Politely discussing a disappointing fish dish | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Entschuldigen Sie, dürfte ich nach dem Fisch fragen? Er ist etwas trocken.

   Excuse me, could I ask about the fish? It is a bit dry.

   Entschuldigen Sie

   Excuse me

   dürfte ich

   could I

   nach … fragen

   ask about

   Fisch

   fish

   etwas

   a little

   trocken

   dry

   More detail

   Entschuldigen Sie is the formal way to say “Excuse me.” Entschuldigen is the imperative of entschuldigen addressed to formal Sie; the capitalized Sie is the polite second-person form. With one person addressed informally, German uses Entschuldige instead. dürfte ich means “could I” here. dürfte is the Konjunktiv II form of dürfen with ich, used to make a request more tentative and polite than a direct question with darf ich (“may I?”). Example: Dürfte ich hereinkommen? — “Could I come in?” nach ... fragen is a reusable German construction meaning “ask about” or “ask for information about” something. The preposition nach belongs with this verb and is followed here by dem Fisch; it is not the same as simply translating each word independently. The verb fragen is the base form, while the separated position of nach and fragen in this question reflects the construction's two parts. Example: Ich frage nach dem Preis. — “I’m asking about the price.” Fisch means “fish” in this utterance. Its base singular form is der Fisch; after nach, the masculine singular article appears as dem because nach governs the dative case. The plural is die Fische. Here the fixed translation identifies the fish as the thing being asked about. etwas means “a little” or “somewhat” when it modifies a quality. It softens the following description rather than stating an exact amount. Example: Der Tee ist etwas heiß. — “The tea is a little hot.” trocken means “dry.” It is an adjective describing the fish here. The adjective itself does not show a special ending in etwas trocken, because it follows the linking verb ist and is used predicatively. Its opposite is feucht (“damp” or “moist”) in the relevant physical sense. Together, the first part politely asks permission to ask about the fish: “Excuse me, could I ask about the fish?” The second sentence uses Er (“it/he”) as a masculine singular nominative pronoun referring here to the fish, and ist (“is”) links it to the description etwas trocken: “It is a bit dry.”

2. Das tut mir leid. Ich frage in der Küche nach.

   I'm sorry about that. I'll check with the kitchen.

   Das tut mir leid.

   I'm sorry about that.

   frage … nach

   ask about; inquire about

   Küche

   kitchen

   More detail

   Das tut mir leid. is a fixed German way to apologize for something: “I’m sorry about that.” Das means “that” here, referring to the matter being discussed. tut is the third-person singular present form of tun (“to do”); mir is the dative form of ich (“to me”), and leid completes this established expression. The literal structure is not a useful word-for-word English model, so learn the whole pattern: Das tut mir leid. frage ... nach comes from the separable verb nachfragen, meaning “to ask about something” or “to inquire.” In the sentence, Ich frage ... nach places the finite part frage after the subject and sends the separable element nach to the end. The two parts belong together even though another phrase can stand between them. Example: Ich frage beim Hotel nach. — “I’ll inquire with the hotel.” This form is different from simply asking a person a question with jemanden fragen; nachfragen emphasizes making an inquiry or checking on something. Küche means “kitchen.” In in der Küche, the phrase is translated here as “with the kitchen.” Küche is feminine; because in describes a fixed location in this phrase, the noun phrase uses the dative form der: in der Küche. Example: Ich frage in der Rezeption nach. — “I’ll check with reception.” Together, Ich frage in der Küche nach says that the speaker will make an inquiry with the kitchen. The complete utterance first apologizes — Das tut mir leid. — and then states this intended next action: “I’m sorry about that. I’ll check with the kitchen.”

3. Der Geschmack ist gut, aber die Konsistenz ist nicht so, wie ich sie erwartet habe.

   The flavor is nice, but the texture is not what I expected.

   Geschmack

   flavor

   gut

   good; nice

   Konsistenz

   texture

   nicht so … wie

   not what; not as

   erwartet

   expected

   More detail

   Geschmack means “flavor” here. It is a masculine noun: der Geschmack. The plural is die Geschmäcker, although the singular is the natural form for one flavor or taste being assessed. Example: Der Geschmack ist intensiv. — “The flavor is intense.” gut describes the flavor positively here: “good” or, in this translation, “nice.” Its basic form is gut; the comparative is besser (“better”) and the superlative is am besten (“best”). In Der Geschmack ist gut, ist links the subject and adjective; gut does not take an ending because it follows this linking verb. Konsistenz means “texture” in this food-related context. It is a feminine noun: die Konsistenz. The sentence contrasts this property with the flavor, so the texture is evaluated separately from the taste. Example: Die Konsistenz ist cremig. — “The texture is creamy.” nicht so supplies the negative assessment “not so” or “not to that degree.” By itself, it does not complete the comparison; the following wie clause identifies the standard of comparison. The pattern nicht so ..., wie ... can mean “not as ..., as ...” or, with an expected result, “not ..., as ... was expected.” wie introduces the comparison clause here. In the complete pattern nicht so, wie ich sie erwartet habe, it corresponds naturally to “what/as ...” in the fixed translation rather than being translated separately as a standalone word. wie can also introduce a direct comparison: Es ist so, wie du gesagt hast. — “It is as you said.” erwartet is the past participle of erwarten, “to expect.” The form erwarten is the useful base form; erwartet combines with the auxiliary habe to form the perfect: ich habe ... erwartet, “I expected ...” In the source, ich is the subject and sie is the feminine singular object referring to the texture identified by the fixed translation. Example: Ich habe mehr erwartet. — “I expected more.” Taken together, Der Geschmack ist gut says that the flavor is good. aber contrasts this with die Konsistenz ist nicht so, wie ich sie erwartet habe: the texture does not match the speaker’s expectation. Thus the whole utterance means, “The flavor is nice, but the texture is not what I expected.”

4. Ein wenig Soße als Beilage könnte helfen.

   A little sauce on the side might help.

   Ein wenig

   a little

   Soße

   sauce

   als Beilage

   as a side dish

   könnte

   might; could

   helfen

   help

   More detail

   Ein wenig expresses a small, unspecified amount. Here, ein belongs to the fixed quantity phrase ein wenig; it does not by itself assert a count of one. Wenig is used with the uncountable amount here, as in ein wenig Wasser (“a little water”). For a small number of countable items, German commonly uses wenige, as in wenige Stücke (“a few pieces”). Soße is the noun for “sauce” and is feminine: die Soße. Its plural is Soßen. Here, it is the head noun of the subject phrase and names the substance that might help. Als Beilage means “as a side dish” or “as an accompaniment.” Als introduces the role or function in which something is considered: Gemüse als Beilage means “vegetables as a side dish.” The noun Beilage is feminine: die Beilage. Könnte is the form of können used here for a tentative possibility: “might” or “could.” It is Konjunktiv II and presents the possible benefit less definitely than indicative kann in a suitable context. For example, Das könnte helfen. means “That might help.” Helfen is the infinitive “to help.” After the modal verb könnte, the infinitive stays at the end: ... könnte helfen. The verb helfen can also take a dative person: Ich helfe ihm means “I help him.” Together, Ein wenig Soße als Beilage refers to a small amount of sauce in the role of an accompaniment. Könnte helfen presents its possible benefit tentatively. The whole utterance therefore means: “A little sauce on the side might help.”

5. Möchten Sie, dass ich etwas davon bringe?

   Would you like me to bring some?

   Möchten Sie

   Would you like …?

   etwas davon

   some of it

   bringe

   bring

   More detail

   Möchten Sie is a polite way to ask whether the addressee would like something. möchten is the polite-wish form traditionally described as the Konjunktiv II of mögen; in this use it is normally followed by an infinitive or by a clause introduced with dass. Sie is the formal second-person pronoun and is written with a capital letter. Example: Möchten Sie warten? — “Would you like to wait?” etwas davon combines etwas, “something/some,” with davon, literally “of it/of that.” Together here they mean “some of it,” referring to an already relevant item without naming it again. The fixed translation supports the partitive meaning “some,” while the surrounding context makes the item under discussion the food accompaniment. Example: Ich nehme etwas davon. — “I’ll have some of it.” bringe is the first-person singular present form of bringen, “to bring.” The ending identifies ich as the subject: ich bringe — “I bring / I am bringing.” In the dass clause, German keeps the conjugated verb at the end: dass ich etwas davon bringe. Example: Ich bringe das morgen. — “I’ll bring that tomorrow.” The sentence has the reusable pattern Möchten Sie, dass ich ...? — “Would you like me to ...?” The main question uses Möchten Sie; the dass clause specifies the requested action, with ich as the person who would perform it and bringe at the clause end. Thus the complete meaning is: “Would you like me to bring some?”

6. Das würde helfen, solange sie nicht zu schwer ist.

   That would help, as long as it is not too heavy.

   Das

   that

   würde

   would

   helfen

   help

   solange

   as long as

   sie

   it

   nicht

   not

   zu schwer

   too heavy

   ist

   is

   More detail

   Das means “that” here and functions as the subject. German das can also be a neuter definite article, but here it stands independently as a pronoun. Its exact referent is not identified by the supplied text. würde is the third-person singular form of werden in the subjunctive II, used with an infinitive to express a hypothetical or conditional result. The reusable pattern is würde + infinitive: Das würde funktionieren. — “That would work.” helfen is the infinitive “to help.” With würde, the infinitive remains at the end of this main clause: Das würde helfen — “That would help.” In the present tense, ich helfe means “I help,” while er/sie/es hilft has the stem change e to i. solange introduces the condition “as long as” or “provided that.” It places the following clause inside the condition for the main-clause statement. Example: Ich bleibe, solange es ruhig ist. — “I’ll stay as long as it is quiet.” sie is the lowercase pronoun “she” or “it”; the fixed translation identifies its intended meaning here as “it.” In this sentence, the following singular form ist shows that sie is singular, and this pronoun form is feminine singular. The specific thing it refers to is not identified. This is different from capitalized Sie, the formal “you.” nicht means “not” and negates the description in the conditional clause. Its combination with zu schwer gives the meaning “not too heavy.” zu schwer means “too heavy.” schwer is the base adjective “heavy”; zu marks an excessive degree, meaning that the weight exceeds what is acceptable for the relevant purpose. Useful comparison forms are schwerer (“heavier”) and am schwersten (“the heaviest”). Example: Die Tasche ist zu schwer. — “The bag is too heavy.” ist is the third-person singular present form of sein, “to be.” Here it links sie with the description zu schwer: sie ist zu schwer — “it is too heavy.” The infinitive is sein; other present forms include ich bin and du bist. Together, Das würde helfen gives the hypothetical result “That would help.” The subordinate clause solange sie nicht zu schwer ist limits that result: it would help as long as the relevant thing is not too heavy. The complete meaning is: “That would help, as long as it is not too heavy.”

7. Ich kann Ihnen ein kleines Schälchen Soße bringen und der Küche Bescheid geben.

   I can bring a small dish of sauce and let the kitchen know.

   Ich kann

   I can

   Ihnen

   to you (formal or plural)

   kleines

   small

   Schälchen

   small dish

   Soße

   sauce

   bringen

   bring

   Küche

   kitchen

   Bescheid geben

   let someone know

   More detail

   Ich kann means “I can” here. kann is the first-person singular present form of können; the infinitive comes later as bringen. German modal verbs commonly combine with a second verb in the infinitive: Ich kann helfen means “I can help.” Ihnen is the dative form used for a formal singular “you” or for plural “you.” In this sentence it marks the recipient of the bringing: the speaker can bring something to you or to you all. The capital letter is part of the formal form; plural ihnen normally means “to them.” kleines means “small” and describes Schälchen. The adjective is based on klein; here it has the ending -es because it follows the neuter indefinite article ein in ein kleines Schälchen. This ending belongs to the adjective, not to the noun. Schälchen means “small dish” or “small bowl.” It is a neuter noun: das Schälchen. The ending -chen forms a diminutive, so Schälchen presents a small version of a dish or bowl. Its plural is also Schälchen. Soße means “sauce.” It is a feminine noun, die Soße. In ein kleines Schälchen Soße, it specifies what the dish contains; the whole noun phrase means “a small dish of sauce.” bringen is the infinitive “to bring.” Its present-tense forms include ich bringe, du bringst, and er/sie bringt. After kann, the infinitive stays at the end of its clause: Ich kann Ihnen Wasser bringen means “I can bring you water.” Küche means “kitchen.” Here der Küche is the dative form of die Küche, used with the recipient of Bescheid geben. In the fixed meaning, the speaker will notify the kitchen. The dative article der does not make the noun masculine; Küche remains feminine. Bescheid geben is a reusable expression meaning “to let someone know” or “to notify someone.” It normally takes a dative recipient, as in Ich gebe ihm Bescheid — “I’ll let him know.” In the sentence, der Küche Bescheid geben means “let the kitchen know.” The first coordinated action is Ihnen ein kleines Schälchen Soße bringen: bring you a small dish of sauce. After und, the second action is der Küche Bescheid geben: notify the kitchen. Together with Ich kann, the utterance means: “I can bring you a small dish of sauce and let the kitchen know.”

8. Ich wollte es ansprechen, bevor ich noch mehr davon esse.

   I wanted to mention it before I ate more of it.

   Ich wollte

   I wanted to

   ansprechen

   mention / address

   bevor

   before

   noch mehr

   more

   davon

   of it

   esse

   eat

   More detail

   Ich wollte uses wollte, the first-person singular past form of wollen (“to want”). Here it expresses the speaker’s intention: “I wanted to …”. The infinitive is wollen; in a clause with a modal verb, the other verb stays in the infinitive: Ich wollte fragen = “I wanted to ask.” ansprechen means “to bring up” or “to address” a topic. Its base form is ansprechen, and it is a separable verb in many finite constructions: Ich spreche das an = “I bring that up.” After wollte, it remains as the infinitive ansprechen. In this sentence, es is the object of ansprechen, while its precise referent is not identified by the fixed texts. bevor introduces a clause for an earlier condition or time: “before …”. It sends the finite verb to the end of the subordinate clause. Compare bevor ich esse (“before I eat”) with the main-clause order Ich esse (“I eat”). noch mehr means “more” in the sense of an additional amount: noch adds the idea of “still/even more,” and mehr means “more.” A reusable example is Ich möchte noch mehr — “I would like more.” davon is a pronominal adverb meaning “of it” or “of that” in this context. It refers to something understood from the situation without repeating its noun. The form is not a general replacement for every pronoun: for a person, German normally uses a personal pronoun, whereas davon is used for a thing, matter, or substance in a von relationship. esse is the first-person singular present form of essen (“to eat”): ich esse, du isst, er/sie isst. Because it appears after bevor, it stands at the end of the subordinate clause. German uses this present form for the eating event in the subordinate clause; the English translation uses “ate” to fit its sequence of tenses. Together, Ich wollte es ansprechen means “I wanted to bring it up,” and bevor ich noch mehr davon esse means “before I eat more of it.” The complete utterance is therefore: “I wanted to mention it before I ate more of it.”

9. Bitte sagen Sie mir, ob der Fisch nach dem Probieren mit der Soße immer noch trocken ist.

   Please tell me if it is still dry after you try the sauce.

   Bitte

   please

   sagen

   tell; say

   mir

   to me

   ob

   whether; if

   Fisch

   fish

   nach dem Probieren

   after trying/tasting

   Soße

   sauce

   immer noch

   still

   trocken

   dry

   ist

   is

   More detail

   Bitte makes the request polite. It is commonly used at the beginning or end of a request; here it does not add a separate action. sagen means “to say” or “to tell.” Its base form is sagen. In Bitte sagen Sie mir, the infinitive-looking form with formal Sie is the polite imperative: “Please tell me.” The verb is not sprechen, which usually means “to speak” rather than “to tell someone information.” Example: Sagen Sie mir die Wahrheit. — “Tell me the truth.” mir is the dative form of ich, meaning “to me.” The form chain is ich → mir; it marks the recipient of the telling. Example: Er sagt mir das. — “He tells me that.” ob introduces an indirect yes/no question. Here it means “whether” or “if,” not a conditional “if.” A useful pattern is jemandem sagen, ob ... — “to tell someone whether ...”. In this subordinate clause, the finite verb comes at the end. Fisch means “fish.” The full noun phrase is der Fisch; der shows masculine nominative singular here, because the fish is the subject of ist. German nouns are capitalized. Example: Der Fisch ist frisch. — “The fish is fresh.” nach dem Probieren means “after trying” or “after tasting.” Probieren is the capitalized infinitive used as a noun, based on probieren (“to try” or “to taste”). The preposition nach takes the dative here, so the neuter form is dem: nach dem Probieren. This phrase places the trying or tasting before the later assessment. Soße means “sauce.” The noun is feminine: die Soße; after mit, it appears in the dative as der Soße. Thus mit der Soße means “with the sauce.” In the fixed translation, this part is rendered as trying the sauce, but the German wording itself uses mit (“with”), so it presents the sauce as accompanying the tasting rather than as a direct-object form. immer noch means “still,” expressing that the condition continues or remains true at the relevant later point. It is a two-word adverbial expression; it is not the same as simply noch, which can have several other uses. Example: Der Tee ist immer noch heiß. — “The tea is still hot.” trocken means “dry.” Here it is a predicate adjective after ist, so it has no adjective ending: Der Fisch ist trocken. — “The fish is dry.” Compare ein trockener Fisch, where the adjective is attributive and therefore has an ending. ist is the third-person singular present form of sein, “to be.” The useful present-tense chain is ich bin, du bist, er/sie/es ist; here ist agrees with the singular subject der Fisch. Because this verb is inside the ob clause, it comes at the end: ob der Fisch ... trocken ist. Together, Bitte sagen Sie mir politely asks the listener to provide information to the speaker. ob then introduces the question being reported: der Fisch ... trocken ist. Inside that clause, nach dem Probieren mit der Soße places the trying or tasting with the sauce before the assessment, while immer noch trocken asks whether the fish remains dry. Using the supplied translation, the whole utterance means: “Please tell me if it is still dry after you try the sauce.”

10. Wir können eine andere Lösung finden.

    We can find another solution.

    Wir können

    we can

    andere

    another; different

    Lösung

    solution

    finden

    find

    More detail

    Wir können combines Wir (“we”) with können, the present-tense form of können for “we.” Here it expresses ability or possibility: “we can.” With a modal verb such as können, the other verb normally stays in the infinitive and moves to the end of the clause. For example: Wir können warten. — “We can wait.” andere means “another” here, referring to a solution that is different from one already under consideration. Its base form is the adjective andere; the ending changes with the noun phrase. In eine andere Lösung, Lösung is feminine singular and is the accusative object of finden, so the adjective has the form andere. andere can also mean “different” in suitable contexts, but “another” is the intended meaning here. Lösung is the noun “solution.” Its plural is Lösungen. The phrase eine andere Lösung means “another solution”; eine is an indefinite article and does not by itself state a numeric count. finden is the infinitive “to find.” Its present-tense forms include ich finde, du findest, and er/sie findet. In this sentence it remains in the infinitive because it follows the modal können. For example: Wir finden eine Lösung. — “We find a solution.” Together, Wir können gives “we can,” eine andere Lösung gives “another solution,” and finden supplies the action “find.” The German clause therefore means: “We can find another solution.” The modal comes in the second position, while the infinitive finden comes at the end, a common pattern in a German main clause with a modal verb.