Temporarily freezing a gym membership during recovery | Learn German in English

German lesson set in a contemporary Berlin everyday setting: At a fitness facility, a member asks how to pause a membership during recovery while keeping personal details private..

EN → DE / Level: B2

About This Lesson

Use Temporarily freezing a gym membership during recovery to practice German conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Ich muss meine Mitgliedschaft pausieren, während ich mich erhole.

ikh moos MY-nuh MIT-gleet-shaft pow-ZEE-ren, VAY-rent ikh mikh air-HOH-luh. I need to pause my membership while I recover.
B

Sie können mit einem kurzen Formular eine vorübergehende Pause beantragen.

zee KURN-en mit EYE-nem KOOR-tsen for-moo-LAHR EYE-nuh for-UE-ber-GAY-en-duh POW-zuh beh-AHN-trah-gen. You can request a temporary freeze with a short form.
A

Ich kann Unterlagen vorlegen, aber ich möchte die Einzelheiten lieber vertraulich behandeln.

ikh kahn OON-ter-lah-gen FOR-lay-gen, AH-ber ikh MURKH-tuh dee EYE-ntsel-hyte LEE-ber fer-TROW-likh beh-HAHN-deln. I can provide documentation, but I would rather keep the details private.
B

Das Formular braucht nur eine grundlegende Bestätigung, keine Einzelheiten zur Diagnose.

dahs for-moo-LAHR browkht noor EYE-nuh GROONT-lay-gen-duh beh-SHTAY-ti-goong, KYE-nuh EYE-ntsel-hyte tsoor dee-ahg-NOH-zuh. The form only needs basic confirmation, not diagnosis details.
A

So fällt es mir leichter, das Formular auszufüllen.

zoh felt ess meer LYEKH-ter, dahs for-moo-LAHR OWS-tsoo-FUUL-en. That makes it easier for me to fill out.
B

Sobald der Antrag geprüft wurde, kann die Mitgliedschaftspause beginnen.

zoh-BAHLT dair AHN-trahk guh-PROOFT VOOR-duh, kahn dee MIT-gleet-shahfts-POW-zuh beh-GIN-en. Once the request is reviewed, the membership freeze can begin.
A

Wird mein Zugang danach automatisch wieder freigeschaltet?

veert mine TSOO-gahng dah-NAKH ow-toh-MAH-tish VEE-der FRY-guh-SHAHL-tet? Will my access restart automatically afterward?
B

Ja, es sei denn, Sie beantragen vorher eine Verlängerung.

yah, ess zye denn, zee beh-AHN-trah-gen FOR-hair EYE-nuh fer-LENG-uh-roong. It will, unless you request an extension before then.

Word by Word

Ich Ich means “I” here and is the speaker’s subject in “Ich muss meine Mitgliedschaft pausieren”. At the start of a sentence it is capitalized; the same pronoun appears as lowercase “ich” after “während”. Use “Ich” when stating your own need or action.
muss muss expresses that the speaker needs to pause the membership in “Ich muss meine Mitgliedschaft pausieren”. It is the form used with “Ich” and places the infinitive “pausieren” at the end of the main clause. Use “Ich muss …” to state a necessity.
meine meine means “my” before “Mitgliedschaft” in “meine Mitgliedschaft”. It identifies the membership as belonging to the speaker and agrees with that noun’s form here. Use “meine” before a feminine singular noun in a similar possessive phrase.
Mitgliedschaft Mitgliedschaft means “membership” in “meine Mitgliedschaft”. Here it is the thing that the speaker needs to pause. Use it with a place or service membership when discussing its status or duration.
pausieren pausieren means “to pause” or temporarily suspend something in “meine Mitgliedschaft pausieren”. It appears as an infinitive after “muss”. Use “etwas pausieren” when temporarily stopping a membership or another ongoing arrangement.
während während introduces the period during which the speaker is recovering in “während ich mich erhole”. It introduces a subordinate clause, so the finite verb comes at the end. Use “während” with a clause or noun phrase to describe something happening during another situation.
mich mich refers back to the speaker in the reflexive expression “mich erhole”. It shows that the speaker is recovering themselves, not acting on another person. Use “mich” with a first-person reflexive verb when the action relates back to “Ich”.
erhole erhole means “am recovering” in “ich mich erhole”. It is the first-person form of the reflexive verb “sich erholen”, and the reflexive pronoun “mich” is required here. Use “ich erhole mich” to talk about recovering from illness, injury, or strain.
Sie Sie means formal “you” in “Sie können mit einem kurzen Formular … beantragen”. Its capital letter marks formal address. Use “Sie” when speaking politely to staff or another person you do not address informally.
können können means “can” or “are able to” in “Sie können … beantragen”. It expresses that the person has the option or permission to make the request, and the infinitive “beantragen” follows it. Use “Sie können …” to explain an available procedure to someone formally.
mit mit means “with” in “mit einem kurzen Formular”. It identifies the form as the means used for making the request. “Mit” is used with a dative phrase, such as “mit einem Formular”.
einem einem means “a” or “one” in the dative phrase “mit einem kurzen Formular”. Its form is determined by “mit” and the noun “Formular”. Use “mit einem …” before a singular neuter or masculine noun in a similar phrase.
kurzen kurzen means “short” in “einem kurzen Formular”. It describes the form as requiring little length or effort, and its ending matches the dative phrase after “mit”. Use “mit einem kurzen …” when describing a short masculine or neuter item.
Formular Formular means “form” in “einem kurzen Formular”. It is the document used to submit the temporary pause request. Use “ein Formular ausfüllen” when completing a form.
eine eine means “a” or “one” in “eine vorübergehende Pause”. It introduces the requested pause as one temporary measure. Use “eine” before a feminine singular noun such as “Pause” in this kind of noun phrase.
vorübergehende vorübergehende means “temporary” in “eine vorübergehende Pause”. It specifies that the pause is limited rather than permanent. Use “eine vorübergehende …” for a feminine singular measure or arrangement that lasts for a limited time.
Pause Pause means “pause” or “break” in “eine vorübergehende Pause”. In this dialogue it refers to temporarily stopping the membership. Use “eine Pause beantragen” when formally requesting a temporary break in a service or arrangement.
beantragen beantragen means “to request” or “to apply for” in “eine vorübergehende Pause beantragen”. It is the infinitive after “können” and describes a formal request. Use “etwas beantragen” with the thing being requested, such as “eine Verlängerung beantragen”.
kann kann means “can” in “Ich kann Unterlagen vorlegen”. It expresses the speaker’s ability or willingness to provide the documents. Use “Ich kann …” to state what you are able or prepared to provide.
Unterlagen Unterlagen means “documents” or “paperwork” in “Unterlagen vorlegen”. It refers to supporting material supplied for the request, without specifying its exact content. Use “Unterlagen vorlegen” when submitting documents to an office or service provider.
vorlegen vorlegen means “to present” or “to submit” in “Unterlagen vorlegen”. It describes providing documents for someone to inspect as part of a process. Use “Unterlagen vorlegen” when formally supplying paperwork.
aber aber means “but” in “aber ich möchte die Einzelheiten lieber vertraulich behandeln”. It introduces the speaker’s preference about how the information should be handled. Use “aber” to contrast a willingness to provide something with a limit or reservation.
möchte möchte expresses “would like” in “ich möchte die Einzelheiten lieber vertraulich behandeln”. It presents the speaker’s preference politely, and the infinitive “behandeln” follows it. Use “Ich möchte …” to state a polite request or preference.
die die means “the” in “die Einzelheiten”. It refers to specific details already relevant to the request. Here it accompanies the plural noun “Einzelheiten”; use “die” with a specific plural noun phrase.
Einzelheiten Einzelheiten means “details” in “die Einzelheiten lieber vertraulich behandeln”. It refers to the specific information the speaker does not want disclosed. Use “Einzelheiten zu …” when specifying the details connected with a topic.
lieber lieber means “rather” or “preferably” in “ich möchte die Einzelheiten lieber vertraulich behandeln”. It marks the speaker’s preferred way of handling the details. Use “lieber” with “möchte” to express a polite preference.
vertraulich vertraulich means “confidential” or “private” in “die Einzelheiten lieber vertraulich behandeln”. It describes the desired treatment of the details, not the details themselves. Use “etwas vertraulich behandeln” when asking that information be kept private.
behandeln behandeln means “to handle” in “die Einzelheiten vertraulich behandeln”. Together with “vertraulich”, it means to treat the details as confidential; the whole expression carries that privacy request. Use “Informationen vertraulich behandeln” when describing confidential handling.
Das Das means “that” in “Das Formular braucht nur eine grundlegende Bestätigung”. Here it is the article before “Formular”, referring to the form already under discussion. Use “das” before this neuter noun; at the beginning of a sentence it is capitalized as “Das”.
braucht braucht means “needs” in “Das Formular braucht nur eine grundlegende Bestätigung”. The form is presented as requiring only basic confirmation. Use “etwas brauchen” to state what a person, form, or process requires.
nur nur means “only” in “braucht nur eine grundlegende Bestätigung”. It limits the requirement to basic confirmation and excludes additional diagnosis details. Place “nur” before the element that is being limited.
grundlegende grundlegende means “basic” or “fundamental” in “eine grundlegende Bestätigung”. It describes the confirmation as general and essential rather than detailed. Use “eine grundlegende …” before a feminine singular noun when describing a basic requirement.
Bestätigung Bestätigung means “confirmation” in “eine grundlegende Bestätigung”. It refers to the general confirmation needed for the form. Use “eine Bestätigung brauchen” when a process requires confirmation of a fact or request.
keine keine means “no” or “none” in “keine Einzelheiten zur Diagnose”. It states that diagnosis details are not required. Use “keine” before a plural noun to say that none of those items are needed or included.
zur zur means “to the” or “regarding the” in “Einzelheiten zur Diagnose”. It is the contracted form of “zu der” and links the details to the topic of the diagnosis. Use “Einzelheiten zu …” when identifying what information concerns.
Diagnose Diagnose means “diagnosis” in “Einzelheiten zur Diagnose”. It identifies the medical topic whose detailed information is not needed. Use “zur Diagnose” after “Einzelheiten” when referring to diagnosis-related details.
So So means “that way” or “in this way” in “So fällt es mir leichter”. It refers to the form requiring only basic confirmation and signals the result of that arrangement. Use “So …” to connect a preceding circumstance with its practical effect.
fällt fällt contributes to the expression “So fällt es mir leichter”, which means “That makes it easier for me”. It is not best understood as “falls” by itself here; the complete construction describes how easy something feels for a person. Use “Es fällt mir leichter, …” to say that doing something becomes easier for you.
es es is the grammatical subject in the construction “fällt es mir leichter”, while the actual activity appears in “das Formular auszufüllen”. Together, “Es fällt mir leichter, …” means that something is easier for the speaker. Use this construction to describe a task that becomes easier.
mir mir means “for me” or “to me” in “fällt es mir leichter”. It identifies the person who experiences the task as easier. Use “Es fällt mir leichter, …” with “mir” when describing your own experience.
leichter leichter means “easier” in “fällt es mir leichter”. It compares the task with how it would feel under another condition, here without extra diagnosis details. Use “Es fällt mir leichter, …” to describe an activity that has become easier.
auszufüllen auszufüllen means “to fill out” in “das Formular auszufüllen”. It is the infinitive with “zu” of the separable verb “ausfüllen”, and it names the task that becomes easier. Use “ein Formular ausfüllen” when completing a form.
Sobald Sobald means “as soon as” or “once” in “Sobald der Antrag geprüft wurde”. It introduces the condition that the review must be completed before the next event can occur. It begins a subordinate clause, so the finite verb comes at the end.
der der means “the” in “der Antrag”. It identifies the specific request being reviewed. Use “der” before this masculine singular noun in the subject phrase.
Antrag Antrag means “request” or “application” in “der Antrag geprüft wurde”. It refers to the formal request for the membership pause. Use “einen Antrag beantragen” is not appropriate; common patterns include “einen Antrag stellen” or “ein Antrag wird geprüft”.
geprüft geprüft means “reviewed” or “checked” in “der Antrag geprüft wurde”. It describes the request as having undergone review. Together with “wurde”, it forms the passive expression “geprüft wurde”, meaning that the request was reviewed.
wurde wurde means “was” in “der Antrag geprüft wurde”. Here it is the passive auxiliary used with “geprüft” to say that the request was reviewed. Use “wurde … geprüft” when describing a completed review of an application or request.
Mitgliedschaftspause Mitgliedschaftspause means “membership pause” or “membership freeze” in “die Mitgliedschaftspause beginnen”. It names the temporary suspension of the membership. Use this compound noun when referring specifically to the period during which a membership is paused.
beginnen beginnen means “to begin” or “to start” in “kann die Mitgliedschaftspause beginnen”. It is the infinitive after “kann” and describes the start of the membership pause. Use “etwas kann beginnen” when an event or period is ready to start.
Wird Wird means “will be” in the question “Wird mein Zugang danach automatisch wieder freigeschaltet?”. Together with “freigeschaltet”, it forms a passive question about access being reactivated. Use “Wird …?” to ask whether a process or change will happen to something.
mein mein means “my” in “mein Zugang”. It identifies the access as belonging to the speaker. Use “mein” before a masculine singular noun such as “Zugang” in a similar possessive phrase.
Zugang Zugang means “access” in “mein Zugang … wieder freigeschaltet”. It refers to the speaker’s ability to enter or use the facility. Use “Zugang haben” or “Zugang freischalten” when discussing access to a service or place.
danach danach means “afterward” in “danach automatisch wieder freigeschaltet”. It refers to the time after the membership pause has ended. Use “danach” to place an action or change after a previously mentioned event.
automatisch automatisch means “automatically” in “automatisch wieder freigeschaltet”. It says that access will be restored without a separate manual action by the member. Use “automatisch” with a process that happens on its own after a condition or period.
wieder wieder means “again” in “wieder freigeschaltet”. It shows that the access will return to an enabled state after being unavailable during the pause. Use “wieder” when something resumes or returns to an earlier state.
freigeschaltet freigeschaltet means “reactivated” or “enabled again” in “mein Zugang … wieder freigeschaltet”. It describes access being made available again, and it is used with “wird” in the passive question. Use “Zugang freischalten” when restoring access to a service or facility.
Ja Ja means “yes” in the reply “Ja, es sei denn …”. It confirms that access will be reactivated automatically. Use “Ja” at the beginning of a reply when confirming the preceding question.
es sei denn es sei denn means “unless” in “es sei denn, Sie beantragen vorher eine Verlängerung”. The complete expression introduces the exception to the automatic reactivation. “Es” is part of the expression, “sei” is its fixed form of “sein”, and “denn” completes the conjunction; use the whole expression before the exception clause.
vorher vorher means “beforehand” or “before then” in “Sie beantragen vorher eine Verlängerung”. It places the request for an extension before the automatic reactivation time. Use “vorher” when an action must happen before a previously mentioned event.
Verlängerung Verlängerung means “extension” in “eine Verlängerung beantragen”. It refers to extending the membership pause beyond its planned end. Use “eine Verlängerung beantragen” when formally asking for additional time.

Grammar Points

es sei denn + Nebensatz

Der Zugang wird automatisch freigeschaltet, es sei denn, der Antrag wird nicht geprüft.

dair TSOO-gahng veert ow-toh-MAH-tish FRY-guh-SHAHL-tet, ess zye denn, dair AHN-trahk veert nikht guh-PROOFT.

Access is automatically reactivated unless the application is not checked.

„Es sei denn“ introduces an exception. In the following subordinate clause, the conjugated verb comes at the end.

während + Nebensatz

Während ich mich erhole, pausiert die Mitgliedschaft.

VAY-rent ikh mikh air-HOH-luh, pow-ZEERT dee MIT-gleet-shaft.

While I recover, the membership is paused.

„Während“ introduces a subordinate clause. The conjugated verb comes at the end, and the main clause follows after the comma.

German Vocabulary

beantragen verb
beh-AHN-trah-gen to request; to apply for
behandeln verb
beh-HAHN-deln to treat; to handle
Einzelheiten noun
EYE-ntsel-hy-ten details
Formular noun
for-moo-LAHR form
Mitgliedschaft noun
MIT-gleet-shaft membership
Pause noun
POW-zuh pause; break
pausieren verb
pow-ZEE-ren to pause
sich erholen verb
zikh air-HOH-len to recover mich erhole
Unterlagen noun
OON-ter-lah-gen documents; documentation
vertraulich adj
fer-TROW-likh confidential; private
vorlegen verb
FOR-lay-gen to submit; to present
vorübergehend adj
for-UE-ber-GAY-ent temporary vorübergehende

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

form

Show AnswerFormular

documents; documentation

Show AnswerUnterlagen

to submit; to present

Show Answervorlegen

to pause

Show Answerpausieren