Using Shared Gym Equipment Politely | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Benutzt gerade jemand dieses Laufband?

   Is anyone using this treadmill now?

   Benutzt

   is using

   gerade

   right now

   jemand

   anyone

   dieses

   this

   Laufband

   treadmill

   More detail

   Benutzt is the present-tense form of benutzen (“to use”) for a third-person singular subject. In a German yes/no question, the finite verb comes first: Benutzt ...? means “Is ... using ...?” Here it agrees with jemand, not with Laufband. Example: Benutzt du den Computer? — “Are you using the computer?” gerade places the action at the current moment: “right now.” In this sentence it narrows benutzt to an action happening now, rather than a general or earlier use. jemand is an indefinite pronoun meaning “someone”; in this question, the intended meaning is “anyone.” It is the subject of benutzt, while its specific identity is not given. In another case it can appear as jemanden for an accusative object or jemandem for a dative object. dieses means “this” and agrees with Laufband. The noun is neuter and is the direct object of benutzt, so the neuter accusative form is dieses. In the demonstrative pattern, dieser is the masculine nominative form, diese is used for feminine nominative and plural nominative or accusative contexts, and dieses is used for neuter nominative or accusative contexts. The form depends on both the noun’s grammatical gender and its case. Laufband means “treadmill.” It is a neuter noun, so its definite article is das: das Laufband. In this sentence, dieses Laufband is the thing being used and forms the direct object. Together, Benutzt gerade jemand asks whether an unspecified person is using something at this moment. dieses Laufband identifies that thing as this treadmill. The complete meaning is: “Is anyone using this treadmill now?”

2. Es sieht frei aus, aber achte auf die Zeit.

   It looks free, but keep an eye on the time.

   sieht … aus

   looks

   frei

   available

   achte auf

   keep an eye on

   Zeit

   time

   More detail

   sieht ... aus is the separated form of aussehen, “to look” or “to appear.” In this sentence, sieht is the third-person singular present form, agreeing with es; the prefix aus appears at the end of the clause. The useful pattern is etwas sieht + adjective + aus: Der Raum sieht sauber aus. — “The room looks clean.” frei means “available” here, referring to the treadmill’s being free for use. It can also mean “free” in other senses, such as not imprisoned or not occupied, so the surrounding situation determines the intended meaning. In the pattern etwas sieht frei aus, the adjective describes how the thing appears. achte auf comes from the separable verb auf etwas achten, “to pay attention to” or “keep an eye on something.” Achte is its singular informal imperative addressed to du; it is not the present-tense form for “you pay attention.” The preposition auf introduces what receives attention: Achte auf den Verkehr. — “Pay attention to the traffic.” Zeit means “time.” It is a feminine noun, as shown by die Zeit; the article is part of the noun phrase, while Zeit itself is the noun. The phrase auf die Zeit achten means to keep track of the time or watch the time. Zeit can also occur in expressions such as Ich habe keine Zeit. — “I have no time.” Together, Es sieht frei aus says that it appears to be available, and aber contrasts that appearance with the instruction achte auf die Zeit, “but keep an eye on the time.” The complete utterance therefore means: “It looks free, but keep an eye on the time.”

3. Wie lange soll ich es benutzen, wenn andere warten?

   How long should I use it if others are waiting?

   Wie lange

   how long

   soll ich

   should I

   benutzen

   use

   wenn

   if; when

   andere

   others

   warten

   wait

   More detail

   Wie lange asks about duration: literally, “how long.” German uses wie lange for a period of time, for example: Wie lange bleibst du? — “How long are you staying?” soll ich combines sollen with the subject pronoun ich. Here soll is the present-tense form for ich, and with the infinitive benutzen it expresses what the speaker ought to do or is expected to do: “should I use.” The present-tense forms are ich soll, du sollst, and er/sie soll. This is different from müssen, which more strongly expresses necessity. benutzen means “to use.” It is the infinitive because sollen is a modal verb; the modal is conjugated and the other verb remains in the infinitive. In a main clause, that infinitive normally appears at the end: Ich soll das Gerät benutzen. — “I should use the device.” wenn introduces the condition “if” here. It can also mean “when” when the condition is expected or recurring. In a wenn clause, the conjugated verb goes to the end: wenn andere warten — “if others are waiting.” andere is a substantivized adjective meaning “others,” with no noun stated after it. In this sentence it is plural; the form is not identifying a specific group by name. Compare the singular form ein anderer (“another one / a different one”) with plural andere (“others”). warten means “to wait.” It is the present-tense plural form matching andere: andere warten, “others are waiting.” The same form is also used with sie meaning “they”: Sie warten. — “They are waiting.” Together, Wie lange soll ich es benutzen asks for the permitted or appropriate duration of using es, while wenn andere warten gives the condition under which the question applies. The complete meaning is: “How long should I use it if others are waiting?” The supplied context makes this a question about limiting one’s time when other people are waiting, without specifying what es refers to.

4. Begrenze deine Zeit auf etwa zehn Minuten, wenn im Fitnessstudio viel los ist.

   Limit your time to around ten minutes when the gym is busy.

   Begrenze

   limit

   Zeit

   time

   etwa

   around; approximately

   zehn Minuten

   ten minutes

   Fitnessstudio

   gym

   viel los

   busy; a lot going on

   More detail

   Begrenze is the imperative of begrenzen (“to limit”) for an informal singular du addressee. The subject is therefore understood as du; German commonly leaves it unstated in this command. A reusable pattern is Begrenze ... auf ... for setting a limit: Begrenze die Lautstärke auf fünfzig Prozent. — “Limit the volume to fifty percent.” Zeit means “time” here, specifically the time being used. It is the feminine noun die Zeit; in deine Zeit, deine agrees with this noun in gender and number, while the whole phrase is the object being limited. The phrase auf etwa zehn Minuten gives the limit: with a duration or target limit, auf is followed here by the accusative. Zeit can also mean a period or era in other contexts, but that is not its meaning here. etwa means “approximately” or “around.” It makes the number non-exact rather than changing the basic unit. Compare zehn Minuten (“ten minutes”) with etwa zehn Minuten (“around ten minutes”). zehn Minuten is a duration of ten minutes. Minute is feminine in the singular (die Minute), and its plural is Minuten; the number zehn requires the plural here. For example, Warte fünf Minuten. means “Wait five minutes.” Fitnessstudio means “gym” and is a neuter compound noun: das Fitnessstudio. In im Fitnessstudio, im is the contraction of in dem; this form marks being in the gym, rather than movement into it. The phrase does not itself specify which person is in the gym. viel los is a common expression meaning that there is a lot happening or that a place is busy. It is built with sein, as in Im Fitnessstudio ist viel los. — “The gym is busy.” Here viel modifies the understood amount of activity, and los is part of the expression rather than a literal direction such as “away.” wenn im Fitnessstudio viel los ist is a wenn-clause meaning “when the gym is busy.” In this subordinate clause, the finite verb ist comes at the end. wenn can introduce a time or condition; the surrounding meaning here gives the condition under which the limit applies. Taken together, Begrenze deine Zeit auf etwa zehn Minuten says “Limit your time to around ten minutes.” The clause wenn im Fitnessstudio viel los ist specifies when to apply that advice, producing: “Limit your time to around ten minutes when the gym is busy.”

5. Soll ich es abwischen, wenn ich fertig bin?

   Should I wipe it down after I finish?

   Soll ich

   Should I

   es

   it

   abwischen

   wipe down

   wenn

   when

   fertig bin

   am finished

   More detail

   Soll ich asks whether the speaker should do something. soll is the first-person singular present form of sollen; in this question, sollen expresses a suggested or expected action, not a firm statement that the speaker must do it. The pattern Soll ich + infinitive? is reusable: Soll ich warten? — “Should I wait?” es is the accusative singular neuter pronoun meaning “it” here. Its specific referent is not identified by the sentence itself; the pronoun simply stands for the thing to be wiped. German pronoun form depends on grammatical gender, number, and case, so es is not interchangeable with every form meaning “it.” abwischen means to wipe something off or wipe it down. It is a separable verb: in a normal main clause, ich wische es ab means “I wipe it down,” while the infinitive remains together as abwischen after soll. The verb wischen means “wipe”; adding ab- gives the removal or wiping-down sense relevant here. wenn introduces a condition or time clause meaning “when” here. In a wenn clause, the finite verb goes to the end. Compare the reusable pattern wenn ich Zeit habe — “when I have time.” fertig bin means “am finished.” fertig is an adjective meaning “finished” or “done,” and bin is the first-person singular present form of sein (“to be”). German uses sein with fertig: Ich bin fertig — “I am finished.” In the subordinate clause, bin comes after fertig, giving wenn ich fertig bin. Together, Soll ich asks for guidance, es abwischen names the proposed action, and wenn ich fertig bin sets the time condition. The whole utterance therefore means: “Should I wipe it down after I finish?” Here, “finish” is expressed as “be finished,” and the object referred to by es remains understood from the situation rather than being named in this sentence.

6. Benutze das Spray und ein Papiertuch aus dem Regal.

   Use the spray and a paper towel from the rack.

   Benutze

   use

   Spray

   spray

   Papiertuch

   paper towel

   aus dem Regal

   from the rack

   More detail

   Benutze is the imperative of benutzen (“to use”) addressed to one person informally. The ending -e is a standard form of the singular du imperative; the more clipped form Benutz! is also used. Example: Benutze den Schlüssel. — “Use the key.” Spray is the noun “spray.” In German it is neuter: das Spray. Here das Spray is the first object of benutze, so the sentence tells the listener to use it. Example: Das Spray steht dort. — “The spray is standing there.” Papiertuch means “paper towel.” It is a compound noun: Papier + Tuch, and its gender is neuter: das Papiertuch. In ein Papiertuch, the indefinite article agrees with this neuter noun in the accusative object position. The indefinite article presents an unspecified paper towel; it does not by itself assert a numerical count. The plural is Papiertücher. Example: Ich brauche ein Papiertuch. — “I need a paper towel.” aus dem Regal means “from the rack.” The preposition aus takes the dative case. Since das Regal is neuter, its dative form is dem Regal. This phrase follows Papiertuch and, as confirmed by the fixed translation, identifies the paper towel as coming from the rack. Example: Das Buch kommt aus dem Regal. — “The book comes from the rack.” The pattern is Benutze + object 1 + und + object 2 + source phrase: Benutze das Spray und ein Papiertuch aus dem Regal. The imperative directly instructs one informal listener to use the spray and an unspecified paper towel taken from the rack. Together, the utterance means: “Use the spray and a paper towel from the rack.”

7. Ich mache es sauber, bevor ich gehe.

   I'll clean it before I leave.

   Ich

   I

   mache

   do; make

   es

   it

   sauber

   clean

   bevor

   before

   ich

   I

   gehe

   leave; go

   More detail

   Ich is the first-person singular pronoun, “I.” It identifies the speaker as the person doing the cleaning. The same form is used as the subject in both clauses here. mache is the first-person singular present form of machen, “to do” or “to make.” With sauber, the combination etwas sauber machen means “to clean something,” literally making it clean. Example: Ich mache den Tisch sauber. — “I clean the table.” es is the accusative neuter pronoun meaning “it.” Here it is the object being cleaned, as confirmed by the fixed translation. The sentence itself does not give the object's name; es simply refers to an understood neuter item. sauber means “clean” here. After machen, it describes the result that the object is brought into: etwas sauber machen = “clean something.” It is an adjective, but it has no ending in this construction because it follows the object-and-verb combination as a result description. bevor means “before” and introduces a time clause. In a clause beginning with bevor, the finite verb normally goes to the end. This creates the reusable pattern bevor + subject + ... + verb. The second ich again means “I.” It is the subject of the subordinate clause, and the translation identifies the speaker as the person who leaves. gehe is the first-person singular present form of gehen, “to go.” In this sentence, the intended meaning is “leave,” because the action is departure from the current situation. Example: Ich gehe jetzt. — “I’m leaving now.” Together, Ich mache es sauber says “I clean it,” using sauber machen for the cleaning action. bevor ich gehe adds the time condition “before I leave”; the verb gehe appears at the end of this subordinate clause. The complete utterance therefore means: “I’ll clean it before I leave.” The present forms mache and gehe can express this planned sequence in German.

8. So bleibt das Gerät für die nächste Person bereit.

   That keeps the equipment ready for the next person.

   So

   in this way

   bleibt

   stays; remains

   das

   the

   Gerät

   equipment; device

   für

   for

   die

   the

   nächste

   next

   Person

   person

   bereit

   ready

   More detail

   So means “in this way” or “that way.” Here it links the sentence to the action described in the preceding context: cleaning something. The reusable pattern So + clause can describe the result of an action. bleibt is the present-tense third-person singular form of bleiben, “to stay” or “remain.” The pattern etwas bleibt + adjective means that something continues to have a condition: Das Essen bleibt warm. — “The food stays warm.” das is the definite article “the” for the neuter singular noun Gerät. Gerät means “equipment” or “device”; its plural is Geräte. In this sentence, das Gerät is the subject, so it is in the nominative case. für means “for” and introduces the intended recipient or beneficiary here. It takes the accusative case. die nächste Person means “the next person”: Person is feminine singular, and nächste is the adjective nächst-, “next,” with the ending required after the definite article in this phrase. Compare die nächste Person with die nächsten Personen — “the next people.” bereit means “ready” or “prepared.” With bleiben, it is a predicate adjective: bereit bleiben means “stay ready.” It does not take an ending here because it follows the verb rather than directly modifying a noun. Together, So bleibt das Gerät means “In this way, the equipment remains,” and für die nächste Person bereit specifies that it remains ready for the next person. The complete meaning is: “That keeps the equipment ready for the next person.”