Checking why a payment card was blocked | Learn German in English

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Use Checking why a payment card was blocked to practice German conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

Meine Karte wurde abgelehnt, aber das Konto müsste noch aktiv sein.

MY-nuh KAR-tuh VOOR-duh AHP-guh-LAYNT, AH-ber dahs KON-toh MUES-tuh nokh ahk-TEEF zine. My card was declined, but the account should still be active.

Sie könnte gesperrt worden sein, nachdem das System ungewöhnliche Aktivitäten festgestellt hat.

ZEE KURN-tuh guh-SHPAIRRT VOR-dun zine, NAKH-daym dahs ZUES-taym oon-guh-VURN-lee-khuh ahk-tee-vee-TAY-tun FESHT-guh-SHTELT haht. It may have been blocked after the system flagged unusual activity.

Ich war vor Kurzem auf Reisen, daher könnte das die Sperrung ausgelöst haben.

IKH vahr for KOORTS-um owf RY-zun, DAH-hair KURN-tuh dahs dee SHPAIR-roong OWS-guh-LURST HAH-bun. I was traveling recently, so that might have triggered it.

Das wäre plausibel, aber wir müssen Ihre Identität trotzdem überprüfen.

DAHS VAIR-uh plow-ZEE-bluh, AH-ber veer MUES-un EE-ruh ee-den-tee-TAYT TROTS-daym UE-ber-PRUE-fun. That would make sense, but we still need to verify your identity.

Können wir das überprüfen, ohne jeden einzelnen Kauf durchzugehen?

KUERN-un veer dahs UE-ber-PRUE-fun, OH-nuh YAY-dun EYN-tsel-nun kowf DOORKH-guh-AY-un? Can we check that without going through every purchase?

Wir brauchen nur eine Bestätigung Ihrer Identität und einen allgemeinen Eindruck von Ihren jüngsten Aktivitäten.

VEER BROW-khun noor EYE-nuh buh-SHTAY-tee-goong EE-ruh ee-den-tee-TAYT oont EYE-nun ahl-guh-MY-nun EYN-drook fon EE-run YUENG-stun ahk-tee-vee-TAY-tun. We only need identity confirmation and a general sense of recent activity.

Das klingt vernünftiger, als jede einzelne Transaktion aufzulisten.

DAHS KLINKT fair-NUENF-tee-gur, ahls YAY-duh EYN-tsel-nuh trahn-zahk-TSYOHN OWS-TSOO-LIS-tun. That sounds more reasonable than listing every transaction.

Sobald Ihre Identität überprüft ist, können wir die Sperrung normalerweise sofort prüfen.

zoh-BAHLT EE-ruh ee-den-tee-TAYT UE-ber-PRUEFT ist, KUERN-un veer dee SHPAIR-roong nor-mah-LEE-zuh zoh-FORT PRUE-fun. Once your identity is verified, we can usually review the block right away.

Word by Word

Meine Meine means “my” in “Meine Karte”. It is the form of mein used before Karte here, and is useful when identifying your own card at a support desk.

Karte Karte means “card” in “Meine Karte”, referring to the payment card. This word is useful when identifying a card or discussing its status with a bank.

wurde wurde means “was” in the passive expression “wurde abgelehnt”, saying that the card received a decline. It is the past form of werden used to build this passive, and is useful when explaining what happened to a card.

abgelehnt abgelehnt means “declined” in “wurde abgelehnt”. It is the participle of ablehnen here; use it when reporting that a card or payment was refused.

aber aber means “but” in “aber das Konto müsste noch aktiv sein”. It connects the card’s decline with the contrasting expectation about the account, and is useful when qualifying an earlier statement.

das das has two roles in this dialogue. In “das Konto” it means “the”, while capitalized “Das” in “Das wäre plausibel” refers back to the preceding explanation; use the form according to whether it introduces Konto or refers to a situation.

Konto Konto means “account” in “das Konto”. It is the account whose status is being discussed, so this word is useful when checking whether a bank account is active.

müsste müsste conveys the expectation that the account should still be active in “müsste noch aktiv sein”. It is the form of müssen used here for a tentative conclusion; use it when a fact is expected but not directly confirmed.

noch noch means “still” in “noch aktiv”. It shows that the account is expected to retain its earlier active status, and is useful when saying that a condition continues.

aktiv aktiv means “active” in “aktiv sein”, describing the account’s current status. This adjective is useful when discussing whether an account or service remains available.

sein sein means “be” in “aktiv sein”, completing the expected state after müsste. Sein is the citation form used as an infinitive here, and the pattern is useful for describing an account’s status.

Sie Sie means “it” in “Sie könnte gesperrt worden sein”, referring back to the feminine noun Karte, not formal “you”. This pronoun lets the speaker continue discussing the card without repeating Karte.

könnte könnte means “could” or “might” in “Sie könnte gesperrt worden sein”, marking a possibility. It is the form of können used here for a tentative explanation; use it when the cause is possible but not certain.

gesperrt gesperrt means “blocked” in “gesperrt worden sein”. It is the participle of sperren here, and is useful for describing a card or account that has been blocked.

worden worden helps form the passive expression “gesperrt worden sein”, meaning that the card may have been blocked. It is the passive participle related to werden, used after gesperrt to describe a completed blocking event.

nachdem nachdem means “after” in “nachdem das System ungewöhnliche Aktivitäten festgestellt hat”. It introduces the earlier event that preceded the possible blocking, and is useful for linking one completed event to a later result.

System System means “system” in “das System ungewöhnliche Aktivitäten festgestellt hat”. It is the automated or institutional process that detected the activity, and is useful when explaining how a bank noticed unusual behavior.

ungewöhnliche ungewöhnliche means “unusual” in “ungewöhnliche Aktivitäten”. This form describes the activity as not typical, and is useful when characterizing behavior that caused a system alert.

Aktivitäten Aktivitäten means “activities” in “ungewöhnliche Aktivitäten”. It is the plural of Aktivität here and refers broadly to account activity, not to one specified action.

festgestellt festgestellt means “detected” or “identified” in “das System ungewöhnliche Aktivitäten festgestellt hat”. It is the participle of feststellen and says what the system recognized; use it when reporting a system’s finding.

hat hat means “has” in “festgestellt hat”, completing the subordinate-clause verb phrase. It is the form of haben used here, and this word order is useful when the clause begins with nachdem.

Ich Ich means “I” in “Ich war vor Kurzem auf Reisen”. It identifies the speaker as the person who was traveling, and is used to report the speaker’s own experience.

war war means “was” in “Ich war vor Kurzem auf Reisen”. It is the past form of sein, and is useful for stating where or in what situation you were recently.

vor vor contributes the meaning “ago” or “before” in the fixed time expression “vor Kurzem”. Together, the phrase places the travel in the recent past, and is useful when giving a time relative to now.

Kurzem Kurzem is the form used in “vor Kurzem” to mean “recently”. It is related to the base adjective kurz, but this fixed expression uses the form Kurzem; use the expression when giving a recent time.

auf auf is part of “auf Reisen”, which here means being on a journey or traveling. With Reisen it forms the expression for being away traveling, and is useful when explaining recent travel.

Reisen Reisen means “travels” or “journeys” in “auf Reisen”, which here describes traveling. It is the plural of Reise, and the phrase is useful when saying that you are away traveling.

daher daher means “therefore” or “hence” in “daher könnte das die Sperrung ausgelöst haben”. It links the recent travel to the possible cause, and is useful for stating a conclusion from the preceding fact.

die die means “the” in “die Sperrung”. It identifies the specific blocking being discussed, and appears directly before the noun in this phrase.

Sperrung Sperrung means “blocking” or “block” in “die Sperrung ausgelöst haben”. It names the restriction placed on the card, and is useful when discussing why a card was blocked.

ausgelöst ausgelöst means “triggered” in “die Sperrung ausgelöst haben”. It is the participle of auslösen and describes the travel as causing the blocking; use it to name a cause that starts a result.

haben haben helps complete “die Sperrung ausgelöst haben” after könnte, expressing that the travel may have caused the block. It is the infinitive form of haben used with ausgelöst, and this pattern is useful for describing a possible past cause.

wäre wäre means “would be” in “Das wäre plausibel”. It is the form of sein used to present the explanation as a reasonable possibility, and is useful when assessing a suggested reason.

plausibel plausibel means “plausible” or “reasonable” in “Das wäre plausibel”. It evaluates the proposed travel explanation without confirming it, and is useful when a reason seems credible.

wir wir means “we” in “wir müssen Ihre Identität trotzdem überprüfen”. It identifies the support staff and speaker as the group taking action, and is useful when describing what the service team needs to do.

müssen müssen means “must” or “need to” in “wir müssen Ihre Identität trotzdem überprüfen”. It expresses a requirement for the support process, and is useful for stating a necessary next step.

Ihre Ihre means “your” in “Ihre Identität”, addressed formally to the customer. It is the formal possessive form used before Identität, and is useful when a support worker refers politely to a customer’s information.

Identität Identität means “identity” in “Ihre Identität überprüfen”. It is the person’s identity that must be verified, and is useful in a banking or service check.

trotzdem trotzdem means “nevertheless” or “still” in “Ihre Identität trotzdem überprüfen”. It shows that verification remains necessary despite the plausible explanation, and is useful for retaining a requirement after acknowledging another point.

überprüfen überprüfen means “check” or “verify” in “Ihre Identität überprüfen”. It is the infinitive after müssen, and is useful when a person or process checks identity or another detail.

Können Können means “can” in “Können wir das überprüfen, ohne jeden einzelnen Kauf durchzugehen?”, asking whether the check is possible. It is the sentence-initial form of können, and this question pattern is useful when checking whether an action can be carried out.

ohne ohne means “without” in “ohne jeden einzelnen Kauf durchzugehen”. It introduces an action that the speaker wants to avoid, and is useful before an infinitive construction to describe an omitted step.

jeden jeden means “every” or “each” in “jeden einzelnen Kauf”. It marks each purchase individually within the requested review, and is useful when referring to every item in a group.

einzelnen einzelnen means “individual” or “single” in “jeden einzelnen Kauf”. It emphasizes that the purchases would be considered one by one, and is useful for adding individual focus to a noun.

Kauf Kauf means “purchase” in “jeden einzelnen Kauf”. It refers to each buying event that the customer does not want to review, and is useful when discussing individual purchases.

durchzugehen durchzugehen means “to go through” or “to review” in “jeden einzelnen Kauf durchzugehen”. It is the zu-infinitive form of durchgehen after ohne, with Kauf as the object; use it when describing a complete review of items.

brauchen brauchen means “need” in “Wir brauchen nur eine Bestätigung Ihrer Identität”. It states what the support team requires for the check, and is useful with a needed object such as identity confirmation.

nur nur means “only” in “Wir brauchen nur eine Bestätigung Ihrer Identität und einen allgemeinen Eindruck von Ihren jüngsten Aktivitäten”. It limits the requirements to the listed information, and is useful for reassuring someone that no more is needed.

eine eine introduces “eine Bestätigung Ihrer Identität”, meaning “a” or “one” confirmation. It is used before the noun phrase naming the required confirmation, and is useful when referring to one required item.

Bestätigung Bestätigung means “confirmation” in “eine Bestätigung Ihrer Identität”. It names the evidence that the customer’s identity has been confirmed, and is useful when a process requires confirmation.

und und means “and” in “eine Bestätigung Ihrer Identität und einen allgemeinen Eindruck von Ihren jüngsten Aktivitäten”. It joins the two required items, and is useful for connecting requirements without making either one replace the other.

einen einen introduces “einen allgemeinen Eindruck”. It marks the second required item as one general sense or impression, and is useful before a noun phrase when naming an additional requirement.

allgemeinen allgemeinen means “general” in “einen allgemeinen Eindruck”. It limits the requested impression to a broad overview rather than a detailed review, and is useful when describing a non-specific overall assessment.

Eindruck Eindruck means “impression” or “sense” in “einen allgemeinen Eindruck von Ihren jüngsten Aktivitäten”. It refers to a broad understanding of recent activity, and is useful when an overview is enough instead of a full list.

von von links the impression with its source in “Eindruck von Ihren jüngsten Aktivitäten”. It means “of” or “about” here, and is useful for specifying what an impression or sense concerns.

Ihren Ihren means “your” in “Ihren jüngsten Aktivitäten”, addressed formally to the customer. It is the formal possessive form used before the activity phrase, and is useful when referring politely to a customer’s recent activity.

jüngsten jüngsten means “most recent” or “latest” in “Ihren jüngsten Aktivitäten”. It limits the activities to the recent period relevant to the check, and is useful for specifying the latest activity or events.

klingt klingt means “sounds” in “Das klingt vernünftiger”. It gives the speaker’s assessment of the proposed method, and is the form of klingen used with Das when commenting on how an idea seems.

vernünftiger vernünftiger means “more reasonable” in “klingt vernünftiger, als jede einzelne Transaktion aufzulisten”. It compares the limited check with reviewing every transaction; it is the comparative form of vernünftig, useful when choosing between two approaches.

als als means “than” in “vernünftiger, als jede einzelne Transaktion aufzulisten”. It introduces the alternative used for the comparison, and is useful after a comparative adjective when contrasting options.

jede jede means “every” or “each” in “jede einzelne Transaktion”. It marks all transactions one by one in the alternative method, and is useful with a singular noun when referring to each member of a set.

Transaktion Transaktion means “transaction” in “jede einzelne Transaktion”. It names each financial transaction that could be listed, and is useful in banking discussions about account activity.

aufzulisten aufzulisten means “to list” in “jede einzelne Transaktion aufzulisten”. It is the zu-infinitive of auflisten and describes the alternative of making a full itemized list; use it when describing what someone would list.

Sobald Sobald means “once” or “as soon as” in “Sobald Ihre Identität überprüft ist”. It sets the condition after which the review can happen, and is useful for connecting a completed prerequisite with the next action.

überprüft überprüft means “verified” or “checked” in “Ihre Identität überprüft ist”. It describes the identity as having passed the check, and is the participle of überprüfen used here in a completed-state expression.

ist ist means “is” in “Ihre Identität überprüft ist”. It completes the statement of the identity’s verified state, and is the form of sein used with the singular subject Identität.

normalerweise normalerweise means “usually” or “normally” in “können wir normalerweise die Sperrung ... prüfen”. It presents the review as the usual result, not an absolute guarantee, and is useful when describing a standard process.

sofort sofort means “immediately” or “right away” in “sofort prüfen”. It says the review can happen without delay once the condition is met, and is useful when emphasizing prompt action.

prüfen prüfen means “review” or “check” in “die Sperrung normalerweise sofort prüfen”. It is the infinitive after können and names the staff’s action on the block, and is useful when asking or stating that a matter will be checked.

Grammar Points

sobald + Nebensatz

Sobald die Identität überprüft ist, erfolgt die Bestätigung.

zoh-BAHLT dee ee-den-tee-TAYT UE-ber-PRUEFT ist, er-FOHLKT dee buh-SHTAY-tee-goong.

Once the identity has been verified, the confirmation follows.

Nach „sobald“ steht das konjugierte Verb im Nebensatz am Ende. Das Ereignis im Hauptsatz passiert direkt danach.

zu + Infinitiv

Die Transaktionen sind zu überprüfen und aufzulisten.

dee trahn-zahk-TSYOH-nun zint tsoo UE-ber-PRUE-fun oont OWF-TSOO-LIS-tun.

The transactions are to be checked and listed.

„zu“ steht vor dem Infinitiv. Bei trennbaren Verben steht „zu“ zwischen Präfix und Verbstamm, zum Beispiel „aufzulisten“.

German Vocabulary

ablehnen verb

AHP-LAY-nun to decline; to reject abgelehnt

Meine Karte wurde abgelehnt.

aktiv adj

ahk-TEEF active

Das Konto müsste noch aktiv sein.

Aktivität noun

ahk-tee-vee-TAYT activity

Das System hat ungewöhnliche Aktivitäten festgestellt.

auf Reisen phrase

owf RY-zun traveling; on a trip

Ich war vor Kurzem auf Reisen.

auslösen verb

OWS-LUR-zun to trigger ausgelöst

Das könnte die Sperrung ausgelöst haben.

feststellen verb

FESHT-SHTEL-un to detect; to establish festgestellt

Das System hat ungewöhnliche Aktivitäten festgestellt.

Karte noun

KAR-tuh card

Meine Karte wurde abgelehnt.

Konto noun

KON-toh account

Das Konto müsste noch aktiv sein.

sperren verb

SHPAIR-un to block gesperrt

Sie könnte gesperrt worden sein.

Sperrung noun

SHPAIR-roong blocking; block

Das könnte die Sperrung ausgelöst haben.

ungewöhnlich adj

oon-guh-VURN-likh unusual ungewöhnliche

Ungewöhnliche Aktivitäten wurden festgestellt.

vor Kurzem adv

for KOORTS-um recently

Ich war vor Kurzem auf Reisen.

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

card

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Karte

to block

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gesperrt

to detect; to establish

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festgestellt

activity

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Aktivität