Finding a Conference Room | Learn German in English

German lesson set in a contemporary Berlin everyday setting: At a reception desk, a visitor asks how to find a conference room and checks whether there is a map..

EN → DE / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Finding a Conference Room to practice German conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Könnten Sie mir sagen, wo der Konferenzraum ist?

KURNT-ən zee meer ZAHG-ən, voh dair kohn-feh-RENTS-rowm ist? Could you tell me where the conference room is?
B

Gehen Sie an der Lobby vorbei. Der Raum ist in der Nähe der Aufzüge.

GAY-ən zee ahn dair LOH-bee foh-AR-BYE. Dair rowm ist in dair NAY-ə dair OWF-tsoo-guh. Go past the lobby. It's near the elevators.
A

Soll ich von hier den Aufzug nehmen?

Zohl ikh fon heer dain OWF-tsoog NAY-mən? Should I take the elevator from here?
B

Fahren Sie damit einen Stock höher.

FAHR-ən zee dah-MIT EYE-nən shtok HUR-ər. Take it up one floor.
B

Dann biegen Sie links in den Flur ab.

Dahn BEEG-ən zee links in dain floor ahp. Then turn left into the hallway.
A

Gibt es eine Karte, die ich benutzen kann?

Geept ess EYE-nə KAR-tə dee ikh beh-NOOT-sən kahn? Is there a map I can use?
B

An der Rezeption gibt es eine.

Ahn dair reh-tsep-TSEE-ohn geept ess EYE-nə. There's one by the reception desk.
A

Das hilft. Ich bin zum ersten Mal in diesem Gebäude.

Dahs hilft. Ikh bin tsoom AIR-stən mahl in DEE-zəm geh-BOY-də. That helps. It's my first time in this building.
B

Der Raum ist nahe am Ende des Flurs markiert.

Dair rowm ist NAH-ə ahm EN-də dess floors mahr-KEERT. The room is marked near the end of the hall.

Word by Word

Könnten Könnten in Könnten Sie mir sagen introduces a polite request: could you tell me. It is related to können and is useful when asking a receptionist or another person formally for help.
Sie Sie means you in the formal request Könnten Sie mir sagen. Use Sie when addressing a receptionist or another person formally.
mir mir means to me in mir sagen, so the speaker asks someone to tell the information to them. The reusable pattern is jemandem etwas sagen, with mir as the person receiving the information.
sagen sagen means tell or say in Könnten Sie mir sagen, where the speaker asks for information. Use it in requests such as asking someone to say or tell you something.
wo wo means where in wo der Konferenzraum ist and introduces the place being asked about. A useful pattern is wo ... ist when asking where something is.
der der means the in der Konferenzraum and Der Raum. It identifies the conference room or room being discussed, and its capitalization in Der Raum also reflects its position at the start of the sentence.
Konferenzraum Konferenzraum means conference room in der Konferenzraum. It names the room the visitor is trying to find; wo der Konferenzraum ist is useful when asking for its location.
ist ist means is in wo der Konferenzraum ist and Der Raum ist ... markiert. It links the room with its location or description, and is related to sein.
Gehen Gehen means go or walk in Gehen Sie an der Lobby vorbei. Here it gives a formal direction to a visitor; use Gehen Sie when telling someone how to proceed.
an an contributes to the location phrases an der Lobby vorbei and An der Rezeption. With vorbei it forms a route past the lobby, while An der Rezeption locates something at the reception desk.
Lobby Lobby means lobby in an der Lobby vorbei. It names the area the visitor should pass, so the full route expression is an der Lobby vorbei.
vorbei vorbei means past or by in an der Lobby vorbei. Together with an der Lobby, it tells the visitor to go past the lobby; an ... vorbei is a useful route pattern.
Raum Raum means room in Der Raum ist in der Nähe der Aufzüge. Here it refers back to the conference room, and the phrase Der Raum ist ... gives information about its location.
in in helps form the location expression in der Nähe der Aufzüge, meaning near the elevators. A useful pattern is in der Nähe followed by the place or thing that is nearby.
Nähe Nähe means vicinity or proximity in in der Nähe der Aufzüge. The expression in der Nähe places the room close to the elevators and is useful for describing nearby locations.
Aufzüge Aufzüge means elevators in der Nähe der Aufzüge. This is the plural form referring to the elevators near the room; the singular Aufzug also appears elsewhere in the dialogue.
Soll Soll in Soll ich von hier den Aufzug nehmen? asks whether taking the elevator is the appropriate next action. It is related to sollen and is useful when asking what one is expected or advised to do.
ich ich means I in Soll ich von hier den Aufzug nehmen? and Ich bin zum ersten Mal in diesem Gebäude. It identifies the visitor as the person asking or describing their own experience.
von von means from in von hier and marks the starting point of the route. Use von with a place when describing where an action or journey begins.
hier hier means here in von hier, referring to the visitor’s current position. The pattern von hier is useful when asking about the route from the place where you are standing.
den den means the in den Aufzug nehmen and identifies the elevator as the thing being taken. The reusable phrase is den Aufzug nehmen, meaning to take the elevator.
Aufzug Aufzug means elevator in den Aufzug nehmen. It names the means of transport the visitor is considering; den Aufzug nehmen is useful when choosing or using an elevator.
nehmen nehmen means take in den Aufzug nehmen. With an elevator, it means to use or take that elevator; the same pattern is useful when describing the chosen transport.
Fahren Fahren means ride or go in Fahren Sie damit einen Stock höher. Here it gives a formal instruction to ride the elevator upward, and it is related to fahren.
damit damit means with it in Fahren Sie damit. It refers back to the elevator instead of repeating Aufzug; use damit when the thing being used has already been mentioned.
einen einen means one or a in einen Stock höher and introduces the one floor to travel upward. The phrase einen Stock höher is useful for giving directions inside a building.
Stock Stock means floor or storey in einen Stock höher. It describes the vertical distance in the elevator instruction, so einen Stock höher means one floor up.
höher höher means higher or up in einen Stock höher. It shows that the destination is above the current floor; the full phrase is useful when directing someone upward in a building.
Dann Dann means then in Dann biegen Sie links in den Flur ab. It marks the next step after taking the elevator, and it is useful at the beginning of a sequence of directions.
biegen biegen supplies the turning action in biegen Sie links in den Flur ab. Together with links and ab, it tells the visitor to turn left into the hallway; this is useful in spoken route instructions.
links links means left in biegen Sie links in den Flur ab. It specifies the direction of the turn, while biegen ... ab expresses the turning action.
Flur Flur means hallway in in den Flur. It names the place the visitor should turn into, and biegen Sie ... in den Flur ab is a useful direction pattern.
ab ab is the directional particle completing biegen ... ab in biegen Sie links in den Flur ab. It helps express turning off or away into the hallway; keep it with biegen when reusing this construction.
Gibt Gibt in Gibt es eine Karte? forms an existence question asking whether a map is available. In An der Rezeption gibt es eine, the same expression states that one exists; it is related to geben.
es es is the structural element in Gibt es that helps form a question or statement about existence. It does not refer to the map itself here; the object is supplied by eine Karte or eine.
eine eine means a or one in eine Karte and in An der Rezeption gibt es eine. Before Karte it introduces a map, while in the second sentence it refers back to one map without repeating Karte.
Karte Karte means map in eine Karte, referring to a map the visitor can use for directions. Eine Karte benutzen is a useful pattern when asking about or using a map.
die die means that or which in die ich benutzen kann. It introduces information describing the map, namely that the speaker can use it.
benutzen benutzen means use in die ich benutzen kann. It describes what the visitor wants to do with the map; the pattern etwas benutzen is useful for talking about using a tool or resource.
kann kann means can in die ich benutzen kann and expresses the visitor’s ability to use the map. It is related to können and appears at the end of the clause describing the map.
Rezeption Rezeption means reception or reception desk in An der Rezeption. It identifies where the map can be found, and An der Rezeption is useful for locating something at a reception area.
Das Das means that or it in Das hilft and points back to the map or directions just provided. It allows the speaker to refer to the previous help without repeating it.
hilft hilft means helps or is useful in Das hilft. The speaker uses it to say that the information or map is useful, and it is related to helfen.
bin bin means am in Ich bin zum ersten Mal in diesem Gebäude. It links the speaker with their current situation, while the full phrase explains that this is their first visit; bin is related to sein.
zum zum is the contracted form of zu dem in zum ersten Mal. In this expression it helps say for the first time, so it is useful when describing a first experience or visit.
ersten ersten means first in zum ersten Mal and identifies this occasion as the first one. The full expression zum ersten Mal is used when someone experiences or does something for the first time.
Mal Mal means time or occasion in zum ersten Mal. Together with zum ersten, it describes the first occasion of being in the building; zum ... Mal is a reusable pattern for counting occasions.
diesem diesem means this in in diesem Gebäude and points to the particular building where the speaker is now. The phrase in diesem Gebäude is useful when identifying the building being visited.
Gebäude Gebäude means building in in diesem Gebäude. It names the place the speaker is visiting for the first time, and in diesem Gebäude locates the speaker inside it.
nahe nahe means near in nahe am Ende des Flurs. It places the room close to the end of the hallway; nahe am Ende is useful for describing a position near an endpoint.
am am is the contracted form of an dem in am Ende des Flurs. It helps locate the room at the end of the hallway, and am Ende is a common location expression.
Ende Ende means end in am Ende des Flurs. It identifies the endpoint of the hallway where the room is marked; the phrase am Ende des Flurs gives the complete location.
des des means of the in des Flurs. It connects the end with the hallway, giving the meaning the end of the hall.
Flurs Flurs means of the hallway in des Flurs. It is the form of Flur used in this phrase to identify which end is meant: the end of the hallway.
markiert markiert means marked in Der Raum ist nahe am Ende des Flurs markiert. It says that the room is indicated near the end of the hall, and it is related to markieren.

Grammar Points

Wo?

Wo?

voh?

Where?

„Wo“ fragt nach einem Ort und steht meist am Anfang einer Ortsfrage.

zum ersten Mal

zum ersten Mal

tsoom AIR-stən mahl

for the first time

Feste Wendung für etwas, das erstmals geschieht.

German Vocabulary

Aufzug noun
OWF-tsoog elevator Aufzüge

der Aufzüge

fahren verb
FAHR-ən to ride; to travel Fahren

Fahren Sie damit

höher adv
HUR-ər higher; up

einen Stock höher

Konferenzraum noun
kohn-feh-RENTS-rowm conference room

der Konferenzraum

links adv
links left; to the left

biegen Sie links ... ab

Lobby noun
LOH-bee lobby

an der Lobby vorbei

Nähe noun
NAY-ə vicinity; proximity

in der Nähe

nehmen verb
NAY-mən to take

den Aufzug nehmen

sagen verb
ZAHG-ən to tell; to say

Könnten Sie mir sagen

Stock noun
shtok floor; story

einen Stock höher

vorbei adv
foh-AR-BYE past; by

an der Lobby vorbei

wo adv
voh where

wo der Konferenzraum ist

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Take it up one floor.

Show AnswerFahren Sie damit einen Stock höher.

There's one by the reception desk.

Show AnswerAn der Rezeption gibt es eine.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

vicinity; proximity

Show AnswerNähe

lobby

Show AnswerLobby

to take

Show Answernehmen

past; by

Show Answervorbei