Preparing for a Stormy Commute | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Während meines Arbeitswegs kann ein Sturm aufziehen.

   A storm may hit during my commute.

   Während

   during

   Arbeitswegs

   commute

   kann

   may

   Sturm

   storm

   aufziehen

   move in

   More detail

   Während introduces the time setting “during/while.” In Während meines Arbeitswegs, meines Arbeitswegs is a genitive phrase: Arbeitsweg is the masculine noun for a work commute or journey to work, and its singular genitive form is Arbeitswegs. meines agrees with that masculine singular genitive phrase. In standard written German, während commonly introduces a genitive phrase. kann is the third-person singular present form of können. Here it expresses possibility—“may,” not physical ability—because its subject is ein Sturm and the following verb describes what may happen. With a modal verb such as können, the other verb stays in the infinitive at the end of the clause. Example: Der Zug kann später kommen. — “The train may arrive later.” Sturm is a masculine noun meaning “storm.” The form ein Sturm is singular and indefinite; the article does not by itself state a numerical count as the main point here. Example: Ein Sturm kommt. — “A storm is coming.” aufziehen is the infinitive of the separable verb aufziehen. In a weather context, it means “to move in” or “to come up,” especially of a storm or other weather. Without the modal, a finite form separates the prefix: Ein Sturm zieht auf. — “A storm is moving in.” After kann, the infinitive remains together at the end: Ein Sturm kann aufziehen. — “A storm may move in.” Together, Während meines Arbeitswegs sets the time, kann marks possibility, and ein Sturm aufziehen describes the possible weather event. The complete meaning is: “A storm may move in during my commute.”

2. Wenn du unterwegs sein musst, mach dich früher auf den Weg und bleib bei deiner Route flexibel.

   If you have to travel, leave earlier and keep your route flexible.

   unterwegs

   on the way; traveling

   sein

   be

   musst

   have to; must

   mach dich … auf den Weg

   set off; leave

   früher

   earlier

   bleib

   stay; remain

   Route

   route

   flexibel

   flexible

   More detail

   unterwegs sein means being on the way or traveling. unterwegs is an adverb, so it does not change form. In this sentence, it combines with the infinitive sein to describe the situation that the condition applies to. musst is the second-person singular present form of müssen, used here for an obligation: du musst = “you have to.” In the subordinate clause beginning with Wenn, the finite verb appears at the end: Wenn du unterwegs sein musst = “If you have to travel.” The infinitive sein stays before the finite form musst in this verb group. mach dich ... auf den Weg is the familiar singular imperative of the expression sich auf den Weg machen, meaning “set off” or “leave.” The reflexive pronoun dich matches the implied subject du. The expression is discontinuous here because früher is placed between its parts. The polite or plural command would use a different form, such as Machen Sie sich auf den Weg or Macht euch auf den Weg. früher is the comparative form of früh (“early”): früh → früher → am frühesten. It means “earlier” when comparing the departure with a relevant earlier-or-later alternative. Example: Wir fahren heute früher los. — “We are leaving earlier today.” bleib is the singular familiar imperative of bleiben (“to stay” or “remain”). The verb bleiben is irregular in some forms, but this imperative is simply bleib. Here it does not mean remaining in one physical place; together with the following phrase, it means continuing to keep something in a particular state. Route is a feminine noun meaning “route” or “planned course.” After bei, the noun phrase is in the dative: bei deiner Route. deiner is the feminine singular dative form of the possessive determiner related to du; it agrees with Route, while bei selects the dative in this use. flexibel is an adjective meaning “flexible.” After bleib, it describes the state to be maintained: the route should remain flexible or open to adjustment. Example: Bleib bei deinem Plan flexibel. — “Stay flexible with your plan.” The subordinate clause Wenn du unterwegs sein musst sets the condition “If you have to travel.” The first command, mach dich früher auf den Weg, tells the listener to leave earlier. The second, bleib bei deiner Route flexibel, tells the listener to remain adaptable about the route. Together, the utterance means: “If you have to travel, leave earlier and keep your route flexible.”

3. Ich muss ins Büro.

   I need to go to the office.

   Ich muss

   I must / I need to

   ins

   into the

   Büro

   office

   More detail

   Ich muss contains ich (“I”) and muss, the first-person singular present form of müssen (“must; need to”). German modal verbs often accompany a second verb in the infinitive: Ich muss arbeiten means “I need to work.” Here the destination phrase supplies the understood movement, so the sentence means that I need to go to the office. Müssen expresses necessity; it is different from können (“can; be able to”), which expresses possibility or ability. ins is the contracted form of in das: in + the neuter definite article das. With a destination or movement into a place, German uses in with the accusative, giving in das → ins. For a location rather than a destination, compare Ich bin im Büro (“I am in the office”), where im is in dem. Büro is a neuter noun meaning “office.” Its definite-article form is das Büro; the article, rather than the noun ending, shows the noun’s grammatical gender. Example: Das Büro ist geschlossen. — “The office is closed.” Together, Ich muss expresses necessity, and ins Büro gives the destination. The complete utterance therefore means “I need to go to the office.”

4. Aber ich kann zurückkommen, bevor der Sturm stärker wird.

   But I can come back before it gets stronger.

   Aber

   but

   ich kann

   I can

   zurückkommen

   come back

   bevor

   before

   Sturm

   storm

   stärker

   stronger

   wird

   becomes

   More detail

   Aber introduces a contrast with the preceding idea: “but.” It is a coordinating conjunction and does not change the word order of the following main clause. ich kann means “I can” here, expressing the speaker’s ability or possibility. kann is the first-person singular present form of können; the infinitive is können. With a modal verb, the other verb normally remains an infinitive at the end of the main clause: Ich kann kommen. — “I can come.” zurückkommen means “to come back” or “to return.” It is an infinitive, and it is the verb controlled by kann. As a separable verb in a normal present-tense main clause, it separates: Ich komme zurück. — “I come back.” After a modal verb, the infinitive stays together: Ich kann zurückkommen. bevor means “before” and introduces a subordinate clause describing an earlier time. In this use, the finite verb comes at the end of that subordinate clause. Sturm means “storm.” The observed noun appears with the masculine singular article der: der Sturm. Its plural is die Stürme. The noun is the subject of the subordinate clause, not an object. stärker means “stronger.” It is the comparative form of the adjective stark (“strong”): stark → stärker → am stärksten (“strong” → “stronger” → “strongest”). Here it describes the storm’s increased strength. wird means “becomes” or “gets” in this sentence. It is the third-person singular present form of werden, agreeing with the singular subject der Sturm: Der Sturm wird stärker. — “The storm gets stronger.” Here werden expresses a change of state, not the future auxiliary meaning found in forms such as wird kommen (“will come”). The main clause is Aber ich kann zurückkommen: “But I can come back.” The subordinate clause is bevor der Sturm stärker wird: “before the storm gets stronger.” Together, the utterance means “But I can come back before it gets stronger,” where “it” in the fixed translation refers to the storm expressed by der Sturm in German. The reusable pattern is Ich kann [infinitive], bevor [subject] [comparative adjective] wird — “I can [do something] before [subject] gets [comparative].”

5. Trag wasserdichte Schuhe und meide Straßen, die normalerweise überflutet werden.

   Wear waterproof shoes and avoid any streets that usually flood.

   Trag

   wear

   wasserdichte

   waterproof

   Schuhe

   shoes

   meide

   avoid

   Straßen

   streets

   normalerweise

   usually

   überflutet werden

   are flooded

   More detail

   Trag is the informal singular imperative of tragen, which can mean “to wear” or “to carry.” Here it means “wear”: Trag eine Jacke! = “Wear a jacket!” It addresses one person directly. wasserdichte means “waterproof” here. Its base form is wasserdicht. In wasserdichte Schuhe, the adjective has the ending -e because it is in the accusative plural and there is no determiner before the noun; this is the strong plural adjective ending. Example: wasserdichte Kleidung = “waterproof clothing.” Schuhe is the plural of Schuh (“shoe”). The plural tells us that the instruction concerns more than one shoe, but it does not by itself specify whether these are a pair or several individual shoes. Ich brauche neue Schuhe. = “I need new shoes.” meide is the informal singular imperative of meiden (“to avoid”). It introduces a separate command: Meide den Weg. = “Avoid the route.” Straßen is the plural of Straße (“street”). Here it is the accusative object of meide, and it appears as a bare plural without an article: Meide enge Straßen. = “Avoid narrow streets.” The lack of an article is not caused by the verb itself. normalerweise is an adverb meaning “usually” or “normally.” It describes what happens regularly, not necessarily on every occasion. überflutet werden is a passive verb group. überflutet is the participle of überfluten (“to flood”), and werden is the present-tense plural form of werden, functioning here as the passive auxiliary. In die normalerweise überflutet werden, die is the plural subject of the relative clause and refers to the streets. The verb group comes at the end of this relative clause. The German wording says that the streets are usually flooded; the English translation expresses the same situation naturally as streets that usually flood. The two commands combine as Trag wasserdichte Schuhe (“Wear waterproof shoes”) and meide Straßen, die normalerweise überflutet werden (“avoid streets that usually flood”). Together, the utterance tells one person to wear waterproof shoes and avoid streets with that usual flooding pattern.

6. Die Unterführung in der Nähe des Bahnhofs steht bei starkem Regen oft unter Wasser.

   The underpass near the station often floods in heavy rain.

   Die Unterführung

   the underpass

   in der Nähe

   near

   Bahnhofs

   station

   steht

   stands; is

   bei

   in; during

   starkem

   heavy; strong

   Regen

   rain

   oft

   often

   unter Wasser

   under water

   More detail

   Die Unterführung means “the underpass.” Unterführung is a feminine noun: die Unterführung (singular), die Unterführungen (plural). The article die here is the definite article for a singular feminine noun; it does not itself identify any additional participant. in der Nähe means “near.” The reusable pattern is in der Nähe von + dative (“near …”). In this sentence, the nearby place is specified by the following genitive phrase: in der Nähe des Bahnhofs = “near the station.” Bahnhofs is the genitive singular form of the masculine noun der Bahnhof (“station”). The form des Bahnhofs marks the station as the reference point for “near”: literally, “in the vicinity of the station.” steht is the third-person singular present form of stehen (“stand; be located”). Here, with unter Wasser, it describes the underpass as being flooded or left underwater, rather than focusing on a person deliberately placing it there. The present form can describe a recurring situation, especially together with oft. bei means “in; during” in this context and takes the dative. bei starkem Regen therefore means “in heavy rain.” starkem is the dative masculine/neuter singular form of the adjective stark (“strong; heavy”). Its ending is required here because Regen is masculine singular and follows the dative-triggering preposition bei: bei starkem Regen. The adjective is stark; Regen is a separate noun, not its base form. Regen means “rain.” It is the masculine noun der Regen. In bei starkem Regen, it names the weather condition under which the flooding often occurs. oft means “often.” It indicates that the situation happens repeatedly or regularly, without saying that it happens every time. unter Wasser means “under water.” With stehen, the combination unter Wasser stehen is a common way to say that a place is flooded or covered by water. The preposition unter expresses a position below or beneath something; here the complete construction supplies the flooding meaning. Together, Die Unterführung in der Nähe des Bahnhofs identifies the underpass near the station. steht bei starkem Regen oft unter Wasser says that this underpass is often flooded when there is heavy rain. The complete meaning is: “The underpass near the station often floods in heavy rain.”

7. Nimm stattdessen die Hauptstraße, auch wenn das etwas länger dauert.

   Take the main road instead, even if it adds a little time.

   Nimm

   take

   stattdessen

   instead

   Hauptstraße

   main road

   auch wenn

   even if

   etwas

   a little

   länger

   longer

   dauert

   takes; lasts

   More detail

   Nimm is the singular informal imperative of nehmen (“to take”). The vowel changes from e to i, and the imperative has no written subject: Nimm die Straße! — “Take the road!” The form addresses one person informally; the polite imperative would use a different construction. stattdessen is an adverb meaning “instead” or “instead of that.” It replaces an already relevant alternative without naming that alternative again. Example: Nimm den Bus stattdessen. — “Take the bus instead.” Hauptstraße is a feminine noun meaning “main road” or “main street.” Its parts are Haupt- (“main”) and Straße (“road/street”), but it is used as one noun and is capitalized. In the sentence, the feminine singular article is die: die Hauptstraße — “the main road.” auch wenn introduces a condition or concession: “even if” or “even though.” It sends the finite verb to the end of its subordinate clause. Example: Ich gehe, auch wenn es regnet. — “I’m going, even if it is raining.” etwas means “somewhat” or “a little” here because it modifies the comparative länger; it does not by itself assert a specific count. It can also mean “something” in other contexts. Example: Das ist etwas teurer. — “That is somewhat more expensive.” länger is the comparative form of the adjective/adverb lang (“long”). The useful chain is lang → länger → am längsten (“long” → “longer” → “the longest”). Here it describes a greater duration, not a longer physical object: Die Fahrt ist länger. — “The journey is longer.” dauert is the third-person singular present form of dauern (“to last” or “to take [time]”). The subject here is das, referring to the situation just mentioned: das dauert — “that takes time.” Example: Der Weg dauert zehn Minuten. — “The route takes ten minutes.” Together, Nimm ... gives a direct informal instruction to take the main road, while stattdessen marks it as the alternative. The subordinate clause auch wenn das etwas länger dauert adds the concession “even if that takes a little longer.” Thus the whole utterance means: “Take the main road instead, even if it adds a little time.”

8. Würde eine wasserdichte Hülle helfen, meinen Laptop zu schützen?

   Would a waterproof sleeve help protect my laptop?

   Würde

   would

   wasserdichte

   waterproof

   Hülle

   sleeve; cover

   helfen

   help

   meinen

   my

   Laptop

   laptop

   schützen

   protect

   More detail

   Würde is the Konjunktiv II form of werden used with an infinitive to express a hypothetical or tentative “would.” Here it frames a yes/no question: “Would … help?” The infinitive belonging with it is helfen, which appears later in the sentence. wasserdichte means “waterproof” here. It is the inflected form of the adjective wasserdicht. In eine wasserdichte Hülle, the adjective has the ending -e because it describes the feminine singular noun Hülle in this nominative noun phrase, after the indefinite article eine. Hülle means a sleeve or cover. The compound Laptop-Hülle can also mean “laptop sleeve,” but the sentence uses the general noun Hülle and identifies its purpose afterward. helfen means “to help.” The pattern helfen, etwas zu tun means “to help do something” or “to help someone/something do something.” Here the following zu schützen states what the sleeve would help accomplish. helfen is an infinitive; its present-tense forms include ich helfe, du hilfst, and sie hilft. meinen is the masculine accusative singular form of the possessive determiner mein, meaning “my.” It agrees grammatically with Laptop in the phrase meinen Laptop; the accusative marks Laptop as the object of schützen. This form is different from meine, used with feminine or plural nouns in the same case, for example meine Tasche (“my bag”). Laptop is a masculine noun in German: der Laptop. In this sentence it is meinen Laptop because it is the object being protected. A useful plural is die Laptops (“the laptops”). schützen means “to protect.” The form zu schützen is an infinitive with zu, used here as the action that the sleeve would help carry out. The pattern is: etwas hilft, X zu schützen — “something helps protect X.” Together, eine wasserdichte Hülle is the proposed protective item, and meinen Laptop zu schützen gives the purpose of the help. The complete question asks whether a waterproof sleeve would help protect the speaker’s laptop: “Would a waterproof sleeve help protect my laptop?”

9. Benutze eine, denn Verspätungen sind frustrierend, aber beschädigte Geräte sind noch schlimmer.

   Use one, because delays are frustrating, but damaged equipment is worse.

   Benutze

   use

   eine

   one

   denn

   because

   Verspätungen

   delays

   frustrierend

   frustrating

   beschädigte

   damaged

   Geräte

   equipment; devices

   schlimmer

   worse

   More detail

   Benutze is the imperative form of benutzen (“to use”) for du (“you”). It gives a direct instruction. Example: Benutze den Regenschirm. — “Use the umbrella.” eine means “one” here: it stands for the feminine noun understood from the preceding context, Hülle (“sleeve/case”). Its form is feminine accusative, matching the object of benutze; it is not an explicit numeric count. Example: Ich kaufe eine. — “I’m buying one,” when the feminine item is already clear. denn is a coordinating conjunction meaning “because” and introduces the reason for the instruction. Unlike a subordinating conjunction such as weil, it does not send the finite verb to the end: Benutze eine, denn Verspätungen sind .... Verspätungen is the plural of die Verspätung (“delay”). The plural ending is -en here. Example: Verspätungen sind ärgerlich. — “Delays are annoying.” frustrierend is the adjective “frustrating.” It describes something that causes frustration; in Verspätungen sind frustrierend, it appears after sind and therefore has no attributive ending. Example: Das Warten ist frustrierend. — “Waiting is frustrating.” beschädigte is the attributive form of beschädigt (“damaged”). It describes Geräte, and the ending -e marks the plural nominative phrase beschädigte Geräte, which is the subject of sind. The adjective itself has the base form beschädigt; it is not derived from Geräte. Example: Beschädigte Kabel sind gefährlich. — “Damaged cables are dangerous.” Geräte is the plural of das Gerät, meaning “device” or, in a suitable context, “piece of equipment.” Here it refers generally to damaged equipment/devices, without identifying a particular device. Example: Die Geräte sind neu. — “The devices are new.” schlimmer is the comparative form of schlimm (“bad”). The chain is schlimm → schlimmer → am schlimmsten (“bad” → “worse” → “worst”). noch before it means “even/still,” so noch schlimmer means “even worse.” The comparison is between frustrating delays and damaged equipment: the latter is judged worse. Example: Der zweite Fehler ist noch schlimmer. — “The second mistake is even worse.” Together, Benutze eine gives the instruction “Use one.” denn Verspätungen sind frustrierend supplies the reason, “because delays are frustrating.” aber beschädigte Geräte sind noch schlimmer adds a contrast with aber (“but”): damaged equipment is considered even worse. The complete meaning is: “Use one, because delays are frustrating, but damaged equipment is worse.”

10. Bevor ich losgehe, werde ich sicherstellen, dass der Akku meines Handys voll ist.

    Before I leave, I will make sure my phone battery is full.

    Bevor

    before

    losgehe

    leave; set off

    werde ich

    I will …

    sicherstellen

    make sure

    der Akku

    the battery

    Handys

    phone

    voll

    full

    More detail

    Bevor introduces a time clause meaning “before …”. In this sentence, the clause gives the action that happens earlier than the main-clause plan. A useful pattern is bevor + clause: Bevor ich esse, wasche ich meine Hände. — “Before I eat, I wash my hands.” losgehe is the first-person singular present form of losgehen, “to leave” or “to set off.” The separable verb has the parts los- and gehen; in a subordinate clause, the finite form appears at the end, so ich gehe los becomes ich losgehe after bevor. Here it refers to the speaker setting off, not to a general movement. werde ich combines werde, the first-person singular form of werden, with ich. Together with an infinitive later in the clause, this forms the German future: Ich werde morgen arbeiten. — “I will work tomorrow.” The subject is ich, and werde carries the person and number marking. sicherstellen is the infinitive “to make sure” or “to ensure.” With future werden, the infinitive remains at the end of the main clause: Ich werde das prüfen. — “I will check that.” The sentence uses it for deliberately verifying a condition, not merely hoping for it. der Akku means “the battery,” especially a rechargeable battery such as a phone battery. der is the masculine nominative article for this noun. Example: Der Akku ist leer. — “The battery is empty.” Handys is the singular genitive form of Handy, meaning “phone” in this German usage. The genitive construction meines Handys means “of my phone” and specifies which battery is meant. Handy is a neuter noun; the possessive form meines shows the genitive singular, while the noun itself appears as Handys. This form is not a plural here: the plural is also Handys, so the surrounding grammar identifies the singular genitive reading. voll is the adjective “full.” Here it is used predicatively after ist, describing the battery’s state: Der Akku ist voll. — “The battery is full.” Its opposite in this context is leer, “empty.” The whole sentence is built as Bevor + ich losgehe (“before I set off”), followed by the main clause werde ich sicherstellen (“I will make sure”) and the content of that check: dass der Akku meines Handys voll ist (“that my phone’s battery is full”). The subordinate clause after dass places its finite verb ist at the end. Thus the complete meaning is: “Before I leave, I will make sure my phone battery is full.”

11. Dann kannst du nach Updates schauen, wenn sich die Route ändert.

    Then you can check updates if the route changes.

    Dann

    then

    kannst du

    you can

    Updates

    updates

    schauen

    look; check

    Route

    route

    sich … ändert

    changes

    More detail

    Dann means “then” here and links this utterance to a preceding situation or time. It can also introduce a result: Dann machen wir weiter. — “Then we’ll continue.” kannst du uses können in the present tense for the second-person singular: du kannst. In this sentence it expresses that you are able or free to do something. With Dann at the beginning, the conjugated modal verb comes before the subject: Dann kannst du ...; this is the normal German main-clause word order after a fronted element. The infinitive comes later: Du kannst warten. — “You can wait.” Updates is the plural of the borrowed noun das Update; it means new information or refreshed data. The plural form is useful when referring to multiple updates or update information in general. In nach Updates schauen, nach takes the dative, but the plural noun has no visible ending here: nach neuen Updates — “for new updates.” schauen means “to look,” and in nach etwas schauen it forms the reusable expression “to look for/check something.” The verb remains in the infinitive because können is the modal verb: Du kannst nach dem Bus schauen. — “You can check for the bus.” Here, nach Updates schauen means checking for updates rather than merely looking at them. Route is the feminine noun die Route, meaning “route.” In the subordinate clause, it is the subject of ändert: die Route. German nouns are capitalized, and the article identifies the noun’s grammatical gender; the fact that Route refers to a route does not determine that gender by itself. sich ändert is the third-person singular present form of the reflexive expression sich ändern, “to change.” The form ändert agrees with the singular subject die Route; sich is the reflexive element belonging to that subject. Compare Die Route ändert sich. — “The route changes.” In the wenn clause, the finite verb moves to the end, producing wenn sich die Route ändert. Together, Dann kannst du sets up what you are able to do next. nach Updates schauen states the action, and wenn sich die Route ändert gives its condition: “if the route changes.” The whole utterance therefore means: “Then you can check updates if the route changes.”