Renegotiating a Deadline with Clear Priorities | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Die Frist ist morgen, aber der Umfang des Projekts hat sich heute Morgen erweitert.

   The deadline is tomorrow, but the project scope expanded this morning.

   Frist

   deadline

   morgen

   tomorrow

   aber

   but

   Umfang

   scope

   Projekts

   project

   heute Morgen

   this morning

   erweitert

   expanded

   More detail

   Frist is a feminine noun meaning a deadline or time limit: die Frist, plural die Fristen. In this sentence, Die Frist ist morgen says that the deadline falls tomorrow. German uses sein with a time expression here; morgen is an adverb meaning “tomorrow,” relative to the relevant day. Compare the noun der Morgen (“the morning”), which is capitalized and is a different word form. aber connects two contrasting statements and means “but.” It does not change the tense or meaning of either statement. Umfang is a masculine noun meaning scope, extent, or size of something. Its plural is Umfänge. In der Umfang des Projekts, der Umfang is the subject, while des Projekts identifies what the scope belongs to. Projekt is a neuter noun; des Projekts is its genitive singular form, marked by the ending -s. The base noun is das Projekt, plural die Projekte. heute Morgen is a time expression meaning “this morning.” heute means “today,” and Morgen is the masculine noun “morning” in the expression heute Morgen. Example: Wir treffen uns heute Morgen. — “We are meeting this morning.” erweitert is the past participle of erweitern (“to expand” or “to enlarge”). Here it occurs with hat sich in the perfect construction hat sich ... erweitert: the subject has become larger or broader. This is the reflexive/intransitive use sich erweitern, which does not specify an outside agent. By contrast, jemand erweitert den Umfang means that someone expands the scope. The perfect form is hat sich erweitert; the simple past form is erweiterte sich. Putting the parts together, Die Frist ist morgen states that the deadline is tomorrow. aber contrasts this with der Umfang des Projekts hat sich heute Morgen erweitert, where the project’s scope expanded this morning. The complete meaning is: “The deadline is tomorrow, but the project scope expanded this morning.”

2. Welchen Teil braucht der Kunde zuerst?

   Which part does the client need first?

   Welchen

   which

   Teil

   part

   braucht

   needs

   Kunde

   client

   zuerst

   first

   More detail

   Welchen means “which” here and is the form used for a masculine singular noun in the accusative case. Teil is the object of braucht, so it receives the accusative marking: welcher Teil (nominative) becomes welchen Teil (accusative). Example: Welchen Film sehen wir? — “Which film are we watching?” Teil means “part” or “section.” Its plural is Teile: ein Teil — “one part”; mehrere Teile — “several parts.” Example: Dieser Teil ist wichtig. — “This part is important.” braucht is the present-tense third-person singular form of brauchen, “to need.” The subject is der Kunde, so German uses braucht; with a plural subject, the form is brauchen: Die Kunden brauchen Hilfe. — “The clients need help.” Kunde means “client” or “customer.” In this sentence, der Kunde is the subject, so it is in the nominative case. This noun belongs to the group of masculine weak nouns: the definite-article forms are der Kunde in the nominative and den Kunden in the accusative. Example: Ich sehe den Kunden. — “I see the client.” zuerst is the adverb “first,” indicating priority or order. Example: Wir lesen zuerst die Zusammenfassung. — “We read the summary first.” The whole question is assembled as Welchen Teil (“which part”) + braucht (“needs”) + der Kunde (“the client”) + zuerst (“first”). German places the finite verb in the second position in a question beginning with a question word, while the subject follows the verb: “Which part does the client need first?”

3. Der Kunde braucht zuerst die Zusammenfassung, aber die detaillierten Diagramme können warten.

   They need the summary first, but the detailed charts can wait.

   Der Kunde

   the customer

   braucht

   needs

   zuerst

   first

   die Zusammenfassung

   the summary

   detaillierten

   detailed

   Diagramme

   charts

   können

   can

   warten

   wait

   More detail

   Der Kunde means “the customer.” Der is the masculine singular nominative form of the definite article here, and Kunde is a masculine noun. This noun has an ending-changing pattern in some cases: der Kunde, but den Kunden; its plural is die Kunden. braucht is the third-person singular present form of brauchen, “to need.” The ending -t marks the present-tense form with a singular third-person subject. Example: Der Kunde braucht Hilfe. — “The customer needs help.” zuerst means “first” or “first of all” and sets the priority or order of the need. It does not itself express a numerical count. die Zusammenfassung means “the summary.” Zusammenfassung is a feminine noun; die is the feminine singular definite article in this context. Its plural is die Zusammenfassungen. Example: Ich lese zuerst die Zusammenfassung. — “I read the summary first.” detaillierten means “detailed” in the form used before the plural noun Diagramme. After the definite article die, this adjective takes the ending -en here: die detaillierten Diagramme. The adjective itself is based on detailliert, not on the noun that follows it. Diagramme means “charts” or “diagrams.” It is the plural of the neuter noun das Diagramm: das Diagramm, die Diagramme. In this sentence, the plural noun is the subject of the second clause. können is the third-person plural present form of the modal verb können, “can” or “be able to.” Its plural subject is die detaillierten Diagramme. With a modal verb, the other verb normally appears as an infinitive at the end of the clause. Example: Die Dateien können warten. — “The files can wait.” warten means “to wait.” Here it is the infinitive used with können; the modal carries the finite verb form, while warten stays in the infinitive. Together, Der Kunde braucht zuerst die Zusammenfassung says that the customer needs the summary first. aber introduces a contrast: die detaillierten Diagramme können warten says that the detailed charts can wait. The complete meaning is: “The customer needs the summary first, but the detailed charts can wait.”

4. Dann bitte um eine kurze Verlängerung für die Abschnitte mit niedrigerer Priorität.

   Then ask for a short extension on the lower-priority sections.

   Dann

   then

   bitte um

   please ask for

   kurze

   short

   Verlängerung

   extension

   Abschnitte

   sections

   niedrigerer

   lower

   Priorität

   priority

   More detail

   Dann is an adverb meaning “then.” Here it links this proposed next step to the preceding situation: the summary is needed first, while the detailed charts can wait. It can also refer to a time or consequence in other sentences. bitte um is an elliptical polite request: “please ask for …” The reusable German pattern is um etwas bitten (“to ask for something”), with um introducing what is requested. In this sentence, the verb is understood rather than written out; the quoted text itself contains bitte um, not the full verb form. Example: Bitte um eine Antwort. — “Please ask for a reply.” kurze means “short” here and describes Verlängerung. Its base form is kurz; kurze is the feminine singular accusative form agreeing with eine Verlängerung. Example: eine kurze Pause — “a short break.” Verlängerung means “extension” here, specifically extra time. It is a feminine noun: die Verlängerung. The related verb verlängern means “to extend,” but the noun names the extension itself. Example: Wir brauchen eine Verlängerung. — “We need an extension.” Abschnitte means “sections.” The singular is der Abschnitt, and Abschnitte is its plural form. Here it is accusative plural after für, which marks the sections to which the extension applies. Example: Ich lese die Abschnitte. — “I am reading the sections.” niedrigerer means “lower” in the comparative sense. Its base adjective is niedrig (“low”); the comparative is niedriger (“lower”), and the ending in niedrigerer reflects its grammatical agreement. In mit niedrigerer Priorität, mit requires the dative, and Priorität is feminine singular, so the adjective has the strong dative-feminine ending -er. Example: mit höherer Priorität — “with higher priority.” Priorität means “priority.” It is a feminine noun: die Priorität. The phrase mit niedrigerer Priorität literally identifies something as having lower priority; mit requires the dative here. Example: Das hat hohe Priorität. — “That has high priority.” Together, bitte um eine kurze Verlängerung asks for a short extension, while für die Abschnitte mit niedrigerer Priorität specifies that the extension concerns the lower-priority sections. The complete utterance means: “Then please ask for a short extension for the lower-priority sections.”

5. Ich möchte nicht, dass es so klingt, als hätte ich meine Zeit nicht gut eingeteilt.

   I don't want it to sound like I failed to manage my time.

   Ich möchte

   I want

   nicht

   not

   klingt

   sounds

   so

   so; in this way

   als hätte ich

   as if I had

   Zeit

   time

   gut

   well

   eingeteilt

   managed; allocated

   More detail

   Ich möchte means “I would like” or “I want.” möchte is the first-person singular form used here from mögen, with a softened or polite effect. It can be followed by an infinitive, as in Ich möchte gehen (“I would like to go”), or by a clause, as here: Ich möchte, dass ... means “I want ... to ...” or “I would like ... to ...”. The first nicht negates the speaker’s wish, giving “I do not want ...”. The second nicht, later in the sentence, negates the description of the time management: nicht gut eingeteilt means “not managed well.” klingt is the present-tense third-person singular form of klingen, “to sound.” Es klingt gut means “It sounds good.” Here, es is the grammatical subject of klingt; the fixed translation supports “it” without identifying a more specific referent. so means “so” or “in this way.” With klingen, it describes the impression something gives. The following als-clause specifies that impression. als hätte ich introduces a comparison meaning “as if I had.” hätte is the first-person singular Konjunktiv II form of haben. In als hätte ..., this form presents the situation as hypothetical or as an apparent interpretation; it does not straightforwardly assert that the speaker failed to manage the time. Zeit means “time.” In meine Zeit, meine means “my,” and Zeit is the feminine singular accusative object of eingeteilt. The phrase refers to the speaker’s time or available time, as supported by the translation. gut means “well” here and describes how the time was managed. It is the same form used as an adverb in Sie hat ihre Zeit gut eingeteilt (“She managed her time well”). eingeteilt is the past participle of the separable verb einteilen, which can mean “to divide,” “allocate,” or “organize.” In Zeit einteilen, it means “to manage or allocate time.” Together with hätte, it forms hätte ... eingeteilt, a hypothetical completed-action construction. Together, dass es so klingt, als hätte ich meine Zeit nicht gut eingeteilt means “that it sounds as if I had not managed my time well.” The complete utterance means: “I don’t want it to sound like I failed to manage my time.”

6. Stell es so dar, dass es um die Qualität und die neuen Informationen geht, die du bekommen hast.

   Frame it around quality and the new information you received.

   Stell … dar

   frame / present

   so

   this way

   dass

   that

   um … geht

   be about

   Qualität

   quality

   neuen

   new

   Informationen

   information

   bekommen

   receive / get

   More detail

   Stell ... dar is the informal singular imperative of the separable verb darstellen (“to present” or “to frame”). In the imperative, the verb parts split: Stell comes first and dar goes to the end of the clause. The subject du is understood, and es is the thing being presented; its specific referent is not identified here. Example: Stell die Idee klar dar. — “Present the idea clearly.” so means “in this way” here. Together with the following dass clause, so ... dass ... specifies the manner and the resulting content: “in such a way that ...”. dass introduces a subordinate clause, and its finite verb geht appears at the end of that clause before the following relative clause. um ... geht is the reusable construction um etwas gehen, meaning “to be about” or “to concern something.” Here, es is the subject of geht, and um introduces the coordinated topic die Qualität und die neuen Informationen. um takes the accusative: um die Qualität and um die neuen Informationen. Example: In dem Gespräch geht es um den Plan. — “The conversation is about the plan.” Qualität is a feminine noun meaning “quality.” With the definite article, its accusative form is still die Qualität; the article, rather than the noun ending, shows the case here. neuen is the adjective neu (“new”) in its weak plural accusative form. It describes Informationen, and the ending -en is selected by the definite article die in this noun phrase. The adjective itself has the comparison chain neu — neuer — am neuesten (“new” — “newer” — “newest”), although the sentence uses the ordinary positive form. Informationen is the plural form of Information (“information”). The observed form is grammatically plural, while the fixed translation renders the intended meaning as “the new information”; the German form alone does not require an added claim about exactly how many items are meant. The phrase die neuen Informationen is coordinated with die Qualität as the topic introduced by um. bekommen means “to receive” or “to get.” In bekommen hast, it is the past participle of bekommen, used with the auxiliary hast to form the perfect: du hast bekommen means “you received” or “you have received.” bekommen keeps this form as its participle; it is not formed with a ge- prefix. The relative clause die du bekommen hast means “that you received”: the relative pronoun die refers to the plural noun Informationen, while du is the recipient. Assembled from left to right, Stell es so dar means “Frame/present it this way.” The dass clause gives the requested framing: dass es um die Qualität und die neuen Informationen geht, die du bekommen hast — “that it is about the quality and the new information you received.” Thus the whole utterance means: “Frame it around quality and the new information you received.”

7. Ich kann sagen, dass ich die Zusammenfassung morgen und die Diagramme am darauffolgenden Tag liefere.

   I can say I'll deliver the summary tomorrow and the charts the following day.

   Ich kann

   I can

   sagen

   say

   Zusammenfassung

   summary

   morgen

   tomorrow

   Diagramme

   charts

   darauffolgenden

   following

   Tag

   day

   liefere

   deliver

   More detail

   Ich kann combines the subject pronoun ich (“I”) with kann, the first-person singular present form of können (“can; be able to”). Here it expresses ability or possibility, not a completed action. The modal is followed by an infinitive: Ich kann sagen = “I can say.” Compare ich kann with du kannst and sie können. sagen is the infinitive “to say.” After a modal such as kann, the infinitive stays in this form and comes at the end of the main clause: Ich kann das sagen. = “I can say that.” In the fixed sentence, sagen introduces the content clause beginning with dass. Zusammenfassung means “summary.” Its plural is Zusammenfassungen. In die Zusammenfassung, die marks the feminine singular accusative form, because the summary is one thing being delivered. Example: Ich lese die Zusammenfassung. = “I am reading the summary.” morgen means “tomorrow.” It is an adverb, so it does not change form. Here it places the delivery of the summary in the day after today. Example: Ich komme morgen. = “I’m coming tomorrow.” Diagramme means “charts” or “diagrams.” It is the plural of Diagramm; the singular accusative would be das Diagramm, while the plural form is die Diagramme. Here the charts are the second thing being delivered. Example: Ich erkläre die Diagramme. = “I explain the charts.” darauffolgenden means “following” in the sense of coming after a previously mentioned time. It is the inflected form of darauffolgend. In am darauffolgenden Tag, the adjective describes Tag and has the ending -en because the phrase uses am (= an dem) with masculine singular dative. This expression therefore means “on the following day,” referring here to the day after tomorrow, because the preceding time is tomorrow. Example: Am darauffolgenden Tag reiste sie ab. = “The following day, she left.” Tag means “day.” Its plural is Tage. In am ... Tag, Tag is masculine singular and appears in the dative after an dem; am is the contracted form of an dem. Example: Am dritten Tag begann der Kurs. = “The course began on the third day.” liefere is the first-person singular present form of liefern, “to deliver” or “to supply.” The present tense can refer to a scheduled future action when a time expression such as morgen makes the future clear. In the subordinate clause, liefere is at the end because German subordinate clauses introduced by dass place the finite verb last. Compare ich liefere (“I deliver / I am delivering”) with du lieferst (“you deliver”) and sie liefern (“they deliver”). The structure is Ich kann sagen, dass ...: “I can say that ...”. Inside the dass-clause, ich remains the actor for both delivery actions, while die Zusammenfassung is delivered tomorrow and die Diagramme are delivered am darauffolgenden Tag. The coordinated objects share the verb liefere, which appears once at the end. Together, the utterance means: “I can say I’ll deliver the summary tomorrow and the charts the following day.”

8. Das gibt dem Kunden einen realistischen Zeitplan und eine klare Wahl.

   That gives them a realistic timeline and a clear choice.

   Das

   that

   gibt

   gives

   Kunden

   customer; client

   realistischen

   realistic

   Zeitplan

   schedule; timeline

   klare

   clear

   Wahl

   choice

   More detail

   Das means “that” here and functions as a demonstrative pronoun referring to the situation or action already under discussion. Its grammatical form is neuter singular; the exact referent is supplied by context rather than by the word itself. Compare das “that” with dies/dieses “this,” depending on the demonstrative system and construction being used. gibt is the third-person singular present form of geben (“to give”). The present tense can describe a current result or a general effect. geben commonly takes a recipient in the dative and a thing given in the accusative: Das gibt mir Zeit. means “That gives me time.” Kunden is the noun Kunde (“customer; client”) in the phrase dem Kunden. The article dem marks the recipient as dative masculine singular here, while Kunden is the inflected noun form used in that case. The same noun has an additional ending in several forms: der Kunde (nominative singular), den Kunden (accusative singular), and dem Kunden (dative singular). This is a property of Kunde, not of the adjective beside it. realistischen is the adjective realistisch (“realistic”) with an inflectional ending. In einen realistischen Zeitplan, the adjective describes the masculine singular noun Zeitplan in the accusative after geben; einen and the adjective ending together show this form. The base form is realistisch, without the ending. Example: Wir brauchen einen realistischen Plan. — “We need a realistic plan.” Zeitplan is a masculine noun meaning “schedule” or “timeline,” specifically a plan that organizes expected times. Its plural is Zeitpläne. Example: Der Zeitplan ist klar. — “The schedule is clear.” klare is the adjective klar (“clear”) with an inflectional ending. In eine klare Wahl, it describes the feminine singular noun Wahl in the accusative; the form of eine and the adjective ending reflect that noun phrase. The base form is klar. Example: Sie gibt eine klare Antwort. — “She gives a clear answer.” Wahl is a feminine noun meaning “choice” here: an available option or decision between possibilities. Its plural is Wahlen; that plural can also mean formal elections in other contexts, so the intended meaning here is determined by the surrounding noun phrase and translation. Example: Du hast eine Wahl. — “You have a choice.” Together, Das gibt dem Kunden means “That gives the customer,” with dem Kunden identifying the recipient. The two accusative objects are einen realistischen Zeitplan (“a realistic timeline”) and eine klare Wahl (“a clear choice”), joined by und. Thus the complete utterance means: “That gives them a realistic timeline and a clear choice.”

9. Ich schicke die Nachricht bald, damit der Kunde Zeit zum Antworten hat.

   I'll send the message soon so they have time to respond.

   Ich schicke

   I’m sending

   die Nachricht

   the message

   bald

   soon

   damit

   so that

   der Kunde

   the customer

   Zeit

   time

   zum Antworten

   to respond

   hat

   has

   More detail

   Ich schicke contains schicke, the first-person singular present form of schicken (“to send”). The subject Ich is “I”, and the verb agrees with it: ich schicke, du schickst, er/sie schickt. German present tense can also describe a planned future action when a time expression such as bald makes the timing clear. die Nachricht means “the message”. Nachricht is a feminine noun, and here die marks the accusative object of schicke: I send the message. Its base form is the noun Nachricht; the plural is Nachrichten. The article changes with case, for example die Nachricht (accusative singular) but der Nachricht (dative singular). bald is an adverb meaning “soon”. It modifies the sending described by the neighboring verb phrase, but it is not part of the verb’s inflection. The sentence therefore presents the sending as happening in the near future. damit introduces a purpose clause, meaning “so that” or “in order that”. A clause introduced by damit normally has its finite verb at the end. Reusable pattern: ..., damit ... [finite verb]. Example: Ich lerne, damit ich die Prüfung bestehe. — “I study so that I pass the exam.” der Kunde is “the customer”. Kunde is a masculine singular noun; der is nominative here because this noun phrase is the subject of the purpose clause. Grammatical masculine gender is a property of the German noun and does not by itself state anything about the customer’s personal identity. The related dative form is dem Kunden, as seen when the customer is the recipient of something; der Kunde and dem Kunden differ in case, and Kunde takes -n in this oblique singular form. Zeit means “time”. Here it is the thing that the customer has: Zeit haben is the reusable expression “to have time”. The noun is feminine, but the unmodified form Zeit does not visibly show its case here. zum Antworten means “to respond” in this sentence. zum is the contraction of zu dem, and zu takes the dative. Antworten is a nominalized infinitive: the verb antworten (“to respond”) is used as a noun, so it is capitalized. The phrase Zeit zum Antworten haben means literally “to have time for responding”, naturally “to have time to respond”. hat is the third-person singular present form of haben, “to have”. Its subject is der Kunde, so the matching form is der Kunde hat; compare ich habe and sie haben. Because this is the finite verb of the damit clause, it appears at the end: damit der Kunde Zeit zum Antworten hat. Putting the parts together: Ich schicke die Nachricht says “I send the message”, and bald places that action soon. damit der Kunde Zeit zum Antworten hat gives the purpose: the message will be sent soon so that the customer has time to respond. The complete meaning is “I’ll send the message soon so they have time to respond.”

10. So ist die Änderung des Zeitplans bis morgen klar.

    That way, the schedule change is clear before tomorrow.

    So

    that way

    ist

    is

    Änderung

    change

    Zeitplans

    schedule

    bis morgen

    by tomorrow

    klar

    clear

    More detail

    So means “that way” here and points to the manner or result expressed in context. It can also have other uses in German, such as “so” meaning “this/that much,” so its exact meaning comes from the sentence. ist is a form of sein (“to be”). It is the present-tense third-person singular form: ich bin, du bist, er/sie/es ist. Here it links the subject to the description klar. Änderung means “change” here, specifically the change itself. Its base form is the feminine noun die Änderung; the plural is die Änderungen. German nouns are capitalized. The related verb is ändern (“to change”), but Änderung is the noun used in this sentence. Zeitplans is the genitive singular form of der Zeitplan (“schedule” or “timetable”). The ending -s marks “of the schedule”: die Änderung des Zeitplans = “the schedule’s change” or, more naturally, “the change to the schedule.” The article also changes from nominative der Zeitplan to genitive des Zeitplans. This is a possessive or specifying relationship, not a plural form. bis morgen is a time expression meaning “by tomorrow” or “before tomorrow” in this fixed meaning. bis marks the endpoint, and morgen means “tomorrow.” For example, Bitte antworte bis morgen. means “Please reply by tomorrow.” klar means “clear” here. It is a predicate adjective after sein, so it has no adjective ending: Die Änderung ist klar. In an attributive phrase, the form can be different, for example eine klare Änderung (“a clear change”), but that is not the form used here. Together, So ist gives “That way, ... is”; die Änderung des Zeitplans identifies what is clear; and bis morgen sets the time limit. The complete utterance means: “That way, the schedule change is clear before tomorrow.”