Requesting privacy at a clinic reception | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Ich fühle mich nicht wohl dabei, sensible Details am Empfang zu besprechen.

   I am not comfortable discussing sensitive details at the reception desk.

   Ich fühle mich

   I feel

   nicht wohl dabei

   not comfortable with it

   sensible

   sensitive

   Details

   details

   Empfang

   reception desk

   besprechen

   discuss

   More detail

   Ich fühle mich means “I feel” here. fühlen is the base verb; fühle is its present-tense first-person singular form, and mich is the reflexive pronoun referring back to Ich. With this pattern, German expresses a personal state: Ich fühle mich müde. — “I feel tired.” nicht wohl dabei expresses being uncomfortable with the situation or activity. wohl means comfortable or well in this expression, while nicht negates it. dabei refers back to what is being done, so the reusable pattern is sich nicht wohl dabei fühlen, etwas zu tun — “to feel uncomfortable doing something.” sensible means “sensitive” here. Its base adjective is sensibel; sensible is the inflected form used before the plural noun Details in this noun phrase. German sensibel does not mean English “sensible” in this context; the relevant meaning is “requiring tact or privacy.” Example: Das ist ein sensibles Thema. — “That is a sensitive topic.” Details is the plural of das Detail, “detail.” The plural adds -s, so Detail becomes Details; the form is otherwise unchanged. A useful pattern is Details besprechen — “discuss details.” Empfang means “reception” or “reception desk” here. The noun is masculine: der Empfang. In am Empfang, am is the contraction of an dem, marking a location at the reception desk. The context fixes the intended meaning as the place where reception is located, not an abstract act of receiving. besprechen means “to discuss.” It is the infinitive/base form and is commonly used with the thing discussed: etwas besprechen. Its present first-person singular form is ich bespreche; its past participle is besprochen. In the infinitive construction zu besprechen, it means “to discuss,” as in Ich fühle mich wohl dabei, das zu besprechen. — “I feel comfortable discussing that.” Together, Ich fühle mich nicht wohl dabei establishes the speaker’s discomfort, and sensible Details am Empfang zu besprechen identifies the activity causing it. The complete meaning is: “I am not comfortable discussing sensitive details at the reception desk.” The wording is polite and direct for expressing a privacy concern.

2. Wir können für alles Persönliche in einen privaten Bereich gehen.

   We can move to a private area for anything personal.

   Wir können

   we can

   für

   for

   alles

   everything

   Persönliche

   personal matters

   in

   into

   privaten

   private

   Bereich

   area

   gehen

   go; move

   More detail

   Wir können combines wir (“we”) with können, the present-tense form of können for “we.” Here it expresses ability or a possible proposal: “we can.” The modal verb is followed by an infinitive later in the clause, as in the reusable pattern Wir können ... gehen (“We can go ...”). Example: Wir können morgen kommen. — “We can come tomorrow.” für introduces what the action is intended or provided for and takes the accusative. Here it links the destination proposal to alles Persönliche: “for anything personal.” alles means “everything” or, in this combination, “everything of a specified kind.” It is neuter singular in form. With a nominalized adjective, the pattern alles + adjective can mean “everything [that is] adjective.” Persönliche is a nominalized form of the adjective persönlich (“personal”), so it is capitalized. In alles Persönliche, it means “anything personal” or “personal matters,” not a person. The ending agrees with the neuter singular form required by alles. Example: Ich notiere alles Wichtige. — “I write down everything important.” in means “into” here because the sentence describes movement toward a destination. With this directional meaning, in takes the accusative: in einen ... Bereich. This contrasts with a location without movement, such as in einem Bereich (“in an area”). privaten is the accusative masculine form of the adjective privat (“private”). Its ending is required because it modifies the masculine noun Bereich after the article einen; it is not an inflection of Bereich. Example: Wir suchen einen ruhigen Raum. — “We are looking for a quiet room.” Bereich is a masculine noun meaning “area” or “section.” Its plural is Bereiche. In this sentence, einen privaten Bereich is the destination: “a private area.” gehen is the infinitive “to go.” After the modal können, the infinitive stays in this form and appears at the end of the clause. In this context, “go” naturally conveys moving to the private area. Example: Wir können nach draußen gehen. — “We can go outside.” Together, Wir können presents a possible action, für alles Persönliche specifies that the action is for personal matters, and in einen privaten Bereich gehen describes moving into a private area. The complete meaning is: “We can move to a private area for anything personal.”

3. Das würde mir helfen, weil der Wartebereich sehr nah ist.

   That would help, because the waiting room is very close.

   Das

   That

   würde

   would

   mir

   to me

   helfen

   help

   weil

   because

   der Wartebereich

   the waiting area

   sehr nah

   very close

   ist

   is

   More detail

   Das means “that” here and points back to an understood idea or action. As a demonstrative pronoun, it has the neuter form; its grammatical form does not by itself identify a particular noun. A reusable contrast is das “that” versus dieses “this” when distance or discourse focus is relevant. würde is the third-person singular form used in the würde conditional construction. Together with the infinitive helfen, würde ... helfen means “would help.” This construction presents the help as conditional or hypothetical rather than as a simple present fact. The pattern is würde + infinitive: Das würde funktionieren. — “That would work.” mir is the first-person singular dative form of ich, meaning “to me” in this sentence. The verb helfen commonly takes the person helped in the dative: Das hilft mir. — “That helps me.” Compare the accusative form mich in constructions where “me” is directly affected by a different verb, such as Das sieht mich. — “That sees me.” helfen is the infinitive, or base form, of “to help.” With würde, the infinitive remains at the end of its verb group: würde mir helfen. In the fixed sentence, it describes the understood “that” as something that would be beneficial to the speaker. weil introduces a reason clause and means “because.” In standard German, it sends the finite verb to the end of the subordinate clause. The pattern is weil + clause with the finite verb last, as in Ich bleibe, weil es regnet. — “I am staying because it is raining.” der Wartebereich is the noun phrase “the waiting area.” Wartebereich is a masculine compound noun, and der is its masculine nominative definite article here because the noun is the subject of ist. Its plural is die Wartebereiche. The article is part of the noun phrase, not a claim about an unspecified quantity. sehr nah means “very close.” nah is a descriptive adjective meaning “close” or “near,” used here after sein as a predicate. sehr intensifies it: Der Eingang ist sehr nah. — “The entrance is very close.” The adjective is not inflected here because it follows the linking verb sein rather than directly preceding a noun. ist is the third-person singular present form of sein, “to be.” Its subject is der Wartebereich, so the form is singular: Der Wartebereich ist ... The verb appears at the end because it belongs to the subordinate clause introduced by weil. Taken together, Das würde mir helfen says that the understood option or action would benefit the speaker. weil der Wartebereich sehr nah ist gives the reason: the waiting area is very close. The complete meaning is “That would help, because the waiting room is very close.”

4. Ihre Privatsphäre ist wichtig, und solche Details sollten nicht in der Öffentlichkeit besprochen werden.

   Your privacy matters, and those details should not be discussed in public.

   Ihre

   your

   Privatsphäre

   privacy

   wichtig

   important

   solche

   such

   Details

   details

   sollten

   should

   Öffentlichkeit

   public sphere

   besprochen werden

   be discussed

   More detail

   Ihre is the possessive determiner meaning “your” here. It stands before Privatsphäre, which is feminine singular, and has the form used for a feminine singular nominative noun phrase: Ihre Privatsphäre. The initial capital is required because this word begins the sentence; in this position, the capitalization alone does not establish whether the form is the formal possessive “your” or simply capitalized at the start of a sentence. Example: Ihre Antwort ist klar. — “Your answer is clear.” Privatsphäre is a feminine noun meaning “privacy.” Its article pattern is die Privatsphäre. Example: Privatsphäre ist vielen Menschen wichtig. — “Privacy is important to many people.” ist is the third-person singular present form of sein (“to be”). Here it links the subject Ihre Privatsphäre with the description wichtig. The present form presents this as a current or general statement. Example: Der Termin ist wichtig. — “The appointment is important.” wichtig means “important” and describes the value or significance of the privacy mentioned. It is an adjective; after ist, it appears without an adjective ending. Its comparative is wichtiger (“more important”), and its superlative is commonly am wichtigsten (“most important”). Example: Diese Regel ist wichtiger. — “This rule is more important.” solche means “such” and modifies the plural noun Details: solche Details. It identifies the details as being of a relevant kind without itself specifying which details they are. Example: Solche Fragen sind normal. — “Such questions are normal.” Details is the plural of Detail, meaning “details.” In this clause it is the grammatical subject, even though it comes before the passive verb phrase. The singular is ein Detail or das Detail; the plural is Details. Example: Die Details fehlen noch. — “The details are still missing.” sollten is the third-person plural form of sollen; here it expresses “should.” Its plural form agrees with solche Details. With a modal verb, the other verb remains at the end; in this sentence, the passive sequence is besprochen werden. Example: Die Daten sollten geschützt werden. — “The data should be protected.” Öffentlichkeit is a feminine noun meaning “the public” or “the public sphere.” In in der Öffentlichkeit, it means “in public.” In takes the dative here because the phrase describes a location or setting rather than movement into it, giving the feminine dative article der. Example: Sie spricht nicht gern in der Öffentlichkeit. — “She does not like speaking in public.” besprochen werden forms a passive construction. besprochen is the past participle of besprechen (“to discuss”), and werden is the infinitive of the passive auxiliary. Together, they mean “be discussed.” The passive makes Details the grammatical subject and does not state who performs the discussion. Example: Die Frage muss besprochen werden. — “The question must be discussed.” The first clause, Ihre Privatsphäre ist wichtig, states that the addressee’s privacy matters. Und joins it to the second clause. In solche Details sollten nicht in der Öffentlichkeit besprochen werden, nicht negates the passive action, sollten expresses the recommendation, and in der Öffentlichkeit gives the setting. The complete utterance means: “Your privacy matters, and those details should not be discussed in public.”

5. Könnte ich die meisten Hintergrundinformationen stattdessen in den schriftlichen Formularen angeben?

   Could I put most of the background on the written forms instead?

   Könnte ich

   Could I…?

   die meisten

   most of the

   Hintergrundinformationen

   background information

   stattdessen

   instead

   schriftlichen

   written

   Formularen

   forms

   angeben

   provide

   More detail

   Könnte ich contains könnte, the Konjunktiv II form of können, with ich as the subject. Here it makes the question a polite request about possibility: “Could I…?” Compare ich kann (“I can”) with ich könnte (“I could”), which is more tentative or polite. Example: Könnte ich später kommen? — “Could I come later?” die meisten means “most of the” here. It is the plural form used with Hintergrundinformationen. The form belongs to the comparison of viel: viel (“much/many”), mehr (“more”), am meisten (“the most”) and, before a noun, die meisten (“most”). It does not state an exact number. Hintergrundinformationen is the plural of Hintergrundinformation, meaning information that supplies background or context. The compound combines Hintergrund (“background”) with Information (“information”). Example: Bitte geben Sie wichtige Hintergrundinformationen an. — “Please provide important background information.” stattdessen means “instead” and marks an alternative understood from the situation. It is an adverb, so it does not inflect. Here it contrasts entering the information on the forms with providing it in another way. schriftlichen is the inflected form of the adjective schriftlich (“written”). It describes Formularen and has the ending used here with a plural noun in the dative after in den. Example: Wir brauchen eine schriftliche Antwort. — “We need a written answer.” The adjective describes the forms; it is not derived from the noun Formular. Formularen is the dative plural of Formular (“form”). The plural is Formulare, and the dative plural adds -n: Formularen. In in den schriftlichen Formularen, in takes the dative because the sentence presents the forms as the place or medium where the information would be entered, rather than expressing movement into them. angeben means “to provide” or “to state” information. It is a separable verb in other finite constructions, as in Ich gebe meine Adresse an (“I provide my address”). After the modal verb könnte, it remains the infinitive at the end: könnte ... angeben. Together, Könnte ich ... angeben? asks politely whether the speaker can or may provide something. die meisten Hintergrundinformationen is what would be provided, stattdessen marks the alternative, and in den schriftlichen Formularen identifies the forms as the place or medium. The complete meaning is: “Could I put most of the background on the written forms instead?”

6. Das können Sie, allerdings kann die behandelnde Person Ihnen trotzdem noch unter vier Augen Fragen stellen.

   You can, although the clinician may still ask questions in private.

   Das

   that; it

   können Sie

   you can

   allerdings

   however

   kann

   may

   behandelnde

   treating

   Person

   person

   Ihnen

   to you

   trotzdem

   nevertheless

   noch

   still

   unter vier Augen

   in private

   Fragen stellen

   ask questions

   More detail

   Das refers here to giving most of the background information in the written forms, as established by the preceding question. As a demonstrative pronoun, das is neuter; its form is determined by the grammatical form of the thing referred to, not by the people involved. The same word can also be a neuter definite article before a noun, but it stands alone here. können Sie means that the addressee is able or permitted to do this. können is the base form; Sie is the formal second-person pronoun, and the verb form is können. Compare du kannst for informal singular “you can” and ihr könnt for informal plural “you can.” The combination Das können Sie places the object-like Das first; the finite verb remains in second position in this main clause. allerdings introduces a qualification, commonly “however” or “although.” It signals that the permission or possibility just stated has an important limitation. In a main clause, it can occur in different positions without changing its basic contrastive function. kann is the third-person singular present form of können. Here it expresses possibility: the treating person may still ask questions. The subject is die behandelnde Person, so the singular form kann is chosen. The form können earlier belongs to formal Sie, not to this later subject. behandelnde describes the Person as the person providing treatment. It comes from the verb behandeln (“to treat”); in this noun phrase, the present participle behandelnd is used as an adjective and receives the ending -e before the feminine noun Person after the definite article die. The adjective's base is therefore behandelnd/the verb behandeln, not Person. Example: die behandelnde Ärztin — “the treating doctor.” Person means “person.” It is a feminine grammatical noun in German: die Person, plural die Personen. Its grammatical gender does not by itself identify the person's real-world gender. Here it is the subject of kann ... Fragen stellen. Ihnen is the dative form of formal Sie, meaning “to you” here. The verb construction jemandem Fragen stellen uses the person being asked as a dative object: “to ask someone questions.” For informal singular “you,” the corresponding dative form is dir; for informal plural, it is euch. trotzdem means “nevertheless” or “even so.” It marks a result that remains possible despite the earlier qualification: being able to provide the information in writing does not prevent the questions mentioned afterward. It is an adverb, not an inflected form. noch means “still” here. Together with trotzdem, trotzdem noch conveys that the questioning can still occur in addition to the written information. Noch has other uses, such as “another” or “yet,” so its exact meaning comes from this sentence. unter vier Augen is a fixed idiom meaning “in private,” literally referring to a situation involving only the speaker and one other person. It functions as an adverbial phrase describing how the questions may be asked. Example: Wir sprechen später unter vier Augen. — “We will speak privately later.” Fragen stellen is the reusable German construction for “to ask questions”: the noun Fragen is the plural of die Frage, and stellen is the verb “to put/place” in its base form, used in this collocation. German does not use the more literal-looking equivalent of “ask questions” here; the established pattern is jemandem Fragen stellen. Example: Die Lehrerin stellt den Kindern Fragen. — “The teacher asks the children questions.” Putting the parts together: Das können Sie confirms that the addressee can provide the information in the written forms. allerdings introduces a limitation: die behandelnde Person kann Ihnen trotzdem noch ... Fragen stellen says that the treating person may nevertheless still ask the addressee questions, and unter vier Augen specifies that this can happen privately. The complete meaning is therefore: “You can, although the clinician may still ask questions in private.”

7. Das würde das Gespräch für mich viel einfacher machen.

   That would make the conversation much easier for me.

   Das

   that

   würde

   would

   das Gespräch

   the conversation

   für mich

   for me

   viel

   much

   einfacher

   easier

   machen

   make

   More detail

   Das means “that” here and functions as the subject of the sentence. Its specific referent is supplied by the surrounding situation rather than by the word alone; German demonstrative pronouns can point to an already understood matter or action. It is neuter singular in form, but this sentence does not identify a specific noun that it replaces. würde is the third-person singular conditional form of werden, used here with an infinitive to express a hypothetical or expected result: würde ... machen = “would make.” The infinitive stays at the end of this clause. Compare Das wird ... machen (“That will make ...”), which presents the result as future or expected rather than conditional. das Gespräch means “the conversation.” Gespräch is a neuter noun, so its definite article is das; the article and noun together form the accusative object of machen in this sentence. A useful related noun is Unterhaltung, which can also mean “conversation,” but it is not the noun used here and has additional uses. für mich means “for me.” für takes the accusative case, and the first-person pronoun has the accusative form mich rather than the nominative form ich. The phrase identifies whose experience or benefit is being described. viel means “much” here and strengthens the following comparative: viel einfacher = “much easier.” With a comparative, viel expresses a substantial degree, while etwas einfacher would mean “a little easier.” einfacher is the comparative form of the adjective einfach (“easy” or “simple”): einfach → einfacher → am einfachsten. It describes the conversation as easier for the speaker. Because it follows machen as a predicative adjective, it has no adjective ending here; the comparative ending is carried by -er. machen is the infinitive “to make” and appears at the end because it follows the conditional form würde. In the pattern etwas ... machen, the object is made or caused to be in a described state. Here, das Gespräch ... einfacher machen means “make the conversation easier,” not physically create the conversation. Together, Das würde das Gespräch für mich viel einfacher machen means “That would make the conversation much easier for me.” The structure is Das würde + object das Gespräch + beneficiary or perspective für mich + degree viel + result adjective einfacher + infinitive machen. It presents the understood matter referred to by Das as a hypothetical cause of a conversation becoming substantially easier for the speaker.

8. Ich werde Ihren Wunsch notieren, bevor Sie aufgerufen werden.

   I will note your preference before you are called.

   Ich werde

   I will

   Ihren

   your

   Wunsch

   preference

   notieren

   note

   bevor

   before

   Sie

   you

   aufgerufen werden

   be called

   More detail

   Ich werde expresses “I will” here. werde is the first-person singular present form of werden; with an infinitive, it forms the future: ich werde ... notieren = “I will note ...”. The subject is Ich, so this form is not used for “you will” or “they will.” Ihren means “your” in this sentence and agrees with the formal Sie understood as the possessor. Its ending also reflects the noun it accompanies: Wunsch is masculine, and it is the accusative object of notieren, so the form is Ihren. The possessive form is written with a capital letter here because it refers to formal “your”; informal singular “your” is deinen in the corresponding masculine accusative pattern. Wunsch means “preference” here. It is a masculine noun: der Wunsch. The accusative form itself does not visibly change: Ich notiere den Wunsch = “I note the preference.” notieren is the infinitive “to note” or “to record.” It is the lexical verb governed by werde; the infinitive remains at the end of the main clause. Example: Ich werde Ihre Antwort notieren. — “I will note your answer.” bevor introduces a subordinate time clause meaning “before.” In this clause, the finite verb goes to the end. The pattern is bevor + subject + ... + finite verb. Sie means formal singular “you” or plural “you” in this clause. The fixed translation identifies the intended meaning as “you”; it does not specify whether that is one formally addressed person or several people. The form Sie is capitalized in both uses. aufgerufen werden means “be called.” aufgerufen is the past participle of the separable verb aufrufen (“to call,” “to call someone’s name”), and werden forms the passive. In the subordinate clause, the passive sequence appears at the end: Sie aufgerufen werden. This differs from active jemand ruft Sie auf — “someone calls you.” Together, Ich werde Ihren Wunsch notieren means “I will note your preference.” bevor Sie aufgerufen werden adds the time relation “before you are called.” The complete utterance is therefore: “I will note your preference before you are called.”