How to Say ‘Normally, yes, but there's been construction there since Monday.’ in German
Normalerweise schon, aber da ist seit Montag eine Baustelle.
nor-MAH-ler-vy-zeh shohn AH-ber dah ist zyte MOHN-tahk EYE-nuh BOW-shteh-leh
[nor-MAH-ler-vy-zeh shohn AH-ber dah ist zyte MOHN-tahk EYE-nuh BOW-shteh-leh]
💬 Usage Tip: With seit, German uses the present tense where English says "has been": da ist seit Montag "there has been since Monday". Same with Ich wohne seit 2020 hier "I've lived here since 2020".
Phrase Breakdown
Normalerweise schon,
nor-MAH-ler-vy-zeh shohn
Normally yes,
'schon' here means 'yes, in principle'. Say 'nor-MAH-ler-vye-ze'. German 'w' sounds like English 'v'.
Normalerweise schon, aber heute nicht.
Normally yes, but not today.
Words in this phrase
Normalerweise
[nor-MAH-ler-vy-zeh]
normally
Usually, under normal circumstances.
Normalerweise fahre ich mit dem Rad.
Normally I go by bike.
schon
[shohn]
yes, indeed
Here it confirms: 'yes, that would be right'.
Das stimmt schon.
That's true, indeed.
aber da ist seit Montag
AH-ber dah ist zyte MOHN-tahk
but there has been since Monday
'seit' + present tense describes something that started in the past and is still ongoing. 'seit' sounds like 'zite'.
Ich wohne seit Montag hier.
I've been living here since Monday.
Words in this phrase
aber
[AH-ber]
but
A common conjunction used to add a playful condition or limitation, like 'but only if...' in flirting.
Aber wenn du so grinst, wird „Aber“ schnell zu einem Ja.
But if you grin like that, 'but' quickly turns into a yes.
da
[dah]
there
A common adverb meaning “there” or “over there,” often pointing to a place.
Da ist es viel ruhiger an der Ecke.
It is much quieter over there in the corner.
ist
[ist]
is
A form of the verb 'sein' used for singular subjects.
Für viele Bewerber Ist ein gutes Teamklima entscheidend.
For many applicants, a good team climate is crucial.
seit
[zyte]
since
Used to show a starting point in time that continues until now.
Seit Montag warte ich auf Hilfe.
I have been waiting for help since Monday.
Montag
[MOHN-tahk]
Monday
The weekday Monday.
In „Passt Ihnen Montag?“ ist „Montag“ der vorgeschlagene Tag.
In “Does Monday suit you?”, “Montag” is the suggested day.
eine Baustelle.
EYE-nuh BOW-shteh-leh
a construction site / roadworks
Compound of 'Bau' (building) and 'Stelle' (place), feminine. Say 'BOW-shtel-le'.
Vor unserem Haus ist eine Baustelle.
There's a construction site in front of our house.
Words in this phrase
eine
[EYE-nuh]
a
The feminine accusative article before 'Frage.'
Ich möchte Ihnen eine Frage zur Arbeitskultur stellen.
I would like to ask you a question about work culture.
Baustelle
[BOW-shteh-leh]
construction site
Place where building or road work is happening.
Die Straße hat eine Baustelle.
The street has roadworks.
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