Planning a Safe Group Hike | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Der Bergwanderweg sieht schön aus, aber er könnte für Anfänger zu schwierig sein.

   The mountain trail looks beautiful, but it may be too difficult for beginners.

   Anfänger

   beginners

   More detail

   Bergwanderweg means “mountain trail.” It is a compound noun: Berg (“mountain”) + Wanderweg (“hiking trail”). The observed form is singular; its plural is Bergwanderwege. German nouns are capitalized. sieht ... aus is the separable verb aussehen, “to look / appear.” In the present tense, sehen carries the personal ending and the prefix aus moves to the end of the clause: Der Weg sieht schön aus = “The trail looks beautiful.” The related verb sehen by itself means “see,” so the separated aus is important to the meaning here. Example: Das Haus sieht alt aus. — “The house looks old.” sieht is the third-person singular present form of sehen in this construction. The subject is Der Bergwanderweg, so the singular form is used. The adjective schön describes how the trail appears here. Its comparative is schöner (“more beautiful”), and its superlative is am schönsten (“most beautiful”). Example: Der See sieht im Sommer schöner aus. — “The lake looks more beautiful in summer.” könnte ... sein expresses a possibility: “might be” or “may be.” könnte is the third-person singular form of the subjunctive II of können (“can / be able to”); sein remains in its base form at the end of the clause. This construction presents the trail’s difficulty as possible rather than certain. Compare ist (“is,” more direct) with könnte sein (“might be”). schwierig means “difficult” or “challenging.” It is the adjective that describes the trail in the possible assessment. Its comparative is schwieriger (“more difficult”), and its superlative is am schwierigsten (“most difficult”). Example: Die Strecke ist schwierig. — “The route is difficult.” für Anfänger means “for beginners.” Anfänger is a noun whose singular and plural forms are identical: ein Anfänger (“a beginner”) and die Anfänger (“the beginners”). In the fixed sentence, the bare plural Anfänger follows für; the plural meaning is supported by the translation. Here für is a preposition that takes the accusative, but the plural form without an article is visibly unchanged. Example: Diese Aufgabe ist für Anfänger geeignet. — “This task is suitable for beginners.” Together, Der Bergwanderweg sieht schön aus says that the mountain trail appears beautiful. aber links this with a contrast: er könnte für Anfänger zu schwierig sein says that it might be too difficult for beginners. er refers to the mountain trail and is the singular masculine pronoun matching der Bergwanderweg. zu schwierig means “too difficult,” with zu marking an excessive degree. The complete meaning is: “The mountain trail looks beautiful, but it may be too difficult for beginners.”

2. Lass uns die Entfernung, den Höhenunterschied und den Wetterbericht prüfen, bevor wir uns entscheiden.

   Let's check the distance, elevation, and weather forecast before we decide.

   Lass uns

   let’s

   Entfernung

   distance

   Höhenunterschied

   elevation difference

   Wetterbericht

   weather forecast

   prüfen

   check

   bevor

   before

   entscheiden

   decide

   More detail

   Lass uns is a reusable way to suggest a joint action: “let’s …”. Lass is the singular imperative of lassen (“to let”), and uns means “us” here. In the pattern Lass uns + infinitive, the infinitive names the proposed action: Lass uns warten means “Let’s wait.” Entfernung means “distance.” The noun is die Entfernung; here the phrase is die Entfernung, a feminine singular definite noun phrase in the accusative. The article die shows feminine singular gender, but its form is the same in the nominative and accusative. Example: Die Entfernung ist groß. — “The distance is great.” Höhenunterschied means “elevation difference,” the difference in height between two points. It is a compound noun built from die Höhe (“height”) and der Unterschied (“difference”); the complete compound is masculine: der Höhenunterschied. Here den marks masculine singular accusative. Example: Der Höhenunterschied ist beträchtlich. — “The elevation difference is considerable.” Wetterbericht means “weather forecast” or “weather report.” The complete noun is masculine: der Wetterbericht; here den marks masculine singular accusative. It is a compound of das Wetter (“weather”) and der Bericht (“report”). Example: Ich lese den Wetterbericht. — “I read the weather forecast.” prüfen means “to check” or “to examine.” It is the infinitive used after Lass uns, so Lass uns ... prüfen means “Let’s check ...”. Example: Wir prüfen die Strecke. — “We check the route.” bevor means “before” and introduces a subordinate clause. In that clause, the finite verb goes to the end: bevor wir ... entscheiden. It places the deciding event later than the checking event in the stated sequence; it does not by itself express necessity. Example: Wir gehen, bevor es dunkel wird. — “We leave before it gets dark.” entscheiden means “to decide.” In this utterance it occurs in the reflexive construction sich entscheiden: wir ... uns entscheiden, “we decide.” The reflexive form is uns because the subject is wir. Example: Wir entscheiden uns morgen. — “We will decide tomorrow.” The whole structure is Lass uns [objects] prüfen, bevor wir uns entscheiden: “Let’s check the distance, elevation difference, and weather forecast before we decide.” The three noun phrases are coordinated accusative objects of prüfen. The bevor clause expresses that the decision comes after the checking in this sequence, and uns is the reflexive element belonging to wir.

3. Es ist eine ziemlich lange Strecke.

   It is a fairly long route.

   Es ist

   It is

   ziemlich

   fairly; quite

   lange

   long

   Strecke

   route; stretch

   More detail

   Es ist is the present-tense form of sein (“to be”) with third-person singular es: es ist = “it is.” In this sentence, it introduces the description of the route. Example: Es ist kalt. — “It is cold.” ziemlich is an adverb meaning “fairly” or “quite.” It modifies lange, so the route is described as fairly long rather than simply long. Example: Das ist ziemlich weit. — “That is quite far.” lange means “long” here. Its base form is the adjective lang; lange has the ending required in this noun phrase. The comparison chain is lang (“long”), länger (“longer”), am längsten (“longest”). Example: Der Weg ist länger. — “The path is longer.” Strecke is a feminine noun: die Strecke. Here it means a route or stretch of distance. Its plural is Strecken. Example: Die Strecke ist kurz. — “The route is short.” Together, eine ziemlich lange Strecke means “a fairly long route.” eine is the indefinite article used with this singular feminine noun; it does not by itself assert a numerical count. The full sentence Es ist eine ziemlich lange Strecke. combines Es ist (“It is”) with that noun phrase, giving: “It is a fairly long route.”

4. Der Wetterbericht sagt für den Nachmittag leichten Regen voraus.

   The forecast says light rain in the afternoon.

   Der Wetterbericht

   the forecast

   sagt … voraus

   predicts; says in advance

   für den Nachmittag

   for the afternoon

   leichten

   light

   Regen

   rain

   More detail

   Der Wetterbericht means “the weather forecast.” Wetterbericht is a masculine compound noun: der Wetterbericht; its plural is die Wetterberichte. In this sentence, the whole noun phrase is the subject, the thing making the prediction. Example: Der Wetterbericht ist zuverlässig. — “The weather forecast is reliable.” sagt ... voraus is the separated form of voraussagen, “to predict” or “to forecast.” The form sagt is present tense, third-person singular, agreeing with Der Wetterbericht; voraus moves to the end of the clause. The more general verb sagen means “to say,” while voraussagen specifically presents something as a prediction. Example: Der Bericht sagt Schnee voraus. — “The report predicts snow.” für den Nachmittag means “for the afternoon.” The preposition für takes the accusative case, so masculine der Nachmittag appears here as den Nachmittag. Nachmittag is a masculine noun; its plural is Nachmittage. This phrase identifies the time period for which the prediction applies. Example: Wir planen etwas für den Nachmittag. — “We are planning something for the afternoon.” leichten describes Regen as “light” in amount or intensity. Its base form is leicht; useful comparison forms are leichter (“lighter”) and am leichtesten (“lightest”). In leichten Regen, the adjective has the ending -en because it modifies a masculine accusative noun phrase without an article; this is the strong adjective ending for that combination. Example: Es gibt leichten Wind. — “There is a light wind.” Regen means “rain.” It is normally used as an uncountable masculine noun: der Regen. In this sentence it is the direct object of voraussagen, so the full object is accusative, although the noun itself has the same visible form in nominative and accusative. Example: Der Regen beginnt. — “The rain begins.” Together, Der Wetterbericht is the subject, sagt ... voraus expresses a prediction, für den Nachmittag specifies the relevant time, and leichten Regen names what is predicted. The complete meaning is: “The forecast says light rain in the afternoon.”

5. Dann brauchen wir einen frühen Start und einen Plan B.

   Then we need an early start and a backup plan.

   Dann

   then

   brauchen

   need

   frühen

   early

   Start

   start

   Plan B

   backup plan

   More detail

   Dann is a temporal adverb meaning “then” here: it places the need after the situation already being discussed. It can also refer to a later point in a sequence. Example: Dann gehen wir los. — “Then we’ll set off.” brauchen means “to need.” In the sentence it is the present-tense form for wir (“we”); the infinitive is also brauchen. The reusable pattern is wir brauchen + noun: Wir brauchen Wasser. — “We need water.” This verb describes necessity or requirement, not merely possession. frühen means “early” here and describes Start. Its base form is früh; frühen is the adjective form used before the masculine accusative noun phrase einen frühen Start. The ending reflects the article-and-case combination, not a change in the adjective’s basic meaning. Compare ein früher Start — “an early start” — with einen frühen Start — “an early start” as the object of a verb. Start is the masculine noun “start” or “beginning.” Its base form is der Start; after brauchen, it appears in the accusative as einen ... Start. The noun is a useful German borrowing and can refer to the beginning of an activity, journey, or event. Example: Der Start ist früh. — “The start is early.” Plan B means “Plan B,” and in this context the fixed translation makes its intended meaning “backup plan.” Plan is a masculine noun (der Plan), and the whole noun phrase is the accusative object of brauchen: einen Plan B. The letter identifies an alternative plan rather than a separate grammatical word that needs translating. Example: Wir haben einen Plan B. — “We have a backup plan.” The structure is Dann brauchen wir [einen frühen Start] und [einen Plan B]. Dann sets the time or sequence; brauchen wir means “we need,” with the verb before the subject because the sentence begins with the adverb. The conjunction und joins two objects of brauchen: einen frühen Start and einen Plan B. Together, the utterance means: “Then we need an early start and a backup plan.”

6. Es gibt eine kürzere Route, die zum selben Bahnhof zurückführt.

   There is a shorter route that returns to the same station.

   Es gibt

   there is / there are

   kürzere

   shorter

   Route

   route

   selben

   same

   Bahnhof

   station

   zurückführt

   returns / leads back

   More detail

   Es gibt is the fixed German construction for introducing something as existing: “there is” or “there are.” It uses geben (“to give”) in the form gibt, but here the construction does not mean that someone gives something. The introduced noun phrase is eine kürzere Route; with es gibt, this phrase is in the accusative, although the feminine forms of the article and adjective look the same as nominative here. kürzere means “shorter” in this sentence. Its adjective is kurz (“short”); the comparison chain is kurz → kürzer → am kürzesten (“short” → “shorter” → “shortest”). The ending in kürzere agrees with feminine accusative Route after the indefinite article eine. Example: Wir nehmen eine kürzere Strecke. — “We are taking a shorter route/distance.” Route is a feminine noun meaning “route” or “course.” Its plural is Routen. In this sentence it is the thing introduced by Es gibt and the subject of the relative clause: the route is what leads back. selben expresses identity with something already identified: “the same.” It appears in zum selben Bahnhof, where zum is the contraction of zu dem. The preposition zu requires the dative, so masculine der Bahnhof becomes dem Bahnhof, and the adjective has the dative masculine ending -en: dem selben Bahnhof. Example: Sie fährt zum selben Bahnhof. — “She is going to the same station.” Bahnhof is a masculine noun meaning “railway station” or “train station.” Its plural is Bahnhöfe. The phrase zum selben Bahnhof means “to the same station”; zu marks the destination, not a movement away from it. zurückführt means “leads back” or, with a route as subject, “returns.” The base verb is separable zurückführen (zurück + führen, “to lead back”). In a main clause, its parts can separate: Die Route führt zum Bahnhof zurück. — “The route leads back to the station.” In this relative clause, the finite verb is placed at the end, so the form appears together as zurückführt. The relative pronoun die refers to Route and is the subject of this clause. Together, Es gibt eine kürzere Route introduces the existence of a shorter route. die zum selben Bahnhof zurückführt is a relative clause describing that route: it leads back to the same station. The complete meaning is: “There is a shorter route that returns to the same station.”

7. Das klingt sicherer, falls die Bedingungen auf dem Weg rutschig werden.

   That sounds safer if the trail conditions become slippery.

   klingt

   sounds

   sicherer

   safer

   falls

   if

   Bedingungen

   conditions

   Weg

   path

   rutschig

   slippery

   werden

   become

   More detail

   klingt comes from klingen, “to sound.” Here Das klingt ... means “That sounds ...”: Das refers to the assessment or proposal being discussed, without the sentence specifying a more particular noun. Klingt is the present-tense form for a singular subject. For example, Das klingt gut. means “That sounds good.” sicherer is the comparative form of sicher, “safe” or “certain,” and means “safer” here. The comparison is expressed by -er: sicher → sicherer → am sichersten (“safest”). In Das klingt sicherer, the comparison describes how safe the option sounds; it does not state an absolute safety guarantee. falls introduces a condition meaning “if” or “in case.” It introduces a subordinate clause, so the finite verb goes to the end of that clause. The reusable pattern is ..., falls ... [verb]. Bedingungen is the plural of Bedingung, “condition.” The definite article die marks the plural noun phrase here: die Bedingungen means “the conditions.” In this sentence, these are the conditions on the way or trail, not an unspecified number of conditions. Weg means “way,” “route,” or “path.” In auf dem Weg, it refers to the path or trail in the fixed translation. The preposition auf takes the dative here because the phrase describes location rather than movement toward a destination; dem is the dative singular form of the definite article for the masculine noun Weg. rutschig means “slippery.” It is a descriptive adjective. In rutschig werden, it describes the state that the conditions will acquire. For example, Der Boden wird rutschig. means “The ground becomes slippery.” werden means “become” in this construction. Although it is also the infinitive form, here it is the finite present-tense form for the plural subject die Bedingungen: die Bedingungen werden rutschig means “the conditions become slippery.” German places this form at the end because it belongs to the subordinate clause introduced by falls. Together, Das klingt sicherer gives the assessment “That sounds safer.” The conditional clause falls die Bedingungen auf dem Weg rutschig werden specifies the situation under which that assessment applies: “if the conditions on the trail become slippery.” The complete utterance therefore means: “That sounds safer if the trail conditions become slippery.”

8. Sollen wir allen sagen, dass sie geeignete Schuhe und Wasser mitbringen sollen?

   Should we tell everyone to bring proper shoes and water?

   Sollen wir

   Should we…?

   allen

   everyone

   sagen

   tell; say

   dass

   that

   sie

   they

   geeignete

   suitable; proper

   Schuhe

   shoes

   Wasser

   water

   mitbringen

   bring along

   sollen

   should; be supposed to

   More detail

   Sollen wir is the reusable German pattern for asking whether “we” should do something. sollen is the first-person plural present form of sollen, while wir means “we”; the verb comes before the subject because this is a yes/no question. Compare Wir sollen ... (“We are supposed to ...”) with Sollen wir ...? (“Should we ...?”). allen means “to everyone” here. It is the dative plural form of alle (“all”), used because sagen can take the person told in the dative: Ich sage allen die Nachricht. — “I tell everyone the news.” The form does not itself state a particular number of people beyond the plural group meaning of alle. sagen means “to say” or, with a recipient, “to tell.” Its base form is sagen; a common present-tense form is ich sage (“I say/tell”). In this sentence, allen sagen means “tell everyone,” and the following dass clause gives the content of what is told. dass introduces a subordinate clause that expresses the content of saying. In a German dass clause, the finite verb normally goes to the end: Ich sage, dass sie kommen. — “I say that they are coming.” sie is the third-person plural pronoun “they” in this sentence, referring to the people who are to bring the items, as reflected by the fixed translation. It is the subject of the dass clause. The same spelling can have other grammatical uses in German, but here its plural subject role is supported by the meaning. geeignete means “suitable” or “proper” here. It is the adjective geeignet, meaning appropriate for a purpose or situation. The ending -e appears because the adjective stands before the plural noun Schuhe in the accusative phrase geeignete Schuhe; the adjective, not the noun, carries this visible ending. For example, geeignete Kleidung means “suitable clothing.” Schuhe means “shoes.” It is the plural of der Schuh (“shoe”); here it is the accusative object of mitbringen. Ein Schuh means “one shoe,” while Schuhe means “shoes” as a plural. Wasser means “water.” It is normally used as a mass noun, so it has the same form here as in the basic noun phrase Wasser; the sentence does not specify a number of containers. For example, Wir brauchen Wasser. means “We need water.” mitbringen means “to bring along” or “to bring with one.” It is a separable verb built from the verb bringen (“bring”) and the prefix mit-; in the infinitive, it remains written as one word: mitbringen. In a main clause, the parts separate: Sie bringen Wasser mit. — “They bring water along.” Here it stays together because it is an infinitive after the modal verb sollen. The final sollen is the third-person plural present form of sollen, agreeing with sie. With the infinitive mitbringen, sie ... mitbringen sollen means “they should/are supposed to bring along.” In a subordinate dass clause, this finite modal verb appears at the end, after the infinitive. Thus the pattern is dass + subject + objects + infinitive + modal verb: dass sie Wasser mitbringen sollen — “that they should bring water.” Together, Sollen wir allen sagen asks whether we should tell everyone something. The content of that message is introduced by dass: sie geeignete Schuhe und Wasser mitbringen sollen, “that they should bring suitable shoes and water.” The whole utterance therefore means: “Should we tell everyone to bring proper shoes and water?”

9. Sie sollten beides mitbringen.

   They should bring both.

   Sie sollten

   they should

   beides

   both

   mitbringen

   bring along

   More detail

   Sie sollten: Here Sie means “they,” as fixed by the translation. The capital letter is required because it begins the sentence; this is not the formal “you” reading in this utterance. sollten is the form of sollen used here for a recommendation or expectation: “should.” In this construction, the modal verb is conjugated for the subject and the other verb stays in the infinitive. Example: Wir sollten gehen. — “We should go.” beides: This pronoun means “both” and refers collectively to two things. In the bounded context, the two things are the suitable shoes and water mentioned previously. beides is a single pronoun rather than two separate objects, so it does not itself name the items. Example: Ich nehme beides. — “I’ll take both.” mitbringen: This is the infinitive of the separable verb mitbringen, “to bring along.” Its base verb is bringen (“bring”); the prefix mit- adds the idea of bringing something with oneself. With a modal such as sollten, the infinitive remains intact and appears at the end of the clause. Example: Sie sollen Wasser mitbringen. — “They are supposed to bring water along.” Together, Sie sollten beides mitbringen means “They should bring both.” The subject is “they,” sollten expresses the recommendation, beides identifies the two things as a combined object, and mitbringen supplies the action. This is a neutral way to give practical advice or state an expected action.

10. Wir sollten klarstellen, dass wir bei Bedarf umkehren werden.

    We should make it clear that we will turn back if needed.

    Wir sollten

    we should

    klarstellen

    make clear

    dass

    that

    wir

    we

    bei Bedarf

    if needed

    umkehren

    turn back

    werden

    will

    More detail

    Wir sollten means “we should.” sollten is the form of sollen used here with wir; it expresses a recommendation or advisable action, not a firm prediction. Compare Wir sollen ... (“we are supposed to ...”), which reports an instruction or expectation. klarstellen means “to make clear” or “to clarify.” It is an infinitive and a separable verb: the related present-tense form is Wir stellen das klar (“We make that clear”), while after a modal verb the infinitive stays together: Wir sollten das klarstellen (“We should make that clear”). dass introduces the content of what should be made clear. In a German dass clause, the finite verb normally goes to the end. The clause beginning with dass therefore states what is to be clarified. The second wir is the subject of the dass clause and refers to the same “we” expressed by the fixed translation. German repeats the subject when it begins a new clause; the first Wir is the subject of sollten, while this wir is the subject of umkehren werden. bei Bedarf is a compact way to say “if needed” or “when necessary.” Bedarf is a noun meaning “need” or “necessity”; the preposition bei here gives the condition under which the action occurs. For example: Bei Bedarf rufe ich an. — “If needed, I’ll call.” umkehren means “to turn back.” It is an infinitive; its present-tense form is wir kehren um, with the separable prefix placed at the end. In the fixed sentence, it remains together because it is part of the future construction with werden. werden is the future auxiliary here. The pattern wir werden umkehren means “we will turn back.” In the dass clause, German places the infinitive before the finite auxiliary: dass wir umkehren werden. This word order differs from the main-clause order Wir werden umkehren. Together, Wir sollten klarstellen gives the recommendation “We should make it clear.” The content introduced by dass is wir bei Bedarf umkehren werden: “that we will turn back if needed.” Thus the complete utterance means: “We should make it clear that we will turn back if needed.”

11. Ich werde heute Abend die Routenkarte und die Treffzeit teilen.

    I will share the route map and meeting time tonight.

    Ich werde

    I will

    heute Abend

    tonight

    Routenkarte

    route map

    Treffzeit

    meeting time

    teilen

    share

    More detail

    Ich werde: In this sentence, werde is the first-person singular form of werden, used with an infinitive to form the future: Ich werde ... teilen = “I will share ...”. The future construction uses the subject Ich and places the lexical verb’s infinitive at the end. Example: Ich werde morgen anrufen. — “I will call tomorrow.” heute Abend: This time expression means “tonight,” referring to this evening. heute means “today,” while Abend means “evening”; together they specify when the sharing will happen. Example: Wir treffen uns heute Abend. — “We are meeting tonight.” Routenkarte: This compound noun means “route map.” Its head is Karte (“map”), while Routen- specifies what the map shows. The noun is feminine, and here the singular accusative noun phrase is die Routenkarte; the feminine definite article die has the same form in the nominative and accusative. Example: Die Routenkarte ist auf dem Tisch. — “The route map is on the table.” Treffzeit: This compound noun means “meeting time.” Its head is Zeit (“time”), while Treff- relates it to meeting. The noun is feminine, and here the singular accusative noun phrase is die Treffzeit; again, the feminine definite article die has the same form in the nominative and accusative. Example: Wir müssen die Treffzeit ändern. — “We need to change the meeting time.” teilen: This is the infinitive of teilen, “to share” in this context. It can also mean “to divide,” so the object and context determine the intended use here. In the future construction, the infinitive remains teilen at the end. Example: Sie teilt den Plan mit uns. — “She shares the plan with us.” The two nouns are coordinated by und: die Routenkarte und die Treffzeit is the combined object of teilen. The repeated die marks each feminine singular noun phrase as an accusative object, although its form is identical to the nominative article. Thus Ich werde sets up the future, heute Abend gives the time, and die Routenkarte und die Treffzeit teilen expresses sharing both items: “I will share the route map and meeting time tonight.”

12. Das sollte allen helfen, sich vorzubereiten und zu entscheiden, ob sie mitkommen können.

    That should help everyone prepare and decide if they can join.

    Das

    that

    sollte

    should

    allen

    everyone

    helfen

    help

    sich vorzubereiten

    prepare

    zu entscheiden

    decide

    ob

    whether / if

    sie

    they

    mitkommen

    join / come along

    können

    can

    More detail

    Das is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. It is the subject and refers to an understood thing or situation; the supplied sentence does not identify a more specific noun referent. In this use, das is neuter singular nominative. Demonstrative forms can vary with gender, number, and case. sollte comes from sollen. Here it expresses an expectation—“should help”—rather than a guaranteed result. The form is the Konjunktiv II form commonly used for this “should” meaning; sollte can also be the indicative past form of sollen, so context distinguishes those uses. The present indicative form is soll. allen means “everyone” here and is the dative plural form of alle. helfen takes a dative recipient: jemandem helfen means “to help someone.” Compare alle (nominative/accusative plural) with allen (dative plural). Example: Das hilft den Kindern. — “That helps the children.” helfen is the infinitive “to help.” The pattern jemandem helfen, etwas zu tun means “to help someone do something.” The person helped appears in the dative, as with allen here. sich vorzubereiten means “to prepare.” vorbereiten is a separable verb, and in this zu-infinitive, zu appears inside the verb: vorzubereiten. sich is the reflexive form used when the people prepare themselves. Example: Sie versucht, sich vorzubereiten. — “She is trying to prepare.” zu entscheiden means “to decide.” Its base verb is entscheiden; the infinitive construction is formed with zu: zu entscheiden. The pattern sich entscheiden, etwas zu tun means “to decide to do something,” while entscheiden, ob ... means “to decide whether ...”. ob introduces an embedded yes-or-no question, commonly translated as “whether” or “if.” In a German subordinate clause introduced by ob, the finite verb goes to the end. Here, ob sie mitkommen können is embedded under entscheiden. sie means “they” here. It is the third-person plural subject of the embedded clause, referring to the people represented by allen. Lowercase sie is distinct from capitalized Sie, the formal “you.” mitkommen means “to come along” or “join.” It is a separable verb formed with mit- and kommen, but its infinitive is written as one word. Example: Kommst du mit? — “Are you coming along?” können means “can” or “be able to.” With a modal verb, the other verb remains in the infinitive: mitkommen können means “can come along.” In this subordinate clause, können is finite and stands at the end. Its subject is plural sie, so the form is können; compare singular sie kann (“she can”). Together, Das sollte allen helfen means “That should help everyone.” The infinitive phrases sich vorzubereiten and zu entscheiden are coordinated after helfen, so the help concerns both preparing and deciding. The decision is specified by ob sie mitkommen können, meaning “whether they can come along.” The complete utterance means: “That should help everyone prepare and decide if they can join.”