Using a shared meeting room | Learn German in English

German lesson set in a contemporary Berlin everyday setting: In a shared meeting room, two adults talk about using a table and leaving the room clean for the next group..

EN → DE / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Using a shared meeting room to practice German conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Können wir den gemeinsamen Besprechungsraum benutzen?

KURN-en veer dayn guh-MYN-zah-men beh-SHPRAY-khoongs-rowm beh-NOOT-sen? Can we use the shared meeting room?
B

Du kannst ihn benutzen, aber halte ihn für andere Leute ordentlich.

Doo kahnst een beh-NOOT-sen, AH-ber HAL-tuh een fyoor AHN-duh-ruh LOY-tuh AWRD-n-likh. You can, but keep it tidy for other people.
A

Ist dieser Tisch frei?

IHST DEE-zer TISH fry? Is this table free?
B

Er ist jetzt frei.

Air ist YETST fry. It is available now.
A

Ich werde meine Tasche an die Wand stellen.

Ikh VAYR-duh MY-nuh TASH-uh ahn dee VAHNT SHTEL-len. I will put my bag by the wall.
B

Bitte halte den Tisch frei.

BIT-tuh HAL-tuh dayn TISH fry. Please keep the table clear.
A

Wenn wir fertig sind, lassen wir den Raum sauber.

Ven veer FER-tikh zint, LAH-sen veer dayn rowm ZOW-ber. We will leave the room clean when we finish.
B

Das hilft der nächsten Gruppe.

Dahs hilft dayr NEKH-sten GROO-puh. That helps the next group.

Word by Word

Können Können asks whether something is possible in the question Können wir den gemeinsamen Besprechungsraum benutzen? It is placed first because this is a question, and it is followed by the person and the action.
wir Wir means the speakers together as “we” in Können wir den gemeinsamen Besprechungsraum benutzen? It identifies who wants to use the room and commonly appears after a question verb such as Können.
den Den marks the specific room as the object of benutzen in den gemeinsamen Besprechungsraum. Here it is the masculine accusative article used before the noun Besprechungsraum.
gemeinsamen Gemeinsamen describes the meeting room as shared or used by more than one group. It is placed before Besprechungsraum to specify which room is meant.
Besprechungsraum Besprechungsraum means meeting room, the shared room the speakers want to use. It is a compound referring to a room for meetings.
benutzen Benutzen means to use the meeting room. In Können wir den gemeinsamen Besprechungsraum benutzen?, it stays in the infinitive after Können and comes at the end of the question.
Du Du addresses one person informally in Du kannst ihn benutzen. It identifies the person receiving permission and is used for a single familiar or informal addressee.
kannst Kannst means “can” when addressing one person with du. It is the form of können used in Du kannst ihn benutzen and is followed here by an infinitive.
ihn Ihn means “it” here and refers back to the meeting room. It replaces the room noun as the object of benutzen.
aber Aber means “but” and introduces a condition or restriction after giving permission. In Du kannst ihn benutzen, aber halte ihn für andere Leute ordentlich, it connects permission with the request to keep the room tidy.
halte Halte asks one person to keep something in a particular condition in halte ihn für andere Leute ordentlich. It is a direct request to keep the room tidy, with ihn as the object and ordentlich describing the desired state.
für Für means “for” in für andere Leute and shows who the tidy room is intended to benefit. It introduces the people considered when the room is kept orderly.
andere Andere means “other” and distinguishes the people mentioned from the current speakers in für andere Leute. It is placed before Leute to describe which people are meant.
Leute Leute means “people” in für andere Leute. Together with für, it identifies the people for whom the room should be kept tidy.
ordentlich Ordentlich means tidy or orderly in halte ihn für andere Leute ordentlich. It describes the condition in which ihn, the room, should be kept.
Ist Ist asks whether something has a particular state in Ist dieser Tisch frei? It is the form of sein used with the singular subject dieser Tisch and comes first in this yes-or-no question.
dieser Dieser points to the particular table being considered in dieser Tisch. It comes before Tisch and identifies which table the speaker is asking about.
Tisch Tisch means “table” in dieser Tisch. It is the thing whose availability is being checked and is referred to later by Er.
frei Frei means available or unoccupied when the speaker asks whether the table is free. In Bitte halte den Tisch frei, the same form means that the table should remain clear.
Er Er means “it” here and refers to the masculine noun Tisch. It is the subject of Er ist jetzt frei and stands for the table instead of repeating the noun.
jetzt Jetzt means “now” and specifies that the table is available at the present moment in Er ist jetzt frei. It can be placed with a statement about a current situation.
Ich Ich means “I” and identifies the speaker who will place the bag in Ich werde meine Tasche an die Wand stellen. It is the subject of the future statement.
werde Werde expresses that the speaker will carry out an action in the future in Ich werde meine Tasche an die Wand stellen. It is the form of werden used with Ich and is followed by the infinitive stellen at the end.
meine Meine means “my” and shows that the bag belongs to the speaker in meine Tasche. It comes before Tasche to identify whose bag is being placed.
Tasche Tasche means “bag” and is the item the speaker will place by the wall. In Ich werde meine Tasche an die Wand stellen, it is the object of stellen.
an An indicates the bag’s destination at or against the wall in an die Wand stellen. Here it introduces the phrase describing where the bag will be placed.
die Die is the article used with Wand in an die Wand. Together with an, it introduces the wall as the destination of the placement.
Wand Wand means “wall” in an die Wand. It identifies the surface beside or against which the speaker will place the bag.
stellen Stellen means to put or place something upright, here the bag by the wall. In Ich werde meine Tasche an die Wand stellen, it is the infinitive following werde.
Bitte Bitte means “please” and makes Bitte halte den Tisch frei a polite request. It is placed at the beginning of this request.
Wenn Wenn introduces the time condition in Wenn wir fertig sind, lassen wir den Raum sauber. It can introduce a clause meaning “when” or “if,” with the related action following it.
fertig Fertig means finished or done in Wenn wir fertig sind. With sind, it describes the point at which the speakers have completed their activity.
sind Sind means “are” with the subject wir in Wenn wir fertig sind. It appears at the end of this wenn-clause and completes the meaning “when we are finished.”
lassen Lassen means to leave something in a particular condition in lassen wir den Raum sauber. With den Raum and sauber, it expresses leaving the room clean after finishing.
Raum Raum means “room” and is the place the speakers promise to leave clean. In lassen wir den Raum sauber, it is the object of lassen.
sauber Sauber means clean and describes the condition of the room after the speakers finish. In lassen wir den Raum sauber, it completes the idea of leaving the room in that condition.
Das Das means “that” and refers back to the preceding action of leaving the room clean in Das hilft der nächsten Gruppe. It is the subject of the statement about helping the next group.
hilft Hilft means “helps” in Das hilft der nächsten Gruppe and describes a benefit for the next group. It is the form of helfen used with the subject Das, and the beneficiary follows in der nächsten Gruppe.
der Der is the article used in der nächsten Gruppe for the group that benefits from the action. Here it marks the feminine dative phrase after hilft.
nächsten Nächsten means “next” and identifies the group that will use the room after the current speakers. It is placed before Gruppe in der nächsten Gruppe.
Gruppe Gruppe means “group” in der nächsten Gruppe. It identifies the people who benefit from finding the shared room clean.

Grammar Points

im + Adjektiv auf -en + Nomen

im gemeinsamen Besprechungsraum

im guh-MYN-zah-men beh-SHPRAY-khoongs-rowm

in the shared meeting room

After im (in dem), a masculine or neuter adjective takes the ending -en: gemeinsamen.

German Vocabulary

andere Leute phrase
AHN-duh-ruh LOY-tuh other people

for other people

benutzen verb
beh-NOOT-sen to use

Can we use the shared meeting room?

Besprechungsraum noun
beh-SHPRAY-khoongs-rowm meeting room

the shared meeting room

Bitte intj
BIT-tuh please

Please keep the table clear.

frei adj
FRY free; available

Is this table available?

gemeinsam adj
guh-MYN-zahm shared; joint gemeinsamen

the shared meeting room

jetzt adv
YETST now

It is available now.

ordentlich adj
AWRD-n-likh tidy; neat

Keep it tidy for other people.

stellen verb
SHTEL-len to put; to place

I will put my bag by the wall.

Tasche noun
TASH-uh bag

I will put my bag by the wall.

Tisch noun
TISH table

Is this table free?

Wand noun
VAHNT wall

by the wall

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Can we use the shared meeting room?

Show AnswerKönnen wir den gemeinsamen Besprechungsraum benutzen?

Is this table free?

Show AnswerIst dieser Tisch frei?

It is available now.

Show AnswerEr ist jetzt frei.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

free; available

Show Answerfrei

table

Show AnswerTisch

now

Show Answerjetzt

bag

Show AnswerTasche