Choosing an activity despite changing weather | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Das Wetter kann sich ändern, deshalb ist es schwierig, eine Aktivität auszuwählen.

   The weather may change, so choosing an activity feels difficult.

   Wetter

   weather

   kann

   may

   sich ändern

   to change

   deshalb

   therefore

   schwierig

   difficult

   Aktivität

   activity

   auszuwählen

   to choose

   More detail

   Wetter means “weather” here. It is a noun, written with a capital letter in German. The phrase das Wetter uses the definite article because the sentence treats the weather as the relevant general situation. Example: Das Wetter ist gut. — “The weather is good.” kann is the present-tense third-person singular form of können. With a following infinitive, können expresses ability or possibility; in this sentence, kann ... ändern means “may change.” The modal verb is conjugated, while the other verb stays in the infinitive at the end of its clause. Example: Das Wetter kann morgen besser werden. — “The weather may get better tomorrow.” sich ändern is the reflexive verb “to change” in the sense of becoming different. Its base form is sich ändern; sich belongs to the verb construction and refers back to the subject, das Wetter. The form ändern is the infinitive here. Example: Die Situation kann sich ändern. — “The situation may change.” deshalb means “therefore” or “that is why.” It links the possible weather change to its consequence. When deshalb occupies the first position of a German main clause, the finite verb still comes second: Deshalb ist ..., not Deshalb es ist .... This is a word-order pattern, not an inflection of deshalb. schwierig means “difficult.” In ist schwierig, it is a predicate adjective after sein, so it has no adjective ending. Example: Die Aufgabe ist schwierig. — “The task is difficult.” Aktivität means “activity.” It is a feminine noun: die Aktivität. In eine Aktivität, the form eine is the feminine accusative article required for the object selected by auswählen; it does not by itself assert a numerical count beyond introducing an unspecified activity. Example: Wir planen eine Aktivität. — “We are planning an activity.” auszuwählen is the zu-infinitive of the separable verb auswählen, “to choose” or “to select.” The verb’s base form is auswählen; in a zu-infinitive, the prefix and zu appear as auszuwählen. Here, eine Aktivität auszuwählen is an infinitive clause functioning as what is difficult. Example: Es ist schwer, ein Geschenk auszuwählen. — “It is difficult to choose a gift.” Putting the parts together: Das Wetter kann sich ändern says that the weather may change. deshalb introduces the consequence, and ist es schwierig presents that consequence as difficult. The infinitive clause eine Aktivität auszuwählen specifies what is difficult: choosing an activity. Thus the complete meaning is “The weather may change, so choosing an activity feels difficult.”

2. Such etwas aus, das auch drinnen passt, wenn es regnet.

   Pick something that still works indoors if it rains.

   Such … aus

   pick out

   etwas

   something

   das

   that/which

   auch

   still

   drinnen

   indoors

   passt

   works; fits

   wenn

   if; when

   regnet

   rains

   More detail

   Such ... aus is the separable imperative of aussuchen (“to choose / pick out”). The command is addressed to an understood singular du: Such etwas aus! means “Pick something out!” In a separable verb, such stays in the verb position and aus moves to the end. Example: Such ein Buch aus. — “Pick out a book.” etwas means “something” and is an indefinite pronoun, so it does not specify what the thing is. It is useful when the exact choice is left open. Example: Ich möchte etwas essen. — “I would like to eat something.” das introduces a relative clause and means “that” or “which” here. It is neuter singular in this use, matching the neuter pronoun etwas; inside the relative clause, it is the subject of passt. This is separate from the demonstrative use of das meaning “that” before a noun. auch commonly means “also” or “too.” Here it adds the idea that the selected thing works in another situation as well; the natural fixed translation expresses this as “still works indoors.” Example: Das passt auch morgen. — “That works tomorrow too.” drinnen is an adverb meaning “indoors / inside,” referring to an interior location without naming a particular room. Its counterpart draußen means “outdoors / outside.” Example: Wir bleiben drinnen. — “We are staying indoors.” passt is the third-person singular present form of passen, “to fit” or, as here, “to work / be suitable.” The subject is das, not etwas as a separate word: the relative clause says that the chosen thing is suitable indoors. Example: Der Termin passt. — “The appointment works for me.” wenn introduces a subordinate conditional or temporal clause. With the intended meaning here, it means “if,” introducing the condition for the choice being suitable. In a wenn clause, the finite verb normally goes to the end. Example: Wir gehen, wenn es nicht regnet. — “We will go if it does not rain.” regnet is the third-person singular present form of regnen, “to rain.” German uses the weather subject es: es regnet means “it is raining,” although es does not identify a person or object. The form is present tense and agrees with singular es. Together, Such etwas aus gives the instruction “Pick something out.” The relative clause das auch drinnen passt specifies the required choice: it should also be suitable indoors. The conditional clause wenn es regnet gives the relevant condition, “if it rains.” Thus the complete utterance means: “Pick something that still works indoors if it rains.”

3. Der Markt im Freien klingt nach Spaß, aber Regen könnte es dort ungemütlich machen.

   The outdoor market sounds fun, but rain could make it uncomfortable.

   Markt

   market

   im Freien

   outdoors; in the open air

   klingt nach

   sounds like

   Spaß

   fun

   Regen

   rain

   könnte

   could; might

   ungemütlich

   uncomfortable; unpleasant

   machen

   make

   More detail

   Markt means “market” here. Its base form is der Markt; der shows masculine singular nominative, the form used for the subject of this sentence. The plural is die Märkte, with an umlaut. im Freien is the set phrase “outdoors” or “in the open air.” im is the contraction of in dem; Freien is a nominalized adjective and is capitalized. The phrase describes the market’s location or setting, not a separate object. klingt nach uses the verb klingen with nach plus a dative complement. Literally, it presents something as giving a certain impression; here it means “sounds like.” The observed form klingt is third-person singular present, agreeing with Der Markt. Example: Das klingt nach einem guten Plan. — “That sounds like a good plan.” Spaß means “fun” here. In nach Spaß, it is the complement of nach; the noun has no visible article in this expression. The same noun can also mean “enjoyment” in other contexts, but this sentence says that the market sounds fun. Regen means “rain” and is the subject of the second clause. It is a masculine noun: der Regen. German can use it without an article when referring to rain as a general weather phenomenon, as here. könnte is the third-person singular form of können in the subjunctive II (Konjunktiv II). können means “can/be able to”; könnte expresses a possible result, so Regen könnte ... means “rain could ...” rather than stating that the result will definitely occur. Example: Das könnte schwierig werden. — “That could become difficult.” ungemütlich means “uncomfortable” or “unpleasant,” especially because conditions are not inviting or comfortable. It is an adjective, formed with the negative prefix un- from gemütlich (“comfortable/cozy”); the opposite is gemütlich. In this sentence it describes the situation represented by es. machen is the infinitive “to make.” It remains at the end of the clause because it follows the modal verb könnte: könnte ... machen. The reusable pattern is etwas könnte es + adjective + machen — “something could make it + adjective.” Putting the parts together, Der Markt im Freien is the subject and setting: “the outdoor market.” klingt nach Spaß says that it gives the impression of being fun. The coordinating word aber introduces a contrast. In Regen könnte es dort ungemütlich machen, Regen is the possible cause, es is the object referring to the relevant situation or experience, and ungemütlich describes the result. The complete meaning is: “The outdoor market sounds fun, but rain could make it uncomfortable.”

4. Ein Museum wäre einfacher, wenn das Wetter schlecht wird.

   A museum would be easier if the weather turns bad.

   Museum

   museum

   wäre

   would be

   einfacher

   easier

   wenn

   if

   Wetter

   weather

   schlecht

   bad

   wird

   turns

   More detail

   Museum is the noun “museum.” Its plural is Museen. In the sentence, ein Museum means “a museum”; the article is not being used to state a numerical count. wäre is the Konjunktiv II form of sein (“to be”), used here for a hypothetical or conditional result: “would be.” The useful contrast is ist (“is”) for a straightforward present statement and wäre (“would be”) for a situation viewed as conditional or imagined. einfacher is the comparative of the adjective einfach (“easy” or “simple”): einfach → einfacher (“easier”). Here it describes the museum option as easier, without specifying what it is easier than. The comparative ending belongs to einfacher, not to Museum. wenn introduces the condition “if.” In a German wenn-clause, the finite verb normally goes to the end. Pattern: wenn + condition + finite verb. Wetter is the noun “weather.” It is neuter: das Wetter. German normally uses the definite article with this general weather expression, as in das Wetter ist ... (“the weather is ...”). schlecht is the adjective “bad” or, for weather, “bad.” After a form of sein or werden, it is used without an adjective ending: Das Wetter wird schlecht (“The weather turns bad”). wird is the third-person singular present form of werden (“to become” or “to turn”). Here it expresses a change of state, so schlecht wird means “turns bad” or “becomes bad.” Compare Das Wetter ist schlecht (“The weather is bad”), which describes a state rather than the change into that state. In the wenn-clause, wird comes last. Together, Ein Museum wäre einfacher gives the hypothetical result, “A museum would be easier,” and wenn das Wetter schlecht wird gives its condition, “if the weather turns bad.” The whole utterance therefore means: “A museum would be easier if the weather turns bad.”

5. So bleiben wir flexibel, ohne den Tag abzusagen.

   That gives us flexibility without canceling the day.

   So

   that way

   bleiben

   remain; stay

   flexibel

   flexible

   ohne

   without

   Tag

   day

   abzusagen

   to cancel

   More detail

   So means “that way” here and points to the situation or choice being discussed. It can also mean “so” in other contexts, but this use introduces the consequence: “That way …” bleiben is the present-tense form of bleiben for wir (“we”): wir bleiben. It means “remain” or “stay,” and with an adjective it describes continuing in a state: Wir bleiben ruhig. — “We remain calm.” flexibel is an adjective meaning “flexible,” able to adapt rather than being fixed to one arrangement. After bleiben, it describes the state that continues: Der Plan bleibt flexibel. — “The plan remains flexible.” ohne means “without.” A useful German pattern is ohne zu + infinitive for doing something without carrying out another action: ohne zu warten — “without waiting.” Here, ohne introduces the action expressed by abzusagen. Tag is the masculine noun der Tag, “day.” In this sentence it appears as den Tag, the accusative form after absagen: den Tag absagen. The fixed translation identifies this as canceling the day, rather than merely changing a detail of the plan. abzusagen is the infinitive of the separable verb absagen, “to cancel.” In the ohne zu construction, the zu is inserted into this separable verb: absagen → abzusagen. Compare the finite form Wir sagen den Tag ab. — “We cancel the day.” Together, So bleiben wir flexibel says “That way, we remain flexible.” The construction ohne den Tag abzusagen adds the action avoided: “without canceling the day.” The whole utterance therefore means: “That gives us flexibility without canceling the day.”

6. Sag allen, was der Hauptplan ist und welche Möglichkeit es drinnen gibt, bevor sie losgehen.

   Tell everyone the main plan and the indoor option before they leave.

   Sag

   tell

   allen

   everyone

   der Hauptplan

   the main plan

   ist

   is

   Möglichkeit

   option

   drinnen

   inside

   bevor

   before

   sie losgehen

   they leave

   More detail

   Sag is the singular informal imperative of sagen (“to tell/say”). The subject du is understood but not written: Sag ... means “Tell ...”. Compare Sagt ... for an informal plural command and Sagen Sie ... for a formal command. allen is the dative plural form of alle (“all/everyone”). Here it marks the people who should receive the information: “everyone”. The dative is required by this use of sagen: jemandem etwas sagen means “to tell someone something”. der Hauptplan means “the main plan”. der is the masculine singular definite article, and Hauptplan is a compound noun: Haupt- contributes the idea “main” and Plan means “plan”. The phrase is the thing being told. The adjective-like element Haupt- is part of the compound here, not a separately inflected adjective. ist is the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”). Its subject is der Hauptplan: Der Hauptplan ist ... means “The main plan is ...”. The form ist is used with a singular third-person subject; plural subjects use sind. Möglichkeit means “option” or “possibility”. In the sentence it appears with welche as welche Möglichkeit, meaning “which option”. Its plural is Möglichkeiten. Example: Wir haben eine Möglichkeit. — “We have one option.” drinnen is an adverb meaning “inside” or, in this context, “indoors”. It describes the location associated with the option; it does not itself mean “option”. Example: Wir bleiben drinnen. — “We are staying indoors.” bevor introduces a subordinate clause meaning “before”. In a German clause introduced by bevor, the finite verb normally goes to the end. Here the clause is bevor sie losgehen: “before they leave”. sie losgehen means “they leave” in this sentence. sie is the third-person plural subject, and losgehen is the infinitive of the separable verb losgehen (“to leave” or “to set off”). In the present tense, the third-person plural form is also losgehen; in a subordinate clause it remains at the end: bevor sie losgehen. This sie is understood as the people who are to leave, but the fixed sentence does not identify them more specifically. Putting the parts together: Sag allen gives the command “Tell everyone”. The first thing to tell them is was der Hauptplan ist, literally “what the main plan is”. The second is welche Möglichkeit es drinnen gibt, “which indoor option there is”; es gibt is the German construction for “there is/are”. The final clause bevor sie losgehen sets the time: “before they leave”. Thus the whole utterance means: “Tell everyone the main plan and the indoor option before they leave.”

7. Ich werde beide Optionen verschicken, bevor wir uns treffen.

   I will send both choices before we meet.

   Ich werde

   I will

   beide

   both

   Optionen

   options

   verschicken

   send

   bevor

   before

   wir

   we

   uns treffen

   meet each other

   More detail

   Ich werde introduces the future construction: werden is the first-person singular form here, and the lexical verb stays in the infinitive at the end of its clause. Pattern: Ich werde + infinitive = “I will …”. For a present plan, German can also use the present tense with a time expression, but werde explicitly presents the action as future. beide means “both” and refers to exactly two items. It agrees with the plural noun Optionen; in this accusative plural phrase, the form is beide. This is different from alle, which means “all” and is not limited to two. Optionen is the plural of the feminine noun Option (“option/choice”). The ending -en marks the plural here: eine Option → beide Optionen. The fixed translation makes clear that these are the two choices being sent. verschicken is the infinitive “to send” or “to dispatch,” often used for sending something out, such as a message or document. It is the verb that follows werde in the future construction. Example: Ich werde die Unterlagen verschicken. — “I will send the documents.” bevor introduces a subordinate time clause meaning “before”. In German, the finite verb of this clause goes to the end: bevor wir uns treffen = “before we meet”. This word states the order of events; it does not itself say how much time separates them. wir is the first-person plural subject “we”. It includes the speaker and at least one other participant, but the sentence does not identify that participant more specifically. uns treffen is the reciprocal expression “meet each other” here. treffen is the base form “to meet”; with the subject wir, its present-tense form is wir treffen. uns is the accusative form of the first-person plural pronoun and represents the participants meeting one another. Example: Wir treffen uns morgen. — “We are meeting tomorrow.” Together, Ich werde beide Optionen verschicken means “I will send both choices,” and bevor wir uns treffen adds the time relation “before we meet.” The complete utterance therefore means: “I will send both choices before we meet.”

8. Menschen kommen mit Änderungen besser zurecht, wenn sie die Alternative frühzeitig kennen.

   People handle changes better when they know the alternative early.

   Menschen

   people

   kommen … zurecht

   cope / manage

   Änderungen

   changes

   besser

   better

   Alternative

   alternative / option

   frühzeitig

   early / in advance

   kennen

   know

   More detail

   Menschen means “people” here. It is the plural of Mensch (“person/human”); the form Menschen is also used in several other grammatical positions, so its plural meaning comes from the sentence context. Example: Viele Menschen arbeiten hier. — “Many people work here.” kommen ... zurecht is the separable verb zurechtkommen, meaning “to cope” or “to manage.” In the fixed sentence, kommen is the present-tense form for the plural subject Menschen, while the separable part zurecht appears at the end of the main clause. A reusable pattern is jemand kommt mit etwas zurecht — “someone manages/copes with something.” Example: Sie kommt mit dem neuen System zurecht. — “She manages with the new system.” Änderungen means “changes.” It is the plural of Änderung (“change”). Here it follows mit, which uses the dative; the plural form is still Änderungen in this context. Example: Wir sprechen über die Änderungen. — “We are talking about the changes.” besser means “better” and compares the way people cope with changes. It is the comparative form related to gut (“good”): gut → besser → am besten (“best”). Here besser functions adverbially with zurechtkommen, describing coping more successfully, not modifying the noun Änderungen. wenn introduces the condition “when” in this sentence. In a German wenn clause, the finite verb normally goes to the end. The clause here is wenn sie die Alternative frühzeitig kennen, with kennen at the end. sie is a third-person plural pronoun here, meaning “they”; the fixed translation identifies the people as the ones who know. Its form also appears in other functions in German, so its exact meaning must be determined from context and grammatical role. die Alternative means “the alternative” or “the option” here. Alternative is a feminine noun, and die is its definite article in the form used here. The noun is singular in this phrase; the plural is Alternativen. Example: Wir wählen die Alternative. — “We choose the alternative.” frühzeitig means “early” or “in advance.” It is an adverb here and says that the people know the option sufficiently early, rather than describing the option itself. Example: Bitte informieren Sie uns frühzeitig. — “Please inform us early/in advance.” kennen means “know” in the sense of being familiar with or knowing a person, place, thing, or option. It is the present-tense form for a plural subject such as sie (“they”); its base form is also kennen. It differs from wissen, which is commonly used for knowing a fact or piece of information. Example: Wir kennen diese Möglichkeit. — “We know this possibility.” Together, Menschen kommen mit Änderungen besser zurecht says that people cope with changes better. The wenn clause adds the condition: wenn sie die Alternative frühzeitig kennen — “when they know the alternative early.” Thus the whole utterance means: “People handle changes better when they know the alternative early.”