Move-out notice and apartment documentation | Learn German in English

Sentence explanations

1. Vielleicht ziehe ich aus, aber ich möchte die Kündigung richtig einreichen.

   I may move out, but I want to handle notice correctly.

   Vielleicht

   perhaps; maybe

   ziehe … aus

   move out

   ich möchte

   I want to

   Kündigung

   notice; termination notice

   richtig

   correctly; properly

   einreichen

   submit; file

   More detail

   Vielleicht expresses uncertainty: “perhaps” or “maybe.” Here it makes the speaker’s moving out uncertain. Example: Vielleicht kommt er morgen. — “Maybe he is coming tomorrow.” ziehe ... aus is the separated form of ausziehen, “to move out,” in this context. In the main clause, ziehe is the first-person singular present form of ausziehen, while the separable prefix aus appears at the end: ich ziehe aus — “I move out / I am moving out.” In the supplied sentence, Vielleicht occupies the first position, so the finite verb ziehe comes before the subject ich: Vielleicht ziehe ich aus. ich möchte means “I want to” here. möchte is the first-person singular form used to express a desire, and the infinitive einreichen appears at the end of this clause. This construction can also be a polite way to state what one would like to do. Example: Ich möchte helfen. — “I want to help.” Kündigung is a feminine noun meaning “termination notice” here, specifically a notice about ending the rental arrangement. In die Kündigung, die marks the noun phrase as the object of einreichen; for a feminine noun, the definite article has the same form in the accusative and nominative. The noun can refer to other kinds of termination or cancellation when the context supports them, but the rental context supports “notice” here. richtig is an adjective used adverbially here: it describes how the notice is submitted, so it means “correctly” or “properly.” In this use, it does not show a noun’s gender or number. Example: Bitte füllen Sie das Formular richtig aus. — “Please fill out the form correctly.” einreichen means “to submit” or “to file.” It is an infinitive here because it follows möchte; unlike a finite separable-verb clause, this infinitive remains together at the end. Pattern: etwas einreichen — “submit something.” Here, die Kündigung is the thing submitted. The complete sentence is Vielleicht ziehe ich aus + aber + ich möchte die Kündigung richtig einreichen: “I may move out, but I want to handle notice correctly.” Aber connects the two clauses with a contrast. The first clause expresses uncertainty about moving out; the second expresses the speaker’s desire to submit the notice properly.

2. Im Mietvertrag stehen die Kündigungsfristen, aber ich kann sie für Sie zusammenfassen.

   The lease explains notice requirements, but I can summarize them.

   Mietvertrag

   lease agreement

   stehen

   are stated / are listed

   Kündigungsfristen

   notice periods

   aber

   but

   ich kann

   I can

   sie

   them

   für Sie

   for you

   zusammenfassen

   summarize

   More detail

   Mietvertrag means “lease agreement.” It is a masculine noun: der Mietvertrag; after in for a location, im is the contraction of in dem, so im Mietvertrag means “in the lease agreement.” stehen literally means “stand,” but here it means “be stated” or “be listed.” Its base form is stehen, and stehen is the present-tense form for sie/Sie and for plural subjects. The subject is the plural noun Kündigungsfristen, even though it comes after the verb: Im Mietvertrag stehen .... Kündigungsfristen is the plural of Kündigungsfrist, meaning “notice period” or “notice deadline.” The compound combines Kündigung (“termination/notice”) with Frist (“period/deadline”). The plural form is appropriate because the sentence refers to multiple notice periods. aber introduces a contrast: “but.” It connects the information in the lease with the speaker’s ability to provide a summary. ich kann means “I can.” kann is the first-person singular present form of the modal verb können (“can/be able to”). With a modal verb, the other verb normally appears as an infinitive at the end of the clause: Ich kann das erklären. — “I can explain that.” sie means “them” here. It is the accusative plural personal pronoun referring to the notice periods, Kündigungsfristen. This form is also written sie in other functions, so its role here comes from the sentence structure: it is what the speaker can summarize. für Sie means “for you.” Sie with a capital letter is the formal second-person pronoun; after the preposition für, it has the accusative form, which is identical in appearance to the nominative formal Sie. The phrase identifies the person for whose benefit the summary is provided. zusammenfassen means “summarize.” It is a separable verb: zusammenfassen has the parts zusammen- and fassen, but after the modal kann it stays together as an infinitive at the end. For example, Ich kann den Vertrag zusammenfassen. — “I can summarize the contract.” Together, Im Mietvertrag stehen die Kündigungsfristen says that the notice periods are stated in the lease. aber ich kann sie für Sie zusammenfassen adds the contrast that the speaker can summarize those periods for the addressee. The complete meaning is: “The lease explains notice requirements, but I can summarize them.”

3. Bitte tun Sie das, denn rechtliche Formulierungen können schwer zu verstehen sein.

   Please do, because legal wording can be difficult to interpret.

   Bitte

   please

   tun Sie

   do (formal)

   das

   that

   rechtliche

   legal

   Formulierungen

   wording; formulations

   können

   can

   schwer

   difficult

   zu verstehen

   to understand

   sein

   be

   More detail

   Bitte is a polite marker meaning “please.” It softens the request that follows. It is also used in other requests, for example: Bitte warten Sie. — “Please wait.” tun Sie contains the verb tun (“do”) in the formal imperative with Sie. In this construction, Sie is the formal “you,” and the verb comes before the pronoun. The form tun is also the infinitive and the present-tense form used with Sie; the polite imperative is therefore recognizable from the word order and context. Together with Bitte, this gives a formal request. The object of tun is supplied by das, not by tun Sie alone. das is a demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. It refers to an action or matter understood from the situation; the supplied sentence does not uniquely identify a more specific referent. As a pronoun, it is separate from the verb and functions as the object of tun. The same form can also be a demonstrative article before a noun, as in das Formular — “that form,” but that is not its role here. rechtliche is the inflected form of the adjective rechtlich, “legal.” It describes Formulierungen here. The ending -e marks the adjective’s form in this noun phrase; it is the adjective, not the noun, that carries this ending. A useful contrast is rechtliche Hinweise — “legal information.” Formulierungen means “wording” or “formulations” here. It is the plural of the noun Formulierung, “formulation” or “piece of wording.” The plural form is visible in the ending -en; the adjective before it agrees with this noun phrase. For example, Die Formulierungen sind klar. means “The wording is clear.” können is the present-tense form of the modal verb können, “can” or “be able to.” Its subject here is the plural noun Formulierungen, so können is the third-person plural form. With a modal verb, the other verb appears at the end of the clause in the infinitive or infinitive construction: Sie können helfen. — “They can help.” schwer means “difficult” or “hard” here. It describes the difficulty of understanding the legal wording, not the physical weight of anything. In the construction schwer zu verstehen, it is followed by a zu-infinitive. For example, Der Text ist schwer zu lesen. means “The text is difficult to read.” zu verstehen is the zu-infinitive of verstehen, “understand.” The base form is verstehen; zu verstehen expresses the activity that is difficult. German commonly uses sein + adjective + zu-infinitive for this pattern: Das ist leicht zu erklären. — “That is easy to explain.” sein is the infinitive of “be.” It follows the adjective and zu-infinitive because können is the finite modal verb; the modal construction places the remaining verbal material at the end. Here, sein links the plural subject Formulierungen to the description schwer zu verstehen. The form sein itself does not show the subject’s number in this infinitive position. Together, Bitte tun Sie das forms a polite formal request to do the action indicated by das. denn introduces the reason for that request. The clause rechtliche Formulierungen können schwer zu verstehen sein says that legal wording can be difficult to understand: the plural subject is rechtliche Formulierungen, können expresses possibility or ability, and schwer zu verstehen sein describes the difficulty. Thus the utterance combines a formal request with its explanation.

4. Sie müssen schriftlich kündigen und die Wohnung sauber zurückgeben.

   You need written notice, and the property must be returned clean.

   Sie müssen

   you need to

   schriftlich

   in writing

   kündigen

   give notice

   Wohnung

   property / apartment

   sauber

   clean

   zurückgeben

   return

   More detail

   Sie müssen expresses an obligation directed at “you.” Sie is the formal address pronoun; in this form it can address one person or more than one, so the sentence itself does not establish a participant count. müssen is the modal verb meaning “must/need to”; its infinitive is müssen, and the lexical actions it governs appear as infinitives later in the clause. Example: Sie müssen warten. — “You must wait.” schriftlich means that the notice or action is done in written form. It is an adverb here and does not change form. It modifies kündigen, so schriftlich kündigen means “give notice in writing,” rather than merely “be written.” Example: Bitte bestätigen Sie das schriftlich. — “Please confirm that in writing.” kündigen is the infinitive used here for giving notice to terminate an arrangement, such as a rental agreement. In other contexts it can refer to terminating employment or another contract, but this sentence specifically concerns the housing arrangement. With müssen, the infinitive remains unchanged: Sie müssen kündigen — “You need to give notice.” Wohnung is the feminine noun meaning “apartment” or “flat.” In die Wohnung, it is the direct object of zurückgeben; the fixed translation presents this object as “the property.” The form die here marks the feminine accusative singular, while Wohnung itself does not show a case ending. Example: Ich miete eine Wohnung. — “I rent an apartment.” sauber describes the condition in which the apartment is returned: clean. It is used without an adjective ending here because it functions as a complement describing the result or state associated with zurückgeben, not as an inflected modifier before the noun. Compare eine saubere Wohnung — “a clean apartment,” where saubere stands directly before the noun and is inflected. zurückgeben means “to return” or “give back.” It is a separable German verb: in a finite main clause, zurückgeben can split as gibt ... zurück, but its infinitive stays together here because it follows the modal verb müssen. Example: Sie gibt den Schlüssel zurück. — “She returns the key.” The sentence has two coordinated actions governed by müssen: schriftlich kündigen (“give written notice”) and die Wohnung sauber zurückgeben (“return the property clean”). The conjunction und joins them. In the fixed wording, Sie is the actor of both actions, while die Wohnung is the thing returned. Together, the utterance states that you need to give notice in writing and return the property in a clean condition.

5. Ich möchte außerdem Streit über normale Abnutzung vermeiden.

   I also want to avoid disputes over normal wear.

   Ich möchte

   I want to

   außerdem

   also; in addition

   Streit

   dispute

   über

   about; over

   normale

   normal

   Abnutzung

   wear

   vermeiden

   avoid

   More detail

   Ich möchte combines the first-person pronoun Ich with möchte, the first-person singular form used here to express a wish: “I want to.” möchte is the Konjunktiv II form associated with mögen; in this pattern it is followed by an infinitive at the end of the clause. Example: Ich möchte helfen. — “I would like to help.” außerdem adds another point: “also” or “in addition.” It modifies the whole intention expressed in the sentence rather than the noun Streit alone. Streit is a masculine noun meaning conflict, argument, or dispute. In Streit über ..., it refers to a dispute concerning a topic. German also commonly uses the related noun Streitigkeiten for disputes, but the observed form is Streit. über introduces the topic of the dispute here and takes the accusative in this phrase. This is the topic use of über, as in ein Gespräch über Musik — “a conversation about music.” normale describes Abnutzung. Abnutzung is feminine (die Abnutzung) and means wear or deterioration resulting from use. In über normale Abnutzung, the noun phrase is feminine singular, accusative, and without an article, so the adjective has the strong ending -e: normale. The adjective, not the noun, carries this visible ending. Its base form is normal. Abnutzung is a feminine noun related to the verb abnutzen and denotes wear, not an actor performing an action. In this sentence, normale Abnutzung means wear that is ordinary or expected from normal use. vermeiden is the infinitive meaning “to avoid.” With möchte, it stays in the infinitive and appears at the end of the clause. Its useful present-tense forms include ich vermeide — “I avoid” and sie vermeiden — “they avoid” or formal “you avoid.” Example: Wir möchten Fehler vermeiden. — “We want to avoid mistakes.” Together, Ich möchte ... vermeiden means “I want to avoid ...”; außerdem adds this intention to something already mentioned; and Streit über normale Abnutzung supplies what is to be avoided. The complete utterance therefore means: “I also want to avoid disputes over normal wear.”

6. Wir können eine Wohnungsbesichtigung vereinbaren, um den Zustand der Wohnung zu dokumentieren.

   We can schedule an inspection to document the condition.

   Wir können

   we can

   Wohnungsbesichtigung

   apartment inspection

   vereinbaren

   arrange; schedule

   um … zu

   in order to

   Zustand

   condition; state

   Wohnung

   apartment

   dokumentieren

   document

   More detail

   Wir können combines the subject wir (“we”) with the modal verb können (“can”). Here it presents the speakers as able or willing to arrange the inspection; it does not by itself assert that the arrangement has already been made. können keeps the same form for wir in the present tense, while the following lexical verb stays in the infinitive: Wir können ... vereinbaren. Wohnungsbesichtigung means an inspection or viewing of an apartment. It is a compound noun built from Wohnung (“apartment”) and Besichtigung (“inspection/viewing”). Its plural is Wohnungsbesichtigungen. In the sentence, eine is an indefinite article: it presents an unspecified inspection and does not by itself assert a numerical count. vereinbaren means to arrange or agree on something. In this sentence it is the lexical infinitive controlled by the modal können, so it appears at the end of the main clause. A useful contrast is vereinbaren (“arrange/agree on”) versus vermeiden (“avoid”): they express different actions even though both can occur in plans about a tenancy. um ... zu introduces a purpose clause, corresponding here to “in order to ...”. The two parts are discontinuous because the purpose clause contains the material between them. The verb in this construction is an infinitive with zu: um den Zustand ... zu dokumentieren. Zustand means “condition” or “state”. It is a masculine noun: der Zustand; its plural is Zustände. In this utterance it refers to the condition being recorded, not to the inspection itself. Example: Der Zustand ist gut. — “The condition is good.” Wohnung means “apartment”. It is feminine: die Wohnung; its plural is die Wohnungen. In der Wohnung, the form der marks the feminine singular genitive after Zustand: der Zustand der Wohnung means “the condition of the apartment”. The noun’s gender is a grammatical property of Wohnung; it is not inferred merely from the meaning “apartment”. dokumentieren means “to document” or “to record”. Here it is the purpose-clause infinitive, zu dokumentieren, and its object is den Zustand der Wohnung. The verb is regular in this use; the zu belongs to the infinitive construction rather than being part of the lexical verb’s base form. Together, Wir können eine Wohnungsbesichtigung vereinbaren means “We can schedule an apartment inspection.” The purpose clause um den Zustand der Wohnung zu dokumentieren explains the aim of that scheduling: “in order to document the condition of the apartment.” The complete utterance therefore means: “We can schedule an inspection to document the condition.”

7. Das würde den Ablauf für mich weniger stressig machen.

   That would make the process less stressful.

   Das

   that

   würde

   would

   Ablauf

   process

   für mich

   for me

   weniger

   less

   stressig

   stressful

   machen

   make

   More detail

   Das is a standalone demonstrative pronoun meaning “that” here. It points to the relevant situation or proposal supplied by the context; as a pronoun, it is not modifying the following noun. The form das can also be an article, but that is not its role here. würde is the conditional form of werden, used with an infinitive to express a hypothetical result: würde ... machen = “would make.” The infinitive stays at the end of this main clause. For example, Das würde helfen. means “That would help.” Ablauf is a masculine noun: der Ablauf. In this sentence it means the process or sequence of steps. Its plural is die Abläufe. The word can also refer more specifically to how an event proceeds, depending on context. für mich means “for me.” mich is the accusative form of the first-person pronoun ich after the preposition für; it identifies the person affected from the speaker’s perspective. Compare für dich = “for you.” weniger means “less” and marks a lower degree. Here it modifies the adjective stressig, creating the comparison weniger stressig = “less stressful.” It is not the adjective’s inflection; weniger is the degree word, while stressig remains the adjective. stressig means “stressful” or “causing stress.” With weniger, it describes a reduced degree of stress rather than saying that the process is completely free of stress. A related comparison is mehr stressig only in limited contexts; the natural opposite degree expression is usually stressiger = “more stressful.” machen is the infinitive of machen, “to make” or “to cause.” The pattern etwas ... machen can describe causing something to have a quality: Das macht den Weg einfacher. = “That makes the route easier.” Here machen comes after its object and the adjective phrase in the conditional construction. Together, Das würde den Ablauf für mich weniger stressig machen has the structure “That would make the process less stressful for me.” Das is the thing producing the effect, den Ablauf is the affected object, für mich identifies who experiences the effect, and weniger stressig describes the resulting quality. The conditional form würde ... machen presents this as a possible or hypothetical effect rather than a stated fact.

8. Klare Unterlagen verhindern beim Auszug normalerweise Missverständnisse.

   Clear records usually prevent misunderstandings during move-out.

   Klare

   clear

   Unterlagen

   records; documents

   verhindern

   prevent

   beim Auszug

   during move-out

   normalerweise

   usually

   Missverständnisse

   misunderstandings

   More detail

   Klare means “clear” here and describes Unterlagen. It is the attributive form of klar. The ending -e reflects the plural nominative form after no article in this noun phrase; the plural subject and its nominative role are both relevant. Compare ein klarer Plan (“a clear plan”) and klare Pläne (“clear plans”). Unterlagen means “records” or “documents” here. It is the plural of Unterlage. Example: Ich prüfe die Unterlagen. — “I am checking the documents.” verhindern means “to prevent.” With the plural subject Klare Unterlagen, the present-tense form is verhindern, which is identical in form to the infinitive. Example: Gute Planung verhindert Fehler. — “Good planning prevents mistakes.” beim Auszug expresses the time of moving out. beim contracts bei dem. Auszug is a masculine singular noun meaning “move-out” here; dem marks dative singular in the expanded phrase, while its exact form is compatible with masculine or neuter nouns, so the noun’s lexical gender is also relevant. Example: Beim Auszug prüfe ich die Wohnung. — “When moving out, I check the apartment.” normalerweise is an adverb meaning “usually” or “normally.” It presents the prevention as what generally happens, not as an absolute result. Example: Normalerweise komme ich früh. — “I usually arrive early.” Missverständnisse means “misunderstandings.” It is the plural of Missverständnis and is the object of verhindern here. Example: Wir vermeiden Missverständnisse. — “We avoid misunderstandings.” Together, Klare Unterlagen is the plural subject, verhindern expresses the action, beim Auszug places it during move-out, normalerweise marks it as usual, and Missverständnisse is what is prevented. The complete meaning is: “Clear records usually prevent misunderstandings during move-out.”