Checking before leaving | Learn German in English

German lesson set in a contemporary Berlin everyday setting: Before leaving home, two adults check keys, a wallet, and the locked door..

EN → DE / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Checking before leaving to practice German conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Haben wir alles, bevor wir gehen?

HAH-ben veer AH-les, beh-FOHR veer GAY-en? Do we have everything before we leave?
B

Lass uns jetzt nachsehen.

lahs oons yetst NAHKH-zay-en. Let's check now.
A

Hast du deine Schlüssel?

hahst doo DYE-neh SHLISS-el? Do you have your keys?
B

Sie sind in meiner Tasche.

zee zint in MY-nuh TAH-sheh. They're in my pocket.
A

Ist dein Portemonnaie in deiner Tasche?

ist dine por-teh-moh-NAY in DYE-nuh TAH-sheh? Is your wallet in your bag?
B

Ich habe es dort hineingelegt.

ikh HAH-beh es dort hin-EYN-geh-LAYKT. I put it in there.
A

Ist die Tür abgeschlossen?

ist dee TEWR AHP-guh-SHLOSS-en? Is the door locked?
B

Ich habe gerade nachgesehen.

ikh HAH-beh geh-RAH-deh NAHKH-zay-en. I checked it just now.

Word by Word

Haben In "Haben wir alles" means “have” and asks whether everything is available before leaving. "Haben" comes first because this is a yes-or-no question; a reusable pattern is "Haben wir ...?" for asking whether we have something.
wir "wir" means “we” in the question about leaving with everything. It refers to the two people speaking, and it commonly appears as the subject in patterns such as "Wir haben ..." or "Haben wir ...?".
alles "alles" means “everything” in "Haben wir alles". It refers broadly to all the things needed before leaving, and it can be used after "haben" to ask whether everything is present.
bevor "bevor" means “before” and introduces the time condition in "bevor wir gehen". It connects an action with a later point in time, and the verb remains at the end of this clause.
gehen "gehen" means “go” or, here, “leave” in "bevor wir gehen". It is the infinitive used after "wir" in the subordinate clause; a reusable pattern is "bevor wir gehen" for “before we leave.”
Lass In "Lass uns jetzt nachsehen", "Lass" helps make the suggestion “let’s check now.” It addresses one person and is used with "uns" plus an infinitive to suggest doing something together.
uns "uns" means “us” in the suggestion "Lass uns jetzt nachsehen". Together with "Lass" and the infinitive, it identifies the people who should do the action; the reusable pattern is "Lass uns ...".
jetzt "jetzt" means “now” and places the checking at the present moment in "Lass uns jetzt nachsehen". It can be placed before an action to say when it should happen.
nachsehen "nachsehen" means “check” or “look to see” in "jetzt nachsehen". It is used here as the infinitive after "Lass uns", and the pattern "Lass uns ... nachsehen" suggests checking something together.
Hast In "Hast du deine Schlüssel?", "Hast" means “have” when asking one person whether something is with them. It comes first in this yes-or-no question; a reusable pattern is "Hast du ...?".
du "du" means “you” when one person is asked about their keys. It is the person addressed in "Hast du deine Schlüssel?" and commonly follows "Hast" in this question pattern.
deine "deine" means “your” in "deine Schlüssel" and identifies the keys as belonging to the person addressed. It is used directly before the plural noun "Schlüssel"; a reusable pattern is "deine" plus a personal item.
Schlüssel "Schlüssel" means “keys” in "deine Schlüssel". Here it refers to the keys the person needs before leaving, and it can be used after a possessive such as "deine Schlüssel".
Sie "Sie" means “they” in "Sie sind in meiner Tasche" and refers back to the keys. It is the subject of the statement about their location, and it can refer to plural objects already mentioned.
sind "sind" means “are” in "Sie sind in meiner Tasche" and states where the keys are. It links the plural subject "Sie" with their location, as in "Sie sind in ...".
in "in" means “in” and shows the location in "in meiner Tasche". It is used before the place containing the keys, such as "in meiner Tasche" for “in my pocket.”
meiner "meiner" means “my” in "meiner Tasche" and identifies the pocket as belonging to the speaker. In this location phrase it comes directly before "Tasche"; a reusable pattern is "in meiner" plus a place or container.
Tasche "Tasche" means “pocket” in "meiner Tasche" and “bag” in "deiner Tasche". The surrounding words show which container is meant, and the word is commonly used after "in" to name a location.
Ist In "Ist dein Portemonnaie in deiner Tasche?", "Ist" means “is” and asks about the wallet’s location. It comes first in this yes-or-no question; a reusable pattern is "Ist ... in ...?".
dein "dein" means “your” in "dein Portemonnaie" and identifies the wallet as belonging to the person addressed. It comes directly before "Portemonnaie", as in the reusable pattern "dein" plus a personal item.
Portemonnaie "Portemonnaie" means “wallet” in "dein Portemonnaie". It is the item whose location is being checked, and it can be used after a possessive such as "dein Portemonnaie".
deiner "deiner" means “your” in "deiner Tasche" and identifies the bag as belonging to the person addressed. It comes before "Tasche" in the location phrase, forming the reusable pattern "in deiner Tasche".
Ich "Ich" means “I” in "Ich habe es dort hineingelegt" and identifies the speaker as the person who put the wallet there. It is the subject of the statement and commonly begins a sentence about the speaker’s action.
habe "habe" means “have” in "Ich habe es dort hineingelegt" and helps state that the speaker put the wallet there. With "hineingelegt", it forms a past statement; a reusable pattern is "Ich habe ..." followed by what the speaker did.
es "es" means “it” in "Ich habe es dort hineingelegt" and refers to the wallet mentioned in the previous question. It is the item affected by the action, and a reusable pattern is "Ich habe es ..." when referring back to a known thing.
dort "dort" means “there” and points to the place where the speaker put the wallet in "dort hineingelegt". It can be used with a verb of placing to identify a location without naming it again.
hineingelegt "hineingelegt" means “put in there” in "Ich habe es dort hineingelegt". It describes placing the wallet inside the bag and appears with "habe" in this past statement; the reusable pattern is "Ich habe es ... hineingelegt".
die "die" means “the” in "die Tür" and introduces the specific door being checked. It comes directly before "Tür"; a reusable pattern is "die" plus a known feminine noun such as "die Tür".
Tür "Tür" means “door” in "Ist die Tür abgeschlossen?". It is the object whose locked state is being checked, and it commonly appears with the definite article as "die Tür".
abgeschlossen "abgeschlossen" means “locked” in "Ist die Tür abgeschlossen?" and describes the door’s state. It follows "ist" to ask whether the door is locked, and the reusable pattern is "Ist ... abgeschlossen?".
gerade "gerade" means “just now” in "Ich habe gerade nachgesehen" and shows that the checking happened very recently. It commonly appears with "habe" and the completed action to say something was done moments ago.
nachgesehen "nachgesehen" means “checked” in "Ich habe gerade nachgesehen". It describes looking to verify the door and appears with "habe" in this past statement; a reusable pattern is "Ich habe gerade nachgesehen".

Grammar Points

bevor + Nebensatz: Verb am Ende

Bevor wir gehen, sehen wir nach.

beh-FOHR veer GAY-en, ZAY-en veer NAHKH.

Before we leave, we check.

After „bevor“, the conjugated verb goes to the end of the subordinate clause.

haben + Partizip II im Perfekt

Ich habe das Portemonnaie dort hineingelegt.

ikh HAH-beh dahs por-teh-moh-NAY dort hin-EYN-geh-LAYKT.

I put the wallet in there.

German uses „haben“ plus the past participle to form the perfect tense.

German Vocabulary

alles pron
AH-les everything

Haben wir alles?

bevor conj
beh-FOHR before
dort adv
dohrt there
gehen verb
GAY-en to go; to leave
haben verb
HAH-ben to have Haben
hineinlegen verb
hin-EYN-lay-gen to put in hineingelegt
jetzt adv
yetst now
nachsehen verb
NAHKH-zay-en to check; to look
Portemonnaie noun
por-teh-moh-NAY wallet
Schlüssel noun
SHLISS-el key
Tasche noun
TAH-sheh pocket; bag
Tür noun
TEWR door

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Do we have everything before we leave?

Show AnswerHaben wir alles, bevor wir gehen?

Let's check now.

Show AnswerLass uns jetzt nachsehen.

Do you have your keys?

Show AnswerHast du deine Schlüssel?

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

before

Show Answerbevor

to check; to look

Show Answernachsehen

pocket; bag

Show AnswerTasche

to go; to leave

Show Answergehen