Reserve a Study Room | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ich möchte einen Studienraum für ein Gruppenprojekt reservieren.

   I'd like to reserve a study room for a group project.

   Ich möchte

   I’d like

   Studienraum

   study room

   Gruppenprojekt

   group project

   reservieren

   reserve

   More detail

   Ich möchte expresses the speaker’s wish politely: “I’d like.” möchte is the first-person singular form used for a polite desire; it comes from mögen, but here it does not mean simple liking. The reusable pattern is Ich möchte + ..., as in the example Ich möchte einen Kaffee. — “I’d like a coffee.” Studienraum means a room intended for studying. It is a masculine noun: der Studienraum. In this sentence it appears as einen Studienraum because it is the direct object of the intended reservation, so the masculine indefinite article changes from ein to einen in the accusative. Example: Ich suche einen Studienraum. — “I’m looking for a study room.” Gruppenprojekt means a project carried out by a group. It is a neuter noun: das Gruppenprojekt. After für, German uses the accusative; with this neuter noun, the indefinite article remains ein: für ein Gruppenprojekt. Example: Wir planen ein Gruppenprojekt. — “We are planning a group project.” reservieren is the infinitive “to reserve.” With möchte, the desired action stays in the infinitive and appears at the end of the clause. Example: Ich möchte einen Tisch reservieren. — “I’d like to reserve a table.” In the full utterance, Ich möchte introduces the speaker’s polite request. einen Studienraum is what the speaker wants to reserve, and für ein Gruppenprojekt gives the purpose of the reservation. The infinitive reservieren completes the construction: “I’d like to reserve a study room for a group project.”

2. Wie groß muss der Raum sein?

   What size room do you need?

   Wie groß

   what size / how large

   muss

   needs to

   Raum

   room

   sein

   be

   More detail

   Wie groß asks about size: literally “how large.” groß is the adjective “large/big”; its comparative is größer (“larger”), and its superlative is am größten (“largest”). Example: Wie groß ist der Tisch? — “How big is the table?” muss is the third-person singular present form of müssen, “must / have to.” Here it expresses a requirement for the room’s size: the room has to be a certain size. Example: Der Raum muss groß sein. — “The room has to be large.” The form changes with the subject: ich muss, du musst, er/sie/es muss, wir müssen. Raum is the masculine noun “room” in this context. Its plural is Räume (“rooms”); the umlaut and ending belong to the plural form. In the question, der Raum is the singular subject, marked by the definite article der. sein is the infinitive “to be.” It remains at the end here because it follows the modal verb muss: muss ... sein. Example: Der Raum muss ruhig sein. — “The room has to be quiet.” Together, Wie groß asks for a size, muss ... sein expresses the required condition, and der Raum is the thing whose size is being asked about. Thus Wie groß muss der Raum sein? means “What size room do you need?” In a more literal wording, it asks, “How large does the room have to be?”

3. Wann möchten Sie ihn benutzen?

   When do you want to use it?

   Wann

   when

   möchten Sie

   would you like

   ihn

   it

   benutzen

   use

   More detail

   Wann means “when” and asks about the time of an action. It is a question adverb and does not change form. Example: Wann kommen Sie? — “When are you coming?” möchten Sie politely asks what the addressed person wants or would like. Sie is the formal singular or plural “you”; in this sentence, the form itself does not identify which of those is intended. möchten is the conventional polite form related to mögen (“to like”); it is not an infinitive whose base form is also möchten. It commonly appears with another verb in the infinitive. Example: Möchten Sie warten? — “Would you like to wait?” ihn is the accusative form of the third-person masculine pronoun er. Here the fixed translation and context support the meaning “it,” referring to the room. er is used for a masculine subject, while ihn is used for a masculine direct object. Example: Ich sehe ihn. — “I see him/it.” benutzen means “to use.” It is an infinitive here because it follows möchten; the subject and its person/number are expressed by Sie, while benutzen remains in the infinitive. Example: Wir benutzen den Raum. — “We use the room.” Together, Wann asks for the time, möchten Sie asks politely about the person’s wish, and ihn benutzen means “use it.” The whole utterance therefore means: “When do you want to use it?”

4. Wir brauchen heute Nachmittag einen ruhigen Raum für vier Personen.

   We need a quiet room this afternoon for four people.

   Wir

   we

   brauchen

   need

   heute Nachmittag

   this afternoon

   ruhigen

   quiet

   Raum

   room

   vier

   four

   Personen

   people

   More detail

   Wir means “we”: the first-person plural pronoun for the speaker together with at least one other person. Its form does not identify exactly who the group includes. Compare ich (“I”) and wir (“we”). Example: Wir lernen Deutsch. — “We are learning German.” brauchen means “need” here. It is the present-tense form of brauchen with wir; the same form is also used with sie (“they”) and the formal Sie (“you”), while ich brauche uses brauche. It normally takes the needed thing as an accusative object: Wir brauchen Hilfe. — “We need help.” heute Nachmittag is a time expression meaning “this afternoon.” heute means “today,” and Nachmittag means “afternoon.” Together they specify when the need applies. Example: Ich arbeite heute Nachmittag. — “I am working this afternoon.” ruhigen means “quiet” in this sentence. Its base form is the adjective ruhig; ruhiger is the comparative “quieter,” and am ruhigsten is the superlative “quietest.” The ending -en appears because the adjective describes masculine singular accusative Raum after the indefinite article einen: einen ruhigen Raum. Example: Wir suchen einen ruhigen Ort. — “We are looking for a quiet place.” Raum means “room” here. It is a masculine noun, and after brauchen it appears as the accusative object: einen Raum. Its plural is Räume (“rooms”), with the vowel change and plural ending shown in that form. Example: Der Raum ist groß. — “The room is large.” vier means “four.” It is a cardinal number and does not change for grammatical gender in this phrase. It states the number of Personen; the number itself is not carried by the indefinite article elsewhere in the sentence. Personen means “people” here. It is the plural of Person (“person”). After a number, the noun is plural: vier Personen — “four people.” Example: Drei Personen warten. — “Three people are waiting.” Together, Wir brauchen gives “we need.” The object is einen ruhigen Raum, “a quiet room”: Raum is masculine singular and accusative, so the article is einen and the adjective is ruhigen. heute Nachmittag places this need in the afternoon of today, while für vier Personen specifies that the room is intended for four people. The whole utterance means: “We need a quiet room this afternoon for four people.”

5. Heute Nachmittag ist ein Raum für zwei Stunden verfügbar.

   There is one available for two hours this afternoon.

   Heute Nachmittag

   this afternoon

   Raum

   room

   für zwei Stunden

   for two hours

   verfügbar

   available

   More detail

   Heute Nachmittag places the situation in the afternoon of today. German time expressions can often stand at the beginning to frame the whole sentence; heute means “today” and Nachmittag means “afternoon.” Raum means “room” here. Its base form is der Raum; the plural is die Räume, with the vowel change and an umlaut. In this sentence, ein Raum is the subject: Raum is masculine, so the masculine nominative indefinite article is ein. für zwei Stunden expresses a duration: “for two hours.” für takes the accusative case. The plural of die Stunde is die Stunden; with the number zwei, the plural form is used. Example: Wir bleiben für zwei Stunden. — “We are staying for two hours.” verfügbar means “available.” It is an adjective used after the linking verb sein, so it appears in its plain, uninflected form. The verb form ist is the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”): sein → ist for one subject such as ein Raum. Together, Heute Nachmittag sets the time, ein Raum identifies the subject, and ist ... verfügbar says that the room is available. für zwei Stunden limits that availability to a two-hour period. The whole utterance therefore means: “There is one available for two hours this afternoon.” In the supplied context, ein Raum refers to the room being sought.

6. Das gibt uns genug Zeit, die Folien durchzugehen und zu entscheiden, wer welchen Teil präsentieren wird.

   That gives us enough time to review the slides and decide who will present each part.

   Das

   that

   gibt

   gives

   uns

   us

   genug

   enough

   Zeit

   time

   Folien

   slides

   durchzugehen

   to go through; to review

   zu entscheiden

   to decide

   wer

   who

   welchen

   which

   Teil

   part

   präsentieren

   to present

   wird

   will

   More detail

   Das is a neuter singular demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. It points to an understood situation rather than naming a new noun in this sentence. Demonstratives such as das can point to something already mentioned or understood. gibt is the third-person singular present form of geben (“to give”). Here the present tense describes what the situation provides: “that gives us…”. uns is the first-person plural accusative/dative form used here as the indirect object: it marks the people who receive or benefit from the time. Compare wir (“we”) as the subject form and uns (“us”) in this object role. genug means “enough” and comes before the noun it limits here. Zeit is a feminine noun meaning “time”. The combination genug Zeit, ... zu ... is a reusable pattern for having sufficient time to do something. Example: Wir haben genug Zeit zu warten. — “We have enough time to wait.” Folien is the plural of Folie, “slide” in a presentation context. In the full phrase die Folien, the definite article and the noun together mean “the slides”; Folien itself carries the plural form. durchzugehen is the infinitive of the separable verb durchgehen, used here in the sense “to go through” or “to review”. In an infinitive with zu, the prefix and verb appear as durchzugehen: durchgehen → durchzugehen. Example: Wir beginnen, die Unterlagen durchzugehen. — “We are beginning to review the documents.” zu entscheiden is the zu-infinitive of entscheiden, “to decide”. It names a second activity coordinated with durchzugehen: there is enough time both to review the slides and to decide something. Example: Sie versucht, schnell zu entscheiden. — “She is trying to decide quickly.” wer is an interrogative pronoun meaning “who”. It introduces the embedded question about the person who will carry out the presenting action. As the subject of that embedded question, it is used with the singular form wird, even though the person is not yet identified. welchen means “which” in the phrase welchen Teil. It is the masculine accusative singular form of welcher and agrees with Teil within the object phrase. The form is not determined by wer; it is determined by the masculine singular accusative noun phrase welchen Teil. Teil is a masculine noun meaning “part”. Here it is singular and is the object of präsentieren: the embedded question asks which part each person will present. Its plural is Teile (“parts”). Example: Wir teilen die Aufgabe in drei Teile. — “We divide the task into three parts.” präsentieren is the infinitive “to present”. In this sentence it names the action that the person identified by wer will perform. wird is the third-person singular present form of werden; together with the infinitive, präsentieren wird expresses the future here: “will present”. In the embedded question, the finite verb is at the end, so the infinitive comes before wird. The sentence builds as Das gibt uns genug Zeit (“That gives us enough time”), followed by two coordinated zu-infinitive activities: die Folien durchzugehen (“to review the slides”) and zu entscheiden (“to decide”). The content of the decision is the embedded question wer welchen Teil präsentieren wird — “who will present which part.” Together, the utterance means: “That gives us enough time to review the slides and decide who will present each part.”

7. Ich reserviere ihn unter Ihrem Bibliothekskonto.

   I'll reserve it under your library account.

   Ich

   I

   reserviere

   reserve

   ihn

   it

   unter

   under

   Ihrem

   your

   Bibliothekskonto

   library account

   More detail

   Ich is the first-person singular pronoun in the nominative case: “I.” It is the person carrying out the action. Compare du (“you,” informal singular) and Sie (“you,” formal singular or plural), but the form here specifically refers to the speaker. reserviere comes from reservieren (“to reserve”). It is the present-tense first-person singular form: ich reserviere. German present tense can describe an action planned for the future when the context makes that clear, so it corresponds here to “I’ll reserve.” Example: Ich reserviere einen Tisch. — “I’ll reserve a table.” ihn is the masculine singular accusative form of er (“he” / “it” for a masculine noun). Here the fixed translation identifies its meaning as “it,” referring to the item being reserved; the item itself is not named in this utterance. The accusative marks it as the direct object of reservieren. Compare ihm, the masculine or neuter singular dative form, in a different grammatical role. unter means “under” here and introduces the account used for the reservation. This preposition can take either the dative or accusative case: the dative is used for a location or arrangement, while the accusative is used for movement toward a destination. Here the account is the arrangement or place under which the reservation is recorded, so the following noun phrase is dative. Example: Das steht unter meinem Namen. — “That is listed under my name.” Ihrem means “your” in the formal address system. Its ending shows dative singular neuter agreement with Bibliothekskonto; the capital letter is also part of the formal possessive spelling. Ihr is the corresponding basic possessive form, while Ihrem is the dative form used here. The possessive identifies the account as belonging to the person or people formally addressed, without itself stating a number. Bibliothekskonto is a compound noun meaning “library account.” Its base noun is Konto (“account”), combined with Bibliothek (“library”); the complete compound, rather than either part alone, names the account. Konto is neuter: das Bibliothekskonto. After the locative use of unter, it appears in the dative singular, which is visible in the phrase Ihrem Bibliothekskonto. Together, Ich reserviere ihn means “I’ll reserve it,” with the speaker as the actor, ihn as the direct object, and the present-tense form expressing the planned action. unter Ihrem Bibliothekskonto adds that the reservation will be made under the formally addressed person’s library account. The complete utterance therefore means: “I’ll reserve it under your library account.”

8. Sie können online stornieren, wenn sich Ihre Pläne ändern.

   You can cancel online if plans change.

   Sie können

   you can

   online

   online

   stornieren

   cancel

   wenn

   if

   sich … ändern

   change

   Ihre

   your

   Pläne

   plans

   More detail

   Sie können means “you can.” Sie is the formal “you” and can also mean “you” for more than one person; capitalization distinguishes formal Sie from lowercase sie (“she” or “they”). können is the present-tense form of können for formal Sie, and the modal verb is followed by the other verb in the infinitive: Sie können ... stornieren = “You can cancel ...”. online is an adverb meaning “online.” It describes where or by what channel the cancellation can be made. Example: Ich buche online. — “I book online.” stornieren means “to cancel,” especially a reservation, booking, or order. It is an infinitive here because it follows the modal verb können. With a different subject, the present-tense forms include ich storniere (“I cancel”) and Sie stornieren (“you cancel” or formal “you cancel”). wenn introduces a condition: “if” or, in a repeated-time context, “when.” It starts a subordinate clause, so the conjugated verb moves to the end of that clause. Here the condition is wenn sich Ihre Pläne ändern. sich ändern means “to change” when the subject itself undergoes the change. ändern is the verb; sich is the reflexive pronoun used with a third-person plural subject such as Ihre Pläne. In the clause, Ihre Pläne is the subject, and ändern is therefore plural. Compare the singular example Der Plan ändert sich. — “The plan changes.” Ihre means “your” in the formal form of address. Its ending is determined by the noun it accompanies, not by the person addressed. With plural Pläne, the form is Ihre; the capital letter marks the formal possessive. Example: Ihre Bücher sind hier. — “Your books are here.” Pläne means “plans.” It is the plural of der Plan (“the plan”). In this sentence, Pläne is the subject of ändern: literally, “your plans change.” The plural subject is why the verb is ändern, not singular ändert. Together, Sie können online stornieren says “you can cancel online.” The following conditional clause, wenn sich Ihre Pläne ändern, says “if your plans change.” The complete utterance means: “You can cancel online if your plans change.”

9. Holen wir den Schlüssel an diesem Schalter ab?

   Do we pick up the key at this desk?

   Holen … ab

   pick up

   wir

   we

   Schlüssel

   key

   diesem

   this

   Schalter

   desk

   More detail

   Holen ... ab is the separable verb abholen, “to pick up” or “to collect.” In this question, the finite part is holen and the separable prefix ab moves to the end. The form holen is the present-tense form used with wir; the same verb can appear as ich hole, du holst, and sie holen. Example: Wir holen das Paket ab. — “We pick up the parcel.” wir means “we” and is the first-person plural subject. It identifies the people included in the proposed action, but it does not by itself specify who else may be involved. In a yes/no question, the finite verb comes before the subject: Holen wir ...? — “Are we picking up ...?” den Schlüssel means “the key.” Schlüssel is a masculine noun, and den marks the masculine singular accusative form here because the key is the object being picked up. Its basic form with the definite article is der Schlüssel; compare Ich sehe den Schlüssel. — “I see the key.” diesem means “this” in its masculine or neuter singular dative form. Here it agrees with masculine Schalter and is required by the location phrase an diesem Schalter, where an takes the dative for a stationary location. The form changes with case and gender/number: dieser Schalter (nominative), diesen Schalter (accusative), and diesem Schalter (dative). Example: Wir warten an diesem Schalter. — “We are waiting at this desk.” Schalter means “desk” here, specifically a service or counter desk. It is a masculine noun: der Schalter. Its plural is also Schalter, as in zwei Schalter — “two desks/counters.” The parts combine as Holen wir (“Are we picking up”), den Schlüssel (“the key”), and an diesem Schalter (“at this desk”). The separable ab completes abholen, so the whole utterance means: “Do we pick up the key at this desk?”

10. Holen Sie ihn hier ab und geben Sie ihn dann zurück, bevor die nächste Reservierung beginnt.

    Pick it up here, then return it before the next booking starts.

    Holen … ab

    pick up

    Sie

    you (formal)

    ihn

    it

    hier

    here

    geben … zurück

    return

    dann

    then

    bevor

    before

    nächste

    next

    Reservierung

    booking

    beginnt

    starts

    More detail

    Holen ... ab means “pick up” here. This is the separable verb abholen: in a formal imperative, Holen Sie ... ab places the verb’s separable part ab at the end. The full present-tense pattern is Sie holen ... ab (“you pick ... up”), while the imperative keeps the formal subject Sie and uses the same separated structure. Example: Holen Sie das Paket ab. — “Pick up the parcel.” Sie is the formal “you” used for one or more people. In this sentence it is the subject of both commands. The formal imperative uses Sie after the verb: Kommen Sie! — “Come!” ihn means “him” or “it” in the masculine accusative form. Here the fixed translation supports “it.” Its base pronoun form is er (“he/it” as a masculine noun reference), with accusative ihn; the form marks the direct object of abholen and zurückgeben. Example: Ich sehe ihn. — “I see him/it.” hier means “here,” marking the place where the pickup happens. It is an adverb and does not change form. geben ... zurück means “return” in this sentence. The separable verb is zurückgeben; its ordinary present-tense pattern is Sie geben es zurück (“you return it”), and the formal imperative is Geben Sie es zurück! — “Return it!” The pronoun ihn is repeated as the direct object, so ihn zurück means “return it/him,” with “it” being the supported meaning here. dann means “then” and orders the second action after the first: first pick it up, then return it. It is an adverb and stays unchanged. bevor introduces a subordinate clause meaning “before.” In a German clause introduced by bevor, the finite verb normally goes to the end. This clause therefore ends with beginnt, rather than placing that verb in the usual main-clause position. nächste means “next,” as in the next scheduled event. It is the inflected form of nächst-; here it is feminine singular nominative because it describes Reservierung, which is feminine singular and is the subject of the subordinate clause. Example: die nächste Woche — “next week.” Reservierung means “booking” or “reservation.” It is a feminine noun: die Reservierung; its plural is die Reservierungen. In this sentence it is the subject of beginnt, not the object of either command. Example: Die Reservierung ist bestätigt. — “The reservation is confirmed.” beginnt means “starts” here. Its base form is beginnen; beginnt is present tense, third-person singular, agreeing with die nächste Reservierung. Example: Der Kurs beginnt um neun. — “The course starts at nine.” Together, Holen Sie ihn hier ab gives the first formal command, “Pick it up here.” und geben Sie ihn dann zurück adds the second command, “then return it.” The subordinate clause bevor die nächste Reservierung beginnt sets the deadline: both actions are to be completed before the next booking starts. The whole utterance is therefore: “Pick it up here, then return it before the next booking starts.”

11. Wir halten den Raum sauber und verlassen ihn pünktlich.

    We'll keep the room clean and leave on time.

    Wir

    we

    halten

    keep

    Raum

    room

    sauber

    clean

    verlassen

    leave

    ihn

    it

    pünktlich

    on time

    More detail

    Wir means “we” and is the first-person plural subject: the speaker includes at least one other person. German subject pronouns change with person and number; wir is the form for “we.” Example: Wir lernen Deutsch. — “We are learning German.” halten is the present-tense form of halten for wir. Here halten ... sauber means “keep ... clean,” not simply “hold.” The useful pattern is etwas sauber halten: maintain something in a clean state. Example: Wir halten die Küche sauber. — “We keep the kitchen clean.” Raum is the noun “room.” Its base form is der Raum; in this sentence, den Raum is the accusative form because it is the object of halten. The masculine article changes from der to den in the accusative. Example: Der Raum ist groß. — “The room is large.” sauber is the adjective “clean.” After halten, it describes the state that the object is maintained in: den Raum sauber halten means “to keep the room clean.” It is not an inflected noun form here. Example: Bitte halte den Tisch sauber. — “Please keep the table clean.” verlassen is the present-tense form of verlassen for wir; in this sentence it means “leave” or “depart from.” Unlike a verb with a separable prefix, verlassen stays together in this clause. It takes an accusative object when someone leaves a place: einen Ort verlassen. Example: Wir verlassen das Gebäude. — “We leave the building.” ihn means “it” here and is the masculine accusative pronoun referring to the room. The corresponding nominative form is er, while the accusative form is ihn; the form reflects the pronoun’s grammatical role as the object of verlassen. Example: Der Raum ist offen. Wir verlassen ihn. — “The room is open. We leave it.” pünktlich means “on time” here. It modifies the leaving event, so it functions adverbially; German uses the same basic form as the adjective “punctual.” Example: Wir kommen pünktlich. — “We arrive on time.” Together, Wir halten den Raum sauber says that we maintain the room in a clean condition. und verlassen ihn pünktlich adds that we leave it on time, with ihn referring back to the room. The German present tense can express a planned or committed future action when the context makes that time clear, which fits the fixed translation “We’ll keep the room clean and leave on time.”

12. So kann die nächste Gruppe anfangen, ohne zu warten.

    That way, the next group can start without waiting.

    So

    that way

    kann

    can

    nächste

    next

    Gruppe

    group

    anfangen

    start

    ohne zu warten

    without waiting

    More detail

    So means “that way” here: it points to the manner or arrangement established by the preceding statement. It can also mean “so” or “like this” in other contexts, so its meaning comes from the sentence context. kann is the present-tense form of können for a third-person singular subject. Here it expresses ability or possibility: the group can start. The modal verb is followed by the other verb in the infinitive at the end of the clause. Compare ich kann anfangen (“I can start”) and sie können anfangen (“they can start”); the modal changes with the subject, while anfangen stays infinitive. nächste means “next” here, referring to the group that comes after the current one in an order or sequence. Its adjective base is nächst-; the ending in die nächste Gruppe reflects the feminine singular noun Gruppe in this noun phrase and the definite article die. Other forms include der nächste and die nächsten, depending on the noun phrase’s grammatical form and number. Gruppe is a feminine noun meaning “group.” Its plural is Gruppen. In this sentence, die Gruppe is the subject, so it is the group that can start. anfangen means “to start” or “to begin.” It is a separable verb in finite clauses: for example, Die Gruppe fängt an means “The group starts.” After the modal kann, however, it remains as the full infinitive anfangen at the end of the clause. ohne zu warten means “without waiting.” ohne introduces an action that does not happen, and zu warten is the infinitive construction of warten (“to wait”). Example: Sie geht, ohne zu warten. — “She leaves without waiting.” Together, So kann die nächste Gruppe anfangen means “That way, the next group can start.” The construction ohne zu warten adds the circumstance that this starting happens without waiting, giving the complete meaning: “That way, the next group can start without waiting.”