Rescheduling a Meeting Because of Icy Roads | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Die Straßen sind vereist, und heute Morgen ist die Sicht schlecht.

   The roads are icy, and visibility is poor this morning.

   Straßen

   roads

   vereist

   icy

   heute Morgen

   this morning

   Sicht

   visibility

   schlecht

   poor

   More detail

   Straßen means “roads” here. It is the plural of die Straße (“the road”); the plural form changes the ending to -n: die Straße → die Straßen. The definite article die marks this plural noun in this sentence. Example: Die Straßen sind leer. — “The roads are empty.” vereist describes the roads as covered with ice, so “icy” is the relevant meaning here. It is related to the verb vereisen (“to freeze over”) and can function as a participle-based adjective. In sind vereist, sind is the form of sein used with a plural subject, while vereist remains in its predicative form without an adjective ending. Example: Der See ist vereist. — “The lake is frozen over.” heute Morgen is a time expression meaning “this morning.” heute means “today,” and Morgen means “morning” in this capitalized noun use. Together, the phrase locates the poor visibility in the morning of today. Example: Heute Morgen war es kalt. — “It was cold this morning.” Sicht means “visibility” in this context: how clearly one can see. It is the feminine noun die Sicht; the definite article in the sentence is therefore die. Example: Bei Nebel ist die Sicht schlecht. — “In fog, visibility is poor.” schlecht means “poor” here, describing the quality of the visibility. It is the base form of the adjective; after the linking verb ist, it is used predicatively and does not take an adjective ending. Depending on context, schlecht can also mean “bad,” but “poor” is the natural meaning with Sicht. Example: Die Sicht ist gut. — “Visibility is good.” The sentence joins two statements with und: Die Straßen sind vereist (“The roads are icy”) and heute Morgen ist die Sicht schlecht (“visibility is poor this morning”). In the second clause, heute Morgen comes first, followed by the verb ist, then the subject die Sicht, and finally the predicate adjective schlecht. Together, the utterance says: “The roads are icy, and visibility is poor this morning.”

2. Zum Treffen zu fahren klingt riskant.

   Driving to the meeting sounds risky.

   Zum

   to the

   Treffen

   meeting

   zu fahren

   to drive

   klingt

   sounds

   riskant

   risky

   More detail

   Zum is the contraction of zu dem. Here zu is a preposition meaning “to,” and dem is the dative singular form of the definite article for the neuter noun Treffen. The contraction is common: zu dem Treffen becomes zum Treffen. This zu is separate in function from the zu in zu fahren later in the sentence. Treffen is the neuter noun meaning “meeting” here. Its base form is Treffen; the definite dative phrase is dem Treffen, and the contraction gives zum Treffen. Example: Wir planen ein Treffen. — “We are planning a meeting.” zu fahren means “to drive” here. fahren is the base verb; zu fahren is its infinitive with zu. The infinitive phrase can function as the subject of a sentence: Zum Bahnhof zu fahren ist bequem. — “Driving to the station is convenient.” In the fixed sentence, zu fahren is understood as traveling by vehicle, specifically driving in the stated translation. klingt comes from klingen, “to sound.” It is the present-tense third-person singular form, agreeing with the entire infinitive phrase Zum Treffen zu fahren, which is treated as one singular subject. klingen can describe the impression something gives, not only a literal sound. Example: Das klingt gut. — “That sounds good.” riskant is an adjective meaning “risky.” It is used after klingt as a predicate adjective, so it has no attributive ending here. The sentence uses riskant to characterize the proposed driving as involving risk. Example: Die Strecke klingt riskant. — “The route sounds risky.” Together, Zum Treffen zu fahren is the subject, literally “to drive to the meeting.” klingt riskant says that this plan gives a risky impression. Thus the complete utterance means: “Driving to the meeting sounds risky.”

3. Ich verschiebe es nur ungern, aber die Sicherheit sollte an erster Stelle stehen.

   I hate to reschedule, but safety should come first.

   verschiebe

   reschedule; postpone

   nur ungern

   reluctantly; hate to

   Sicherheit

   safety

   sollte

   should

   an erster Stelle

   first priority; first place

   More detail

   verschiebe is the first-person singular present form of verschieben, “to postpone” or, in this context, “to reschedule.” The subject ich is expressed separately, so the form shows who is doing the postponing. German uses the same verb for moving something to a later time and for rescheduling an appointment or event. Example: Ich verschiebe den Termin. — “I am rescheduling the appointment.” nur ungern softens the action: the speaker is reluctant to do it and would prefer not to. ungern means “reluctantly” or “unwillingly”; nur limits the statement, giving the sense “only reluctantly” or “I hate to.” This is an adverbial expression, not a statement that the speaker absolutely refuses. Example: Ich sage nur ungern ab. — “I am reluctant to cancel.” Sicherheit is the noun “safety” here. Its base form is Sicherheit; the initial capital letter marks it as a German noun. The related adjective is sicher, “safe” or “certain,” but Sicherheit names the condition or concern itself. Example: Sicherheit ist wichtig. — “Safety is important.” sollte is the third-person singular form of sollen in the subjunctive II form. In this sentence it expresses a recommendation or expectation: safety ought to come first. It is softer than a direct command such as muss (“must”), so sollte does not assert absolute necessity. Example: Die Tür sollte geschlossen bleiben. — “The door should remain closed.” an erster Stelle is a fixed expression meaning “in first place” or “the top priority.” The noun Stelle means “place” or “position,” and erster is the form of erste used in this expression with feminine Stelle after an; the expression as a whole means that something has the highest priority. Example: Die Gesundheit steht an erster Stelle. — “Health comes first.” Taken together, Ich verschiebe es means “I reschedule it,” with es referring to the thing being rescheduled without specifying it in this sentence. nur ungern adds the speaker’s reluctance. After aber (“but”), die Sicherheit is the topic, and sollte an erster Stelle stehen means that safety ought to be the top priority. Thus the whole utterance means: “I hate to reschedule, but safety should come first.”

4. Schreib ihnen jetzt und erkläre die Straßenverhältnisse klar.

   Message them now and explain the road conditions clearly.

   Schreib

   message / write

   ihnen

   to them

   jetzt

   now

   erkläre

   explain

   die Straßenverhältnisse

   the road conditions

   klar

   clearly

   More detail

   Schreib is the informal singular imperative of schreiben (“to write”). The subject du is understood rather than stated. In this sentence, the intended action is messaging, while schreiben can also mean writing more generally. Example: Schreib mir morgen. — “Write to me tomorrow.” ihnen is the dative plural personal pronoun, meaning “to them” here. It is the form used for an indirect recipient after an action such as writing or explaining. Do not confuse it with the formal singular or plural Ihnen, which is capitalized and means “to you” in polite address. jetzt means “now” and places the requested action in the present situation. It is an adverb and does not change form. erkläre is the informal singular imperative of erklären (“to explain”). As with Schreib, the understood subject is du. The two imperatives are coordinated: first write to them, and explain the matter clearly. Example: Erkläre die Regel bitte. — “Please explain the rule.” die Straßenverhältnisse means “the road conditions.” Straßenverhältnisse is a compound noun formed from Straße (“road/street”) and Verhältnisse (“conditions” in this context). The article die and the noun form show plural here; the phrase is the accusative object of erkläre. The compound can be reused for conditions affecting roads, such as their state or drivability, depending on context. klar means “clearly” here. It is an adjective used adverbially, modifying how the explanation should be given; in this use it does not take a separate adverb ending. As an adjective, klar can also describe something that is clear: eine klare Erklärung — “a clear explanation.” Together, the sentence gives two direct instructions to the understood du: write to them now, and explain the road conditions clearly. The first action has ihnen as its recipient, while die Straßenverhältnisse is the thing being explained and klar specifies the manner of explaining.

5. Soll ich vorschlagen, dass wir uns stattdessen online treffen, statt ganz abzusagen?

   Should I suggest meeting online instead of canceling completely?

   Soll ich

   Should I…?

   vorschlagen

   suggest

   treffen

   meet

   stattdessen

   instead

   online

   online

   statt

   instead of

   abzusagen

   to cancel

   More detail

   Soll ich combines soll, the first-person singular present form of sollen, with ich, “I.” In this question, sollen asks whether the speaker ought to do something, so Soll ich + infinitive...? is a reusable way to offer or ask about an action: Soll ich warten? means “Should I wait?” vorschlagen means “to suggest.” It is a separable verb: its finite form separates in some clauses (Ich schlage es vor), but the infinitive remains vorschlagen. After the modal verb soll, it stays as an infinitive. The pattern jemandem etwas vorschlagen means “to suggest something to someone,” while vorschlagen, dass ... introduces a suggested action or situation. treffen means “to meet.” Here it occurs with uns: wir uns treffen means “we meet each other,” with uns marking the reciprocal object for wir. Because it appears in a dass clause, treffen is the infinitive placed at the end of that clause, not a finite verb form. The infinitive and the first-person plural present form happen to have the same spelling. Example: Wir treffen uns morgen. — “We are meeting tomorrow.” stattdessen means “instead” and connects the proposed online meeting with an alternative to what was previously being considered. It is written as one adverb here. Example: Wir können stattdessen telefonieren. — “We can talk on the phone instead.” online means “online” and describes the setting of treffen: the meeting would take place online. It is invariable in this use and does not take a German noun ending here. statt means “instead of.” Before an infinitive, German commonly uses statt plus zu and the infinitive: statt zu warten means “instead of waiting.” With the separable verb absagen, zu is inserted between the prefix and the verb stem, producing abzusagen, not zuabsagen. abzusagen comes from the separable verb absagen, “to cancel.” Its base infinitive is absagen; abzusagen is its zu-infinitive form. ganz makes the cancellation complete in this sentence: statt ganz abzusagen means “instead of canceling completely.” Example: Sie versucht, den Termin nicht abzusagen. — “She is trying not to cancel the appointment.” Together, Soll ich vorschlagen asks whether the speaker should make a suggestion. The dass clause states the suggestion: wir uns stattdessen online treffen, “that we meet online instead.” statt ganz abzusagen gives the alternative being avoided, “instead of canceling completely.” The whole utterance therefore means: “Should I suggest meeting online instead of canceling completely?”

6. So könnte die Arbeit weitergehen, ohne dass jemand unterwegs sein muss.

   That would keep the work moving without anyone traveling.

   So

   That way

   könnte

   could

   die Arbeit

   the work

   weitergehen

   continue

   ohne dass

   without ... happening

   jemand

   someone

   unterwegs sein

   be traveling

   muss

   must

   More detail

   So means “that way” here: it points to the proposed online alternative and introduces its result. A reusable pattern is So + clause = “That way, …”. könnte is a Konjunktiv II form of können; here it is used with the third-person singular subject die Arbeit. It presents a possible or hypothetical result: “could/would”. The form is not the ordinary present kann (“can”). Example: Das könnte funktionieren. — “That could work.” die Arbeit means “the work”. The noun is feminine, shown by the article die; its form does not itself express the number here. Example: Die Arbeit beginnt morgen. — “The work begins tomorrow.” weitergehen means “continue” or “keep going”. It is a separable verb: in a finite main clause, weiter and gehen separate, as in Die Arbeit geht weiter; after könnte, the infinitive remains together as weitergehen. Example: Der Kurs geht weiter. — “The course continues.” ohne dass introduces a subordinate clause meaning “without …”. Here that clause has its own stated subject, jemand, which differs from the main clause subject die Arbeit; this is why the finite-clause pattern ohne dass ... is used rather than the same-subject infinitive pattern ohne zu .... In the dass clause, the finite verb goes to the end. jemand is an indefinite pronoun meaning “someone”; in this ohne dass context, the natural translation is “anyone”. It refers to an unspecified person; the sentence does not identify that person. Example: Jemand wartet draußen. — “Someone is waiting outside.” unterwegs sein means “be on the way” or, in this context, “be traveling”. unterwegs describes being away from the relevant place or in transit, and sein is the infinitive used with the modal verb. Example: Sie ist heute unterwegs. — “She is out and about today.” muss is the third-person singular present form of müssen, “must/have to”. It carries the finite verb position at the end of the subordinate clause, while unterwegs sein remains before it as the infinitive phrase: jemand unterwegs sein muss. Example: Er muss arbeiten. — “He has to work.” Together, So könnte die Arbeit weitergehen says “That way, the work could continue.” The subordinate clause ohne dass jemand unterwegs sein muss adds that no person would have to be traveling. The complete meaning is therefore “That would keep the work moving without anyone traveling.”

7. Ich kann fragen, ob eine Teilnahme per Video für sie funktionieren würde.

   I can ask whether joining by video would work for them.

   Ich kann

   I can

   fragen

   ask

   ob

   whether

   Teilnahme

   participation; joining

   per Video

   by video

   für sie

   for them

   funktionieren

   work; function

   würde

   would

   More detail

   Ich kann combines the subject Ich (“I”) with kann, the present-tense form of können for “I can” or “I am able to.” With another verb, können is followed by that verb in the infinitive: Ich kann helfen. — “I can help.” fragen is the infinitive “to ask.” After the modal verb kann, it remains an infinitive and appears at the end of the main clause: Ich kann fragen — “I can ask.” ob introduces an indirect yes-or-no question, meaning “whether” or “if.” In the clause introduced by ob, the finite verb goes to the end. This differs from a direct question such as Funktioniert es? — “Does it work?” Teilnahme is a feminine noun meaning “participation” or, in this context, “joining.” The form eine Teilnahme uses the feminine indefinite article in the nominative because the noun is the subject of the subordinate clause. A useful related expression is an etwas teilnehmen — “to participate in something”; that verb is separate from the noun Teilnahme. per Video means “by video.” Here per indicates the means or channel used for joining. For example, Wir sprechen per Video. — “We speak by video.” für sie means “for them” in this sentence. für is a preposition that takes the accusative case; the plural pronoun sie has the same visible form in the accusative here. The translation establishes a plural referent for sie, but it does not identify who those people are. funktionieren means “to work” or “to function.” In this sentence it describes whether the proposed form of participation would be workable for those people: Das funktioniert. — “That works.” würde is the third-person singular form of the Konjunktiv II of werden, used here with the infinitive funktionieren to form “would work.” In the ob clause, würde is finite and therefore stands at the end, after funktionieren: ob ... funktionieren würde — “whether ... would work.” This is a conditional construction, not the simple past of werden. Together, eine Teilnahme per Video is the subject of the indirect question, and für sie specifies for whom it would be workable. Thus ob eine Teilnahme per Video für sie funktionieren würde means “whether joining by video would work for them.” The complete utterance says: “I can ask whether joining by video would work for them.”

8. Biete auch an, dass wir uns persönlich treffen, sobald die Straßen sicherer sind.

   Offer to meet in person once the roads are safer, too.

   Biete … an

   offer

   auch

   also; too

   wir

   we

   uns

   ourselves

   persönlich

   in person

   treffen

   meet

   sobald

   once; as soon as

   Straßen

   roads

   sicherer

   safer

   More detail

   Biete ... an is the informal singular imperative of anbieten (“to offer”). The prefix an- separates in this finite form: Biete ... an. With dass, the offered proposal is stated in a subordinate clause: Biete an, dass .... auch means “also/too” here and adds this offer to another possible option. Its exact scope comes from the sentence as a whole, not from the word alone. wir is the first-person plural subject, “we.” German subject pronouns use the nominative case here. For example: Wir warten. — “We are waiting.” uns is the first-person plural accusative form of wir. With sich treffen, it expresses the people meeting one another: Wir treffen uns. — “We meet each other.” It is not the possessive form “our.” persönlich is an adverb here, meaning that the meeting is in person rather than by video or another remote method. The adjective form is also persönlich; German does not add an ending to it in this adverbial use. treffen is the infinitive “to meet.” Its base form is treffen; a present-tense example is Wir treffen uns morgen. — “We are meeting tomorrow.” In this sentence, treffen follows dass and therefore remains at the end of its subordinate clause together with the other clause material. sobald introduces a time condition and means “once” or “as soon as.” It sends the verb to the end of the subordinate clause: sobald die Straßen sicherer sind — “once the roads are safer.” Straßen is the plural of Straße (“road”). Here it is the subject of sind, so the plural noun is paired with the plural verb form. Die Straße ist sicher. — “The road is safe.” sicherer is the comparative form of sicher (“safe”): sicher → sicherer (“safer”) → am sichersten (“safest”). It describes the roads as safer than their current or relevant earlier condition; the comparison does not specify a particular alternative. Together, Biete ... an makes an offer, dass wir uns persönlich treffen states the proposed in-person meeting, and sobald die Straßen sicherer sind sets the time condition. The complete meaning is: “Offer to meet in person once the roads are safer, too.”

9. Wenn sie lieber warten möchten, passt morgen für mich auch.

   If they would rather wait, tomorrow also works for me.

   Wenn

   if

   sie

   they

   lieber

   rather

   warten

   wait

   möchten

   would like

   passt

   works; suits

   morgen

   tomorrow

   für mich

   for me

   auch

   also

   More detail

   Wenn introduces a conditional clause: “if/when.” In this sentence it sets the condition for the main clause. In a German subordinate clause introduced by wenn, the finite verb goes to the end. sie is the lowercase third-person plural pronoun here, meaning “they,” as confirmed by the fixed translation. It is not the capitalized formal Sie (“you”). The pronoun itself does not identify the people more specifically. lieber means “rather” or “preferably” here. It commonly expresses a preference, often in the pattern lieber ... or lieber ... als ... (“rather ... than ...”). Example: Ich bleibe lieber zu Hause. — “I would rather stay at home.” warten is the infinitive “to wait.” It remains in the infinitive after möchten. Example: Wir warten hier. — “We are waiting here.” möchten expresses a polite or tentative wish: “would like to.” It is the form used here with the plural subject sie; the same form also occurs with wir. The construction sie möchten warten means “they would like to wait.” Möchten Sie Kaffee? — “Would you like coffee?” Together, Wenn sie lieber warten möchten means “If they would rather wait.” The conditional clause comes first, and its finite verb möchten is at the end. passt is the third-person singular present form of passen, “to suit” or “to be convenient.” Here, the time morgen is treated as what suits the speaker, so passt is singular. The useful pattern is Das passt für mich. — “That works for me.” Do not confuse this with passen meaning that clothes fit someone; the context here is suitability or convenience. morgen means “tomorrow.” In passt morgen ..., it identifies the proposed day that is convenient. Example: Morgen passt gut. — “Tomorrow works well.” für mich means “for me.” für takes the accusative case, and the first-person singular pronoun is mich in that case. The phrase identifies whose convenience is being considered; it does not mean that the speaker is the grammatical subject of passt. auch means “also/too.” At the end of this sentence, it adds that tomorrow is another acceptable option for the speaker. Its exact scope is understood from the surrounding proposal, while its local meaning remains “also.” The whole sentence is assembled as: Wenn sie lieber warten möchten (“If they would rather wait”) + passt morgen für mich auch (“tomorrow also works for me”). Because the conditional clause occupies the first position of the main sentence, the main clause begins with the finite verb passt: “If they would rather wait, tomorrow also works for me.”

10. Klare Optionen sollten es leichter machen, die Änderung zu akzeptieren.

    Clear options should make the change easier to accept.

    Klare

    clear

    Optionen

    options

    sollten

    should

    leichter

    easier

    machen

    make

    Änderung

    change

    zu akzeptieren

    to accept

    More detail

    Klare means “clear” here and describes Optionen. Its base form is klar; klare is the attributive form used with the plural noun Optionen in this sentence. The adjective comes before the noun and takes an ending according to the surrounding noun phrase. Optionen means “options”. The singular is die Option, and the plural is die Optionen. In this sentence, the plural subject controls the plural form sollten later in the sentence. sollten expresses what the options are expected or intended to do: “should”. It is the third-person plural form of sollen in the meaning used here. With a plural subject, compare Optionen sollten ...; with a singular subject, Eine Option sollte .... The modal verb is conjugated, while the other verb in this verb group remains in the infinitive. es leichter machen is a reusable pattern meaning “make it easier”. machen means “make” and is the infinitive because it follows the modal verb sollten. The short pronoun es forms part of the construction; the thing that becomes easier is specified by the following infinitive clause. The comparative leichter comes from leicht (“easy” or “light”): leicht = easy, leichter = easier. The comparative signals improvement in ease, without stating that the action is completely easy. die Änderung means “the change”. Änderung is a feminine noun; its plural is Änderungen. The definite article die identifies the change intended in the fixed translation. The noun is formed from the verb ändern (“to change”), but the observed form here is the noun Änderung, not a verb form. zu akzeptieren means “to accept”. akzeptieren is the infinitive, and zu marks the infinitive construction here. The clause die Änderung zu akzeptieren means “to accept the change”; die Änderung is the object of akzeptieren. A reusable pattern is es leichter machen, etwas zu akzeptieren — “make it easier to accept something.” Taken together, Klare Optionen is the plural subject. sollten gives the expectation or recommendation, and es leichter machen says that the options are expected to increase the ease of an action. The infinitive clause identifies that action as accepting the change. Thus the whole utterance means: “Clear options should make the change easier to accept.”