Deciding Whether to Keep Waiting | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Entschuldigung, diese Schlange bewegt sich nur langsam.

   Excuse me, this line has been moving slowly.

   Entschuldigung

   excuse me

   diese

   this

   Schlange

   line

   bewegt sich

   moves

   nur langsam

   only slowly

   More detail

   Entschuldigung is a polite way to get someone’s attention or apologize: “Excuse me.” It is also the noun meaning “apology,” but here it functions as an interjection. Example: Entschuldigung, wo ist der Bahnhof? — “Excuse me, where is the train station?” diese means “this” here and agrees with Schlange in gender, number, and case. Schlange is feminine singular and is the nominative subject, so the form is diese. The demonstrative itself identifies something as near or contextually salient; it does not by itself specify what kind of thing it is. Schlange means “line” in this sentence, as fixed by the translation. The same German noun can also mean “snake” in other contexts, so the intended meaning must be learned from the situation. Its plural is Schlangen. bewegt sich comes from the reflexive expression sich bewegen, “to move” or “to be in motion.” bewegt is the present-tense third-person singular form of bewegen, agreeing with the singular subject diese Schlange; sich is the reflexive pronoun used with this expression. Example: Der Zug bewegt sich langsam. — “The train is moving slowly.” nur langsam means “only slowly.” nur limits the degree, while langsam describes the speed. langsam is an adjective that can also be used adverbially here, without a special ending. Its comparative is langsamer, “more slowly” or “slower.” Example: Die Schlange bewegt sich schneller. — “The line is moving faster.” Together, diese Schlange is the subject, bewegt sich says that it is moving, and nur langsam limits the speed. The complete utterance is therefore: “Excuse me, this line has been moving slowly.” The German present tense describes the current situation; the English translation expresses the same ongoing situation with “has been moving.”

2. Versuchst du zu entscheiden, ob es sich lohnt zu bleiben?

   Are you trying to decide whether it is worth staying?

   Versuchst du

   are you trying

   zu entscheiden

   to decide

   ob

   whether

   es sich lohnt

   be worth it

   zu bleiben

   to stay

   More detail

   Versuchst du: versuchen means “to try.” The observed form versuchst is the present-tense form for du; compare ich versuche and sie versucht. Here it forms a yes/no question with du: “Are you trying …?” The verb versuchen commonly takes zu + infinitive when the attempted action is expressed: Ich versuche, Deutsch zu lernen. — “I am trying to learn German.” zu entscheiden: The base verb is entscheiden (“to decide”); zu entscheiden is its infinitive with zu, used here as the action being attempted. German normally places zu before the infinitive in this pattern: Sie versucht, eine Lösung zu finden. — “She is trying to find a solution.” ob: ob introduces an embedded yes/no question and means “whether” here. It is different from wenn, which commonly means “if/when” for a condition or time. An embedded question with ob has the finite verb at the end: Ich weiß nicht, ob er kommt. — “I do not know whether he is coming.” es sich lohnt: The base verb is sich lohnen, “to be worth it” or “to be worthwhile.” In the observed form, lohnt is present tense for es; the reflexive element is sich. This construction evaluates whether an action or option is worthwhile, rather than simply saying that someone likes it. For example, Es lohnt sich, früh aufzustehen. — “It is worth getting up early.” zu bleiben: The base verb is bleiben, “to stay” or “remain.” zu bleiben is its zu-infinitive, and it is the action whose value is being evaluated. The verb bleiben is irregular in the present tense: ich bleibe, du bleibst, er/sie/es bleibt. Together, Versuchst du zu entscheiden asks whether the other person is trying to make a decision. ob es sich lohnt zu bleiben gives the content of that decision: whether staying is worthwhile. The full utterance therefore means, “Are you trying to decide whether it is worth staying?”

3. Ja. Weißt du, ob der Serviceschalter im Rückstand ist?

   I am. Do you know if the service desk is running behind?

   Ja.

   yes

   Weißt du

   do you know

   ob

   whether / if

   der Serviceschalter

   the service desk

   im Rückstand

   behind schedule

   ist

   is

   More detail

   Ja. is the German affirmative “yes.” It does not mean “I am,” so the first segment of the supplied translation is unresolved as a literal match. In the German utterance, however, Ja. is clearly a separate affirmative before the question. Weißt du uses wissen (“to know”) in the present tense: du weißt means “you know.” The form Weißt has the irregular stem change found in the second-person singular present. Example: Weißt du das? — “Do you know that?” ob introduces an indirect yes/no question. It is reusable in patterns such as Weißt du, ob ...? — “Do you know whether ...?” In the clause after ob, the finite verb normally comes at the end. der Serviceschalter means “the service desk.” Serviceschalter is a compound noun, and the masculine singular nominative form takes der here. The noun itself is the subject of the embedded clause. im Rückstand is the fixed phrase “behind schedule” or “running behind.” im is the contraction of in dem; Rückstand is a masculine noun. This phrase describes a process, service, or task as delayed rather than merely located somewhere. ist is the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”). Here it agrees with the singular subject der Serviceschalter: der Serviceschalter ist .... The same form appears with er, sie referring to a singular entity, and es. Together, Weißt du, ob asks whether the following statement is true. The embedded statement is der Serviceschalter ist im Rückstand, literally “the service desk is behind schedule.” Thus the question means “Do you know whether the service desk is running behind?” preceded by the separate affirmative Ja.

4. Mehrere Anliegen brauchen zusätzliche Aufmerksamkeit, deshalb geht es in der Schlange nur langsam voran.

   Several requests need extra attention, so the line is moving slowly.

   Mehrere

   several

   Anliegen

   requests; concerns

   brauchen

   need

   zusätzliche

   additional; extra

   Aufmerksamkeit

   attention

   deshalb

   therefore; that is why

   geht es … voran

   move forward; make progress

   Schlange

   line; queue

   langsam

   slowly

   More detail

   Mehrere means “several” and is the plural form used with Anliegen. It signals more than one item without stating an exact number. Example: Mehrere Personen warten. — “Several people are waiting.” Anliegen means a request, concern, or matter needing attention here. The singular is das Anliegen; the plural has the same visible form, die Anliegen. Example: Ich habe ein Anliegen. — “I have a request/concern.” brauchen is the present-tense form of brauchen for sie meaning “they”: sie brauchen. It means “need” and takes the thing needed as its object. Example: Wir brauchen mehr Zeit. — “We need more time.” zusätzliche means “additional” or “extra” here. It describes the feminine singular noun Aufmerksamkeit; the adjective has the form zusätzliche in this noun phrase. Related comparison: zusätzlich means “additional,” while mehr means “more” and is not an inflected form of this adjective. Aufmerksamkeit means “attention.” It is the feminine noun die Aufmerksamkeit; in this sentence it is the thing that the requests need. Example: Das Problem braucht Aufmerksamkeit. — “The problem needs attention.” deshalb means “therefore” or “that is why.” It links the need for extra attention to the result that follows. In standard main-clause word order, it occupies the first position and the finite verb follows it: Deshalb geht ... — “That is why ... goes/is moving ...” geht es and voran form the useful pattern es geht ... voran, meaning that something is progressing or moving forward. geht is the third-person singular present form of gehen; es is the grammatical subject of this construction, not a specifically identified person or thing. voran completes the progress meaning. Example: Die Arbeit geht gut voran. — “The work is progressing well.” Schlange means “line” or “queue” here. It is the feminine noun die Schlange; after in with a stationary location, the phrase uses the dative: in der Schlange, “in the line.” Example: Ich warte in der Schlange. — “I am waiting in the line.” langsam means “slowly” here because it describes how the progress occurs. The adjective is langsam; the corresponding comparative is langsamer, “more slowly.” Example: Der Bus fährt langsam. — “The bus is moving slowly.” Together, Mehrere Anliegen brauchen zusätzliche Aufmerksamkeit says that several requests or concerns need extra attention. deshalb introduces the consequence. In geht es in der Schlange nur langsam voran, the construction es geht ... voran says that the line is progressing, in der Schlange identifies the line-related setting, and nur langsam limits the speed to “only slowly.” The whole utterance therefore means: “Several requests need extra attention, so the line is moving slowly.”

5. Ich kann nicht mehr viel länger hier bleiben.

   I cannot stay here much longer.

   Ich kann

   I can

   nicht mehr

   no longer

   viel

   much

   länger

   longer

   hier

   here

   bleiben

   stay

   More detail

   Ich kann expresses “I can” here, with kann as the first-person singular present form of können (“can; be able to”). The subject is ich, and the following infinitive names what is possible: Ich kann bleiben = “I can stay.” Other present forms include du kannst and wir können; the form changes with the subject. nicht mehr contributes the idea that something is no longer possible or will not continue. In this sentence it works with the later quantity and comparison: the speaker cannot stay for much more time. Example: Ich kann nicht mehr warten. — “I can’t wait any longer.” viel means “much” in this use. It modifies the comparative länger, rather than describing the place or the act of staying. Example: Wir bleiben viel länger. — “We are staying much longer.” länger is the comparative form of the adjective lang (“long”): lang → länger (“longer”) → am längsten (“the longest”). Here it describes a greater duration of staying. The umlaut in länger is part of the comparative form; it is not an inflection of bleiben. hier means “here,” referring to the location understood in the situation. It is an adverb and does not change according to a noun’s gender or number. Example: Ich bleibe hier. — “I’m staying here.” bleiben means “to stay” or “remain.” It is the infinitive after the modal verb kann; with a modal verb, the lexical verb normally appears in the infinitive: Ich kann bleiben — “I can stay.” Its present-tense forms include ich bleibe, du bleibst, and er/sie bleibt. Together, Ich kann nicht mehr viel länger hier bleiben means “I cannot stay here much longer.” The modal kann presents staying as the possibility under discussion, nicht mehr viel länger limits how much additional duration is possible, hier specifies the location, and bleiben names the action. The sentence is neutral in register and can be reused by replacing the location or the infinitive phrase, for example: Ich kann nicht mehr lange warten. — “I cannot wait much longer.”

6. Du kannst weiter warten oder dein Anliegen am Schalter hinterlassen.

   You can keep waiting, or leave your request at the desk.

   Du kannst

   you can

   weiter

   continue

   warten

   wait

   Anliegen

   request

   am Schalter

   at the desk

   hinterlassen

   leave

   More detail

   Du kannst combines du (“you,” singular informal) with the present-tense form kannst of können (“can, be able to”). Here it presents an available option: “you can.” The finite verb is in second position in this main clause. Compare ich kann (“I can”) and du kannst (“you can”); the ending belongs to können, not to du. weiter means “continuing” here. With an activity, the pattern weiter + infinitive means “continue to do something.” Example: Sie liest weiter. — “She keeps reading.” warten is the infinitive “to wait.” After a modal verb such as können, the second verb remains in the infinitive and appears at the end of the clause: Du kannst weiter warten — “You can keep waiting.” Anliegen is a neuter noun meaning a request, concern, or matter someone wants handled. Its plural is also Anliegen; the form does not change between singular and plural. In this sentence, dein Anliegen means “your request.” The possessive form dein is used with a neuter singular noun such as das Anliegen. am Schalter means “at the desk” or “at the service counter.” am is the contraction of an dem; here it introduces the place where the request can be left. der Schalter is masculine, so the dative form after an for this location is dem Schalter, contracted to am Schalter. Example: Ich warte am Schalter. — “I am waiting at the desk.” hinterlassen means “to leave behind” something so that it remains for someone else. In this use it is an inseparable verb: its finite form does not split in a main clause. After a modal verb, the infinitive remains whole at the end, as in Du kannst dein Anliegen ... hinterlassen. Here it means leaving the request at the desk, not physically abandoning it. The sentence offers two alternatives joined by oder (“or”). The first is Du kannst weiter warten (“You can keep waiting”). The second is dein Anliegen am Schalter hinterlassen after the same modal verb: “leave your request at the desk.” Together, the utterance means: “You can keep waiting, or leave your request at the desk.”

7. Es würde helfen, das Anliegen dort zu lassen, wenn es später jemand prüfen kann.

   Leaving the request would help if someone can review it later.

   würde helfen

   would help

   Anliegen

   request

   zu lassen

   to leave

   dort

   there

   später

   later

   jemand

   someone

   prüfen

   to review

   More detail

   würde helfen means “would help” here. würde is the conditional form of werden, used with the infinitive helfen to express a hypothetical or conditional result. The construction Es würde helfen, ... is a reusable way to say that an action would be useful: Es würde helfen, langsam zu sprechen. — “It would help to speak slowly.” The following infinitive clause describes the helpful action; es does not identify an additional participant. Anliegen means “request” here, especially a matter or request that someone presents for attention. Its base form is das Anliegen; the plural is die Anliegen, with the same noun form. In this sentence, das Anliegen is singular and is the object of zu lassen, while the article supplies the relevant case and gender information. Example: Ich erkläre mein Anliegen. — “I explain my request.” zu lassen means “to leave” in this sentence: the request is to be left there rather than taken away. lassen is the base form; with zu, it becomes the infinitive zu lassen. Do not confuse this use with other uses of lassen, such as allowing something: Ich lasse ihn gehen. — “I let him go.” Here, das Anliegen dort zu lassen is one infinitive phrase, with das Anliegen as its object. dort means “there,” referring to a place understood from the situation. It is an adverb and does not change for gender, number, or case. The phrase das Anliegen dort zu lassen therefore means “to leave the request there.” später means “later,” referring to a time after the relevant present or earlier event. It is the comparative form of spät (“late”), though in this sentence it functions as an ordinary time adverb rather than making an explicit comparison. Example: Wir sprechen später. — “We’ll talk later.” jemand means “someone” and is the subject of prüfen in the conditional clause. It is an indefinite pronoun, so it refers to an unspecified person without identifying who that person is. Its forms vary with case, for example jemand in the nominative and jemandem in the dative. Example: Jemand wartet draußen. — “Someone is waiting outside.” prüfen means “to review” or “to check” here. It is the infinitive after the modal verb kann; the finite form is kann, not prüfen. Example: Sie prüft den Antrag. — “She reviews the application.” Together, Es würde helfen presents a hypothetical helpful result. das Anliegen dort zu lassen names the action that would help, and wenn es später jemand prüfen kann gives the condition: someone can review the request later. The whole utterance therefore means that leaving the request there would be helpful if someone can review it later. The word order places the conditional clause after the main statement, although German can also place a wenn-clause first.

8. Die Mitarbeiter am Schalter können dich kontaktieren, sobald es Neuigkeiten gibt.

   The desk can contact you when they have an update.

   Mitarbeiter

   staff members

   Schalter

   desk or counter

   können

   can; are able to

   dich

   you

   kontaktieren

   contact

   sobald

   as soon as; when

   Neuigkeiten

   updates; news

   gibt

   there is; there are

   More detail

   Mitarbeiter means “staff members” here. It is the plural of Mitarbeiter and refers to people working at the desk; the fixed translation presents this group metonymically as “the desk.” The singular and plural have the same written form here: ein Mitarbeiter / die Mitarbeiter. Example: Die Mitarbeiter helfen. — “The staff members help.” Schalter means “counter” or “service desk.” In am Schalter, am is the contracted form of an dem, meaning “at the.” The phrase die Mitarbeiter am Schalter identifies the staff members by their location or workplace; it does not make Schalter the actor. können is the present-tense plural form of können, “to be able to” or “can.” It expresses ability or possibility here and is followed by the infinitive kontaktieren at the end of the clause. The useful present-tense pattern is ich kann, du kannst, sie können. Example: Sie können morgen anrufen. — “They can call tomorrow.” dich means informal singular “you” as the person affected by the action. It is the accusative form of du, used here because you are the person whom the staff can contact. Compare du as the subject and dich as the object: Du kannst mich kontaktieren. — “You can contact me.” kontaktieren is the infinitive “to contact.” It is a regular verb used with an accusative object, so dich kontaktieren means “contact you.” With a modal such as können, the infinitive remains uninflected and is placed at the end of its clause. Example: Wir kontaktieren ihn morgen. — “We will contact him tomorrow.” sobald introduces a subordinate time clause meaning “as soon as.” In this sentence it connects the possible contact with the appearance of an update. In a sobald clause, the finite verb comes at the end: Ich komme, sobald ich Zeit habe. — “I’ll come as soon as I have time.” Neuigkeiten means “updates” or “news” in this context. It is the plural of Neuigkeit; the plural is used for new pieces of information. The phrase es Neuigkeiten gibt is a common way to say “there are updates” or “there is news,” rather than using haben for the desk or staff. gibt is the third-person singular present form of geben, “to give.” In the fixed construction es gibt it means “there is” or “there are.” The form stays singular even when the noun after it is plural: Es gibt neue Informationen. — “There is new information” or “There are new pieces of information.” Together, Die Mitarbeiter am Schalter is the subject, können ... kontaktieren says that they can contact someone, and dich identifies that person as “you.” The subordinate clause sobald es Neuigkeiten gibt sets the condition in time: the contact can happen as soon as there are updates. Thus the whole utterance means, “The desk can contact you when they have an update,” with “the desk” representing the staff members at the counter.

9. Damit habe ich eine klare Wahl.

   That gives me a clear choice.

   Damit

   with that; thereby

   habe ich

   I have

   klare

   clear

   Wahl

   choice

   More detail

   Damit means “with that” or “by that” here. It is a demonstrative adverb referring to something already established in the situation; in this sentence it introduces the means or basis that results in the speaker having a choice. In this use, it is not the conjunction damit meaning “so that.” habe ich: habe is the first-person singular present form of haben, whose base form is haben: ich habe = “I have.” Because Damit occupies the first position, the finite verb comes next and the subject follows: Damit habe ich .... This is a normal German verb-second pattern, not a change in the meaning of ich habe. klare: This is the attributive form of the adjective klar (“clear”). It describes Wahl. In eine klare Wahl, the feminine singular noun phrase has the adjective ending -e; the ending reflects the noun phrase’s grammatical marking, while the adjective’s base remains klar. For example, eine klare Antwort means “a clear answer.” Wahl: Wahl is a feminine noun meaning “choice” here. Its singular form is die Wahl; after haben, this noun phrase is in the accusative: Ich habe eine Wahl = “I have a choice.” The same noun can also mean “election” in a different context, but the fixed translation supports “choice” here. Together, Damit habe ich eine klare Wahl literally presents the idea “With that, I have a clear choice.” In the fixed translation, the natural English rendering is “That gives me a clear choice.” The German wording focuses grammatically on the speaker’s resulting possession of a clear choice, while Damit identifies what produces that result.

10. Dann ist es vielleicht besser, das Anliegen dort zu lassen, wenn deine nächste Verpflichtung nicht warten kann.

    Then leaving it may be better if your next commitment cannot wait.

    Dann

    then

    ist es

    it is

    vielleicht

    perhaps

    besser

    better

    das Anliegen

    the concern

    dort

    there

    zu lassen

    to leave

    wenn

    if

    nächste

    next

    Verpflichtung

    commitment

    warten

    wait

    kann

    can

    More detail

    Dann means “then” here, linking this suggestion to the preceding choice. It can also introduce a consequence or next step. Example: Dann gehen wir. — “Then we’ll go.” ist es uses sein (“to be”) with the impersonal pronoun es. In this sentence, es does not identify a separate person; it is part of the pattern es ist ... used to evaluate a situation. Example: Es ist möglich. — “It is possible.” vielleicht means “perhaps” and makes the evaluation less definite. It does not itself express an if-condition; the condition is introduced later by wenn. besser is the comparative form of gut: gut — “good,” besser — “better,” am besten — “best.” Here it compares the option of leaving the matter there with another possible option. Example: Warten ist besser. — “Waiting is better.” das Anliegen means “the matter” or “concern” here. Anliegen is a neuter noun, so its definite article is das in the accusative form used after lassen; for this noun, nominative and accusative singular both have das: das Anliegen. Example: Ich verstehe das Anliegen. — “I understand the concern.” dort means “there,” referring to a place understood from the situation. It specifies where the matter is to remain, but the supplied sentence does not identify that place more precisely. Example: Wir treffen uns dort. — “We’ll meet there.” zu lassen is the infinitive construction with lassen, meaning “to leave” in this context. The pattern etwas irgendwo lassen means “leave something somewhere.” The zu-infinitive phrase is the activity being evaluated in es ist ... besser: Das Anliegen dort zu lassen — “to leave the matter there.” Example: Sie beschließt, das Buch dort zu lassen. — “She decides to leave the book there.” wenn introduces the condition “if” here. It starts the subordinate clause wenn deine nächste Verpflichtung nicht warten kann; in German, the finite verb of this clause goes to the end. nächste means “next” and modifies Verpflichtung. Its form is feminine singular nominative in this clause because Verpflichtung is the subject: die nächste Verpflichtung. The adjective changes with the noun phrase; it is not the base form of Verpflichtung. Example: Die nächste Stunde beginnt bald. — “The next hour begins soon.” Verpflichtung means “commitment” or “obligation.” It is a feminine noun: die Verpflichtung; here the singular subject is deine nächste Verpflichtung, “your next commitment.” The possessive form deine agrees with this feminine singular noun phrase in the nominative. Example: Eine Verpflichtung kann warten. — “A commitment can wait.” warten means “to wait.” It is the infinitive used with the modal verb kann; with a modal verb, the lexical verb remains in the infinitive: kann warten — “can wait.” Example: Der Termin kann warten. — “The appointment can wait.” kann is the third-person singular present form of the modal verb können, “can” or “be able to.” Its subject here is deine nächste Verpflichtung, so the clause means that the commitment is able to wait. With a modal verb, kann is finite and warten stays at the end: Die Verpflichtung kann warten. — “The commitment can wait.” Together, wenn deine nächste Verpflichtung nicht warten kann means “if your next commitment cannot wait.” The negation nicht applies to the ability to wait, so the condition is that the commitment is urgent enough that waiting is not possible. The whole structure is Dann ist es vielleicht besser, [zu-infinitive phrase], wenn [condition]. Thus Dann ist es vielleicht besser, das Anliegen dort zu lassen presents leaving the matter there as possibly the better option, and the wenn clause gives the condition: this option is being considered if the next commitment cannot wait. The complete meaning is: “Then leaving it may be better if your next commitment cannot wait.”