Asking for directions and checking in at a clinic | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Entschuldigung, wo ist der Warteraum?

   Excuse me, where is the waiting room?

   Entschuldigung

   Excuse me

   wo

   where

   ist

   is

   der

   the

   Warteraum

   waiting room

   More detail

   Entschuldigung is a polite way to get someone's attention or say “excuse me.” It can also be the noun meaning “apology” or “forgiveness,” but here it is a polite address. Example: Entschuldigung, wo ist der Bahnhof? — “Excuse me, where is the train station?” wo asks about a place or location. wohin asks where someone or something is going, while woher asks where someone or something comes from. Example: Wo ist die Anmeldung? — “Where is the front desk?” ist is the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”). Sein is the base form. Here, ist agrees with the singular noun phrase der Warteraum. Example: Der Raum ist hier. — “The room is here.” der is the definite article “the.” In this sentence it is the nominative masculine singular form because Warteraum is a masculine noun and the noun phrase is the subject of ist. The article is selected by the noun's gender and its grammatical role here, not by a numeric count. Warteraum means “waiting room.” It is a compound noun containing Warte-, related to waiting, and Raum, “room.” As a reusable noun, its grammatical gender is masculine: der Warteraum. Together, wo ist der Warteraum? asks for the location of the waiting room. The opening Entschuldigung makes the question a polite request for directions. The complete utterance means “Excuse me, where is the waiting room?”

2. Gehen Sie an der Anmeldung vorbei.

   Go past the front desk.

   Gehen Sie

   go (polite command)

   an … vorbei

   past …

   Anmeldung

   front desk

   More detail

   Gehen Sie uses gehen (“to go”) with Sie, the formal “you.” In this sentence, the combination is a polite command: “Go.” The capitalized Sie is the formal pronoun; the same form can also mean formal “you” in other grammatical roles, so context determines its role. Example: Gehen Sie hinein. — “Please go inside.” an and vorbei work together in the pattern an + dative place + vorbei, meaning “past a place.” Here, vorbei contributes the idea of passing by, while an introduces the place passed. The two parts are separated in the sentence rather than forming one single word. Anmeldung is a feminine noun meaning a registration or reception desk; in this context, the translation identifies it as “the front desk.” Its base form is die Anmeldung. After an in this location pattern, it appears as der Anmeldung, the dative form of the feminine article. The noun itself does not change here; the article shows the case. Example: Gehen Sie an der Tür vorbei. — “Go past the door.” Together, Gehen Sie gives the polite instruction, and an der Anmeldung vorbei specifies the route: pass the front desk. The complete utterance therefore means “Go past the front desk.”

3. Er ist auf Ihrer linken Seite.

   It will be on your left.

   Er

   it

   ist

   is

   auf

   on

   Ihrer

   your (formal)

   linken

   left

   Seite

   side

   More detail

   Er is the third-person singular masculine pronoun. It is translated as “it” here, as specified by the fixed translation; German grammatical gender does not necessarily indicate biological sex. The fixed texts do not identify the specific thing that Er refers to. ist is the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”): sein → ist. German present tense can describe a future situation when the context makes that clear, which accounts for “will be” in the fixed translation. auf means “on” here. For a stationary location, auf is used with the dative. With movement toward a surface or position, it can instead take the accusative. Example: Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. — “The book is lying on the table.” Ihrer is the formal “your,” associated with formal Sie (which can address one or more people). In Ihrer linken Seite, it is the dative feminine singular form because it modifies Seite after the location preposition auf. The capital letter distinguishes formal Ihr- from lowercase possessive forms such as ihr (“her” or “their”). linken means “left” here. The adjective has the stem link-; the ending -en appears in this dative feminine singular noun phrase: Ihrer linken Seite. The related adverb links means “to the left.” The opposite adjective is recht-, as in auf Ihrer rechten Seite (“on your right”). Seite is a feminine noun meaning “side.” Its plural is Seiten. Here it is singular and dative after auf; its spelling remains Seite, while the case is also shown by Ihrer and linken. Together, auf Ihrer linken Seite means “on your left,” literally “on your left side.” The structure is Er ist plus the location phrase, so the whole utterance means “It will be on your left.”

4. Muss ich mich anmelden, bevor ich mich hinsetze?

   Do I need to check in before I sit down?

   Muss ich

   do I need to

   mich anmelden

   check in

   bevor

   before

   mich hinsetze

   sit down

   More detail

   Muss ich begins a yes/no question. muss is the first-person singular present form of the modal verb müssen; with ich, it asks whether the speaker is required to do something. The modal is placed first in this question, while the other verb remains in the infinitive: Muss ich warten? = “Do I need to wait?” mich anmelden means “check in” here. anmelden is the infinitive of the separable verb sich anmelden, used for registering or checking in. The reflexive form mich matches the subject ich. With no modal, the parts separate in a main clause: Ich melde mich an. = “I check in.” After müssen, the infinitive stays together: Ich muss mich anmelden. = “I need to check in.” bevor introduces a time clause meaning “before.” In the clause after bevor, the finite verb goes to the end, so hinsetze appears after ich mich. This word order is different from a main clause: Ich setze mich hin. = “I sit down,” but bevor ich mich hinsetze = “before I sit down.” mich hinsetze expresses “sit down.” hinsetzen is a separable verb, and its reflexive form is sich hinsetzen; hinsetze is the first-person singular present form. In a subordinate clause, the verb is not split at the clause boundary. The reflexive object is again mich because the subject is ich. Together, Muss ich mich anmelden asks whether checking in is necessary. bevor ich mich hinsetze gives the time condition for that action. The complete utterance therefore means: “Do I need to check in before I sit down?”

5. Füllen Sie zuerst dieses Formular aus.

   Fill out this form first.

   Füllen … aus

   fill out

   Sie

   you (formal)

   zuerst

   first

   dieses

   this

   Formular

   form

   More detail

   Füllen ... aus is the separable verb ausfüllen, “to fill out.” In this sentence, Füllen is the formal imperative form, while the separable prefix aus appears at the end. In a statement, the parts can combine differently: Sie füllen das Formular aus. — “You fill out the form.” The imperative pattern is Füllen Sie ... aus. — “Fill out ... .” Sie addresses one or more people formally as “you.” It is written with a capital letter in this use; lowercase sie has different pronoun functions. Here it is the subject of the formal command, not the object. zuerst means “first” or “first of all.” It sets the order of this action. For example: Lesen Sie zuerst die Frage. — “Read the question first.” dieses means “this” and is the form used here with the neuter singular noun Formular in the accusative. The form reflects the noun phrase’s grammatical gender, number, and case; it is not itself a marker of numeric quantity. Compare dieser with a masculine singular noun and diese with a feminine singular or plural noun in corresponding uses. Formular means “form.” Its plural is Formulare: Diese Formulare sind wichtig. — “These forms are important.” In the fixed sentence, it is the direct object of ausfüllen, so the complete object phrase is dieses Formular. Together, Füllen Sie zuerst dieses Formular aus. uses the formal imperative Füllen Sie ... aus, places the time-order adverb zuerst before the object, and means “Fill out this form first.”

6. Dann geben Sie es an der Anmeldung ab.

   Then hand it to the desk.

   Dann

   then

   geben … ab

   hand in; hand over

   Sie

   you (formal)

   es

   it

   Anmeldung

   registration desk

   More detail

   Dann means “then” and places this action after the preceding step. It is also common at the start of instructions: Dann gehen wir weiter. — “Then we continue.” geben ... ab is the separable verb abgeben, whose meaning here is to hand something in or hand it over. In the formal imperative, the verb form comes before the subject and the prefix moves to the end: Geben Sie das Formular ab. — “Hand in the form.” The infinitive is written as one word, abgeben. Sie is the formal second-person pronoun “you.” Here, geben Sie is the formal imperative construction. The same spelling, Sie, can also be the formal subject in an ordinary statement, but the instruction structure gives it the imperative reading here. es is a neuter singular pronoun meaning “it.” It is the accusative object of abgeben; the fixed translation identifies the object without giving it a more specific name. The form es is used for neuter singular accusative here; it is identical in form to neuter singular nominative, so its role is established by the sentence structure rather than by a visible ending. Anmeldung means “registration” and, in this context, refers to the registration desk or point. Its dictionary form is the feminine noun die Anmeldung. With an for a fixed location, the noun phrase uses the dative: an der Anmeldung. Compare movement toward a place: Ich gehe an die Anmeldung. — “I am going to the registration desk.” Together, Dann + geben Sie es ... ab forms the instruction “Then hand it in/hand it over,” while an der Anmeldung specifies the fixed location: “at the registration desk.” The complete meaning is: “Then hand it to the desk.”

7. Ruft mich jemand auf, wenn ich an der Reihe bin?

   Will someone call me when it's my turn?

   Ruft … auf

   calls ... out

   mich

   me

   jemand

   someone

   wenn

   when

   ich

   I

   an der Reihe

   one’s turn

   bin

   am

   More detail

   Ruft ... auf is the separable verb aufrufen, meaning to call someone out or call someone’s name. In this sentence, ruft is the present-tense third-person singular form, because jemand is grammatically singular. The finite verb comes first because this is a yes/no question, while the separable prefix auf goes to the end of the main clause. The base form is aufrufen; for example, Die Pflegekraft ruft meinen Namen auf. means “The nurse calls my name.” mich is the accusative form of ich (“I”) and marks the person being called. Compare the nominative subject form ich with the accusative object form mich: Ich sehe ihn means “I see him,” while Er sieht mich means “He sees me.” jemand means “someone” and functions as the subject here. Although it refers to an unspecified person, it takes singular verb agreement, which is why the sentence has ruft, not a plural form. wenn introduces the condition or time clause “when …”. In a clause introduced by wenn, the finite verb normally comes at the end. Thus wenn ich an der Reihe bin ends with bin, not with the subject–verb order used in a main clause. A reusable example is Ich komme, wenn du fertig bist. — “I’ll come when you are finished.” ich is the first-person singular subject pronoun “I”. Here it is the subject of the subordinate clause. bin is the first-person singular present form of sein (“to be”): ich bin, du bist, er/sie ist. The form agrees with ich. an der Reihe sein is the expression for being the person whose turn it is. Reihe is a feminine noun, and after an in this expression it appears in the dative phrase an der Reihe. The wording literally presents the speaker as being “at the turn,” but the natural meaning is “to be one’s turn.” For example, Jetzt bist du an der Reihe. means “Now it’s your turn.” Putting the parts together, Ruft mich jemand auf? asks whether an unspecified person will call the speaker out or call the speaker’s name. wenn ich an der Reihe bin specifies the time: when the speaker’s turn comes. German uses the present tense here for an expected future event; the complete meaning is “Will someone call me when it’s my turn?”

8. Eine Pflegekraft sollte gleich Ihren Namen aufrufen.

   A nurse should call your name shortly.

   Pflegekraft

   nurse

   sollte

   should

   gleich

   shortly

   Ihren

   your (formal)

   Namen

   name

   aufrufen

   call out

   More detail

   Pflegekraft means “nurse” here. It is a feminine-gender German noun, even though it can refer to a person of any gender. The indefinite phrase Eine Pflegekraft means “a nurse”; Eine does not by itself assert a numerical count beyond introducing one unspecified person. sollte is the form of sollen used here for a recommendation or expected action: “should.” The base form is sollen; sollte can also express a polite or tentative recommendation in other contexts. Here it is the nurse’s expected action, not a command addressed to the listener. gleich means “shortly” or “soon” in this sentence. It can also mean “immediately” or “the same,” depending on context, so the surrounding utterance determines the time meaning here. Ihren is the formal “your” form, related to the polite pronoun Sie. It is a possessive determiner, and its ending reflects its grammatical position: it modifies the masculine accusative singular noun Namen. Informal “your” would use a different possessive form, such as deinen when addressing one person with du in the same kind of position. Namen means “name” here. Its base form is der Name; this noun has the form Namen in the accusative singular, as in Ich kenne den Namen (“I know the name”). The same form can also be plural in other contexts, but Ihren Namen here is singular because it refers to the listener’s name. aufrufen means “to call out” or “to call someone by name.” It is a separable verb: in a main-clause present-tense sentence, the finite part appears in second position and auf moves to the end, as in Die Pflegekraft ruft Ihren Namen auf (“The nurse calls your name”). After sollte, the infinitive aufrufen remains together at the end. Together, Eine Pflegekraft identifies the person, sollte expresses the expected action, gleich places it shortly in the future, Ihren Namen gives the object being called, and aufrufen supplies the action. The whole utterance therefore means: “A nurse should call your name shortly.”

9. Soll ich meine Versicherungskarte bereithalten?

   Should I keep my insurance card ready?

   Soll ich

   Should I...? / Shall I...?

   Versicherungskarte

   insurance card

   bereithalten

   keep ready

   More detail

   Soll ich combines the present-tense form soll of sollen with ich. In this question, sollen asks whether the speaker ought to do something or whether the listener wants the speaker to do it: “Should I…?” The subject pronoun is ich, and the verb form soll is first-person singular. In a yes/no question, the finite verb comes first: Soll ich ...? Compare the reusable pattern Soll ich X? — “Should I X?” Versicherungskarte means “insurance card.” It is a compound noun: Versicherung means “insurance” and Karte means “card,” but the complete compound names the card. German nouns are capitalized. With an article, the noun is commonly feminine: die Versicherungskarte; for example, Ich habe die Versicherungskarte dabei. means “I have the insurance card with me.” bereithalten means “to keep or have ready.” It is a separable verb: the base form is bereithalten, while in a finite main clause its parts separate, as in Ich halte die Karte bereit. — “I keep the card ready.” Here it remains in the infinitive at the end because soll is the finite modal verb. The pattern is Soll ich [object] bereithalten? Together, Soll ich introduces a question about the speaker’s intended action, meine Versicherungskarte identifies the object as the speaker’s insurance card, and bereithalten expresses keeping it ready for use. The complete utterance therefore means: “Should I keep my insurance card ready?”

10. Halten Sie sie griffbereit, falls die Anmeldung sie noch einmal braucht.

    Keep it handy in case the desk needs it again.

    Halten Sie

    keep (formal command)

    sie

    it

    griffbereit

    handy; ready to hand

    falls

    in case

    die Anmeldung

    the registration desk

    noch einmal

    again

    braucht

    needs

    More detail

    Halten Sie is the formal imperative of halten (“to keep/hold”). German uses the polite pronoun Sie with this command; the verb form is halten, matching the formal address. For an informal singular command, German uses Halte, as in Halte die Karte bereit. — “Keep the card ready.” sie is the accusative pronoun meaning “it” here. The fixed translation and the preceding sentence identify it as the insurance card. Its feminine singular form matches die Karte; the pronoun is the object of braucht, not the person being addressed. Example: Ich habe die Karte. Ich brauche sie. — “I have the card. I need it.” griffbereit means “ready to hand,” or easy to take immediately. It is an adjective used here descriptively without a noun directly after it. A useful related expression is bereit (“ready”), but griffbereit specifically emphasizes immediate availability. Example: Halten Sie Ihren Ausweis griffbereit. — “Keep your ID ready to hand.” falls introduces a condition with the meaning “in case” or “if.” It starts a subordinate clause, so the finite verb goes to the end of that clause. This is different from the main clause, where the imperative verb appears first. die Anmeldung means “the registration desk/office” in this context. Anmeldung is a feminine noun, shown by die here. It can also refer to registration as an activity or process; the fixed translation selects the desk or office reading. noch einmal means “again” or “once more.” It marks a repeated need, without specifying when the earlier need occurred. Example: Lesen Sie den Satz noch einmal. — “Read the sentence again.” braucht is the third-person singular present form of brauchen, “to need.” Its subject here is die Anmeldung: die Anmeldung braucht means “the registration desk needs.” The form differs from the infinitive brauchen and from first-person singular brauche, as in Ich brauche die Karte. — “I need the card.” The main clause Halten Sie sie griffbereit gives the formal instruction to keep the insurance card ready to hand. The subordinate clause falls die Anmeldung sie noch einmal braucht adds the condition “in case the registration desk needs it again.” Together, the utterance means: “Keep it handy in case the desk needs it again.”