Building a Realistic Healthy Routine | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ich möchte eine gesündere Routine, aber ich höre immer nach einer Woche auf.

   I want a healthier routine, but I always quit after a week.

   Ich möchte

   I want

   gesündere

   healthier

   Routine

   routine

   aber

   but

   immer

   always

   höre … auf

   quit

   nach einer Woche

   after a week

   More detail

   Ich möchte expresses the speaker’s desire: “I want.” möchte is the first-person singular form used with ich; it is the common polite/desire form of mögen in this use. The reusable pattern is Ich möchte + accusative noun, as in Ich möchte einen Tee. — “I would like a tea.” gesündere means “healthier” here. It is the comparative form of the adjective gesund (“healthy”): gesund → gesünder → am gesündesten (“healthy” → “healthier” → “healthiest”). The ending in gesündere reflects its position before the feminine accusative singular noun Routine after möchte and the article eine. Example: Ich möchte eine ruhigere Wohnung. — “I want a quieter apartment.” Routine is a feminine noun meaning “routine” or “regular pattern.” In this sentence it is the object of möchte: the speaker wants a healthier routine. The noun itself is unchanged here; its grammatical role is shown partly by the surrounding article and adjective. aber connects two contrasting parts and means “but.” It introduces the problem that contrasts with wanting a healthier routine. Example: Ich möchte kommen, aber ich bin müde. — “I want to come, but I am tired.” immer means “always” and indicates that the following situation happens repeatedly: the speaker quits after a week each time described. It does not itself mean “still”; German noch commonly expresses “still” in that sense. höre ... auf is the separable verb aufhören, meaning “to stop” or, with an activity or plan understood from context, “to quit.” In the present first-person singular, the finite part is höre and the particle auf moves to the end of the clause: Ich höre auf. — “I stop.” The form höre is from the base verb hören (“hear/listen”), but höre ... auf in this construction means “stop/quit,” not simply “hear.” nach einer Woche means “after a week.” The preposition nach takes the dative in this temporal use, so feminine eine Woche becomes einer Woche. The phrase gives the point at which the quitting occurs. Example: Nach einer Woche gebe ich auf. — “After a week, I give up.” This example uses the separate verb aufgeben; it illustrates the same time phrase, not the verb from the supplied sentence. Together, Ich möchte eine gesündere Routine says “I want a healthier routine.” aber contrasts that desire with ich höre immer nach einer Woche auf, “I always quit after a week.” The complete utterance therefore means: “I want a healthier routine, but I always quit after a week.”

2. Vielleicht versuchst du, zu viel auf einmal zu ändern.

   Maybe you are trying to change too much at once.

   Vielleicht

   maybe

   versuchst

   are trying

   zu viel

   too much

   auf einmal

   at once

   zu ändern

   to change

   More detail

   Vielleicht means “maybe” and places the statement in the realm of possibility rather than certainty. It is a sentence adverb, so it does not change for person or number. versuchst comes from versuchen (“to try”). The ending -st marks the present-tense form for du: du versuchst. With versuchen, the action being attempted can be expressed with zu plus an infinitive: Ich versuche, früher aufzustehen. — “I am trying to get up earlier.” zu viel means “too much” here: an excessive amount of something, without naming the thing being measured. viel can also mean “much” or “a lot” when the amount is not excessive; zu adds the meaning “more than is suitable or manageable.” auf einmal is a reusable expression meaning “all at once” or “at the same time.” It presents several changes or actions as being undertaken together rather than gradually. It is different from einmal alone, which commonly means “once” or “one time.” zu ändern consists of zu plus the infinitive ändern (“to change”). The infinitive is the base form; ändern has an umlaut in its spelling, while a form such as du änderst keeps that stem vowel. In this sentence, zu introduces the action that is being attempted. Together, du versuchst, ... zu ändern means “you are trying to change ...”: versuchst identifies du as the person making the attempt, and zu ändern names the attempted action. zu viel supplies the excessive amount, while auf einmal says that the changes are being made all at once. The complete utterance therefore means: “Maybe you are trying to change too much at once.”

3. Normalerweise plane ich Bewegung, Kochen und früheres Schlafengehen alle gleichzeitig.

   I usually plan exercise, cooking, and earlier sleep all at the same time.

   Normalerweise

   usually

   plane

   plan

   Bewegung

   exercise

   Kochen

   cooking

   früheres

   earlier

   Schlafengehen

   going to bed

   alle gleichzeitig

   all at the same time

   More detail

   Normalerweise means “usually” and is an adverb describing how regularly the planning happens. It can also appear later: Ich plane normalerweise ... has the same basic meaning. plane is the first-person singular present form of planen (“to plan”): ich plane, du planst, sie plant. Here, the subject ich and the verb form together show that the speaker is the planner; the -e ending is the regular present-tense ending for first-person singular in this verb. Example: Ich plane meine Woche. — “I plan my week.” Bewegung is a feminine noun meaning “movement” or “physical activity.” In this sentence, the fixed translation supports the more specific meaning “exercise.” Its plural is Bewegungen; the activity sense can also remain singular. Example: Bewegung ist wichtig. — “Exercise is important.” Kochen is a capitalized nominalized infinitive from kochen (“to cook”), so it functions as a noun meaning “cooking.” A nominalized activity is neuter: das Kochen. Example: Kochen macht mir Spaß. — “I enjoy cooking.” früheres is the comparative form of früh (“early”): früh → früher (“earlier”) → am frühesten (“earliest”). In früheres Schlafengehen, it describes going to bed at an earlier time. The noun phrase is neuter singular and accusative, and it has no article or other determiner, so the adjective has the strong ending -es: früheres Schlafengehen. Example: Ich möchte früher aufstehen. — “I want to get up earlier.” Schlafengehen is a capitalized nominalized expression based on the verb phrase schlafen gehen (“to go to bed”), and it means “going to bed.” It is a neuter noun: das Schlafengehen. Together, früheres Schlafengehen means “going to bed earlier”; früheres carries the comparison. Example: Früheres Schlafengehen hilft mir. — “Going to bed earlier helps me.” alle gleichzeitig means “all at the same time.” Here, alle refers to the three activities in the coordinated list, while gleichzeitig says that they are planned concurrently. alle can also mean “everyone” with a group of people, but that is not its meaning here. Example: Wir können nicht alles gleichzeitig machen. — “We cannot do everything at the same time.” The structure is Normalerweise plane ich A, B und C alle gleichzeitig: “Usually I plan A, B, and C all at the same time.” The coordinated objects are Bewegung, Kochen, and früheres Schlafengehen; alle gleichzeitig applies to the whole list. Thus the complete utterance means: “I usually plan exercise, cooking, and going to bed earlier all at the same time.”

4. Wähle zuerst eine Gewohnheit aus und schau, was dir dabei im Weg steht.

   Pick one habit first and look at what gets in the way.

   Wähle … aus

   choose

   zuerst

   first

   Gewohnheit

   habit

   schau

   look

   was

   what

   dir

   to you

   dabei

   in doing so

   Weg

   way

   steht

   stands

   More detail

   Wähle ... aus is the informal singular imperative of auswählen (“to choose/select”). The prefix aus- separates in this form: Wähle ... aus! Example: Wähle ein Buch aus. — “Choose a book.” The form addresses one person informally; it does not itself specify how many habits exist. zuerst means “first” or “at first” in the sequence of actions. Here it places choosing before the next instruction. Gewohnheit means “habit.” Its plural is Gewohnheiten. In eine Gewohnheit, eine marks the feminine accusative noun as the object selected; it does not by itself assert a numerical count beyond the sentence’s wording. Example: Diese Gewohnheit ist hilfreich. — “This habit is helpful.” schau is the informal singular imperative of schauen, “to look.” In schau, was ..., it introduces an invitation to find out or observe what follows. Example: Schau, was passiert. — “Look at what happens.” was means “what” here and introduces the content of looking. In the subordinate clause after it, the finite verb comes at the end: was ... steht — “what ... stands/is.” dir is the dative form of the informal singular pronoun du, “you.” The dative marks the person affected in the pattern etwas steht jemandem im Weg, literally “something stands in someone’s way.” dir therefore means “to you” in this construction; the sentence does not identify a more specific referent for this pronoun. dabei commonly means “in doing so” or “in the process.” Here it connects the obstacle to the activity under discussion, namely choosing a habit, without naming a separate activity. im Weg stehen is a reusable expression meaning “to stand in the way” or “to obstruct.” im is the contraction of in dem; Weg is the noun “way/path.” Example: Was steht dir im Weg? — “What is getting in your way?” steht is the third-person singular present form of stehen, “to stand.” The subject is was (“what”), not Weg; im Weg is part of the expression. In this sentence, the present form describes the obstacle as currently relevant. Together, Wähle zuerst eine Gewohnheit aus means “First choose one habit,” and schau, was dir dabei im Weg steht means “look at what gets in your way in doing so.” The whole utterance is therefore: “Pick one habit first and look at what gets in the way.”

5. Das Hauptproblem ist, dass ich nach der Arbeit wenig Energie habe.

   The main problem is that I have low energy after work.

   Hauptproblem

   main problem

   ist

   is

   Arbeit

   work

   wenig

   little; a low amount of

   Energie

   energy

   habe

   have

   More detail

   Hauptproblem means “main problem” here. It is a compound noun: Haupt- means “main” and Problem means “problem.” German nouns are capitalized. The plural is Hauptprobleme. ist is the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”). The pattern X ist Y means “X is Y.” Example: Das ist wichtig. — “That is important.” Arbeit means “work” here. In nach der Arbeit, the preposition nach means “after” and requires the dative for this time expression. Arbeit is feminine (die Arbeit), so its definite article becomes der in the dative: nach der Arbeit — “after work.” wenig means “little” or “a low amount of” here. With the uncountable noun Energie, it describes a low amount rather than counting separate units. Compare wenige with a plural countable noun: wenige Pausen — “few breaks.” Energie means “energy.” It is feminine: die Energie. In this sentence, wenig Energie haben is a useful pattern for saying that someone has little energy. Example: Ich habe heute wenig Energie. — “I have little energy today.” habe is the first-person singular present form of haben (“to have”): ich habe. The same verb is used for possession and for states such as having energy. Example: Ich habe Zeit. — “I have time.” Das means “the” in das Hauptproblem; here it is the neuter definite article agreeing with Problem, which is neuter (das Problem). The clause beginning with dass gives the content of the problem. In that clause, ich means “I,” and German places the finite verb habe at the end: dass ich ... habe — “that I have ...”. The full structure is Das Hauptproblem ist, dass ...: “The main problem is that ...”. Inside the subordinate clause, nach der Arbeit specifies the time, wenig Energie states the low amount of energy, and ich ... habe identifies the speaker as the person experiencing that state. Together, Das Hauptproblem ist, dass ich nach der Arbeit wenig Energie habe. means “The main problem is that I have low energy after work.”

6. Dann beginne vor dem Abendessen mit einem kurzen Spaziergang.

   Then start with a short walk before dinner.

   Dann

   then

   beginne

   start

   vor

   before

   Abendessen

   dinner

   mit einem

   with a

   kurzen

   short

   Spaziergang

   walk

   More detail

   Dann means “then” and places the action after an earlier point or event. It is a useful sequence adverb: Dann gehe ich nach Hause. — “Then I go home.” beginne is the informal singular imperative of beginnen (“to begin, start”), used here as an instruction to one person. The same spelling can also be the first-person singular present form (“I begin”), so the surrounding sentence determines the function. The pattern beginne mit ... means “start with ...”. vor means “before” here and introduces a time expression. With a definite noun in this temporal use, the phrase is vor dem Abendessen: dem is the dative form of the neuter definite article das, and Abendessen is a neuter noun. The noun means “dinner” in this sentence. mit einem means “with a” and begins the phrase naming what to start with. The preposition mit governs the dative case; einem is the dative form of the indefinite article for a masculine or neuter noun. For example, Ich beginne mit einem Buch. — “I start with a book.” kurzen means “short” here. It is the adjective kurz; in einem kurzen Spaziergang, the ending -en reflects the dative masculine noun phrase after mit. The comparative is kürzer (“shorter”), and the superlative is am kürzesten (“shortest”). Spaziergang means “walk” or “stroll”. It is a masculine noun: der Spaziergang. A related verb is spazieren gehen (“to go for a walk”), but the noun in the sentence names the activity itself. Together, Dann beginne gives the sequence and the instruction, mit einem kurzen Spaziergang identifies the first activity, and vor dem Abendessen sets its time. The whole utterance means: “Then start with a short walk before dinner.”

7. Das klingt realistisch und nicht zu anstrengend.

   That feels realistic and not too demanding.

   Das

   that

   klingt

   sounds; feels

   realistisch

   realistic

   nicht zu

   not too

   anstrengend

   demanding; strenuous

   More detail

   Das is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. It is the neuter singular form; as a pronoun, it can point to an already understood thing, situation, or proposition. The fixed translation identifies the referent only as “that,” without specifying it more narrowly. klingt comes from klingen (“to sound”). It is the present-tense third-person singular form, agreeing with Das: Das klingt ... = “That sounds ...”. With an adjective, klingen commonly describes how something seems or comes across, rather than only referring to an actual sound. Example: Das klingt gut. — “That sounds good.” realistisch means “realistic” and describes Das after klingt. The adjective has the same form here because it follows klingen as a description rather than standing before a noun with an attributive ending. nicht zu is a reusable pattern meaning “not too” when it is followed by an adjective. nicht negates the evaluation, while zu marks an excessive degree. For example, Der Weg ist nicht zu lang. — “The route is not too long.” anstrengend means “demanding” or “strenuous.” It comes from the verb anstrengen (“to exert; to make an effort”), but the adjective here describes the level of effort required; it is not a verb form in this sentence. zu anstrengend would mean “too demanding,” so nicht zu anstrengend means that the level does not exceed what is considered manageable. Example: Die Übung ist anstrengend. — “The exercise is strenuous.” Together, Das klingt realistisch says that “that” seems realistic, and und nicht zu anstrengend adds a coordinated assessment that it is not excessively demanding. The complete utterance therefore means: “That feels realistic and not too demanding.”

8. Du kannst später ausgewogene Mahlzeiten hinzufügen, sobald sich das Spazierengehen natürlich anfühlt.

   You can add balanced meals later, once walking feels natural.

   Du kannst

   you can

   später

   later

   ausgewogene

   balanced

   Mahlzeiten

   meals

   hinzufügen

   add

   sobald

   once

   das Spazierengehen

   walking

   sich … anfühlt

   feels natural

   More detail

   Du kannst combines du (“you,” singular informal) with kannst, the present-tense second-person singular form of können (“can, be able to”). With another verb, können is followed by that verb’s infinitive: Du kannst warten. — “You can wait.” The modal form does not itself say that the action happens; here it presents adding meals as possible or permitted. später means “later” and places the adding at a time after the relevant earlier stage. It can also be used independently: Wir sprechen später. — “We’ll talk later.” ausgewogene is the adjective ausgewogen (“balanced”) in an inflected form. It describes Mahlzeiten here. Because the noun is plural and there is no article before it, the adjective has the ending -e in this accusative phrase: ausgewogene Mahlzeiten. The adjective is not based on Mahlzeit; its base form is ausgewogen. Mahlzeiten is the plural of the feminine noun Mahlzeit, “meal.” The plural form is useful in phrases such as drei Mahlzeiten — “three meals.” Here it is the object of adding, so the intended meaning is “balanced meals.” hinzufügen means “to add.” It is a separable verb: in a simple main clause, Ich füge Gemüse hinzu. means “I add vegetables.” After the modal kannst, however, the infinitive stays intact at the end: Du kannst Gemüse hinzufügen. — “You can add vegetables.” sobald introduces a condition meaning “once” or “as soon as.” It starts a subordinate clause, so the finite verb appears at the end of that clause. This sentence uses it to set the time condition for the possible action, not to assert that the condition has already been met. das Spazierengehen is the nominalized infinitive Spazierengehen, “walking.” The article das marks this activity as a neuter noun. Nominalized activities are written with a capital letter in German: Das Lesen macht Spaß. — “Reading is fun.” In sich ... anfühlt, sich anfühlen means “to feel” or “to feel like.” The reflexive form sich belongs to this verb construction; anfühlt is the third-person singular present form of anfühlen, with the separable prefix an attached in this subordinate clause. Das fühlt sich gut an. — “That feels good.” Here, das Spazierengehen is singular, so the finite form is anfühlt. Together, sobald sich das Spazierengehen natürlich anfühlt means “once walking feels natural.” The whole sentence therefore says that adding balanced meals is a possible later step, with the condition that walking has come to feel natural first: “You can add balanced meals later, once walking feels natural.”

9. Es klingt besser, das dreimal pro Woche zu notieren, als es jeden Tag zu versuchen.

   Tracking it three times a week sounds better than trying every day.

   klingt

   sounds

   besser

   better

   das

   it

   dreimal

   three times

   pro Woche

   per week

   zu notieren

   to record

   als

   than

   es

   it

   jeden Tag

   every day

   zu versuchen

   to try

   More detail

   klingt is the third-person singular present form of klingen (“to sound”). In Es klingt besser, ..., es is a formal or anticipatory subject that introduces the following infinitive phrase; the meaningful thing being evaluated is the approach described afterward. The form klingt is used with singular es; the same verb has forms such as ich klinge and sie klingen. besser is the comparative form of gut (“good”): gut – besser – am besten (“good – better – best”). Here it compares two approaches, so besser means “better,” not simply “good.” das is a neuter pronoun functioning as the object of zu notieren. In this sentence it means the intended “it” being recorded or tracked. As a pronoun, it is distinct from the definite article das; in das notieren, it stands for an understood object rather than introducing a noun. dreimal means “three times.” It combines drei (“three”) with -mal, used for repeated occurrences. Related reusable forms include einmal (“once”) and zweimal (“twice”). pro Woche expresses a rate: “per week.” pro introduces the unit, and Woche means “week.” For example, zweimal pro Monat means “twice per month.” zu notieren is the infinitive phrase “to record” or “to note down.” Its base verb is notieren; zu marks the infinitive here. notieren is not a separable verb, so it remains one word in this infinitive. als means “than” in this comparison. The pattern besser ..., als ... compares the first option with a second option. Here the second option is another infinitive clause introduced by als. es is a pronoun meaning “it” in the second clause. It is the object of zu versuchen, with the same intended tracked activity or goal represented by “it” in the fixed translation. German uses das and es here as different forms even though English translates both as “it.” jeden Tag means “every day.” Tag is a masculine noun, and jeden is the masculine singular accusative form of jeder in this time expression. German commonly uses this accusative expression for recurring time: jeden Morgen means “every morning.” zu versuchen means “to try.” Its base verb is versuchen, and zu versuchen is its infinitive with zu. For example, Es ist schwer, alles zu versuchen means “It is difficult to try everything.” Together, das dreimal pro Woche zu notieren means “to record it three times per week.” The sentence compares this with es jeden Tag zu versuchen, “to try it every day.” Es klingt besser presents the first approach as the better-sounding option, producing: “Tracking it three times a week sounds better than trying every day.”

10. Flexible Ziele lassen sich über längere Zeit leichter einhalten.

    Flexible goals are easier to keep over time.

    Flexible

    flexible

    Ziele

    goals

    lassen sich

    can be

    über

    over

    längere

    longer

    Zeit

    time

    leichter

    more easily

    einhalten

    keep

    More detail

    Flexible is the adjective flexibel (“flexible” or “adaptable”). Here it describes Ziele and has the ending -e in the plural phrase flexible Ziele; the ending reflects the adjective’s declension in this noun phrase. The form does not itself show a comparison. Example: Ein flexibler Plan lässt sich leichter ändern. — “A flexible plan is easier to change.” Ziele is the plural of the noun Ziel (“goal”). The singular is das Ziel; the plural form is die Ziele. In this sentence, the goals are the grammatical subject of the following construction. Example: Die Ziele sind klar. — “The goals are clear.” lassen sich introduces a useful construction with an infinitive: etwas lässt sich ... for a singular subject and mehrere Dinge lassen sich ... for a plural subject. It expresses that something can be done to the subject, often translated as “can be ...”. Here lassen is the present-tense plural form agreeing with Ziele, while sich is the reflexive pronoun used in this construction. Compare: Das Ziel lässt sich einhalten. — “The goal can be kept.” über means “over” here and introduces a time span. In this temporal use, it is followed by the accusative: über längere Zeit means “over a longer period of time.” längere is the comparative form of the adjective lang: lang — länger — am längsten (“long” — “longer” — “the longest”). It describes Zeit; längere Zeit presents the period as longer than some relevant comparison point, without stating what that point is. Example: Das kann über längere Zeit dauern. — “That can last for a longer period.” Zeit is the noun die Zeit (“time”). In über längere Zeit, it refers to a period or span rather than to a particular clock time. Example: Wir haben wenig Zeit. — “We have little time.” leichter is the comparative form of leicht, used adverbially here to describe how the action is carried out: leicht — leichter — am leichtesten (“easily” — “more easily” — “most easily”). Thus leichter einhalten means “keep more easily,” or naturally, “be easier to keep.” Example: Mit einem Plan arbeitet man leichter. — “With a plan, one works more easily.” einhalten is the infinitive verb meaning “to keep,” “to adhere to,” or “to stick to” something such as a goal, rule, deadline, or agreement. Its base form is already visible here. It is a separable verb in finite clauses, but the infinitive remains together: Wir halten den Termin ein. — “We keep the appointment.” Together, Flexible Ziele lassen sich ... einhalten says that flexible goals can be kept or adhered to. über längere Zeit specifies the duration, and leichter compares the effort or difficulty of keeping them. The complete meaning is: “Flexible goals are easier to keep over time.”