Basic states, preparation, and time | Learn German in English

German lesson set in a contemporary Berlin everyday setting: A beginner practices six useful English phrases about basic states, preparation, and time..

EN → DE / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Basic states, preparation, and time to practice German conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Ich fühle mich besser.

ikh FYOO-luh mikh BEH-suh. I am feeling better.
B

Ich bin sehr beschäftigt.

ikh bin zair buh-SHEF-tikht. I am very busy.
A

Ich bin jetzt bereit.

ikh bin yetst buh-RYTE. I am ready now.
B

Ich bin nicht bereit.

ikh bin nikht buh-RYTE. I am not ready.
A

Ich brauche mehr Zeit.

ikh BROW-khuh mair TSYTE. I need more time.
B

Hast du Zeit?

HAHST doo TSYTE? Do you have time?

Word by Word

Ich Ich means “I” here: the speaker is the subject in lines such as “Ich fühle mich besser” and “Ich brauche mehr Zeit”. A reliable reuse pattern is Ich + verb when talking about your own state, action, or need. Use it when telling someone directly about yourself.
fühle fühle means “feel” in “Ich fühle mich besser”. It is the form of the citation form fühlen used with Ich. The reliable pattern is Ich fühle mich + description, useful when reporting how you feel to another person.
mich mich means “myself” in the expression “fühle mich besser”; it refers back to Ich and is part of the way German says that someone feels. A reliable reuse point is Ich fühle mich + description. Use this construction when describing your own physical or emotional state.
besser besser means “better” in “fühle mich besser”, describing an improved state compared with before. It commonly follows a feeling expression such as Ich fühle mich. Use it when telling someone that your condition has improved.
bin bin means “am” in “Ich bin sehr beschäftigt” and “Ich bin jetzt bereit”. It is the form of the citation form sein used with Ich. A reliable pattern is Ich bin + description, useful for stating your current condition.
sehr sehr means “very” and strengthens the description in “sehr beschäftigt”. It is placed before the word whose degree it increases, as in sehr + description. Use it when you want to express a strong degree.
beschäftigt beschäftigt means “busy” in “Ich bin sehr beschäftigt”, indicating that the speaker has things to do and may not be available. A reliable reuse point is sehr beschäftigt. Use it when explaining why you cannot give someone your attention immediately.
jetzt jetzt means “now” in “Ich bin jetzt bereit”, locating the speaker’s readiness at the present moment. It can be used in the pattern Ich bin jetzt + description. Use it when a state has become true at this moment.
bereit bereit means “ready” in “Ich bin jetzt bereit” and “Ich bin nicht bereit”. It describes whether the speaker is prepared, with nicht placed before it to make the meaning negative. Use it when telling someone whether you can begin or proceed.
nicht nicht means “not” in “Ich bin nicht bereit”, where it negates the description bereit. In this pattern, nicht comes before the word it negates. Use it to say that a stated condition does not apply.
brauche brauche means “need” in “Ich brauche mehr Zeit”. It is the form of the citation form brauchen used with Ich. A reliable pattern is Ich brauche + thing needed, useful when asking for or stating a requirement.
mehr mehr means “more” in “mehr Zeit”, indicating that the speaker needs an additional amount of time. It comes before the noun it describes in this expression. Use mehr when the amount needed is greater than what is currently available.
Zeit Zeit means “time” in “Ich brauche mehr Zeit” and “Hast du Zeit?”. It is the thing that can be needed or available in these expressions. Use it when discussing whether someone has enough time or needs additional time.
Hast Hast means “have” in “Hast du Zeit?”, where it is the verb form used with du in a question. Its citation form is haben. A reliable question pattern is Hast du + thing?, useful when asking one person whether they have something available.
du du means “you” when addressing one person directly in “Hast du Zeit?”. It identifies the person whose availability is being asked about. Use du in a direct question to one person, as in Hast du Zeit?

Grammar Points

sich fühlen

Ich fühle mich besser.

ikh FOO-luh mikh BEH-suh.

I feel better.

The verb fühlen uses the reflexive pronoun mich with ich: Ich fühle mich.

Verb–subject order in yes/no questions

Hast du mehr Zeit?

HAHST doo mair TSYTE?

Do you have more time?

In German yes/no questions, the conjugated verb comes before the subject: Hast du.

German Vocabulary

bereit adj
buh-RYTE ready
beschäftigt adj
buh-SHEF-tikht busy
besser adj
BEH-suh better
brauchen verb
BROW-khuhn to need brauche
fühlen verb
FYOO-luhn to feel fühle
ich pron
ikh I Ich
jetzt adv
yetst now
mehr det
mair more
mich pron
mikh myself
sehr adv
zair very
sein verb
ZYN to be bin
Zeit noun
TSYTE time

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

I am feeling better.

Show AnswerIch fühle mich besser.

I am very busy.

Show AnswerIch bin sehr beschäftigt.

I am ready now.

Show AnswerIch bin jetzt bereit.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

ready

Show Answerbereit

now

Show Answerjetzt

better

Show Answerbesser

very

Show Answersehr