Reviewing meeting action items | Learn German in English

German lesson set in a contemporary Berlin everyday setting: After a work meeting, two adults review action items, assign a client follow-up, and update shared notes..

EN → DE / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Reviewing meeting action items to practice German conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Können wir die Aufgaben aus dem Meeting durchgehen?

KURN-en veer dee OWF-gah-ben ows daym MEE-ting DOORKH-gay-en? Can we review the action items from the meeting?
B

Ich habe die Zusammenfassung geöffnet, also schauen wir sie uns an.

ikh HAH-buh dee tsoo-ZAHM-en-fah-soong guh-URF-net, AHL-zoh SHOW-en veer zee oons ahn. I have the summary open, so let's check them.
A

Wer soll den Kunden kontaktieren?

Vair zohl dayn KOON-den kon-tahk-TEE-ren? Who should contact the client?
B

Die Projektleitung kümmert sich darum.

dee proh-YEKT-lahy-toong KUR-mert zikh dah-ROOM. The project lead will handle that.
A

Was soll ich als Nächstes machen?

vahs zohl ikh ahls NEKH-stess MAKH-en? What should I do next?
B

Aktualisiere die Notizen und teile die Datei.

ak-too-ah-lee-ZEE-ruh dee noh-TEE-tsen oont TYE-luh dee dah-TYE. Update the notes and share the file.
A

Ich schicke dem Team das Update.

ikh SHIK-uh daym TEEM dahs UP-date. I will send the update to the team.
B

Dann haben alle die neueste Version.

dahn HAH-ben AHL-uh dee NOY-ess-tuh vair-ZEE-ohn. Then everyone will have the latest version.

Word by Word

Können “Können” asks whether the speakers are able or allowed to do something here: review the tasks. It is the form of können used with “wir” and places “durchgehen” at the end; use it for a polite ability or permission question.
wir “wir” means “we” and identifies the speakers as the people who may review the tasks. It is the subject with “Können” and appears again in “schauen wir sie uns an”; use it when speaking for yourself and others.
die “die” is the article “the” before “Aufgaben” in the phrase “die Aufgaben”. Here it introduces the group of tasks being reviewed; reuse it directly before that noun.
Aufgaben “Aufgaben” means the tasks, specifically the action items from the meeting. It is used in “die Aufgaben aus dem Meeting” and can name work that needs to be completed.
aus “aus” means “from” and links the tasks to their source, “dem Meeting”. It commonly introduces an origin or source, as in “Aufgaben aus dem Meeting”.
dem “dem” means “the” in “aus dem Meeting”. After “aus”, it belongs to the phrase naming the meeting as the source; use “aus dem” before a singular masculine or neuter source.
Meeting “Meeting” means meeting, the event from which the tasks came. It is the noun in “aus dem Meeting”; use it for a work meeting or similar scheduled discussion.
durchgehen “durchgehen” means to go through or review the tasks one by one. It is the infinitive used with “Können” in “Können wir die Aufgaben aus dem Meeting durchgehen?”; use this pattern when asking to review a list or document.
Ich “Ich” means “I” and identifies the speaker in “Ich habe die Zusammenfassung geöffnet”. The same pronoun appears in “Ich schicke dem Team das Update”; use it to state your own action or commitment.
habe “habe” means “have” in “Ich habe die Zusammenfassung geöffnet”, describing the summary as opened and available. It is the “ich” form of haben and works with “geöffnet” here; use it to report what you have done.
Zusammenfassung “Zusammenfassung” means summary, the document or text that is open in the dialogue. It is the object in “die Zusammenfassung geöffnet”; use it when referring to a condensed account of a meeting or topic.
geöffnet “geöffnet” means open in the sense that the summary has been opened and is available. It is used after “habe” in “habe die Zusammenfassung geöffnet”; this form describes a document that someone has opened.
also “also” means “so” and connects the open summary with the next action. In “also schauen wir sie uns an”, it introduces the consequence or decision; use it to move from a situation to what follows.
schauen “schauen” means look or check here, as part of “schauen wir sie uns an”. The form appears with “wir” and is separated from “an” by the sentence structure; use this construction when checking something together.
sie “sie” means “them” here and refers back to “die Aufgaben”. In “schauen wir sie uns an”, it is the thing being checked; use it when referring back to a plural group.
uns “uns” refers back to “wir” and is part of the reflexive expression in “schauen wir sie uns an”. Together with “schauen” and “an”, it frames the speakers as looking at the tasks themselves; use it when the subject and the people viewing are the same group.
an “an” is the separated verb element that completes the checking or looking meaning in “schauen wir sie uns an”. It belongs with “schauen” in this sentence, so it appears at the end; use the full construction for looking at or checking something.
Wer “Wer” means “who” and asks which person should contact the client. It opens “Wer soll den Kunden kontaktieren?”; use it to ask for a person rather than a thing.
soll “soll” expresses what someone is supposed or expected to do in “Wer soll den Kunden kontaktieren?”. It is used with “wer” and is followed by the infinitive “kontaktieren”; use it when assigning or asking about responsibility.
den “den” is the article “the” before “Kunden” in “den Kunden kontaktieren”. It marks the client as the direct object of the contact action; reuse the complete phrase when naming the client to be contacted.
Kunden “Kunden” means the client in “den Kunden kontaktieren”. Here it names the person or organization receiving the contact; use it as the object of “kontaktieren” in this work context.
kontaktieren “kontaktieren” means contact, specifically the action assigned in “Wer soll den Kunden kontaktieren?”. It stays in the infinitive after “soll”; use it for a work-related client contact.
Projektleitung “Projektleitung” means the project lead or project management role responsible for handling the matter. In “Die Projektleitung kümmert sich darum”, it identifies who takes responsibility; use it when assigning an issue to that project role.
kümmert “kümmert” contributes the meaning “takes care” in “Die Projektleitung kümmert sich darum”. It is used with “sich” and “darum” as the complete responsibility expression; use the full phrase when saying someone will handle something.
sich “sich” refers back to the subject “Die Projektleitung” in “Die Projektleitung kümmert sich darum”. It is required by this reflexive expression and helps form the meaning “take care of it”; use it together with “kümmert” and “darum”.
darum “darum” points to the matter already under discussion, namely who will contact the client. In “kümmert sich darum”, it completes the expression meaning “take care of that”; use it to refer back to a specific matter.
Was “Was” means “what” and asks which action the speaker should do next. It begins “Was soll ich als Nächstes machen?”; use it to ask about a thing, task, or action.
als “als” contributes the meaning “as” in the time expression “als Nächstes”, meaning “next”. It combines with “Nächstes” to identify the next step; use the whole expression when asking what comes next.
Nächstes “Nächstes” means “the next thing” in “als Nächstes”. It identifies the next step in the work sequence; use the expression to ask or state what should happen next.
machen “machen” means do in “Was soll ich als Nächstes machen?”. It is the infinitive after “soll” and refers to the action to be carried out; use it when asking what action to perform.
Aktualisiere “Aktualisiere” is a direct instruction to update something, here the notes. It is used with “die Notizen” in “Aktualisiere die Notizen”; use this form when telling one person to perform that task.
Notizen “Notizen” means notes, specifically the meeting notes to be updated. It is the object in “Aktualisiere die Notizen”; use it for written points recorded during a meeting.
und “und” means “and” and joins the two requested actions in “Aktualisiere die Notizen und teile die Datei”. Use it to connect actions that should both happen.
teile “teile” is a direct instruction to share the file. It appears in “teile die Datei” and is used when telling one person to make a file available to others.
Datei “Datei” means file in “teile die Datei”. It is the item being shared; use it when referring to a digital document or other computer file.
schicke “schicke” means “send” and states that the speaker will send the update. In “Ich schicke dem Team das Update”, it is used with a recipient and a thing being sent; reuse this pattern for a message or file.
Team “Team” means team, the group receiving the update. In “dem Team” it names the recipient of “das Update”; use it for a work group.
das “das” is the article “the” before “Update” in “das Update”. Here it introduces the update as the thing being sent; reuse it directly before this noun.
Update “Update” means update, the information being sent to the team. It is the thing in “Ich schicke dem Team das Update”; use it for a current change or status message.
Dann “Dann” means “then” and marks the result that follows the sending of the update. In “Dann haben alle die neueste Version”, it links the next situation to the previous action; use it to order events or state a consequence.
haben “haben” means “have” in “Dann haben alle die neueste Version”, describing everyone possessing the latest version after the update. It is used with “alle” as the subject to describe the resulting situation.
alle “alle” means everyone or all of them and refers to the whole team in “Dann haben alle die neueste Version”. It is the subject of “haben”; use it when no member of the relevant group is excluded.
neueste “neueste” means latest and describes “Version” as the most recent one. In “die neueste Version”, it comes directly before the noun; use it when identifying the current version among earlier versions.
Version “Version” means version, the particular state of the file that everyone will have. It is the noun in “die neueste Version”; use it when distinguishing one form of a document or file from another.

Grammar Points

sich etwas anschauen: schauen ... uns ... an

schauen wir sie uns an

SHOW-en veer zee oons ahn

let's take a look at it

This separable reflexive verb splits: the conjugated verb comes early, while an moves to the end.

sich darum kümmern

kümmert sich darum

KUR-mert zikh dah-ROOM

takes care of it

darum replaces an idea introduced with um and keeps the preposition meaning in a compact form.

German Vocabulary

also adv
AHL-zoh so; therefore

also schauen wir sie uns an

Aufgabe noun
OWF-gah-buh task Aufgaben

die Aufgaben

darum adv
dah-ROOM about it; for it

kümmert sich darum

durchgehen verb
DOORKH-gay-en to go through; to review

die Aufgaben durchgehen

geöffnet verb
guh-URF-net open

geöffnet haben

kontaktieren verb
kon-tahk-TEE-ren to contact

den Kunden kontaktieren

Kunde noun
KOON-duh client; customer Kunden

den Kunden

Meeting noun
MEE-ting meeting

aus dem Meeting

Projektleitung noun
proh-YEKT-lahy-toong project management; project lead

Die Projektleitung

sich etwas anschauen verb
zikh ET-vahs AHN-show-en to look at something; to check something schauen wir sie uns an

schauen wir sie uns an

sich kümmern um verb
zikh KUR-mern oom to take care of; to handle kümmert sich darum

kümmert sich darum

Zusammenfassung noun
tsoo-ZAH-mun-fah-soong summary

die Zusammenfassung

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Who should contact the client?

Show AnswerWer soll den Kunden kontaktieren?

The project lead will handle that.

Show AnswerDie Projektleitung kümmert sich darum.

What should I do next?

Show AnswerWas soll ich als Nächstes machen?

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

task

Show AnswerAufgaben

so; therefore

Show Answeralso

open

Show Answergeöffnet

to go through; to review

Show Answerdurchgehen