Flexible plans during a heatwave | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Die Hitzewelle wird voraussichtlich anhalten.

   The heatwave is expected to continue.

   Hitzewelle

   heatwave

   wird

   will

   voraussichtlich

   probably

   anhalten

   continue

   More detail

   Hitzewelle means “heatwave” here. It is a feminine German noun: die Hitzewelle; the article reflects the noun’s grammatical gender, not a numeric count. The compound combines Hitze (“heat”) and Welle (“wave”), a useful pattern for understanding similar German compounds. wird is the third-person singular present form of werden, used here as the auxiliary in the future construction wird ... anhalten. In this construction, werden corresponds to “will” in the English translation, while the main action is expressed by the infinitive at the end. The form agrees with the singular subject die Hitzewelle. voraussichtlich means “probably” or “as expected” in this prediction. It signals that the continuation is forecast, not stated as certain. Example: Der Zug kommt voraussichtlich um acht Uhr. — “The train is expected to arrive at eight o’clock.” anhalten means “continue” or “last” in this sentence, referring to the heatwave. It is a separable verb: in a present-tense main clause, Die Hitze hält an means “The heat continues,” while the infinitive remains anhalten after wird. Its past participle is angehalten. Together, Die Hitzewelle is the singular subject, wird ... anhalten forms a future prediction, and voraussichtlich qualifies that prediction. The complete utterance means: “The heatwave is expected to continue.”

2. Dann sollten wir alles, was wir draußen machen, für die kühlere Tageszeit planen.

   Then we should plan anything outside for the cooler part of the day.

   Dann

   then

   sollten wir

   we should

   alles

   everything

   was

   what; that which

   draußen

   outside; outdoors

   machen

   do; make

   kühlere

   cooler

   Tageszeit

   time of day

   planen

   plan

   More detail

   Dann means “then” here. It links this recommendation to the situation already being discussed. sollten wir expresses “we should.” sollten is the form of the modal verb sollen used for a recommendation, with wir as its subject. The lexical verb controlled by the modal appears as an infinitive later in the clause. Example: Wir sollten früher gehen. — “We should leave earlier.” alles means “everything” or, in this context, “all the things” in the relevant set. The following relative clause specifies that set: the things that we do outdoors. Here alles is a pronoun, not a noun naming one particular object. was introduces the relative clause and refers back to alles, meaning “that which” or, naturally here, “that.” In was wir draußen machen, was is the object of machen: we do was, while wir is the subject. This differs from the question word in Was machen wir? — “What are we doing?” draußen means “outside” or “outdoors.” It describes where the activity takes place. Example: Wir essen draußen. — “We eat outdoors.” machen means “do” in this context: was wir draußen machen means “what we do outdoors.” Its base form is machen; with wir in the present tense, it is wir machen. The same verb can mean “make” in other contexts, but that is not its meaning here. Example: Was machen sie am Wochenende? — “What are they doing at the weekend?” kühlere is the comparative form of the adjective kühl (“cool”). A useful comparison chain is kühl — “cool,” kühler — “cooler,” am kühlsten — “coolest.” Here kühlere describes Tageszeit and has the attributive ending -e after the definite article die. The comparative indicates a comparison with another, warmer time; it does not by itself specify the exact reference time. Tageszeit means “time of day” or “part of the day.” It is a feminine compound noun: die Tageszeit; its plural is die Tageszeiten. In für die kühlere Tageszeit, für governs the accusative. With a feminine singular definite noun phrase, the article is still die, while the adjective has the form kühlere. planen means “plan” or “schedule.” It is the infinitive following the modal verb sollten and therefore appears at the end of the clause. Example: Wir sollten den Ausflug planen. — “We should plan the outing.” Taken together, Dann sollten wir sets up the recommendation, alles, was wir draußen machen means “everything that we do outdoors,” and für die kühlere Tageszeit planen means “plan for the cooler part of the day.” The whole utterance therefore means: “Then we should plan anything outside for the cooler part of the day.”

3. Ich wollte den Markt besuchen, aber die Menschenmengen könnten es schwieriger machen.

   I wanted to visit the market, but the crowds might make it harder.

   wollte

   wanted

   Markt

   market

   besuchen

   visit

   Menschenmengen

   crowds

   könnten

   might

   schwieriger

   harder

   machen

   make

   More detail

   wollte is the first-person singular past form of wollen (“to want”). Here it presents the speaker’s wish or intention as situated in the past. Compare ich will (“I want”) with ich wollte (“I wanted”); the past form can also soften a request in other contexts, but that is not its role here. den Markt means “the market.” Markt is a masculine noun, and den is the masculine accusative form of the definite article because the market is the object of besuchen. The useful pattern is jemanden/etwas besuchen (“to visit someone/something”): Wir besuchen den Markt. — “We are visiting the market.” besuchen is the infinitive “to visit.” It follows wollte in the infinitive construction Ich wollte ... besuchen (“I wanted to visit ...”). The verb is separable neither in this form nor in this use; keep its spelling as one word. aber means “but” and joins the contrasting second clause: the speaker’s intention is followed by a possible difficulty. die Menschenmengen means “the crowds.” The singular is die Menschenmenge, and the plural is die Menschenmengen; the plural ending -n is visible on the noun. In this sentence, the plural noun is the subject of the second clause, so the following modal form is plural: Die Menschenmengen könnten ... — “The crowds might ...” könnten is the third-person plural form of the subjunctive II of können (“can, be able to”). In this context it expresses possibility, naturally translated as “might.” Compare Die Menschenmengen können ... (“The crowds can ...”) with Die Menschenmengen könnten ... (“The crowds might ...”). Because a modal verb is finite here, the other verb, machen, remains an infinitive at the end of the clause. es is the object pronoun in es schwieriger machen (“make it harder”). The fixed translation identifies it as the activity under discussion—visiting the market—without requiring a repeated noun. German es has the form used for a neuter object, but its grammatical form does not by itself identify every possible real-world referent. schwieriger is the comparative of the adjective schwierig (“difficult, hard”): schwierig → schwieriger (“more difficult, harder”) → am schwierigsten (“most difficult”). In es schwieriger machen, it says that the situation becomes harder than it otherwise would be. A reusable pattern is etwas schwieriger machen — “to make something harder.” machen means “to make” or “to cause.” Here it completes könnten ... machen: the crowds might cause the activity to be harder. The construction etwas + adjective + machen describes changing something’s condition, as in Der Lärm macht das Lernen schwieriger. — “The noise makes studying harder.” Putting the parts together: Ich wollte den Markt besuchen says “I wanted to visit the market.” aber introduces a contrast, and die Menschenmengen könnten es schwieriger machen says “but the crowds might make it harder.” The complete meaning is therefore: “I wanted to visit the market, but the crowds might make it harder.”

4. In dieser Hitze sollten wir eine ruhigere Zeit wählen und vermeiden, herumzustehen.

   In that heat, we should choose a quieter time and avoid standing around.

   dieser

   that

   Hitze

   heat

   sollten wir

   we should

   ruhigere

   quieter

   Zeit

   time

   wählen

   choose

   vermeiden

   avoid

   herumzustehen

   standing around

   More detail

   dieser is a demonstrative determiner meaning “that” in this sentence. It is dative feminine singular because Hitze is feminine singular and in takes the dative here: in dieser Hitze. The same form can mean “this” or “that” in other contexts; the fixed translation selects “that” here. For example, in diesem Wetter means “in this weather,” with diesem agreeing differently with the neuter noun Wetter in the dative. Hitze is the feminine noun “heat”: die Hitze. In in dieser Hitze, it is dative. A useful contrast is Kälte (“cold”): In dieser Kälte bleiben wir drinnen. means “In this cold, we stay indoors.” sollten wir expresses the recommendation “we should.” wir is the subject “we,” and sollten is the first-person plural form of sollen in the subjunctive form used here for advice or recommendation. The infinitives that follow are actions recommended for wir: Wir sollten früher gehen. means “We should leave earlier.” ruhigere is the comparative of the adjective ruhig (“quiet, calm”). The useful chain is ruhig → ruhiger (“quieter”) → am ruhigsten (“quietest”). In eine ruhigere Zeit, it describes Zeit and has the ending -e because it follows eine in this feminine accusative noun phrase. The comparison is with another possible time, not necessarily with a named time. Zeit is the feminine noun “time.” Here it is the object of wählen within eine ruhigere Zeit, meaning “a quieter time.” The article eine marks an indefinite noun phrase; it does not by itself assert a numerical count. For example, Wir brauchen mehr Zeit. means “We need more time.” wählen is the infinitive “choose.” After the modal verb sollten, the infinitive stays at the end of its clause: Wir sollten eine Zeit wählen. means “We should choose a time.” Its object here is the complete noun phrase eine ruhigere Zeit. vermeiden means “avoid.” It is coordinated with wählen under sollten, so the recommendation has two actions: choosing a time and avoiding an activity. For example, Wir sollten warten und Lärm vermeiden. means “We should wait and avoid noise.” herumzustehen means “to stand around.” Its base infinitive is the separable verb herumstehen; with zu, the marker goes between the prefix and the verb stem: herumzustehen. In vermeiden, herumzustehen, this zu-infinitive names the activity to avoid. For example, Wir vermeiden, lange herumzustehen. means “We avoid standing around for a long time.” Together, In dieser Hitze sets the situation, sollten wir gives the recommendation, and eine ruhigere Zeit wählen und vermeiden, herumzustehen names the two recommended actions. The complete meaning is: “In that heat, we should choose a quieter time and avoid standing around.”

5. Wir können durch schattige Straßen gehen und uns bei Bedarf drinnen ausruhen.

   We can take shaded streets and rest indoors when needed.

   Wir können

   we can

   schattige

   shaded

   Straßen

   streets

   gehen

   go; walk

   uns … ausruhen

   rest

   bei Bedarf

   when needed

   drinnen

   indoors

   More detail

   Wir können expresses the first-person plural possibility or ability: “we can.” können is the conjugated form of können; with a plural subject such as wir, it has this form. In a modal construction, the other verb remains in the infinitive at the end: Wir können warten. — “We can wait.” Here it presents taking these streets and resting as an available option, not as a command. schattige comes from the adjective schattig, “shaded.” Its ending agrees with the plural noun Straßen in the accusative phrase required by durch: durch schattige Straßen. The useful base-to-form link is schattig → schattige; the ending is not part of the adjective’s base. Straßen is the plural of the noun Straße, “street.” durch governs the accusative here, so durch schattige Straßen means “through shaded streets.” The plural form is Straßen; the noun, rather than the adjective, carries the noun’s plural marking. gehen is the infinitive of gehen, “to go” or “to walk.” With durch and a place such as Straßen, it describes moving through the streets. Example: Wir gehen durch den Park. — “We walk through the park.” uns ... ausruhen is the reflexive verb construction sich ausruhen, “to rest.” In this sentence, uns is the first-person plural reflexive form referring back to wir. The infinitive is ausruhen, while a finite version places the separable prefix at the end: Wir ruhen uns aus. — “We rest.” After the modal, the complete infinitive construction stays together at the end: Wir können uns ausruhen. — “We can rest.” bei Bedarf is a compact construction meaning “when needed” or “if necessary.” Bedarf is the noun “need” or “requirement,” and bei takes the dative in this expression. Example: Bei Bedarf rufen Sie uns an. — “If needed, call us.” drinnen is a location adverb meaning “indoors” or “inside.” It describes the place of resting, not movement into a place. A useful contrast is draußen, “outdoors”: Wir warten drinnen. — “We are waiting indoors.” Together, durch schattige Straßen gehen describes going through shaded streets, while uns bei Bedarf drinnen ausruhen describes resting indoors when the need arises. und joins these two actions under Wir können. The whole utterance therefore means: “We can take shaded streets and rest indoors when needed.”

6. Das gibt uns mehr Flexibilität, falls die Hitze schlimmer wird.

   That gives us more flexibility if the heat gets worse.

   Das

   That

   gibt

   gives

   uns

   us

   mehr

   more

   Flexibilität

   flexibility

   falls

   if

   Hitze

   heat

   schlimmer

   worse

   wird

   gets

   More detail

   Das means “that” here and functions as the subject. It points to an already identified situation or measure; the supplied text does not specify exactly what the referent is. As a demonstrative pronoun, it is neuter singular in form, but this form alone does not identify the referent. gibt is the present-tense third-person singular form of geben (“to give”). German commonly uses geben with a subject, a dative recipient, and a thing given: Etwas gibt jemandem etwas — “Something gives someone something.” uns means “us” and is the dative form of wir (“we”). It marks the recipient of what Das gives. Compare wir for the subject role and uns for the object or recipient role: Das hilft uns — “That helps us.” mehr means “more.” It marks an increased amount or degree and modifies Flexibilität here. A useful comparison chain is viel (“much” or “a lot”) → mehr (“more”) → am meisten (“the most”). Flexibilität is a feminine noun meaning “flexibility,” the ability to adapt or choose among options. In this sentence, mehr Flexibilität means a greater ability to adapt the plan. It is normally used as a mass or abstract noun here; German can use the plural Flexibilitäten in specialized contexts when distinct kinds or instances are meant. falls introduces a condition: “if” or “in case.” It is a subordinating conjunction, so the finite verb of its clause goes to the end. A reusable pattern is ..., falls ... wird — “..., if ... gets/becomes ...”. Hitze is the feminine noun “heat.” It is the subject of the conditional clause. Example: Die Hitze bleibt. — “The heat remains.” schlimmer is the comparative form of schlimm (“bad” or “severe”), meaning “worse” or, with conditions such as heat, “more severe.” The chain is schlimm → schlimmer → am schlimmsten (“bad” → “worse” → “the worst”). Here it describes a change in the severity of the heat. wird is the present-tense third-person singular form of werden (“to become” or “to get” in a change-of-state use). With schlimmer, schlimmer wird means “gets worse.” Because the clause follows falls, wird appears at the end: falls die Hitze schlimmer wird. Together, Das gibt uns mehr Flexibilität says that the previously identified situation or measure gives the group greater flexibility. The conditional clause falls die Hitze schlimmer wird adds the condition under which this is useful: “if the heat gets worse.” The complete meaning is: “That gives us more flexibility if the heat gets worse.”

7. Würden ein Hut und zusätzliches Wasser helfen?

   Would a hat and extra water help?

   Würden

   would

   Hut

   hat

   zusätzliches

   additional

   Wasser

   water

   helfen

   help

   More detail

   Würden is the Konjunktiv II form of werden for third-person plural. Here it forms a tentative question: “Would … help?” The plural is used because the subject contains two coordinated nouns, ein Hut und zusätzliches Wasser. In a direct question, the finite verb comes first: Würden … helfen? Compare the more direct present-tense question Helfen …? (“Do … help?”). Hut means “hat” here. Its base form is the masculine noun der Hut; in this sentence it appears as ein Hut, with the indefinite article marking masculine nominative singular. The noun itself has no visible ending here. Example: Der Hut hilft. — “The hat helps.” zusätzliches means “additional” or “extra” here. It is the adjective zusätzlich, and its ending -es agrees with the neuter noun Wasser in nominative singular: zusätzliches Wasser. The adjective, not the noun, carries this visible inflection. Compare zusätzlicher Schutz (“additional protection”) and zusätzliche Kleidung (“additional clothing”), where the ending changes with the noun phrase. Wasser means “water.” It is the neuter mass noun das Wasser; in zusätzliches Wasser, it is the second part of the coordinated subject. German normally treats this substance noun as singular for agreement, but the coordination with ein Hut makes the full subject plural, which is why the verb is würden and helfen rather than a singular form. helfen is the infinitive and base form of “to help.” After the modal-like würden construction, the lexical verb remains in the infinitive and appears at the end of this question. Its subject is the coordinated phrase ein Hut und zusätzliches Wasser, so the intended meaning is that both resources together are being asked about as possible help. Assembled from left to right, Würden marks a tentative “would” question, ein Hut und zusätzliches Wasser names the two things under consideration, and helfen supplies the action. The whole utterance means: “Would a hat and extra water help?”

8. Ein Hut hilft, und leichte Kleidung würde das Gehen erleichtern.

   A hat will help, and light clothing would make the walk easier.

   Hut

   hat

   hilft

   helps

   leichte

   light

   Kleidung

   clothing

   würde

   would

   das Gehen

   walking

   erleichtern

   make easier

   More detail

   Hut is the noun meaning “hat.” Its base form is der Hut; ein Hut is nominative singular here because it is the subject of hilft. The indefinite article marks an indefinite singular noun phrase, but it does not by itself assert a numerical count. hilft is the third-person singular present form of helfen (“to help”). The vowel changes in this form: helfen → er/sie/es hilft. Example: Der Rat hilft. — “The advice helps.” leichte means “light” here, describing the weight or thickness of Kleidung. It is the inflected form of leicht. Because Kleidung is feminine singular and appears without an article in this nominative phrase, the adjective has the ending -e: leichte Kleidung. Example: leichte Schuhe — “light shoes.” Kleidung means “clothing.” It is a feminine mass noun: die Kleidung. In this sentence it is the subject of the second clause, so leichte Kleidung is nominative. German normally does not use a plural form for clothing in this general sense. würde is the third-person singular subjunctive-II form of werden, used here as the auxiliary in a conditional or hypothetical “would” construction. The useful pattern is würde + infinitive: Das würde helfen. — “That would help.” The infinitive appears at the end of the clause, as erleichtern does here. das Gehen is a nominalized infinitive meaning “walking” or “the act of walking.” The verb is gehen (“to walk”); when used as a noun, it is capitalized and takes the neuter article das. As the direct object of erleichtern, it is in the accusative, which has the same form as nominative for neuter das. erleichtern means “to make easier” or “to facilitate.” It is the infinitive selected by würde, and das Gehen is what becomes easier. Example: Die Pause würde das Arbeiten erleichtern. — “The break would make working easier.” Together, Ein Hut hilft says “A hat helps,” with the German present tense translated here as “will help.” leichte Kleidung is the subject of the second clause, and würde das Gehen erleichtern says that it would make walking easier. The whole utterance therefore means: “A hat will help, and light clothing would make the walk easier.”

9. Dann können wir den Plan ändern, wenn es sich zu heiß anfühlt.

   Then we can change the plan if it feels too hot.

   Dann

   then

   können wir

   we can

   den Plan

   the plan

   ändern

   change

   wenn

   if

   zu heiß

   too hot

   sich … anfühlt

   feels

   More detail

   Dann means “then” here, linking this possible action to an earlier point in time or situation. It can also introduce a result in a sequence: Dann gehen wir. — “Then we’ll go.” können wir combines können, the present-tense form for “we,” with the subject pronoun wir. können is the modal verb “can/be able to”; its infinitive is können, and a modal verb normally sends the other verb to the end of the clause. Because Dann comes first, können wir follows it: the finite verb is in second position. Wir können warten. — “We can wait.” den Plan means “the plan.” Plan is a masculine noun, and den is its masculine accusative definite article here because the plan is the direct object of ändern. Compare the nominative form der Plan: Der Plan ist gut. — “The plan is good.” ändern is the infinitive “to change.” Its observed form is not marked for a particular subject because the modal construction uses the infinitive: Wir können den Plan ändern. — “We can change the plan.” The direct object is placed before this infinitive in the main clause. wenn introduces a condition, meaning “if” here. It starts a subordinate clause, so the finite verb goes to the end of that clause. Pattern: wenn + subject + other material + finite verb. Wir gehen, wenn es nicht regnet. — “We’ll go if it does not rain.” zu heiß means “too hot.” heiß is the adjective “hot”; zu makes the degree excessive for the relevant purpose, rather than merely describing high temperature. The adjective’s comparison forms are heiß — heißer — am heißesten (“hot” — “hotter” — “hottest”). Der Tee ist zu heiß. — “The tea is too hot.” The separated quote sich ... anfühlt expresses “feels” in this context. The infinitive is the separable verb sich anfühlen, “to feel/seem a certain way.” anfühlt is its present-tense third-person singular form, and in the subordinate clause its prefix remains attached at the end: wenn es sich zu heiß anfühlt. The reflexive form sich belongs with this verb; es is the grammatical subject of the feeling. In a main clause, the same verb separates: Es fühlt sich heiß an. — “It feels hot.” Together, Dann können wir den Plan ändern means “Then we can change the plan.” The conditional clause wenn es sich zu heiß anfühlt specifies the condition: “if it feels too hot.” German places the finite verb anfühlt at the end of this wenn-clause, yielding the complete meaning: “Then we can change the plan if it feels too hot.”

10. Das klingt flexibel genug für einen heißen Tag.

    That sounds flexible enough for a hot day.

    Das

    That

    klingt

    sounds

    flexibel

    flexible

    genug

    enough

    für

    for

    einen

    a

    heißen

    hot

    Tag

    day

    More detail

    Das is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. It is neuter singular and functions as the subject. The sentence does not identify a more specific referent for it; the preceding context makes a previously discussed matter salient. Compare the reusable pattern Das klingt ... (“That sounds ...”). klingt is the third-person singular present form of klingen (“to sound”). The subject Das triggers the singular form. For example: Das klingt gut. — “That sounds good.” flexibel means “flexible” here. It is a predicative adjective after klingt, so it has no adjective ending in this sentence. The pattern etwas klingt flexibel means “something sounds flexible.” genug means “enough” and follows the adjective in flexibel genug. This pattern means “flexible enough”: Der Plan ist einfach genug. — “The plan is simple enough.” für means “for” and introduces the intended purpose, suitability, or circumstance. In this use, für takes the accusative case. einen is the accusative masculine singular form of the indefinite article ein. It marks Tag as the object of the preposition für; it does not by itself assert a numerical count beyond presenting the noun as indefinite. heißen is the accusative masculine singular form of the adjective heiß (“hot”). Its ending agrees with the masculine singular noun phrase after für: einen heißen Tag. The base form is heiß; heißen here is an adjective form, not the verb heißen (“to be called”). Tag means “day.” It is a masculine noun, and its plural is Tage. In einen heißen Tag, the noun phrase is masculine singular accusative because it follows für. Together, Das klingt says “That sounds,” flexibel genug says “flexible enough,” and für einen heißen Tag specifies the relevant situation: “for a hot day.” The complete utterance therefore means “That sounds flexible enough for a hot day.”