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Beginner Lesson
Are you coming, or what?

25

Formal German
Formal English
Informal German
Informal English
Vocabulary
Grammar Points
Cultural Insight

2
2
3
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4
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Formal German
John
Michaela
John

John
Michaela
John
Michaela

John
Michaela
John

Michaela
John
Michaela
John
Michaela

Sind Sie fertig, Frau Wucher? Ich mchte jetzt gehen.

Noch nicht. Ich muss mich noch duschen. Und Sie?
Ich bin schon fertig.
Was ist, Frau Wucher? Kommen Sie?
Ich bin noch im Badezimmer, sehen Sie das nicht?
Ich frage ja nur. Was machen Sie so lange im Badezimmer?
Chhh! Was macht man wohl im Badezimmer?! Ich wasche mir die
Haare, trockne mir die Haare ab, ich kmme mich, ich putze mir die
Zhne
Und jetzt? Sind Sie jetzt fertig? Ich mchte endlich die
Sehenswrdigkeiten sehen!
Ich muss mich noch anziehen.
Okay, ich warte schon mal an der Tr.
So, da bin ich!
Gut, gehen wir!
Sie wollen so gehen??
Ja, warum nicht?
So nehme ich Sie nicht mit. Sie mssen sich erst rasieren. Ich werde
drauen auf Sie warten.

Formal English
John
Michaela
John

John
Michaela
John
Michaela

John

LC: B_L25_100208

Are you ready, Ms Wucher? I would like to go now.

Not yet. I still have to shower. And you?
Im already ready.
Whats up, Ms Wucher? Are you coming?
Im still in the bathroom, dont you see that?
Im just asking. What are you doing in the bathroom for so long?
Chhh! What do people do in the bathroom?! I am washing my hair,
drying my hair, combing it, brushing my teeth
And now? Are you ready now? I would like to finally see the sights!

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2008-10-02

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Michaela
John

Michaela
John
Michaela
John
Michaela

I first have to get dressed still.

Okay, Im going to wait at the door.
So, here I am!
Alright, lets go!
You want to go like this??
Yes, why not?
Im not taking you along like this. You first have to shave. I will wait
for you outside.

Informal German
John
Michaela
John

John
Michaela
John
Michaela

John
Michaela
John

Michaela
John
Michaela
John
Michaela

Bist du fertig, Michaela? Ich mchte jetzt gehen.

Noch nicht. Ich muss mich noch duschen. Und du?
Ich bin schon fertig.
Was ist, Michaela? Kommst du?
Ich bin noch im Badezimmer, siehst du das nicht?
Ich frage ja nur. Was machst du so lange im Badezimmer?
Chhh! Was macht man wohl im Badezimmer?! Ich wasche mir die
Haare, trockne mir die Haare ab, ich kmme mich, ich putze mir die
Zhne
Und jetzt? Bist du jetzt fertig? Ich mchte endlich die
Sehenswrdigkeiten sehen!
Ich muss mich noch anziehen.
Okay, ich warte schon mal an der Tr.
So, da bin ich!
Gut, gehen wir!
Du willst so gehen??
Ja, warum nicht?
So nehme ich dich nicht mit. Du musst dich erst rasieren. Ich werde
drauen auf dich warten.

Informal English

LC: B_L25_100208

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2008-10-02

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John
Michaela
John

John
Michaela
John
Michaela

Are you ready, Michaela? I would like to go now.

Not yet. I still have to shower. And you?
Im already ready.
Whats up, Michaela? Are you coming?
Im still in the bathroom, dont you see that?
Im just asking. What are you doing in the bathroom for so long?
Chhh! What do people do in the bathroom?! I am washing my hair,
drying my hair, combing it, brushing my teeth

John
Michaela
John

Michaela
John
Michaela
John
Michaela

And now? Are you ready now? I would like to finally see the sights!
I first have to get dressed still.
Okay, Im going to wait at the door.
So, here I am!
Alright, lets go!
You want to go like this??
Yes, why not?
Im not taking you along like this. You first have to shave. I will wait
for you outside.

Vocabulary
German
fertig
rasieren

English
completed, ready
to shave

adjective & adverb

verb

warum

why

question word

Tr
anziehen

door
to wear, to put on

noun
verb

die Zhne putzen

kmmen

to brush teeth
to comb

expression
verb

Haar
abtrocknen

hair
to dry

noun
verb

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Notes

2008-10-02

can be reflexive; weak

verb
synonymous with
wieso
feminine; plural: Tren
can be reflexive; er zieht
an, er zog an, er hat
angezogen
can be reflexive
can be reflexive; weak
verb
neuter; plural: Haare
can be reflexive; weak
verb; ab splits off

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waschen

to wash

verb

Badezimmer
duschen

Bathroom
to shower

noun
verb

can be reflexive;
vowel-changing a ->
neuter; plural is the same
reflexive; weak verb

Vocabulary Sample Sentences

Das Mittagessen ist gleich fertig.
Er hat sich beim rasieren geschnitten.
Warum dauert das so lange?
Kannst du die Tr aufmachen?
Kann man ich das rote Kleid zu den blauen
Schuhen anziehen?
Man sollte sich nach jeder Mahlzeit die Zhne
putzen.
Sie kmmt ihre Haare sehr oft.
Du hast gesunde Haare.
Ich trockne das Geschirr ab.
Ich mu den Hund waschen.
Wo ist euer Badezimmer?
Ich sollte mich zuerst duschen.

Lunch will soon be ready.

He cut himself while shaving.
Why is this taking so long?
Can you open the door?
Can I wear that dress together with the blue shoes?
(Implied: do they match?)
One should brush ones teeth after every meal.
She combs her hair very often.
You have healthy hair.
I'll dry the dishes.
I need to wash the dog.
Where is your Bathroom?
I should shower first.

Grammar Points
Reflexive verbs
Reflexive verbs are verbs that refer back to the subject. In English, you can recognize such a verb
because it is used with a pronoun ending in self or selves, for example I dry myself off in
German: Ich trockne mich ab.
You probably recognize the mich as the Accusative of ich. In German, there are no special
pronouns for these reflexive verbs, they just use the Accusative personal pronouns except in the 3rd
person (singular and plural), which always uses sich. So it is Er wscht sich (He washes himself)
rather than Er wscht ihn, which would mean he washes some other male person - or the ihn could
also reference an object that is grammatically masculine in German.

LC: B_L25_100208

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2008-10-02

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A lot of verbs can be reflexive or not, as the above case demonstrates. You can wash yourself, which
would be reflexive, but you can also wash your car, which would not be reflexive.
A special case is when you are washing something that is a part of you, for example your face (das
Gesicht). Then the verb is still considered reflexive, but on the other hand you need an Accusative
object to indicate what you are washing. And that is a problem, because German sentences must not
have two Accusative objects at the same time (you, to indicate it being reflexive, and your face). So
what happens is that the pronoun will be Dative instead then (but still sich if its 3rd person). Youd
say Ich wasche mir das Gesicht, which translates rather funnily to I wash myself the face. This is
the only quirky part about reflexive verbs in German, but youll get used to it quickly as you hear it
more often.

Cultural Insight
- turning off water while showering, environmental
- being able to stop flushing -> ways of flushing the toilet
- ability to hold the shower head
- liquid shower gel
- laundromats much less common
- sauna is more popular
- light switches often outside the room

LC: B_L25_100208

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2008-10-02