The idea
“Jemandem bleibt Zeit” puts the people in the dative (uns) and the time as the subject, so the verb agrees with fünf Minuten: bleiben. Unbedingt means absolutely, without fail. Festlegen means to decide on something binding, festhalten to record it. Anschließend (afterwards) and “für später” move topics out of the meeting. Each sentence starts with the time or topic, which makes the structure easy to follow.
Other ways to say it
“Wir müssen langsam zum Ende kommen.” – Neutral and friendly; langsam softens the push.
“Mit Blick auf die Uhr schlage ich vor, dass wir jetzt entscheiden.” – Formal; typical for a meeting chair.
“Lass uns das offline klären.” – Informal office jargon: discuss it outside the meeting.
Examples
- Für diesen Punkt bleiben uns noch fünf Minuten.We have five minutes left for this item.
- Welche Entscheidung brauchen wir heute unbedingt?Which decision do we absolutely need today?
- Heute müssen wir die verantwortliche Person festlegen.Today we need to identify the person responsible.
- Die Details können wir anschließend schriftlich sammeln.We can collect the details in writing afterwards.
- Dann halten wir jetzt die Zuständigkeit fest.Then let us record the responsibility now.
- Ich notiere die übrigen Fragen für später.I will note the remaining questions for later.
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Watch out
“Für diesen Punkt bleibt uns noch fünf Minuten.” → “Für diesen Punkt bleiben uns noch fünf Minuten.”: The subject is fünf Minuten, not uns, so the verb is plural. Learners match the verb to the nearest word or treat the time as a single amount.
Try it yourself
Translate into German: We have five minutes left for this item.
Show answer or example answer
Für diesen Punkt bleiben uns noch fünf Minuten.
“Für diesen Punkt” opens the sentence, bleiben is second and plural to match fünf Minuten, and uns is dative: the time remains to us.
Put the words in order: die / festlegen / Heute / müssen / Person / verantwortliche / wir
Show answer or example answer
Heute müssen wir die verantwortliche Person festlegen.
Heute opens the sentence for emphasis, so müssen comes before wir. Festlegen means to decide bindingly; die verantwortliche Person is its object.
Write this sentence in German: I will note the remaining questions for later.
Show answer or example answer
Ich notiere die übrigen Fragen für später.
Notieren means to write down. Die übrigen Fragen are the remaining questions, and für später postpones them without dropping them.
Practice round
Answer three questions, then rebuild three German sentences. We keep your score.
Translate into German: We have five minutes left for this item.
Für diesen Punkt bleiben uns noch fünf Minuten.
Put the words in order: die / festlegen / Heute / müssen / Person / verantwortliche / wir
Heute müssen wir die verantwortliche Person festlegen.
Write this sentence in German: I will note the remaining questions for later.
Ich notiere die übrigen Fragen für später.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
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You lead a meeting that has run long. Say how much time is left for the topic, name the one decision needed today, and move the rest to email.