Ich gebe dir die Antwort. — “I give you the answer.” richtige means “correct” or “right” here. It is the adjective richtig with an ending added because it appears before the feminine noun Dosis in the definite-noun phrase die richtige Dosis. The feminine singular accusative form is shown by die; after this definite article, the adjective has the weak ending -e. Example: Sie wählt die richtige Antwort. — “She chooses the correct answer.” Dosis means “dose,” a measured amount of medicine or another substance. It is a feminine noun: die Dosis. In this sentence, die richtige Dosis is the thing the pharmacist can tell the listener. Example: Die Dosis steht auf dem Etikett. — “The dose is on the label.” sagen is the infinitive “to say” or “to tell.” In this sentence, it follows the modal kann, so it stays in the infinitive and appears at the end of the main clause. The pattern jemandem etwas sagen means “to tell someone something”: Ich sage dir die Wahrheit. — “I tell you the truth.” bevor means “before” and introduces a subordinate clause. In a German subordinate clause introduced by bevor, the finite verb goes to the end: Bevor du gehst, ruf mich an. — “Before you leave, call me.” du is the nominative subject form of “you” for one person. Here it is the person performing the later action. Its dative form appeared earlier as dir; case determines the form according to the word’s role. es is the accusative form of the neuter pronoun “it.” It is the object of einnimmst. The fixed translation supports the meaning “it,” but does not identify a more specific referent. Example: Nimm es mit Wasser ein. — “Take it with water.” einnimmst means “take” or “ingest” here. It is the second-person singular present form of the separable verb einnehmen: du nimmst ... ein. In the subordinate clause after bevor, the finite form is placed at the end, and the prefix is joined to the verb: bevor du die Tablette einnimmst — “before you take the tablet.” The form contains the irregular stem change nehm- to nimm- in the second-person singular present. Together, Der Apotheker kann dir die richtige Dosis sagen means “The pharmacist can tell you the correct dose.” bevor du es einnimmst adds the time condition “before you take it.” The complete utterance therefore means: “The pharmacist can tell you the correct dose before you take it.”