Letting someone go first in line | Learn German in English

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Use Letting someone go first in line to practice German conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Entschuldigung, du kannst vor mir gehen.

ent-SHOOL-di-goong, doo kahnst fohr meer GAY-en. Excuse me, you can go ahead of me.

Bist du sicher? Ich möchte dir deinen Platz nicht wegnehmen.

bist doo ZIKH-uh? ikh MOEKH-tuh deer DYE-nen plahts nikht VEKH-nay-men. Are you sure? I don't want to take your place.

Das ist in Ordnung, deine Taschen sehen schwer aus.

dahs ist in OHRD-noong, DYE-nuh TAH-shen ZAY-en shvair ows. It's all right, your bags look heavy.

Danke, das ist sehr nett.

DAHN-kuh, dahs ist zair net. I appreciate it.

Ich brauche an der Theke nur eine Minute.

ikh BROW-khuh ahn dair TAY-kuh noor EYE-nuh mee-NOO-tuh. I'll only be a minute at the counter.

Ich kann noch ein bisschen warten.

ikh kahn nokh ayn BISS-khen VAHR-ten. I can wait a little longer.

Ich passe auf, dass ich dich nicht aufhalte.

ikh PAH-suh owf, dahs ikh dikh nikht OWF-hahl-tuh. I'll make sure I don't hold you up.

Word by Word

Entschuldigung Entschuldigung politely gets the other person’s attention before offering them the place in line. Use it when beginning a polite request or interruption.

du du refers to one person the speaker addresses informally. Here it is the person who can go ahead, and it is used together with kannst.

kannst kannst is the form of können used with du here, expressing that the person may go ahead. It is followed by the infinitive gehen in this sentence.

vor vor marks the position ahead in vor mir gehen, so the other person moves ahead of the speaker in the line. Use it with a reference person when describing position in a queue.

mir mir identifies the speaker as the reference person in vor mir gehen, meaning ahead of me. The form mir is used after vor in this phrase.

gehen gehen means to go; here it describes moving ahead in the line. It follows kannst in this sentence.

Bist Bist is the form of sein used with du in Bist du sicher?; here it asks whether the person is certain. Use it at the beginning of a direct question about someone’s certainty.

sicher sicher means sure or certain in Bist du sicher? It follows the form of sein and is used here to check whether the other person really accepts the offer.

Ich Ich identifies the speaker in Ich möchte dir deinen Platz nicht wegnehmen and the later lines. It is used as the subject when the speaker describes their own wishes or actions.

möchte möchte expresses a wish in Ich möchte dir deinen Platz nicht wegnehmen: the speaker does not want to take the other person’s place. It is used after Ich and before the infinitive wegnehmen.

dir dir identifies the person whose place is involved in Ich möchte dir deinen Platz nicht wegnehmen. It refers to the person being addressed and affected by the action.

deinen deinen marks the place as belonging to the person addressed in deinen Platz. Here it identifies the other person’s place in the line.

Platz Platz means the person’s spot in the line in deinen Platz. Use it when referring to someone’s place in a queue.

nicht nicht negates wegnehmen in Ich möchte dir deinen Platz nicht wegnehmen, making clear that the speaker does not want to take the place. It appears before the action being negated here.

wegnehmen wegnehmen is the infinitive after möchte; here it means taking away someone’s place in line. In this dialogue, the action concerns the other person’s Platz.

Das Das refers back to the situation in Das ist in Ordnung and presents it as acceptable. Use it to refer to a situation that has just been mentioned.

ist ist is the form of sein used with Das in Das ist in Ordnung; it links the situation to the assessment that it is all right. It follows Das in this statement.

in in is part of the expression in Ordnung; together they reassure the other person that the situation is acceptable. Use it in this expression when saying that something is okay.

Ordnung Ordnung completes in Ordnung, which means that letting the other person go ahead is acceptable here. Use it in this expression when reassuring someone that something is all right.

deine deine marks Taschen as belonging to the person addressed in deine Taschen. Here it identifies the bags as the other person’s.

Taschen Taschen means bags and refers to the items that look heavy in deine Taschen sehen schwer aus. Use it for bags a person is carrying.

sehen sehen means look or appear in deine Taschen sehen schwer aus. It combines with schwer aus to describe how the bags appear.

schwer schwer describes the Taschen as heavy in deine Taschen sehen schwer aus. It is placed between sehen and aus in this appearance expression.

aus aus completes the expression sehen schwer aus; together they mean look or appear, while schwer gives the quality. It comes at the end of this sentence.

Danke Danke expresses thanks for the favor of being allowed to go ahead. Use it as a brief polite response when someone helps you.

sehr sehr strengthens nett in sehr nett, making the appreciation warmer. It is placed before the adjective it intensifies.

nett nett describes the favor as kind or nice in Danke, das ist sehr nett. Here it warmly evaluates the other person’s action.

brauche brauche is the form of brauchen used with Ich in Ich brauche an der Theke nur eine Minute; here it says that one minute is needed at the counter. It is followed by the time expression eine Minute in this line.

an an places the action at the counter in an der Theke. Use it together with der Theke when referring to being at the counter.

der der is the article used with Theke in an der Theke. It forms part of the location phrase for the counter.

Theke Theke means counter and names the place where B will spend one minute. Use it for a service or sales counter.

nur nur limits the time in Ich brauche an der Theke nur eine Minute to only one minute. It comes before eine Minute here to emphasize the short duration.

eine eine specifies the amount in eine Minute, giving a duration of one minute. It combines with Minute as the time expression after nur.

Minute Minute is the unit of time in eine Minute. Here it states how long B expects to need at the counter.

noch noch in Ich kann noch ein bisschen warten adds that A is willing to wait further or additionally. Use it when extending an existing period of waiting or time.

ein ein is part of the small-quantity expression ein bisschen. Together with bisschen, it describes a small amount of additional waiting.

bisschen bisschen in ein bisschen means a small amount; here it limits how much longer A can wait. Use it in ein bisschen when referring to a small amount or degree.

warten warten is the infinitive after kann and means to wait. Here it describes A remaining in the line for a little longer.

passe passe is the form of aufpassen used with Ich in Ich passe auf, dass ich dich nicht aufhalte; here the speaker promises to make sure of something. It is followed by auf and a dass-clause.

auf auf is the separable part of aufpassen in passe auf; together they mean pay attention or make sure. It follows passe in this sentence.

dass dass introduces the clause describing what the speaker will make sure of in Ich passe auf, dass ich dich nicht aufhalte. In this dialogue, that clause ends with aufhalte.

dich dich identifies the person who might be delayed in Ich passe auf, dass ich dich nicht aufhalte; it refers to A. Use it when addressing one person informally as the person affected by an action.

aufhalte aufhalte is the form of aufhalten used with ich in dass ich dich nicht aufhalte; here it means hold you up or delay you. It appears at the end of the dass-clause and expresses the delay the speaker promises to avoid.

Grammar Points

aufpassen → Pass ... auf

Pass auf!

PAHS owf

Pay attention!

In the imperative, the separable prefix auf moves to the end.

dein + masculine accusative noun → deinen

deinen Platz

DYE-nen plahts

your place

The possessive determiner dein becomes deinen before a masculine noun in the accusative.

German Vocabulary

dein det

dine your deinen

deinen Platz

dir pron

deer to you

dir deinen Platz

Entschuldigung intj

ent-SHOOL-di-goong excuse me; apology

Entschuldigung, du kannst vor mir gehen.

gehen verb

GAY-en to go

du kannst vor mir gehen

in Ordnung phrase

in OHRD-noong all right; okay

Das ist in Ordnung.

Platz noun

plahts place; spot

deinen Platz

schwer adj

shvair heavy; difficult

sehen schwer aus

sehen verb

ZAY-en to look; to see

deine Taschen sehen schwer aus

sicher adj

ZIKH-uh sure; certain

Bist du sicher?

Tasche noun

TAH-shuh bag Taschen

deine Taschen sehen schwer aus

vor prep

fohr in front of; ahead of

vor mir

wegnehmen verb

VEKH-nay-men to take away

deinen Platz nicht wegnehmen

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

Excuse me, you can go ahead of me.

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Entschuldigung, du kannst vor mir gehen.

I appreciate it.

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Danke, das ist sehr nett.

I can wait a little longer.

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Ich kann noch ein bisschen warten.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

place; spot

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Platz

to take away

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wegnehmen

to go

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gehen

your

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deinen