Confirming Travel Delay Information and Where to Wait | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Die Ansage sagt, dass es eine Verspätung gibt, aber sie sagt nicht, warum.

   The announcement says there is a delay, but it does not say why.

   Die Ansage

   the announcement

   sagt

   says

   dass

   that

   es

   it

   eine Verspätung

   a delay

   gibt

   there is

   aber

   but

   sie sagt nicht

   it does not say

   warum

   why

   More detail

   Die Ansage means “the announcement.” Ansage is a feminine noun, so its definite article is die in the nominative here: die Ansage. The noun can refer to an announcement or announcement message, depending on context. sagt is the present-tense third-person singular form of sagen (“to say”). The same form is used with a singular subject such as die Ansage; with a plural subject, German uses sagen: Die Ansagen sagen ... — “The announcements say ...” dass introduces a subordinate clause meaning “that.” In standard German, the finite verb in a dass clause normally comes at the end: dass es eine Verspätung gibt — “that there is a delay.” es in es gibt is not the announcement and does not identify a separate thing. It is the formal subject used in the existential pattern es gibt + accusative, meaning “there is/are.” eine Verspätung means “a delay.” Verspätung is a feminine noun. In es gibt eine Verspätung, the noun is the accusative complement of gibt; feminine eine has the same form in the nominative and accusative. The useful pattern is Es gibt ... — “There is/are ...” For example: Es gibt ein Problem. — “There is a problem.” gibt is the third-person singular present form of geben in the fixed construction es gibt. Although geben often means “to give,” es gibt has the separate existential meaning “there is/are.” Because this is a subordinate clause introduced by dass, gibt appears at the end of that clause. aber means “but” and links two contrasting statements. It does not itself change the word order of the clause that follows. sie sagt nicht means “it does not say” here. sie is the feminine third-person singular pronoun referring to die Ansage, as confirmed by the fixed translation. sagt is again the present form of sagen, and nicht negates the saying. In a main clause, the finite verb is in second position: Sie sagt nicht ... — “It does not say ...” warum means “why” and introduces the reason being requested or identified. In warum clauses, German places the finite verb at the end: warum + ... + sagt; in this sentence, the verb is understood from the preceding sagt nicht, so the utterance ends with warum. A complete example is Ich weiß nicht, warum er geht. — “I do not know why he is leaving.” Together, Die Ansage sagt, dass es eine Verspätung gibt means “The announcement says that there is a delay.” aber sie sagt nicht, warum contrasts this with the missing reason: “but it does not say why.” The complete utterance is therefore: “The announcement says there is a delay, but it does not say why.”

2. Ich glaube, sie überprüfen den Zug, bevor sie die Fahrgäste einsteigen lassen.

   I think they are checking the train before letting people board.

   Ich glaube

   I think

   sie

   they

   überprüfen

   check

   Zug

   train

   bevor

   before

   Fahrgäste

   passengers

   einsteigen lassen

   let [people] board

   More detail

   Ich glaube means “I think” here. glaube is the first-person singular present form of glauben (“to believe/think”): ich glaube, du glaubst, sie glauben. It presents the following statement as the speaker’s belief rather than as a confirmed fact. Example: Ich glaube, der Zug kommt gleich. — “I think the train is coming soon.” The first sie means “they,” as shown by the fixed translation. Here it is a plural subject, matching the plural form überprüfen. German sie can have other functions in other contexts, but those are not intended here. überprüfen means “to check” or “to inspect.” It is the base form, and sie überprüfen is present tense with a plural subject. This verb takes the thing being checked as its direct object. Example: Wir überprüfen die Fahrkarten. — “We check the tickets.” Zug means “train.” It is the masculine noun der Zug. In den Zug, it is the direct object of überprüfen, so the masculine singular article is accusative den; the noun itself remains Zug. Example: Der Zug fährt ab. — “The train is departing.” bevor means “before” and introduces a subordinate clause describing the earlier time relation. In German, the finite verb in this subordinate clause goes to the end: bevor sie die Fahrgäste einsteigen lassen. The second sie is a plural subject meaning “they.” Its grammatical role is clear, but the fixed texts do not require a more specific statement about whether it refers to exactly the same people as the first sie; the clause says that they let the passengers board. Fahrgäste means “passengers.” It is the plural of der Fahrgast: Fahrgast → Fahrgäste. The plural changes a to ä and adds -e. In die Fahrgäste, the passengers are the people being allowed to board. Example: Die Fahrgäste warten am Bahnsteig. — “The passengers are waiting on the platform.” einsteigen lassen is a causative construction: einsteigen means “to board” or “to get in,” and lassen means “to let/allow.” Together, jemanden einsteigen lassen means “to let someone board.” The people who board are expressed as an accusative object, here die Fahrgäste; einsteigen remains an infinitive, while lassen is finite and appears at the end of the subordinate clause. Example: Die Mitarbeiter lassen die Kinder einsteigen. — “The staff let the children board.” The sentence assembles as follows: Ich glaube introduces the speaker’s belief; sie überprüfen den Zug says that they are checking the train; and bevor sie die Fahrgäste einsteigen lassen places the checking before they let the passengers board. The whole meaning is: “I think they are checking the train before letting people board.”

3. Sollen wir hier bleiben oder nach einem anderen Bahnsteig suchen?

   Should we stay here, or should we look for another platform?

   Sollen wir

   Should we …?

   hier

   here

   bleiben

   stay

   anderen

   another; different

   Bahnsteig

   platform

   nach … suchen

   look for

   More detail

   Sollen wir uses the modal verb sollen with wir to form a suggestion or proposal: “Should we …?” In the present tense, sollen is soll with ich, sollst with du, soll with er/sie/es, sollen with wir/sie/Sie, and sollt with ihr. In a question like this, the modal comes first and the other verb goes to the end: Sollen wir bleiben? — “Should we stay?” hier means “here,” referring to the relevant current location. It is an adverb, so it does not change form. bleiben means “to stay” or “to remain.” It is the infinitive used with the modal sollen; the modal carries the finite verb position, while bleiben remains at the end of its clause. For example: Wir bleiben hier. — “We are staying here.” anderen is an inflected form of the adjective ander-, meaning “other” or, in this sentence, “another/different.” The ending is -en because the adjective occurs with the dative masculine phrase einem anderen Bahnsteig. Compare the basic forms: ein anderer Bahnsteig — “another platform” (nominative), and einen anderen Bahnsteig — “another platform” (accusative). The adjective, not Bahnsteig, carries this ending. Bahnsteig is the noun “platform,” specifically a railway platform. Its article is masculine: der Bahnsteig; its plural is die Bahnsteige. Example: Der Bahnsteig ist dort. — “The platform is over there.” nach ... suchen is the construction “to look for ...” or “to search for ...”. German uses nach with the dative for this meaning, so nach einem anderen Bahnsteig suchen means “look for another platform.” The preposition and verb are separated in the clause: nach comes before the searched-for noun phrase, while the infinitive suchen comes at the end. Example: Wir suchen nach dem Eingang. — “We are looking for the entrance.” Together, Sollen wir hier bleiben means “Should we stay here,” while oder introduces the alternative. nach einem anderen Bahnsteig suchen means “look for another platform.” The complete sentence therefore asks whether the group should remain at the current place or search for a different platform: “Should we stay here, or should we look for another platform?”

4. Bleiben wir vorerst in der Nähe. Wenn sich etwas ändert, sagen die Mitarbeitenden, wohin wir gehen sollen.

   Stay close for now. If it changes, staff will say where to go.

   Bleiben wir

   let’s stay

   vorerst

   for now

   Nähe

   vicinity

   etwas

   something

   ändert

   changes

   sagen

   say

   Mitarbeitenden

   staff members

   wohin

   where to

   gehen

   go

   sollen

   should

   More detail

   Bleiben wir uses bleiben (“stay”) with wir (“we”) in first position. In this form, the verb-first order makes a suggestion or proposal: “let’s stay,” rather than simply stating “we stay.” The verb’s infinitive/base form is bleiben; the present form with wir is also bleiben. vorerst means “for now” or “for the time being.” It limits the proposal to the current period, without saying how long that period will last. Nähe is the noun “vicinity” or “nearby area.” The reusable expression in der Nähe means “nearby” or “in the vicinity”; Nähe is feminine, so this expression has der after in when location, rather than movement, is meant. Here in der Nähe means staying close, not necessarily remaining at one exact spot. etwas is an indefinite pronoun meaning “something.” In sich etwas ändert, it is the subject: “something changes.” It does not specify what the thing is. ändert is the present-tense form of sich ändern, “to change.” The reflexive sich is part of this use: etwas ändert sich means “something changes,” whereas transitive etwas ändern means “to change something.” In the subordinate clause, the finite verb appears at the end: Wenn sich etwas ändert. sagen means “to say” or “tell.” Its form here is the present-tense form used with the plural subject die Mitarbeitenden: sie sagen — “they say.” In the sentence, what they will say is introduced by the following content clause. Mitarbeitenden means “staff members” or “employees.” It is the plural form of the nominalized participle Mitarbeitende; the definite phrase die Mitarbeitenden refers to the staff as a group. The form is gender-inclusive and does not identify an individual staff member. wohin asks about a destination: “where to” or “to where.” It differs from wo (“where,” location without movement). For example, Wohin gehst du? means “Where are you going?” gehen means “to go.” Here it is the infinitive after the modal verb sollen, and wir gehen identifies the people who are to go. The infinitive remains at the end of the content clause together with the modal construction: wohin wir gehen sollen. sollen expresses what someone is expected, instructed, or supposed to do. With wir, the form is sollen; its base form is also sollen. In wohin wir gehen sollen, the meaning is “where we should go” or “where we are supposed to go.” Together, Wenn sich etwas ändert means “If something changes.” The main clause sagen die Mitarbeitenden says that the staff will say or tell us something; German present tense can express this expected future event in context. The content they will provide is wohin wir gehen sollen, “where we should go.” The whole utterance therefore means: “Let’s stay close for now. If something changes, the staff will say where we should go.”

5. Ich habe Gepäck dabei, deshalb möchte ich nicht ständig hin und her laufen.

   I have luggage, so I do not want to keep moving around.

   Ich

   I

   habe

   have

   Gepäck

   luggage

   dabei

   with me

   deshalb

   therefore; so

   möchte

   want; would like

   nicht

   not

   ständig

   constantly

   hin und her

   back and forth

   laufen

   walk; go on foot

   More detail

   Ich is the first-person singular pronoun: “I.” It identifies the speaker, and its form does not change for grammatical gender. Example: Ich bin müde. — “I am tired.” habe is the first-person singular present form of haben (“to have”): ich habe. In this sentence, it expresses possession or having something with the speaker. Example: Ich habe Zeit. — “I have time.” Gepäck means “luggage” or “baggage.” It is normally an uncountable mass noun in German, so the sentence does not state a particular number of bags. Its useful article form is das Gepäck; the noun itself does not receive a plural ending in ordinary use. dabei means “with me” here. In the pattern etwas dabei haben, it says that someone has something along with them, often while traveling or going somewhere. Example: Ich habe meinen Ausweis dabei. — “I have my ID with me.” Together, Ich habe Gepäck dabei means “I have luggage with me.” The pronoun, verb, noun, and adverb form a reusable statement about carrying or having something present. deshalb means “therefore” or “that is why.” It links the luggage situation to the speaker’s preference. When deshalb occupies the first position of its clause, the finite verb follows it directly: Deshalb möchte ich ..., not Deshalb ich möchte .... This is the German verb-second pattern. möchte is the first-person singular form of mögen used to express a present wish or polite desire: ich möchte. With an infinitive, ich möchte ... means “I would like to ...” or “I want to ...” in this context. Example: Ich möchte sitzen. — “I would like to sit.” The form möchte is not the ordinary present form meaning simple liking; that form is ich mag. nicht marks negation. Here it negates the speaker’s desire to keep moving, so ich möchte nicht ... means “I do not want to ...” The exact scope comes from the surrounding construction rather than from nicht alone. ständig means “constantly” or “continually.” It describes repeated activity with little or no interruption. Example: Der Zug kommt ständig zu spät. — “The train is constantly late.” hin und her is a fixed directional expression meaning “back and forth.” It describes repeated movement in opposite directions rather than one particular destination. Example: Sie läuft hin und her. — “She walks back and forth.” laufen is the infinitive “to walk,” “to run,” or, in some contexts, “to go on foot.” Here, with hin und her, it describes moving back and forth; the sentence does not require interpreting the movement as running. After möchte, the infinitive stays at the end: Ich möchte ... laufen. The whole utterance combines Ich habe Gepäck dabei (“I have luggage with me”) with deshalb (“so/therefore”) and möchte ich nicht ständig hin und her laufen (“I do not want to keep moving back and forth”). Thus it means: “I have luggage, so I do not want to keep moving around.”

6. Ich werde fragen, ob sie uns helfen können, falls wir den Bahnsteig wechseln müssen.

   I will ask whether they can help if we need to switch platforms.

   Ich werde

   I will

   fragen

   ask

   ob

   whether

   sie

   they

   uns

   us

   helfen

   help

   können

   can

   falls

   if

   wir

   we

   Bahnsteig

   platform

   wechseln

   switch

   müssen

   need to

   More detail

   Ich werde introduces a future statement: werde is the first-person singular present form of werden, used here with the infinitive fragen to form the German future. The subject is Ich (“I”). Pattern: ich werde + infinitive. Example: Ich werde morgen kommen. — “I will come tomorrow.” fragen means “to ask” here. Its base form is fragen; after werde, it remains an infinitive and appears at the end of the main clause. Example: Ich werde ihn fragen. — “I will ask him.” ob introduces an indirect yes-or-no question, meaning “whether.” In the clause beginning with ob, the finite verb goes to the end: ob ... können. This is different from a direct question such as Können sie uns helfen? — “Can they help us?” sie means “they” here, as fixed by the translation. It is the third-person plural pronoun; its form is also used for some other functions in German, so the context determines the intended reading. In this sentence it is the group who may help. uns means “us” here. It is the form used for the first-person plural pronoun in both accusative and dative contexts. With helfen, it functions as the recipient of help, because helfen takes a dative object. Compare Sie helfen uns. — “They help us.” helfen means “to help.” Its base form is helfen; the stem vowel changes in some present-tense forms, for example er hilft (“he helps”), but the infinitive stays helfen. Here it is paired with the modal können. können means “can” or “be able to.” In this sentence, können is the finite present-tense form used with the third-person plural subject sie; the corresponding first-person singular form is kann. The other verb, helfen, remains an infinitive before it. Pattern: ob + subject + infinitive + finite modal verb. falls introduces a condition meaning “if” or “in case.” It is followed by a subordinate clause, so the finite verb goes to the end of that clause. Compared with the more general conditional connector wenn, falls often presents the condition as a possibility rather than as something expected. wir means “we,” the first-person plural subject of the conditional clause. It is distinct from uns, which means “us” and is used here as the recipient of helfen. Bahnsteig means “platform,” specifically a railway platform. Its base noun form is der Bahnsteig; in the sentence, den Bahnsteig is masculine singular accusative because it is the object of wechseln. The article den marks this grammatical role; it does not by itself assert a numeric count beyond the singular form of the noun. wechseln means “to switch” here, with den Bahnsteig as the object being changed. Its base form is wechseln, and after the modal müssen it remains an infinitive. Example: Wir müssen den Bahnsteig wechseln. — “We need to switch platforms.” müssen means “must” or, in this context, “need to.” It is a modal verb. Here it is the first-person plural finite form agreeing with wir, while wechseln is the infinitive placed immediately before it at the end of the subordinate clause. Pattern: wir müssen + infinitive. Example: Wir müssen gehen. — “We need to leave.” Taken together, Ich werde fragen means “I will ask.” The indirect question ob sie uns helfen können means “whether they can help us,” with German subordinate-clause word order placing finite können at the end. The conditional clause falls wir den Bahnsteig wechseln müssen means “if we need to switch platforms,” with müssen likewise at the end. The complete utterance therefore means: “I will ask whether they can help if we need to switch platforms.”

7. Das würde helfen, falls die Änderung erst in letzter Minute kommt.

   That would help if the change comes at the last minute.

   Das

   that

   würde

   would

   helfen

   help

   falls

   if; in case

   Änderung

   change

   erst

   only then; not until

   letzter

   last

   Minute

   minute

   More detail

   Das means “that” here. It is a demonstrative pronoun; the fixed sentence does not identify a particular noun as its referent, so it can point to a relevant situation or result as a whole. Demonstratives can also accompany nouns, as in das Problem (“that problem”). würde is the third-person singular form used here from werden in Konjunktiv II. With the infinitive helfen, würde helfen expresses a conditional result: “would help.” Compare Das hilft (“That helps”) with Das würde helfen (“That would help”). helfen means “to help.” Here it is the infinitive after würde. When a person is stated, helfen normally takes the dative: Ich helfe dir means “I help you.” falls introduces a condition, usually “if” or “in case.” It makes a subordinate clause, so the finite verb appears at the end: falls die Änderung kommt means “if the change comes.” Wenn can also mean “if”; falls often presents the condition as less certain or as a contingency. Änderung is the feminine noun die Änderung, meaning “change” or “alteration.” It is related to ändern (“to change”). In this sentence, die Änderung is the subject of kommt, so the article is nominative feminine. erst has a temporal meaning here. Together with the following time expression, it means “only at” or “not until” that point: erst morgen means “not until tomorrow.” Its meaning here is not simply the ordering sense “first.” letzter is an inflected form of the adjective letzt (“last”). It is not a comparative form. In in letzter Minute, the time expression uses feminine singular dative, and because no article appears, the adjective has the strong ending -er. The adjective describes Minute. Minute is the feminine noun die Minute, “minute.” The construction in letzter Minute means “at the last minute.” It tells when the change comes, not how long the change takes. Together, Das würde helfen means “That would help.” falls die Änderung erst in letzter Minute kommt adds the condition “if the change comes only at the last minute.” The complete utterance means: “That would help if the change comes at the last minute.”

8. Sobald sie die Anzeige aktualisieren, können wir losgehen, ohne zu raten.

   Once they update the board, we can move without guessing.

   Sobald

   once; as soon as

   sie

   they

   Anzeige

   display; board

   aktualisieren

   update

   können wir

   we can

   losgehen

   set off; go

   ohne zu raten

   without guessing

   More detail

   Sobald introduces a condition that is expected to happen first: “once” or “as soon as.” In this subordinate clause, the finite verb comes at the end. Compare wenn (“if/when”), which is broader and does not itself convey the same sense of immediate completion. sie means “they” here, as fixed by the translation. In this use it is the third-person plural personal pronoun. Its form is also used for a singular feminine “she” in other contexts, so the intended number comes from the sentence context rather than from the spelling alone. Anzeige is a feminine noun meaning “display” or “board” here. Its base form is die Anzeige; the article die marks the feminine singular form in this sentence. The plural is die Anzeigen. The meaning here is the information display referred to by the translation, not an advertisement. aktualisieren means “to update.” After plural sie, present-tense aktualisieren has the same visible form as the infinitive: sie aktualisieren = “they update.” In the Sobald clause, this finite verb is placed at the end: Sobald sie die Anzeige aktualisieren. können wir means “we can.” können is the modal verb “can/be able to”; its first-person plural form is wir können. Because the subordinate clause comes first, the main clause begins with the finite verb, followed by the subject: können wir .... A modal verb normally combines with an infinitive at the end of the clause. losgehen means “to set off” or “to go.” It is a separable verb: in a finite main clause, wir gehen los means “we set off,” while after the modal it remains an infinitive, können wir losgehen. ohne zu raten means “without guessing.” ohne introduces an action that does not occur, and zu raten is the infinitive phrase “to guess.” The verb raten has the infinitive form shown here; with zu, it becomes zu raten. The pattern ohne zu + infinitive is reusable, for example: Sie ging, ohne sich zu verabschieden. — “She left without saying goodbye.” Together, Sobald sie die Anzeige aktualisieren means “once they update the board/display.” The main clause können wir losgehen says that we are able to set off, and ohne zu raten specifies that this can happen without guessing. The complete meaning is: “Once they update the board, we can move without guessing.”