Evaluating a Workshop Beyond Satisfaction Scores | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Nach dem Workshop brauchen wir mehr als nur Zufriedenheitswerte.

   After the workshop, we need more than satisfaction scores.

   Workshop

   workshop

   brauchen

   need

   mehr als nur

   more than just

   Zufriedenheitswerte

   satisfaction scores

   More detail

   Workshop is a masculine loanword: der Workshop (singular), die Workshops (plural). In this sentence, Nach dem Workshop means “after the workshop.” The preposition nach takes the dative here, so the masculine article changes from der to dem: nach dem Workshop. brauchen means “need” here. It is the infinitive and also the present-tense form used with wir: wir brauchen = “we need.” Other present forms include ich brauche and sie brauchen; the form changes with the subject. Example: Wir brauchen mehr Zeit. — “We need more time.” mehr als nur is a reusable comparison pattern meaning “more than just.” mehr is the comparative form associated with viel (“much” or “a lot”): viel → mehr → am meisten. als introduces what the comparison goes beyond, while nur limits the following idea to “just/only.” Example: Das ist mehr als nur ein Test. — “That is more than just a test.” Zufriedenheitswerte means “satisfaction scores.” It is a plural compound noun; its singular is der Zufriedenheitswert, and its plural form is die Zufriedenheitswerte. The ending -e in this form marks the plural, while the compound combines the idea of satisfaction with measured values or scores. Example: Die Zufriedenheitswerte sind gestiegen. — “The satisfaction scores have increased.” Putting the parts together, Nach dem Workshop sets the time, brauchen wir states that the speaker and others need something, and mehr als nur Zufriedenheitswerte says that satisfaction scores alone are insufficient. The complete meaning is: “After the workshop, we need more than satisfaction scores.”

2. Wir sollten messen, ob die Teilnehmenden die Methode später anwenden.

   We should measure whether participants apply the method later.

   Wir sollten

   we should

   messen

   measure

   ob

   whether

   Teilnehmenden

   participants

   Methode

   method

   später

   later

   anwenden

   apply

   More detail

   Wir sollten expresses a recommendation or intended course of action: “we should.” Sollten is the form of sollen used here for the first-person plural subject wir; in this sentence it is not a past-time claim. A useful pattern is Wir sollten + infinitive. Example: Wir sollten warten. — “We should wait.” messen means “to measure.” It is the infinitive selected by sollten, and it can take a result, quantity, or clause as its object. Here the thing to be measured is the answer to the following ob-clause. Example: Wir messen die Zeit. — “We measure the time.” ob introduces an indirect yes-or-no question, “whether.” It sends the finite verb to the end of its subordinate clause. The reusable pattern is messen, ob + subject + ... + verb. This differs from wenn, which commonly introduces a condition or a time clause rather than an indirect yes-or-no question. Teilnehmenden means “participants” here. It is a substantivized form related to teilnehmen (“to participate”); the plural form with the definite article is die Teilnehmenden. In this sentence, die Teilnehmenden is the subject of anwenden, so the form is nominative plural. Example: Die Teilnehmenden arbeiten zusammen. — “The participants work together.” Methode means “method.” It is a feminine noun, and die Methode is the definite noun phrase used here. Its form is identical in the nominative and accusative singular, so its role comes from the clause structure: it is what the participants apply. Example: Wir testen die Methode. — “We test the method.” später means “later.” It is an adverb, so it does not change to agree with a noun. In this sentence it places the applying at a later time, without specifying exactly when. Example: Wir sprechen später darüber. — “We will talk about it later.” anwenden means “to apply” or “to use” something, especially a method, rule, or procedure. It is a separable verb: in a finite main clause, die Teilnehmenden wenden die Methode später an; after the modal sollten, the infinitive stays together as anwenden. In the ob-clause, that infinitive is at the end, as required for this subordinate-clause structure. Example: Sie wenden die Methode an. — “They apply the method.” Together, Wir sollten messen gives the recommendation “we should measure.” The ob-clause specifies what should be measured: ob die Teilnehmenden die Methode später anwenden, “whether the participants apply the method later.” The complete utterance therefore means: “We should measure whether participants apply the method later.”

3. Die Anwendung lässt sich schwerer messen, ist aber wichtiger.

   Application is harder to measure, but it matters more.

   Anwendung

   application

   lässt sich

   can be

   schwerer

   harder

   messen

   measure

   wichtiger

   more important

   More detail

   Anwendung is a feminine noun meaning “application” here. It is capitalized because German nouns are capitalized; its definite article is die. The related verb anwenden means “to apply,” as in Wir wenden die Methode an. — “We apply the method.” lässt sich is part of the reusable pattern etwas lässt sich + infinitive: “something can be ...” or “something is possible to ...”. sich refers grammatically to the subject, while lässt is the third-person singular present form of lassen. The infinitive comes at the end of this construction: Das Ergebnis lässt sich erklären. — “The result can be explained.” schwerer is the comparative form of the adjective schwer (“difficult” or “hard”) and describes how difficult the measuring is. The chain is schwer → schwerer → am schwersten (“hard” → “harder” → “hardest”). Here, the comparative presents measuring the application as more difficult than an understood comparison. It is the adjective schwer, not the noun Anwendung, that carries the comparison. messen is the infinitive “to measure.” In the pattern lässt sich ... messen, it names the action that can be performed on the subject. The previous sentence also uses messen directly in Wir sollten messen (“We should measure”), so the same verb can occur after a modal-like expression or as the infinitive in lässt sich. wichtiger is the comparative of wichtig (“important”): wichtig → wichtiger → am wichtigsten (“important” → “more important” → “most important”). It describes the application as more important than an understood comparison. The adjective wichtig carries this comparison; Anwendung is the noun being described. The sentence structure is Die Anwendung lässt sich schwerer messen, ist aber wichtiger. Die Anwendung is the subject. lässt sich ... messen says that measuring it is more difficult, while ist aber wichtiger adds the contrast “but it is more important.” Together, the utterance means: “Application is harder to measure, but it matters more.”

4. Wir könnten nach der Umsetzung um kurze Reflexionsnotizen bitten.

   We could ask for brief reflection notes after implementation.

   Wir könnten

   we could

   Umsetzung

   implementation

   um … bitten

   ask for

   kurze

   brief

   Reflexionsnotizen

   reflection notes

   More detail

   Wir könnten means “we could.” könnten is the form of können used here for a possible or tentative suggestion with wir; the infinitive is können. Compare Wir können ... (“We can ...”), which presents the possibility more directly. Example: Wir könnten morgen anfangen. — “We could start tomorrow.” Umsetzung means “implementation” here. It is the feminine noun die Umsetzung; after nach, it appears as der Umsetzung, because nach takes the dative: nach der Umsetzung = “after implementation.” The noun can also refer to putting a plan or idea into practice. um ... bitten is the reusable pattern “to ask for ...”: jemanden um etwas bitten = “to ask someone for something.” The preposition um introduces the requested thing and takes the accusative. Example: Sie bittet ihn um Hilfe. — “She asks him for help.” In this sentence, um appears before kurze Reflexionsnotizen, while bitten is at the end because the main clause also contains the modal verb könnten. kurze means “brief” here and agrees with the plural noun Reflexionsnotizen. Its base adjective is kurz; kurze is the strong accusative plural form used without an article in kurze Reflexionsnotizen. Example: Wir schreiben kurze Notizen. — “We write brief notes.” Reflexionsnotizen means “reflection notes.” It is the plural of the feminine compound noun die Reflexionsnotiz; the compound combines Reflexion (“reflection”) and Notiz (“note”). Here, the plural noun phrase is the requested thing introduced by um and has accusative form, although the plural forms of the noun and adjective are not visibly different from their nominative counterparts in this phrase. Together, Wir könnten nach der Umsetzung um kurze Reflexionsnotizen bitten means “We could ask for brief reflection notes after implementation.” The structure is: Wir könnten (we could) + nach der Umsetzung (after implementation) + um kurze Reflexionsnotizen bitten (ask for brief reflection notes).

5. Das würde zeigen, was sich verändert hat und was weiterhin schwierig war.

   That would show what changed and what remained difficult.

   Das

   that; it

   würde

   would

   zeigen

   show

   was

   what

   verändert

   changed

   weiterhin

   still

   schwierig

   difficult

   war

   was

   More detail

   Das is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. It points to the relevant matter or proposal in the surrounding context; its exact referent is not otherwise specified. Unlike the definite article das, this form stands on its own as a pronoun. würde is the conditional form of werden, used with an infinitive: würde zeigen = “would show.” This pattern expresses a hypothetical or conditional result. The infinitive remains zeigen; it is not changed to agree with the subject. zeigen means “to show” or “to indicate.” A useful pattern is etwas zeigt, was ... — “something shows what ...”. In this sentence, the thing that would show something is Das. was introduces a free relative clause meaning “what”: was sich verändert hat = “what changed” and was weiterhin schwierig war = “what remained difficult.” Here it is not asking a direct question. The two was clauses are parallel parts of what Das would show. In sich verändert hat, verändert is the past participle of verändern, “to change” or “to alter.” With sich, the expression sich verändern means “to change” or “to undergo change.” The auxiliary hat makes this a perfect-tense clause: literally, “has changed,” while the fixed translation presents the result as “changed.” The form verändert itself does not show person or number; the auxiliary carries the finite verb marking. weiterhin means “still” or “continuing to be so.” It marks continuation over time. In weiterhin schwierig, it says that the difficulty remained in place rather than newly arising. schwierig is the adjective “difficult.” After sein, as in schwierig war, it is a predicate adjective and does not take an ending for this use. A reusable contrast is leicht = “easy” versus schwierig = “difficult.” war is a past-tense form of sein, “to be.” It is the singular form used in was ... war; schwierig describes the state that existed. The clause was weiterhin schwierig war therefore means “what was still difficult,” which the fixed translation renders as “what remained difficult.” Together, Das würde zeigen means “That would show.” The two following was clauses specify the information shown: was sich verändert hat identifies what changed, and was weiterhin schwierig war identifies what remained difficult. The complete utterance is therefore: “That would show what changed and what remained difficult.”

6. Außerdem liefert es uns Material, um die nächste Sitzung zu verbessern.

   It also gives us material for improving the next session.

   Außerdem

   also

   liefert

   gives

   es

   it

   uns

   us

   Material

   material

   nächste

   next

   Sitzung

   session

   zu verbessern

   to improve

   More detail

   Außerdem means “also” or “furthermore” and adds this statement to what has already been said. It is an adverb, so it does not change for person, number, or gender. liefert is the present-tense third-person singular form of liefern, “to provide” or “to deliver”: ich liefere, du lieferst, er/sie/es liefert. Here it means “provides,” not necessarily physically delivers something. Example: Der Bericht liefert wichtige Informationen. — “The report provides important information.” es is the third-person singular pronoun “it.” In this sentence it is the subject of liefert; the fixed translation identifies that subject as the thing that gives the material. German es can refer to a neuter noun or to another already identified thing, but its specific referent is not established by this sentence alone. uns means “us” here. It is the accusative or dative form of first-person plural wir, and liefern uses a recipient in the dative in this construction: Es liefert uns Material. — “It provides us with material.” Compare wir (“we”) as the subject form and uns (“us”) as an object form. Material is a neuter noun meaning “material” or “information/resources for a task.” In this sentence it is the thing provided. The noun is normally used without a plural when referring to material in general; a specific amount or type can be added when needed. nächste means “next” here. Its base adjective is nächst-, and in die nächste Sitzung it has the weak ending -e because it follows the definite article die. The adjective agrees with feminine singular Sitzung; the form is also nächste in feminine singular nominative, as in Die nächste Sitzung beginnt bald. — “The next session begins soon.” Sitzung is a feminine noun meaning “session” or “meeting.” The phrase die nächste Sitzung means “the next session.” The definite article and adjective show that a particular upcoming session is intended, while Sitzung supplies the noun itself. zu verbessern means “to improve.” verbessern is the base form, and the zu-infinitive is used after um to express purpose: um etwas zu verbessern — “in order to improve something.” The separable-verb rule does not apply here; verbessern remains together with zu. Together, Außerdem liefert es uns Material means “It also gives us material.” The purpose phrase um die nächste Sitzung zu verbessern says what the material is for: “for improving the next session” or, more literally, “in order to improve the next session.” The full sentence is therefore: “It also gives us material for improving the next session.”

7. Lass uns das Formular kurz genug halten, damit es ehrlich ausgefüllt werden kann.

   Let's keep the form short enough to complete honestly.

   Lass uns

   let’s

   Formular

   form

   kurz

   short

   genug

   enough

   halten

   keep

   damit

   so that

   ehrlich

   honestly

   ausgefüllt

   filled out

   werden kann

   can be

   More detail

   Lass uns is a reusable way to suggest an action jointly: literally, it uses the imperative of lassen with uns (“us”). In this sentence, the implied subject of the suggested action is “we.” Compare Lass uns anfangen. — “Let’s start.” Formular means “form.” Its base form is das Formular; here it is the object of halten, so the neuter accusative has the same visible form: das Formular. The plural is die Formulare. kurz describes the form as short or brief. Here it is used predicatively after halten, so it has no adjective ending. kurz can also mean “brief” in expressions such as eine kurze Antwort (“a short answer”), where the adjective does take an ending. genug means “enough.” After an adjective, German commonly places it after that adjective: kurz genug = “short enough.” The pattern Adjektiv + genug expresses the degree required for a purpose, as in groß genug (“big enough”). halten means “keep” here, in the sense of maintaining something in a certain condition or at a certain level. Its base form is halten; after Lass uns, the infinitive remains halten: Lass uns das Formular kurz halten — “Let’s keep the form short.” damit introduces a subordinate clause expressing the intended purpose or desired result: “so that.” In this sentence, it connects keeping the form short with the possibility of completing it honestly. A reusable pattern is Wir machen X, damit Y ... — “We do X so that Y ...” ehrlich means “honestly” in this clause. Although it has the same form as the adjective “honest,” it is used adverbially here and describes how the form is completed. For example, Bitte antworte ehrlich. means “Please answer honestly.” ausgefüllt is the past participle of the separable verb ausfüllen, “to fill out.” The prefix aus- remains part of the verb: ein Formular ausfüllen means “to fill out a form.” In the passive construction here, ausgefüllt means “filled out,” not simply “full.” werden kann combines passive voice with the modal verb können. werden forms the passive infinitive with ausgefüllt: ausgefüllt werden = “be filled out.” kann is the third-person singular present form of können, and it appears at the end of this subordinate clause. The es is the grammatical subject of this clause and refers to the form in the fixed meaning: the form can be filled out honestly. Compare Das Formular kann ausgefüllt werden. — “The form can be filled out.” Together, Lass uns das Formular kurz genug halten means “Let’s keep the form short enough.” The following damit clause gives the purpose or intended result: es ehrlich ausgefüllt werden kann, “it can be filled out honestly.” The whole utterance is therefore: “Let’s keep the form short enough to complete honestly.”

8. Eine übertriebene Evaluation führt oft zu nachlässigen Antworten.

   Excessive evaluation often produces careless answers.

   übertriebene

   excessive

   Evaluation

   evaluation

   führt … zu

   leads to; causes

   oft

   often

   nachlässigen

   careless

   Antworten

   answers

   More detail

   übertriebene describes Evaluation here as excessive. Its base form is übertrieben. Because it modifies a feminine singular noun phrase after eine, it has the ending -e: eine übertriebene Evaluation. Example: Das ist eine übertriebene Reaktion. — “That is an excessive reaction.” Evaluation is a feminine noun: die Evaluation; its plural is Evaluationen. In this sentence it is singular and functions as the subject. The opening Eine is an indefinite article for that feminine singular subject; it does not by itself assert a numerical count. führt and zu form the reusable pattern zu etwas führen, meaning “to lead to something” or “to result in something.” führt is the third-person singular present form of führen. The preposition zu governs the dative. Example: Das führt zu Problemen. — “That leads to problems.” oft is a frequency adverb meaning “often.” It modifies the event expressed by führt ... zu, so the result is presented as frequent rather than constant. nachlässigen describes Antworten as careless or insufficiently careful. Its base form is nachlässig. The ending -en appears because the adjective is in a dative plural phrase after zu: zu nachlässigen Antworten. Example: Sie gab nachlässige Antworten. — “She gave careless answers.” Here nachlässige is accusative plural because Antworten is the direct object of gab, so it does not use the dative ending from the fixed sentence. Antworten is the plural of the feminine noun Antwort (“answer”). Here it is dative plural because it is the object of zu; the plural form itself is also Antworten. Taken together, Eine übertriebene Evaluation is the subject, führt ... zu expresses the resulting connection, oft marks the frequency, and nachlässigen Antworten names the result. The whole utterance therefore means: “Excessive evaluation often produces careless answers.”