Flexible Breaks at Work | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ich bin mir nicht sicher, wie dieses Team mit Pausen umgeht.

   I'm not sure how this team handles breaks.

   Ich bin mir nicht sicher

   I'm not sure

   wie

   how

   dieses

   this

   Team

   team

   mit

   with

   Pausen

   breaks

   umgeht

   handles; deals with

   More detail

   Ich bin mir nicht sicher is a reusable German pattern meaning “I’m not sure.” The pronoun mir is the first-person singular dative form of ich; in this expression, sich sicher sein literally presents certainty as a state, and nicht negates it. The pattern can introduce an indirect question: Ich bin mir nicht sicher, ob er kommt. — “I’m not sure whether he is coming.” wie means “how” here and introduces an indirect question. In a German subordinate clause introduced by wie, the finite verb normally comes at the end: wie das Team arbeitet — “how the team works.” dieses means “this” and is the demonstrative determiner agreeing with the neuter singular noun Team in the nominative. The form is not chosen by proximity alone: das Team is neuter, and the whole noun phrase is the subject of umgeht. For example, Dieses Team arbeitet schnell. — “This team works quickly.” Team is the noun “team.” Its German gender is neuter: das Team; its plural is Teams. Here it is the subject, so the associated verb is third-person singular. mit means “with” and is a preposition that requires the dative. It forms the pattern mit + noun for what someone deals with or uses. In this sentence, mit Pausen means “with breaks.” Pausen is the plural of the feminine noun die Pause, “break.” The plural form is Pausen; after mit, it is dative plural, which has the same visible form here as the nominative and accusative plural. Example: Wir sprechen über Pausen. — “We are talking about breaks.” umgeht is the third-person singular present form of the separable verb umgehen. With mit, mit etwas umgehen means “to handle or deal with something.” In a main clause, the prefix separates: Das Team geht mit Pausen um. — “The team deals with breaks.” In this indirect question, the verb remains together and moves to the end: wie dieses Team mit Pausen umgeht. Together, Ich bin mir nicht sicher states uncertainty, and wie dieses Team mit Pausen umgeht specifies what is uncertain. The full utterance therefore means: “I’m not sure how this team handles breaks.”

2. Die Regelung ist flexibel, aber während der Servicezeiten muss die Besetzung trotzdem stimmen.

   The policy is flexible, but coverage still matters during service hours.

   Regelung

   policy; arrangement

   ist

   is

   flexibel

   flexible

   während der Servicezeiten

   during service hours

   muss

   must; has to

   Besetzung

   coverage; staffing

   trotzdem

   still; nevertheless

   stimmen

   be right; work out

   More detail

   Regelung means a rule, policy, or arrangement. Here the fixed translation selects “policy,” but the noun can also refer to a practical arrangement in other contexts. It is feminine: die Regelung; its plural is die Regelungen. ist is the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”). The pattern X ist Y links a singular subject with a description: Die Regelung ist flexibel. means “The policy is flexible.” flexibel describes something that can be adapted rather than being rigid. It is an adjective; after ist, it appears without an ending because it is used as a predicate adjective. Example: Der Plan ist flexibel. — “The plan is flexible.” während der Servicezeiten means “during service hours.” während introduces a time period here. Servicezeiten is the plural of Servicezeit, and der is the form used with this plural noun in this phrase. The phrase specifies when the requirement applies; it does not itself state how many service periods there are. muss is the third-person singular present form of the modal verb müssen, “must” or “have to.” A modal verb is followed by an infinitive at the end of the clause: Die Besetzung muss stimmen. — “The coverage must be right.” In this sentence, muss expresses a requirement, while stimmen supplies the action or condition required. Besetzung is a feminine noun meaning staffing or coverage here: die Besetzung. In this context it concerns whether enough appropriate staffing is in place, not the act of casting actors, which is another use of the same noun. trotzdem means “still” or “nevertheless.” It marks a result that remains valid despite the flexibility mentioned earlier. It is an adverb and does not change form. stimmen is the infinitive of stimmen. In this context, stimmen means “be right,” “be in order,” or “work out,” applied to the staffing or coverage. The same verb can have other meanings in other contexts, such as “vote” or “tune,” so its meaning here comes from its relation to Besetzung and the requirement expressed by muss. The infinitive stays at the end after the modal verb. Together, Die Regelung ist flexibel says that the policy is adaptable. aber contrasts this with the following condition: während der Servicezeiten muss die Besetzung trotzdem stimmen says that, despite that flexibility, coverage must still be adequate during service hours. The complete meaning is: “The policy is flexible, but coverage still matters during service hours.”

3. Dann kann ich bei Bedarf kurz weggehen, solange jemand verfügbar ist.

   So I can step away when needed, as long as someone is available.

   kann ich

   I can

   bei Bedarf

   when needed

   kurz

   briefly

   weggehen

   step away

   solange

   as long as

   jemand

   someone

   verfügbar

   available

   More detail

   kann ich expresses “I can” here. kann is the present-tense form of können for ich; the infinitive that it controls appears later in the clause. Because Dann occupies the first position, the finite verb comes before the subject: Dann kann ich …. bei Bedarf is a compact noun phrase meaning “when needed” or “if necessary.” Bedarf is a masculine noun, and bei requires the dative here: bei Bedarf. This expression does not specify who or what is needed; the context supplies the relevant need. kurz modifies the action as an adverb, indicating a brief period or short departure. The same form can also be an adjective, as in ein kurzer Besuch (“a short visit”); in this sentence it describes how long the stepping away lasts. weggehen is the infinitive “to go away” or “to step away.” It is a separable verb: without a modal, one can say Ich gehe kurz weg (“I step away briefly”). After können, however, the infinitive stays together at the end: Ich kann kurz weggehen. solange introduces a condition meaning “as long as.” It begins a subordinate clause, so the finite verb goes to the end of that clause. jemand is an indefinite pronoun meaning “someone.” In this clause it is the subject of ist; the form itself does not identify a particular person. verfügbar means “available.” With sein, it forms the predicate jemand verfügbar ist (“someone is available”). ist is the third-person singular present form of sein, agreeing with singular jemand. Together, Dann kann ich means “Then I can,” bei Bedarf kurz weggehen means “step away briefly when needed,” and solange jemand verfügbar ist adds the condition “as long as someone is available.” The complete utterance therefore means: “So I can step away when needed, as long as someone is available.”

4. Gib den Leuten einfach Bescheid, wenn du eine Weile weg bist.

   Just let people know if you'll be gone for a while.

   Gib … Bescheid

   let someone know

   Leuten

   people

   einfach

   just

   wenn

   if

   eine Weile

   a while

   weg bist

   are away

   More detail

   Gib ... Bescheid is the reusable German expression for “let someone know” or “inform someone.” Here Gib is the singular informal imperative of geben (“to give”): geben → du gibst → Gib!. Bescheid geben is a fixed expression, so its meaning is not the literal act of giving an object. In a sentence, the person informed is commonly marked with the dative: jemandem Bescheid geben. Leuten means “people” here and is the dative plural form of Leute. The dative marks the recipients of the information. The plural form is Leute; its dative plural is Leuten, with an added -n. einfach means “just” here, making the instruction sound straightforward: “just let people know.” Its exact force can vary by context, but in this sentence it does not add a separate action. wenn introduces a condition meaning “if” here. In the clause it introduces, the finite verb comes at the end. A reusable pattern is wenn ... , ...: Wenn du Zeit hast, ruf mich an. — “If you have time, call me.” eine Weile means “a while.” Weile is a feminine noun, and eine is the corresponding indefinite article in the form used here. The phrase describes a period of time without specifying its exact length. weg bist means “are away” or “will be gone” in this context. It consists of weg (“away”) plus bist, the second-person singular present form of sein (“to be”): sein → du bist. German present tense can refer to a future situation when the context makes that clear, so wenn du ... weg bist means “if you’ll be gone/away,” not necessarily “if you are away right now.” Because wenn introduces a subordinate clause, bist appears at the end: wenn du eine Weile weg bist. Together, wenn du eine Weile weg bist means “if you’ll be gone for a while.” It supplies the condition for the imperative Gib den Leuten einfach Bescheid: “Just let people know.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Just let people know if you’ll be gone for a while.”

5. Das scheint fair zu sein. Ich hatte Angst, dass es so aussehen könnte, als würde ich einfach verschwinden.

   That seems fair. I was worried it might look like I was disappearing.

   scheint

   seems

   fair

   fair

   zu sein

   to be

   hatte Angst

   was worried

   so aussehen

   look that way

   könnte

   might

   als würde

   as if … were

   einfach

   simply

   verschwinden

   disappear

   More detail

   scheint is the 3rd-person singular present form of scheinen (“to seem”). The pattern etwas scheint ... presents an impression rather than a firm assertion. Example: Das scheint möglich. — “That seems possible.” fair is the adjective “fair” here. It describes the assessment in the sentence; it is not inflected because it follows sein in this construction. The opposite can be unfair (“unfair”). zu sein is the infinitive pattern zu + sein, “to be.” With scheinen, German commonly uses scheinen, ... zu sein to express “seem to be”: Das scheint richtig zu sein. — “That seems to be right.” hatte Angst means “was worried” in this sentence. hatte is the first-person singular past form of haben, and Angst haben is the German construction for “to be afraid” or “to worry.” The noun Angst is feminine, but the form hatte is determined here by the subject ich and the past tense, not by that noun. Example: Ich habe Angst. — “I am afraid.” so aussehen means “look that way” or “appear like that.” aussehen is a separable verb in finite clauses, but after zu its infinitive is written together: so auszusehen (“to look that way”). In the fixed sentence, so points to the appearance being discussed, without independently naming a specific visual object. könnte is the first relevant form of können here: its subjunctive II form expresses possibility, “might” or “could.” The form is third-person singular in this clause because its subject is es; it is not a past-tense form in this use. Example: Es könnte regnen. — “It might rain.” als würde introduces an appearance framed as “as if ... were.” würde is the subjunctive II form of werden, used with the infinitive verschwinden later in the clause. This als ... pattern presents the possible impression, while könnte supplies the outer possibility: Es sieht aus, als würde er gehen. — “It looks as if he were leaving.” einfach means “simply” or “just” here. It modifies the manner or apparent lack of complication in the disappearance; it does not itself express the disappearance. verschwinden is the infinitive “to disappear” or “to vanish.” In würde ... verschwinden, it remains in the infinitive while würde carries the conditional or hypothetical form. Example: Der Nebel würde verschwinden. — “The fog would disappear.” Together, Das scheint fair zu sein means “That seems fair.” The speaker then says Ich hatte Angst (“I was worried”) about a possible impression: dass es so aussehen könnte (“that it might look that way”), namely als würde ich einfach verschwinden (“as if I were simply disappearing”). The complete meaning is: “That seems fair. I was worried it might look like I was disappearing.”

6. Eine kurze Nachricht im Team-Chat sollte das verhindern.

   A quick note in the team chat should prevent that.

   kurze

   short; brief

   Nachricht

   message; note

   Team-Chat

   team chat

   sollte

   should

   das

   that

   verhindern

   to prevent

   More detail

   kurze describes the message here as short or brief. Its base form is kurz; the -e ending is adjective inflection in eine kurze Nachricht, where the adjective agrees with the feminine singular nominative noun phrase. For example, eine kurze Pause means “a short break.” Nachricht means “message” or “note” here. It is a feminine noun: die Nachricht; its plural is die Nachrichten. In this sentence, eine kurze Nachricht is the subject—the thing expected to prevent something. Team-Chat means “team chat.” It is a hyphenated compound noun, and the noun parts are capitalized. The surrounding phrase im Team-Chat means “in the team chat”; im is the contraction of in dem. sollte is the third-person singular form used with the subject eine kurze Nachricht. It is the Präteritum form of sollen, and it is also the form used for the Konjunktiv II meaning “should” in this sentence. The fixed translation and context support that “should” reading, rather than the past meaning “was supposed to.” With a present indicative meaning, soll can mean “is supposed to” or “should”: Die Nachricht soll helfen means “The message is supposed to help.” das means “that” here. It is a demonstrative pronoun functioning as the accusative object of verhindern; the fixed translation identifies its intended meaning as “that.” Its form is neuter singular accusative, which is identical in form to neuter singular nominative. The form itself supplies grammatical information but does not identify the situation being referred to. verhindern means “to prevent.” It is an infinitive used after the modal sollte; in this clause, sollte ... verhindern means “should prevent.” A finite present form is verhindert: Die Nachricht verhindert das Problem means “The message prevents the problem.” Together, Eine kurze Nachricht is the subject, im Team-Chat locates the message, sollte expresses the intended “should” meaning, das is the object, and verhindern names the action. The whole utterance means: “A quick note in the team chat should prevent that.”

7. Sollen wir für stressige Zeiten einen gemeinsamen Zeitplan erstellen?

   Should we create a shared schedule during busy periods?

   Sollen wir

   Should we…?

   stressige

   stressful

   Zeiten

   times; periods

   gemeinsamen

   shared; common

   Zeitplan

   schedule

   erstellen

   create

   More detail

   Sollen wir combines the present-tense form sollen with wir (“we”). In this question, sollen asks whether the speakers ought to do something together, giving the reusable pattern Sollen wir + infinitive? = “Should we …?” The infinitive comes later in the sentence. Example: Sollen wir anfangen? — “Should we start?” stressige means “stressful” here. Its base form is the adjective stressig; the ending is -e because it modifies the plural noun Zeiten in the accusative phrase after für, without a preceding article. The adjective describes the periods as stressful, while the fixed translation presents them as busy periods. Zeiten is the plural of Zeit, “time” or, in this context, “periods/times.” The plural form uses the ending -en: Zeit → Zeiten. Here it refers to more than one period or to periods generally, not to one single point in time. gemeinsamen means “shared” or “common.” Its base form is gemeinsam. The ending -en marks the adjective as modifying the masculine singular accusative noun phrase einen gemeinsamen Zeitplan: einen and the adjective ending together signal this grammatical form. Example: Wir brauchen einen gemeinsamen Plan. — “We need a shared plan.” Zeitplan is a masculine noun meaning “schedule” or “timetable.” It is a compound of Zeit (“time”) and Plan (“plan”), but it functions as one noun. In this sentence it is the object being created. With the masculine accusative article, it appears as einen Zeitplan. erstellen is the infinitive meaning “to create” or “to draw up.” The finite verb is sollen, so erstellen remains in the infinitive and appears at the end of this yes/no question. Example: Wir erstellen einen Plan. — “We are creating a plan.” The preposition für introduces the relevant period and takes the accusative here: für stressige Zeiten means “for stressful/busy periods.” The object is einen gemeinsamen Zeitplan, “a shared schedule.” Together, einen gemeinsamen Zeitplan erstellen means “create a shared schedule,” and Sollen wir ... erstellen? turns that proposal into “Should we create ...?” The complete utterance therefore asks whether the speakers should create a shared schedule for busy periods.

8. Das könnte helfen, wenn mehrere Leute gleichzeitig zu Mittag essen wollen.

   That could help when several people want lunch at the same time.

   Das

   that; it

   könnte

   could

   helfen

   help

   mehrere

   several

   Leute

   people

   gleichzeitig

   at the same time

   zu Mittag essen

   have lunch

   wollen

   want

   More detail

   Das is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. It points to an already mentioned idea or arrangement; with the supplied context, that reading fits the proposed shared schedule. Its exact referent is determined by context, not by the form alone. könnte is the Konjunktiv II form of können (“can; be able to”). In this sentence it expresses a possibility: “could.” The pattern Das könnte + infinitive is useful for saying that something might have a helpful effect. Könnte is the finite verb and agrees with the singular subject Das; helfen remains in the infinitive. helfen means “to help.” Its base form is helfen; after a modal verb such as können, German uses this infinitive without zu. Example: Das kann helfen. — “That can help.” mehrere means “several” and indicates more than one, without specifying the exact number. It modifies the plural noun Leute here. It is different from viele (“many”), which generally suggests a larger or less limited number. Leute means “people” and is a plural noun. The singular is normally Person (“person”), not a singular form of Leute. Example: Mehrere Leute warten. — “Several people are waiting.” gleichzeitig is an adverb meaning “at the same time.” It describes when the people perform the lunch action, rather than describing the people themselves. Example: Sie sprechen gleichzeitig. — “They speak at the same time.” zu Mittag essen is the expression “to have lunch” or “to eat lunch.” The verb is essen (“eat”); zu Mittag specifies the meal or time of day. In this sentence the phrase is an infinitive because it follows wollen. Example: Wir essen zu Mittag. — “We have lunch.” wollen means “to want.” It is a modal verb, and in the wenn clause it appears at the end with the infinitive phrase zu Mittag essen before it: wenn mehrere Leute gleichzeitig zu Mittag essen wollen. This means “when several people want to have lunch at the same time.” Together, Das könnte helfen means “That could help.” The wenn clause adds the condition or situation: wenn mehrere Leute gleichzeitig zu Mittag essen wollen — “when several people want to have lunch at the same time.” German places the finite verb at the end of this subordinate clause, so wollen comes last. The complete utterance therefore means: “That could help when several people want lunch at the same time.”

9. Ich werde das beim nächsten Teamtreffen vorschlagen.

   I'll suggest it at the next team check-in.

   Ich werde

   I will

   das

   it

   beim

   at the

   nächsten

   next

   Teamtreffen

   team check-in

   vorschlagen

   suggest

   More detail

   Ich werde combines the subject Ich (“I”) with werde, the first-person singular present form of werden. Here werden forms the future: Ich werde ... = “I will ...”. It can also express a firm intention. The main lexical verb remains in the infinitive at the end of the clause, as in Ich werde morgen anrufen. — “I will call tomorrow.” das means “it” here and is the accusative object of vorschlagen: the speaker will suggest something already identified in the context. This pronoun is neuter in form; its specific referent is not named in the supplied sentence. German pronouns change by grammatical case, for example das as an accusative neuter form, while der and die belong to other gender/case combinations. beim is the contraction of bei dem. bei takes the dative, and this phrase gives the setting or occasion: “at the next team check-in.” The contraction is common in ordinary German. For example, Beim Essen lese ich nicht. — “I do not read while eating.” nächsten is the inflected form of the adjective nächst-, meaning “next” here. It describes Teamtreffen; because bei requires the dative and the noun phrase is neuter singular with the definite article dem (contracted in beim), the adjective has the ending -en: bei dem nächsten Teamtreffen. A useful contrast is das nächste Teamtreffen (“the next team check-in”) in the nominative or accusative, versus bei dem nächsten Teamtreffen (“at the next team check-in”) in the dative. Teamtreffen is a neuter noun meaning “team meeting” or, in this translation, “team check-in.” Its plural is Teamtreffen as well; the form itself does not add a plural ending. Example: Das Teamtreffen beginnt um neun. — “The team meeting begins at nine.” vorschlagen means “to suggest” or “to propose.” It is a separable verb: in a main-clause present-tense sentence, the prefix separates, as in Ich schlage das vor. — “I suggest it.” After the future auxiliary werde, however, the complete infinitive stays together at the end: Ich werde das vorschlagen. — “I will suggest it.” Together, Ich werde ... vorschlagen says “I will suggest ...”; das supplies the thing being suggested; and beim nächsten Teamtreffen specifies when or where the suggestion will be made. The complete utterance therefore means: “I’ll suggest it at the next team check-in.”

10. Dann weiß jeder, was ihn erwartet.

    Then everyone will know what to expect.

    Dann

    then

    weiß

    knows

    jeder

    everyone

    was

    what

    ihn

    him

    erwartet

    awaits

    More detail

    Dann means “then” and places the statement after an earlier or implied event. It can also refer to a later point in time: Dann sprechen wir darüber. — “Then we’ll talk about it.” weiß is the third-person singular present form of wissen, “to know”: ich weiß, du weißt, er/sie weiß. Here it is the main-clause verb. German present tense can refer to a future result when the time is clear from context, so the translation uses “will know.” jeder is the subject meaning “everyone” in the sense of “each person.” It is grammatically singular, which is why the verb is weiß, not a plural form. Its form changes with case and gender in other positions; for example, mit jedem means “with everyone.” was introduces the content of knowing: “what.” In was ihn erwartet, it introduces an indirect question or content clause. In such a subordinate clause, the finite verb normally comes at the end. ihn is the accusative singular form of er, “him.” It marks the person affected by the event in the subordinate clause; the fixed sentence does not identify that person more specifically. Compare er (“he,” nominative) with ihn (“him,” accusative). erwartet is the third-person singular present form of erwarten, “to expect” or, with an affected person as object, “to await.” The base form is erwarten; for example, Was erwartet ihn? means “What awaits him?” Together, Dann weiß jeder means “Then everyone will know.” The clause was ihn erwartet literally asks what awaits him, and in this sentence it supplies the content of that knowledge: “what to expect.” The full utterance therefore means, “Then everyone will know what to expect.”