Keeping Valuables Safe in a Crowded Market | Learn German in English

German lesson set in a contemporary Berlin everyday setting: At a crowded market, two adults talk about keeping valuables in safe pockets and staying close while walking..

EN → DE / Level: A2

About This Lesson

Use Keeping Valuables Safe in a Crowded Market to practice German conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Dieser Markt ist voller, als ich erwartet habe.

DEE-zuh MAHRKT ist FOL-luh, als ikh air-VAR-tet HAH-buh. This market is more crowded than I expected.
B

Bewahre deine Wertsachen in der vorderen Tasche auf.

beh-VAH-ruh DYE-nuh VAIRT-zah-khen in dair FOR-duh-run TAH-shuh owf. Keep your valuables in the front pocket.
A

Soll ich meine Tasche ganz schließen?

zohl ikh MY-nuh TAH-shuh GAHNTS SHLEE-sun? Should I zip my bag completely?
B

Schließe den Reißverschluss ganz und halte die Tasche vor dir.

SHLEE-suh dayn RICE-fair-SHLOOS GAHNTS oont HAL-tuh dee TAH-shuh for DEER. Zip it fully and hold it in front of you.
A

Mein Handy ist in der Innentasche.

mine HEN-dee ist in dair IN-nun-TAH-shuh. My phone is in the inside pocket.
B

Das ist sicherer als die Außentasche.

dahs ist ZIKH-uh-rur als dee OWS-TAH-shuh. That is safer than the outside pocket.
A

Ich werde vorsichtig sein, während wir gehen.

ikh VAIR-duh FOR-zikh-tikh zine, VAIR-unt veer GAY-un. I will be careful while we walk.
B

Bleib in meiner Nähe, damit wir uns nicht verlieren.

blype in MY-nuh NAY-uh, dah-MIT veer oons nikht fair-LEE-run. Stay close so we do not get separated.

Word by Word

Dieser Dieser means “this” here and identifies the specific market in Dieser Markt. It is used before a singular noun to point out something nearby or already relevant.
Markt Markt means “market” here, the crowded place where the speakers are walking. It names a place where people buy and sell things, including in a conversation about being auf einem Markt.
ist ist means “is” and links the market with its description in ist voller. A common reuse pattern is a subject followed by ist and a description.
voller voller means “more crowded” or “fuller” here, describing the market in comparison with what the speaker expected. The comparison is completed by als.
als als means “than” in the comparison voller, als ich erwartet habe. It introduces the second part of a comparison after a comparative description.
ich ich means “I” and refers to the speaker who had an expectation. In ich erwartet habe, it is the person whose expectation is being described.
erwartet erwartet means “expected” in the speaker’s statement about the market. It is the participle related to erwarten and appears with habe in the subordinate clause.
habe habe means “have” as the auxiliary in ich erwartet habe. Together with erwartet, it describes what the speaker had expected; this pattern is used for a completed personal experience or expectation.
Bewahre Bewahre means “keep” or “store” in this instruction to one person. Together with the separate particle auf, it tells the listener to keep the valuables somewhere; the reusable pattern places the item and its location between Bewahre and auf.
deine deine means “your” and identifies the valuables as belonging to the person being addressed. It is used before Wertsachen to show whose items they are.
Wertsachen Wertsachen means “valuables,” the important personal items that should be kept safe. Here it is the thing being stored in the front pocket, and it can refer to valuable belongings in a safety instruction.
in in means “in” and shows the location of the valuables in der vorderen Tasche. It is commonly used to connect an item with the place where it is located.
der der means “the” and introduces the specific pocket in der vorderen Tasche. It belongs with the following description and noun to identify one particular place.
vorderen vorderen means “front” or “at the front” and distinguishes this pocket from other pockets. It appears before Tasche to specify which pocket should be used.
Tasche Tasche means “pocket” in der vorderen Tasche and “bag” in meine Tasche. The surrounding words determine whether it refers to a compartment for carrying items or the whole bag.
auf auf is the separable particle that completes the keep-or-store meaning of Bewahre. In this sentence it appears at the end, after the location, and the full construction is used for storing something in a place.
Soll Soll means “should” in Soll ich meine Tasche ganz schließen? The question asks whether the speaker ought to close the bag, and Soll ich is a useful way to ask for advice or permission.
meine meine means “my” and identifies the bag as belonging to the speaker in meine Tasche. It is placed before the noun whose owner is the speaker.
ganz ganz means “completely” or “all the way” in ganz schließen and in den Reißverschluss ganz. It emphasizes that the closing action should be complete rather than partial.
schließen schließen means “close” or “zip” here, referring to closing the bag. It follows Soll ich and is used with the thing being closed, such as a bag or zipper.
Schließe Schließe means “close” or “zip” in this direct instruction to one person. It is the instruction form related to schließen and is followed by the object den Reißverschluss.
den den means “the” and identifies the specific zipper in den Reißverschluss. It introduces the object of the instruction to close it.
Reißverschluss Reißverschluss means “zipper,” the part of the bag that should be closed fully. It is used as the object of the instruction Schließe den Reißverschluss.
und und means “and” and connects the two instructions to close the zipper and hold the bag in front. It joins actions that should be carried out together.
halte halte means “hold” in the instruction halte die Tasche vor dir. It is the direct-address form related to halten and is used with the object being held and its position.
vor vor means “in front of” in vor dir and describes where the bag should be held. It is useful for locating one object in relation to a person or another object.
dir dir refers to “you,” the person being addressed, in vor dir. The phrase vor dir means that the bag is positioned in front of the listener.
Mein Mein means “my” and identifies the phone as belonging to the speaker in Mein Handy. It is placed before the noun for the thing owned.
Handy Handy means “mobile phone” here, the valuable item located in the inside pocket. It is a common German word for a personal mobile phone.
Innentasche Innentasche means “inside pocket,” the pocket located within the bag. In der Innentasche states where the phone is kept, so it is useful when describing the location of an item inside a bag.
Das Das means “that” and points back to the preceding choice or situation of keeping the phone in the inside pocket. In Das ist sicherer, it introduces a comment about something already mentioned.
sicherer sicherer means “safer” and compares the inside pocket with the outside pocket. The reusable comparison pattern is sicherer als, followed by the less safe option.
die die means “the” and introduces the specific outside pocket in die Außentasche. It helps identify the pocket being used as the comparison point.
Außentasche Außentasche means “outside pocket,” the pocket on the exterior of the bag. It is useful when distinguishing an external compartment from an inside pocket.
werde werde means “will” as the future auxiliary in Ich werde vorsichtig sein. With an infinitive later in the sentence, it expresses the speaker’s future intention or plan.
vorsichtig vorsichtig means “careful” or “cautious” in vorsichtig sein. It describes how the speaker intends to behave while walking through the crowded market.
sein sein means “be” in vorsichtig sein and completes the future expression with werde. The pattern describes a future state or behavior, here being careful.
während während means “while” and links being careful with the time when the speakers walk. It introduces an activity or clause that happens at the same time.
wir wir means “we” and refers to the speaker and the other person together. In wir gehen, it identifies the people who are walking.
gehen gehen means “walk” or “go” here, referring to the two people moving through the market. It is used to describe movement or travel with a subject such as wir.
Bleib Bleib means “stay” in the direct instruction Bleib in meiner Nähe. It is the instruction form related to bleiben and is used to ask one person not to move away.
Nähe Nähe means “proximity” or “nearby area” in in meiner Nähe. The phrase tells someone to remain close to the speaker, and the same pattern can describe a person or thing being close to someone.
damit damit means “so that” and introduces the purpose of staying close: avoiding separation. It is commonly followed by a clause explaining the intended result of an action.
uns uns refers to “us” or, in this context, “each other” in wir uns nicht verlieren. It identifies the same two people as the ones who might become separated.
nicht nicht means “not” and makes the clause negative in uns nicht verlieren. It prevents the meaning from being that the two people will lose each other.
verlieren verlieren means “lose” here, with uns verlieren meaning that the two people become separated or lose track of each other. It is useful when someone or something is no longer kept with or found by you.

Grammar Points

voller als erwartet

voller als erwartet

FOL-luh als air-VAR-tet

more crowded than expected

The comparative adjective voller is followed by als to compare two situations.

vor + Dativ: vor dir

vor dir

for DEER

in front of you

The preposition vor takes the dative here, so du becomes dir.

German Vocabulary

als conj
ALS than
Bewahre verb
beh-VAH-ruh keep
erwartet verb
air-VAR-tet expected
ganz adv
GAHNTS completely
Markt noun
MAHRKT market
Reißverschluss noun
RICE-fair-SHLOOS zipper
Schließe verb
SHLEE-suh close; zip
schließen verb
SHLEE-sun to close; to zip
Tasche noun
TAH-shuh bag; pocket
voller adj
FOL-luh more crowded
vorderen adj
FOR-duh-run front
Wertsachen noun
VAIRT-zah-khen valuables

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Should I zip my bag completely?

Show AnswerSoll ich meine Tasche ganz schließen?

My phone is in the inside pocket.

Show AnswerMein Handy ist in der Innentasche.

That is safer than the outside pocket.

Show AnswerDas ist sicherer als die Außentasche.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

valuables

Show AnswerWertsachen

to close; to zip

Show Answerschließen

expected

Show Answererwartet

market

Show AnswerMarkt