Making a private call during a work break | Learn German in English

About This Lesson

Use Making a private call during a work break to practice German conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Ich muss während der Pause privat telefonieren.

ikh MOOS VAY-rent dair POW-zuh pree-VAHT teh-leh-foh-NEER-en. I need to make a private call during the break.

Geh in den ruhigen Flur, wenn das Thema sensibel ist.

GAY in dayn ROO-ih-gen FLOOR, venn dahs TAY-mah zen-zee-BELL ist. Use the quiet hallway if the topic is sensitive.

Ich möchte die Leute, die noch arbeiten, nicht unterbrechen.

ikh MURKH-tuh dee LOY-tuh, dee nokh AR-bye-ten, nikht oon-ter-BREKH-en. I don't want to interrupt people who are still working.

Die Besprechung geht bald weiter, also halte dich kurz, wenn du kannst.

dee beh-SHPREKH-oong gayt bahlt VY-tair, AL-zoh HAL-tuh dikh koorts, venn doo kahnst. The meeting restarts soon, so keep it brief if you can.

Wenn ich nicht genau pünktlich zurück bin, könntest du im Blick behalten, was ich verpasse?

venn ikh geh-NOW POONGKT-likh tsoo-ROOKH bin, KURNT-est doo im BLIK beh-HAL-ten, vahs ikh fair-PAHS-uh? If I'm not back exactly on time, could you keep track of anything I miss?

Das kann ich machen, aber schreib mir, wenn der Anruf länger dauert.

dahs kahn ikh MAKH-en, AH-ber shrayb meer, venn dair AHN-roof LENG-er DOW-ert. I can do that, but message me if the call takes longer.

Mach ich. Ich sollte vor dem nächsten Punkt auf der Tagesordnung zurück sein.

makh ikh. ikh SHOL-tuh fohr daym NAYKH-sten POONKT owf dair TAH-gess-ORD-noong tsoo-ROOKH zayn. I will. I should be back before the next agenda item.

Im ersten Teil nach der Pause gibt es nur einen kurzen Zwischenstand.

im AIR-sten Tyle nahkh dair POW-zuh gipt ess noor EYE-nen KOOR-tsen TSVISH-en-shtahnt. The first part after the break is just a quick update.

Das hilft. Ich gehe jetzt nach draußen.

dahs hilpt. ikh GAY-uh yetst nahkh DROW-sen. That helps. I'll step outside now.

Nimm dir die Zeit, die du brauchst, aber achte auf die Uhr.

nim deer dee TSYTE, dee doo BROW-khst, AH-ber AKH-tuh owf dee OOR. Take the time you need, but keep an eye on the clock.

Word by Word

Ich “Ich” means “I” here and refers to the speaker. It is used as the subject in patterns such as “Ich muss …” for stating a personal need.

muss “muss” expresses that the speaker needs or has to do something. It is followed here by the infinitive “telefonieren”, as in “Ich muss …”.

während “während” means “during” here and places the action within the break. A time expression can follow it, as in “während der Pause”.

der In “während der Pause”, “der” means “the” and belongs to the noun “Pause”. The same form appears with feminine nouns in this time expression.

Pause “Pause” means “break”, specifically the work break in the dialogue. It is commonly used in “während der Pause” or “nach der Pause”.

privat “privat” means “privately” here and describes the purpose or manner of the call. It can be placed before an infinitive, as in “privat telefonieren”.

telefonieren “telefonieren” means “to make a phone call” here. After “muss”, it stays in the infinitive: “Ich muss … telefonieren”.

Geh “Geh” tells one person to go somewhere, here into the quiet hallway. It is used as a direct instruction, such as “Geh in den …”.

in In “Geh in den ruhigen Flur”, “in” expresses movement into a place. With a destination, it is followed here by “den ruhigen Flur”.

den In “in den ruhigen Flur”, “den” means “the” and identifies the destination. It appears with the masculine noun “Flur” in this movement expression.

ruhigen “ruhigen” means “quiet” and describes the hallway chosen for the private call. It comes before the noun in “den ruhigen Flur”.

Flur “Flur” means “hallway” here. A practical location pattern is “in den Flur” when telling someone to go into the hallway.

wenn “wenn” introduces the condition “if the topic is sensitive” here. It connects a condition to advice, as in “wenn …, geh …”.

das In “das Thema”, “das” means “the” and is the article for “Thema”. The dialogue also begins another sentence with “Das”, where it means “that” in “Das kann ich machen”.

Thema “Thema” means “topic”, here the subject of the private call. It is used in the pattern “wenn das Thema … ist” to describe the topic.

sensibel “sensibel” means “sensitive” here and describes the topic. It appears after “ist” in the pattern “Das Thema ist sensibel”.

ist “ist” means “is” and links “das Thema” with the description “sensibel”. It is also useful in descriptions such as “wenn das Thema … ist”.

möchte “möchte” expresses the speaker’s wish or intention not to interrupt people. It is followed here by the infinitive “unterbrechen”, as in “Ich möchte … nicht unterbrechen”.

die In “die Leute”, “die” means “the” and introduces the people being discussed. In “die noch arbeiten”, the same form introduces the people described by the relative clause.

Leute “Leute” means “people”, here the people who are still working. It can be followed by a description such as “die noch arbeiten”.

noch “noch” means “still” here and shows that the people continue to work at this moment. It is placed before “arbeiten” in “die noch arbeiten”.

arbeiten “arbeiten” means “to work” here and describes what the people are still doing. In “die noch arbeiten”, it appears at the end of the relative clause.

nicht “nicht” negates the speaker’s wish to interrupt people. In “möchte … nicht unterbrechen”, it comes before the infinitive being negated.

unterbrechen “unterbrechen” means “to interrupt” here, referring to disturbing people who are working. After “möchte”, it remains in the infinitive.

Besprechung “Besprechung” means “meeting” here. It is the subject in “Die Besprechung geht bald weiter”, describing a meeting that resumes.

geht In “geht … weiter”, “geht” contributes the idea that the meeting continues. The reusable expression is “etwas geht weiter” for something resuming or continuing.

bald “bald” means “soon” and indicates that the meeting will continue shortly. It can be placed before “weiter” in “geht bald weiter”.

weiter “weiter” means “on” or “further” here and completes “geht … weiter”, meaning “continues”. The expression “geht weiter” is used for an activity that resumes.

also “also” means “so” here and introduces the resulting advice. It connects the meeting restarting soon with “halte dich kurz”.

halte In “halte dich kurz”, “halte” helps tell one person to keep the call or conversation brief. The exact reusable construction is “halte dich kurz”.

dich “dich” refers to the person being instructed in “halte dich kurz”. Together with “halte” and “kurz”, it forms the expression “halte dich kurz”.

kurz “kurz” means “brief” here, so the person is asked not to take long. In “halte dich kurz”, it describes the desired length of the conversation.

du “du” means “you” when addressing one person informally. Here it is the subject of “kannst” in “wenn du kannst”.

kannst “kannst” means “can” here and makes the advice conditional: keep it brief if possible. It is used with “du” in the pattern “wenn du kannst”.

genau “genau” means “exactly” here and emphasizes precise punctuality. It modifies “pünktlich” in “genau pünktlich zurück”.

pünktlich “pünktlich” means “on time” here, referring to returning at the expected time. It can be used with “zurück sein” to describe being back on time.

zurück “zurück” means “back” here and indicates a return to the meeting. It appears with “bin” in “zurück bin” and with “sein” in “zurück sein”.

bin “bin” means “am” and forms “ich bin …” for the speaker’s state or location. Here, “zurück bin” means “am back” or “have returned”.

könntest “könntest” politely asks whether the other person could do something. It is followed here by the infinitive expression “im Blick behalten”.

im Blick behalten “im Blick behalten” means “keep track of” or “keep an eye on” something, here anything the speaker misses. The whole expression contains “im” meaning “in the”, “Blick” meaning “view”, and “behalten” meaning “keep”; reuse it with an object, as in “etwas im Blick behalten”.

was “was” introduces what the speaker might miss, meaning “what” or “anything that” in this sentence. It begins the clause “was ich verpasse”.

verpasse “verpasse” means “miss” here, referring to information or meeting content the speaker does not hear. It is used with “was” in “was ich verpasse”.

kann “kann” means “can” here and expresses the ability to do what was requested. The pattern “Das kann ich machen” means “I can do that”.

machen “machen” means “do” here rather than referring to a specific physical action. In “Das kann ich machen”, it follows “kann” in the infinitive.

aber “aber” means “but” and introduces a condition or limitation to the agreement. It connects “Das kann ich machen” with “schreib mir …”.

schreib “schreib” tells one person to write or message the speaker. It is used as a direct instruction with “mir”: “Schreib mir …”.

mir “mir” means “to me” and identifies the recipient of the message. It follows “schreib” in the common pattern “Schreib mir”.

Anruf “Anruf” means “call”, here the private phone call. It is the subject in “wenn der Anruf länger dauert”.

länger “länger” means “longer” here and compares the duration of the call with what was expected. It is used with “dauert” in “länger dauert”.

dauert “dauert” means “takes” or “lasts” here, referring to the duration of the call. A common pattern is “Der Anruf dauert …”.

Mach In “Mach ich”, “Mach” is part of the informal reply meaning “I will” or “I’ll do it”. The full short reply confirms that the speaker will carry out the request.

sollte “sollte” means “should” here and expresses the speaker’s expectation of returning before the next agenda item. It is followed by “zurück sein”.

vor “vor” means “before” here and places the return earlier than the next agenda item. It is used in the time expression “vor dem nächsten Punkt”.

dem In “vor dem nächsten Punkt”, “dem” means “the” and belongs to “Punkt”. It appears after “vor” in this time expression.

nächsten “nächsten” means “next” here and identifies the agenda item that follows. It comes before the noun in “dem nächsten Punkt”.

Punkt “Punkt” means “item” or “point” here, specifically an item on the agenda. Its meaning is made precise by the phrase “auf der Tagesordnung”.

auf In “auf der Tagesordnung”, “auf” means “on” and shows that the point belongs to the agenda. This is a fixed pattern for something listed on an agenda.

Tagesordnung “Tagesordnung” means “agenda” here. The reusable expression “auf der Tagesordnung” refers to an item being listed on the agenda.

sein “sein” means “to be” here and completes “zurück sein”, meaning “to be back”. After “sollte”, it remains in the infinitive.

Im “Im” means “in the” here and is the contracted form used in “im ersten Teil”. It introduces the part of the meeting being discussed.

ersten “ersten” means “first” here and identifies the first part after the break. It comes before “Teil” in “im ersten Teil”.

Teil “Teil” means “part” here, referring to the first section of the meeting. It is used with “im ersten Teil” to locate something within that section.

nach “nach” means “after” here and places the first part later than the break. The pattern “nach der Pause” refers to the time after the break.

gibt In “gibt es”, “gibt” is part of the expression meaning “there is” or “there are”. Here it introduces the short update that exists after the break.

es In “gibt es”, “es” is part of the expression “there is” or “there are” rather than referring to a specific object. The phrase “es gibt …” introduces something that is present.

nur “nur” means “only” or “just” here and limits what will happen after the break. It emphasizes that there is just one short update.

einen “einen” means “a” or “one” here and introduces “kurzen Zwischenstand”. It is used before this masculine noun in “einen kurzen Zwischenstand”.

kurzen “kurzen” means “short” here and describes the brief update. It comes before “Zwischenstand” in “einen kurzen Zwischenstand”.

Zwischenstand “Zwischenstand” means “update” or “current status”, here a brief report after the break. It is used in “einen kurzen Zwischenstand” for a concise status report.

hilft “hilft” means “helps” here, referring to the information about the short update. The pattern “Das hilft” is a simple way to say that information is useful.

gehe “gehe” means “go” here and describes the speaker moving outside now. It is used with the destination expression “nach draußen”.

jetzt “jetzt” means “now” and marks the immediate time of leaving. It comes before “nach draußen” in “Ich gehe jetzt nach draußen”.

draußen “draußen” means “outside” here and describes the destination or location outside the workplace. It is commonly used with “nach” in “nach draußen” for movement outside.

Nimm “Nimm” tells one person to take something, here the amount of time they need. It is used in the expression “Nimm dir die Zeit …”.

dir “dir” means “for yourself” in “Nimm dir die Zeit”. It marks the person for whom the time is being taken.

Zeit “Zeit” means “time” here, specifically the amount of time the person needs. The expression “sich die Zeit nehmen” means to take the time for something.

brauchst “brauchst” means “need” here and describes the amount of time required. It appears in the relative clause “die du brauchst”, meaning “that you need”.

achte “achte” tells one person to pay attention to the clock. It is used in the instruction “achte auf die Uhr”.

Uhr “Uhr” means “clock” here. In “achte auf die Uhr”, it is the thing to which the person should pay attention.

Grammar Points

auf + Akkusativ bei „achten“

auf die Uhr achten

owf dee OOR AKH-tun

to keep an eye on the clock

Bei achten steht auf für das, worauf man aufmerksam ist; hier folgt der Akkusativ: die Uhr.

während + Zeitangabe

während der Pause telefonieren

VAY-rent dair POW-zuh teh-leh-foh-NEER-en

to make a phone call during the break

während bezeichnet einen Zeitraum und steht hier vor der Zeitangabe der Pause.

German Vocabulary

arbeiten verb

AR-bye-ten to work

die Leute, die noch arbeiten

Besprechung noun

beh-SHPREKH-oong meeting

Die Besprechung geht bald weiter.

Flur noun

FLOOR hallway

Geh in den ruhigen Flur.

Leute noun

LOY-tuh people

die Leute, die noch arbeiten

Pause noun

POW-zuh break

während der Pause

privat adj

pree-VAHT private

Ich muss während der Pause privat telefonieren.

ruhig adj

ROO-ikh quiet ruhigen

in den ruhigen Flur

sensibel adj

zen-zee-BELL sensitive

Das Thema ist sensibel.

telefonieren verb

teh-leh-foh-NEER-en to make a phone call

Ich muss während der Pause privat telefonieren.

Thema noun

TAY-mah topic

wenn das Thema sensibel ist

unterbrechen verb

oon-ter-BREKH-en to interrupt

Ich möchte die Leute nicht unterbrechen.

während prep

VAY-rent during

während der Pause

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

sensitive

Show Answer

sensibel

during

Show Answer

während

quiet

Show Answer

ruhigen

private

Show Answer

privat