Politely clarifying a taxi route | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Entschuldigung, fahren wir wegen des Verkehrs eine andere Strecke?

   Excuse me, are we taking a different route because of traffic?

   Entschuldigung

   excuse me

   fahren

   travel; drive

   wegen des Verkehrs

   because of traffic

   andere

   different; another

   Strecke

   route

   More detail

   Entschuldigung is a polite way to get someone’s attention or say “excuse me.” The same form is also the noun meaning “apology” or “excuse,” but here it functions as a standalone polite opening. fahren means to travel or drive, depending on the situation. Here it refers to traveling by vehicle along a route. Its infinitive/base form is fahren; useful present-tense forms include ich fahre (“I travel/drive”) and wir fahren (“we travel/drive”). wegen des Verkehrs expresses a cause: “because of traffic.” wegen introduces a noun phrase giving a reason. Verkehr is a masculine noun meaning “traffic,” and des Verkehrs is its genitive singular form after wegen; Verkehrs is the inflected form of Verkehr. andere means “different” or “another” here. It describes Strecke, indicating a route other than the one otherwise expected. The adjective’s lexical form is andere, with the stem ander-. In eine andere Strecke, andere has the ending used with a feminine singular accusative noun after the indefinite article eine. The ending belongs to andere, not to Strecke. Strecke means “route” or “stretch of a path.” It is a feminine noun: die Strecke. In eine andere Strecke, it is the direct object of the verb, so it is accusative singular; its form is unchanged from the nominative. Example: Wir nehmen eine kurze Strecke. — “We take a short route.” Together, fahren wir asks whether “we” are traveling or driving, while eine andere Strecke means “a different route.” Placing fahren before wir marks the yes/no-question structure. Adding wegen des Verkehrs asks whether traffic is the reason for choosing that route. The complete utterance therefore asks, politely, whether the group is taking a different route because of traffic. The following context supports the route-choice situation by mentioning a blocked road and a detour; it does not change the question’s meaning.

2. Die Straße vor uns ist gesperrt, deshalb muss ich einen Umweg fahren.

   The road ahead is blocked, so I need to take a detour.

   Straße

   road; street

   vor uns

   ahead of us; in front of us

   gesperrt

   blocked; closed

   deshalb

   therefore; so

   muss ich

   I must; I need to

   Umweg

   detour

   fahren

   to drive; to travel

   More detail

   Straße means “road” here. Its base form is die Straße, a feminine noun; the plural is die Straßen. German nouns are capitalized. In this sentence, die Straße is the subject of ist gesperrt. vor uns means “ahead of us” or “in front of us.” vor takes the dative when it describes a location, and uns is the dative form of wir (“we”). The phrase therefore presents the road as being located ahead of the speaker and the other people included in “us.” Example: Das Auto steht vor uns. — “The car is in front of us.” gesperrt means “blocked” or “closed” in this context. It is the past participle of sperren (“to block; to close off”), and here it is used predicatively after ist: Die Straße ist gesperrt. — “The road is blocked.” This form describes the road’s current condition; it is not the finite verb by itself. deshalb means “therefore” or “so.” It links the blocked road with the consequence that follows. As a sentence adverb, it can occupy the first position; when it does, the finite verb follows it directly: Deshalb muss ich ... — “So I need to ...” muss ich combines muss, the first-person singular form of the modal verb müssen, with ich (“I”). müssen expresses necessity or need; muss is used with ich, while wir müssen means “we must/need to.” With a modal verb, the other verb normally goes to the end in its infinitive form: Ich muss arbeiten. — “I need to work.” Umweg means “detour.” Its base noun is masculine: der Umweg; after the verb phrase here, the masculine accusative form is einen Umweg. The word is used for a longer or different route taken because the direct route cannot be used. Example: Wir nehmen einen Umweg. — “We are taking a detour.” fahren means “to drive” or, more generally, “to travel/go by vehicle.” It is the infinitive required after muss; the modal carries the first-person form, so fahren itself does not show the subject here. In the expression einen Umweg fahren, it means taking or driving a detour. The fixed sentence uses fahren rather than a verb meaning simply “walk” or “go on foot.” Together, Die Straße vor uns ist gesperrt says “The road ahead of us is blocked.” Deshalb introduces the result, and muss ich einen Umweg fahren says “I need to take a detour,” with muss expressing necessity and fahren remaining at the end as the modal complement. The whole utterance means: “The road ahead is blocked, so I need to take a detour.”

3. Ich habe gefragt, weil ich diese Gegend nicht kenne.

   I was asking because I don't recognize this area.

   Ich habe

   I have

   gefragt

   asked

   weil

   because

   ich

   I

   diese

   this

   Gegend

   area

   nicht

   not

   kenne

   know; recognize

   More detail

   Ich habe is the first-person singular perfect construction: ich is the subject “I,” and habe is the present-tense form of haben used here as an auxiliary, not as the main verb “possess.” German commonly forms the perfect with finite haben plus a past participle. gefragt is the past participle of fragen (“to ask”): fragen → gefragt. Together, habe gefragt means “asked” or “have asked.” German perfect tense does not by itself express an English-style progressive “was asking”; the fixed translation gives the intended wording in this context. Example: Ich habe nach dem Weg gefragt. — “I asked for directions.” weil means “because” and introduces a subordinate clause giving the reason. In this kind of German clause, the finite verb goes to the end: weil ich diese Gegend nicht kenne — “because I don’t recognize this area.” ich is again the first-person singular subject, referring to the speaker. German uses the same form for “I” regardless of gender. diese is the demonstrative determiner “this.” It agrees with Gegend, a feminine singular noun, and here the noun phrase is the accusative object of kennen: diese Gegend. The feminine form happens to be diese in both nominative and accusative singular; the case here is determined by the verb’s object role, not by the visible ending alone. Gegend means “area” or “region.” Its base form is die Gegend; the plural is die Gegenden. Example: Diese Gegend ist ruhig. — “This area is quiet.” nicht means “not.” Here it negates the speaker’s familiarity with diese Gegend, so the meaning is that the speaker does not recognize or know the area. Its exact position can change with what is being negated, so it is better learned together with the surrounding clause than as a fixed English-style position. kenne is the first-person singular present form of kennen, “to know” or “be familiar with” a person or place: ich kenne, du kennst, er/sie kennt. In this sentence, kennen concerns familiarity with an area. For knowing a fact or piece of information, German commonly uses wissen instead. Example: Ich kenne diese Stadt nicht. — “I don’t know this city.” Together, Ich habe gefragt states that the speaker asked, and weil ich diese Gegend nicht kenne supplies the reason: the speaker asked because this area is unfamiliar and not recognizable to them. The complete intended meaning is “I was asking because I don’t recognize this area.”

4. Diese Strecke ist etwas länger, aber so sollten wir weiterfahren können.

   This way is a little longer, but it should keep us moving.

   Diese

   this

   Strecke

   route; way

   etwas

   a little; somewhat

   länger

   longer

   so

   this way

   sollten wir

   we should

   weiterfahren

   continue traveling; continue driving

   können

   can; be able to

   More detail

   Diese agrees with Strecke: both are feminine singular in the nominative because Strecke is the subject of ist. The demonstrative means “this” here and points to the route being discussed. Its form changes with the noun’s gender, number, and grammatical case; for example, dieser Weg means “this way/road,” while diese Strecke means “this route.” Strecke means a route, stretch, or distance. In this sentence it refers to the route under consideration, not necessarily to a physical distance measured separately. Example: Die Strecke ist kurz. — “The route is short.” etwas softens the following description and means “somewhat” or “a little” here. It is functioning adverbially, so it does not assert a numerical amount. Example: Der Weg ist etwas steiler. — “The path is somewhat steeper.” länger is the comparative form of the adjective lang (“long”): lang → länger → am längsten (“long” → “longer” → “longest”). The umlaut belongs to the adjective’s comparison. Here, etwas länger means “a little longer” than the relevant alternative route. so means “this way” here and refers to the route or manner under consideration. Example: So geht es schneller. — “This way, it is faster.” sollten wir combines the modal verb sollen with the subject wir. In this sentence, sollten has the “should” reading associated with Konjunktiv II and expresses a cautious expectation. Its form is also identical to the simple past plural form of sollen, so the ending alone does not mark this tentative meaning; the meaning comes from the sentence context. Example: Wir sollten bald ankommen. — “We should arrive soon.” weiterfahren is the infinitive of the separable verb weiterfahren, formed with weiter (“on, further”) and fahren (“travel/go by vehicle,” often “drive”). It means “continue traveling” or “continue driving”; the context does not require choosing between those English renderings. Example: Wir fahren nach der Pause weiter. — “We continue traveling after the break.” können is the infinitive of the modal verb können (“can, be able to”). With another infinitive, it expresses ability or possibility. Because sollten is the finite modal form, können remains an infinitive at the end: weiterfahren können means “be able to continue traveling.” Example: Wir können weiterfahren. — “We can continue traveling.” Together, Diese Strecke ist etwas länger says that this route is somewhat longer, and aber so sollten wir weiterfahren können says that taking this route should nevertheless allow continued travel. The whole utterance is therefore: “This way is a little longer, but it should keep us moving.”

5. Könnten wir, wenn möglich, auf größeren Straßen bleiben?

   Could we stay on larger roads if possible?

   Könnten wir

   Could we …?

   wenn möglich

   if possible

   größeren

   larger

   Straßen

   roads

   bleiben

   stay

   More detail

   Könnten wir combines könnten, the subjunctive-II form of können, with wir (“we”). Here it makes a polite request about possibility: “Could we …?” The infinitive können means “can/be able to”; könnten is not simple past in this question. wenn möglich is a compact form of wenn es möglich ist, meaning “if possible.” It states a condition without specifying a separate subject in the short version. A reusable pattern is wenn möglich, ... (“if possible, ...”). größeren means “larger” here. Its base adjective is groß (“large”); the comparative is größer (“larger”), and the ending -en is added in this phrase because it modifies the plural noun Straßen in the dative phrase auf größeren Straßen. The adjective itself, not the noun, carries the comparison. Straßen is the plural of Straße (“road” or “street”). The plural form is used because the request refers generally to roads, not to one road. For example, Wir fahren auf Nebenstraßen means “We drive on side roads.” bleiben means “stay” or “remain.” It is the infinitive placed at the end because könnten is the finite modal verb: Wir könnten dort bleiben means “We could stay there.” Together, Könnten wir ... bleiben? forms the polite question “Could we stay ...?” The inserted condition wenn möglich limits the request, and auf größeren Straßen specifies where to stay: “on larger roads.” Thus the complete utterance means, “Could we stay on larger roads if possible?”

6. Das kann ich machen.

   I can do that.

   Das

   that

   kann ich

   I can

   machen

   do

   More detail

   Das means “that” here and refers to the action being discussed. As a German demonstrative pronoun, it is a neuter singular form; its grammatical form does not by itself identify the action more specifically. kann ich expresses “I can.” kann is the present-tense first-person singular form of können (“can, be able to”): ich kann, du kannst, er/sie/es kann. Here Das is placed first as the topic, so the finite verb follows it in the second position and the subject ich comes after the verb. This is the normal verb-second order of a German declarative sentence, not yes/no-question word order. Example: Das kann ich verstehen. — “I can understand that.” machen means “do” here and is the infinitive of machen. With a modal verb such as können, the modal verb is conjugated and the other verb remains in the infinitive, typically at the end of the clause. Example: Ich kann das machen. — “I can do that.” Together, Das identifies the task, kann ich states the speaker’s ability to carry it out, and machen names the action. The complete meaning is “I can do that.”

7. Das kann ein paar Minuten länger dauern.

   It may add a few minutes.

   Das kann

   that can / may

   ein paar

   a few

   Minuten

   minutes

   länger

   longer

   dauern

   take time

   More detail

   Das kann combines das (“that”) with kann, the third-person singular present form of können (“can; be able to”). Here, with dauern, it expresses possibility: “that may …”. The form kann agrees with the singular subject das; the nearby context confirms that das refers to the situation or action already being discussed, without identifying a more specific noun. Compare Das kann ich machen. (“I can do that”), where kann expresses ability rather than possibility because it is followed by ich and machen. ein paar is a compact quantity expression meaning “a few” or “several”. It is used with a plural noun, as in ein paar Minuten (“a few minutes”). The article-like word ein here is part of the expression and does not by itself assert a count of one. Minuten is the plural of die Minute, “minute”. The plural form marks more than one minute; after ein paar, the plural is required. Example: Ich warte ein paar Minuten. — “I’ll wait a few minutes.” länger is the comparative form of lang, “long”. lang describes duration or length, while länger means “longer”; the comparison is with an understood duration or expectation, not necessarily with a separately named thing. Example: Der Weg dauert länger. — “The route takes longer.” dauern is the infinitive meaning “to last” or “to take time”. With a duration, German commonly uses the pattern etwas dauert [Zeit]: Der Film dauert zwei Stunden. — “The film lasts two hours.” After the modal verb kann, the infinitive stays at the end: Das kann länger dauern (“That may take longer”). Together, Das kann marks the possibility, ein paar Minuten gives the added duration, and länger dauern says that the duration will be longer. The complete utterance therefore means: “It may take a few minutes longer,” or naturally, “It may add a few minutes.”

8. Aber die Strecke ist dann leichter nachzuvollziehen.

   But it will be easier to follow.

   Aber

   but

   Strecke

   route; stretch

   dann

   then; in that case

   leichter

   easier

   nachzuvollziehen

   to follow; to understand

   More detail

   Aber introduces a contrast: “but.” It connects this statement with something previously mentioned without changing the main meaning of the rest of the sentence. Strecke means “route” or “stretch.” Its plural is Strecken. In this sentence it is the subject: the route is what can be followed more easily. Example: Die Strecke ist lang. — “The route is long.” dann means “then” or, in a situation like this, “in that case.” Here it places the improvement in the relevant later or conditional situation. Its meaning is not a numeric or grammatical marker; the surrounding context determines whether “then” or “in that case” is the most natural translation. leichter is the comparative form of the adjective leicht, “easy” or “light” in other contexts. leicht → leichter → am leichtesten means “easy” → “easier” → “easiest.” The comparative says that following the route will require less effort than before or than another available option; the comparison is understood rather than stated explicitly. nachzuvollziehen means “to follow” or “to understand” something step by step. Its base verb is nachvollziehen. In the zu-infinitive, the zu is inserted into this separable verb: nachvollziehen → nachzuvollziehen. Example: Der Ablauf ist leicht nachzuvollziehen. — “The process is easy to follow.” The structure ist ... leichter nachzuvollziehen literally presents the route as easier to follow. German uses sein plus a zu-infinitive here to describe how easy an action is; the route is the thing being followed, not the agent performing the following. Together, Aber die Strecke sets up a contrast about the route, ist ... leichter nachzuvollziehen says that it is easier to follow, and dann places this in the relevant later or conditional situation. The complete meaning is: “But it will be easier to follow.”

9. Das passt. Ich habe es nicht eilig.

   That works. I'm not in a hurry.

   Das

   that

   passt

   works

   Ich

   I

   habe es nicht eilig

   am not in a hurry

   More detail

   Das means “that” here and functions as a demonstrative pronoun. Its specific referent is not named in this sentence; it can point to a previously mentioned plan, suggestion, or situation. passt is the third-person singular present form of passen (“to fit,” “to suit,” or, as here, “to work”). In Das passt, the subject is Das, so the verb takes the third-person singular form. Example: Der Termin passt. — “The appointment works for me.” Ich is the first-person singular subject pronoun, “I.” It is the nominative form used for the person speaking. Compare mich, the accusative form in a sentence such as Er sieht mich. — “He sees me.” habe es nicht eilig uses the reusable German expression es eilig haben, meaning “to be in a hurry.” habe is the first-person singular present form of haben (ich habe). es is the fixed pronoun used in this expression; it does not identify a particular thing here. nicht negates the expression, and eilig means “in a hurry” in this construction. Thus Ich habe es nicht eilig means “I am not in a hurry.” Example: Wir haben es eilig. — “We are in a hurry.” Together, Das passt gives “That works,” and Ich habe es nicht eilig gives “I’m not in a hurry.” The complete utterance is therefore: “That works. I’m not in a hurry.”

10. Ab hier werde ich die kleinen Nebenstraßen vermeiden.

    I'll avoid the small side streets from here.

    Ab hier

    from here

    werde ich

    I will

    kleinen

    small

    Nebenstraßen

    side streets

    vermeiden

    avoid

    More detail

    Ab hier marks the point from which something applies: “from here on” or “starting here.” It is a reusable time or place expression. Example: Ab heute lerne ich jeden Tag. — “From today on, I study every day.” werde ich combines the future auxiliary werden with the subject pronoun ich. werde is the first-person singular form of werden; with a following infinitive, it commonly forms the future. The infinitive is placed at the end of the clause: Ich werde morgen arbeiten. — “I will work tomorrow.” Here, ich is the person who will carry out the action. kleinen means “small” here. Its base form is the adjective klein; the ending in kleinen reflects the plural accusative noun phrase after the definite article die. The adjective itself, not the noun, carries this ending. Compare: die kleine Straße — “the small street” and die kleinen Straßen — “the small streets.” Nebenstraßen means “side streets.” It is the plural of the feminine noun Nebenstraße (Nebenstraße = “side street”; Nebenstraßen = “side streets”). The compound combines Neben- (“side”) with Straße (“street”). In this sentence, the plural noun phrase is the direct object of vermeiden. vermeiden means “to avoid” and is shown in the infinitive because it follows the future auxiliary werde. It is a strong verb with the principal forms vermeiden – vermied – hat vermieden; the present third-person singular is vermeidet. Example: Wir vermeiden den Verkehr. — “We avoid the traffic.” Together, the starting-point expression, future construction, adjective, plural noun, and object-taking verb express that, from this point onward, the speaker will avoid the small side streets. The complete intended meaning is: “I’ll avoid the small side streets from here.”

11. Ich weiß es zu schätzen, dass Sie mir die Strecke erklären.

    I appreciate you explaining the route.

    weiß es zu schätzen

    appreciate it

    Sie

    you (formal)

    mir

    to me

    Strecke

    route

    erklären

    explain

    More detail

    weiß es zu schätzen means “appreciate it” here. The base verb is schätzen, “to value/appreciate”; weiß ... zu schätzen is the present-tense form of the idiomatic construction etwas zu schätzen wissen. With a following dass-clause, the appreciated thing is expressed by that clause. Example: Ich weiß deine Hilfe zu schätzen. — “I appreciate your help.” Sie is the formal “you” and is the subject of erklären inside the dass-clause. Its capitalization distinguishes formal Sie from the plural informal pronoun sie; the form also differs from lowercase sie in writing. Example: Sie erklären den Weg. — “You explain the way.” mir means “to me.” It is the dative form of the first-person singular pronoun: ich (subject), mir (dative), mich (accusative). Here it marks the person receiving the explanation. Example: Er erklärt mir den Plan. — “He explains the plan to me.” Strecke means “route” or “stretch of a journey” in this sentence. Its base form is the feminine noun die Strecke; after die in this clause, it is the accusative object of erklären, though the feminine singular article has the same form in nominative and accusative. Example: Ich kenne die Strecke. — “I know the route.” erklären means “explain.” This is the infinitive. In the dass-clause, the finite verb is placed at the end, so the infinitive follows the object: dass Sie mir die Strecke erklären — “that you explain the route to me.” The verb can also take a person in the dative and the thing explained as an object, as in Sie erklärt mir den Weg. — “She explains the way to me.” The dass-clause supplies what is appreciated: the formal addressee explains the route to the speaker. German places the finite verb erklären at the end of this subordinate clause. Together, the main construction and the clause express appreciation for the addressee’s explaining the route to the speaker. The register is polite because Sie is formal.

12. Ich sage Ihnen Bescheid, wenn ich sie noch einmal ändern muss.

    I'll let you know if I need to change it again.

    Ich

    I

    sage Ihnen Bescheid

    let you know

    wenn

    if

    ich

    I

    sie

    it

    noch einmal

    again

    ändern

    change

    muss

    need to

    More detail

    Ich is the first-person singular pronoun, “I.” It appears twice here because German repeats the subject in the main clause and in the subordinate wenn-clause. The form does not change for grammatical case in this subject use. sage Ihnen Bescheid uses the reusable construction jemandem Bescheid sagen, meaning “to let someone know” or “to inform someone.” sagen is the verb “say/tell”; sage is its first-person singular present form. Ihnen is the formal “you” in the dative case, the case required for the recipient in this construction. The capital letter marks formal Sie forms, whether they refer to one person or more than one. Example: Ich sage dir Bescheid. — “I’ll let you know.” wenn introduces a condition: “if” here. It starts a subordinate clause, and German places the conjugated verb at the end of that clause. This is different from a main clause, where the finite verb normally occupies the second position. The second ich is again “I,” now the subject of the condition. In wenn ich ... muss, it identifies the person who has the need or obligation. sie means “it” in the fixed translation. Here it is the accusative singular pronoun for a grammatically feminine noun; the specific noun it refers to is not stated in the supplied sentence. Do not confuse this lowercase sie with capitalized formal Sie (“you”) or with sie meaning “she/they” in other grammatical roles. Example: Ich ändere die Route. Ich ändere sie. — “I’m changing the route. I’m changing it.” noch einmal is a reusable time expression meaning “again” or “once more.” noch contributes the sense of continuation/addition, while einmal means “once”; together they express repetition here. Example: Bitte sagen Sie das noch einmal. — “Please say that again.” ändern means “change” and is the infinitive used after the modal verb muss. It is a regular verb; its present forms include ich ändere and sie ändert. In this sentence, the object is sie, so the meaning is “change it,” not simply “be different.” muss is the first-person singular present form of müssen, “must” or “need to.” With ich, the form is muss; the accompanying lexical verb remains in the infinitive and moves to the end of the subordinate clause: ich ... ändern muss. Here the fixed translation supports the meaning “need to,” rather than asserting a stronger external obligation. Example: Wenn ich gehen muss, sage ich Bescheid. — “If I need to leave, I’ll let you know.” Together, Ich sage Ihnen Bescheid means “I’ll let you know.” The condition wenn ich sie noch einmal ändern muss means “if I need to change it again”: wenn marks the condition, ich is its subject, sie is the object, noch einmal marks repetition, and muss closes the subordinate clause after the infinitive ändern. The complete utterance therefore means: “I’ll let you know if I need to change it again.”