Back pain after long meetings | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Meine Rückenschmerzen werden nach langen Besprechungen schlimmer.

   My back pain gets worse after long meetings.

   Meine

   my

   Rückenschmerzen

   back pain

   werden

   become; get

   schlimmer

   worse

   nach

   after

   langen

   long

   Besprechungen

   meetings

   More detail

   Meine means “my” here and agrees with the plural noun Rückenschmerzen: the possessive form has the plural ending -e. Possessives change their endings according to the grammatical environment of the noun they accompany; the ending is not a separate pronoun referring to a particular person. Rückenschmerzen means “back pain.” It is a plural-form German noun, so the sentence uses the plural verb form werden. The compound combines Rücken (“back”) and Schmerzen (“pains”), but the whole word is the usual expression for back pain. For example: Ich habe Rückenschmerzen. — “I have back pain.” werden means “get” or “become” in this sentence. With a descriptive comparative such as schlimmer, werden expresses a change: “get worse.” Here it is werden, the present-tense form for a plural subject such as Rückenschmerzen. This is not the passive use of werden; the following comparative describes the change in condition. schlimmer means “worse.” It is the comparative form of schlimm (“bad” or “severe”): schlimm → schlimmer → am schlimmsten (“worst,” in the superlative form). For example: Die Schmerzen werden schlimmer. — “The pain is getting worse.” nach means “after” here and introduces the event that precedes the worsening. In this temporal use, nach takes the dative case. Its meaning is different from während (“during”) and vor (“before”). langen means “long” in the phrase “long meetings.” It is the adjective lang with the ending -en, because it follows dative plural nach in nach langen Besprechungen. The adjective describes the duration of the meetings, not their number. Besprechungen means “meetings.” It is the plural of Besprechung; the plural ending is -en. For example: Nach der Besprechung bin ich müde. — “After the meeting, I am tired.” In the fixed sentence, the plural form is required because the meaning refers to long meetings in general, not one specifically identified meeting. Together, Meine Rückenschmerzen werden schlimmer says “My back pain gets worse,” and nach langen Besprechungen specifies when this happens: “after long meetings.” The complete utterance is therefore: “My back pain gets worse after long meetings.”

2. Dein Stuhl hilft dir vielleicht nicht, aufrecht zu sitzen.

   Your chair may not help you maintain good posture.

   Dein

   your

   Stuhl

   chair

   hilft

   helps

   dir

   you

   vielleicht nicht

   perhaps not

   aufrecht

   upright

   sitzen

   to sit

   More detail

   Dein means “your” here and modifies the singular noun Stuhl. It is a possessive determiner: dein is used with a masculine singular noun in the nominative case. Compare deine with a feminine or plural noun, as in deine Tasche (“your bag”) or deine Bücher (“your books”). Stuhl means “chair.” Its plural is Stühle (“chairs”); the spelling changes because the vowel takes an umlaut. Example: Der Stuhl ist bequem. — “The chair is comfortable.” hilft is the third-person singular present form of helfen (“to help”). The subject is Dein Stuhl, so the verb has the singular form hilft; helfen is used with plural subjects, while ich helfe means “I help.” German helfen commonly takes the person helped in the dative case: Der Stuhl hilft mir. — “The chair helps me.” dir means “you” as the dative form of the singular informal pronoun du. It marks the person receiving the help, not the subject performing the action. The corresponding formal or plural form is Ihnen in this dative use. vielleicht nicht means “perhaps not.” vielleicht expresses uncertainty, and nicht negates the possible helping described by the sentence. Together they make the claim tentative: the chair may fail to help, rather than definitely failing to help. aufrecht means “upright” or, in this sentence, “with good posture.” It describes the manner of sitting. The same form can also describe something positioned upright, for example: Die Flasche steht aufrecht. — “The bottle is standing upright.” sitzen means “to sit.” It is the infinitive, whose base form is also sitzen; a present-tense example is Ich sitze hier. — “I am sitting here.” In this sentence, sitzen is part of the infinitive construction aufrecht zu sitzen, “to sit upright.” The sentence assembles as Dein Stuhl (“your chair”) + hilft dir (“helps you,” with dir in the dative) + vielleicht nicht (“perhaps not”) + aufrecht zu sitzen (“to sit upright”). The whole meaning is: “Your chair may not help you maintain good posture.”

3. Soll ich öfter kurze Pausen machen?

   Should I take more short breaks?

   Soll ich

   Should I…?

   öfter

   more often

   kurze

   short

   Pausen

   breaks

   machen

   take; do

   More detail

   Soll ich asks whether the speaker should do something. sollen is the base form; soll is its present-tense form for ich. In a yes/no question, the conjugated modal verb comes first and the subject follows: Soll ich ...? — “Should I ...?” Other present forms include du sollst and er/sie soll. öfter means “more often” here. It is the comparative form of oft (“often”): oft → öfter (“more often”). It compares frequency without stating an exact number. Example: Ich sollte öfter aufstehen. — “I should stand up more often.” kurze describes Pausen as short. The base adjective is kurz (“short”). Here, Pausen is a plural accusative noun phrase with no article, so the adjective has the ending -e: kurze Pausen. The ending is determined by the noun phrase’s case, number, and determiner pattern, not by plurality alone. Pausen means “breaks” or “pauses” here. Its singular form is die Pause (“the break”); Pausen is the plural form. Example: Kurze Pausen können helfen. — “Short breaks can help.” machen means “make” or “do” in many contexts, but with Pause the reusable expression is eine Pause machen — “to take a break.” In the fixed sentence, machen stays in the infinitive because soll is the conjugated modal verb, and the lexical verb appears at the end. With a plural object, Pausen machen means “take breaks.” Together, Soll ich asks what the speaker ought to do, öfter specifies increased frequency, and kurze Pausen machen means “take short breaks.” The complete utterance therefore means: “Should I take more short breaks?”

4. Kurze Pausen können helfen.

   Short breaks can help.

   Kurze

   short

   Pausen

   breaks

   können

   can

   helfen

   help

   More detail

   Kurze describes the noun Pausen as short. Its base form is kurz; before a plural noun in this position, the adjective appears as kurze. Compare eine kurze Pause (“a short break”) and kurze Pausen (“short breaks”). Pausen means “breaks” here, especially pauses taken during an activity. It is the plural of die Pause; the singular is eine Pause. Example: Ich brauche eine Pause. — “I need a break.” können expresses ability or possibility: “can.” It is the plural form used with the plural subject Pausen; the infinitive is also können. In a modal-verb construction, the other verb normally goes to the end in the infinitive. Compare Pausen können helfen (“Breaks can help”) with Eine Pause kann helfen (“A break can help”): können agrees with the plural subject, while kann agrees with the singular subject. helfen means “to help” and is the infinitive placed at the end because können is the modal verb. German helfen commonly takes a dative person or group when one is stated: Die Pause hilft mir. — “The break helps me.” Here, no person receiving help is specified. Together, Kurze Pausen können helfen. means “Short breaks can help.” The plural subject is Kurze Pausen; können adds possibility or ability; and helfen names the action. The sentence makes a general statement and does not specify what the breaks help with.

5. Steh auf und strecke dich vorsichtig.

   Stand up and stretch gently.

   Steh auf

   stand up

   strecke dich

   stretch yourself

   vorsichtig

   gently; carefully

   More detail

   Steh auf is the informal singular imperative of the separable verb aufstehen (“to stand up”). Its base form is aufstehen; in this command, the verb stem appears as Steh and the prefix auf moves to the end: Steh auf! (“Stand up!”). This form addresses one person with informal du; a polite command uses a different construction, such as Stehen Sie auf!. strecke dich means “stretch yourself” here. Strecke is the informal singular imperative of strecken (“to stretch”), and dich is the accusative reflexive pronoun used with informal singular du. The reflexive form sich strecken describes the subject stretching their own body. Example: Streck dich kurz! — “Stretch briefly!” vorsichtig modifies the action as an adverb: “carefully” or “gently.” The same form can also be an adjective, as in eine vorsichtige Bewegung (“a careful movement”); here it describes how the stretching should be done. Together, the separable imperative Steh auf, the reflexive command strecke dich, and the adverb vorsichtig produce: “Stand up and stretch gently.” The two commands address one person informally, and vorsichtig applies to the stretching action.

6. Ich muss auch die Höhe meines Bildschirms anpassen.

   I also need to adjust my screen height.

   Ich muss

   I need to…

   auch

   also

   Höhe

   height

   Bildschirms

   screen

   anpassen

   adjust

   More detail

   Ich muss means “I need to” here. müssen is the base form; muss is its present-tense form for ich. With a modal verb such as müssen, the other verb stays in the infinitive, so the pattern is Ich muss + infinitive: Ich muss arbeiten. — “I need to work.” auch adds the meaning “also” to the action: the speaker needs to do this in addition to something else. Its position can vary with emphasis, but here it comes directly after muss. Höhe is the noun “height.” Its base form is die Höhe, and in this sentence die Höhe is the accusative object of anpassen. The feminine noun keeps the definite article form die in the accusative singular. Example: Ich messe die Höhe. — “I measure the height.” Bildschirms means “screen” as part of the phrase “my screen’s height.” The base noun is der Bildschirm; Bildschirms is its masculine genitive singular form, marked by -s. meines agrees with this masculine singular genitive noun. Thus die Höhe meines Bildschirms means “the height of my screen,” rather than simply “my screen.” anpassen means “to adjust” or “to adapt.” It is a separable verb: in a main clause without a modal, the prefix separates, as in Ich passe die Höhe an. — “I adjust the height.” After müssen, however, the complete infinitive anpassen remains at the end. Together, Ich muss auch die Höhe meines Bildschirms anpassen means “I also need to adjust my screen height.” The structure is Ich muss + auch + object die Höhe meines Bildschirms + infinitive anpassen.

7. Das kann dir helfen, bequemer zu sitzen.

   That can help you sit more comfortably.

   Das

   That

   kann

   can

   dir

   to you

   helfen

   help

   bequemer

   more comfortably

   zu sitzen

   to sit

   More detail

   Das means “that” here and points to the preceding adjustment as a whole. As a demonstrative pronoun, it is the neuter singular form; it can refer to a previously mentioned thing or situation, not only to a physical object. For example: Das ist hilfreich. — “That is helpful.” kann is the third-person singular present-tense form of können (“can, be able to”). With an infinitive, können expresses possibility or ability: Das kann helfen. — “That can help.” The modal verb is conjugated, while the other verb remains in the infinitive at the end of the clause. dir means “to you” and is the informal singular dative form of du. The verb helfen takes a dative person: Ich helfe dir. — “I help you.” The related accusative form is dich, used with verbs that take a direct object instead. helfen is the infinitive “to help.” In this sentence it combines with a person in the dative and a zu-infinitive: jemandem helfen, etwas zu tun means “to help someone do something.” bequemer is the comparative form of the adjective bequem (“comfortable”). Here it is used adverbially with sitzen, so it means “more comfortably”: Sie sitzt bequemer. — “She sits more comfortably.” The comparison is between sitting in this way and sitting in another, less comfortable way. zu sitzen is the zu-infinitive of sitzen (“to sit”). The zu-infinitive names the action that the help makes possible or easier. In the pattern helfen, ... zu + infinitive, the infinitive phrase follows the helping verb. Together, Das kann dir helfen means “That can help you,” and bequemer zu sitzen specifies what the help is for: sitting more comfortably. Thus the whole utterance means “That can help you sit more comfortably.”

8. Ich werde diese Änderungen diese Woche ausprobieren.

   I will try these changes this week.

   Ich werde

   I will

   diese

   these

   Änderungen

   changes

   ausprobieren

   try

   diese

   this

   Woche

   week

   More detail

   Ich werde expresses “I will” here: werde is the first-person singular present form of werden, used with an infinitive to form the future. The reusable pattern is Ich werde + infinitive, as in Ich werde morgen arbeiten. — “I will work tomorrow.” The infinitive stays at the end of this clause. diese in diese Änderungen means “these” and accompanies the plural noun Änderungen. It has the same form for all grammatical genders in the nominative and accusative plural. The phrase is accusative because the changes are what the speaker will try. Änderungen means “changes” here. Its singular base form is die Änderung; Änderungen is its plural form. The noun can refer to modifications or alterations, as in Die Änderungen sind wichtig. — “The changes are important.” ausprobieren means “to try out” or “to test.” It is a separable verb: in a main clause without another infinitive, its parts can separate, as in Ich probiere die Methode aus. — “I try out the method.” After werde, however, the complete infinitive ausprobieren remains at the end. This is a different use from simply versuchen, which means “to try” in a broader sense. The second diese, in diese Woche, means “this” and accompanies the feminine noun Woche. Woche means “week”; its plural is Wochen. The expression diese Woche is a time expression meaning “this week.” In German, this time expression uses the accusative form, although the feminine article/adjective form diese looks the same in the nominative and accusative. Together, Ich werde diese Änderungen ausprobieren means “I will try out these changes”: the speaker is the person who will perform the action, diese Änderungen identifies what will be tried out, and werde plus ausprobieren presents the action as future. Adding diese Woche specifies when it will happen, producing the complete meaning “I will try these changes this week.”

9. Hol dir medizinische Hilfe, wenn die Schmerzen anhalten.

   See a healthcare professional if the pain continues.

   Hol dir

   get yourself

   medizinische

   medical

   Hilfe

   help

   wenn

   if

   Schmerzen

   pain

   anhalten

   continue

   More detail

   Hol dir is the informal singular imperative of holen (“to get”), combined with dir, the dative form used for “you” when you are the beneficiary: “get yourself”. The imperative addresses one person informally. Example: Hol dir einen Kaffee. — “Get yourself a coffee.” medizinische means “medical” here and describes Hilfe. It is the inflected form of the adjective medizinisch; its ending reflects feminine singular accusative agreement with Hilfe in this phrase. Example: medizinische Beratung — “medical advice.” Hilfe is a feminine noun meaning “help” or “assistance”. In medizinische Hilfe, it is the accusative object of holen, the thing being obtained. Example: Ich brauche Hilfe. — “I need help.” wenn introduces a condition meaning “if” here. It starts a subordinate clause, and the finite verb comes at the end of that clause. Example: Ruf mich an, wenn du Hilfe brauchst. — “Call me if you need help.” Schmerzen is the plural form of Schmerz, “pain”. In this sentence, the plural subject is understood in the translation as “the pain”; the form itself is plural. Example: Die Schmerzen sind stark. — “The pain is severe.” anhalten means “to continue” or “to persist”. With the plural subject die Schmerzen, the present-tense form is anhalten; because it is in the subordinate clause introduced by wenn, it appears at the end. Example: Wenn der Regen anhält, bleiben wir zu Hause. — “If the rain continues, we will stay at home.” Together, Hol dir medizinische Hilfe means “get medical help”, and wenn die Schmerzen anhalten means “if the pain continues”. The complete utterance is therefore: “See a healthcare professional if the pain continues.”