Am Flughafen: Die Sicherheitskontrolle
Going through airport security · a free German immersion capsule
Useful sentences · 10
Phrases you'll actually use today. Tap Explain for the why behind each one.
Bitte zeigen Sie Ihren Reisepass und die Bordkarte vor.
Please show your passport and boarding pass.
Literal Please show your travel-pass and the board-card before.
A polite formal imperative directed at a passenger. The separable verb 'vorzeigen' is split: 'zeigen' stays near the subject and 'vor' moves to the end.
- Formal imperative with 'bitte' for politeness
- Separable verb 'vorzeigen': zeigen ... vor
- Accusative: 'Ihren Reisepass' (masculine), 'die Bordkarte' (feminine)
Legen Sie bitte Ihre Jacke und den Gürtel in die Ablage.
Please place your jacket and belt in the tray.
Literal Lay you please your jacket and the belt into the tray.
A standard security checkpoint instruction. 'Die Ablage' is the plastic tray on the conveyor belt. 'In die' signals movement into a container, requiring accusative.
- Imperative: 'Legen Sie'
- Accusative after 'in' for direction: 'die Ablage'
- Possessive adjective: 'Ihre Jacke' (feminine), 'den Gürtel' (masculine accusative)
Darf ich fragen, was in diesem Koffer ist?
May I ask what is in this suitcase?
Literal May I ask, what in this suitcase is?
A polite question from a security officer. 'Darf' is from 'dürfen' (to be allowed to). The indirect question clause sends the verb to the end.
- Modal verb 'dürfen' for permission: 'darf ich'
- Indirect question clause: verb at end — 'was in diesem Koffer ist'
- Dative after 'in' for location: 'diesem Koffer'
Sie müssen Ihren Laptop aus der Tasche nehmen.
You must take your laptop out of the bag.
Literal You must your laptop out of the bag take.
A firm instruction using the modal verb 'müssen' (must). As with all modals, the main verb 'nehmen' moves to the end of the clause.
- Modal verb 'müssen' for necessity: 'Sie müssen'
- Infinitive at end of clause: 'nehmen'
- Dative after 'aus': 'der Tasche'
Bitte gehen Sie durch den Metalldetektor.
Please walk through the metal detector.
Literal Please go you through the metal detector.
A direct instruction to pass through the scanner. The preposition 'durch' always takes the accusative case.
- Formal imperative: 'Gehen Sie'
- Preposition 'durch' + accusative: 'den Metalldetektor' (masculine)
- Word order: imperative verb before subject 'Sie'
Der Scanner hat bei mir angeschlagen — was bedeutet das?
The scanner went off on me — what does that mean?
Literal The scanner has at me struck — what means that?
A passenger asking for clarification after triggering the alarm. The perfect tense 'hat angeschlagen' describes a completed event. 'Anschlagen' here means to trigger or go off.
- Perfect tense: 'hat ... angeschlagen'
- Separable verb in perfect: past participle 'angeschlagen'
- Direct question: 'was bedeutet das?'
Können Sie mir bitte erklären, wo die Sicherheitskontrolle ist?
Could you please explain to me where the security checkpoint is?
Literal Can you to me please explain, where the security checkpoint is?
A polite request for directions using 'können'. The indirect question 'wo die Sicherheitskontrolle ist' has the verb at the end, as always in subordinate clauses.
- Modal 'können' for polite request: 'Können Sie'
- Dative pronoun: 'mir' (to me)
- Indirect question with verb-final word order: 'wo ... ist'
Meine Flüssigkeiten sind alle unter 100 Milliliter.
My liquids are all under 100 milliliters.
Literal My liquids are all under 100 milliliters.
A passenger confirming compliance with the liquids rule. Simple present tense is used to state a current fact.
- Plural noun: 'Flüssigkeiten' (liquids)
- Simple present tense for stating a fact
- Measurement phrase: 'unter 100 Milliliter'
Stellen Sie bitte Ihre Schuhe auf das Band.
Please place your shoes on the conveyor belt.
Literal Place you please your shoes onto the belt.
Security staff ask passengers to put shoes on the conveyor belt. 'Auf das Band' uses accusative because 'auf' indicates placement onto a surface.
- Imperative: 'Stellen Sie'
- Preposition 'auf' + accusative for movement: 'das Band' (neuter)
- Plural possessive: 'Ihre Schuhe'
Alles in Ordnung — Sie können jetzt weitergehen.
Everything is fine — you may proceed now.
Literal All in order — you can now further-go.
The officer's clearance phrase. 'Alles in Ordnung' is a fixed idiom meaning everything is in order. 'Weitergehen' is a separable verb meaning to continue walking.
- Fixed idiom: 'alles in Ordnung' (all is fine)
- Modal 'können' for permission: 'Sie können'
- Separable verb: 'weitergehen' (infinitive stays intact after modal)
New words · 10
Themed vocabulary, each with an example you can borrow.
die Bordkarte
boarding pass
Bitte zeigen Sie Ihre Bordkarte vor.
Please show your boarding pass.
Literally 'board card'; essential document at every checkpoint
die Sicherheitskontrolle
security checkpoint
Die Sicherheitskontrolle ist links.
The security checkpoint is on the left.
Compound: Sicherheit (security) + Kontrolle (check/inspection)
der Metalldetektor
metal detector
Gehen Sie bitte durch den Metalldetektor.
Please walk through the metal detector.
die Ablage
tray
Legen Sie Ihren Gürtel in die Ablage.
Place your belt in the tray.
At airport security, the plastic tray placed on the conveyor
müssen
must / to have to
Sie müssen Ihren Laptop herausnehmen.
You must take out your laptop.
Expresses necessity; main verb goes to end of clause
der Reisepass
passport
Haben Sie Ihren Reisepass dabei?
Do you have your passport with you?
die Flüssigkeit
liquid
Flüssigkeiten müssen unter 100 ml sein.
Liquids must be under 100 ml.
Plural: Flüssigkeiten
dürfen
may / to be allowed to
Darf ich hier warten?
May I wait here?
Expresses permission; contrast with 'können' (ability)
das Band
conveyor belt
Stellen Sie Ihre Schuhe auf das Band.
Place your shoes on the conveyor belt.
In airport context refers to the security conveyor belt
weitergehen
to proceed / to continue walking
Sie können jetzt weitergehen.
You may proceed now.
Separable verb: weiter- splits off in main clauses
Short reading
A tiny story stitched from today's words. Translation is hidden, tap to peek.
Anna steht an der Sicherheitskontrolle und legt ihre Jacke und ihre Schuhe in die Ablage. Der Beamte sagt: Bitte nehmen Sie auch Ihren Laptop heraus. Anna nickt und tut es. Sie geht durch den Metalldetektor, und es piept nicht. Der Beamte lächelt und sagt: Alles in Ordnung — Sie können weitergehen. Anna nimmt ihre Sachen und geht erleichtert zu ihrem Gate.
Sentence by sentence
steht an der Sicherheitskontrolle
stands at the security checkpoint
'Stehen an' uses dative for a fixed location: 'der Sicherheitskontrolle' (dative feminine). 'An' indicates being at or beside a point.
legt ihre Jacke und ihre Schuhe in die Ablage
places her jacket and shoes in the tray
'Legen in' takes accusative for movement into a container: 'die Ablage' (accusative feminine). Same verb as the imperative 'Legen Sie' in the lesson.
Bitte nehmen Sie auch Ihren Laptop heraus
Please take out your laptop as well
Formal imperative with separable verb 'herausnehmen': 'nehmen ... heraus'. 'Ihren Laptop' is accusative masculine. 'Auch' means also or as well.
nickt und tut es
nods and does so
'Tut es' uses 'tun' (to do) as a pro-verb replacing the previous action, equivalent to English 'does so'. A handy natural-speech shortcut.
geht durch den Metalldetektor
walks through the metal detector
'Durch' always takes accusative: 'den Metalldetektor' (accusative masculine). This mirrors sentence 5 in the lesson.
es piept nicht
it does not beep
Simple negation with 'nicht' placed after the verb. 'Piepen' means to beep. 'Es' is an impersonal subject standing in for the machine.
Alles in Ordnung
Everything is fine
A fixed idiomatic phrase signaling clearance. The verb 'ist' is implied and omitted in natural speech. Appears in sentence 10 as well.
geht erleichtert zu ihrem Gate
walks to her gate with relief
'Erleichtert' (relieved) functions as an adverb modifying the verb. 'Zu' + dative: 'ihrem Gate' (dative neuter possessive).
Pattern of the day
One grammar move, explained once, that unlocks dozens of sentences.
Modal Verbs: müssen, dürfen, and können
German modal verbs pair with a main verb in the infinitive, which moves to the end of the clause. 'Müssen' expresses necessity (must/have to), 'dürfen' expresses permission (may/to be allowed to), and 'können' expresses ability or possibility (can). All three appear frequently in airport security situations.
Subject + modal verb (conjugated) + [other elements] + infinitive
Sie müssen Ihren Laptop herausnehmen.
You must take out your laptop.
Darf ich hier warten?
May I wait here?
Sie können jetzt weitergehen.
You may proceed now.
Können Sie mir erklären, wo die Kontrolle ist?
Can you explain to me where the checkpoint is?
Mini practice · 5
Low-pressure, never graded. Just enough to make it stick.
Please show your passport and boarding pass.
Hint Use 'vorzeigen' (split: 'zeigen … vor') as the verb.
Sie müssen Ihren Laptop aus der Tasche nehmen.
Hint 'müssen' expresses obligation.
Bitte gehen Sie durch den ___. (Please walk through the ___.) [Word from the lesson vocabulary]
Hint It's the device that beeps if you have metal on you.
Which sentence politely asks what is in a suitcase?
Rewrite this sentence using the modal verb 'können' to make it a polite request: "Erklären Sie mir, wo die Sicherheitskontrolle ist."
Hint Place 'können' at the start to form a yes/no question.
That’s today’s phraseberry.
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