Describing Symptoms Objectively | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Die Beschwerden sind leicht, halten aber länger als gewöhnlich an.

   The discomfort is mild, but it has lasted longer than usual.

   Beschwerden

   discomfort

   leicht

   mild

   halten … an

   last; continue

   länger

   longer

   gewöhnlich

   usual

   More detail

   Beschwerden means “complaints” or, in this medical context, “discomfort/symptoms.” It is the plural of Beschwerde; the plural form is used here because the sentence presents the discomfort as plural in German, even though the English translation uses the uncountable singular “discomfort.” leicht means “mild” here. It is an adjective describing the complaints. In other contexts, leicht can also mean “light” or “easy,” so the surrounding noun determines the relevant meaning. Example: Die Schmerzen sind leicht. — “The pain is mild.” halten ... an is the separable verb anhalten, meaning “to last” or “to continue” in this use. In the present tense, the verb appears as halten in the clause and an at the end. halten is the form used with the plural subject Die Beschwerden; with a singular subject, the corresponding present form is hält ... an. Example: Der Husten hält lange an. — “The cough lasts a long time.” länger is the comparative form of lang: lang — “long,” länger — “longer,” am längsten — “longest.” The comparison is introduced by als, so länger als gewöhnlich means “longer than usual.” The comparative describes the duration, not the intensity of the complaints. gewöhnlich means “usual” or “customary” here. In als gewöhnlich, it refers to the ordinary or expected duration, giving the comparison “than usual.” Example: Es dauert länger als gewöhnlich. — “It takes longer than usual.” The sentence first states the severity with Die Beschwerden sind leicht — “The discomfort is mild.” aber contrasts this with the duration: halten ... länger als gewöhnlich an — “last longer than usual.” Together, the utterance means: “The discomfort is mild, but it has lasted longer than usual.”

2. Verändert es sich bei Bewegung, in Ruhe oder nach dem Essen?

   Does it change with activity, rest, or meals?

   Verändert

   changes

   Bewegung

   activity

   Ruhe

   rest

   Essen

   meal

   More detail

   Verändert is the present-tense third-person singular form of verändern (“to change”). Here it is used with sich: sich verändern means “to change” or “to undergo a change.” The ending -t marks the third-person singular present form; it does not indicate past time. Example: Der Zustand verändert sich. — “The condition is changing.” es is a third-person singular pronoun functioning as the subject of verändert. It means “it” here. The target sentence does not name the exact thing referred to; the surrounding exchange supports a general reference to the issue being discussed, without requiring a more specific identification. sich is the reflexive pronoun belonging to the verb construction sich verändern, not an extra participant. Bewegung is a feminine noun meaning “movement” or, in this context, “activity.” The phrase bei Bewegung presents activity as the condition under which the change may occur. bei takes the dative case; the unmarked form of the noun is Bewegung, while its dative form is also Bewegung because this feminine noun has no visible ending change here. Example: Bei Bewegung wird der Schmerz stärker. — “With activity, the pain becomes stronger.” Ruhe is a feminine noun meaning “rest” or “stillness.” In in Ruhe, it describes the condition of being at rest. in can take either the dative or accusative case: with a stationary condition such as this one, it takes the dative. The feminine dative form remains Ruhe. Example: In Ruhe ist es besser. — “At rest, it is better.” Essen is a neuter noun meaning “food” or “a meal” in this context. In nach dem Essen, it means “after eating” or “after the meal.” nach takes the dative, so the definite article appears as dem with this neuter noun. Essen can also be the verb form “to eat” in other contexts, but after the article dem here it is a noun. Example: Nach dem Essen trinke ich Wasser. — “After the meal, I drink water.” The question begins with the verb phrase Verändert es sich, so the finite verb comes before the subject pronoun, a standard German yes/no-question pattern. The alternatives are linked as bei Bewegung, in Ruhe oder nach dem Essen: the question asks whether the change occurs with activity, at rest, or after eating. Together, the utterance means: “Does it change with activity, rest, or meals?”

3. Ich bemerke es stärker, wenn ich lange sitze.

   I notice it more when I sit for a long time.

   Ich

   I

   bemerke

   notice

   es

   it

   stärker

   more

   wenn

   when

   ich

   I

   lange

   for a long time

   sitze

   sit

   More detail

   Ich is the first-person singular pronoun, meaning “I.” German uses the same form as the subject here; it identifies the person who notices something. Example: Ich lerne. — “I am learning.” bemerke means “notice” in this sentence. It is the first-person singular present form of bemerken: ich bemerke, du bemerkst, er/sie/es bemerkt. The ending -e marks the first-person singular present form here. Bemerken describes becoming aware of something; it is different from beobachten, which focuses more on deliberately watching or observing. Example: Ich bemerke einen Unterschied. — “I notice a difference.” es is the neuter third-person singular pronoun, “it.” In this utterance it refers to the thing being noticed, while the supplied wording does not specify that thing more precisely. Its grammatical form is neuter singular; its referent is determined by the surrounding context rather than by the pronoun alone. stärker means “more strongly” or, with noticing, “more noticeably.” It is the comparative form of stark: stark — “strong,” stärker — “stronger/more strongly,” am stärksten — “most strongly.” The comparison is expressed by -er on the adjective/adverb stark; it is not an inflection of the nearby pronoun or verb. Example: Heute spüre ich es stärker. — “Today I feel it more strongly.” wenn introduces a condition or time situation meaning “when” here. It begins a subordinate clause, and German normally places the finite verb at the end of that clause. A reusable pattern is wenn ... , ...: Wenn ich Zeit habe, lese ich. — “When I have time, I read.” The second ich is again the first-person singular subject, this time of the subordinate clause. Repeating it makes the subject of sitze explicit; it is not a different grammatical form from the first Ich. lange means “for a long time” in this sentence. It is the adverbial form used to describe the duration of sitting. It is related to the adjective lang, “long,” but here it describes how long the activity continues, not the physical length of an object. Example: Sie wartet lange. — “She waits for a long time.” sitze means “sit” here and is the first-person singular present form of sitzen: ich sitze, du sitzt, er/sie/es sitzt. The verb is placed at the end because it belongs to the subordinate clause introduced by wenn. Example: Wenn ich sitze, lese ich. — “When I sit, I read.” Together, Ich bemerke es stärker says “I notice it more strongly.” The subordinate clause wenn ich lange sitze specifies the situation in which this happens: “when I sit for a long time.” The complete utterance therefore means, “I notice it more when I sit for a long time.”

4. Dieses Muster sollte man erwähnen, und die behandelnde Fachkraft kann es richtig beurteilen.

   That pattern is worth mentioning, and the clinician can assess it properly.

   Dieses

   this

   Muster

   pattern

   sollte man

   one should

   erwähnen

   mention

   behandelnde

   treating

   Fachkraft

   clinician

   kann

   can

   es

   it

   richtig

   properly

   beurteilen

   assess

   More detail

   Dieses means “this” here and points to the pattern named immediately afterward. It is the neuter singular nominative form of the demonstrative used with Muster; the form agrees with that noun. Compare dieser with a masculine noun and diese with a feminine or plural noun. Muster means “pattern.” Its base form is das Muster; the plural is die Muster (the form does not change). Example: Dieses Muster wiederholt sich. — “This pattern repeats.” sollte man presents a general recommendation: “one should” or, naturally here, “it is worth.” sollte is the third-person singular form of the modal verb sollen in its subjunctive-II form, which commonly softens advice. man is the generic pronoun “one/people,” not a specifically identified person. With a modal verb, the other verb normally appears in the infinitive at the end of the clause: Man sollte warten. — “One should wait.” erwähnen means “to mention.” It is the infinitive governed by sollte; the speaker recommends mentioning the pattern, rather than saying that a particular person has already mentioned it. The same infinitive can be used after other modals, for example Man kann es erwähnen. — “One can mention it.” behandelnde describes someone who is treating a person: “treating” or “responsible for the treatment.” It comes from the verb behandeln (“to treat”) and is a present participle used as an adjective. Its -e ending agrees with the feminine singular noun Fachkraft in this phrase. This is an adjective form, not the finite verb “treats.” Fachkraft means a qualified professional or specialist; in this context, the translation identifies that professional as a clinician. The noun is feminine in German: die Fachkraft; its plural is die Fachkräfte. Example: Die Fachkraft erklärt den Befund. — “The clinician explains the findings.” kann means “can” here, expressing the clinician’s ability or possibility to assess the pattern. It is the third-person singular present form of können; the infinitive beurteilen moves to the end of the clause: Die Fachkraft kann helfen. — “The clinician can help.” es means “it” here and refers to Muster, as confirmed by the fixed translation. It is the neuter singular accusative pronoun because it is the object of beurteilen; for neuter singular, the nominative and accusative forms are both es. richtig is the adverb “properly” or “correctly.” It modifies beurteilen, describing how the assessment can be made. The related adjective is also richtig, as in eine richtige Einschätzung (“a correct assessment”), but its role here is adverbial. beurteilen means “to assess” or “to evaluate.” It is the infinitive after the modal kann. The verb beurteilen takes the thing being assessed as its accusative object, here es. Together, Dieses Muster sollte man erwähnen says that this pattern is worth mentioning, using a softened general recommendation. und links that recommendation to die behandelnde Fachkraft kann es richtig beurteilen: the treating clinician can assess it properly. The complete meaning is therefore: “That pattern is worth mentioning, and the clinician can assess it properly.”

5. Ich versuche, es zu beschreiben, ohne es schlimmer oder weniger ernst erscheinen zu lassen, als es ist.

   I am trying to describe it without making it sound worse or less serious than it is.

   versuche

   am trying

   es

   it

   beschreiben

   describe

   ohne es

   without it

   schlimmer

   worse

   weniger ernst

   less serious

   erscheinen zu lassen

   make ... seem

   als es ist

   than it is

   More detail

   versuche is the first-person singular present form of versuchen (“to try”): ich versuche = “I try / I am trying.” German present tense can express an action in progress when the context supports it. The following zu beschreiben is the zu-infinitive of beschreiben (“to describe”), so Ich versuche, ... zu beschreiben means “I am trying to describe ...”. es is the pronoun “it” in an accusative use here, as the object of beschreiben. Its form is identical in the nominative and accusative; the case is determined by its role, not by a visible ending. The same pronoun appears again in ohne es, where it is the object of lassen and is being made to seem a certain way. ohne es introduces what is avoided: ohne means “without,” and here it is followed by an infinitive construction. ohne ... zu lassen is a reusable pattern meaning “without letting/making ...”. schlimmer is the comparative of schlimm (“bad”): schlimm → schlimmer → am schlimmsten (“bad” → “worse” → “worst”). Here schlimmer describes how the thing might be made to appear, not the act of describing itself. weniger ernst combines weniger (“less”) with ernst (“serious”). weniger marks a lower degree, while ernst remains in its base form. The phrase contrasts with ernster (“more serious”): weniger ernst = “less serious.” erscheinen zu lassen is the infinitive construction erscheinen lassen, literally “let/make appear.” With es as its object, es ... erscheinen lassen means “make it seem ...” or “make it appear ...”. In this construction, zu appears before lassen, while erscheinen remains the other infinitive. The adjectives schlimmer and weniger ernst describe the appearance that would be produced. als es ist introduces the standard for comparison: “than it is.” In this clause, es is the subject of ist, and ist is the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”). The clause compares the appearance with the thing’s actual state; it does not identify the thing more specifically than the fixed sentence does. Together, Ich versuche, es zu beschreiben means “I am trying to describe it.” The following ohne es schlimmer oder weniger ernst erscheinen zu lassen adds “without making it seem worse or less serious,” and als es ist completes the comparison: “than it is.” The complete utterance therefore means, “I am trying to describe it without making it sound worse or less serious than it is.”

6. Konzentrieren Sie sich darauf, wie oft es auftritt und wie es Sie beeinträchtigt.

   Focus on how often it happens and how it affects you.

   Konzentrieren Sie sich

   focus / concentrate

   darauf

   on that

   wie oft

   how often

   es

   it

   auftritt

   occurs / happens

   beeinträchtigt

   affects / impairs

   More detail

   Konzentrieren Sie sich is the formal or plural imperative of sich konzentrieren (“to concentrate”). The reflexive pronoun sich matches the addressed people; Sie is the formal “you” subject. The same verb can be used with another focus: Konzentrieren Sie sich auf den Text. — “Concentrate on the text.” darauf means “on that” here and introduces what the listener should concentrate on. With a following clause, German commonly uses darauf, wie ... (“on how ...”). The word darauf is a da-compound, formed from da + auf; it points forward to the following information rather than identifying a separate concrete object. wie oft asks about frequency: “how often.” It introduces an indirect question, so the conjugated verb comes at the end of that clause. oft means “often”; in wie oft, the whole expression asks for the number or frequency of occurrences. es is the neuter third-person singular pronoun “it.” In this sentence, the fixed translation identifies it as the thing that occurs and affects the addressed person, but the supplied texts do not name that thing explicitly. Its grammatical role is the subject of both subordinate clauses. auftritt is the third-person singular present form of the separable verb auftreten (“to occur” or “to happen”). In the subordinate clause, the prefix and verb appear together at the end: wie oft es auftritt — “how often it happens.” The form is singular because its subject is es. beeinträchtigt is the third-person singular present form of beeinträchtigen (“to affect” or “to impair”). Here, es is the subject and Sie is the formal “you” object: wie es Sie beeinträchtigt — “how it affects you.” Unlike auftritt, this verb is not separable. The ending also shows present-tense third-person singular agreement with es. The two wie-clauses are coordinated by und: wie oft es auftritt + wie es Sie beeinträchtigt. Together with Konzentrieren Sie sich darauf, they form the complete instruction: “Focus on how often it happens and how it affects you.”

7. Ich kann erklären, dass es mir schwerer fällt, mich bei der Arbeit zu konzentrieren.

   I can explain that it makes it harder to concentrate at work.

   Ich kann

   I can

   erklären

   explain

   fällt

   falls

   mir

   to me

   schwerer

   harder

   mich

   myself

   Arbeit

   work

   zu konzentrieren

   to concentrate

   More detail

   Ich kann combines können (“can, be able to”) with the following infinitive. kann is the present-tense form for ich; the infinitive können is not repeated here. In German, a modal verb normally sends the other verb to the end of its clause: Ich kann erklären = “I can explain.” erklären means “to explain.” It is the infinitive after kann. A reusable pattern is Ich kann + infinitive: Ich kann warten. — “I can wait.” fällt is the present-tense third-person singular form of fallen (“fall”). In the construction es fällt jemandem schwer, etwas zu tun, the literal image of something “falling hard” expresses that doing something is difficult for someone. Here, fällt agrees with the grammatical subject es, not with mir or mich. mir is the dative form of ich (“I”). In es fällt mir schwer, it marks the person for whom something is difficult: “it is difficult for me.” The relevant forms are ich as subject, mir as dative, and mich as accusative. schwerer is the comparative form of schwer (“difficult, hard”): schwer → schwerer (“harder/more difficult”) → am schwersten (“hardest”). The comparative shows that concentrating is more difficult in the stated situation than in a comparison understood from context; it does not by itself specify what the comparison is. mich is the accusative form of ich, here used reflexively with konzentrieren: the speaker is the person who concentrates. German commonly uses sich konzentrieren for “to concentrate”; the reflexive form changes with the person, for example ich konzentriere mich (“I concentrate”) but Sie konzentrieren sich (“you concentrate” or “they concentrate,” depending on context). Arbeit is the noun “work.” In the surrounding phrase bei der Arbeit, bei means “at/during” and der is the form required by this preposition with this noun phrase: “at work.” This phrase describes the setting in which the concentration is harder. zu konzentrieren is the infinitive phrase “to concentrate.” konzentrieren is the base form, and zu marks this infinitive construction. Together with mich, mich zu konzentrieren means “to concentrate.” A reusable pattern is Es fällt mir schwer, ... zu + infinitive: Es fällt mir schwer, früh aufzustehen. — “It is difficult for me to get up early.” The full structure is Ich kann erklären, dass ...: “I can explain that ...”. Inside the dass-clause, German places the finite verb fällt after the initial es, while the infinitive phrase appears later: dass es mir schwerer fällt, mich bei der Arbeit zu konzentrieren. The complete utterance therefore means: “I can explain that it makes it harder to concentrate at work.”

8. Nennen Sie dieses Detail, da die tägliche Beeinträchtigung oft die weitere Behandlung bestimmt.

   Include that detail, since daily impact often guides follow-up.

   Nennen Sie

   include; name (formal)

   dieses

   this

   Detail

   detail

   tägliche

   daily

   Beeinträchtigung

   impact

   weitere

   further; subsequent

   Behandlung

   treatment

   bestimmt

   determines; guides

   More detail

   Nennen Sie is the formal request form of nennen (“to name, mention, or include”). Sie is the formal “you” subject, and this verb-plus-Sie pattern is used for a formal imperative: Nennen Sie .... Here, the intended meaning is “Include/mention ...”, not necessarily “give the name of ...”. Example: Nennen Sie bitte den Grund. — “Please state the reason.” dieses means “this” and is the accusative neuter form of the demonstrative dies-. It agrees with Detail; the form is chosen because Detail is the direct object of nennen. The demonstrative itself does not indicate a quantity. Detail is a neuter noun meaning “detail”. Its plural is Details. Here, dieses Detail is the thing the formal addressee is asked to include. tägliche means “daily”. It is the inflected form of the adjective täglich, modifying the feminine noun Beeinträchtigung in die tägliche Beeinträchtigung. The ending reflects the adjective’s grammatical marking in this noun phrase; täglich itself means something occurring every day. Example: Die tägliche Belastung ist hoch. — “The daily strain is high.” Beeinträchtigung means “impairment” or “impact” in this context: an effect that limits or disrupts functioning. It is a feminine noun, as shown here by die. The related verb beeinträchtigen means “to impair” or “to affect negatively”, but the noun in the sentence is not a verb form. Example: Die Beeinträchtigung ist deutlich. — “The impairment is noticeable.” weitere means “further”, “additional”, or “subsequent” here. It is the feminine form of the adjective weiter in die weitere Behandlung. In this context it refers to treatment that follows or continues after the current point; it is not a comparative claim about physical distance. Behandlung means “treatment”. It is a feminine noun. Example: Die Behandlung beginnt morgen. — “The treatment begins tomorrow.” bestimmt is the third-person singular present form of bestimmen, “to determine” or “guide”. Its subject is die tägliche Beeinträchtigung, which is singular, so the form is bestimmt, not the plural form bestimmen. In this sentence, the intended sense is that the daily impact often guides the subsequent treatment. Example: Der Befund bestimmt das weitere Vorgehen. — “The finding determines the next steps.” The first part, Nennen Sie dieses Detail, is a formal request to include or mention the detail. da introduces a reason clause and can be translated as “since” or “because”. Inside that clause, die tägliche Beeinträchtigung is the subject, oft means “often”, and die weitere Behandlung is the object of bestimmt; German places the finite verb bestimmt at the end of this subordinate clause. Together, the utterance means: “Include that detail, since daily impact often guides follow-up.”