Late checkout and suitcase storage | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Könnte ich morgen später auschecken?

   Could I request a late checkout tomorrow?

   Könnte ich

   Could I

   morgen

   tomorrow

   später

   later

   auschecken

   check out

   More detail

   Könnte ich uses können (“can, be able to”) in the Konjunktiv II form könnte. With ich, this form makes a request more tentative and polite than the direct question Kann ich …? (“Can I …?”). The subject is ich; the requested action appears later as an infinitive. morgen means “tomorrow” and places the requested checkout on the day after today. German time expressions such as this commonly appear without an article. später is the comparative form of spät (“late”): spät → später (“later”). Here it means at a later time than the normal or previously assumed checkout time. The comparison is understood from the situation; it does not identify a specific clock time. auschecken is an infinitive meaning “to check out,” used here for leaving accommodation and completing checkout. It is a separable verb: in a simple present-tense main clause, Ich checke aus means “I check out.” After a modal form such as könnte, the infinitive remains at the end: Ich könnte auschecken. Together, Könnte ich introduces a polite request, morgen specifies the day, später specifies a later time, and auschecken names the action. The complete utterance therefore asks whether the speaker may check out later tomorrow. The question is phrased as a courteous request rather than a direct assertion that late checkout is available.

2. Ich kann die Verfügbarkeit prüfen. Um wie viel Uhr wollten Sie ungefähr abreisen?

   I can check availability. What time were you hoping to leave?

   Ich kann

   I can

   die Verfügbarkeit

   availability

   prüfen

   check

   Um wie viel Uhr

   at what time

   wollten Sie

   did you want to

   ungefähr

   approximately

   abreisen

   leave

   More detail

   Ich kann: können means “to be able to/can.” kann is the present-tense form for ich; the infinitive können follows the conjugated modal verb, so Ich kann prüfen means “I can check.” die Verfügbarkeit: This feminine noun means “availability,” here meaning whether something is available. Its base form is Verfügbarkeit; die is the definite article used with this noun in this sentence. Example: Die Verfügbarkeit ist begrenzt. — “Availability is limited.” prüfen: prüfen means “to check” or “to examine.” With a modal verb, it remains an infinitive and comes at the end of the clause: Ich kann die Verfügbarkeit prüfen. — “I can check availability.” Um wie viel Uhr: This asks for a clock time, literally “at what time.” The pattern Um wie viel Uhr ...? is used when asking when something happens according to the clock. It differs from Wann ...?, which is the broader question “When ...?” wollten Sie: wollten is the Präteritum form of wollen for Sie (“you,” formal singular or plural). In this question, the past-framed wording is compatible with the English sense “were you hoping to”; it asks about the intended departure time rather than asserting that the departure occurred. The formal pronoun Sie is capitalized. Compare present Wollen Sie abreisen? — “Do you want to leave?” ungefähr: This adverb means “approximately” or “roughly.” It allows the requested time to be an estimate rather than an exact clock time. Example: Ich komme ungefähr um zwei Uhr. — “I am coming at about two o’clock.” abreisen: abreisen means “to leave” in the sense of departing, especially from a place. It is a separable verb: in a main clause, ab separates, as in Sie reisen morgen ab (“You are leaving tomorrow”); after a modal or in an infinitive construction, the complete infinitive stays together, as in Sie wollten abreisen. Together, Um wie viel Uhr wollten Sie ungefähr abreisen? asks, “What time were you hoping to leave?” The question requests an approximate departure time, while Ich kann die Verfügbarkeit prüfen. says that the speaker can check whether the relevant availability exists. In the full utterance, the speaker says they can check availability and then asks for the addressee’s approximate intended departure time.

3. Ich hatte gehofft, gegen zwei Uhr nachmittags abzureisen.

   I was hoping to leave around two in the afternoon.

   Ich hatte

   I had

   gehofft

   hoped

   gegen zwei Uhr

   around two o’clock

   nachmittags

   in the afternoon

   abzureisen

   to leave

   More detail

   Ich hatte: hatte is the first-person singular past form of haben, so Ich hatte means “I had.” Together with the following past participle, it forms hatte gehofft, a past perfect construction. In this sentence, the complete construction expresses the speaker’s earlier hope: “I had hoped” or, in the fixed translation, “I was hoping.” gehofft: This is the past participle of hoffen (“to hope”). The useful pattern is haben in the appropriate form + gehofft: Ich habe gehofft = “I have hoped,” while Ich hatte gehofft places that hope in the past. Here, gehofft itself means “hoped”; the time relation comes from the combination with hatte. gegen zwei Uhr: gegen marks an approximate time, so this means “around two o’clock,” not an exact appointment time. zwei Uhr is the clock-time expression “two o’clock.” For example, Wir kommen gegen sechs Uhr. means “We’ll arrive around six o’clock.” nachmittags: This adverb specifies that the time is in the afternoon. It narrows zwei Uhr to approximately two in the afternoon. A related time contrast is vormittags (“in the morning/before noon”); for example, Der Termin ist vormittags. means “The appointment is in the morning.” abzureisen: This is the infinitive of the separable verb abreisen (“to depart” or “to leave”). With zu, the prefix and verb part are separated around zu: abreisen → abzureisen. The pattern hoffen, ... abzureisen means “to hope to leave.” For example, Ich plane, morgen abzureisen. means “I plan to leave tomorrow.” Taken together, Ich hatte gehofft gives the past hope, gegen zwei Uhr nachmittags gives its approximate afternoon time, and abzureisen gives the hoped-for action. The whole utterance therefore means: “I was hoping to leave around two in the afternoon.”

4. Es tut mir leid, ein später Check-out ist nicht möglich, weil alle Zimmer ausgebucht sind.

   I'm sorry, late checkout isn't available because the rooms are fully booked.

   Es tut mir leid

   I'm sorry

   später

   late

   Check-out

   checkout

   möglich

   possible

   weil

   because

   alle

   all

   Zimmer

   rooms

   ausgebucht

   fully booked

   More detail

   Es tut mir leid is a fixed German apology meaning “I’m sorry.” Its form is not a literal English-style adjective sentence: tut is the third-person singular present form of tun, and mir is the first-person singular dative pronoun. The same construction is reusable when acknowledging an inconvenience: Es tut mir leid. = “I’m sorry.” später describes the checkout here as late. The base adjective is spät (“late”); in ein später Check-out, the -er ending is the adjective ending required by the masculine singular noun phrase after ein, not necessarily the comparative meaning “later.” German also uses the comparative später for “later” in suitable contexts, so the surrounding noun phrase determines the meaning here. Check-out is a masculine German noun borrowed from English: der Check-out. In this sentence it names the hotel checkout. The useful pattern is ein [adjective] Check-out, for example ein früher Check-out = “an early checkout.” möglich means “possible” or “available” in this context. With sein, it forms a common way to state availability: Der Check-out ist möglich. = “The checkout is possible.” Here the negation nicht applies to that possibility, producing “isn’t available.” weil introduces the reason for the preceding statement. In a weil clause, the finite verb normally goes to the end. Thus the clause beginning with weil ends with sind; the whole clause explains why the late checkout is not possible. alle means “all” and modifies the plural noun Zimmer here. It takes the plural form alle in this nominative subject phrase. A useful contrast is alle Zimmer (“all rooms”) versus ein Zimmer (“a room”); the article ein does not by itself assert a numeric count in every use. Zimmer means “room” here, specifically a hotel room. Its singular and plural forms are identical: das Zimmer, die Zimmer; the article or another determiner shows the number. In alle Zimmer, alle makes the plural reading clear. ausgebucht means “fully booked.” It is formed from the verb ausbuchen but functions here as a participial adjective with sein: Die Zimmer sind ausgebucht. = “The rooms are fully booked.” The adjective itself does not take a visible plural ending in this predicative position; sind carries the plural finite-verb form. Together, ein später Check-out ist nicht möglich says that a late checkout is not available. weil alle Zimmer ausgebucht sind gives the reason: all the rooms are fully booked. The complete utterance is an apology followed by the unavailability and its stated reason: “I’m sorry, late checkout isn’t available because the rooms are fully booked.”

5. Könnte ich meinen Koffer aufbewahren lassen, nachdem ich das Zimmer verlassen habe?

   Could I store my suitcase after I leave the room?

   Könnte ich

   Could I…?

   meinen

   my

   Koffer

   suitcase

   aufbewahren lassen

   have [something] stored

   nachdem

   after

   Zimmer

   room

   verlassen

   leave

   More detail

   Könnte ich combines ich (“I”) with könnte, the Konjunktiv II form of können (“can/be able to”). In this question, it makes the request polite: “Could I …?” Compare the more direct Kann ich …? (“Can I …?”). meinen means “my” here. It is the masculine accusative singular form of the possessive determiner mein, agreeing with Koffer: mein Koffer (nominative), but meinen Koffer (accusative). The ending belongs to mein, not to the noun. Koffer means “suitcase.” Its plural is also Koffer: ein Koffer / zwei Koffer. In this sentence, meinen Koffer is the thing being stored. aufbewahren lassen is a useful causative pattern: etwas aufbewahren lassen means to have something stored or arrange for something to be kept. aufbewahren means “store/keep,” while lassen contributes the idea of having or allowing the action to happen. Example: Ich lasse mein Gepäck aufbewahren. — “I have my luggage stored.” nachdem introduces a subordinate clause meaning “after.” It links an action to one that is completed first. In German, the conjugated verb normally goes to the end of a nachdem clause. Zimmer means “room.” Here it appears in das Zimmer, a neuter singular noun phrase. The noun itself does not show the accusative ending; the article das has the same form in nominative and accusative for neuter singular nouns. verlassen means “leave” in this context. It is the infinitive and also the past participle of the verb: verlassen — verließ — hat verlassen. In ich das Zimmer verlassen habe, habe is the auxiliary and verlassen is the participle at the end of the subordinate clause. The subject ich is the person leaving, and das Zimmer is what that person leaves. Together, nachdem ich das Zimmer verlassen habe means “after I leave the room” in the supplied translation; literally, it presents leaving the room as completed before the storage arrangement. The whole utterance asks politely whether the speaker may have their suitcase stored after leaving the room: “Could I store my suitcase after I leave the room?”

6. Sie können ihn an der Rezeption lassen.

   You can leave it at the front desk.

   Sie können

   you can

   ihn

   it

   an der Rezeption

   at the front desk

   lassen

   leave

   More detail

   Sie können means “you can” here. können is the modal verb “can, be able to”; its base form is können, and Sie können is the formal-you or plural-you form. With a modal verb, the other verb normally stays in the infinitive and moves to the end: Sie können warten = “You can wait.” ihn is the accusative form of er (“he”) and is used for a masculine singular referent. Here, the context identifies the item as the suitcase: “You can leave it.” Compare ihn for a masculine singular noun with sie for a feminine singular noun or a plural noun. Example: Ich sehe ihn. = “I see him/it,” when the referent is masculine singular. an der Rezeption means “at the front desk.” an takes the dative here because the phrase describes a stationary location, not movement toward it. Rezeption is feminine (die Rezeption), so its dative singular article is der: an der Rezeption. Example: Wir warten an der Rezeption. = “We are waiting at the front desk.” lassen means “leave” in this sentence: the subject allows the item to remain at the front desk. Its base form is lassen; after the modal können, it remains an infinitive at the end. lassen can also mean “let” or “have something done” in other constructions, so its exact meaning comes from the surrounding words. Example: Ich lasse den Schlüssel im Zimmer. = “I leave the key in the room.” Together, Sie können + ihn + an der Rezeption + lassen forms “You can leave it at the front desk.” The modal expresses possibility or permission, ihn is the item being left, the location is an der Rezeption, and lassen supplies the main action. This is a practical, neutral way to state that the suitcase may be left at the front desk.

7. Dann checke ich ganz normal aus und lasse meinen Koffer an der Rezeption.

   In that case, I'll check out normally and store my suitcase.

   Dann

   in that case; then

   checke … aus

   check out

   ganz normal

   normally

   lasse

   leave; let remain

   Koffer

   suitcase

   an der Rezeption

   at the reception desk

   Rezeption

   reception desk

   More detail

   Dann means “in that case” here and can introduce a consequence of what was just said. It can also mean “then” when referring to time; the surrounding meaning determines which reading fits. checke ... aus comes from the separable verb auschecken (“to check out”). The form checke is the first-person singular present form, matching ich; the prefix aus appears at the end of the clause. In a main-clause question, the same pattern is possible: Wann checke ich aus? — “When do I check out?” ganz normal describes the manner of checking out: “quite normally” or simply “normally.” ganz strengthens the phrase; it does not change the event into a different kind of check-out. lasse is the first-person singular present form of lassen. Here ich lasse meinen Koffer ... means that I leave or have my suitcase remain at a place. lassen has other uses, including “let” or “allow,” so its exact meaning comes from the construction. Example: Ich lasse das Fenster offen. — “I leave the window open.” Koffer is the noun “suitcase.” Its base form is der Koffer; the form is the same in the singular nominative and accusative, while the article or modifier shows the case. In meinen Koffer, meinen marks masculine singular accusative after lasse. an der Rezeption gives the location where the suitcase is left. For a stationary location, an takes the dative here: der Rezeption. Rezeption is a feminine noun, die Rezeption; the dative singular article is der. The phrase therefore means “at the reception desk,” matching the intended storing or leaving meaning of lassen here. Together, Dann checke ich ganz normal aus means “In that case, I’ll check out normally.” und lasse meinen Koffer an der Rezeption adds a coordinated action: “and leave/store my suitcase at the reception desk.” The complete utterance is: “In that case, I’ll check out normally and store my suitcase at the reception desk.”

8. Wir bewahren ihn hinter der Rezeption auf, bis Sie zurückkommen.

   We'll keep it behind the desk until you return.

   Wir

   we

   bewahren … auf

   keep; store

   ihn

   it

   hinter

   behind

   der Rezeption

   the desk

   bis

   until

   Sie

   you (formal)

   zurückkommen

   come back

   More detail

   Wir means “we” and is the subject here. It is the first-person plural personal pronoun; compare ich for “I” and wir for “we.” bewahren ... auf comes from the separable verb aufbewahren, “to keep” or “to store.” In the present tense, the finite part is bewahren for wir, while the particle auf moves to the end of a main clause: Wir bewahren den Koffer auf. — “We store the suitcase.” The two parts are separated in this sentence by the object and the location phrase. ihn is the masculine accusative form of er (“he” / “it” for a masculine noun). Here it refers to the stored item, supported by the preceding Koffer, which is masculine in German. The form changes with case: er is nominative, ihn is accusative. Example: Ich sehe ihn. — “I see him/it.” hinter means “behind.” For a stationary location, it takes the dative: hinter der Rezeption — “behind the desk.” With movement toward a position, German commonly uses the accusative instead: Ich stelle den Koffer hinter die Rezeption. — “I put the suitcase behind the desk.” der Rezeption means “the desk/reception desk.” Rezeption is feminine, and the feminine definite article changes to der in the dative after the location use of hinter: die Rezeption (nominative/accusative), der Rezeption (dative). In this context, the fixed translation identifies the relevant meaning as the desk rather than a reception area in general. bis introduces an endpoint in time: “until.” It can introduce a clause, as here, or a time expression such as bis morgen (“until tomorrow”). Sie is formal “you.” In this use it is the polite second-person pronoun and is capitalized; its form is the same for singular and plural formal address. The context does not require choosing between those two possibilities. zurückkommen means “to come back” or “to return.” It is a separable verb, but in the subordinate clause after bis, its parts stay together at the end: bis Sie zurückkommen. The form zurückkommen is also the infinitive; here it is the present-tense finite form for formal Sie, which has the same spelling as the infinitive. Example: Sie kommen morgen zurück. — “You return tomorrow.” Together, Wir bewahren ihn ... auf says “We will keep/store it,” with the present tense understood from the context as referring to the future arrangement. hinter der Rezeption gives the storage location, and bis Sie zurückkommen sets the time limit. The complete meaning is: “We’ll keep it behind the desk until you return.”

9. Brauche ich dafür ein Ticket oder ein Etikett?

   Do I need a ticket or label for it?

   Brauche

   need

   dafür

   for it

   ein Ticket

   a ticket

   ein Etikett

   a label

   More detail

   Brauche is the first-person singular present form of brauchen, “to need.” The subject is ich, but German places the finite verb first in a yes/no question: Brauche ich ...? means “Do I need ...?” In a statement, the same forms appear as Ich brauche ... (“I need ...”). dafür means “for it” here. It is a pronominal adverb referring to something already understood from the situation, without naming that thing again. The element für means “for” in other phrases, but dafür is the compact form used here rather than a noun phrase. ein Ticket means “a ticket.” Ticket is a neuter noun in German, so its indefinite article is ein in this form. ein identifies an indefinite item; it does not by itself state a numerical count. The plural is Tickets, for example: Ich brauche zwei Tickets. — “I need two tickets.” ein Etikett means “a label.” Etikett is also neuter, which is why it likewise takes ein here. Its plural is Etiketten, for example: Das Etikett ist auf dem Koffer. — “The label is on the suitcase.” Together, Brauche ich forms a yes/no question, and dafür states the purpose or occasion: “Do I need [something] for it?” The alternatives are then supplied by ein Ticket oder ein Etikett — “a ticket or a label.” Thus the whole utterance means: “Do I need a ticket or a label for it?”

10. Wir geben Ihnen einen Gepäckanhänger, wenn Sie den Koffer abgeben.

    We'll give you a luggage tag when you drop it off.

    Wir

    we

    geben

    give

    Ihnen

    you (formal)

    Gepäckanhänger

    luggage tag

    wenn

    when

    Sie

    you (formal)

    Koffer

    suitcase

    abgeben

    drop off

    More detail

    Wir means “we” and is the first-person plural personal pronoun. It identifies the speaker together with at least one other person. Compare ich (“I”) for one speaker and Sie (“you,” formal) for the person being addressed. geben means “give” here. Its base form is geben; in the sentence, Wir geben is the present-tense first-person plural form. The same verb can be used for handing something to someone: Wir geben Ihnen den Schlüssel. — “We give you the key.” Ihnen means formal “you” as the recipient of the giving. It is the dative form of the formal pronoun Sie; the form is capitalized. This is different from Sie as the addressed subject of the later clause. For example, Ich gebe Ihnen das Formular. means “I give you the form.” Gepäckanhänger means “luggage tag.” It is a compound noun: Gepäck means “luggage” and Anhänger can mean a tag or label in this context. German nouns are capitalized. In this sentence, the noun appears after the indefinite article einen, because it is the thing being given in the accusative: einen Gepäckanhänger. wenn introduces the time point “when” in this sentence. It starts a subordinate clause, so the conjugated verb moves to the end of that clause. A reusable pattern is wenn ... , ...: Wenn Sie ankommen, rufen Sie mich an. — “When you arrive, call me.” Sie means formal “you” here and is the subject of the clause introduced by wenn. The capital letter distinguishes formal Sie from lowercase sie, which can have other functions. The form Sie itself does not show singular versus plural; the context determines that, and the supplied sentence does not require a more specific count. Koffer means “suitcase.” It is a masculine noun, so the definite article is den in the accusative here: den Koffer. The noun remains Koffer; the case is shown by the article. For example, Ich öffne den Koffer. means “I open the suitcase.” abgeben means “hand in,” “hand over,” or “drop off”; here it means “drop off” the suitcase. Its base form is the separable verb abgeben. In a main clause, the prefix separates: Sie geben den Koffer ab. — “You drop off the suitcase.” In the subordinate clause after wenn, the finite verb is placed at the end and appears as abgeben: wenn Sie den Koffer abgeben. Together, Wir geben Ihnen einen Gepäckanhänger means “We’ll give you a luggage tag.” The present tense can refer to a planned or expected future action in this context. wenn Sie den Koffer abgeben means “when you drop off the suitcase”: wenn introduces the time condition, Sie is the formal subject, den Koffer is the object being dropped off, and abgeben closes the subordinate clause. The complete utterance is therefore: “We’ll give you a luggage tag when you drop it off.”