Fixing a Wrong Delivery Order | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Unsere Lieferung ist angekommen, aber ein Teil der Bestellung fehlt.

   Our delivery arrived, but part of the order is missing.

   Lieferung

   delivery

   ist angekommen

   has arrived

   Teil

   part

   Bestellung

   order

   fehlt

   is missing

   More detail

   Lieferung means “delivery” here. It is a feminine noun: die Lieferung; its plural is die Lieferungen. In the sentence, Unsere agrees with this singular feminine subject in the nominative, giving “our delivery.” ist angekommen expresses completed arrival. The base verb is the separable verb ankommen (“to arrive”), whose participle is angekommen. German forms this perfect construction with sein: ist angekommen = “has arrived.” The auxiliary ist is third-person singular because the subject is Unsere Lieferung. Teil means “part” or “portion.” It is masculine: der Teil; its plural is die Teile. In ein Teil, the noun is the subject of the second clause, so the indefinite article is nominative masculine singular. Here ein identifies an unspecified part; it does not by itself state how many parts the order contains. Bestellung means “order.” It is feminine: die Bestellung; its plural is die Bestellungen. In der Bestellung, der marks the feminine singular genitive: ein Teil der Bestellung means “part of the order.” This genitive phrase identifies what the part belongs to. fehlt means “is missing” in this sentence. It is the third-person singular present form of fehlen (“to be missing”): der Teil fehlt = “the part is missing.” German fehlen presents the absent item as the subject; this differs from vermissen, which describes someone missing or lacking something as an object. Together, Unsere Lieferung ist angekommen means “Our delivery has arrived.” aber connects the contrasting information, and ein Teil der Bestellung fehlt means “part of the order is missing.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Our delivery arrived, but part of the order is missing.”

2. Prüfe die Bestelldaten, bevor du den Support kontaktierst.

   Check the order details before contacting support.

   Prüfe

   check

   Bestelldaten

   order details

   bevor du

   before you

   Support

   support

   kontaktierst

   contact

   More detail

   Prüfe is the informal singular imperative of prüfen (“to check”): du prüfst is the present-tense form, while Prüfe ...! gives a direct instruction to one person. Example: Prüfe die Adresse. — “Check the address.” Bestelldaten means “order details” or “order data.” It is a compound noun formed from the combining form Bestell-, related to bestellen (“to order”), and Daten (“data”). The observed form is plural because Daten is plural; it presents the information as multiple details or data items. It does not mean one Bestelldatum (“order date”). Example: Die Bestelldaten sind vollständig. — “The order details are complete.” bevor du introduces an event that happens later than the checking: bevor means “before,” and du is the informal singular subject “you.” The subject is stated explicitly because it is the person who will carry out the later action. Example: Lies die Nachricht, bevor du antwortest. — “Read the message before you reply.” Support is a noun meaning “support,” commonly referring to customer or technical assistance. In German it is often used for a support service or team. Example: Der Support hilft schnell. — “Support helps quickly.” kontaktierst is the informal singular present-tense form of kontaktieren (“to contact”): du kontaktierst. The ending -st marks the du form. Example: Du kontaktierst den Anbieter. — “You contact the provider.” Together, Prüfe die Bestelldaten gives the instruction “Check the order details.” The clause bevor du den Support kontaktierst adds the time condition “before you contact support.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Check the order details before contacting support.”

3. Die Tüte entspricht nicht dem, was wir bestellt haben.

   The bag does not match what we requested.

   Tüte

   bag

   entspricht

   matches

   nicht

   not

   dem, was

   what

   wir

   we

   bestellt

   ordered

   haben

   have

   More detail

   Tüte means “bag” here. It is a feminine noun: die Tüte (nominative), der Tüte (dative), and die Tüte (accusative). The noun itself identifies the item being evaluated; its form in this sentence is nominative because it is the subject. entspricht comes from entsprechen, “to correspond to” or “to match.” entspricht is the present-tense form for er/sie/es and also for a singular noun such as die Tüte. entsprechen takes a dative complement: Die Tüte entspricht dem ... means “The bag matches ...,” with the matched thing in the dative. nicht places the predicate under negation. Thus entspricht nicht means “does not match,” not merely “matches less well.” dem, was is a correlative structure meaning “what” or, more literally, “that which.” In this sentence, dem is the dative element required by entsprechen, while was introduces the content being compared. This reusable pattern can be seen in Das entspricht dem, was ich erwartet habe. — “That matches what I expected.” wir is the first-person plural pronoun, “we.” It is the subject of the relative clause introduced by was; the people included in “we” are not specified further by this sentence. bestellt is the past participle of bestellen, “to order” or “to request.” In was wir bestellt haben, it refers to the thing or things that “we” ordered/requested. The participle remains bestellt here; it is not a form of haben. haben is the present-tense form of the auxiliary haben for wir. Together with the participle bestellt, it forms the perfect: wir haben bestellt, “we have ordered.” In the relative clause, the finite auxiliary comes at the end: was wir bestellt haben. Putting the parts together, Die Tüte is the subject, entspricht nicht says that it does not match, and dem, was wir bestellt haben identifies what it is compared with. The complete meaning is: “The bag does not match what we requested.”

4. Mach ein Foto von der Tüte, damit du das Problem klar erklären kannst.

   Take a photo of the bag so you can explain the problem clearly.

   Mach

   take

   Foto

   photo

   von der Tüte

   of the bag

   damit

   so that

   du

   you

   Problem

   problem

   klar

   clearly

   erklären

   explain

   kannst

   can

   More detail

   Mach is the informal singular imperative of machen (“to make/do”). In this sentence, Mach ... means “Take ...” because German uses machen in this expression for taking a photo. The imperative addresses one person using du; the subject is normally left unstated. Example: Mach die Tür zu. — “Close the door.” Foto is the noun “photo.” Its full noun phrase here is ein Foto; ein is an indefinite article, not a claim that the photo is numerically “one.” The reusable pattern is ein Foto machen — “to take a photo.” von der Tüte means “of the bag.” von takes the dative case, so the feminine noun Tüte appears with der here. The previous sentence supports the intended referent as the bag already under discussion. Example: ein Foto von der Tüte — “a photo of the bag.” damit introduces a purpose clause: “so that” or “so.” Unlike an ordinary coordinated clause, it places the finite verb at the end of its clause. The pattern is ..., damit ... for explaining the purpose of an action. du is the informal second-person singular pronoun, “you.” It is the subject of the purpose clause. German distinguishes this from formal singular Sie and plural ihr; du is the form used when addressing one person informally. Problem means “problem.” The phrase is das Problem, with the neuter definite article das. Example: Das Problem ist klar. — “The problem is clear.” klar means “clearly” here because it modifies the verb erklären. The related adjective meaning “clear” is also klar; its form does not change when it is used adverbially in this way. Example: Sie erklärt es klar. — “She explains it clearly.” erklären is the infinitive “to explain.” It is the lexical verb in the purpose clause and appears in the infinitive because the modal verb supplies the finite verb. Example: Ich möchte das Problem erklären. — “I would like to explain the problem.” kannst is the second-person singular present form of the modal verb können (“can; to be able to”). The chain is können → du kannst. In a subordinate clause introduced by damit, this finite modal form comes at the end: damit du ... erklären kannst. The infinitive erklären comes before it. Together, Mach ein Foto von der Tüte gives the requested action, and damit du das Problem klar erklären kannst gives its purpose: the photo enables the person addressed to explain the problem clearly. The complete meaning is “Take a photo of the bag so you can explain the problem clearly.”

5. Soll ich sie bitten, das fehlende Essen zu schicken?

   Should I ask them to send the missing meal?

   Soll ich

   Should I…?

   sie

   them

   bitten

   ask

   fehlende

   missing

   Essen

   meal

   zu schicken

   to send

   More detail

   Soll ich begins a yes/no question. soll is the first-person singular form of sollen, while ich is the subject: Soll ich ...? = “Should I ...?” The modal verb comes before the subject in this question pattern. Example: Soll ich warten? — “Should I wait?” sie means “them” here, as confirmed by the fixed translation. In this use it is the accusative plural personal pronoun, the object of bitten. German sie can also represent other grammatical forms in other contexts, but this sentence establishes the plural “them” reading. bitten is the infinitive meaning “to ask” or “to request.” The useful pattern is jemanden bitten, etwas zu tun — “to ask someone to do something.” Here, sie is the person or people being asked, and the following zu-infinitive states what they are asked to do. Example: Ich bitte ihn, zu warten. — “I ask him to wait.” fehlende describes something that is absent or not present when needed. Its base form is the adjective fehlend; in das fehlende Essen, it has the ending -e because it follows the definite article das and agrees with the neuter singular noun Essen. Example: der fehlende Schlüssel — “the missing key.” Essen is a neuter noun here: das Essen. In this fixed sentence, the translation identifies it as “the meal.” The same noun can also mean “food” in other contexts, so its precise English rendering depends on the context. Example: Das Essen ist fertig. — “The meal is ready.” zu schicken is the infinitive phrase “to send.” The base verb is schicken; zu marks the infinitive used after bitten to express the requested action. Example: Sie bittet mich, die Nachricht zu schicken. — “She asks me to send the message.” Together, Soll ich ...? asks whether the speaker should take an action. sie bitten supplies the people to be asked, and das fehlende Essen zu schicken specifies the requested action: sending the missing meal. The complete meaning is: “Should I ask them to send the missing meal?”

6. Frag zuerst nach dem fehlenden Artikel, wenn alle warten können.

   Ask for the missing item first if everyone can wait.

   Frag

   ask

   zuerst

   first

   nach

   for (with fragen nach)

   fehlenden

   missing

   Artikel

   item

   wenn

   if

   alle

   everyone

   warten

   wait

   können

   can

   More detail

   Frag is the informal singular imperative of fragen (“to ask”), used when addressing one person. The subject du is normally omitted in this command. Example: Frag den Lehrer. — “Ask the teacher.” zuerst means “first” and marks the order of the action. It can be moved for emphasis: Zuerst frag den Lehrer. — “First ask the teacher.” nach forms the construction fragen nach for asking for or about something. Here it is separated from Frag and introduces dem fehlenden Artikel. With this construction, the requested thing is in the dative: Frag nach dem Schlüssel. — “Ask for the key.” fehlenden describes the item as missing here. Its base form is fehlend; in this phrase it has the ending -en because it accompanies the masculine dative noun Artikel after nach. Artikel is a masculine noun. In this sentence, the fixed translation establishes the intended meaning as “item,” rather than the other common meaning “article” or “grammatical article.” The phrase dem fehlenden Artikel therefore means “the missing item.” wenn introduces the condition “if.” In a German subordinate clause beginning with wenn, the finite verb normally goes to the end. Example: Ich frage, wenn du Zeit hast. — “I’ll ask if you have time.” alle is the subject meaning “everyone” here. It refers to the whole relevant group without specifying individual people. It does not itself assert a particular number of people. warten means “to wait.” In warten können, it stays in the infinitive because it is governed by the modal verb können. Example: Wir können warten. — “We can wait.” können means “can” or “be able to.” It is the finite verb in the wenn clause and therefore appears at the end: alle warten können. Its subject is alle, and the infinitive warten names the action that is possible. Together, Frag zuerst nach dem fehlenden Artikel means “Ask for the missing item first.” The conditional clause wenn alle warten können adds the condition “if everyone can wait.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Ask for the missing item first if everyone can wait.”

7. In der App steht, dass die Küche es bald wieder zubereiten kann.

   The app says the kitchen can prepare it again soon.

   In der App

   in the app

   steht

   says / states

   dass

   that

   Küche

   kitchen

   es

   it

   bald

   soon

   wieder

   again

   zubereiten

   prepare

   kann

   can

   More detail

   In der App sets the source of the information: “in the app.” der is the dative feminine article here because in describes a location. The noun is App; the phrase can be reused with other locations, for example: In der Datei steht ... — “The file says ...” steht is the present-tense form of stehen, literally “stands,” but here it means that written information states something. This use is common with text, notices, or entries: Im Bericht steht das Datum. — “The date is stated in the report.” dass introduces the content of what is stated: “that ...” In the clause beginning with dass, the finite verb goes to the end in this sentence. The pattern is ..., dass [subject] ... [infinitive] [finite verb]. die Küche is the subject of the subordinate clause and means “the kitchen.” Küche is a feminine noun; die marks nominative singular here. The form Küche is also the base singular form, while the plural is Küchen. es is the object of zubereiten and means “it” in the intended translation. Its specific referent is not identified by the supplied sentence. The pronoun is a third-person singular neuter form; its grammatical form does not by itself identify what it refers to. bald means “soon,” placing the preparation in the near future. It is an adverb and does not change form: bald can modify a present-tense verb in this time-related sense. wieder means “again,” showing that the preparation is presented as something that can happen another time. For example: Sie kommt wieder. — “She is coming again.” zubereiten means “to prepare,” especially food or something being made ready for use. It is the infinitive, the base form used after the modal verb kann. A useful contrast is vorbereiten, “to prepare in advance,” while zubereiten focuses more specifically on preparing food or a dish. kann is the third-person singular present form of können, “can” or “be able to.” In this clause it expresses ability or possibility for die Küche; the infinitive zubereiten remains at the end. Compare: Die Küche kann warten. — “The kitchen can wait.” Together, In der App steht identifies the app as the source of a statement. dass then introduces its content: die Küche is able to es bald wieder zubereiten — “the kitchen can prepare it again soon.” The complete utterance therefore means: “The app says that the kitchen can prepare it again soon.”

8. Stell sicher, dass es noch in gutem Zustand ankommen kann.

   Make sure it can still arrive in good condition.

   Stell sicher

   make sure

   es

   it

   noch

   still

   gutem

   good

   Zustand

   condition

   ankommen

   arrive

   kann

   can

   More detail

   Stell sicher is the informal singular imperative of sicherstellen, “to make sure” or “to ensure.” This is a separable verb: the imperative uses Stell at the start and sicher after it. Example: Stell sicher, dass die Tür geschlossen ist. — “Make sure that the door is closed.” es is a third-person singular neuter pronoun. Here it means “it,” referring to the item or object understood in the fixed translation and context. In this clause, es is the subject of ankommen; the pronoun’s grammatical form is neuter singular, while the exact real-world object is supplied by the context. noch means “still” here. It indicates that the possibility described by the clause remains valid: the item can still arrive in the relevant condition. Its position before the phrase about condition connects it naturally with the continuing possibility. gutem is the dative singular masculine form of the adjective gut (“good”). The adjective agrees with Zustand, not with es. In in gutem Zustand, in describes a state or condition, so the phrase uses the dative: in gutem Zustand — “in good condition.” Because there is no article before Zustand, the adjective carries the visible dative ending -em. Zustand is a masculine noun meaning “condition” or “state.” The reusable expression in gutem Zustand means “in good condition.” Example: Das Gerät ist in gutem Zustand. — “The device is in good condition.” ankommen is the infinitive of the verb ankommen, “to arrive.” It is used here for the item reaching its destination. In a clause with a modal verb, the lexical verb remains an infinitive: Es kann morgen ankommen. — “It can arrive tomorrow.” kann is the third-person singular present form of the modal verb können, “can” or “be able to.” Its subject here is es. With können, the other verb appears as an infinitive, and in this dass clause that infinitive comes at the end: dass es ... ankommen kann. Together, Stell sicher introduces what should be ensured, and dass es noch in gutem Zustand ankommen kann states that the item remains able to arrive in good condition. The complete meaning is: “Make sure it can still arrive in good condition.”

9. Ich werde höflich um den fehlenden Artikel bitten.

   I will request the missing item politely.

   Ich werde

   I will

   höflich

   politely

   um … bitten

   request

   fehlenden

   missing

   Artikel

   item

   More detail

   Ich werde: werde is the first-person singular present form of werden, used here as a future auxiliary; Ich werde ... bitten means “I will ask/request ...”. The lexical verb is not werden but bitten, which remains in the infinitive at the end of this main clause. Compare ich werde (“I will”) with du wirst (“you will”) and sie werden (“they will” or formal “you will”). höflich: This adverb describes how the requesting is done: politely. The related adjective is höflich as well; German commonly uses the same form for the adverb. Example: Sie antwortet höflich. — “She replies politely.” um ... bitten: This is a reusable construction meaning “to ask/request someone for something.” The requested thing follows um, while the person being asked can be expressed separately with an accusative object: Ich bitte ihn um Hilfe. — “I ask him for help.” Here, um and bitten are separated by the noun phrase, so they are correctly represented as two quote elements. bitten is irregular: ich bitte, du bittest, er/sie bittet; its infinitive is bitten. fehlenden: This adjective means “missing” here. Its base form is fehlend; the form in the sentence is fehlenden because it describes masculine Artikel in the accusative after the definite article den: um den fehlenden Artikel. The adjective agrees with the noun phrase; den marks the masculine accusative form of der. Example: Ich suche den fehlenden Schlüssel. — “I am looking for the missing key.” Artikel: In this sentence, Artikel means “item,” as established by the fixed translation. It is a masculine noun: der Artikel; after um, it appears in the accusative as den Artikel. Depending on context, the same noun can also mean “article” in a text or publication, but that is not the intended meaning here. Together, Ich werde höflich um den fehlenden Artikel bitten means “I will request the missing item politely.” The future auxiliary werde introduces the planned action, höflich specifies its manner, and um den fehlenden Artikel bitten identifies the requested item.

10. Füge das Foto und die Bestelldaten hinzu, damit der Support helfen kann.

    Include the photo and order details so support can help.

    Füge … hinzu

    add/include

    das Foto

    the photo

    die Bestelldaten

    the order details

    damit

    so that

    der Support

    support

    helfen

    help

    kann

    can

    More detail

    Füge … hinzu is the reusable pattern for “add/include …”. It comes from the separable verb hinzufügen (“to add”): füge is the informal singular imperative addressed to du, while hinzu moves to the end of the clause. In a statement, the parts reunite around the verb: Du fügst das Foto hinzu. — “You add the photo.” das Foto is the direct object of hinzufügen, so it is in the accusative here. Foto is neuter, and the neuter article das has the same form in the nominative and accusative. Example: Ich sehe das Foto. — “I see the photo.” die Bestelldaten means the order details or order data. Bestelldaten is a plural noun form; die is the accusative plural article, which is identical to the nominative plural article. Example: Die Bestelldaten fehlen. — “The order details are missing.” damit introduces a clause expressing the purpose of the preceding action: “so that …”. In this clause, the finite verb goes to the end. The pattern is damit + subject + ... + verb. der Support is the subject of the damit clause. Support is a masculine noun here, so its nominative singular article is der. The noun refers to the support service or support team in the fixed translation; the sentence does not specify an individual person. helfen is the infinitive “to help”. German helfen commonly takes a person or group in the dative when that recipient is stated, as in Ich helfe dem Kind. — “I help the child.” Here, no recipient is expressed, so helfen simply means “help”. kann is the third-person singular present form of können (“can, be able to”). With a modal verb, the other verb remains in the infinitive: Der Support kann helfen. — “Support can help.” In the damit clause, kann comes last: damit der Support helfen kann. Together, Füge das Foto und die Bestelldaten hinzu gives the imperative “Include the photo and the order details.” The coordinated objects are das Foto and die Bestelldaten. damit der Support helfen kann adds the purpose “so that support can help.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Include the photo and order details so support can help.”