Clarifying medicine instructions safely | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ich bin mir nicht sicher, ob ich dieses Medikamentenetikett verstehe.

   I am not sure I understand this medicine label.

   Ich bin mir nicht sicher

   I am not sure

   ob

   whether

   dieses

   this

   Medikamentenetikett

   medicine label

   verstehe

   understand

   More detail

   Ich bin mir nicht sicher expresses the speaker’s uncertainty: “I am not sure.” The reusable pattern is sich sicher sein (“to be sure”), with sein as its base verb. Here bin is the first-person singular present form of sein, and mir is the dative form used with the speaker’s reflexive construction. nicht negates sicher, so the meaning is uncertainty rather than certainty. Example: Ich bin mir sicher. — “I am sure.” ob introduces an embedded yes-or-no question, meaning “whether” or, in this sentence, “if.” In German, an ob clause normally places its finite verb at the end. This is different from a direct question such as Verstehe ich das? — “Do I understand that?” dieses means “this” here. Its form agrees with Medikamentenetikett: the compound noun is neuter, and dieses is the neuter accusative form in this noun phrase. The demonstrative identifies the label as a particular nearby or otherwise identifiable item; it does not itself state a numerical quantity. Medikamentenetikett means “medicine label.” It is a compound noun: Medikament means “medicine” and Etikett means “label,” while the combined word names a label for medicine. The compound is neuter: das Medikamentenetikett. verstehe means “understand” in this sentence. Its base form is verstehen; verstehe is the first-person singular present form. In the ob clause it appears at the end, as required by the clause structure. Together, Ich bin mir nicht sicher states the speaker’s uncertainty, ob introduces what is uncertain, and ich dieses Medikamentenetikett verstehe says that the speaker understands this medicine label. The complete meaning is: “I am not sure I understand this medicine label.”

2. Ruf den Apotheker an, bevor du die nächste Dosis nimmst.

   Call the pharmacist before you take the next dose.

   Ruf … an

   call

   Apotheker

   pharmacist

   bevor

   before

   nächste

   next

   Dosis

   dose

   nimmst

   take

   More detail

   Ruf … an is the separable verb anrufen, “to call.” In this sentence it is an informal singular imperative addressed to du. The verb stem appears at the beginning and the prefix an moves to the end: Ruf den Apotheker an! means “Call the pharmacist!” In a finite main-clause statement, the same separation occurs: Du rufst den Apotheker an. The parts stay together in forms such as the infinitive anrufen and in a subordinate clause such as …, bevor du den Apotheker anrufst. Apotheker means “pharmacist.” Here it is the person being called, so the masculine article is accusative: den Apotheker. The indefinite version is einen Apotheker (“a pharmacist”); the article changes to mark the masculine accusative, while the noun form remains Apotheker. bevor introduces a clause meaning “before.” In the clause it introduces, the finite verb goes to the end: bevor du die nächste Dosis nimmst (“before you take the next dose”). This is a useful pattern: bevor + subject + … + verb. nächste is the form of the adjective stem nächst- meaning “next” here. It describes Dosis in die nächste Dosis; the ending reflects the feminine noun phrase with the definite article. Compare die nächste Woche (“next week”) and der nächste Termin (“the next appointment”). Dosis means “dose,” a quantity of medicine taken at one time. In die nächste Dosis, it is the feminine noun after the definite article die. The phrase refers to the next dose, without stating how large that dose is. nimmst is the du form of nehmen, “to take.” Useful present-tense forms include ich nehme, du nimmst, and er/sie nimmt; the vowel changes from e to i in the second- and third-person singular forms. Here nimmst is at the end because it belongs to the bevor clause. Together, Ruf den Apotheker an gives the instruction “Call the pharmacist.” bevor du die nächste Dosis nimmst sets the time condition: this call should happen before you take the next dose. The complete utterance is therefore “Call the pharmacist before you take the next dose.”

3. Ich möchte auch fragen, ob ich bestimmte Lebensmittel vermeiden sollte.

   I also want to ask whether I should avoid certain foods.

   Ich möchte

   I would like / I want

   auch

   also

   fragen

   ask

   ob

   whether

   bestimmte

   certain / specific

   Lebensmittel

   foods

   vermeiden

   avoid

   sollte

   should

   More detail

   Ich möchte combines ich (“I”) with möchte, a first-person singular form used here to express a present wish or intention: “I would like” / “I want.” möchte is the first-person singular form of mögen in the subjunctive II form, conventionally used for this meaning; it is not best treated as the infinitive of the verb. A useful pattern is Ich möchte + infinitive: Ich möchte schlafen. — “I would like to sleep.” auch means “also” and adds this request to something else the speaker wants to say or do. Its position after Ich möchte gives the sense “I also want to ask.” fragen is the infinitive “to ask.” After möchte, German uses the infinitive: Ich möchte fragen — “I would like to ask.” The verb fragen can introduce a question with ob, as it does here. ob introduces an embedded yes-or-no question. It is commonly translated as “whether” or “if” in this meaning. Unlike a direct question, the finite verb in the ob clause goes to the end: Ich frage, ob er kommt. — “I ask whether he is coming.” bestimmte means “certain” or “specific” here. It is the adjective bestimmt with an ending for a plural accusative noun phrase without an article: bestimmte Lebensmittel. The form changes with other noun phrases, for example ein bestimmtes Lebensmittel — “a specific food.” Lebensmittel means “food” or “food products.” In this sentence it is plural and is the object of vermeiden, so the intended meaning is “certain foods.” The singular and plural forms are both Lebensmittel; the surrounding grammar and meaning identify the plural use here. vermeiden means “to avoid.” It is an infinitive, and it takes the thing being avoided as its object: Ich vermeide Zucker. — “I avoid sugar.” In the fixed sentence, bestimmte Lebensmittel is that object. sollte expresses “should” here. It is the first-person singular form of sollen in a form that can be the preterite indicative or the identical subjunctive II form; the fixed translation establishes the recommendation meaning here. Compare Ich soll warten. — “I am supposed to wait” — with Sollte ich warten? — “Should I wait?” Together, Ich möchte auch fragen means “I also want to ask.” The following ob clause contains ich, the object bestimmte Lebensmittel, and the verb group vermeiden sollte. Because this is an embedded question, the infinitive vermeiden comes before the finite modal form sollte at the end of the clause. The complete meaning is: “I also want to ask whether I should avoid certain foods.”

4. Das sollte man überprüfen, besonders wenn auf dem Etikett Mahlzeiten erwähnt werden.

   That is worth checking, especially if the label mentions meals.

   Das

   that; it

   sollte man

   one should; it is advisable to

   überprüfen

   check; verify

   besonders wenn

   especially if

   Etikett

   label

   Mahlzeiten

   meals

   erwähnt werden

   be mentioned

   More detail

   Das means “that” here and points to something already understood in the situation; the supplied translation does not identify the specific thing. As a German demonstrative pronoun, its form reflects the grammatical form required in context, but this sentence alone does not establish a concrete referent. sollte man combines sollte, the form of sollen used here for advice, with man, an impersonal subject meaning “one” or “people in general.” Compare Man sollte die Angaben prüfen. — “One should check the information.” This is a recommendation, not a statement that someone is definitely required to do it. überprüfen is the infinitive “to check” or “to verify.” It commonly follows a modal such as sollte: Man sollte das Datum überprüfen. — “One should check the date.” besonders wenn introduces a condition that receives special emphasis: “especially if.” Wenn introduces the condition, while besonders means that this condition is particularly relevant. Example: Ich prüfe es, besonders wenn es wichtig ist. — “I check it, especially if it is important.” Etikett is the noun “label.” In the sentence it occurs in the phrase auf dem Etikett, “on the label”; dem marks the form required after auf for a fixed location. The singular noun is das Etikett; its plural is die Etiketten. Mahlzeiten is the plural of die Mahlzeit, “meal.” The plural ending changes the noun from one meal to meals in general. Example: Die Mahlzeiten stehen auf dem Plan. — “The meals are listed on the plan.” erwähnt werden means “be mentioned.” Erwähnt is the past participle of erwähnen, “to mention,” and werden forms the passive construction. In Mahlzeiten erwähnt werden, the meals are presented as what gets mentioned; the sentence does not say who mentions them. Compare the active sentence Das Etikett erwähnt Mahlzeiten. — “The label mentions meals.” Together, Das sollte man überprüfen means “That should be checked” or “That is worth checking.” The conditional clause besonders wenn auf dem Etikett Mahlzeiten erwähnt werden adds the condition “especially if meals are mentioned on the label.” Thus the whole utterance means: “That is worth checking, especially if the label mentions meals.”

5. Nach der Einnahme hatte ich leichte Kopfschmerzen.

   I had a mild headache after taking it.

   Nach der Einnahme

   after taking it

   hatte

   had

   leichte

   mild

   Kopfschmerzen

   headache

   More detail

   Nach der Einnahme means “after taking it” here. nach expresses a time relation and takes the dative in this use. Einnahme is a noun formed from einnehmen (“to take,” especially medicine); after nach, feminine die Einnahme becomes dative der Einnahme. Example: Nach der Einnahme trinke ich Wasser. — “After taking it, I drink water.” hatte is the simple past form of haben for ich: ich habe (present) → ich hatte (simple past). In this sentence, it introduces the symptom experienced after the earlier action. Example: Ich hatte gestern Kopfschmerzen. — “I had a headache yesterday.” leichte means “mild” here. It is the attributive form of leicht and agrees with the plural noun Kopfschmerzen in the accusative: leichte Kopfschmerzen. The ending is not carried by Kopfschmerzen; it belongs to the adjective leicht. Example: Sie hat leichte Schmerzen. — “She has mild pain.” Kopfschmerzen is the usual German expression for “headache.” Although it is plural in form, English commonly translates it with the singular “a headache.” The singular noun is Kopfschmerz, but the plural expression Kopfschmerzen is the standard everyday choice for this symptom. Example: Kopfschmerzen können unangenehm sein. — “Headaches can be unpleasant.” Together, Nach der Einnahme sets the time, hatte ich says that the speaker experienced something in the past, and leichte Kopfschmerzen names the symptom. The complete meaning is: “I had a mild headache after taking it.”

6. Also sollte ich das ansprechen.

   So I should bring that up.

   Also

   so

   sollte ich

   I should

   das

   that

   ansprechen

   bring up

   More detail

   Also means “so” here: it connects this conclusion to what was said before. At the beginning of a sentence, German also commonly has this connective meaning; it does not mean English “also” in this utterance. Example: Also gehen wir. — “So, we’re going.” sollte ich contains ich (“I”) and sollte, the first-person singular form of sollen in the Konjunktiv II. Here it expresses a recommendation or what the speaker thinks they ought to do: “I should.” Compare Ich soll das ansprechen. — “I am supposed to bring that up,” which presents the obligation more directly. The modal form sollte is followed by the other verb in the infinitive. das is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that.” It is the accusative neuter form, used here as the object of ansprechen. The fixed translation supports the demonstrative meaning “that,” while the exact matter being referred to is not uniquely named in the sentence. ansprechen means “to bring up” or “to address” a subject. Its base form is the separable verb ansprechen; with a modal verb, it remains an infinitive at the end of the clause rather than splitting: Ich sollte das ansprechen. — “I should bring that up.” In a finite main clause without a modal, the prefix separates: Ich spreche das an. — “I bring that up.” Together, Also introduces a conclusion, sollte ich expresses the speaker’s recommendation, das identifies the matter as “that,” and ansprechen says what the speaker should do with it. The complete meaning is: “So I should bring that up.”

7. Frag, ob das eine Nebenwirkung sein könnte und auf welche Warnzeichen du achten solltest.

   Ask whether it could be a side effect and what warning signs to watch for.

   Frag

   ask

   Nebenwirkung

   side effect

   sein könnte

   could be

   Warnzeichen

   warning signs

   auf … achten

   watch for; pay attention to

   More detail

   Frag is the informal singular imperative of fragen (“to ask”). It addresses one person and gives a direct instruction. The same verb can appear as Du fragst ... (“You ask ...”) in a statement or Frag ...! (“Ask ...!”) as a command. ob introduces an indirect yes/no question. The clause after it is not a separate direct question; German places its finite verb at the end: ob das eine Nebenwirkung sein könnte (“whether it could be a side effect”). das is a neuter singular pronoun/article form. Here it corresponds to “it,” but the supplied sentence does not identify a more specific referent. In eine Nebenwirkung, Nebenwirkung is a feminine noun meaning “side effect”; its plural is Nebenwirkungen. The indefinite article eine marks the noun phrase as indefinite, but does not by itself state a numeric count. sein könnte combines the infinitive sein (“to be”) with könnte, the form of können used here to express possibility. Because könnte is the finite modal verb in the subordinate clause, sein stays at the end before it. The combination means “could be,” not a firm identification. For example: Das könnte eine Nebenwirkung sein. — “That could be a side effect.” und connects the two things being requested: whether something could be a side effect, and which warning signs should be watched for. auf welche Warnzeichen contains Warnzeichen, meaning “warning signs.” Warnzeichen is also the plural form of the neuter noun das Warnzeichen; the plural form is therefore unchanged. welche means “which” here and specifies that the question concerns particular warning signs. The preposition auf belongs with achten in the pattern auf etwas achten (“to pay attention to something” / “to watch for something”). In this construction, auf takes the accusative: auf welche Warnzeichen. du achten solltest uses du for an informal singular “you.” achten is the infinitive, and solltest is the second-person singular form of sollen used for a recommendation: “should.” With a modal verb, the lexical verb remains in the infinitive at the end of the subordinate clause. For example: Du solltest auf neue Beschwerden achten. — “You should watch for new symptoms.” Taken together, Frag gives the instruction “Ask,” while ob ... introduces the first indirect question. und auf welche Warnzeichen du achten solltest adds a second indirect question about which warning signs the person should watch for. The whole utterance therefore means: “Ask whether it could be a side effect and what warning signs to watch for.”

8. Raten fühlt sich riskant an, besonders bei Medikamenten.

   Guessing feels risky, especially with medicine.

   Raten

   guessing

   fühlt sich … an

   feels

   riskant

   risky

   besonders

   especially

   bei

   with; in connection with

   Medikamenten

   medication

   More detail

   Raten means “guessing” here. It is the infinitive raten used as a noun-like subject, so it is capitalized. As a verb, raten can mean “to guess”; for example, Ich rate die Antwort. means “I guess the answer.” The capitalized form in this sentence names the activity itself. fühlt sich ... an is the separable verb sich anfühlen, “to feel.” In the 3rd-person singular present, fühlt carries the subject agreement, while the separable part an moves to the end: Das fühlt sich gut an. means “That feels good.” sich is the reflexive element belonging to this verb; it is not an independently specified participant here. riskant describes the quality of the activity: it means “risky.” It is an adjective in the basic form, not a comparative. A useful comparison is riskanter (“riskier”) and am riskantesten (“riskiest”). For example, Diese Entscheidung ist riskant. means “This decision is risky.” besonders means “especially” and highlights the following situation as a particularly relevant case. It is an adverb, so it does not change form. For example, Ich mag das besonders. means “I especially like that.” bei marks the situation or area in which something applies and takes the dative. In bei Medikamenten, it has the context-appropriate sense “with medication” or “when it comes to medication.” This is different from mit, which more typically expresses accompaniment or the instrument used for an action. Medikamenten is the plural dative form of the noun das Medikament (“medication” or “medicine”): das Medikament → die Medikamente → bei Medikamenten. The ending -en here is carried by the noun because bei requires the dative, and the sentence refers to medication generally rather than asserting a particular number of medicines. Together, Raten fühlt sich riskant an says “Guessing feels risky.” besonders bei Medikamenten adds the especially relevant situation, “especially with medication.” The complete utterance is therefore: “Guessing feels risky, especially with medicine.”

9. Eine Fachkraft kann die Risiken klarer erklären.

   A professional can explain the risks more clearly.

   Fachkraft

   professional

   kann

   can; is able to

   Risiken

   risks

   klarer

   more clearly

   erklären

   explain

   More detail

   Fachkraft means a qualified professional or specialist. It is a feminine grammatical noun even when the person’s real-world gender is not the focus. The form here is singular: eine Fachkraft; its plural is Fachkräfte. kann is the third-person singular form of the modal verb können (“can, be able to”). With a modal verb, the other verb usually goes to the end in its infinitive form: kann ... erklären. For example: Eine Fachkraft kann helfen. — “A professional can help.” Risiken is the plural of Risiko (“risk”). Here, die Risiken is the definite plural object of erklären; the definite article die has the same form in German plural nominative and accusative. The singular is das Risiko, and the plural is die Risiken. klarer is the comparative form of klar (“clear” or “clearly”). In this sentence it modifies the verb erklären, so it means “more clearly,” not a form agreeing with the noun Risiken. The useful comparison is klar — “clearly” — klarer — “more clearly” — am klarsten — “most clearly.” For example: Bitte erklären Sie das klarer. — “Please explain that more clearly.” erklären is the infinitive “to explain.” Its subject is eine Fachkraft, and kann places this infinitive at the end of the clause. The pattern jemand kann etwas erklären means “someone can explain something.” Together, Eine Fachkraft identifies a professional as the subject, kann expresses ability, die Risiken is what is explained, and klarer erklären means “explain more clearly.” The complete utterance therefore means: “A professional can explain the risks more clearly.”

10. Ich kann die Fragen vor dem Anruf aufschreiben.

    I can write down the questions before calling.

    Ich kann

    I can

    Fragen

    questions

    vor dem

    before the

    Anruf

    call

    aufschreiben

    write down

    More detail

    Ich kann uses können in the first-person singular present: ich kann = “I can” or “I am able to.” With an infinitive, it expresses ability or possibility. The modal verb is in the second position, while the main verb moves to the end: Ich kann ... aufschreiben. Example: Ich kann helfen. — “I can help.” Fragen means “questions” here. Its base form is the noun die Frage (“the question”); Fragen is its plural. In the sentence, die Fragen is the definite plural object of aufschreiben, so the speaker means specific questions rather than questions in general. Example: Ich lese die Fragen. — “I read the questions.” vor dem means “before the” in this time expression. vor takes the dative here, and dem is the dative form of the definite article for a masculine or neuter singular noun. The following noun, Anruf, is masculine, so der Anruf becomes dem Anruf after vor. Anruf means “call” here, specifically a telephone call. The base noun is der Anruf; its plural is die Anrufe. Example: Der Anruf beginnt bald. — “The call begins soon.” aufschreiben means “to write down.” It is a separable verb: the infinitive is aufschreiben, but in a main clause without a modal, the parts separate, as in Ich schreibe die Fragen auf. With kann, the infinitive remains together at the end: Ich kann die Fragen aufschreiben. Together, Ich kann expresses the speaker’s ability, die Fragen aufschreiben gives the action and its object, and vor dem Anruf sets the time. The complete meaning is: “I can write down the questions before calling.”

11. Das sollte es leichter machen, dem Gespräch zu folgen.

    That should make the call easier to follow.

    Das

    that

    sollte

    should

    es

    it

    leichter

    easier

    machen

    make

    Gespräch

    call

    zu folgen

    to follow

    More detail

    Das means “that” here as a demonstrative pronoun: it points to something already mentioned or understood, rather than naming a noun inside this sentence. At the beginning of a sentence it is capitalized. The previous sentence provides a compatible context for the reference, but the sentence does not require us to identify a more specific noun. sollte is the form of sollen used here for “should.” In this construction it expresses an expectation or intended result: “should make …”. The infinitive machen remains at the end of the modal-verb construction, while sollte carries the tense or modal meaning. Compare sollen “to be supposed to / should” with müssen “to have to”; they do not express the same degree of necessity. es is a neuter pronoun functioning here as an anticipatory object. It refers forward to the activity expressed by dem Gespräch zu folgen, so the pattern is etwas sollte es leichter machen, ... — “something should make it easier to ...”. Its grammatical form is not evidence that the following activity is a neuter noun. leichter is the comparative form of leicht “easy” or “light”: leicht → leichter → am leichtesten. Here it describes the result as easier, without stating exactly what the comparison is with. A useful contrast is schwer “difficult/heavy.” machen means “to make” here, and its infinitive form is required after sollte. With an adjective, machen can describe causing a change in how something is experienced: Das macht die Aufgabe leichter. — “That makes the task easier.” Gespräch is a neuter noun meaning “conversation” or, in this translation context, “call.” Its definite article is das Gespräch in the nominative and accusative, but dem Gespräch here is dative singular. The noun itself does not mean specifically a telephone call in every context; the fixed translation supports “call” for this utterance. zu folgen is the infinitive of folgen, “to follow,” with the infinitive marker zu. In this sentence it means following or keeping up with the conversation. folgen takes a dative complement in this use, which is why Gespräch appears as dem Gespräch; the preposition-like relationship is part of the verb’s usage, not a meaning of zu. Together, Das sollte es leichter machen means “That should make it easier,” and dem Gespräch zu folgen specifies what should become easier: following the conversation. The complete utterance is therefore “That should make the call easier to follow.”`