Finding a quiet study seat | Learn German in English

German lesson set in a contemporary Berlin everyday setting: In a library, one person asks whether a table is free and chooses a quiet place to study..

EN → DE / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Finding a quiet study seat to practice German conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Ist dieser Tisch frei?

ist DEE-zuh tish fry? Is this table free?
B

Hier sitzt niemand.

heer zitst NEE-mahnt. No one is sitting here.
A

Ich brauche einen ruhigen Platz zum Sitzen.

ikh BROW-khuh EYE-nen ROO-ih-gen plats tsoom ZIT-sen. I need a quiet place to sit.
B

Dieser Tisch ist weit von der Tür entfernt.

DEE-zuh tish ist vite fohn dair toor ent-FAIRNT. This table is away from the door.
A

Dann ist das ein guter Platz zum Lernen.

dahn ist dahs eye-n GOO-ter plats tsoom LAYR-nen. Then this is a good place to study.
B

Bitte sprich beim Lernen leise.

BIT-tuh shprikh bym LAYR-nen LYE-zuh. Please keep your voice low while you study.
A

Klar, ich spreche leise.

klahr, ikh SHPREKH-uh LYE-zuh. Sure, I'll keep my voice down.
B

Das hilft anderen beim Lernen.

dahs hilft AHN-duh-ren bym LAYR-nen. That helps other people study.

Word by Word

Ist In "Ist dieser Tisch frei?", "Ist" means “is” and asks whether something is the case. It is a form of sein; the same verb appears as "ist" in "Dieser Tisch ist weit von der Tür entfernt." At the beginning of a sentence, it helps form a yes-or-no question.
dieser In "Ist dieser Tisch frei?", "dieser" means “this” and points to the particular table being considered. It is used directly with "Tisch" in "dieser Tisch". This is useful when identifying one specific nearby object.
Tisch "Tisch" means “table”; here it refers to the table a person may use in the library. In "dieser Tisch", it names the object being discussed. It can be reused when asking about or describing a table.
frei In "Ist dieser Tisch frei?", "frei" means unoccupied or available for use. It describes whether the table can be taken, rather than whether it is physically free in a general sense. The pattern "... frei?" is useful when checking availability.
Hier In "Hier sitzt niemand.", "Hier" means “here” and points to the place where the speaker is indicating that nobody is sitting. It is placed at the beginning to establish the location. It is useful when directing attention to the current place.
sitzt In "Hier sitzt niemand.", "sitzt" means “is sitting” and describes a person’s seated position. It is a form of sitzen used with the person or person-word that identifies who is seated. In this sentence, "niemand" is the person-word connected with the action.
niemand In "Hier sitzt niemand.", "niemand" means “no one” or “nobody”. It says that not a single person is sitting in this place. It can be used with a verb to state that nobody performs an action.
Ich In "Ich brauche einen ruhigen Platz zum Sitzen.", "Ich" means “I” and identifies the speaker. It is the person who has the need expressed by "brauche". A common reuse is to begin a statement about the speaker’s needs with "Ich brauche".
brauche In "Ich brauche einen ruhigen Platz zum Sitzen.", "brauche" means “need” and expresses the speaker’s requirement. It is a form of brauchen used with "Ich". The thing that is needed follows it, here "einen ruhigen Platz zum Sitzen".
einen In "einen ruhigen Platz", "einen" means “a” or “one” and introduces one unspecified place. It belongs together with "ruhigen Platz" as the thing the speaker needs. This form is useful before a masculine object in a phrase like this one.
ruhigen In "einen ruhigen Platz", "ruhigen" means “quiet” and describes the place or seat the speaker wants. Its exact form belongs with "einen" and "Platz" in this noun phrase. It shows that the desired place should be suitable for quiet study.
Platz In "einen ruhigen Platz zum Sitzen", "Platz" means “place” or, in this context, “seat”. It refers to a spot where the speaker can sit and study. It is useful for naming an available location in a room or public place.
zum In "zum Sitzen", "zum" introduces the purpose of the place: it is for sitting. It is the shortened form of zu dem. The same purpose pattern appears in "zum Lernen", so it is useful before an activity expressed as a noun.
Sitzen In "zum Sitzen", "Sitzen" means “sitting” and names the activity the place is intended for. It is used after "zum" to express purpose. This phrase is useful when describing a place intended for sitting.
weit In "weit von der Tür entfernt", "weit" means “far” and describes the distance from the door. It works with the following reference point to show that the table is not nearby. The pattern "weit von ... entfernt" is useful for describing distance.
von In "weit von der Tür entfernt", "von" means “from” and introduces the reference point used to measure the distance. Here that reference point is "der Tür". It is useful in distance expressions that say how far something is from a place or object.
der In "von der Tür", "der" means “the” and introduces the specific door being used as the reference point. It belongs with "Tür" in the phrase "der Tür". Together, "von der Tür" identifies where the distance is measured from.
Tür In "von der Tür", "Tür" means “door”. It identifies the door that the table is far away from. This word is useful when describing the location of something in relation to a door.
entfernt In "weit von der Tür entfernt", "entfernt" means “away” or “distant” and completes the description of the table’s location. It works together with "weit von der Tür" rather than expressing the whole distance by itself. The full pattern is useful for saying that something is far from a reference point.
Dann In "Dann ist das ein guter Platz zum Lernen.", "Dann" means “then” and connects the information about the table with the speaker’s conclusion. It introduces what follows as a result of what was just said. It is useful when drawing a conclusion or stating the next consequence.
das In "Dann ist das ein guter Platz zum Lernen.", "das" means “this” or “that” and refers back to the place or situation just discussed. It points to the table’s suitability rather than naming the table again. The same word appears as "Das" in "Das hilft anderen beim Lernen." at the beginning of a sentence.
ein In "ein guter Platz", "ein" means “a” and introduces the place being evaluated. It belongs with "guter Platz". This pattern is useful for describing something as a particular kind of place without identifying it more specifically.
guter In "ein guter Platz", "guter" means “good” and describes the place as suitable for studying. Its exact form belongs with "ein" and "Platz" in this phrase. It is useful when evaluating a place positively.
Lernen In "zum Lernen", "Lernen" means “studying” or “learning” and expresses the purpose of the place. It is used after "zum" as the activity the learner will do there. This phrase is useful when identifying a place intended for study.
Bitte In "Bitte sprich beim Lernen leise.", "Bitte" means “please” and makes the request polite. It appears at the beginning of the request. It is useful when asking another person to do something in a courteous way.
sprich In "Bitte sprich beim Lernen leise.", "sprich" tells one person to speak. It is a form of sprechen used as a direct request, and "leise" explains how to speak. This is useful when asking someone to change the way they speak.
beim In "beim Lernen", "beim" means “while” or “during the” activity of studying. It is the shortened form of bei dem and introduces the activity taking place at the same time. The phrase is useful for describing what happens during an activity.
leise In "sprich beim Lernen leise", "leise" means “quietly” or “softly” and describes how the person should speak. The same word appears in "ich spreche leise", where it describes the speaker’s own voice. It is useful after a speech verb when requesting or describing a low volume.
Klar In "Klar, ich spreche leise.", "Klar" means “sure” and shows casual agreement with the request. It is a short response before the speaker explains what they will do. It is useful when accepting a simple request in an informal conversation.
spreche In "ich spreche leise", "spreche" means “speak” and describes what the speaker does. It is a form of sprechen used with "ich" and is followed by "leise" to show the manner of speaking. The pattern "Ich spreche ..." is useful for describing the speaker’s speech.
hilft In "Das hilft anderen beim Lernen.", "hilft" means “helps” and says that the quiet behavior benefits other people. It is a form of helfen used with "Das" as the thing that provides the benefit. It can be reused to say that an action or situation benefits someone.
anderen In "Das hilft anderen beim Lernen.", "anderen" means “other people” or “others”. It identifies the people who benefit from the quiet speaking. It is useful after "hilft" when naming the people who receive help.

Grammar Points

dieser + maskulines Nomen

dieser Tisch

DEE-zuh tish

this table

With a masculine noun in the nominative, the demonstrative is „dieser“.

zum + Infinitiv als Nomen

zum Sitzen

tsoom ZIT-sen

for sitting

„Sitzen“ is a nominalized infinitive and is capitalized; „zum“ means „zu dem“.

German Vocabulary

brauchen verb
BROW-khuh to need brauche
dieser det
DEE-zuh this

dieser Tisch

frei adj
fry free; available
hier adv
heer here
niemand pron
NEE-mahnt no one; nobody
Platz noun
plats place; seat
ruhig adj
ROO-ikh quiet ruhigen
sitzen verb
ZIT-sen to sit sitzt
Tisch noun
tish table
von prep
fon from

weit von der Tür entfernt

weit adj
vite far
zum Sitzen phrase
tsoom ZIT-sen for sitting; to sit

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Is this table free?

Show AnswerIst dieser Tisch frei?

No one is sitting here.

Show AnswerHier sitzt niemand.

Please keep your voice low while you study.

Show AnswerBitte sprich beim Lernen leise.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to sit

Show Answersitzt

to need

Show Answerbrauche

table

Show AnswerTisch

quiet

Show Answerruhigen