Choosing a Restaurant with Several Constraints | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ein Restaurant auszuwählen ist schwierig, weil wir einige Vorgaben haben.

   Choosing a restaurant is tricky because we have a few constraints.

   Restaurant

   restaurant

   auszuwählen

   to choose

   schwierig

   difficult; tricky

   weil

   because

   einige

   some; a few

   Vorgaben

   constraints; requirements

   haben

   to have

   More detail

   Restaurant is a neuter noun: das Restaurant, plural die Restaurants. In this sentence it is the object of the choosing action. Example: Wir suchen ein Restaurant. — “We are looking for a restaurant.” auszuwählen means “to choose” here. It is the infinitive with zu of auswählen; because auswählen is a separable verb, zu appears inside the verb: auszuwählen. The same pattern is useful after a noun or adjective: Es ist schwer, ein passendes Restaurant auszuwählen. — “It is difficult to choose a suitable restaurant.” schwierig describes the activity as difficult or tricky. Its comparative is schwieriger (“more difficult”), and its superlative is am schwierigsten (“most difficult”). Example: Die Entscheidung ist schwierig. — “The decision is difficult.” weil introduces the reason for the statement. In a clause beginning with weil, the finite verb normally goes to the end: weil wir einige Vorgaben haben — “because we have a few constraints.” einige means “some” or “a few” and indicates an unspecified, limited number. It is used here with the plural noun Vorgaben; the form does not itself identify an exact count. Example: Wir haben einige Fragen. — “We have a few questions.” Vorgaben is the plural of die Vorgabe, meaning a constraint, requirement, or specification that sets a limit or condition. Here it refers to conditions that restrict the restaurant choice. Example: Diese Vorgaben sind wichtig. — “These requirements are important.” haben is the infinitive and the first- or third-person plural present-tense form of haben; with wir, it means “we have.” Its present-tense forms include ich habe, du hast, er/sie/es hat, wir haben, and sie/Sie haben. The sentence starts with Ein Restaurant auszuwählen, an infinitive clause functioning as the subject: “Choosing a restaurant.” ist schwierig says that this activity is difficult. The clause introduced by weil gives the reason; wir is the subject, einige Vorgaben is what we have, and haben therefore stands at the end of the subordinate clause. Together: “Choosing a restaurant is tricky because we have a few constraints.”

2. Lass uns zuerst die Anforderungen auflisten: Essensangebote, Lautstärke, Entfernung und Komfort.

   Let's list the needs first: food options, noise level, distance, and comfort.

   Lass uns

   let’s

   zuerst

   first

   Anforderungen

   requirements

   auflisten

   list

   Essensangebote

   food options

   Lautstärke

   noise level

   Entfernung

   distance

   Komfort

   comfort

   More detail

   Lass uns is the reusable German way to suggest a joint action: “let’s …”. Lass is the singular informal imperative of lassen (“let/allow”), while uns means “us” here. The following infinitive names the proposed action. Example: Lass uns gehen. — “Let’s go.” zuerst is an adverb meaning “first” or “to begin with.” It places the action before other actions in the intended sequence. Example: Wir essen zuerst. — “We’ll eat first.” Anforderungen means “requirements” or, in this context, “needs.” It is the plural of die Anforderung; the plural ending is -en. The definite article die marks this as a definite plural noun phrase, and the form Anforderungen is unchanged between nominative and accusative plural. Here it is the object of auflisten. Example: Wir prüfen die Anforderungen. — “We check the requirements.” auflisten means “to list.” It is a separable verb: in a finite clause, auf can separate from listen, as in Wir listen die Punkte auf. — “We list the points.” After Lass uns, however, the infinitive auflisten stays together at the end of the clause. The verb takes the things being listed as its object. Essensangebote means “food options” or “food offerings.” It is a plural compound noun formed from Essen (“food”) and Angebote, the plural of das Angebot (“offer/option”). The compound refers to available food choices, not to food in general. Example: Das Restaurant hat viele Essensangebote. — “The restaurant has many food options.” Lautstärke means “volume” or “noise level.” It is the feminine noun die Lautstärke, commonly used for how loud a sound or place is. Example: Die Lautstärke ist angenehm. — “The noise level is pleasant.” Entfernung means “distance.” It is the feminine noun die Entfernung, used for the amount of space between places or things. Example: Die Entfernung ist gering. — “The distance is small.” Komfort means “comfort.” It is the masculine noun der Komfort; unlike the plural nouns earlier in the list, this form is singular here. Example: Der Komfort ist wichtig. — “Comfort is important.” Together, Lass uns zuerst ... auflisten means “Let’s list ... first.” The object of auflisten is die Anforderungen, followed after the colon by the four items that specify those needs: Essensangebote, Lautstärke, Entfernung and Komfort. Thus the whole utterance means: “Let’s list the needs first: food options, noise level, distance, and comfort.”

3. Eine Person braucht vegetarische Gerichte, und eine andere möchte einen ruhigen Ort.

   One person needs vegetarian options, and another wants somewhere quiet.

   Person

   person

   braucht

   needs

   vegetarische

   vegetarian

   Gerichte

   dishes; options

   eine andere

   another one

   möchte

   wants

   ruhigen

   quiet

   Ort

   place

   More detail

   Person means “person.” The noun is feminine in German: die Person, plural die Personen. In Eine Person, Person is the singular subject, and eine is the feminine singular indefinite article. braucht is the third-person singular present form of brauchen (“to need”): ich brauche, sie braucht. Here it says that the person needs something. Example: Er braucht Hilfe. — “He needs help.” vegetarische is the attributive form of vegetarisch (“vegetarian”). It describes Gerichte, which is plural; with a plural noun and no article before it, the adjective has the ending -e: vegetarische Gerichte. The adjective agrees with the noun rather than carrying the noun’s meaning itself. Gerichte is the plural of Gericht (“dish”). In this sentence it refers to vegetarian dishes or food options. Example: Das Restaurant bietet vegetarische Gerichte an. — “The restaurant offers vegetarian dishes.” eine andere means “another one,” here understood as another person. andere is the feminine singular form of ander- (“other, another”), used substantivally because the noun is omitted. The feminine form matches the understood person; eine is not by itself a statement of a numerical count. Example: Eine andere kommt später. — “Another person is coming later.” möchte is the third-person singular form of möchten, used to express a want or wish: ich möchte, sie möchte. In this sentence it means “wants” in the fixed translation. Example: Sie möchte einen Tee. — “She wants a tea.” ruhigen is the accusative masculine singular form of ruhig (“quiet, calm”). It describes Ort; the ending -en is required here after einen: einen ruhigen Ort. Example: Wir suchen einen ruhigen Raum. — “We are looking for a quiet room.” Ort means “place.” It is masculine: der Ort; in einen ruhigen Ort it is the direct object, so it appears in the masculine accusative singular. Its plural is Orte. Example: Dieser Ort ist ruhig. — “This place is quiet.” The first clause, Eine Person braucht vegetarische Gerichte, states that one person needs vegetarian food options. und joins it to a second clause: eine andere möchte einen ruhigen Ort, stating that another person wants a quiet place. Together, the utterance identifies two different needs without specifying more about either person.

4. Dann wäre ein lautes Burgerrestaurant kein guter Kompromiss.

   Then a loud burger place would not be a good compromise.

   wäre

   would be

   lautes

   loud

   Burgerrestaurant

   burger restaurant

   guter

   good

   Kompromiss

   compromise

   More detail

   wäre is the form of sein used here for a hypothetical result: “would be.” The base form is sein; its Konjunktiv II form wäre commonly expresses an imagined or conditional situation. For example: Das wäre eine gute Lösung. — “That would be a good solution.” lautes means “loud” here. Its base form is the adjective laut. The ending -es marks the neuter nominative form after the indefinite article ein: ein lautes Burgerrestaurant. The adjective agrees with the neuter noun Burgerrestaurant; it is not the noun that carries this adjective ending. Burgerrestaurant is a compound noun meaning “burger restaurant” or “burger place.” Its grammatical gender is neuter: das Burgerrestaurant. German compounds are generally written as one word, with the final component determining the compound’s gender here: Restaurant is neuter. For example: Das Burgerrestaurant ist geschlossen. — “The burger restaurant is closed.” guter means “good” in this sentence. Its base form is the adjective gut; the comparative is besser (“better”). The ending -er appears in ein guter Kompromiss because Kompromiss is masculine and this noun phrase is nominative. Compare: eine gute Idee — “a good idea,” where the adjective has a different ending because the noun phrase is feminine. Kompromiss means “compromise.” It is a masculine noun: der Kompromiss. Its plural is Kompromisse. For example: Wir suchen einen Kompromiss. — “We are looking for a compromise.” Together, Dann (“then”) introduces the consequence, and wäre presents it as hypothetical: ein lautes Burgerrestaurant is the proposed option, while kein guter Kompromiss says that this option is not a good compromise. The full utterance therefore means: “Then a loud burger place would not be a good compromise.”

5. Dieses Restaurant in der Nähe hat vegetarische Gerichte und einen ruhigeren Sitzbereich.

   This nearby restaurant has vegetarian dishes and a quieter seating area.

   Dieses

   this

   Restaurant

   restaurant

   in der Nähe

   nearby

   hat

   has

   vegetarische

   vegetarian

   Gerichte

   dishes

   ruhigeren

   quieter

   Sitzbereich

   seating area

   More detail

   Dieses means “this” here and is the neuter singular nominative form of the demonstrative dies-. It agrees with Restaurant, which is neuter: dieses Restaurant. The form changes with gender, number, and grammatical case; for example, diese Gerichte means “these dishes” in the plural. Restaurant is a neuter noun, so its article is das: das Restaurant. Its plural is Restaurants; the noun itself is an international loanword used for a place where meals are served. in der Nähe is a reusable phrase meaning “nearby” or “in the vicinity.” Literally, it places something “in the nearness.” In this sentence it describes the restaurant, so Dieses Restaurant in der Nähe is “this nearby restaurant.” hat is the third-person singular present form of haben, “to have.” The pattern X hat Y states that X has or contains Y. Example: Das Hotel hat einen Garten. — “The hotel has a garden.” vegetarische means “vegetarian” here and describes Gerichte. The adjective is based on vegetarisch; with the plural noun Gerichte and no article before it, it takes the ending -e: vegetarische Gerichte. Example: Wir bestellen vegetarische Gerichte. — “We are ordering vegetarian dishes.” Gerichte is the plural of Gericht, meaning “dish” or “meal” in this context. The plural form is also the accusative form here, because it is what the restaurant has. Gericht can have other context-dependent meanings, but here the fixed translation clearly selects the food meaning. ruhigeren means “quieter.” It is the comparative form of ruhig (“quiet”): ruhig → ruhiger → am ruhigsten (“quiet” → “quieter” → “quietest”). In einen ruhigeren Sitzbereich, the comparative adjective has the ending -en because it follows the masculine accusative article einen and modifies the singular noun Sitzbereich. Sitzbereich is a compound noun meaning “seating area”: Sitz relates to sitting, and Bereich means “area.” It is masculine, so the accusative phrase is einen Sitzbereich; the adjective phrase is einen ruhigeren Sitzbereich. Example: Das Café hat einen Sitzbereich. — “The café has a seating area.” Together, Dieses Restaurant in der Nähe identifies a nearby restaurant. hat then introduces two things it offers or contains: vegetarische Gerichte and einen ruhigeren Sitzbereich. The complete meaning is “This nearby restaurant has vegetarian dishes and a quieter seating area.”

6. Würde die Speisekarte für die ganze Gruppe passen?

   Would the menu work for the whole group?

   Würde

   would

   die Speisekarte

   the menu

   ganze

   whole

   Gruppe

   group

   passen

   fit; work

   More detail

   Würde is the third-person singular Konjunktiv II form of werden. Here it combines with the infinitive passen to form a tentative or hypothetical question, corresponding to “would …”. It is not the ordinary present-tense form of “become.” Example: Würde das für dich funktionieren? — “Would that work for you?” die Speisekarte means “the menu” here. The noun’s base form is Speisekarte; its plural is Speisekarten. Speisekarte is feminine, so its singular definite article is die. für means “for” and requires the accusative in this use. A reusable pattern is für + accusative noun phrase: Das ist für die Familie. — “That is for the family.” ganze is the adjective ganz (“whole, entire”) in an inflected form. In die ganze Gruppe, it describes the singular feminine noun Gruppe. The feminine singular definite article remains die in the accusative, and the adjective has the weak ending -e. The same adjective ending also occurs in the nominative, so the ending -e is not caused by the accusative alone. Example: Wir bleiben die ganze Woche hier. — “We are staying here all week.” Gruppe is the feminine noun die Gruppe, “group.” Its plural is Gruppen. In this utterance, it refers to the group whose suitability is being considered; the sentence does not specify how many people are in that group. Example: Die Gruppe kommt später. — “The group is coming later.” passen is the infinitive meaning “to fit” or, as here, “to be suitable/work.” With für plus a noun phrase, it can express suitability for someone or something: Das passt für die Familie. — “That works for the family.” Together, Würde ... passen? asks tentatively whether something would be suitable or work. The subject is die Speisekarte, and für die ganze Gruppe identifies the group it would suit. Thus Würde die Speisekarte für die ganze Gruppe passen? means “Would the menu work for the whole group?”

7. Die Speisekarte sieht einfach genug aus, und die Sitzplätze wirken bequem.

   It looks simple enough, and the seating seems comfortable.

   Speisekarte

   menu

   sieht … aus

   looks / appears

   einfach genug

   simple enough

   Sitzplätze

   seats

   wirken

   seem / appear

   bequem

   comfortable

   More detail

   Speisekarte means “menu” here. It is a feminine noun: die Speisekarte (singular), with plural die Speisekarten. In this sentence, the singular verb form sieht confirms that the menu is one thing being described; the form die by itself could also occur with a plural noun in German. sieht ... aus comes from the separable verb aussehen, “to look” or “to appear.” In the present tense, third-person singular is sieht ... aus: Die Speisekarte sieht gut aus. — “The menu looks good.” The prefix aus moves to the end of the clause, so the two parts belong together even though they are separated here by einfach genug. einfach genug means “simple enough.” einfach describes the menu as uncomplicated, and genug marks a sufficient degree: Das ist einfach genug. — “That is simple enough.” This expresses adequacy, not a numerical quantity. Sitzplätze means “seats” or, in this context, “seating places.” It is the plural of der Sitzplatz; the plural has the umlaut ä: der Sitzplatz → die Sitzplätze. The plural subject matches the plural verb wirken. wirken means “to seem” or “to appear” based on an impression. Its third-person plural present form is also wirken: Die Sitze wirken bequem. — “The seats seem comfortable.” Compared with aussehen, which focuses more directly on how something looks, wirken can describe the overall impression something gives. bequem means “comfortable” here. It is a descriptive adjective used after wirken, so it remains in its basic form rather than taking an ending: Die Sitzplätze wirken bequem. — “The seating seems comfortable.” The first clause has Die Speisekarte as its singular subject and sieht ... aus as the verb, with einfach genug describing its apparent simplicity. After und, die Sitzplätze is the plural subject of wirken, and bequem describes the impression they give. Together, the utterance means: “It looks simple enough, and the seating seems comfortable.”

8. Dann erkläre, warum dieser Ort zur Gruppe passt, bevor du ihn bestätigst.

   Then explain why this place fits the group before you confirm it.

   Dann

   then

   erkläre

   explain

   warum

   why

   dieser

   this

   Ort

   place

   Gruppe

   group

   passt

   fits

   bevor

   before

   ihn

   it

   bestätigst

   confirm

   More detail

   Dann means “then” and places this instruction after something already established in the sequence. It is a sequencing adverb and does not itself indicate tense. erkläre is the second-person singular imperative of erklären (“to explain”). The subject is understood as du, matching the later form bestätigst. The imperative addresses one person directly. Example: Erkläre das bitte. — “Please explain that.” warum introduces an embedded question asking for a reason: “why”. In warum dieser Ort ... passt, it begins the content to be explained. In this subordinate clause, the finite verb comes at the end. dieser is the masculine singular nominative form of the demonstrative dies- (“this”), agreeing with Ort. The form is selected by the noun’s masculine singular gender and its nominative role in dieser Ort. Another form appears in a different combination, such as diese Gruppe for a feminine singular nominative noun. Ort means “place” or “location”. Its plural is Orte. Here it is the subject of passt, so it is masculine singular nominative in dieser Ort. Gruppe means “group”. In zur Gruppe, it is feminine singular and follows zu, which requires the dative. zur is the contraction of zu der; in this sentence, zur Gruppe is the group-related complement of passt. Example: Sie gehört zur Gruppe. — “She belongs to the group.” passt is the third-person singular present form of passen (“to fit” or “to suit”). Here, dieser Ort is the thing that fits the group. A useful pattern is etwas passt zu jemandem/etwas: “something suits or fits someone/something”. bevor introduces a subordinate clause meaning “before”. The clause bevor du ihn bestätigst gives the action that follows the explanation in the required order. German places the finite verb at the end of this subordinate clause. ihn is the masculine singular accusative form of the personal pronoun er. In the fixed translation, it refers to the place, Ort, and means “it”. It is accusative because it is the direct object of bestätigst. bestätigst is the second-person singular present form of bestätigen (“to confirm”). Its subject is du, and its object is ihn. The ending -st marks the second-person singular present form here. Example: Du bestätigst den Termin. — “You confirm the appointment.” Together, Dann erkläre gives the instruction “Then explain”. warum dieser Ort zur Gruppe passt specifies what must be explained: why this place fits the group. bevor du ihn bestätigst places the confirmation after that explanation: the explanation is to happen before you confirm it. The complete utterance is: “Then explain why this place fits the group before you confirm it.”

9. Ich werde den Grund nennen und fragen, ob jemand Bedenken hat.

   I'll share the reason and ask whether anyone has a concern.

   Ich werde

   I will

   Grund

   reason

   nennen

   name; state

   fragen

   ask

   ob

   whether

   jemand

   anyone

   Bedenken

   a concern

   hat

   has

   More detail

   Ich werde expresses “I will” here. werde is the first-person singular present form of werden, used with an infinitive to form a future construction: Ich werde ... nennen = “I will name/state ...”. The subject is Ich (“I”), and werde matches that subject. den Grund means “the reason” here. Grund is a masculine noun: der Grund in the nominative and den Grund in the accusative. The accusative marks it as the direct object of nennen. Its plural is Gründe, as in gute Gründe (“good reasons”). nennen means “to name” and can also mean “to state” a reason or fact. It is the infinitive after werde. A useful form chain is nennen – nannte – hat genannt. Example: Sie nennt den Grund. — “She states the reason.” fragen means “to ask”. It is coordinated with nennen by und, so the utterance describes two future actions. Example: Ich frage ihn. — “I ask him.” ob introduces an indirect yes/no question and is translated here as “whether”. In the clause beginning with ob, the finite verb comes at the end: ob jemand Bedenken hat. jemand means “someone”; in this question, the intended meaning is “anyone”. It is an indefinite pronoun for an unspecified person. hat is singular because jemand is the grammatical subject. Bedenken means “a concern” here. The noun can have the visible form Bedenken for both das Bedenken (singular) and die Bedenken (plural); the fixed translation presents the intended meaning here as singular “a concern”. In Bedenken haben, it functions as the object of hat. hat is the third-person singular present form of haben (“to have”): jemand hat Bedenken means “someone has a concern” in the intended reading. Example: Sie hat keine Bedenken. — “She has no concerns.” Together, Ich werde den Grund nennen means “I will state/share the reason”. The coordinated verb fragen adds a second future action, and ob jemand Bedenken hat specifies what will be asked: whether anyone has a concern. The whole utterance means, “I’ll share the reason and ask whether anyone has a concern.”

10. Klare Gründe machen es später weniger unangenehm.

    Clear reasons reduce awkwardness later.

    Klare

    clear

    Gründe

    reasons

    machen

    make; cause

    später

    later

    weniger

    less

    unangenehm

    awkward; unpleasant

    More detail

    Klare means “clear” here and describes Gründe. Its base form is klar; klare has the ending used with a plural nominative noun in this construction. The ending is not part of the adjective’s basic meaning. Example: klare Antworten = “clear answers.” Gründe means “reasons” here. The singular base form is Grund, and the plural is Gründe, with an umlaut and an added -e. Example: ein Grund = “a reason”; mehrere Gründe = “several reasons.” machen is the present-tense form of machen with the plural subject Klare Gründe: “make” or “cause.” In etwas weniger unangenehm machen, it expresses causing something to become less unpleasant, rather than physically making an object. Example: Das macht den Anfang leichter. = “That makes the beginning easier.” später is the temporal form meaning “later.” It is related to spät (“late”) and presents a later time, without specifying exactly when. Example: Wir sprechen später darüber. = “We’ll talk about it later.” weniger means “less.” It reduces the degree of the following description. Here it modifies unangenehm, so the result is “less unpleasant/awkward,” not a statement about a smaller number of things. Example: Das ist weniger wichtig. = “That is less important.” unangenehm means “unpleasant” or, in this context, “awkward.” It is an adjective in its unchanged predicative form after machen ... es; weniger reduces its degree. Example: Die Situation ist unangenehm. = “The situation is awkward.” Together, Klare Gründe is the plural subject, machen introduces the result, and es is a grammatical placeholder for the situation being evaluated rather than a specifically identified object. The pattern etwas macht es weniger + adjective means that something causes a situation to become less [adjective]. später places that reduced awkwardness at a later time. Thus the whole utterance means: “Clear reasons reduce awkwardness later.”