Adding one more detail to a work note | Learn German in English

German lesson set in a contemporary Berlin everyday setting: In a workplace, two adults review a short note and decide to add one more detail before sharing it..

EN → DE / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Adding one more detail to a work note to practice German conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Ich habe eine kurze Notiz geschrieben.

ikh HAH-buh EYE-nuh KOORT-suh noh-TEETS geh-SHREE-bun. I wrote a short note.
B

Kann ich sie jetzt lesen?

kahn ikh zee yetst LAY-zun? Can I read it now?
A

Hier ist sie.

heer ist zee. Here it is.
B

Sie liest sich gut.

zee leest zikh goot. It reads well.
A

Würde ein weiteres Detail helfen?

VUR-duh EYE-n VY-ter-uhs duh-TYLE HEL-fun? Would one more detail help?
B

Eine weitere Zeile würde sie verbessern.

EYE-nuh VY-ter-uh TSEYE-luh VUR-duh zee fer-BESS-urn. One more line would improve it.
A

Ich füge das jetzt hinzu.

ikh FYOO-guh dahs yetst hin-TSOO. I'll add that now.
B

Dann sollten wir bereit sein, sie zu teilen.

dahn ZOHL-ten veer buh-RYTE zine, zee tsoo TYLE-lun. Then we should be ready to share it.

Word by Word

Ich Ich means I and identifies the speaker as the person who wrote the note. It is the subject in Ich habe eine kurze Notiz geschrieben. Use it when talking about your own action or experience.
habe Habe helps express the completed action in Ich habe eine kurze Notiz geschrieben. Together with geschrieben, it forms the German perfect construction for I wrote. It commonly appears with a past participle when describing something you have done.
eine Eine means a or one here and introduces the singular noun phrase eine kurze Notiz. It comes before the adjective and noun. Use it when mentioning one item that has not yet been specified.
kurze Kurze means short and describes the note in eine kurze Notiz. Its form fits the noun phrase used here. It can be reused before a noun when describing something as short.
Notiz Notiz means note, specifically the short written message discussed in the dialogue. It is the thing that was written, read, and later shared. Use it for a written note or brief message.
geschrieben Geschrieben means written and completes the action in Ich habe eine kurze Notiz geschrieben. It is the form used with habe to say that the writing has been completed. Use this construction when reporting something you have written.
Kann Kann means can or may in Kann ich sie jetzt lesen? It asks politely whether the speaker is allowed or able to read the note now. Questions with Kann ich introduce a request about doing something.
sie Lowercase sie means it here and refers back to the note in Kann ich sie jetzt lesen? and Hier ist sie. At the beginning of Sie liest sich gut, the same pronoun is capitalized because it starts the sentence and still refers to the note.
jetzt Jetzt means now and places the reading in the present moment in Kann ich sie jetzt lesen? It comes before the infinitive lesen in this question. Use it when asking about or stating that something happens at this time.
lesen Lesen means read and appears at the end of Kann ich sie jetzt lesen? after Kann. As an infinitive, it names the action the speaker asks to perform. A modal question can use this pattern: Kann ich ... lesen?
Hier Hier means here and points to the place or position of the note in Hier ist sie. It is placed at the beginning to direct the other person’s attention. Use it when presenting or indicating something nearby.
ist Ist means is in Hier ist sie and identifies the note as being here. It links the location Hier with the pronoun sie. Use it in a short presentation such as Hier ist ... when showing something.
liest Liest means reads in Sie liest sich gut. Here it is part of the expression describing how the note comes across when read. Use this form when the subject is the note in this dialogue construction.
sich Sich refers back to the note inside Sie liest sich gut. It makes liest sich a reflexive construction in which the note is described in relation to how it reads. Together with gut, the expression evaluates the note’s readability.
gut Gut means well in Sie liest sich gut and describes the positive way the note reads. It modifies the reading expression rather than naming a separate object. Use it to give a positive evaluation of how something reads.
Würde Würde means would and makes Würde ein weiteres Detail helfen? a tentative question about a possible benefit. It softens the suggestion instead of presenting it as certain. Use Würde ... helfen? when asking whether a possible change would be useful.
ein Ein means a or one and introduces ein weiteres Detail. It identifies one additional detail as the possible helpful addition. Use it before a singular noun when referring to one item.
weiteres Weiteres means another or additional and describes the detail in ein weiteres Detail. It shows that the detail would be added to what is already in the note. Use it before a noun when suggesting one more item.
Detail Detail means detail and names the extra piece of information being considered for the note. In Würde ein weiteres Detail helfen?, it is the possible addition that might help. Use it for a particular piece of information or a small point.
helfen Helfen means help and is the action being asked about in Würde ein weiteres Detail helfen? It appears at the end after würde as the infinitive. Use it when asking whether a person or thing would be useful.
weitere Weitere means another or additional and describes the line in Eine weitere Zeile würde sie verbessern. It marks the line as an addition to the existing note. Use it before a noun when referring to one more item.
Zeile Zeile means line and refers to the extra line suggested for the note. In Eine weitere Zeile würde sie verbessern, this line is the proposed improvement. Use it for a line of written text.
verbessern Verbessern means improve and describes what the additional line would do to the note in Eine weitere Zeile würde sie verbessern. It appears at the end after würde as the infinitive. Use it when one change is expected to make something better.
füge Füge means add in Ich füge das jetzt hinzu. It is the speaker’s first-person form for carrying out the addition now. The verb is split in this sentence, with hinzu placed at the end.
das Das means that or it here and refers to the detail or line that was just proposed in Ich füge das jetzt hinzu. It is the thing being added. Use das to point back to a specific item already understood from the conversation.
hinzu Hinzu marks addition in Ich füge das jetzt hinzu. Together, füge ... hinzu means add something, with the object das between the two parts. This split pattern is useful when saying that you are adding a particular item.
Dann Dann means then and links the proposed addition to the next result in Dann sollten wir bereit sein, sie zu teilen. It shows that being ready will follow the addition. Use it to connect one step with what happens afterward.
sollten Sollten means should and expresses the expectation that the speakers will be ready after the change. It appears with bereit sein in Dann sollten wir bereit sein, sie zu teilen. Use it to give a gentle recommendation or expectation about what to do next.
wir Wir means we and refers to both speakers in Dann sollten wir bereit sein, sie zu teilen. It is the subject of the shared plan. Use it when you and at least one other person are included in an action or decision.
bereit Bereit means ready and describes the speakers’ state after the note is improved. It is used with sein in bereit sein. Use it when a person or group is prepared to do something.
sein Sein means be and completes bereit sein in Dann sollten wir bereit sein, sie zu teilen. It follows sollten as the infinitive naming the state of being ready. Use bereit sein when saying that someone is prepared for an action.
zu Zu is the infinitive marker before teilen in sie zu teilen. It connects the idea of being ready with the action that follows. Use zu before an infinitive when expressing readiness or another relation to an action.
teilen Teilen means share and names the final action in sie zu teilen. It follows zu and refers to sharing the note with others. Use zu teilen after bereit sein when saying that someone is ready to share something.

Grammar Points

füge ... hinzu

Füge sie hinzu.

FYOO-guh zee hin-TSOO.

Add it/them.

hinzufügen is a separable verb: füge comes first, while hinzu moves to the end.

sich verbessern

Sie verbessert sich.

zee fer-BESS-ert zikh.

It improves.

sich shows that the subject is affected by the action; the reflexive pronoun follows the conjugated verb.

German Vocabulary

Detail noun
duh-TYLE detail

ein weiteres Detail

gut adj
goot well; good

Sie liest sich gut.

helfen verb
HEL-fun to help

Würde ein weiteres Detail helfen?

hier adv
heer here

Hier ist sie.

jetzt adv
yetst now

Kann ich sie jetzt lesen?

kurz adj
KOORTS short kurze

eine kurze Notiz

lesen verb
LAY-zun to read

Kann ich sie jetzt lesen?

Notiz noun
noh-TEETS note

eine kurze Notiz

schreiben verb
SHRY-bun to write geschrieben

Ich habe eine kurze Notiz geschrieben.

sich pron
zikh itself

Sie liest sich gut.

sie pron
zee it; her; them

Kann ich sie jetzt lesen?

weiteres adj
VY-ter-uhs additional; another

ein weiteres Detail

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

I wrote a short note.

Show AnswerIch habe eine kurze Notiz geschrieben.

Can I read it now?

Show AnswerKann ich sie jetzt lesen?

Here it is.

Show AnswerHier ist sie.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

now

Show Answerjetzt

itself

Show Answersich

short

Show Answerkurze

to write

Show Answergeschrieben