Renewing a library book after an online account problem | Learn German in English

About This Lesson

Use Renewing a library book after an online account problem to practice German conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Ich habe versucht, mein Buch online zu verlängern, aber mein Konto wurde nicht geladen.

ikh hah-buh fer-ZOOKHT, mine bookh on-LINE tsoo fer-LENG-ern, AH-ber mine KON-toh voor-duh nikht guh-LAH-den. I tried to renew my book online, but my account wouldn't load.

Ruf in der Bibliothek an, bevor die Rückgabefrist abläuft.

ROOF in dair bee-blee-oh-TEK an, beh-FOHR dee RUEK-gah-bay-frist AHP-loyft. Call the library before the due date passes.

Ich mache mir Sorgen, weil das Buch heute fällig ist.

ikh MAKH-uh meer ZOR-gen, vile dahs bookh HOY-tuh FEHL-likh ist. I'm worried because the book is due today.

Die Bibliothek kann die Leihfrist vielleicht verlängern, wenn sie sieht, dass es ein Problem beim Einloggen gab.

dee bee-blee-oh-TEK kahn dee LIE-frist fee-LIEKHT fer-LENG-ern, ven zee zeet, dahs ess ine proh-BLAME byme IN-lok-en gahp. They may extend it if they can see there was a login problem.

Was ist, wenn jemand es vorgemerkt hat?

vahs ist, ven YAY-mahnt ess FOR-guh-MAIRKT haht? What if someone has reserved it?

Dann kann die Bibliothek es wahrscheinlich auch telefonisch nicht verlängern.

dahn kahn dee bee-blee-oh-TEK vahr-SHINE-likh owkh tay-leh-FOHN-ish nikht fer-LENG-ern. Then they probably won't be able to renew it, even by phone.

Ich frage nach Vormerkungen, bevor ich davon ausgehe, dass ich es behalten kann.

ikh FRAH-guh nahkh FOR-mair-koong-en, beh-FOHR ikh dah-FON OWS-gay-uh, dahs ikh ess beh-HAHL-ten kahn. I'll ask about holds before I assume I can keep it.

Wenn es eine Vormerkung gibt, gib es heute zurück und leihe es später noch einmal aus.

ven ess EYE-nuh FOR-mair-koong gipt, gip ess HOY-tuh RUEK, oont LIE-uh ess SHPAY-ter nokh EYE-nahl owss. If there is a hold, return it today and borrow it again later.

Ich setze dort auch mein Passwort zurück.

ikh ZET-suh dort owkh mine PAHS-vort tsoo-ROOK. I'll reset my password while I'm there too.

Das sollte die nächste Verlängerung weniger stressig machen.

dahs ZOL-tuh dee NEX-tuh fer-LENG-uh-roong VAY-nih-gair SHTRESS-ikh MAKH-en. That should make the next renewal less stressful.

Word by Word

Ich “Ich” means “I” and identifies the speaker in “Ich habe versucht” and “Ich frage”. It is used as the subject before the verb in these statements.

habe “habe” means “have” in “Ich habe versucht” and helps describe a completed attempt. This form is also commonly used with a past participle to talk about something that has happened.

versucht “versucht” means “tried” in “Ich habe versucht, mein Buch online zu verlängern”. It comes from versuchen and is used here before a zu-infinitive to introduce the action that was attempted.

mein “mein” means “my” in “mein Buch” and shows that the book belongs to or is associated with the speaker. It comes directly before the noun it describes.

Buch “Buch” means “book” in “mein Buch online zu verlängern”. A useful pattern is mein Buch or das Buch when talking about a specific book.

online “online” means “online” and describes how the speaker tried to renew the book. It can be placed with an action to show that the action happens through the internet.

zu “zu” marks the infinitive in “zu verlängern”, meaning “to renew”. The pattern versuchen, etwas zu tun is used for trying to do something.

verlängern “verlängern” means “to renew or extend” in “mein Buch online zu verlängern”. In this lesson it refers to extending the borrowing period of a book; it can also be used with a period or deadline when that period is extended.

aber “aber” means “but” and contrasts the attempted renewal with the account problem in “..., aber mein Konto wurde nicht geladen”. It connects two parts where the second part prevents or changes the expected result.

Konto “Konto” means “account” in “mein Konto wurde nicht geladen”. The word can refer to an online account, such as a library account used to manage loans.

wurde “wurde” shows what happened to the account in “mein Konto wurde nicht geladen”: it failed to load. In this construction it is used with “geladen” to describe an action affecting the account.

nicht “nicht” makes the statement negative in “wurde nicht geladen”, meaning that the account did not load. It is placed before the participle “geladen” in this sentence.

geladen “geladen” means “loaded” in “mein Konto wurde nicht geladen”. Together with “wurde” it describes the unsuccessful loading of the account; the same word can be used for a page or account that loads.

Ruf “Ruf” means “call” in the informal instruction “Ruf in der Bibliothek an”. It is a direct command to one person, followed by the separable particle “an” at the end.

in “in” means “in” or “at” in “in der Bibliothek” and indicates the place connected with the call. The pattern in der Bibliothek is used for referring to something happening at the library.

der “der” means “the” in “der Bibliothek”. Together with “in”, it forms the phrase “in der Bibliothek”, referring to the library as the place being called.

Bibliothek “Bibliothek” means “library” in “Ruf in der Bibliothek an”. It is used after “in der” to name the institution the learner should contact.

an “an” is the separable part of anrufen in “Ruf in der Bibliothek an”, meaning “call”. With the command “Ruf”, it moves to the end of the sentence.

bevor “bevor” means “before” in “bevor die Rückgabefrist abläuft”. It introduces an event that should happen earlier, and the verb appears at the end of this clause.

die “die” means “the” in “die Rückgabefrist”. It introduces the specific deadline being discussed.

Rückgabefrist “Rückgabefrist” means “return deadline” or “due date” in “die Rückgabefrist abläuft”. It names the period or deadline by which the book should be returned.

abläuft “abläuft” means “expires” or “runs out” in “die Rückgabefrist abläuft”. It comes from ablaufen and is placed at the end because it appears in the clause introduced by “bevor”.

mache “mache” means “make” in the expression “Ich mache mir Sorgen”, which means that the speaker is worried. The reusable pattern is sich Sorgen machen, with the person affected expressed by “mir” here.

mir “mir” means “to me” in “Ich mache mir Sorgen”. It identifies the person experiencing the worry in the expression sich Sorgen machen.

Sorgen “Sorgen” means “worries” in “Ich mache mir Sorgen”, which expresses concern. The common pattern is sich Sorgen machen über or wegen something, while this dialogue uses “weil” to give the reason.

weil “weil” means “because” in “weil das Buch heute fällig ist”. It introduces the reason for the speaker’s worry and places the verb at the end of the clause.

das “das” means “the” in “das Buch” and refers to the book that is due. In “Das sollte ...” it means “that” and refers back to resetting the password; capitalization reflects its position at the start of the sentence.

heute “heute” means “today” in “heute fällig” and specifies when the book is due. It can be placed with a time-related statement to identify the relevant day.

fällig “fällig” means “due” in “das Buch heute fällig ist”. It describes something that must be returned or dealt with by a particular time.

ist “ist” means “is” in “das Buch heute fällig ist”. It links the book with the description “fällig” and appears at the end of the “weil” clause.

kann “kann” expresses possibility or ability in “kann die Bibliothek ... verlängern” and “kann ... nicht verlängern”. It is used with an infinitive such as “verlängern”, which comes later in the clause.

Leihfrist “Leihfrist” means “loan period” in “die Leihfrist vielleicht verlängern”. It refers specifically to the period during which the library allows the learner to keep the book.

vielleicht “vielleicht” means “perhaps” in “kann die Bibliothek die Leihfrist vielleicht verlängern”. It makes the possible extension uncertain rather than presenting it as guaranteed.

wenn “wenn” means “if” in “wenn sie sieht, dass es ein Problem beim Einloggen gab” and “Wenn es eine Vormerkung gibt”. It introduces a condition, with the verb at the end of the clause.

sie “sie” refers to the library in “wenn sie sieht”, meaning that the library can see the problem. The form is used here for the institution that may decide whether to extend the loan.

sieht “sieht” means “sees” in “wenn sie sieht, dass ...”. It introduces the information that the library is able to recognize or verify, and it is followed by a “dass” clause.

dass “dass” means “that” in “dass es ein Problem beim Einloggen gab”. It introduces the information the library may see, with the verb at the end of the clause.

es “es” has different functions in the dialogue. In “es ein Problem ... gab” and “es eine Vormerkung gibt”, it helps express that something exists; in “es vorgemerkt hat”, “es ... verlängern”, “gib es ...” and “es behalten”, it refers to the book.

ein “ein” means “a” in “ein Problem”. It introduces one unspecified login problem after “es gab”.

Problem “Problem” means “problem” in “ein Problem beim Einloggen”. Here it identifies the difficulty that prevented the online account from loading.

beim “beim” means “during the” or “when” in “beim Einloggen”. It combines bei and dem and introduces the activity during which the problem occurred.

Einloggen “Einloggen” means “logging in” in “ein Problem beim Einloggen”. It is the login activity treated as a noun after “beim”, and the pattern Problem beim Einloggen is useful for describing a login difficulty.

gab “gab” means “there was” in “es ... gab”. The expression es gab is used to state that a problem existed in the past.

Was “Was” means “what” in the question “Was ist, wenn jemand es vorgemerkt hat?” The full question asks about a possible consequence or situation.

jemand “jemand” means “someone” in “jemand es vorgemerkt hat”. It refers to an unspecified person who may have placed a hold on the book.

vorgemerkt “vorgemerkt” means “reserved” or “placed on hold” in “jemand es vorgemerkt hat”. It comes from vormerken and is used here with “hat” to describe a completed reservation of the book.

hat “hat” means “has” in “jemand es vorgemerkt hat”. Together with “vorgemerkt” it shows that someone has already placed the book on hold.

Dann “Dann” means “then” in “Dann kann die Bibliothek ...”. It introduces the consequence of the possible hold mentioned in the previous question.

wahrscheinlich “wahrscheinlich” means “probably” in “kann die Bibliothek es wahrscheinlich ...”. It signals that the speaker considers the result likely but not certain.

auch “auch” means “even” in “auch telefonisch nicht verlängern”, emphasizing that calling by phone would not change the restriction. It can also mean “also” in other contexts, but here it adds emphasis to the alternative method.

telefonisch “telefonisch” means “by phone” in “auch telefonisch nicht verlängern”. It describes the method used to contact the library or request the renewal.

frage “frage” means “ask” in “Ich frage nach Vormerkungen”. The reusable pattern is nach etwas fragen, meaning to ask about or inquire about something.

nach “nach” means “about” in “nach Vormerkungen fragen”. The pattern nach etwas fragen identifies the subject of the question or inquiry.

Vormerkungen “Vormerkungen” means “holds” or “reservations” in “nach Vormerkungen”. It refers to requests from other library users that may prevent the current loan from being extended.

davon “davon” means “from that” in “davon ausgehe, dass ich es behalten kann”. Together with “ausgehe”, it refers back to an assumption about the book being keepable.

ausgehe “ausgehe” means “assume” in “davon ausgehe, dass ich es behalten kann”. The reusable pattern is davon ausgehen, dass ..., meaning to assume that something is the case.

behalten “behalten” means “keep” in “dass ich es behalten kann”. It describes continuing to have the book instead of returning it, and it follows “kann” as the main infinitive.

eine “eine” means “a” in “eine Vormerkung”. It introduces the possibility that one hold exists.

Vormerkung “Vormerkung” means “hold” or “reservation” in “eine Vormerkung”. It names a library reservation that can affect whether the book may be renewed.

gibt “gibt” means “there is” in “Wenn es eine Vormerkung gibt”. The pattern es gibt is used to say that something exists or is present.

gib “gib” means “give” in the command “gib es heute zurück”, where it contributes to the meaning “return it”. It is the informal command form of geben and is combined with “zurück”.

zurück “zurück” means “back” in “gib es heute zurück”. With “gib”, it forms the separable verb zurückgeben, meaning to return something.

und “und” means “and” in “gib es heute zurück und leihe es später noch einmal aus”. It links the two instructions that should be carried out.

leihe “leihe” means “borrow” in the command “leihe es später noch einmal aus”. It is the informal command form used with the separable particle “aus” to tell someone to borrow the book again.

später “später” means “later” in “später noch einmal”. It postpones the second borrowing until a later time.

noch “noch” contributes the meaning “again” in “noch einmal”. Together with “einmal”, it forms a common expression for repeating an action.

einmal “einmal” means “once” in isolation, but in “noch einmal” it means “again”. The expression “noch einmal ausleihen” is used for borrowing the book another time.

aus “aus” is the separable part of ausleihen in “leihe es später noch einmal aus”. Together with “leihe”, it means to borrow the book again.

setze “setze” means “set” in “Ich setze dort ... mein Passwort zurück”, where the full expression means “reset”. It is used with the separable particle “zurück” and the object “mein Passwort”.

dort “dort” means “there” in “Ich setze dort ... mein Passwort zurück”. It refers to the library location mentioned in the surrounding conversation.

Passwort “Passwort” means “password” in “mein Passwort zurück”. It is the account credential the speaker plans to reset at the library.

sollte “sollte” means “should” in “Das sollte ... machen”. It expresses an expected result: resetting the password is expected to reduce the stress of the next renewal.

nächste “nächste” means “next” in “die nächste Verlängerung”. It identifies the renewal that will happen after the current account problem is resolved.

Verlängerung “Verlängerung” means “renewal” or “extension” in “die nächste Verlängerung”. It is the noun related to verlängern and refers here to extending the book’s loan period.

weniger “weniger” means “less” in “weniger stressig”. It reduces the degree of stress being described.

stressig “stressig” means “stressful” in “weniger stressig machen”. It describes the renewal process, which the password reset is expected to make less stressful.

machen “machen” means “make” in “Das sollte die nächste Verlängerung weniger stressig machen”. The pattern etwas weniger stressig machen means to cause something to become less stressful.

Grammar Points

Trennbare Verben: zurückgeben, ausleihen, zurücksetzen

gib ... zurück

gip ... RUEK

return ...

Bei trennbaren Verben steht die Vorsilbe im Satz oft am Ende: zurückgeben → gib ... zurück.

davon ausgehen

davon ausgehe

dah-FON OWS-gay-uh

to assume

Die feste Verbindung davon ausgehen bedeutet „annehmen“; ausgehen wird als trennbares Verb verwendet.

German Vocabulary

ablaufen verb

AHP-loy-fen to expire; to run out abläuft

Bevor die Rückgabefrist abläuft.

Einloggen noun

IN-lok-en logging in; login

Ein Problem beim Einloggen.

fällig adj

FEHL-likh due

Das Buch heute fällig ist.

Konto noun

KON-toh account

Mein Konto wurde nicht geladen.

laden verb

LAH-den to load geladen

Mein Konto wurde nicht geladen.

Leihfrist noun

LIE-frist loan period

Die Bibliothek kann die Leihfrist vielleicht verlängern.

Rückgabefrist noun

RUEK-gah-bay-frist return deadline

Bevor die Rückgabefrist abläuft.

sich Sorgen machen phrase

zikh ZOR-gen MAKH-en to worry mache mir Sorgen

Ich mache mir Sorgen, weil das Buch heute fällig ist.

telefonisch adv

tay-leh-FOHN-ish by phone; over the phone

Auch telefonisch nicht verlängern.

verlängern verb

fer-LENG-ern to renew; to extend zu verlängern

Ich habe versucht, mein Buch online zu verlängern.

versuchen verb

fer-ZOOKH-en to try versucht

Ich habe versucht, mein Buch online zu verlängern.

vormerken verb

FOR-mair-ken to reserve; to place on hold vorgemerkt

Was ist, wenn jemand es vorgemerkt hat?

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

to load

Show Answer

geladen

account

Show Answer

Konto

due

Show Answer

fällig

to expire; to run out

Show Answer

abläuft