About This Lesson
Use Understanding a Lesson to practice German conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
Ich verstehe diesen Teil der Lektion nicht.
ikh fer-SHTEH-uh DEE-zən tile dair lek-tsee-OHN nikht. I don't understand this part of the lesson.
B
Welche Frage ist schwierig für dich?
VEL-khuh FRAH-guh ist SHVEE-rikh fyoor dikh? Which question is giving you trouble?
A
Die Antwort hier ist für mich nicht klar.
dee AHNT-vort heer ist fyoor mikh nikht klahr. The answer here doesn't make sense to me.
B
Lesen wir zuerst den Satz.
LAY-zən veer tsoo-AIRST den zahts. Let's read the sentence first.
B
Dann prüfen wir die Antwort.
dahn PROO-fən veer dee AHNT-vort. Then check the answer.
A
Kannst du den Satz laut lesen?
kahnst doo den zahts lowt LAY-zən? Can you read the sentence aloud?
B
Ich lese ihn langsam vor.
ikh LAY-zuh een LAHNG-zahm fohr. I'll read it slowly.
A
Ich schreibe die Schlüsselwörter in mein Notizbuch.
ikh SHRY-buh dee SHLUSS-uhl-vur-tuh in mine noh-TEETS-bookh. I'll write the key words in my notebook.
B
Dann versuchen wir die Antwort noch einmal.
dahn fer-ZOO-khen veer dee AHNT-vort nokh EYE-n-mahl. Then let's try the answer again.Word by Word
Ich
In "Ich verstehe diesen Teil der Lektion nicht.", "Ich" means “I” and identifies the speaker. Use it as the subject when describing what you yourself understand, read, or write.
verstehe
In "Ich verstehe diesen Teil der Lektion nicht.", "verstehe" means understand. It describes the speaker’s grasp of the lesson part, and the thing understood can follow it, as in the same sentence.
diesen
In "Ich verstehe diesen Teil der Lektion nicht.", "diesen" points to the particular part being discussed: this part. It appears directly before "Teil" and helps identify the specific item.
Teil
In "diesen Teil der Lektion", "Teil" means part or section. The reusable pattern "Teil der Lektion" specifies which larger lesson the part belongs to.
der
In "Teil der Lektion", "der" helps connect the part with the lesson it belongs to: the part of the lesson. This pattern can specify what a part belongs to.
Lektion
In "Teil der Lektion", "Lektion" means lesson. It names the larger unit of study that contains the part being discussed, and the phrase "der Lektion" identifies that lesson.
nicht
In "Ich verstehe diesen Teil der Lektion nicht.", "nicht" makes the statement negative: the speaker does not understand. It is placed at the end of this sentence to negate the statement.
Welche
In "Welche Frage ist schwierig für dich?", "Welche" asks the listener to identify one question from possible questions. It comes directly before "Frage"; use it before a noun when asking which one.
Frage
In "Welche Frage ist schwierig für dich?", "Frage" means question. It names the lesson question whose difficulty the speaker is asking about.
ist
In "Welche Frage ist schwierig für dich?", "ist" links "Frage" with the description "schwierig": which question is difficult. It is used here to describe what something is like.
schwierig
In "Welche Frage ist schwierig für dich?", "schwierig" describes the question as difficult for the person addressed. It can describe a question, task, or lesson part that causes difficulty.
für
In "schwierig für dich", "für" identifies the person for whom the question is difficult. Use it with a person to say who something is for or affects.
dich
In "für dich", "dich" refers to the person being addressed. This phrase tells whose experience of difficulty is meant.
Die
In "Die Antwort hier ist für mich nicht klar.", "Die" marks "Antwort" as the specific answer being discussed: the answer. It comes directly before the noun in this phrase.
Antwort
In "Die Antwort hier ist für mich nicht klar.", "Antwort" means answer. It names the answer under discussion, and the same word appears in "prüfen wir die Antwort" when the answer is checked.
hier
In "Die Antwort hier ist für mich nicht klar.", "hier" points to the answer in the current exercise or lesson. It can follow a noun to identify which one is meant, as in "Die Antwort hier".
mich
In "für mich", "mich" refers to the speaker as the person to whom the answer is not clear. This pattern is useful for stating how something is understood or experienced by you.
klar
In "ist für mich nicht klar", "klar" means clear. Together with "nicht", it describes the answer as not clear to the speaker; it can describe whether information is easy to understand.
Lesen
At the beginning of "Lesen wir zuerst den Satz.", "Lesen" makes a suggestion to read together: let’s read. With "wir" following it, it proposes a shared action.
wir
In "Lesen wir zuerst den Satz" and "prüfen wir die Antwort", "wir" means we and includes the speaker and the listener. It identifies the people carrying out the shared action.
zuerst
In "Lesen wir zuerst den Satz.", "zuerst" means first and sets reading as the first step before checking the answer. Use it to mark the beginning of a sequence.
den
In "den Satz", "den" marks "Satz" as the thing being read. It appears directly before "Satz" in the phrase "den Satz laut lesen".
Satz
In "den Satz laut lesen", "Satz" means sentence. It names the sentence that the learners read aloud and discuss.
Dann
In "Dann prüfen wir die Antwort" and "Dann versuchen wir die Antwort noch einmal", "Dann" means then and signals the next step after an earlier action. Use it to connect steps in a sequence.
prüfen
In "Dann prüfen wir die Antwort.", "prüfen" means check or examine the answer. What is checked can follow it, as "die Antwort" does here.
Kannst
In "Kannst du den Satz laut lesen?", "Kannst" asks whether the person addressed can perform the action. It is followed by "du" and an action, here "den Satz laut lesen".
du
In "Kannst du den Satz laut lesen?", "du" addresses one person directly. It appears with "Kannst" in a question about what that person can do.
laut
In "den Satz laut lesen", "laut" means aloud or audibly and tells how the reading should be done. Use it with an action when specifying that the action is audible.
lese
In "Ich lese ihn langsam vor.", "lese" means read and is the form used with "Ich". Together with "vor" at the end, the sentence describes reading the sentence aloud.
ihn
In "Ich lese ihn langsam vor.", "ihn" refers back to "den Satz": it. It is the item being read aloud, so the sentence does not repeat "Satz".
langsam
In "Ich lese ihn langsam vor.", "langsam" means slowly and describes the pace of the reading. It can describe how an action is carried out.
vor
In "Ich lese ihn langsam vor.", "vor" is placed at the end and completes the reading-aloud expression with "lese". When reusing this pattern, the item being read can stand between the verb part and "vor".
schreibe
In "Ich schreibe die Schlüsselwörter in mein Notizbuch.", "schreibe" means write and is the form used with "Ich". It is followed by what is written and by the place receiving it.
Schlüsselwörter
In "Ich schreibe die Schlüsselwörter in mein Notizbuch.", "Schlüsselwörter" means key words. It names the important words the speaker writes down, and it can be used with an action of noting them.
in
In "in mein Notizbuch", "in" connects the writing with the notebook as the place receiving the written words. It can introduce a place or container associated with an action.
mein
In "mein Notizbuch", "mein" means my and identifies the notebook as belonging to the speaker. It appears directly before the noun it describes.
Notizbuch
In "in mein Notizbuch", "Notizbuch" means notebook. It names the place where the key words are written, and the phrase is useful when talking about writing notes in a notebook.
versuchen
In "Dann versuchen wir die Antwort noch einmal.", "versuchen" means try or attempt. Here the object is "die Antwort", while "noch einmal" indicates that the attempt is repeated.
noch
In "noch einmal", "noch" contributes the idea of one more time. Together, the phrase means again and is used when repeating an action.
einmal
In "noch einmal", "einmal" contributes one time to the repeated-action phrase, which here means again. Use the full phrase when describing that something is done one more time.
Grammar Points
dieser → diesen Teil
diesen Teil
DEE-zən tilethis part
The masculine article changes from dieser to diesen when the noun is the direct object.
vorlesen: lese ... vor
lese ... vor
LAY-zuh ... fohrread aloud
vorlesen is a separable verb: the prefix vor moves to the end of the clause.
German Vocabulary
Antwort
noun
AHNT-vort
answer
dich
pron
dikh
you
dieser
det
DEE-zuh
this
diesen
Frage
noun
FRAH-guh
question
für
prep
fyoor
for
klar
adj
klahr
clear
Lektion
noun
lek-tsee-OHN
lesson
lesen
verb
LAY-zən
read
Lesen
schwierig
adj
SHVEE-rikh
difficult
Teil
noun
tile
part
verstehen
verb
fer-SHTEH-uh
understand
verstehe
welcher
det
VEL-khuh
which
Welche
Quiz
Word Order
Arrange the words in the correct order.
Which question is giving you trouble?
Show Answer
Welche Frage ist schwierig für dich?Let's read the sentence first.
Show Answer
Lesen wir zuerst den Satz.Then check the answer.
Show Answer
Dann prüfen wir die Antwort.Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
you
Show Answer
dichdifficult
Show Answer
schwierigwhich
Show Answer
Welcheunderstand