Talking calmly with neighbors about loud music | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Die Musik nebenan hat mich in letzter Zeit mehrere Nächte wach gehalten.

   The music next door has kept me up several nights lately.

   Musik

   music

   nebenan

   next door

   mich

   me

   letzter

   recent

   Zeit

   time

   mehrere

   several

   Nächte

   nights

   wach

   awake

   gehalten

   kept

   wach gehalten

   kept awake

   More detail

   Musik means music here. The noun is feminine: die Musik. German nouns are capitalized, and the article or adjective around a noun can show its grammatical form. nebenan is an adverb meaning next door or nearby in the neighboring place. In this sentence it locates the music; it does not itself identify a particular person or building. Example: Das Geschäft ist nebenan. — “The shop is next door.” mich is the first-person singular accusative pronoun, “me.” It is the person affected by the action. The related nominative form is ich (“I”): Ich höre die Musik means “I hear the music,” while Die Musik stört mich means “The music bothers me.” letzter is the inflected form of the adjective letzt (“last; most recent”) in in letzter Zeit. Here Zeit is feminine and in takes the dative in this time expression, so the adjective has the dative feminine ending -er. The complete expression in letzter Zeit commonly means “lately” or “recently”; it is not normally translated word for word. Zeit means time. In in letzter Zeit, it is part of the common expression “lately.” mehrere means several, without specifying an exact number. It modifies plural Nächte here. Example: mehrere Tage means “several days.” Nächte is the plural of Nacht (“night”). Here mehrere Nächte indicates several nights on which the keeping-awake happened. The plural has an umlaut: Nächte. wach means awake. In wach halten, it describes the state someone is kept in. Example: Der Lärm hält das Kind wach. — “The noise keeps the child awake.” gehalten is the past participle of halten (“to hold; to keep”). With wach, it forms wach halten, “to keep someone awake.” The auxiliary hat appears earlier, so hat ... gehalten is the German perfect construction; the intervening words do not change which participle belongs to halten. wach gehalten is the reusable construction “kept awake.” Its pattern is jemanden wach halten — “to keep someone awake,” with the affected person in the accusative. Here mich wach gehalten means “kept me awake.” Putting the sentence together: Die Musik nebenan is the subject, “the music next door.” mich wach gehalten expresses that the music kept me awake, in letzter Zeit places this experience in the recent period, and mehrere Nächte specifies several nights. hat ... gehalten is the perfect construction used here; German perfect does not by itself assert that the effect continued continuously up to the present. The whole utterance means: “The music next door has kept me up several nights lately.”

2. Dann sollten wir mit der Person nebenan sprechen, bevor daraus ein größerer Konflikt wird.

   Then we should talk to them before it becomes a bigger conflict.

   Dann

   then

   sollten wir

   we should

   Person

   person

   nebenan

   next door

   sprechen

   talk

   bevor

   before

   daraus

   from it

   größerer

   bigger

   Konflikt

   conflict

   wird

   becomes

   More detail

   Dann is a time adverb meaning “then”; it places the proposed action after the situation already being discussed. A useful pattern is Dann ... for “Then ...” when drawing a next step. sollten wir expresses “we should.” sollten is the form of sollen used here for a recommendation, and wir identifies the acting group as “we.” The lexical verb remains separate: sollten wir sprechen means “we should talk,” not simply “should we?” Compare the question Sollten wir sprechen? (“Should we talk?”), where the verb comes first. Person means “person.” In the sentence it appears as der Person after mit, because mit takes the dative case. The noun is grammatically feminine: die Person (nominative), der Person (dative). This grammatical gender does not by itself identify the person’s real-world gender. nebenan is an adverb meaning “next door” or “nearby.” In die Person nebenan, it specifies a person located next door; it is not an inflected adjective. For example, Die Wohnung nebenan ist leer. means “The apartment next door is empty.” sprechen means “to talk” or “to speak.” It is the infinitive used after the modal verb sollen: Wir sollten sprechen means “We should talk.” With mit, the usual pattern is mit jemandem sprechen, “to talk to someone,” with the person in the dative. bevor introduces a subordinate clause meaning “before.” German places the finite verb at the end of this clause: bevor ... wird. For example, Ruf mich an, bevor du gehst. means “Call me before you leave.” daraus means “from it” or “out of it.” Here it refers to the situation under discussion and is rendered naturally as “it” in “before it becomes ...”. The form does not identify a person. größerer means “bigger” or “greater” here. It is the comparative form of groß: groß → größer → am größten (“big” → “bigger” → “biggest”). In ein größerer Konflikt, the adjective describes the masculine singular noun Konflikt; its -er ending is the form used with this nominative noun phrase after ein. Konflikt means “conflict.” Here it is the subject of the subordinate clause: the concern is that the situation could turn into a bigger conflict. Its plural is Konflikte. wird means “becomes” here. It is the third-person singular present form of werden; the infinitive is werden. In this subordinate clause, wird comes last because of bevor. German present tense can describe an anticipated development when the context makes the future time clear. Together, Dann sollten wir mit der Person nebenan sprechen means “Then we should talk to the person next door.” bevor daraus ein größerer Konflikt wird adds “before it becomes a bigger conflict.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Then we should talk to them before it becomes a bigger conflict.”

3. Ich möchte nicht übertrieben klingen, weil die Person nebenan vielleicht nicht merkt, wie laut es ist.

   I do not want to sound dramatic, because they may not realize it is loud.

   Ich möchte

   I would like to / I want to

   nicht

   not

   übertrieben

   exaggerated; dramatic

   klingen

   sound

   weil

   because

   Person

   person

   nebenan

   next door; nearby

   vielleicht

   perhaps; maybe

   merkt

   notices; realizes

   laut

   loud

   ist

   is

   More detail

   Ich möchte expresses the speaker’s desire: “I want to” or, more softly, “I would like to.” Here möchte is the first-person singular Konjunktiv II form of mögen, used as a polite or softened way to express a present wish. With a following infinitive, that infinitive goes to the end of the clause. Example: Ich möchte gehen. — “I would like to leave.” nicht supplies the negation. Here it negates the speaker’s wish to klingen, giving “not want to sound …”. übertrieben means “exaggerated” or “dramatic” here. It is related to the verb übertreiben (“to exaggerate”) and describes how the speaker might sound. Before a noun, the related adjective can take an ending when required by the noun phrase: eine übertriebene Reaktion — “an exaggerated reaction.” klingen means “to sound.” It is an infinitive after möchte. In this sentence, it describes how the speaker’s words or manner might come across, not an actual physical sound. Example: Das klingt freundlich. — “That sounds friendly.” weil introduces a reason clause. In a weil clause, the finite verb normally goes to the end, as in weil es laut ist — “because it is loud.” Person means “person.” It is a feminine noun in German: die Person. That grammatical gender belongs to the German noun and does not assert that the real person is female. nebenan means “next door” or “nearby.” Together, die Person nebenan means “the person next door” or “the nearby person.” In this utterance, that noun phrase is the subject of merkt; the fixed translation renders this participant with “they.” vielleicht means “perhaps” or “maybe.” With the following clause, it presents the person’s noticing as uncertain: the person may or may not notice it. merkt means “notices” or “realizes” here. Its base form is merken; merkt is the present-tense form for a singular subject such as die Person. Example: Sie merkt den Unterschied. — “She notices the difference.” laut means “loud.” Here it describes the sound level. As a predicative adjective after sein, it has no adjective ending: Es ist laut. — “It is loud.” Its opposite is leise — “quiet.” ist is the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”). In wie laut es ist, es is the subject and ist appears at the end because this is an embedded clause. The pattern wie + adjective + es ist expresses how something is: Ich weiß, wie kalt es ist. — “I know how cold it is.” The whole utterance is assembled as Ich möchte nicht übertrieben klingen (“I do not want to sound dramatic”) plus the reason clause weil die Person nebenan vielleicht nicht merkt, wie laut es ist (“because the person next door may not realize how loud it is”). The weil clause gives the reason for the speaker’s concern, and wie laut es ist specifies what the person may fail to realize.

4. Sag zuerst, dass die Wände dünn sind und du früh schlafen musst.

   Start by saying the walls are thin and you need to sleep early.

   Sag

   say / tell

   zuerst

   first

   Wände

   walls

   dünn

   thin

   sind

   are

   früh

   early

   schlafen

   sleep

   musst

   must / need to

   More detail

   Sag is the informal singular imperative of sagen (“to say”). It addresses one person and asks them to say something. The formal or plural imperative is Sagen Sie; the informal singular form is Sag. zuerst means “first” or “to begin with” and sets the order of the requested action. Together, Sag zuerst means “Start by saying …”. die Wände means “the walls.” Wände is the plural of die Wand (“wall”); the plural form uses the umlaut. The definite article is die in this plural form. dünn means “thin.” Here it is a predicate adjective after sein, so it remains uninflected: Die Wände sind dünn (“The walls are thin”). Its comparative is dünner (“thinner”), and its opposite is dick (“thick”). sind is the third-person plural present form of sein (“to be”). It agrees with the plural subject die Wände: Die Wände sind …. In the dass clause, the finite verb appears at the end: dass die Wände dünn sind (“that the walls are thin”). früh means “early.” Here it describes when the sleeping should happen, so it functions as an adverb. For example, Ich stehe früh auf means “I get up early.” schlafen means “to sleep.” It is the infinitive used with the modal verb müssen: schlafen müssen means “to have to sleep” or “to need to sleep.” musst is the second-person singular present form of müssen (“must / have to”). With du, the pattern is du musst + infinitive, and the infinitive goes to the end: du musst früh schlafen (“you need to sleep early”). The utterance first gives an instruction with the imperative Sag. zuerst places that instruction first in the sequence. The thing to say is introduced by dass: dass die Wände dünn sind. The second coordinated part has the subject du and expresses necessity with musst; früh specifies the time, and schlafen is the required action. Thus the whole sentence means: “Start by saying the walls are thin and you need to sleep early.”

5. Sollen wir die Hausordnung und die Ruhezeiten erwähnen?

   Should we mention the building rules about quiet hours?

   Sollen wir

   Should we…?

   die Hausordnung

   the building rules

   die Ruhezeiten

   the quiet hours

   erwähnen

   mention

   More detail

   Sollen wir is a reusable way to ask whether “we” should do something. sollen is the present-tense form of sollen for wir; in this question, the modal verb comes first, and the other verb stays in the infinitive at the end. Example: Sollen wir warten? — “Should we wait?” die Hausordnung means the set of rules for a building or shared residence. Hausordnung is feminine, so its singular accusative form uses die, as in Wir lesen die Hausordnung. — “We are reading the building rules.” The form Hausordnung is a compound noun: Haus plus Ordnung, but it functions as one noun here. die Ruhezeiten refers to designated quiet periods. This is the plural of die Ruhezeit; the plural ending is -en. The article die is also used for plural accusative nouns, so die Ruhezeiten can be the object of erwähnen. Example: Wir beachten die Ruhezeiten. — “We observe the quiet hours.” erwähnen means “to mention” or “to bring up.” It is an inseparable verb with the infinitive form erwähnen; in the fixed question, it remains at the end because sollen is the conjugated modal verb. Example: Wir sollten das Problem erwähnen. — “We should mention the problem.” Together, Sollen wir forms the suggestion question, die Hausordnung und die Ruhezeiten names the two things being mentioned, and erwähnen supplies the requested action. The whole utterance therefore asks whether the speakers should mention the building rules and the quiet hours.

6. Nur wenn die Person nebenan nicht mitmachen will. Am Anfang ist eine freundliche Erinnerung vernünftiger.

   Only if they refuse to cooperate. A friendly reminder is more reasonable at first.

   Nur wenn

   only if

   Person

   person

   nebenan

   next door

   mitmachen

   participate

   will

   wants to

   Am Anfang

   at first

   freundliche

   friendly

   Erinnerung

   reminder

   vernünftiger

   more reasonable

   More detail

   Nur wenn introduces a condition and limits what follows: “only if.” The sentence is a fragment because the main clause is understood from the surrounding discussion. In a reusable pattern, nur wenn ... means that something applies only under the stated condition. Person means “person.” Its base form is die Person; the plural is die Personen. In this sentence, die Person is feminine singular and is the subject of the subordinate clause. The definite article identifies the person as a specific relevant person, but the word itself does not say who that person is. nebenan means “next door” or “nearby in an adjoining place.” It is an adverb, so it does not change for gender or number. For example: Die Person nebenan ist freundlich. — “The person next door is friendly.” mitmachen means “to participate” or “to cooperate.” It is a separable verb in many finite constructions: Ich mache mit. — “I participate.” After a modal verb, however, the infinitive stays together at the end: Ich will mitmachen. — “I want to participate.” will is the third-person singular present form of wollen, “to want.” Here it agrees with the singular subject die Person: die Person will. With negation, nicht mitmachen will means “does not want to participate,” which fits the fixed translation “refuse to cooperate.” Wollen is a modal verb here, so mitmachen remains an infinitive at the end of the subordinate clause. The finite verb will also appears at the end because this is a wenn clause: wenn die Person ... nicht mitmachen will. Am Anfang means “at first” or “in the beginning.” am is the contraction of an dem; this phrase uses it as a temporal expression. For example: Am Anfang ist alles schwierig. — “At first, everything is difficult.” freundliche describes Erinnerung as “friendly.” Its base form is freundlich; the observed form is the attributive form before the feminine singular noun Erinnerung: eine freundliche Erinnerung. The ending belongs to the adjective, not to the noun. The adjective agrees with the noun phrase’s feminine singular form; the indefinite article eine does not by itself state a numerical count here. Erinnerung means “reminder.” Its plural is Erinnerungen. In eine freundliche Erinnerung, it is the singular subject of the second sentence. For example: Eine kurze Erinnerung hilft. — “A brief reminder helps.” vernünftiger means “more reasonable.” It is the comparative form of vernünftig: vernünftig — “reasonable,” vernünftiger — “more reasonable.” Here it is a predicative adjective after ist, so it has no noun-agreement ending. The comparison says that a friendly reminder is the more reasonable option at the stated point, without specifying what other option it is being compared with. Together, Nur wenn die Person nebenan nicht mitmachen will sets the condition: this applies only if the person next door does not want to cooperate. Am Anfang sets the time or initial stage. The subject eine freundliche Erinnerung is then described by ist vernünftiger as the more reasonable approach. The whole utterance means: “Only if they refuse to cooperate. A friendly reminder is more reasonable at first.”

7. Vielleicht können wir vorschlagen, dass die Person später am Abend Kopfhörer benutzt, wenn wir am nächsten Tag arbeiten müssen.

   Maybe we can suggest that they use headphones later in the evening when we have work the next day.

   Vielleicht

   maybe

   können wir

   we can

   vorschlagen

   suggest

   Person

   person

   später

   later

   Abend

   evening

   Kopfhörer

   headphones

   benutzt

   uses

   wenn

   when

   nächsten

   next

   Tag

   day

   arbeiten

   work

   müssen

   must

   More detail

   Vielleicht softens the proposal: it means “maybe” and signals that the idea is tentative rather than certain. Example: Vielleicht kommt sie später. — “Maybe she’ll come later.” können wir combines können (“can/be able to”) with wir (“we”). Here können is the present-tense form for wir; the subject is explicitly “we.” With a modal verb, the other verb normally appears as an infinitive at the end of the clause: Wir können helfen. — “We can help.” vorschlagen means “to suggest.” It is the infinitive after können; its separable-prefix behavior is therefore not visible here as a split form. In a main clause without a modal, the present form is Wir schlagen das vor. — “We suggest that.” Person means “person.” The noun is feminine in German, so the phrase uses the definite article die Person; the noun itself is singular here. Its plural is Personen: eine Person — “one person/a person,” zwei Personen — “two people.” später means “later,” referring to a time after the relevant current or previously understood time. It is the comparative form related to spät (“late”): spät → später (“later”). Example: Wir sprechen später. — “We’ll talk later.” Abend means “evening.” In am Abend, am is the contracted form of an dem, and this phrase means “in the evening.” The source says später am Abend: “later in the evening.” Kopfhörer means “headphones.” It is a plural-looking form used for headphones as an item or set; the same form can also occur as a singular masculine noun in German, so the form alone does not establish a numeric count in every context. Example: Ich trage Kopfhörer. — “I’m wearing headphones.” benutzt means “uses” in this sentence. It is the present-tense third-person singular form of benutzen (“to use”), agreeing with singular die Person. Example: Die Person benutzt Kopfhörer. — “The person uses headphones.” wenn introduces the condition or time frame “when” here. It starts a subordinate clause, so the finite verb goes to the end of that clause. The intended clause is wenn wir am nächsten Tag arbeiten müssen: “when we have to work the next day.” nächsten means “next” in am nächsten Tag. It is the inflected form of nächst-; the ending appears because the adjective follows the contracted dative phrase am (an dem). The useful fixed expression am nächsten Tag means “the next day.” Tag means “day.” In am nächsten Tag, it is singular and masculine, with the dative form required by an in this time expression. Its plural is Tage: ein Tag — “one day,” zwei Tage — “two days.” arbeiten means “to work.” Here it is an infinitive governed by müssen, not a finite form carrying the subject agreement. Example: Wir arbeiten morgen. — “We work tomorrow.” müssen means “must/have to.” It is the present-tense form for wir, and as a modal it sends the infinitive arbeiten to the end: Wir müssen arbeiten. — “We have to work.” In the subordinate clause, the modal itself is final: wenn wir arbeiten müssen — “when we have to work.” Together, Vielleicht können wir vorschlagen means “Maybe we can suggest.” The dass clause states what is being suggested: dass die Person später am Abend Kopfhörer benutzt — “that the person use headphones later in the evening.” The final wenn clause gives the relevant time or condition: wenn wir am nächsten Tag arbeiten müssen — “when we have to work the next day.” Thus the whole utterance means: “Maybe we can suggest that they use headphones later in the evening when we have work the next day.”

8. Das wäre ein praktischer Kompromiss und würde die Person nicht direkt beschuldigen.

   That would be a practical compromise, and it does not accuse them directly.

   Das

   that

   wäre

   would be

   praktischer

   practical

   Kompromiss

   compromise

   würde

   would

   Person

   person

   direkt

   directly

   beschuldigen

   accuse

   More detail

   Das means “that” here and points to the proposed idea under discussion. As a demonstrative pronoun, it can refer to an idea or situation, not only to a concrete object. Its grammatical form is neuter singular; that form does not identify a particular noun referent by itself. wäre is the subjunctive II (Konjunktiv II) form of sein (“to be”). The relevant present-tense form is ist; wäre presents the proposal as a possible or hypothetical assessment: “That would be …”. Example: Das wäre hilfreich. — “That would be helpful.” praktischer means “practical” here. Its base form is praktisch; the ending -er agrees with Kompromiss in this noun phrase. Although praktischer can also be the comparative “more practical,” it is not comparative here: the sentence uses the ordinary adjective with the masculine nominative ending required after ein. Kompromiss means “compromise.” It is a masculine noun: der Kompromiss. In ein praktischer Kompromiss, the noun phrase is the subject of wäre, so the masculine nominative forms are used: ein and praktischer. würde is a subjunctive II (Konjunktiv II) form of werden, used here with the infinitive beschuldigen to form a hypothetical verb phrase. The pattern würde + infinitive commonly corresponds to “would …”. The coordinated clause has the same understood subject, Das, and nicht supplies the negation. Person means “person.” die Person is a feminine noun phrase; here it is the object of beschuldigen. The form die is the same in feminine nominative and accusative, so its role comes from the sentence structure rather than from a visible change in the article. The fixed translation identifies this person with singular “them.” direkt means “directly” and describes how the accusing would occur. It is an adverb here, so it does not receive an adjective ending. Compare direkte Kritik — “direct criticism,” where direkte is an adjective modifying a noun. beschuldigen is the infinitive “to accuse.” Its base form is already visible here; after würde, German uses this infinitive at the end of the clause. Example: Sie würde ihn nicht beschuldigen. — “She would not accuse him.” Together, Das wäre ein praktischer Kompromiss means “That would be a practical compromise.” The coordinated part und würde die Person nicht direkt beschuldigen means “and would not accuse them directly.” Thus the whole utterance presents the suggested arrangement as a practical compromise that would not directly accuse the person.

9. Ich kann heute Abend einen ruhigen Zeitpunkt wählen, um mit der Person nebenan zu sprechen.

   I can choose a calm moment this evening to talk to them.

   Ich kann

   I can

   heute Abend

   this evening

   ruhigen

   calm

   Zeitpunkt

   moment

   wählen

   choose

   um

   in order to

   Person

   person

   nebenan

   next door

   zu sprechen

   to speak

   More detail

   Ich kann combines the subject Ich (“I”) with the modal verb kann, the present-tense first-person singular form of können (“can; be able to”). In German, a modal verb is normally followed by another verb in the infinitive, placed at the end of the clause. Example: Ich kann warten. — “I can wait.” heute Abend means “this evening”: heute means “today” and Abend means “evening.” Together they specify when the choosing can happen. Abend is a masculine noun; in this fixed time expression, the noun is not marked as an object. ruhigen describes Zeitpunkt as calm or untroubled. Its base form is ruhig; ruhigen is the inflected form used before the masculine accusative noun phrase einen ruhigen Zeitpunkt. The ending reflects the article, case, gender, and number of that noun phrase—not the adjective alone. Compare: ein ruhiger Zeitpunkt — “a calm moment” (masculine nominative), but einen ruhigen Zeitpunkt — “a calm moment” as the object of wählen. Zeitpunkt is a masculine noun meaning a particular point or moment in time. It is more specific than the broad word Zeit (“time”). In einen ruhigen Zeitpunkt, it is the direct object of wählen, so the masculine indefinite article appears as einen. wählen means “to choose” or “to select.” It is the infinitive that follows the modal kann; the modal carries the first-person present-tense marking, while wählen stays in the infinitive. Example: Wir wählen einen Termin. — “We choose an appointment.” um introduces the purpose construction um ... zu (“in order to ...”). The purpose phrase is split: um appears before the relevant phrase, and zu sprechen appears at its end. This construction links an action with its intended purpose when the understood subject of the purpose is the same as the subject of the main action here: “I can choose ... in order to speak ...”. Person means “person.” It is a feminine noun, and in the full phrase mit der Person, the preposition mit requires the dative case, shown by der. The noun itself remains Person; its grammatical role is signaled here mainly by the preceding article and preposition. The fixed translation identifies this person with the English pronoun “them,” without specifying a gendered English pronoun. nebenan is an adverb meaning “next door” or “nearby.” In der Person nebenan, it gives a location-based description of the person. It does not inflect for the noun’s gender or case. Example: Sie wohnt nebenan. — “She lives next door.” zu sprechen consists of zu plus the infinitive sprechen (“to speak”). With um, it forms um ... zu sprechen, “in order to speak.” The verb sprechen is an irregular verb: its present-tense form with ich is spreche, while the infinitive remains sprechen. Example: Ich gehe, um mit ihr zu sprechen. — “I am going in order to speak with her.” Together, Ich kann heute Abend says that I have the ability or opportunity this evening; einen ruhigen Zeitpunkt wählen says that I can select a calm moment; and um mit der Person nebenan zu sprechen gives the purpose of that choice. The complete meaning is: “I can choose a calm moment this evening in order to speak with the person next door,” matching the fixed translation’s “talk to them.”

10. Der richtige ruhige Zeitpunkt verhindert normalerweise, dass ein kleines Problem persönlich wird.

    Calm timing usually prevents a small problem from becoming personal.

    richtige

    right; appropriate

    ruhige

    calm

    Zeitpunkt

    moment; point in time

    normalerweise

    usually

    verhindert

    prevents

    kleines

    small

    Problem

    problem

    persönlich

    personal

    wird

    becomes

    More detail

    richtige describes the Zeitpunkt as suitable or appropriate here. Its base form is richtig; the ending -e is the adjective ending used after the definite article der in this masculine nominative phrase. Example: Das ist der richtige Moment. — “That is the right moment.” ruhige means calm or undisturbed here and also describes Zeitpunkt. Its base form is ruhig; the -e ending matches the same definite-article phrase. Example: Wir brauchen einen ruhigen Moment. — “We need a calm moment.” After einen, the form is ruhigen, not ruhige. Zeitpunkt is a masculine noun meaning a specific point or moment in time. Its plural is Zeitpunkte. The phrase der richtige ruhige Zeitpunkt therefore means “the right calm moment,” with both adjectives modifying the noun. normalerweise means “usually” or “normally.” It presents the prevention as a general tendency, not as an absolute result. Example: Normalerweise beginnt der Kurs um neun. — “The course usually starts at nine.” verhindert is the third-person singular present form of verhindern, “to prevent.” The subject is the singular noun phrase Der richtige ruhige Zeitpunkt, so the verb has the -t form. Verhindern can be followed by a dass-clause to state what is prevented: Das verhindert, dass es schlimmer wird. — “That prevents it from getting worse.” kleines describes Problem. Its base form is klein, “small.” The ending -es marks the neuter singular nominative phrase after the indefinite article ein: ein kleines Problem. The noun Problem is neuter, and the phrase ein kleines Problem is the subject of the dass-clause here. Example: Sie hat ein kleines Problem. — “She has a small problem.” persönlich means “personal” in this context. It is used without an adjective ending after wird, because it is a predicative adjective rather than an adjective placed directly before a noun. The expression persönlich werden means “to become personal.” Example: Bitte werde nicht persönlich. — “Please do not become personal.” wird is the third-person singular present form of werden, “to become” in this construction. In the subordinate dass-clause, it appears at the end: dass ein kleines Problem persönlich wird. Werden can also be used in other functions, but here it describes a change into a state, not future time. Together, Der richtige ruhige Zeitpunkt is the singular subject, and verhindert normalerweise says that it usually prevents something. The dass-clause identifies the prevented event: ein kleines Problem persönlich wird, “a small problem becoming personal.” The complete meaning is: “The right, calm moment usually prevents a small problem from becoming personal.”