Türkei Ist Einfach

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #1
Are you Michaela Wucher?
CONTENTS
2 German
2 English
2 Informal German
3 Informal English
3 Vocabulary
4 Sample Sentences
4 Grammar
5 Cultural Insight
# 1
COPYRIGHT © 2012 INNOVATIVE LANGUAGE LEARNING. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
GERMAN
1. John: Entschuldigung! Sind Sie “Michaela Wucher”?
2. Michael: Nein, ich bin nicht “Michaela Wucher”. Wer sind Sie?
3. John: Ich bin John Williams. Ich bin aus Pennsylvania...
4. Michael: Ahhh! Sie sind John Williams! Ich bin “Michaela Wucher”, but it is
pronounced Michaela Wucher.
5. John: Oh, Entschuldigung!
ENGLISH
1. John: Excuse me! Are you Michaela Wucher?
2. Michael: No, I am not “Michaela Wucher”. Who are you?
3. John: I am John Williams. I am from Pennsylvania...
4. Michael: Ahhh! You are John Williams! I am “Michaela Wucher”, but it is

5. John: Oh, sorry!
INFORMAL GERMAN
1. John: ’tschuldigung! Bist du "Michaela Wucher“?
2. Michael: Nein, ich bin nicht “Michaela Wucher”. Wer bist du?
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #1 - ARE YOU MICHAELA WUCHER? 2

3. John: Ich bin John Williams. Ich bin aus Pennsylvania...
4. Michael: Ahhh! Du bist John Williams! Ich bin “Michaela Wucher”, but it is
5. John: Oh, Entschuldigung!
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1. John: Excuse me! Are you Michaela Wucher?
2. Michael: No, I am not “Michaela Wucher”. Who are you?
3. John: I am John Williams. I am from Pennsylvania...
4. Michael: Ahhh! You are John Williams! I am “Michaela Wucher”, but it is

5. John: Oh, sorry!
VOCABULARY
Ge r man English C lass Ge nde r
plural:
apology; excuse me; Entschuldigungen;
Entschuldigung the expression is
I’m sorry
always singular.
Sie you (formal) personal pronoun
ich I personal pronoun
wer who pronoun

ich bin, du bist, er ist,
sein to be verb wir sind, ihr seid, sie
sind
expression; Yes is
nein no "Ja" Yes is "Ja"
nicht not adverb
aus from preposition
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Ich n e h m e d i e En tsch u l d i g u n g a n . H a be n S i e e i n e a n d e re Kre d i tka rte ?
I accept the apology. Do you have another credit card?
S pre ch e n S i e En g l i sch ? S i e si n d H e rr S m i th
Do you speak English? You are Mr Smith.
Ich h a tte l e tzte Wo ch e so vi e l zu Ich bi n Li sa .

tu n !
I am Lisa.
I was so busy last week!
We r i st d a s? D a s ka n n d o ch n i ch t w a h r se i n !
Who is that? That can't be true!
Ich bi n S tu d e n t. N e i n , i ch bi n n i ch t a u s Kö l n .
I am a student. No, I am not from Cologne.
D a s h a be i ch n i ch t g e sa g t! D u bi st n i ch t m e i n Va te r!
I didn't say that! You aren't my father!
Ko m m st d u a u s Be rl i n o d e r vo n Ich bi n a u s D e u tsch l a n d .
a u ße rh a l b?
I am from Germany.
Do you come from Berlin or from
elsewhere?

GRAMMAR
In this lesson, you have seen a generous amount of “ich bin” (I am) and “Sie sind” (you are,
formal). If you have access to the extra material, you have even heard “du bist”, the informal
equivalent of “Sie sind”. All of these are forms of the verb “sein” (to be), which is irregular in
German, just like in English.
Here is a table with all the present tense forms:
se i n to be
ich bin I am
du bist you are (informal)
er ist / sie ist / es ist he is / she is / it is
wir sind we are
ihr seid you are (plural)
sie sind / Sie sind they are / you are (formal)
As you can see, the formal “Sie sind” (you are) is the same form as “sie sind” (they are),
except for the capital letter that indicates respect. The formal form in German will always
correspond to the “they” form (3rd person plural).
Some examples of this very useful verb in action: Ich bin Michael. – I am Michael. Du bist
schön. – You are pretty. Er ist Student. – He is a student. Sie ist aus England. – She is from
England. Es ist nicht gut. – It is not good. Wir sind Freunde. – We are friends. Seid ihr bereit? –
Are you ready? Wer sind sie? – Who are they? Wer sind Sie? – Who are you (formal) ?
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Use “Entschuldigung” as the equivalent of either “Excuse me” or “I’m sorry”, for example
when:
* getting somebody’s attention

* trying to move through a crowd, thus asking them to step aside
* stepping on somebody’s foot
* really screwing up (in that case you’d use further expressions in addition to just
“Entschuldigung”)

D o n o t sa y i t when somebody tells you sad news. Germans do not apologize for things that
are not their fault, such as a friend not getting a job. Rather, you’d express encouragement
there. In severe cases however, such as somebody’s mother being sent to the hospital, you
can say “Es tut mir leid” (It pains me; I am chagrined) as a way of commiserating.
The formality of the conversation may seem a bit odd to you, seeing that John and Michaela
have known each other through e-mail, but John wasn’t absolutely sure he was talking to
Michaela and so he had to make sure he was being polite to this stranger. Using informal
language on this occasion already would have been like saying “Hey you, are you
Michaela?” and would probably have provoked an annoyed reaction. Especially older people
are very sensitive when it comes to how you address them, because they expect to be shown
respect, and using formal language is the easiest way of saying “I respect you” in German.
That is why sometimes even people who have known each other for a long time use ‘formal’
language with each other.
Generally, you should only use informal language with a new acquaintance if:
* you are talking to somebody under 18

* you and the person you’re talking with are both around student age
* you and the person you’re talking with are relatives
In all other cases, you should wait till you are asked to switch to informal language – it’s up to
the older person or the one higher in rank to do so or not. Your boss or teacher will certainly
never ask you, as that would diminish his authority in the eyes of everybody. However, even
regular acquaintances don’t switch to using first names nearly as quickly as they do in the
USA. If you just start by addressing a stranger informally, he may feel offended as you seem
to treat him like a child. That being said, as a foreigner you certainly have some leeway in
case you should forget.

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #2
Going home
CONTENTS
2 German
2 English
2 Informal German
3 Informal English
3 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
4 Grammar
5 Cultural Insight
# 2
GERMAN
1. #2: Entschuldigung!
2. #1: Es ist okay, Herr Williams. Sind Sie sehr müde?
3. #2: Nein, ich bin nicht sehr müde, nur ein bisschen.
4. #1: Mein Auto ist dort drüben. In zehn Minuten sind wir zuhause.
5. #2: Gut.
ENGLISH
1. #2: Sorry!
2. #1: It’s okay, Mr Williams. Are you very tired?
3. #2: No, I am not very tired, just a bit.
4. #1: My car is over there. In ten minutes we’re home. (we will be home)
5. #2: Good.
INFORMAL GERMAN
1. #2: Entschuldigung!
2. #1: Es ist okay, John. Bist du sehr müde?
3. #2: Nein, ich bin nicht sehr müde, nur ein bisschen.
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #2 - GOING HOME 2

4. #1: Mein Auto ist dort drüben. In zehn Minuten sind wir zuhause.
5. #2: Gut.
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1. #2: Sorry!
2. #1: It’s okay, John. Are you tired?
3. #2: No, I am not very tired, just a bit.
4. #1: My car is over there. In ten minutes we’re home. (we will be home)
5. #2: Good.
VOCABULARY
Ge r man English C lass
müde tired adjective
sehr very adverb
nur only, just adverb
ein bisschen a little adverb
mein my possessive pronoun
Auto car noun
dort drüben over there expression
zehn ten (10) numeral
Zuhause, zu Hause home, at home
SAMPLE SENTENCES
H e u te bi n i ch se h r m ü d e . D a s i st se h r g u t!
I am very tired today. That's very good!
Ich e sse n u r G e m ü se . Ich spre ch e n u r e i n bi ssch e n

D e u tsch .
I only eat vegetables.
I only speak a little German.
Me i n N a m e i st Ti m . Me i n N a m e i st Li sa .
My name is Tim. My name is Lisa.
D a s Au to i st d a s Li e bl i n g sspi e l ze u g Me i n Au to i st e i n bi ssch e n d re cki g .

d e s Ma n n e s i n D e u tsch l a n d .
My car is a little dirty.
The car is a man's favorite toy in Germany.
S a n d ra i st d o rt d rü be n . Ich bi n ze h n J a h re a l t.
Sandra is over there. I am ten years old.
Bi st d u zu h a u se ?
Are you home?
GRAMMAR
In the last lesson, we saw the present tense forms of “sein” (to be). Here they are again:
se i n to be
ich bin I am
du bist you are (informal)
er ist / sie ist / es ist he is / she is / it is
wir sind we are
ihr seid you are (plural)

sie sind / Sie sind they are / you are (formal)
Now we’d like to draw your attention to how verbs are used in German.
In q u e sti o n s a n d n e g a ti ve se n te n ce s:
Bist du müde? – Are you tired? (informal)
Wer sind Sie? – Who are you? (formal)
Ich bin nicht müde. – I am not tired.
This word order for questions is very common in German, but not very common in English
actually: compare to “Singen Sie oft?” – “Do you often sing?”. Same goes for the way of
making a sentence negative: while “I am not tired” corresponds 1:1 to “Ich bin nicht müde”,
English typically uses a more complicated structure whereas for German this structure is
natural. See for example “Ich singe nicht oft.” – “I don’t sing often.” In German, it’s enough to
add “nicht” to a sentence to make it negative.
In l o n g e r se n te n ce s:
Whenever the subject is not the first item in a sentence, for example when a time or place is
mentioned first or when a subclause comes first, the verb still has to go in second place in
German, so that the subject and the rest of the sentence follow afterwards. Example
sentence: “In zehn Minuten sind wir zuhause” (literally: in ten minutes are we home). This
word order may seem strange to you at first, however English uses it too in some special
cases: for example “Only after the sermon were we allowed to leave”. Just try to remember
that German uses it all the time.
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Cars are a lot of German men’s pride. Unlike in the case of beer, it is very okay to own a
foreign-brand car, provided it is fast enough. Germans don’t care all that much about SUVs as
Americans do, since it’s hard to find parking spots for them in the cities and the vast majority
of people live in cities. However, cars have to be fast. There is (as of yet) no speed limit on the
Autobahnen (highways), so when you’re in a hurry or on a long trip you may really want to
push the pedal to the metal.
The recommended speed on Autobahnen is 130 km/h (roughly 81 mph), so that’s about the
speed you’d find on the middle one of 3 lanes most of the time. The right lane is typically
occupied by truck drivers, who aren’t legally allowed to drive more than 100 km/h or even
less, depending on the type of truck. Apart from the trucks, you will find comparatively few cars
on there, except those that are planning to get off at the next town or resting area (exits are

always on the right, making it easier to slow down). The left-most lane is intended for
overtaking other cars, and you’re supposed to return back to the right once you have done
that, but the people driving 200 km/h or so usually just stay on the left-most lane anyway.

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #3
The Oldtown
CONTENTS
2 German
2 English
2 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
3 Grammar
4 Cultural Insight
# 3
GERMAN
1. #2: Es gibt viele schöne Gebäude hier.
2. #1: Ja, das ist die Altstadt. Hier gibt es auch viele Bars.
3. #2: Und was ist das?
4. #1: Das ist der Rhein dort drüben.
5. ...
6. #1: John, wir sind da. Das ist mein Haus.
ENGLISH
1. #2: There are many nice buildings here.
2. #1: Yes, this is the oldtown. There are also many bars here.
3. #2: And what is that?
4. #1: That is the [river] Rhine over there.
5. ...
6. #1: John, we’re there. This is my house.
VOCABULARY
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #3 - THE OLDTOWN 2

expression; very very useful
es gibt there is, there are useful expression! expression!
viele many adverb
schön nice, pretty adjective
Neuter; plural is the

Gebäude building noun same.
demonstrative
das that, the (neuter) pronoun / definite
article
Altstadt oldtown noun, feminine, die
was what pronoun
Haus house noun plural: Häuser
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Es g i bt vi e l e C a fé s h i e r. Vi e l e S tu d e n te n si n d a rm .
There are many cafés here. Many students are poor.
Es i st sch ö n , d a ss S i e d a si n d . D i e se s G e bä u d e i st 100 J a h re a l t.
It's nice that you're there. This building is 100 years old.
D a s Wa sse r i st ka l t. D i e D ü sse l d o rfe r Al tsta d t i st se h r

sch ö n .
The water is cold.
Düsseldorf's oldtown is very nice.
Wa s i st d a s? Me i n H a u s i st n i ch t g ro ß.
What is this? My house isn't big.
GRAMMAR

Here’s an extremely important notion when learning German: German divides everything
into three genders: masculine (male), feminine (female) and neuter (neutral). This means
that not just people or pets have a gender but all random objects (e. g. a pencil is masculine)
and even concepts (e. g. hope is feminine) do. Most of the time the assignment of gender
doesn’t make sense, so you have to learn it along with the noun. A great way to learn the
gender is to imagine some male or female or neutral archetypes or stars in a memorable,
funny or weird situation along with the word.
Masculine words get the article “der”, feminine words get the article “die” and neuter words
get the article “das”. The gender of a noun will always be mentioned in the vocabulary list. For
compound words like „Altstadt“, it’s easy to determine the gender: just look at the noun that is
the last part of it. That noun determines the gender of the whole word. In this case the last part
is “Stadt”, which is feminine, and so “Altstadt” is feminine too.
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Many German cities have nice historic oldtowns. Some cities can be traced as far back as 500
BC. If you are interested in history, the Western part of Germany should be particularly
interesting to you, because that is where Frankish empire with its medieval castles stretched.
Especially the area along the upper Rhine is known for its castles. In the extreme western part
of Germany, you can also find Roman ruins. The Rhine was a natural border to their empire.
Germans tend not to identify much with Germany as a modern country and there is probably
less patriotism in Germany than anywhere else in the world, but there is a broad interest in
historical Germany. For example, there are parks, fairs and re-enactments festivals dedicated
to any part of German history before 1900: the “barbarian” life, the Romans, the Frankish
empire, medieval crafts and trades, the industrial revolution, the war against Napoleon, and
so on.
So Germany is the place to be if you like history – or also beauty, because most cities and
most houses are designed with beauty in mind, not plain functionality. And of course there
are also plenty of museums, theatres, amusement parks, spas and the like. In fact, when
there are several big cities close to each other, like Düsseldorf and Cologne or like all of the
cities of the Ruhrgebiet, there is rivalry between them and every city tries to outdo the other in
terms of museums, parks, theatres, clubs etcetera, which is beneficial for the people living
there, who can benefit from a wide variety of choices.

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #4
Presenting people
CONTENTS
2 German
2 English
3 Informal German
3 Informal English
4 Vocabulary
5 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
6 Cultural Insight
# 4
GERMAN
1. #1: John, das ist mein Mann Heinz.
2. Heinz, das ist John Williams aus den USA.
3. #2: Angenehm.
4. #3: Angenehm. Herr Williams, woher genau kommen Sie? Wo sind

Sie zuhause?
5. #2: Ich komme aus Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
6. #3: Aha. Und was machen Sie beruflich?
7. #2: Ähmm...
8. #1: John arbeitet als Freiberufler.
9. #3: Er ist arbeitslos?
ENGLISH
1. #1: John, this is my husband Heinz.
2. Heinz, this is John Williams aus den USA.
3. #2: It’s a pleasure to meet you. [literally “pleasant”]
4. #3: It’s a pleasure to meet you. Mr Williams, where exactly do you

come from? Where is your home?
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #4 - PRESENTING PEOPLE 2

5. #2: I come from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
6. #3: Ah. And what do you do for a living?
7. #2: Emm...
8. #1: John works as a freelancer.
9. #3: He is unemployed?
INFORMAL GERMAN
1. #1: John, das ist mein Mann Heinz.
2. Heinz, das ist John Williams aus den USA.
3. #2: Angenehm.
4. #3: Angenehm. John, woher genau kommst du? Wo bist du zuhause?
5. #2: Ich komme aus Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
6. #3: Aha. Und was machst du beruflich?
7. #2: Ähmm...
8. #1: John arbeitet als Freiberufler.
9. #3: Er ist arbeitslos?
INFORMAL ENGLISH
CONT'D OVER

1. #1: John, this is my husband Heinz.
2. Heinz, this is John Williams aus den USA.
3. #2: It’s a pleasure to meet you. [literally “pleasant”]
4. #3: It’s a pleasure to meet you. John, where exactly do you come from?
Where is your home?
5. #2: I come from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
6. #3: Ah. And what do you do for a living?
7. #2: Emm...
8. #1: John works as a freelancer.
9. #3: He is unemployed?
VOCABULARY
plural: Männer;
means “husband”
Mann man noun when used with a
possessive pronoun
(e.g. "mein Mann")
angenehm pleasant
woher from where question word
genau exactly
kommen to come verb weak verb

machen to make / do verb, weak verb weak verb
by profession,
beruflich professionally
noun, masculine, masculine; literally

Freiberufler freelancer der; literally means means “free-
“free-profession-er” profession-er”
arbeitslos unemployed adjective literally: work-less
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Me i n Ma n n a rbe i te t h i e r. D e r Wi n d i st a n g e n e h m .
My husband works here. The wind is pleasant.
Wo h e r ko m m st d u ? Wo h e r ko m m t R o be rt?
Where are you from? Where does Robert come from?
D e r Tre ffpu n kt i st g e n a u h i e r. Li sa ko m m t h e u te n i ch t.
The meet-up point is here exactly. Lisa isn't coming today.
D i e Au to s m a ch e n vi e l Lä rm . Wa s m a ch st d u be ru fl i ch ?
The cars are making a lot of noise. What is your profession?
Ich bi n Fre i be ru fl e r. Bi st d u a rbe i tsl o s?
I am a freelancer. Are you unemployed?
GRAMMAR
In this lesson you have encountered a couple regular verbs: “kommen” (to come),
“machen” (to make / do) and “arbeiten” (to work). You have encountered them in various
forms. Here is a complete scheme of the present tense forms:
komm-en (to come)
ich komm-e (I come)

du komm-st (you come, informal to one person)
er / sie / es komm-t (he / she / it comes)
wir komm-en (we come)
ihr komm-t (you come, informal to several people)
sie komm-en / Sie komm-en (they come / you come, formal to one or several people)
There are two noticeable similarities to the endings of the verb “sein”, which you encountered
already:
- the second person singular ends in –st : bist, kommst
- the third person singular ends in –t : ist, kommt
You will find that even irregular verbs still adopt at least these two endings.
The complete forms of “machen”: ich mache, du machst, er macht, wir machen, ihr macht,
sie machen
The complete forms of “arbeiten”: ich arbeite, du arbeitest, er arbeitet, wir arbeiten, ihr
arbeitet, sie arbeiten
Note that in German there is no difference between “I work” and “I am working”; “ich arbeite”
covers both.
CULTURAL INSIGHT
When being introduced to somebody, the standard things to say are “Angenehm” (It’s a
pleasure) or “Freut mich” (I am joyed), both of which have omitted “Sie kennenzulernen” (to
meet you). It’s not wrong to use the complete phrase “Angenehm Sie kennenzulernen”
though and you may hear it on formal occasions. Careful: if the person introducing somebody
refers to him informally by his first name, that doesn’t mean that you may do so either. In
most cases it is expected that you will address somebody formally until he explicitly tells you
otherwise – which can take a while in Germany.
When you want to get to know somebody better, be aware that there are certain questions that
are taboo:
- you may not explicitly ask for their first name
- you may not ask for their age
- you may not ask for their income
Even though you can probably guess somebody’s wealth by their appearance and style of
language, talk about money is taboo for most, just like talk about religion. In Germany,
religion is something between you and God, and maybe the church. It’s not a matter you
would flaunt or discuss with others. The majority of Germans are non-practicing Christians,
but even if people are very convinced in their beliefs it is understood that they won’t try to

convert you just as you shouldn’t be trying to convert them. Televangelists are unheard of and
some money-oriented sects are actually banned, but occasionally you may see Jehovah’s
Witnesses silently standing in the pedestrian zones offering their magazines.
Germany is actually unique when it comes to religion because here the public schools (and
there are extremely few private ones) have to provide religious education classes. The
mission of German high schools is to produce mature adults who are capable of independent
thought, and who have some idea of what their purpose in life is, who know what is good and
what is wrong, and so on. That’s where the religious education classes come in. Of course
atheists, Muslims and also everybody else can opt out of those classes for reasons of
conscience, but then they have to take philosophy classes instead, which strive to answer the
same basic questions and ethical problems. Religious education classes typically come in the
flavours “Catholic” and “Protestant”, but most of the content is not specific to one particular
faith. A lot of time is spent on getting an overview of the beliefs of Christianity and the beliefs of
other religions (with tolerance being the goal) and to discuss issues people might need help
with: drugs, sex, abuse, abortion and so on.

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #5
Language issues
CONTENTS
2 German
2 English
2 Informal German
3 Informal English
3 Vocabulary
4 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
5 Cultural Insight
# 5
GERMAN
1. #3: Herr Williams, sprechen Sie Deutsch?
2. #2: Ja, ich spreche Deutsch, nur nicht viel.
3. #3: In meinem Haus sprechen alle Deutsch.
4. #2: Sprechen Sie kein Englisch?
5. #3: Nein.
6. #2: Dann sprechen Sie bitte langsam. Ich verstehe langsames Deutsch.
ENGLISH
1. #3: Mr Williams, do you speak German?
2. #2: Yes, I speak German, just not much.
3. #3: In my house, everybody speaks German.
4. #2: Don’t you speak (any) English?
5. #3: No.
6. #2: Then please speak slowly. I understand slow German.
INFORMAL GERMAN
1. #3: John, sprichst du Deutsch?
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #5 - LANGUAGE ISSUES 2

2. #2: Ja, ich spreche Deutsch, nur nicht viel.
3. #3: In meinem Haus sprechen alle Deutsch.
4. #2: Sprichst du kein Englisch?
5. #3: Nein.
6. #2: Dann sprich bitte langsam. Ich verstehe langsames Deutsch.
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1. #3: John, do you speak German?
2. #2: Yes, I speak German, just not much.
3. #3: In my house, everybody speaks German.
4. #2: Don’t you speak (any) English?
5. #3: No.
6. #2: Then please speak slowly. I understand slow German.
VOCABULARY
er spricht, er sprach,
sprechen to speak verb er hat gesprochen
Deutsch German language noun, neuter, das

alle all, everybody pronoun
adverb; Do not use

"nicht" in addition to Do not use "nicht" in
kein not any, no
this! addition to this!
Englisch English language noun, neuter, das
bitte please noun
langsam slow, slowly
er versteht, er
verstehen to understand verb verstand, er hat
verstanden
SAMPLE SENTENCES
En tsch u l d i g u n g , i ch spre ch e ke i n Ich spre ch e D e u tsch .

D e u tsch .
I speak German.
Sorry, I don't speak German.
D e u tsch i st e i n e i n te re ssa n te Al l e ko m m e n zu r Pa rty, d u a u ch ?

S pra ch e .
Everybody is coming to the party, you too?
German is an interesting language.
Ich tri n ke ke i n Bi e r. Kö n n e n S i e bi tte m i t m i r En g l i sch

spre ch e n ?
I don't drink any beer.
Could you please speak English with me?
S pri ch st d u En g l i sch ? Bi tte spre ch e n S i e En g l i sch .
Do you speak English? Please speak English.
Wi r spre ch e n i m m e r l a n g sa m . Ich ve rste h e ke i n D e u tsch .
We always speak slowly. I do not understand German.

Ich ve rste h e S i e n i ch t.
I don't understand you.
GRAMMAR
“Sprechen” (to speak) is another verb that appears to follow the pattern you have learned in
the previous lesson, but here there is one specialty: for the second and third person singular
(singular informal “you” and “he / she / it”) the stem vowel changes from a short E to a short I.
The endings stay the same:
sprechen (to speak)
ich sprech-e (I speak)
du sprich-st (you speak, informal to one person)
er / sie / es sprich-t (he / she / it speaks)
wir sprech-en (we speak)
ihr sprech-t (you speak, informal to several people)
sie sprech-en / Sie sprech-en (they come / you come, formal to one or several people)
There are several German verbs that change vowels like this, for example also “brechen” (to
break).
Another thing I’d like to draw your attention to is the “sprechen Sie bitte langsam”. This is
actually not the present tense anymore but an imperative (a command form). You will find it
extremely easy though because the formal imperative (the one to use with people that you
call “Sie”) is exactly the same as the formal present tense form for regular verbs, just inverted.
The informal imperative, which wasn’t used in the main dialogue, corresponds to just the
word stem without any ending. In the case of vowel-changing verbs, it’s a stem that includes
the vowel change. Examples:
Sprechen Sie bitte langsamer! – Please speak more slowly! (formal)
Sprich bitte langsamer! – Please speak more slowly! (informal)
Kommen Sie nach Deutschland! – Come to Germany! (formal)
Komm nach Deutschland! – Come to Germany! (informal)
CULTURAL INSIGHT
In Germany, English is a mandatory subject at school for at least 5 years, 7 if you want to go
to university. It’s also increasingly present in kindergartens. However, the quality of instruction
varies a lot and most people won’t remember any of their English 10 years after they have
gone to school, unless they have had to use it often in the meantime – hence if you want to

ask a German something in English, your best bet is a student or a businessman.
Among other groups, understanding of English is actually quite low. For example, in a recent
study more than 50% of Germans were unable to understand English slogans used in
German TV ads, things as simple as “where money lives”. This is another reason for you to
learn German of course!
Other than English, French is the most commonly studied foreign language, followed by
Latin. However, these wouldn’t normally be studied instead of English, rather, they are
studied as a second foreign language. In Eastern Germany, Russian used to be the most
common foreign language. If you intend to go to university, you will have to study two foreign
languages for at least 5 years each at high school, which is supposed to give you fluent
command of them. You have the option of studying up to 4 foreign languages even, but few
will do that – foreign language classes, once chosen, can usually not be dropped easily, and
they will effect your mark average.

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #6
The morning after
CONTENTS
2 German
2 English
2 Informal German
3 Informal English
3 Vocabulary
4 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
6 Cultural Insight
# 6
GERMAN
1. #1: Guten Morgen, John!
2. #2: Guten Morgen, Michaela!
3. #1: Wie geht es Ihnen heute?
4. #2: Gut, danke.
5. #1: Mein Mann ist schon auf der Arbeit. Wir sind allein.
6. #2: Schön. Was gibt es zum Frühstück?
ENGLISH
1. #1: Good morning, John!
2. #2: Good morning, Michaela!
3. #1: How are you today?
4. #2: Good, thanks.
5. #1: My husband is already at work. We are alone.
6. #2: Nice. What's for breakfast?
INFORMAL GERMAN
1. #1: Guten Morgen, John!
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #6 - THE MORNING AFTER 2

2. #2: Guten Morgen, Michaela!
3. #1: Wie geht es dir heute?
4. #2: Gut, danke.
5. #1: Mein Mann ist schon auf der Arbeit. Wir sind allein.
6. #2: Schön. Was gibt es zum Frühstück?
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1. #1: Good morning, John!
2. #2: Good morning, Michaela!
3. #1: How are you today?
4. #2: Good, thanks.
5. #1: My husband is already at work. We are alone.
6. #2: Nice. What's for breakfast?
VOCABULARY

expression; literally:
“How goes it to literally: “How goes it
Wie geht es dir? How are you? you?”, formal to you?”, formal
(informal) version is "Wie geht version is "Wie geht
es Ihnen?" es Ihnen?"
Morgen morning noun masculine
heute today noun
schon already adverb
preposition; also also used for some

used for some cases cases where English
where English would would use “in” or
auf on, onto use “in” or “at”, as “at”, as prepositions
prepositions usually usually don't
don't correspond correspond across
across languages. languages.
allein(e) alone adverb
noun, feminine, die;

compare to compare to
Arbeit work "arbeitslos" - "arbeitslos" -
unemployed unemployed
zum Frühstück for breakfast expression
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Wi e g e h t e s Ih n e n , H e rr Mü l l e r? H e u te i st e i n w u n d e rsch ö n e r
Mo rg e n .
How are you, Mr Müller?
Today is a beautiful morning.
G u te n Mo rg e n ! H e u te g i bt e s Fre i bi e r i n d e r
Al tsta d t.
Good morning!
Today there is free beer [available] in the
old town.

Bi st d u sch o n m ü d e ? D i e Ze i tu n g l i e g t a u f d e m Ti sch .
Are you tired already? The newspaper lies on the table.
Ve rste h st d u m i ch , w e n n i ch a u f H a u sa rbe i t m a ch t si ch n i ch t vo n
En g l i sch spre ch e ? allein.
Do you understand me when I speak on The house work doesn't do itself.

(in) English?
D a s i st e i n zi g u n d a l l e i n d e i n e Ko m m st d u a l l e i n o d e r ko m m t d e i n
S ch u l d . Ma n n a u ch ?
That's solely and only your fault. Are you coming alone or is your husband
coming, too?
D a s i st e i n e se h r a n g e n e h m e Es g i bt Bro t zu m Frü h stü ck.

Arbe i t.
There's bread for breakfast.
That is a very pleasant/nice [type of] work.
GRAMMAR
You already learned that “der” is used for masculine nouns, “die” is used for feminine nouns
and “das” is used for neuter nouns. So far so good. However, we know for a fact that
“Arbeit”(work) is feminine and you heard the phrase “auf der Arbeit” in the dialogue. This is
because German has something called cases. Cases mean that you change words
depending on the circumstances in which they are used. In this case, using a word as a
preposition requires a different case than using it as the subject of the sentence, the one who
does something.
In German, most of the changes are made to the article, so that the noun stays recognizable.
“der”, “die” and “das” are the articles you use for subjects, depending on the gender of the
word. This changes to “dem”, “der” and “dem” when you use the same word after a
preposition. Take “Arbeit” as an example. A sentence with “Arbeit” as the subject is “Die Arbeit
ist schwer.” (the work is hard). It is “die Arbeit”, since “Arbeit” is feminine. “die” changes to
“der” however after prepositions, so it is “Ich bin auf der Arbeit” (I am at [the] work).
Another example with “das Haus”: “Das Haus ist schön.” (the house is nice) BUT “Ich bin auf
dem Haus” (I am on top of the house).

There is one more thing to pay attention to: when the ending of a preposition is -n or a vowel,
the Dative -m of “dem” will simply add itself to the preposition, so that you only hear one word:
in dem
If you want to say “I am in the house” (I am inside it), you have to say “Ich bin im Haus”. In
very colloquial German you can even hear contractions like “aufm” instead of “auf dem”,
“ausm” instead of “aus dem”, and so on!
CULTURAL INSIGHT
In Germany, the vast majority of people have a 9-to-5 (or 8-to-4) job and are happy with that.
They always get up at the same time, drive or commute to the office (very few have a home
office!) and spend the required amount of hours there. Then, they go home and relax and
don't think much of their work anymore until the next day. This way, work and leisure is
separated quite strictly and you will hardly find people who work flexible hours or who do
more work at home. You will also find less entrepreneurial spirit and less people who claim
that work should be fun. Structures are harder here, less open to diverging from the rules or
the required.
Laws and regulations take the employee's side of an issue really often. Trade unions are
strong, weekly average hours are low, laws require companies to give you plenty of holidays,
to contribute a lot to your mandatory health care and pension plans and to pay you a lot more
if you work overtime, night or Sundays. This is very nice for the employee and it doesn't seem
to hurt the economy too much, but it has a few downsides for customers, such as
comparatively strict opening hours and hardly anything being open on Sundays. If you are
planning to party over the weekend, be sure you buy everything you need on Fridays,
because on Sundays you won't be able to and on Saturdays there are typically huge crowds
shopping, because of the Sunday rush and also because on Saturdays a lot of shops close
around 2pm or so already. In the biggest cities, such as Berlin, you will be able to find 24 hour
stores, but everywhere else you are really limited to kiosks and gas stations to provide
everyday items.

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #7
Breakfast Time!
CONTENTS
2 German
2 English
2 Informal German
3 Informal English
3 Vocabulary
4 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
6 Cultural Insight
# 7
GERMAN
1. #2: Was gibt es zum Frühstück?
2. #1: Es gibt Brötchen, Butter, Marmelade...
3. #2: Gibt es keine Eier? Oder Pfannkuchen?
4. #1: Pfannkuchen zum Frühstück???
5. #2: Oder Würstchen? In Deutschland isst man viele Würstchen, oder?
6. #1: Ich mache Ihnen ein Ei und Würstchen.
ENGLISH
1. #2: What’s for breakfast?
2. #1: There are rolls, butter, jam…
3. #2: Aren’t there any eggs? Or pancakes?
4. #1: Pancakes for breakfast???
5. #2: Or sausages? In Germany people eat a lot of sausages, don’t they?
6. #1: I’ll make you an egg and sausage.
INFORMAL GERMAN
1. #2: Was gibt es zum Frühstück?
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #7 - BREAKFAST TIME! 2

2. #1: Es gibt Brötchen, Butter, Marmelade...
3. #2: Gibt es keine Eier? Oder Pfannkuchen?
4. #1: Pfannkuchen zum Frühstück???
5. #2: Oder Würstchen? In Deutschland isst man viele Würstchen, oder?
6. #1: Ich mache dir ein Ei und Würstchen.
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1. #2: What’s for breakfast?
2. #1: There are rolls, butter, jam…
3. #2: Aren’t there any eggs? Or pancakes?
4. #1: Pancakes for breakfast???
5. #2: Or sausages? In Germany people eat a lot of sausages, don’t they?
6. #1: I’ll make you an egg and sausage.
VOCABULARY
neuter; plural is the

Brötchen roll noun, neuter, das same

pronoun; used to talk
about people in used to talk about
man general; don’t people in general;
one, you, people
confuse with don’t confuse with
“Mann” (man) “Mann” (man)
er isst, er aß, er hat

essen to eat verb gegessen
noun, neuter, das; - neuter; plural is the

Würstchen little sausage chen makes this little same; -chen makes
or cute this little or cute
masculine; plural is
Pfannkuchen pancake noun, masculine, der the same
conjunction; used as
“isn’t it?”-type used as “isn’t it?”-
oder or question at the end type question at the
of a sentence. end of a sentence.
Ei egg noun neuter; plural: Eier
feminine; plural:
noun, feminine, die; Marmeladen; any
any kind of jam; kind of jam; what the
what the British call British call
Marmelade jam
marmelade (on the marmelade (on the
basis of oranges) is basis of oranges) is
uncommon. uncommon.
Butter butter noun feminine; no plural
personal pronoun;
dir to you Dative of “du” Dative of “du”
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Ich e sse g e rn e Brö tch e n . Wi e sa g t m a n "tra i n " a u f D e u tsch ?
I like eating rolls. How do you say "train" in German?

Ich e sse g e rn e Brö tch e n . Ve g e ta ri e r e sse n ke i n e Bu tte r, si e
e sse n Ma rg a ri n e .
I like eating rolls.
Vegetarians don't eat (any) butter, they eat
margarine.
In D e u tsch l a n d g i bt e s ri ch ti g Ich l i e be Bl a u be e r-Pfa n n ku ch e n .

l e cke re Wü rstch e n .
I love blueberry pancakes.
In Germany there are really delicious
sausages.
Ich m u ss d o ch n i ch t a l l e s a u f R e i ch t e i n e J a cke o d e r bra u ch e i ch

e i n m a l be za h l e n , o d e r? e i n e n Ma n te l ?
But I don't have to pay everything at once, Is a jacket enough or will I need a coat?
do I?
Ei n H u h n l e g t e i n Ei . D e r Ko ch h a t e i n Ei g e bra te n .
A chicken lays an egg. The cook fried an egg.
Mö ch te st d u e i n Bro t m i t Ve g e ta ri e r e sse n ke i n e Bu tte r, si e

Ma rm e l a d e ? e sse n Ma rg a ri n e .
Do you want a [piece of] bread with jam? Vegetarians don't eat (any) butter, they eat
margarine.
Ka n n i ch d i r h e l fe n ?
Can I help you?
GRAMMAR
In this lesson we’ll have a first look at the plural. In German, plurals are sometimes hard to
predict, so we will come back to the topic of plurals in a later lesson, too. The easiest nouns
are the ones ending in –er, -en or –el, because they don’t change at all for plural. You can
only tell by the article: instead of having to pick between “der”, “die” and “das”, it will always be
“die” for plural.
Examples:

der Freiberufler – die Freiberufler (the freelancer – the freelancers)
das Brötchen – die Brötchen (the roll – the rolls)
der Zettel – die Zettel (the note – the notes)
Easy so far, isn’t it? A lot of words are in this category, because –er is a very common ending
for professions or nationalities and the like and –chen is the diminutive ending. Note that the
word “Gebäude” (building), which you already learned, is also part of this category, despite
not having any of the characteristic endings. Then there’s a category of nouns ending in
some other consonant and that will add –er for plural, for example:
das Lied – die Lieder (the song – the songs)
das Ei – die Eier (the egg – the eggs)
A special case in this category are words that will add –er but also add two dots above the
vowel. This is usually the case when there’s only a single vowel in the word. Examples:
der Mann – die Männer (the man – the men)
das Buch – die Bücher (the book – the books)
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Most Germans will eat bread or rolls with butter for breakfast. Further toppings can vary: jam,
honey, Nutella (a chocolate-hazelnut spread), cheese, ham or cut sausage. Peanut butter is
uncommon. Some people also regularly include yoghurt, curds, cereal, fruit or boiled eggs in
their breakfast diet, or eat croissants in addition to rolls. Apart from eggs, it’s very uncommon
to have something that requires heating or cooking even. In exchange, there is a really big
selection of different types of bread and rolls. People typically buy these immediately at a
bakery, and at a typical bakery you can find at least 6 types of rolls, 12 types of bread and lots
of delicious cakes and pastries.
As a breakfast drink, regular coffee is very popular with adults, though Italian coffee variants
like cappuccino, caffé latte and espresso are getting more popular. A minority drinks tea
instead. Children are usually given hot cocoa or milk, or maybe juice. A specialty drink is hot
milk with a spoonful of honey, this is said to be good against coughing and sore throats.

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #8
Breakfast Time! 2
CONTENTS
2 German
2 English
3 Informal German
3 Informal English
4 Vocabulary
5 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
6 Cultural Insight
# 8
GERMAN
1. 1: Herr Williams, trinken Sie Kaffee zum Frühstück? Oder lieber Tee?
2. #2: Kaffee ist gut.
3. #1: Hier ist Ihr Kaffee.
4. #2: Danke.
5. #1: Herr Williams, geben Sie mir bitte den Honig.
6. #2: Bitte.
7. #1: Danke.
8. #2: Ich nehme mir noch zwei Würstchen, ist das okay?
9. #1: Ja.
ENGLISH
1. #1: Mr Williams, do you drink coffee for breakfast? Or [would you] rather
[have] tea?
2. #2: Coffee is good.
3. #1: Here’s your coffee.
4. #2: Thanks.
5. #1: John, please give me the honey.
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #8 - BREAKFAST TIME! 2 2

6. #2: Here you are.
7. #1: Thanks.
8. #2: I’m taking two more sausages, okay?
9. #1: Yes.
INFORMAL GERMAN
1. #1: John, trinkst du Kaffee zum Frühstück? Oder lieber Tee?
2. #2: Kaffee ist gut.
3. #1: Hier ist dein Kaffee.
4. #2: Danke.
5. #1: John, gib mir bitte den Honig.
6. #2: Bitte.
7. #1: Danke.
8. #2: Ich nehme mir noch zwei Würstchen, okay?
9. #1: Ja.
INFORMAL ENGLISH
CONT'D OVER

1. #1: John, do you drink coffee for breakfast? Or [would you] rather
[have] tea?
2. #2: Coffee is good.
3. #1: Here’s your coffee.
4. #2: Thanks.
5. #1: John, please give me the honey.
6. #2: Here you are.
7. #1: Thanks.
8. #2: I’m taking two more sausages, okay?
9. #1: Yes.
VOCABULARY
trinken to drink verb
noch still; yet; another adverb
vowel-changing
verb: ich nehme, du
nehmen to take verb nimmst, er nimmt,
wir nehmen…
Honig honey noun, masculine, der masculine; no plural
personal pronoun;
mir to me Dative Dative

vowel-changing
verb: ich gebe, du
geben to give verb gibst, er gibt, wir
geben…
dein your (informal) possessive pronoun
Tee tea noun masculine; no plural
lieber rather adverb
zwei two (2) numeral
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Ich tri n ke i m m e r Ka ffe e , w e n n i ch Ich tri n ke ke i n Bi e r.

a rbe i te .
I don't drink any beer.
I always drink coffee when I work.
Es i st n o ch Wi n te r. N i m m d i r n o ch e i n S tü ck Fl e i sch !
It's still winter. Take another piece of meat!
Ich tri n ke g e rn e Mi l ch m i t H o n i g . Bi tte g i b m i r e tw a s zu tri n ke n !
I like drinking milk with honey. Please give me something to drink!
Bi tte g i b m i r e tw a s zu tri n ke n ! D e i n H a u s i st se h r g ro ß.
Please give me something to drink! Your house is very big.
Ko m m st d u a l l e i n o d e r ko m m t d e i n Mö ch te st d u e i n e n g rü n e n Te e ?
Ma n n a u ch ?
Would you like some green tea?
Are you coming alone or is your husband
coming, too?
Isst d u l i e be r S te a k o d e r S ch n i tze l ? Mö ch te st d u e i n o d e r zw e i
Brö tch e n ?
Do you prefer eating steak or schnitzel?
Do you want one or two rolls?
GRAMMAR
Remember cases from the 6th beginner lesson? You already saw the Nominative case, the
default case for which “der”, “die” and “das” don’t change. In the 6th lesson, you also saw the
Dative case, which turns the articles into “dem”, “der” and “dem”. The Dative case is usually
used after prepositions, or also for people when they are the object of a sentence. For
example, we met “dir” in the last lesson’s dialog, and “mir” in this lesson’s dialog, and they
are the Dative equivalents of “du” and “ich”.
Now in today’s lesson, we’ll have a glance at another case, the Accusative. As the name
suggests, this case would be used in the sentence “You accuse me of…” – the “me” in there is
the Accusative of “I”. However, the Accusative is not limited to that sentence. In German, it’s
used whenever a thing is an object of a sentence (as opposed to the Dative case, which is for
people), and sometimes it’s even used for people as well! We’ll dive more into those
irregularities later, for now it’s enough if you remember that:
- Nominative is used for the subject of a sentence, for dictionary entries and the like
- Dative is used after most prepositions and it is often used when people are the object of a
sentence
- Accusative is used when things or people are the object of a sentence
Just like the other cases, Accusative does not require any change to the noun, only the article
changes. Instead of “der”, “die” and “das” you get “den”, “die”, “das” – so actually you only
need to pay attention to masculine nouns. And for plural, the article doesn’t change either, it’s
still “die”. Here’s a little overview of the forms of “der”, “die” and “das” in the forms that we’ve
encountered so far. You can find an absolutely complete list of forms in the Grammar Bank.
Singular
Nominative: der, die, das
Dative: dem, der, dem
Accusative: den, die, das
Plural
Nominative: die, die, die
Accusative: die, die, die
CULTURAL INSIGHT
There are some things you should know about having meals in Germany. First is, that people
generally try to have meals together, as a family or as a group of friends, and people are
adverse to eating regular meals “on the side”, that is, while watching TV, while standing or
anything that does not involve sitting down at a table together with others and eating leisurely.
Once everybody has sat down, somebody will say “Guten Appetit” (to wish people a good
appetite or enjoyment of the meal), others will respond the same or “Danke,
gleichfalls” (thanks, to you too) or the like and then everybody can start eating. It’s impolite to

start before everybody has sat down or before wishing people a good appetite. Some families
will also pray before the meal, and if you’re with a big party, somebody may want to make a
speech before people start eating. In order not to commit a faux pas, just assume things are
going to be this way. If really people want you to start without them, they will tell you.
Once you’re done, don’t just get up but wait until everybody else is done, too, so that you
don’t ruin the calm atmosphere… people don’t like feeling hurried during their meal. Again, if
it’s different, people will tell you that you can already leave.
People like to drink beer with simple dishes and wine with more fancy dishes. Very often,
especially when it’s for lunch, people will just have water or Apfelschorle instead though.
Apfelschorle is apple juice mixed with carbonated mineral water. It’s refreshing and quite
healthy. Note that some households will not have any soda, lemonade or non-carbonated
water. Restaurants and cafés always have soda (though the selection is different in Germany
than in the states), but still no lemonade or non-carbonated water.

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #9
The Weather
CONTENTS
2 German
2 English
2 Informal German
3 Informal English
3 Vocabulary
4 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
6 Cultural Insight
# 9
GERMAN
1. #2: Frau Wucher, wie wird das Wetter heute? Wird es kalt?
2. #1: Nein, es wird wahrscheinlich sehr schön warm und sonnig.
3. #2: Wird es sehr warm sein?
4. #1: Nein, nicht zu warm.
5. #2: Dann werde ich Jeans tragen. Wird es später Regen geben?
6. #1: Wahrscheinlich nicht.
7. #2: Gut.
ENGLISH
1. #2: Ms Wucher, how is the weather going to be today?
2. #1: It will probably be very nice warm and sunny.
3. #2: Will it be very warm?
4. #1: No, not too warm.
5. #2: Then I will wear jeans. Will there be rain later?
6. #1: Probably not.
7. #2: Good.
INFORMAL GERMAN
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #9 - THE WEATHER 2

1. #2: Michaela, wie wird das Wetter heute? Wird es kalt?
2. #1: Nein, es wird wahrscheinlich sehr schön warm und sonnig.
3. #2: Wird es sehr warm sein?
4. #1: Nein, nicht zu warm.
5. #2: Dann werde ich Jeans tragen. Wird es später Regen geben?
6. #1: Wahrscheinlich nicht.
7. #2: Gut.
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1. #2: Michaela, how is the weather going to be today?
2. #1: It will probably be very nice warm and sunny.
3. #2: Will it be very warm?
4. #1: No, not too warm.
5. #2: Then I will wear jeans. Will there be rain later?
6. #1: Probably not.
7. #2: Good.
VOCABULARY

when not used as a

question word, “wie”
wie how pronoun has the meaning of
“as”
tragen to wear; to carry verb
zu too (much) adverb / preposition
dann then adverb
später later adverb
sonnig sunny adjective
wahrscheinlich probably adverb
kalt cold adjective
Wetter weather noun plural is the same
Regen rain noun masculine
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Wi e i st d e i n N a m e ? Wi e h e i ßt d u ?
What's your name? How are you called?
U n se r Ba u m trä g t vi e l e Frü ch te Fü r d i e se n Au sfl u g so l l te n S i e

d i e se s J a h r. w i d e rsta n d sfä h i g e Kl e i d u n g tra g e n .
Our tree is carrying a lot of fruits this year. You should wear resistant, as in resistant
to wind or rain, clothing for this excursion.
Er trä g t n u r Ma rke n kl a m o tte n . D i e S ch w e ste rn tra g e n h e u te d a s

g l e i ch e Kl e i d .
He only wears brand-name clothes.
The sisters are wearing the same dress
today.

D i e Am e i se n tra g e n Esse n . Ich tra g e e i n e n H e l m .
The ants are carrying food. I'm wearing a helmet. / I'm carrying a
helmet.
D a s i st zu te u e r. Mo rg e n a rbe i te i ch u n d d a n n fl i e g e
i ch n a ch Bo sto n .
That is too expensive.
Tomorrow I work and then I fly to Boston.
Es w i rd spä te r R e g e n g e be n . Es i st e i n so n n i g e r Mo rg e n .
There will be rain later. It's a sunny morning.
Wa h rsch e i n l i ch w i rd e s re g n e n . H e u te i st e s ka l t.
It will probably rain. Today it's cold.
D a s We tte r h e u te i st se h r sch w ü l . Es w i rd spä te r R e g e n g e be n .
The weather is really humid today. There will be rain later.
GRAMMAR
A question like "Wie wird das Wetter morgen?" (How is the weather going to be tomorrow?)
requires the future tense. In German, the future is formed using a form of werden and the
infinitive of the verb you intend to use.Unfortunately werden is not just a vowel-changing verb
but also irregular. The forms are: ich werde, du wirst, er wird, wir werden, ihr werdet, sie
werden
Also, you need to be careful whenever there are two verbs (or auxiliary + verb) in a German
sentence: the second one will go to the end of the sentence. Compare for example "ich esse
einen Pfannkuchen" (I eat a pancake) and "Ich werde einen Pfannkuchen essen" (I will eat a
pancake) - this literally translates to "I will a pancake eat" and sounds a bit like Yoda, but in
German it's the only right way to say this.
The special expression "es gibt" (there is/are) changes to "es wird geben" (there will be), and
this is often used when talking about the weather, for example you will often hear "es wird
Regen geben”(there will be rain).
Finally, you can also dismiss all of this and use the present tense with a future meaning when

the context is clear: for example in the last lesson we heard "ich nehme mir noch zwei
Würstchen", meaning "I will take two more sausages" rather than "I am taking two more
sausages".
CULTURAL INSIGHT
The weather in Germany is quite typical for its region. As in the remaining countries of central
Europe, a temperate cool and cloudy weather dominates. The weather in the northern part of
Germany is influenced by winds from the North Sea most of the time, so temperatures over
28°C in summer and below 0°C in winter are rare (note that everybody in Germany uses
degrees Celsius and may not have heard of Fahrenheit).
If you want to do winter sports during Christmas time, you either have to visit the southern part
of Germany or one of the indoor-skiing centers that have become very popular in the last
years in the northern part of Germany.
For people in the “Ruhrpott” (a megalopolis in the north west) and the surrounding areas it is a
very common custom to go to the “Baggerloch” on hot summer days to swim, relax or just
enjoy the weather. These “Baggerlöcher” (= plural of “Baggerloch”) are huge man-made
lakes which are a relict of the gravel-mining in the area. If you want to go to one of these, be
cautious: There are some “Baggerlöcher” which are opened for the public and guaranteed to
be safe to swim in but many more are fenced in and officially part of a company site. Typically,
no one will care if someone comes there to swim and there will be fewer people than in the
others but you never know if it might be dangerous to swim there as there could be old steel
cables in the water or the water depth could increase suddenly, so if you go there take
someone with you who knows where its safe.

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #10
Jetlagged in Düsseldorf
CONTENTS
2 German
2 English
2 Informal German
3 Informal English
3 Vocabulary
4 Sample Sentences
4 Grammar
5 Cultural Insight
# 10
GERMAN
1. #1: Was werden Sie heute machen?
2. #2: Ich bin mir noch nicht sicher. Wahrscheinlich werde ich mir
Düsseldorf ansehen, aber ich bin auch sehr müde...
3. #1: Das ist der Jet Lag. Ruhen Sie sich heute aus.
4. #2: Aber ich bin in Deutschland! Ich werde mir die Umgebung ansehen.
Kommen Sie mit?
5. #1: Jetzt?
ENGLISH
1. #1: What are you going to do today?
2. #2: I’m not sure yet myself. I will probably have a look at Düsseldorf, but
I am also very tired...
3. #1: It’s the jet lag. Relax today.
4. #2: But I am in Germany! I will have a look at the surroundings. Are

you coming along?
5. #1: Now?
INFORMAL GERMAN
1. #1: Was wirst du heute machen?
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #10 - JETLAGGED IN DüSSELDORF 2

2. #2: Ich bin mir noch nicht sicher. Wahrscheinlich werde ich mir
Düsseldorf ansehen,
3. aber ich bin auch sehr müde...
4. #1: Das ist der Jet Lag. Ruh dich heute aus.
5. #2: Aber ich bin in Deutschland! Ich werde mir die Umgebung ansehen.
Kommst du mit?
6. #1: Jetzt?
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1. #1: What are you going to do today?
2. #2: I’m not sure yet myself. I will probably have a look at Düsseldorf, but
I am also very tired...
3. #1: It’s the jet lag. Relax today.
4. #2: But I am in Germany! I will have a look at the surroundings. Are you
coming along?
5. #1: Now?
VOCABULARY
sicher sure adjective
mitkommen to come along verb

Umgebung surroundings noun, feminine, die feminine
Deutschland Germany proper noun
you, yourself (often pronoun; Accusative

dich not translated) of “du” Accusative of “du”
ausruhen relax verb splitting verb
auch also adverb
aber but conjunction
er sieht an, er sah

ansehen have a look at verb an, er hat angesehen
jetzt now adverb
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Bi st d u d i r si ch e r? Mö ch te st d u m i tko m m e n ?
Are you sure? Would you like to come along?
Wi r fa h re n n a ch D e u tsch l a n d . Ich m a g d i ch .
We go to Germany. I like you.
La ss u n s h e u te a u sru h e n . Ich m ö ch te a u ch D e u tsch l e rn e n .
Let´s relax today. I also want to learn German.
Abe r i ch w o l l te d o ch fe rn se h e n ! Ich w e rd e m i r d i e S ta d t a n se h e n .
But I wanted to watch TV! I will have a look at the town.
Ich m ö ch te j e tzt g e h e n . Wo w o h n st d u j e tzt?
I want to go now. Where do you live now?
GRAMMAR

Ansehen, ausruhen and mitkommen are examples of a new species of German verbs, which
you haven’t met so far: splitting verbs.
There are certain prefixes that are sometimes connected to the verb and sometimes split off.
“an”, “aus” and “mit” are among them. They stay connected for the infinitive (and hence also
for the future tense, which consists of werden and the infinitive), and on some other
occasions, which we’ll cover later. They split off for the present tense, and the prefix then goes
to the end of the sentence.
A lot of splitting verbs can be easily identified because they match phrasal verbs in English:
verbs such as “come along”, “bring along”, “go out”, “go away”, “leave behind”… You can also
identify them by the prefix – it’s always the same prefixes that split off, and eventually you will
recognize them instinctively.
Here is an example of phrases with splitting verbs:
Ich werde ausgehen. (Ich gehe aus.) Kommst du mit? Nein, ich ruhe mich lieber aus.
(I will go out / I go out. Are you coming along? No, I [would] rather relax [myself] [out].)
CULTURAL INSIGHT
In German residential areas, depending on what an area you are in, you will see everything
from detached houses with gardens in front of them to apartment buildings with smallish
playgrounds in the backyard. The rather narrow streets always have sidewalks and most of
the time a separated bicycle path, too.
Small shops selling products of everyday life, barbers, bakeries and some small
supermarkets in the nearer surroundings make sure you don´t have to go far to get everything
you need, whereas the real large supermarkets, do-it-yourself stores and so on usually are a
small distance outside of the residential area nearer to the town center. Elementary schools
and kindergartens are also often found near the residential areas, sometimes even directly
inside of them.
As there are several different types of secondary schools, they need to be more centered so
everyone can reach them as easy as possible. Therefore they are usually near the town
center or at least somewhere you can easily go by bus from most suburbs and the
surrounding area. Churches are usually spread all over town, if you are in a rather old and/or
small city there´s usually a single church in the town center and maybe a few in the suburbs.
This is a relic of medieval times, when “city” just meant a few houses standing near together
and the church marked the center.

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #11
10 things tourists must know
CONTENTS
2 German
2 English
2 Informal German
3 Informal English
3 Vocabulary
4 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
5 Cultural Insight
# 11
GERMAN
1. (lautes Klingeln)
2. #1: Hey, Sie! Gehen Sie zur Seite! Das ist der Fahrradweg!
3. #2: Fahrradweg?
4. #1: Ja. Haben Sie keine Augen im Kopf?? Der Gehweg ist da!
5. #2: Oh, Entschuldigung.
6. #1: Nächstes Mal machen Sie die Augen auf!
ENGLISH
1. (loud ringing)
2. #1: Hey, you! Go to the side! This is the bicycle path!
3. #2: Bike path?
4. #1: Yes. Don’t you have any eyes [in the head]?? The sidewalk is there!
5. #2: Oh, excuse me.
6. #1: Next time, open your eyes!
INFORMAL GERMAN
1. (lautes Klingeln)
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #11 - 10 THINGS TOURISTS MUST KNOW 2

2. #1: Hey, du! Geh zur Seite! Das ist der Fahrradweg!
3. #2: Fahrradweg?
4. #1: Ja. Hast du keine Augen im Kopf?? Der Gehweg ist da!
5. #2: Oh, Entschuldigung.
6. #1: Nächstes Mal mach die Augen auf!
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1. (loud ringing)
2. #1: Hey, you! Go to the side! This is the bicycle path!
3. #2: Bike path?
4. #1: Yes. Don’t you have any eyes [in the head]?? The sidewalk is there!
5. #2: Oh, excuse me.
6. #1: Next time, open your eyes!
VOCABULARY
not used for "going

gehen to go, to walk verb by car" which would
be "(Auto) fahren"
nächstes Mal next time phrase

da there adverb
Kopf head noun masculine
neuter, plural: "Die

Auge eye noun Augen"
Seite side noun, feminine, die feminine
Gehweg sidewalk noun, masculine, der masculine
Fahrradweg bike path noun, masculine, der masculine
irregular; ich habe,

du hast, er hat, wir
haben to have verb haben, ihr habt, sie
haben
aufmachen open verb; splitting verb "auf" splits off
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Ich g e h e n a ch Am e ri ka . La ss u n s i n s Ki n o g e h e n .
I go to America. Let's go to the movies.
N ä ch ste s Ma l w i rd a l l e s a n d e rs. D i e Po st i st d a !
Next time it will be completely different. The mail is there! [has arrived]
Er ste h t d a d rü be n . Er n i ckt m i t d e m Ko pf.
He stands over there. He nods with his head.
Ma ch d i e Au g e n a u f! D u m u sst a u f d e r re ch te n S e i te
fa h re n .
Open your eyes!
You have to drive on the right side.
D i e S e i te n d i e se s Bu ch e s si n d to ta l Es g i bt i m m e r zw e i S e i te n .
ve rkl e bt.
There are always two sides.
The pages of this books are sticking
together really hard.

D i e s i st e i n G e h w e g . D e r Fa h rra d w e g i st d o rt.
This is a sidewalk. The bike path is over there.
D u h a st e i n e g ro ße Kl a ppe . H a be n S i e Ze i t?
You have a big mouth. Do you have time?
Ma ch st d u bi tte d a s Fe n ste r a u f? Ka n n st d u d i e Tü r a u fm a ch e n ?
Would you please open the window? Can you open the door?
GRAMMAR
Todays Grammar Point features a very important German verb: haben - to have
While this is undoubtedly one of the most important verbs, it also happens to be irregular.
Therefore it is:
ich habe
du hast
er hat
wir haben
ihr habt
sie haben
In the future tense, it behaves like a regular verb:

ich werde haben
du wirst haben
etc.
Examples:
Ich habe ein Auto. - I have a car.

Du hast ein Haus. - You have a house.
Er hat keine Arbeit. - He doesn't have work.
Wir werden schönes Wetter haben. - We will have beautiful weather.
This verb is very versatile, because you can use it in a lot of cases.You can use it to say that
you are hungry or thirsty or to brag about personal belongings.
CULTURAL INSIGHT

When you come to Germany you will find that bikes often go on the sidewalk. For children it is
accepted to ride their bikes on the sidewalk. Adults are basically expected to ride their bike on
the street, unless of course there is a Fahrradweg (bike path). So if you don't want to end up in
a similar situation as John, it might be worth to have a look at some important street signs.
For example:
If you see a round blue sign, with a woman holding the hand of a child on the left, a vertical
line in the middle and a bike on the right, then this is the sign that the sidewalk is shared and
both pedestrians and bikes can use the full width of the path.
A blue round sign with a woman holding the hand of a child on the upper half, a horizontal line
in the middle and a bike in the lower half indicates that both bikes and pedestrians each have
a separated section of the path. This is often indicated by a line or by a different pavement
color.
There is also a round blue sign only showing the woman holding the hand of a child. This
means bikes mustn’t go on the sidewalk. Instead they are supposed to go along the very right
edge of the street.
And these are only a few vital signs for pedestrians. Streets signs are very vital to understand
what's going on around you and if you are planning to come to Germany, then you should
study street signs more in depth, as a lot of signs look different than they do in the USA.
But there are also a few other unspoken rules you should be aware of.
One of them is the "right before left" rule. If you are driving your car in residential areas you will
find that there are hardly any street signs and almost no trafic lights. So if two or more cars
approach a cross-way, it is simply expected for the one without a car to his right side to go first.
You will also find that this makes pedestrians really secure when crossing streets near such a
point. Since the cars are supposed to slow down and check for other drivers anyway,
pedestrians also expect the car to wait till they crossed the street.
You won't have to worry about street signs when you go by train, however there are also a few
rules to keep in mind.
Especially when you ride a long-distance train, many seats are reserved. If you sit there you
will have to get up when/if the person who reserved the seat comes in. So it spares you a lot
of trouble if you don't just avoid sitting in reserved seats, but also reserve a seat of your own.
This costs a small fee, but if your train journey lasts a few hours it is well worth it. However, be
careful which class you book. The first class is way more expensive but also more luxurious.
Unless you bought a first class ticket, you really shouldn't sit there. If you aren't sure which
class you just entered, you can either take a look at the wagons, since there is usually a
number indicating the class on the outside, or on the walls and doors, since you will often find

the indicating number there, too.
Unfortunately this only counts if you are traveling long-distance, on the ICE, IC or EC type
train. If you travel regional you should make sure to get your ticket before you enter the train,
because you can't just buy them in the train when you are traveling regional and there are
some pretty high fines if one gets caught dodging the fare.
The same goes when you travel by bus. It is always handy to have your ticket before you
enter. You can always buy one from the driver, but they are often a bit more expensive. And
don't try to get in at the back by all means. If the driver does not open the door, it means you
are expected to get in at the front. This way the driver checks if you already have a ticket and if
not you have to buy one. Sometimes the driver will refuse to drive on a single centimeter
unless he is sure that everyone has a ticket.
Please also keep in mind that while it is okay to eat or drink a bit when going a long distance
by train, it is not tolerated in busses or other kinds of local traffic. The drivers are really
articulate about not bringing ice cream, cola cups or Döner with you, because it could spill
and ruin other peoples clothes or soil the vehicle.
Also: there is a no-smoking rule in effect in Germany, which include many public building and
the public transport system as well as airports. Try not to forget it, because many people are
really touchy about it and you won't want to get into trouble.

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #12
What's that cabbage called?
CONTENTS
2 German
2 English
3 Informal German
3 Informal English
4 Vocabulary
4 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
6 Cultural Insight
# 12
GERMAN
1. #2: Da bin ich wieder.
2. #1: Hallo Herr Williams!
3. #2: Jetzt habe ich Hunger. Haben Sie etwas zu essen?
4. #1: Ja, es gibt gleich Mittagessen.
5. #2: Schön. Was gibt es?
6. #1: Pfannkuchen mit Speck.
7. #2: Pfannkuchen zum Mittagessen? Ich habe Lust auf Schnitzel. Haben
Sie keine Zeit, Schnitzel zu machen?
8. #1: Nein, es gibt Pfannkuchen.
ENGLISH
1. #2: There I am again.
2. #1: Hello John!
3. #2: Now I am hungry [I have hunger]. Do you have something to eat?
4. #1: Yes, soon we will have lunch [there will be noon-food].
5. #2: Nice. What are we having? [What is there?]
6. #1: Pancakes with bacon.
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #12 - WHAT'S THAT CABBAGE CALLED? 2

7. #2: Pancakes for lunch? I am in the mood for schnitzel [I have desire of
schnitzel]. Don’t you have time to make schnitzel?
8. #1: No, we are having [there are] pancakes.
INFORMAL GERMAN
1. #2: Da bin ich wieder.
2. #1: Hallo John!
3. #2: Jetzt habe ich Hunger. Hast du etwas zu essen?
4. #1: Ja, es gibt gleich Mittagessen.
5. #2: Schön. Was gibt es?
6. #1: Pfannkuchen mit Speck.
7. #2: Pfannkuchen zum Mittagessen? Ich habe Lust auf Schnitzel. Hast
du keine Zeit, Schnitzel zu machen?
8. #1: Nein, es gibt Pfannkuchen.
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1. #2: There I am again.
2. #1: Hello John!
CONT'D OVER

3. #2: Now I am hungry [I have hunger]. Do you have something to eat?
4. #1: Yes, soon we will have lunch [there will be noon-food].
5. #2: Nice. What are we having? [What is there?]
6. #1: Pancakes with bacon.
7. #2: Pancakes for lunch? I am in the mood for schnitzel [I have desire of
schnitzel]. Don’t you have time to make schnitzel?
8. #1: No, we are having [there are] pancakes.
VOCABULARY
da there adverb
Hunger hunger noun, masculine, der no plural
Speck bacon noun, masculine, der masculine
neuter; Mittag =
Mittagessen lunch noun noon + Essen = food
etwas something adverb
wieder again adverb
Zeit time noun; feminine, die plural: Zeiten
Lust (auf) desire (of) noun, feminine, die feminine
mit with preposition
gleich shortly
SAMPLE SENTENCES

D i e Po st i st d a ! Er ste h t d a d rü be n .
The mail is there! [has arrived] He stands over there.
Ich h a be H u n g e r. D a s Mi tta g e sse n i st g l e i ch fe rti g .
I am hungry. Lunch will soon be ready.
J a , e tw a s. Ich w i l l e tw a s tri n ke n .
Yes, I speak some. I want to drink something.
Mu sst d u w i e d e r G i ta rre spi e l e n ? D i e Ze i te n ä n d e rn si ch .
Do you have to play the guitar again? Times change.
Ich h a be j e tzt Ze i t. Ich h a be Lu st a u f Fe rn se h e n .
I have time now. I am in the mood for TV.
Ich h a be Lu st a u f Ka ffe e . Ich m u ss m i t d e m H u n d ra u sg e h e n .
I am in the mood for coffee. (literally: I I have to go out with the dog. / I have to
have desire of coffee) walk the dog.
Er spi e l t m i t d e m H u n d . Al l e Me n sch e n si n d g l e i ch .
He plays with the dog. All men are equal.
Ich bi n g l e i ch w i e d e r d a .
I will be back shortly.
GRAMMAR
This lesson gives you the chance to let things settle in a bit, and to review the forms of haben.
Here they are again: ich habe, du hast, er hat, wir haben, ihr habt, sie haben.
Haben is a very versatile verb, as evidenced by this lesson’s dialog. Here are some useful
expressions that involve haben:
- Hunger haben (to have hunger = to be hungry)
- Lust haben auf ... (to have desire of = to be in the mood for)

- Zeit haben (to have time)
And some more that weren’t in the dialog:
- Durst haben (to have thirst = to be thirsty)
- Interesse haben (to have interest = to be interested)
- Angst haben (to have fear = to be afraid)
- Recht haben (to have right = to be right) / Unrecht haben (to have wrong = to be wrong)
- gern haben (willingly have = to like)
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Typical German lunch foods – what is typical German food?

It varies a lot by region; e. g. the Southern German cuisine is much more similar to the one of
Austria and Switzerland.
Some ingredients that can be found everywhere:
- sausages
- mustard
- potatoes
- cabbage in different forms: Sauerkraut, Rotkohl, Grünkohl, Kohlrabi, Rosenkohl, …
In dishes:
- potato soup
- potato salad
- spätzle
- knödel (dumplings made from potatoes)
- schnitzel
- Reibekuchen (potato pancakes)
Adopted food from immigrants:

- pizza and pasta
- döner kebab
- gyros

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #13
Having fun in Germany
CONTENTS
2 German
2 English
2 Informal German
3 Informal English
3 Vocabulary
4 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
6 Cultural Insight
# 13
GERMAN
1. #1: Und? Ist es schön draußen?
2. #2: Ja. Ich liebe die schönen Gärten, die kleinen Straßen und die
lachenden Kinder. Düsseldorf ist eine große Stadt, aber in großen
Städten in Amerika ist die Umgebung nicht so schön..
3. #1: Sind Sie jetzt müde?
4. #2: Ja, ich bin sehr müde. Ich werde mich ausruhen.
5. #1: Wahrscheinlich kommt mein Mann später. Er geht noch zu seinem

Verein.
6. #2: Okay.
ENGLISH
1. #1: And? Is it nice outside?
2. #2: Yes. I love the nice gardens, the small streets and the laughing
children. Düsseldorf is a big city, but in big cities in America the
surroundings aren’t as nice.
3. #1: Are you tired now?
4. #2: Yes, I am very tired. I will rest.
5. #1: My husband will probably come later. He is still going to his club.
6. #2: Okay.
INFORMAL GERMAN
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #13 - HAVING FUN IN GERMANY 2

1. #1: Und? Ist es schön draußen?
2. #2: Ja. Ich liebe die schönen Gärten, die kleinen Straßen und die
lachenden Kinder. Düsseldorf ist eine große Stadt, aber in großen
Städten in Amerika ist die Umgebung nicht so schön..
3. #1: Bist du jetzt müde?
4. #2: Ja, ich bin sehr müde. Ich werde mich ausruhen.
5. #1: Wahrscheinlich kommt mein Mann später. Er geht noch zu seinem

Verein.
6. #2: Okay.
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1. #1: And? Is it nice outside?
2. #2: Yes. I love the nice gardens, the small streets and the laughing
children. Düsseldorf is a big city, but in big cities in America the
surroundings aren’t as nice.
3. #1: Are you tired now?
4. #2: Yes, I am very tired. I will rest.
5. #1: My husband will probably come later. He is still going to his club.
6. #2: Okay.
VOCABULARY

draußen outside adverb
sein his possessive pronoun
feminine; plural:
Stadt town; city noun, feminine, die Städte
groß tall, big adjective
Kind child noun neuter; plural: Kinder
adjective; derived
from „lachen“(to derived from
laugh) – add –d to „lachen“(to laugh) –
lachend laughing(ly) any verb to create add –d to any verb to
participle-adjectives create participle-
like this adjectives like this
feminine; plural:
Straße street noun Straßen
klein small adjective
masculine; plural:
Garten garden noun Gärten
lieben to love verb
masculine; plural:
Verein club noun, masculine, der Vereine
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Es i st sch ö n d ra u ße n . D ra u ße n i st e s h e u te se h r sch ö n .
It's nice outside. It's very nice outside today.
S e i n e Arbe i t i st n i ch t se h r D i e se S ta d t i st w i rkl i ch g ro ß.
i n te re ssa n t.
This city is really big.
His work isn't very interesting.

Th o m a s i st g e n a u so g ro ß w i e S ve n . D u h a st e i n e g ro ße Kl a ppe .
Thomas is just as tall as Sven. You have a big mouth.
Ma ri o n kri e g t ba l d i h r e rste s Ki n d . Ich bi n e i n Ei n ze l ki n d .
Marion will soon have her first baby. I'm an only child.
D i e Ki n d e r fre u e n si ch a u f d i e Ki n d e r a n d i e Ma ch t!
Fe ri e n .
Kids to the power!
The kids are looking forward to the
holidays.
Er g i n g l a ch e n d n a ch H a u se . G e h d i e S tra ße e n tl a n g .
He went home laughingly. Go along the street.
Ich l i e be kl e i n e Pa rks. D e i n G a rte n i st se h r sch ö n .
I love small parks. Your garden is very beautiful.
Ich l i e be d i ch . Ich bi n Mi tg l i e d i m S ch a ch -Ve re i n .
I love you. I am member of the chess club.
GRAMMAR
In this lesson we are going to study adjectives and possessive pronouns more closely. As you
probably noticed by now, they tend to change their endings when combined with different
nouns. This happens so that they can reflect the case or gender, when there is no definite
article that could reflect it. Accordingly, the endings will remind you of the endings the definite
article would take if there was one.
Nominative Sg.
der Mann - ein großer Mann
die Frau – eine große Frau
das Kind – ein großes Kind
Dative
dem Mann – einem großen Mann
der Frau – einer großen Frau
dem Kind – einem großen Kind

Accusative
den Mann – einen großen Mann
die Frau – eine große Frau
das Kind – ein großes Kind
Nominative Pl.
der Mann - die Männer
die Frau - die Fauen
das Kind - die Kinder
Accusative Pl.
die Männer – große Männer – meine Männer; die Frauen – große Frauen – meine Frauen
etc. (all the same)
(same for Accusative plural)
CULTURAL INSIGHT
In their free time, Germans watch a lot of TV – 3 ½ hours a day on average. This is still lower
than the American average of roughly 4 ½ hours a day, but steadily rising. The single most
popular hobby apart from watching TV or surfing the internet is probably soccer. The majority
of Germans are or have been in a soccer club at some point in their life. The entire scene of
hobby clubs is more developed than in America because schools don’t typically offer many
clubs of their own – so youths and adults alike join public clubs instead.
Every city has a large range of sports clubs, from ball games to martial arts and dancing.
There are also gaming clubs; particularly popular are Skat and Doppelkopf (German card
games), chess and German board games. Then, there are clubs dedicated to keep alive
some part of culture, such as the shooting clubs, Karneval clubs, dialect clubs and foreign
folklore clubs. Finally, there are breeding clubs (rabbits, pigeons…), collector clubs and much
more.

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #14
Embarrassing Possessions
CONTENTS
2 German
2 English
2 Informal German
3 Informal English
3 Vocabulary
4 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
5 Cultural Insight
# 14
GERMAN
1. #2: Frau Wucher, lesen Sie die "Bravo"??
2. #1: Die "Bravo"? ... Das ist Lisas "Bravo". Lisa ist meine Kusine.
3. #2: Und was ist mit den Hello Kitty Sachen?
4. #1: Ähmm... Das sind die Sachen meiner Freundin.
5. #2: Und dieses Foto? Sie sind wirklich süß mit Nutella um den Mund...
Ist das das Foto Ihres Mannes?
6. #1: ...
ENGLISH
1. #2: Mrs Wucher, do you read the "Bravo"??
2. #1: The "Bravo"? ... That’s Lisa’s "Bravo". Lisa is my (female) cousin.
3. #2: And what about the Hello Kitty things?
4. #1: Ehm... Those are my (female) friend’s things.
5. #2: And this photograph? You are really cute with nutella around the
mouth... is this your husband's fotograph?
6. #1: ...
INFORMAL GERMAN
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #14 - EMBARRASSING POSSESSIONS 2

1. #2: Hey Michaela, liest du die "Bravo"??
2. #1: Die "Bravo"? ... Das ist Lisas "Bravo". Lisa ist meine Kusine.
3. #2: Und was ist mit den Hello Kitty Sachen?
4. #1: Ähmm... Das sind die Sachen meiner Freundin.
5. #2: Und dieses Foto? Du bist wirklich süß mit Nutella um den Mund...
Ist das das Foto deines Mannes?
6. #1: ...
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1. #2: Hey Michaela, do you read the "Bravo"??
2. #1: The "Bravo"? ... That’s Lisa’s "Bravo". Lisa is my (female) cousin.
3. #2: And what about the Hello Kitty things?
4. #1: Ehm... Those are my (female) friend’s things.
5. #2: And this photograph? You are really cute with nutella around the
mouth... is this your husband's fotograph?
6. #1: ...
VOCABULARY

demonstrative
dieses this pronoun
süß sweet; cute adjective
wirklich really adverb
Foto photo noun neuter; plural: Fotos
feminine; plural:
Freundin female friend noun, feminine, die Freundinnen
Sache thing noun; feminine, die plural: Sachen
feminine; plural:
Kusine female cousin noun, feminine, die Kusinen
er liest, er las, er hat

lesen to read verb gelesen
masculine; plural:
Mund mouth noun Münder
um around preposition
SAMPLE SENTENCES
D i e se S ta d t i st se h r be rü h m t. D i e se r Fi sch i st se h r a l t.
This city is very famous. This fish is really old.
Ich m a g d i e se s Li e d . In D e u tsch l a n d g i bt e s n u r sü ße s
Po pco rn , ke i n sa l zi g e s.
I like this song.
In Germany there is only sweet popcorn,
no salty popcorn.
D i e Bo n bo n s si n d se h r sü ß. S i e i st sü ß.
The candy is very sweet. She is cute.
D i e se S ta d t i st w i rkl i ch g ro ß. D a s w a r w i rkl i ch l e cke r.
This city is really big. This was really yummy.

Ich h a be Fo to s g e m a ch t. D a s i st m e i n e Fre u n d i n .
I took some pictures. This is my girldfriend. / This is a (female)

friend of mine.
D i e se S a ch e m a ch t m i r Pro bl e m e . D a s i st m e i n e Ku si n e .
This thing is troublesome to me. This is my (female) cousin.
Ich l e se g e ra d e e i n g u te s Bu ch . D u h a st d a w a s a m Mu n d .
I am reading a good book at the moment. There is something at your mouth.
Er ste h t j e d e n Mo rg e n u m 8 U h r Au to s ra se n u m d i e
a u f. Au to re n n stre cke .
He gets up at 8am every morning. Cars speed around the auto racing track.
GRAMMAR
In this lesson we are going to learn the Genitive case. The Genitive case is used for
describing possession: for example in the English sentence “this is my husband’s magazine”,
the ‘s in “husband’s” indicates that it is Genitive. In German, Genitive is a bit more
complicated than that. Also, it changes both noun and the article. In that way it is unlike the
cases you have learned before.
Genitive Singular: des Mannes – eines großen Mannes; der Frau – einer großen Frau; des
Kindes – eines großen Kindes (characteristic –es)
Genitive Plural: der Männer – großer Männer – meiner Männer; der Frauen – großer Frauen
– meiner Frauen, etc. (all the same)
Congratulations, this was the last of the German cases. Now the only form that you haven’t
encountered yet is the Dative plural. Let’s throw this in so that we can say we’re done with all
rules concerning German nouns.
Dative Plural: den Männern – großen Männern – meinen Männern; den Frauen – großen
Frauen – meinen Frauen, etc. (all the same; in plural everything is the same)
CULTURAL INSIGHT
There are a lot of German magazines. You can find one for almost every topic. Not just TV
magazines but magazines about every single hobby (from astrology to chess to stamp

collecting), every science, lots of computer magazines of every flavour, lots of lifestyle
magazines, magazines about royalty or stars… . A few well-known ones:
- BRAVO for teenies, mostly about boygroups and famous pop singers;
- Das Goldene Blatt about royals, nobles and stars for older women;
- Der Spiegel for politics;
- Brigitte for women;
…

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #15
There's a package for you
CONTENTS
2 German
2 English
3 Informal German
3 Informal English
4 Vocabulary
4 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
6 Cultural Insight
# 15
GERMAN
1. *doorbell* *open door*
2. Michaela: Hallo?
3. Postman: Hallo, ein Paket für Sie.
4. Michaela: Für mich? Ich erwarte gar kein Paket…
5. Postman: Na ja, es ist für Ihren Nachbarn, Herrn Schröder.
6. Michaela: Oh, der neue Nachbar.
7. Postman: Hier ist das Paket, danke. Ich gehe jetzt.
8. Michaela: Wieso macht das Paket komische Geräusche??
9. Postman: Auf Wiedersehen!
10. * going away *
ENGLISH
1. Michaela: Hello?
2. Postman: Hello, a package for you.
3. Michaela: For me? I am not expecting a package.
4. Postman: Well, it’s for your neighbour, Mr. Schröder.
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #15 - THERE'S A PACKAGE FOR YOU 2

5. Michaela: Oh, the new neighbour.
6. Postman: Here’s the package, thanks. I’m going now.
7. Michaela: Why is the package making strange noises??
8. Postman: Goodbye!
INFORMAL GERMAN
1. Michaela: Hallo?
2. Postman: Hallo, ein Paket für dich.
3. Michaela: Für mich? Ich erwarte gar kein Paket…
4. Postman: Na ja, es ist für deinen Nachbarn, Herrn Schröder.
5. Michaela: Oh, der neue Nachbar.
6. Postman: Hier ist das Paket, danke. Ich gehe jetzt.
7. Michaela: Wieso macht das Paket komische Geräusche??
8. Postman: Tschüss!
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1. Michaela: Hello?
CONT'D OVER

2. Postman: Hello, a package for you.
3. Michaela: For me? I am not expecting a package.
4. Postman: Well, it’s for your neighbour, Mr. Schröder.
5. Michaela: Oh, the new neighbour.
6. Postman: Here’s the package, thanks. I’m going now.
7. Michaela: Why is the package making strange noises??
8. Postman: Bye!
VOCABULARY
Herr Mister noun, masculine, der masculine
erwarten expect, await verb
no, any, absolutely expression; stronger

gar kein no than „kein“ stronger than „kein“
masculine; plural:
Nachbar neighbor noun Nachbarn
neu new adjective
neuter; plural:
Geräusch noise, sound noun, neuter, das Geräusche
komisch strange, weird; funny adjective
Paket package noun, neuter, das neuter; plural: Pakete
wieso why question word
für for preposition
SAMPLE SENTENCES
H e rr S m i th Ich e rw a rte n o ch e i n e n Bri e f.
Mr Smith I’m still awaiting a letter.
Ich h a be g a r ke i n e Lu st a u f Ki n o . Me i n N a ch ba r i st ko m i sch .
I’m in absolutely no mood for the movies. My neighbor is strange.
Ist d e r Pu l l i n e u ? Wa s i st d a s fü r e i n G e rä u sch ?
Is that pullover new? What kind of noise is that?
Me i n N a ch ba r i st ko m i sch . Ist d a s Pa ke t fü r m i ch ?
My neighbor is strange. Is that package for me?
Wi e so i st d e r H i m m e l bl a u ? Wi e so i st d a s so ?
Why is the sky blue? Why is that so?
Ist d a s Pa ke t fü r m i ch ?
Is that package for me?
GRAMMAR
In this lesson’s dialog, you can review many of the case rules that we talked about so far.
However, we would now also like to draw your attention to what the cases do to personal
pronouns. So far we’ve been covering them one at a time – for example you already saw
mich, dich, dir and the like in the vocabulary list. Now we’re giving you an overview:
Nominative – Dative – Accusative (Genitive is handled by possessive pronouns)
I: ich – mir - mich
you (informal): du – dir – dich
he: er – ihm – ihn (or “sich” when “himself” is meant)
she: sie – ihr – sie (or “sich” when “herself” is meant)
it: es – ihm – es (or “sich” when “itself” is meant)
we: wir – uns – uns
you (plural): ihr – euch – euch
they / you (formal): sie – ihnen – sie (or “sich” when “themselves” is meant)
Examples:
Ich liebe dich.

Sie findet ihn süß. Sie gibt ihm ein Geschenk.
Er findet sie süß. Er gibt ihr ein Geschenk.
Wir erzählen von uns.
Ihr erzählt von euch.
CULTURAL INSIGHT
German postal service:
- How to address a letter to/within Germany:

first name last name
street and number
postal code and city
country
- Postal code usually only specifies the city, not the street or block or anything. Only major
cities (or cities that used to be several towns) may have a few different postal codes roughly
specifying the area of town.
- Postal codes, like phone numbers, allow you to identify the region within Germany
- If you want to send a postcard from Germany: you can get a postcard anywhere, but for
stamps you usually have to go to a post office (bright yellow). You can then send your card
from there or you throw it into one of the bright yellow mail boxes anywhere around town.
Note that the number of mailboxes has been drastically reduced
- Within Germany, a stamp for a postcard is 45 cents, and a standard letter is 55 cents.
- To most places in Europe, a postcard is 65 cents and a standard letter is 70 cents
- To the USA, a postcard is 1 Euro and a standard letter is € 1,70
Within Germany, your letters or parcels will probably be delivered around noon on the next
day. On Sundays there is no service however.

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #16
When will we see?
CONTENTS
2 German
2 English
3 Informal German
3 Informal English
4 Vocabulary
5 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
6 Cultural Insight
# 16
GERMAN
1. Michaela: So, Herr Williams, was machen wir heute?
2. John: Ich weiß nicht… gehen wir in die Stadt?
3. Michaela: Gute Idee, dann sehen Sie Düsseldorfs Sehenswürdigkeiten. Also,

gehen wir!
4. John: Jetzt?? Ich schreibe gerade eine Postkarte.
5. Michaela: Okay, dann gehen wir später. Um halb zwei vielleicht?
6. John: Dann bin ich bei einem Freund.
7. Michaela: Bei einem Freund?
8. John: Ja. Wie wäre es um viertel vor vier?
9. Michaela: Da mache ich Mittagessen für meinen Mann. Und wenn wir noch
später gehen…
ENGLISH
1. Michaela: So, John, what are we going to do today?
2. John: I don’t know… do we go into the city?
3. Michaela: Good idea, then you’ll see Düsseldorf’s sights. So let’s go!
4. John: Now?? I’m just writing a postcard.
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #16 - WHEN WILL WE SEE? 2

5. Michaela: Okay, then we’ll go later. Maybe around half past one?
6. John: Then I’ll be at a friend’s place.
7. Michaela: At a friend’s?
8. John: Yes. How’bout quarter to four?
9. Michaela: That’s when I’m preparing lunch for my husband. And if we go even
later…
INFORMAL GERMAN
1. Michaela: So, John, was machen wir heute?
2. John: Ich weiß nicht… gehen wir in die Stadt?
3. Michaela: Gute Idee, dann siehst du Düsseldorfs Sehenswürdigkeiten. Also,

gehen wir!
4. John: Jetzt?? Ich schreibe gerade eine Postkarte.
5. Michaela: Okay, dann gehen wir später. Um halb zwei vielleicht?
6. John: Dann bin ich bei einem Freund.
7. Michaela: Bei einem Freund?
8. John: Ja. Wie wäre es um viertel vor vier?
9. Michaela: Da mache ich Mittagessen für meinen Mann. Und wenn wir noch
später gehen…
INFORMAL ENGLISH CONT'D OVER

1. Michaela: So, John, what are we going to do today?
2. John: I don’t know… do we go into the city?
3. Michaela: Good idea, then you’ll see Düsseldorf’s sights. So let’s go!
4. John: Now?? I’m just writing a postcard.
5. Michaela: Okay, then we’ll go later. Maybe around half past one?
6. John: Then I’ll be at a friend’s place.
7. Michaela: At a friend’s?
8. John: Yes. How’bout quarter to four?
9. Michaela: That’s when I’m preparing lunch for my husband. And if we go even
later…
VOCABULARY
vowel-changing
sehen to see verb verb: e -> ie
bei at (a person’s place) preposition
vielleicht maybe adverb
female; plural:
Postkarte post card noun, feminine, die Postkarten
schreiben to write verb
feminine; plural:
Sehenswürdigkeit sight noun, feminine, die Sehenswürdigkeiten

feminine; plural:
Idee idea noun, feminine, die Ideen
gerade right now adverb
conjunction,
also so expression
wie wäre es (mit) how ‘bout (having) expression
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Ich se h e e i n g u te s C a fé . We l ch e n Fi l m m ö ch te st d u se h e n ?
I see a good café. Which movie would you like to see?
Ich bi n be i Ma x. Vi e l l e i ch t spä te r.
I am at Max's place. (with him there) Maybe later.
Ich sch re i be e i n e Po stka rte . Ich sch re i be e i n e Po stka rte .
I am writing a post card. I am writing a post card.
D ü sse l d o rf h a t vi e l e Ich h a be e i n e Id e e .
S e h e n sw ü rd i g ke i te n .
I have an idea.
Düsseldorf has many sights.
Ich h a l te i h n n i ch t g e ra d e fü r e i n e Ich a rbe i te g e ra d e d a ra n .

S ti m m u n g ska n o n e .
I am working at it right now.
I am not exactly taking him for a great
joker.
S o i st d a s a l so . Ich m ö ch te n i ch t g e h e n , a l so bl e i be
i ch .
Ah, so it is.
I don't want to go, so I stay.
Wi e w ä re e s m i t m o rg e n ? Wi e w ä re e s m i t e i n e m Ei s?
How about toworrow? How about having an ice?

GRAMMAR
Numbers 1-12
This will probably be a refresher for most:
1 – Eins, 2 – Zwei, 3 – Drei, 4 – Vier, 5 – Fünf, 6 – Sechs, 7 – Sieben, 8 – Acht, 9 – Neun, 10 –
Zehn, 11 – Elf, 12 – Zwölf
These are also important to know for phone numbers. (For telling your phone number you will
also need the number 0, which in German is “Null”)
Telling the time in German
There are many ways of telling the time. Once you are fluent you will have no trouble giving it
as “17 Uhr 14” (5:14) for example, but until then you can just round it and still be close enough.
The full hour: X Uhr = X o’clock, e. g. 3 Uhr = 3 o’clock
A half hour: Halb X+1 = half past X, e. g. halb 4 = half past 3 - Germans always see the
pointer as being half way to the next hour
A quarter: Viertel vor/nach X = quarter to/past X
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Lunch at quarter to four?

Not really, traditional lunch time is 12 o’clock, or between 12 and 2. However, school
children and people with an 8-4 job may decide to have lunch only when home, and have
something light in between (e. g. Judith’s father).
Other meals: Frühstück before 8 (getting up at half past six); Kaffee around 4 o’clock;
Abendessen/Abendbrot around 6 o’clock; Snacks with TV starting 8:15.

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #17
Who would send THAT in a
package?
CONTENTS
2 German
2 English
3 Informal German
3 Informal English
4 Vocabulary
5 Sample Sentences
6 Grammar
6 Cultural Insight
# 17
GERMAN
1. Michaela: Was ist denn hier los??
2. John: Was?
3. Michaela: Wo kommt denn der Hund her??
4. John: Ein Hund? Sie haben doch keinen Hund.
5. Michaela: Genau. Hey, sitz! Sitz sage ich!
6. John: Das ist ein sehr junger Hund, vielleicht...
7. Michaela: Oh je! Und jetzt pinkelt er auf meinen Teppich!
8. John: Oh nein! Der war sicher im Paket!
ENGLISH
1. Michaela: What’s up here??
2. John: What?
3. Michaela: Where is that dog coming from now??
4. John: A dog? You don’t have any dog.
5. Michaela: Exactly. Hey, sit! I say sit!
6. John: That is a very young dog, maybe...
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #17 - WHO WOULD SEND THAT IN A PACKAGE? 2

7. Michaela: Oh dear! And now it’s peeing on my carpet!
8. John: Oh no! It was probably in the package!
INFORMAL GERMAN
1. Michaela: Was ist denn hier los??
2. John: Was?
3. Michaela: Wo kommt denn der Hund her??
4. John: Ein Hund? Du hast doch keinen Hund.
5. Michaela: Genau. Hey, sitz! Sitz sage ich!
6. John: Das ist ein sehr junger Hund, vielleicht...
7. Michaela: Oh je! Und jetzt pinkelt er auf meinen Teppich!
8. John: Oh nein! Der war sicher im Paket!
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1. Michaela: What’s up here??
2. John: What?
3. Michaela: Where is that dog coming from now??
CONT'D OVER

4. John: A dog? You don’t have any dog.
5. Michaela: Exactly. Hey, sit! I say sit!
6. John: That is a very young dog, maybe...
7. Michaela: Oh dear! And now it’s peeing on my carpet!
8. John: Oh no! It was probably in the package!
VOCABULARY
verb; er sitzt, er saß, er sitzt, er saß, er hat

sitzen to sit er hat gesessen gesessen
Teppich carpet, rug noun; masculine, der plural: Teppiche
pinkeln to pee verb
jung young
to be up, to be afoot; expression;

los sein be rid of conjugates like “sein” conjugates like “sein”
Hund dog noun masculine
sagen to say verb
this is the
doch affirmative, modifier
encouraging
because; adds
denn emphasis modifier

particle; building
block for many building block for
her- splitting verbs: many splitting verbs:
to here
herkommen, herkommen,
hersehen, herrufen… hersehen, herrufen…
SAMPLE SENTENCES
D i e se s Kl e i d h a t d i e ri ch ti g e G rö ße , Wo m ö ch te st d u si tze n ?
a be r e s si tzt n i ch t g u t.
Where would you like to sit?
This dress is in the right size, but it doesn't
drape well.
D e r Te ppi ch i st sch ö n . Er pi n ke l t i n d i e Ecke !
That's a nice carpet. He is peeing in the corner!
Er i st se h r j u n g . En d l i ch bi n i ch d a s l o s.
He is very young. Finally I am rid of this.
Wa s i st d e n n h i e r l o s? Wo ko m m t d e n n d e r H u n d h e r?
What are you up to? Where does the dog come from?
U n d d a n n sa g te e r.... S a g d o ch w a s!
And then he said... Come on, say something!
S a g d o ch w a s! Ko m m d o ch !
Come on, say something! Do come!
D u m a g st d o ch ke i n e S ch o ko l a d e , Ich m a g ke i n S u sh i , d e n n i ch h a sse
o d e r? - D o ch ! Fi sch .
You surely don't like chocolate, do you? – I don't like sushi because I hate fish.
Yes I do!

Wi e si e h st d u d e n n a u s! Ko m m so fo rt h e r!
What a sight you are! Come her immediately!
Wo ko m m t d e n n d e r H u n d h e r?
Where does the dog come from?
GRAMMAR
Word order
German word order is a lot less strict than English word order. You just have to make sure
that the verb always comes in second place, no matter whether a subject or an adverbial
precedes it.
For example:
Ich habe einen Hund. Heute habe ich einen Hund.
After the verb, the subject follows if it hasn’t been mentioned so far. Then the remaining
sentence parts (if available) usually come in the following order: modifier, adverbials, object
of the sentence, anything else, any remaining verb parts (such as infinitives or split-off parts).
An example sentences with lots of parts: John sieht sich doch mit Michaela heute die Altstadt
an. / Heute sieht sich John doch mit Michaela die Altstadt an.
English speakers should note that the time is usually mentioned before the place in German,
for example “Ich gehe heute ins Kino.” (I go today to the cinema). Speakers of Roman
languages should note that adjectives always come before the noun.
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Dogs in Germany
- Germans love their dogs but there are a lot of rules
- dogs may not be acceptable in a rented apartment; must talk to landlord beforehand
- dogs usually aren’t allowed into shops offering food; also other places may have a sign “wir
müssen draußen warten”
- due to problems with aggressive dogs in the past few years, “dangerous” dog breeds (e. g.
pit bulls, bull terriers) are tested for viciousness and may not be imported; other dog breeds
may be required to wear a muzzle or to always go on leash
- you are legally responsible for anything the dog does, may want to get insurance
- travelling with a dog is usually possible (e. g. trains and airplanes), ask in advance; on
entering the country you may need to prove vaccinations and or have your dog undergo a

quarantine period

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #18
I want my dog!
CONTENTS
2 German
2 English
3 Informal German
3 Informal English
4 Vocabulary
5 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
6 Cultural Insight
# 18
GERMAN
1. X: Hallo, ich bin der neue Nachbar! Sie haben ein Paket für mich?
2. Michaela: Wie können Sie einen Hund als Paket bestellen!
3. X: Nun…
4. Michaela: Der arme Hund!
5. X: Ich will einen Hund haben, und ich habe keine Zeit, ihn irgendwo
abzuholen.
6. Michaela: Sie können den Hund nicht abholen? Wie werden Sie dann Zeit für
den Hund haben?
7. X: Geben Sie mir jetzt meinen Hund!
8. Michaela: Ich kann Ihnen den Hund nicht geben…
ENGLISH
1. X: Hello, I am the new neighbour! You have a package for me?
2. Michaela: How can you order a dog as a package!
3. X: Well…
4. Michaela: The poor dog!
5. X: I want to have a dog, and I don’t have any time to pick him up
somewhere.
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #18 - I WANT MY DOG! 2

6. Michaela: You can’t pick up the dog? How will you have time for the dog then?
7. X: Now give me my dog!
8. Michaela: I can’t give you the dog…
INFORMAL GERMAN
1. X: Hey, ich bin der neue Nachbar! Du hast ein Paket für mich?
2. Michaela: Wie können Sie einen Hund als Paket bestellen!
3. X: Nun…
4. Michaela: Der arme Hund!
5. X: Ich will einen Hund haben, und ich habe keine Zeit, ihn irgendwo
abzuholen.
6. Michaela: Du kannst den Hund nicht abholen? Wie wirst du dann Zeit für den
Hund haben?
7. X: Gib mir jetzt meinen Hund!
8. Michaela: Ich kann dir den Hund nicht geben…
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1. X: Hello, I am the new neighbour! You have a package for me?
CONT'D OVER

2. Michaela: How can you order a dog as a package!
3. X: Well…
4. Michaela: The poor dog!
5. X: I want to have a dog, and I don’t have any time to pick him up
somewhere.
6. Michaela: You can’t pick up the dog? How will you have time for the dog then?
7. X: Now give me my dog!
8. Michaela: I can’t give you the dog…
VOCABULARY
preposition; same as
als as in English same as in English
irregular; ich kann,

can, to be able to, to du kannst, er kann,
können verb wir können, ihr
be allowed to
könnt, sie können
bestellen to order verb weak verb
nun now
arm poor adjective
Children are taught

to say “Ich möchte” (I
wollen to want verb would like) rather
than “Ich will”, as it is
more polite; irregular

adverb; irgend- is a irgend- is a prefix like
irgendwo somewhere prefix like some- some-
abholen to pick up verb "ab" splits off
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Ich a rbe i te a l s Le h re r. Wa s m a ch st d u a l s Li n g u i st?
I work as a teacher. What do you do as a linguist?
Ka n n st d u d e u tsch e s Esse n e sse n ? Ich ka n n n i ch t g u t si n g e n .
Can you eat German food? I can't sing well.
Ich m ö ch te e i n Bu ch be ste l l e n . D e r a rm e H u n d !
I would like to order a book. The poor (pitiable) dog.
Vi e l e S tu d e n te n si n d a rm . Me i n H u n d w i l l i m m e r spi e l e n .
Many students are poor. My dog always wants to play.
Wi r si n d u n s n i ch t e i n i g , w e l ch e s Es m u ss d o ch h i e r i rg e n d w o se i n .
H a u s w i r ka u fe n w o l l e n .
It has to be here somewhere.
We haven't reached an agreement about
which house we want to buy.
Ich m ö ch te m e i n Pa ke t a bh o l e n .
I would like to pick up my package.
GRAMMAR
Modal verbs können (can) and wollen (want)

In this lesson’s dialog you have encountered forms of two extremely useful German verbs:
können (can) and wollen (want). These are known as modal verbs and they always have to
be used in conjunction with another verb.

The conjugation:
können: ich kann, du kannst, er kann, wir können, ihr könnt, sie können
wollen: ich will, du willst, er will, wir wollen, ihr wollt, sie wollen
As you can see, the two forms of the two modal verbs run parallel, and most of the endings
are what you would expect, except that singular and plural have different vowels. Yet we can’t
lump them with the vowel-changing verbs because vowel-changing verbs only change for 2nd
and 3rd person singular (du and er forms), and these verbs change their vowel for the 1st
person singular as well.
Both verbs are used in the same way: with an infinitive verb, like in English. However, in
German the infinitive verb is placed at the very end of the sentence, while the modal verb
stays in 2nd place. This unexpected verb movement occurs whenever there is more than one
verb in a German sentence.
Examples:
Willst du etwas singen? – Do you want to sing something?
Ich kann nicht gut singen. – I can’t sing well.
Herr Wucher kann heute früh nach Hause kommen. – Mr Wucher can come home early
today.
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Other animals in Germany

Last lesson we already talked about dogs. There are 5 million dogs in Germany. Dogs
beware however: there are 7.2 million cats. There are also 4.7 million pet birds and 5.8 million
small pets such as rabbits, guinea pigs or hamsters, and of course countless fish. Statistically,
every other household has a pet. It’s really a lot.
In terms of wild animals however, there are not as many in Germany as there are in the
states. Since Europe has been civilised for a longer time than North America, a lot of animals
have become extinct over here, or at least pushed to the national parks. This issue has two
sides of course. On the downside, there is just less variety of animals – only the mudflats near
the north coast are known for a great variety of animals. On the upside, this means that it’s
very unlikely that you’ll encounter a dangerous animal, such as a poisonous snake. There
are two types of poisonous snakes in Germany and both of them are rare, not usually
aggressive and the bites are not lethal. Other dangerous wildlife, such as aggressive bears,
are also very rarely found. If there’s an angry bear causing problems somewhere in
Germany, it will be all over national news for several weeks!
Even animals that are quite common in the states, such as squirrels, chipmunks and
racoons, are not as common here. There are some squirrels, though typically the red kind
and not enough of them to annoy gardeners. I believe there are also a couple racoons
somebody let loose somewhere in the Thurigian woods, but unfortunately chances of seeing
those in natura, or seeing chipmunks, are really really really slim. Your best chance is a zoo.

Germany has a lot of big well-tended zoos.

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #19
My dog did what?
CONTENTS
2 German
2 English
2 Informal German
3 Informal English
3 Vocabulary
4 Sample Sentences
5 Grammar
6 Cultural Insight
# 19
GERMAN
1. X: Sie können mir den Hund nicht geben? Sie müssen aber! Es ist
mein Hund und mein Paket!
2. Michaela: Na schön, aber IHR Hund hat MEIN Wohnzimmer verwüstet!

Bezahlen Sie erst einmal den Schaden, dann kriegen Sie Ihren
Hund.
3. X: Verwüstet? Wie hoch ist der Schaden?
4. Michaela: Hmm, müssen wohl etwa 1000 Euro sein…
5. X: 1000 Euro Schaden???
ENGLISH
1. X: You can’t give me the dog? You have to! It’s my dog and my
package!
2. Michaela: Fair enough, but YOUR dog has devastated MY living-room! Pay for
the damages first, then you’ll get your dog.
3. X: Devastated? How much is the damage?
4. Michaela: Hmm, probably around 1000 euros…
5. X: 1000 Euros in damage???
INFORMAL GERMAN
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #19 - MY DOG DID WHAT? 2

1. X: Du kannst mir den Hund nicht geben? Du musst aber! Es ist mein
Hund und mein Paket!
2. Michaela: Na schön, aber DEIN Hund hat MEIN Wohnzimmer verwüstet!

Bezahle erst einmal den Schaden, dann kriegst du deinen Hund.
3. X: Verwüstet? Wie hoch ist der Schaden?
4. Michaela: Hmm, müssen wohl etwa 1000 Euro sein…
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1. X: You can’t give me the dog? You have to! It’s my dog and my
package!
2. Michaela: Fair enough, but YOUR dog has devastated MY living-room! Pay for
the damages first, then you’ll get your dog.
3. X: Devastated? How much is the damage?
4. Michaela: Hmm, probably around 1000 euros…
5. X: 1000 Euros in damage???
VOCABULARY
müssen must; have to modal verb; irregular irregular
hoch high adjective

kriegen receive verb
masculine; plural:
Schaden damage noun, masculine, der Schäden
erst (einmal) first adverb
bezahlen to pay verb weak verb
verwüstet devastated participle
Wohnzimmer living-room noun, neuter, das neuter
na schön fair enough expression
approximately; (in
questions:) surely adverb; note the note the question
etwa
not? question use! use!
wohl probably adverb
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Ich m u ss d e n Fi l m n i ch t u n be d i n g t Mu sst d u w i e d e r G i ta rre spi e l e n ?

se h e n .
Do you have to play the guitar again?
I don't absolutely have to watch that movie.
Ich m u ss vi e l fü r d i e U n i l e rn e n . D e r Tu rm i st zi e m l i ch h o ch .
I have to study a lot for university. That tower is pretty high.
Ich kri e g e n o ch G e l d vo n d i r! D i ch kri e g e i ch n o ch !
You still owe me money! I will get you!
We r kri e g t d i e se Bl u m e n ? D e r S ch a d e n i st be re i ts a n g e ri ch te t.
Who receives these flowers? The damage is already done.

Erst e i n m a l w i rst d u m i r sa g e n , w a s Ich h a be n o ch vi e l zu tu n , a be r e rst
h i e r l o s i st! n e h m e i ch m i r e i n e n Ka ffe e .
First you are going to tell me what's going I still have a lot to do but first I get myself a
on here! coffee.
Er m u sste S tra fe be za h l e n , w e i l e r Ich w ü rd e g e rn e be za h l e n .

i m H a l te ve rbo t g e pa rkt h a tte .
I would like to pay. / The bill, please.
He had to pay a fee, because he had
parked his car in a clearway.
D e r H u n d h a t m e i n e n G a rte n Ich m u ss d i r u n be d i n g t m e i n n e u e s
ve rw ü ste t! Wo h n zi m m e r ze i g e n .
The dog devastated my garden! I absolutely have to show you my new(ly

decorated) living-room
N a sch ö n , a be r d u g e h st zu e rst! N a sch ö n , d u h a st j a R e ch t.
Fair enough, but you go first! Fair enough, you're right. (In the sense of
"I'm giving in.")
Ma g st d u e tw a To ki o H o te l ? S i e w a r e tw a 3 J a h re a l t.
Surely you don't like Tokio Hotel? She was approximately 3 years old.
D a s w i rd w o h l n i ch ts m e h r.
That probably won't work out anymore
GRAMMAR
Modal verb müssen (must) Continuing on with German modal verbs, “müssen” is another
really important one to know. It means “must”.
The conjugation:
müssen: ich muss, du musst, er muss, wir müssen, ihr müsst, sie müssen
The forms are also parallel to the ones of „wollen“ and „können“, also displaying this vowel-
changing from singular to plural. The usage is also the same.
Examples:

Ich muss heute noch Klavier üben. – I must practise playing the piano today.
Musst du das wirklich tun? – Do you really have to do that?
CULTURAL INSIGHT
- neighbourly disputes are just as common in Germany as in the states; and the subjects are
mostly the same, too; e. g. a tree having branches on the other side of a fence, or somebody
partying rather too loudly at night… (the police can come by for that)
- Germany houses a lot of people on very little land, so everybody lives closer together than
in the states;
- huge estates are uncommon, and so are big stretches of land where you don’t see anybody
or anything
- highways are never completely free; even at 3am and far from major cities; around major
cities they are of course crammed
- less ethnic strife simply because there aren’t as many large ethnic groups; Germany is not a
country of immigrants; particularly noticeable is the lack of German-born blacks, while there
are some German-born Asians

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #20
About that dog...
CONTENTS
2 German
2 English
2 Informal German
3 Informal English
3 Vocabulary
4 Sample Sentences
6 Grammar
6 Cultural Insight
# 20
GERMAN
2. Michaela: Das ganze Wohnzimmer ist verwüstet! Mein Perser-Teppich und die
Möbel ...
3. X: Aber ich gebe keine 1000 Euro für den Hund aus, da kaufe ich mir
lieber einen anderen. Wie wäre es damit? ich bezahle nichts und
Sie dürfen den Hund behalten.
4. Michaela: Okay. Übrigens, im Tierheim in der Stadt gibt es viele Hunde, da

können Sie einen aussuchen und sofort mitnehmen. Sie brauchen
dann nicht auf ein Paket warten.
5. X: Ah, danke für den Tipp.
ENGLISH
1. X: 1000 Euros in damages???
2. Michaela: The entire living-room is devastated! My Persian rug and the

furniture....
3. X: But I am not spending 1000 Euros on the dog, I'd rather buy another.
How'bout this? I pay nothing and you may keep the dog.
4. Michaela: Okay. By the way, in the animal shelter in the city there are many
dogs, there you could select one and immediately take it with you.
You don't need to wait for a package then.
5. X: Ah, thanks for the tip.
INFORMAL GERMAN
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #20 - ABOUT THAT DOG... 2

2. Michaela: Das ganze Wohnzimmer ist verwüstet! Mein Perser-Teppich und die
Möbel ...
3. X: Aber ich gebe keine 1000 Euro für den Hund aus, da kaufe ich mir
lieber einen anderen. Wie wäre es damit? ich bezahle nichts und du
darfst den Hund behalten.
4. Michaela: Okay. Übrigens, im Tierheim in der Stadt gibt es viele Hunde, da

kannst du einen aussuchen und sofort mitnehmen. Du brauchst
dann nicht auf ein Paket warten.
5. X: Ah, danke für den Tipp.
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1. X: 1000 Euros in damages???
2. Michaela: The entire living-room is devastated! My Persian rug and the

furniture....
3. X: But I am not spending 1000 Euros on the dog, I'd rather buy another.
How'bout this? I pay nothing and you may keep the dog.
4. Michaela: Okay. By the way, in the animal shelter in the city there are many
dogs, there you could select one and immediately take it with you.
You don't need to wait for a package then.
5. X: Ah, thanks for the tip.
VOCABULARY

sofort immediately adverb
verb; „aus“ splits off; „aus“ splits off;

ausgeben to spend (money) behaves like „geben“ behaves like „geben“
kaufen to buy verb
anderer; andere;
anderes other, another pronoun
vowel-changing a to
to hold; to consider ä: ich halte, du
halten verb hältst, er hält, wir
sb./sth. as
halten
er behält, er behielt,
behalten to keep verb er hat behalten
übrigens by the way interjection
neuter; plural:
Tierheim animal shelter noun, neuter, das Tierheime
aussuchen to select, choose verb; “aus” splits off “aus” splits off
verb; “mit” splits off; “mit” splits off; the

mitnehmen to take along the rest behaves like rest behaves like
“nehmen” “nehmen”
brauchen to need verb weak verb
warten to wait verb
ganz completely
Möbel furniture noun always plural
SAMPLE SENTENCES

Le g e n S i e n i ch t so fo rt w i e d e r a u f, N a ch d e m Esse n m ö ch te i ch so fo rt
i ch m u ss Ih n e n e tw a s Wi ch ti g e s n a ch H a u se fa h re n .
sa g e n !
After the meal I immediately want to drive
Don't hang up immediately again, I have home.
to tell you something important!
Ko m m t so fo rt. Ich g e be e i n e R u n d e a u s.
Coming up immediately. I pay for a round.
Er g i bt vi e l G e l d a u s. Wi r si n d u n s n i ch t e i n i g , w e l ch e s
H a u s w i r ka u fe n w o l l e n .
He spends a lot of money.
We haven't reached an agreement about
which house we want to buy.
S ti rb a n e i n e m a n d e re n Ta g Ich w i l l e i n e n a n d e re n Fi l m se h e n .
Die another day I want so see a different movie.
H a l te n S i e bi tte a n d e r Ecke . Ka n n st d u d a s ku rz h a l te n ?
Please stop at the corner. Can you hold that for a second?
Ich h a l te i h n fü r kl u g . D a s We ch se l g e l d kö n n e n S i e
be h a l te n .
I think he is intelligent.
You can keep the change.
Ich h a be m e i n e n H u n d a u s d e m H a be n S i e si ch sch o n e n tsch i e d e n ,

Ti e rh e i m . o d e r su ch e n S i e n o ch e tw a s a u s
d e r Ka rte a u s?
I've got my dog from the animal shelter.
Did you make up your mind or are you still
selecting something from the menu?
Er h a t si ch e i n ro te s Au to Ich n e h m e be sse r S o n n e n m i l ch m i t.
a u sg e su ch t.
I better take along some sun lotion.
He selected/ chose a red car.

Ka n n i ch e i n e n Fre u n d m i tn e h m e n ? D i e se r R a u m bra u ch t n e u e Mö be l .
Can I take a friend along? This room needs new furniture.
Bra u ch e n S i e e i n e R e ch n u n g ? Mu sste st d u l a n g e w a rte n ?
Do you need a bill? Did you have to wait a long time?
J e tzt h a be i ch e i n g a n ze s S e t. Pri va t i st e r g a n z a n d e rs.
Now I have a complete set. In private he is completely different.
D i e se r R a u m bra u ch t n e u e Mö be l .
This room needs new furniture.
GRAMMAR
Modal verb dürfen (may)

Continuing on with German modal verbs, "dürfen" is another really important one to know. It
means "may", as in being allowed to do something.
The conjugation:
dürfen: ich darf, du darfst, er darf, wir dürfen, ihr dürft, sie dürfen
The forms are also parallel to the ones of "wollen", "können" and "müssen", also displaying
this vowel-changing from singular to plural. The usage is also the same.
Examples:
Darf ich Sie duzen? - May I speak to you informally?
Tom darf heute nicht am Computer spielen. – Tom is not allowed to play on the computer
today.
CULTURAL INSIGHT
About the expensive living rooms:

- Germans don't have as big houses as Americans, but they typically take a lot of care with
the interior design (nice-look over simple functionality)
- nice curtains, rugs, well-chosen furniture (IKEA a students' solution here and fashionable
there)
- book-case mustn't be missing, must contain some classics
- maybe another case displaying the best china or other nice objects

- Germans might spend more than 1000 Euros on a couch alone
- because of the general value of rugs and things, and also because a lot of German women
need everything to be absolutely clean, you will often be expected to remove your street
shoes upon entering the house, so that mud and dirt don't spread to the floors of the other
rooms. People may even expect you to take off your shoes without asking you to, so best
follow your host's example or ask. You will walk around in socks or you may have (or be
given) slippers to use in the house.

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #21
What now?
CONTENTS
2 Informal German
2 Informal English
2 Vocabulary
3 Sample Sentences
4 Grammar
4 Cultural Insight
# 21
INFORMAL GERMAN
1. John: Ist der Schaden wirklich so hoch?
2. Michaela: Nein. Der Teppich war schon alt…
3. John: Und die Möbel?
4. Michaela: Der Hund meiner Freundin war hier vor ein paar Wochen und er
fand die Möbel lecker…
5. John: Ah, so ist das! Und was passiert jetzt mit dem Hund des Nachbarn?
6. Michaela: Vielleicht will eine Freundin ihn… Hauptsache er kommt in gute

Hände. Ich traue dem Nachbarn nicht.
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1. John: Is the damage really that high?
2. Michaela: No. The rug was already old…
3. John: And the furniture?
4. Michaela: My friend’s dog was here a couple weeks ago and he found the
furniture yummy…
5. John (amused): Ah, that’s how it is! And what happens now with the neighbour’s
dog?
6. Michaela: Maybe a friend wants him… Most important thing is that he will be in
good hands. I don’t trust the neighbour.
VOCABULARY
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #21 - WHAT NOW? 2

alt old adjective
feminine; plural:
Hand hand noun Hände
the main thing, most

Hauptsache important point noun, feminine, die feminine
passieren to happen verb weak verb
ich finde, ich fand,

finden to find verb ich habe gefunden
ein paar a couple, a few expression
always before the

vor before; ... ago preposition noun phrase!
lecker yummy, delicious adjective
feminine; plural:
Woche week noun Wochen
trauen / vertrauen to trust verb weak verb
SAMPLE SENTENCES
D e r Ma n n i st se h r a l t. D i e se s G e bä u d e i st 100 J a h re a l t.
The man is very old. This building is 100 years old.
Wa s h a t d e r Ma n n i n d e r H a n d ? H a u ptsa ch e , d u bi st j e tzt h i e r.
What does the man have in his hand? Most important thing is that you're here
now.
Ei n pa a r Le u te w i sse n i m m e r n o ch H a st d u d e n Tre ffpu n kt g u t

n i ch t, w a s pa ssi e rt i st. g e fu n d e n ?
A few people still don't know what Did you easily find the meeting-point?
happened.

Ich fi n d e d i e se s Li e d w i rkl i ch Ei n pa a r Le u te w i sse n i m m e r n o ch
langweilig. n i ch t, w a s pa ssi e rt i st.
I find this song to be really boring. A few people still don't know what
happened.
Ich w a rte vo r d e m Ba h n h o f a u f d i ch . Vo r e i n e r Wo ch e w a rst d u n o ch

dagegen.
I'm waiting for you in front of the train
station. A week ago you were still against it.
In D e u tsch l a n d g i bt e s ri ch ti g Mi ch a e l a h a t d i e se Wo ch e
l e cke re Wü rstch e n . G e bu rtsta g .
In Germany there are really delicious It's Michaela's birthday this week.
sausages.
Ich tra u e d e m An sch e i n n i ch t.
I don't trust this semblance.
GRAMMAR
Past tense (preterite) of sein:

ich war (I was)
du warst (you were)
er war (he was)
wir waren (we were)
ihr wart (you were, plural)
sie waren (they were)
Examples:
Das Essen war sehr gut! – The food was very good!
Du warst sehr jung. – You were very young.
Ich war in der Altstadt. – I was in the oldtown.
CULTURAL INSIGHT
S u i n g i n G e rm a n y

Suing isn't nearly as common in Germany as it is in the United States. Part of the reason may
be that "stupidity" sues (such as suing somebody for not warning you that your mug of coffee
might be too hot) just don't have a chance of success in Germany - hearing about these cases
from America is a constant source of amusement however. Another reason to not sue is that
the money awarded for winning a case is just not that high. You can't usually sue people or
companies for millions of dollars; very often the sums are just not worth the trouble, or worth
the court costs. In contrast to the USA, German lawyers also don't get paid a share of the
money they are able to exact for you, they just get fixed payment. The reputation of lawyers is
much better here than it is in the states; for example you won't find many lawyer jokes.

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #22
I need more time!
CONTENTS
2 German
2 English
3 Informal German
4 Informal English
4 Vocabulary
5 Sample Sentences
6 Grammar
7 Cultural Insight
# 22
GERMAN
1. Michaela: So, ich werde jetzt zu meiner Freundin fahren und sie wegen dem
Hund fragen. Am besten nehme ich ihn schon mit. Kommen Sie
auch mit, Herr Williams?
2. John: Jetzt? Ich würde gerne mitkommen, aber ich muss die Postkarten
zu Ende schreiben...
3. Michaela: Und wenn ich erst in einer halben Stunde fahre? Würden Sie dann
mitkommen?
4. John: Ich werde wahrscheinlich mehr Zeit brauchen.
5. Michaela: Wie lang brauchen Sie denn noch?
6. John: Ich würde sagen noch eine Stunde.
7. Michaela: Okay, dann fahren wir in einer Stunde.
8. John: Vielleicht können wir dann auch die Postkarten verschicken.
9. Michaela: Gute Idee, das machen wir.
ENGLISH
1. Michaela: So, I'm now going to drive to my friend and ask her about (because
of) the dog. It would be best for me to take him along already. Are
you coming along, too, Mr Williams?
2. John: Now? I would gladly come along, but I must finish writing the
postcard...
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #22 - I NEED MORE TIME! 2

3. Michaela: And if I drive in half an hour only? Would you come along then?
4. John: I will probably need more time.
5. Michaela: How long do you need still?
6. John: I would say another hour.
7. Michaela: Okay, then we leave in one hour.
8. John: Maybe we can send out those postcards then too.
9. Michaela: Good idea, we'll do that.
INFORMAL GERMAN
1. Michaela: So, ich werde jetzt zu meiner Freundin fahren und sie wegen dem
Hund fragen. Am besten nehme ich ihn schon mit. Kommst du
auch mit, John?
2. John: Jetzt? Ich würde gerne mitkommen, aber ich muss die Postkarten
zu Ende schreiben...
3. Michaela: Und wenn ich erst in einer halben Stunde fahre? Würdest du dann
mitkommen?
4. John: Ich werde wahrscheinlich mehr Zeit brauchen.
5. Michaela: Wie lang brauchst du denn noch?
6. John: Ich würde sagen noch eine Stunde.
CONT'D OVER

7. Michaela: Okay, dann fahren wir in einer Stunde.
8. John: Vielleicht können wir dann auch die Postkarten verschicken.
9. Michaela: Gute Idee, das machen wir.
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1. Michaela: So, I'm now going to drive to my friend and ask her about (because
of) the dog. It would be best for me to take him along already. Are
you coming along, too, John?
2. John: Now? I would gladly come along, but I must finish writing the
postcard...
3. Michaela: And if I drive in half an hour only? Would you come along then?
4. John: I will probably need more time.
5. Michaela: How long do you need still?
6. John: I would say another hour.
7. Michaela: Okay, then we leave in one hour.
8. John: Maybe we can send out those postcards then too.
9. Michaela: Good idea, we'll do that.
VOCABULARY

adverb; "gern" and "gern" and "gerne"

gern(e) gladly "gerne" are used are used
interchangeably. interchangeably.
lang long, a long time adjective
feminine; plural:
Stunde hour noun Stunden
Ende end noun; neuter, das neuter
am besten it would be best if expression
fragen to ask verb weak verb
either used with

wegen because of preposition Dative or Genitive
(older usage)
not just when you

to drive, ride a are the driver, not
vehicle as a just for cars (also
fahren verb
passenger, or to go bicycles, buses,
but not by foot trains...)
mehr more adverb
conjunction; the
question word the question word
"when" is "wann" in "when" is "wann" in
German! ; (means German! ; (means
wenn when, if
„when“ only for „when“ only for
something in the something in the
future) future)
verschicken to send out, mail verb weak verb
SAMPLE SENTENCES
R u fe n S i e m i ch g e rn e a n . Ich e sse g e rn e Brö tch e n .
Do not hesitate to call me. I like eating rolls.

Ich tri n ke g e rn e Mi l ch m i t H o n i g . Wi e l a n g bi st d u sch o n h i e r?
I like drinking milk with honey. How long have you been here?
Vo r d e m G e sch ä ft w a r e i n e l a n g e Ich w a rte sch o n se i t e i n e r g a n ze n

S ch l a n g e . S tu n d e !
In front of the shop there was a long line. I'm already waiting for a whole hour!
Am En d e zä h l t n u r, o b d a s Te a m Ich w e i ß n i ch t, o b d u d i e G ri ppe
g e w i n n t. h a st. Am be ste n bl e i bst d u i m Be tt.
In the end it only matters if the team wins. I don't know if you have the flu. It would be
best if you stay in bed.
Ich w e rd e d e n Le h re r fra g e n . We g e n d e r Vo g e l g ri ppe si n d vi e l e

Le u te n i ch t n a ch Asi e n g e re i st.
I will ask the teacher.
Because of the bird flu many people didn't
travel to Asia.
D u m u sst a u f d e r re ch te n S e i te Wi r fa h re n n a ch D e u tsch l a n d .
fa h re n .
We go to Germany.
You have to drive on the right side.
Mö ch te st d u n o ch m e h r? Ich tri n ke i m m e r Ka ffe e , w e n n i ch

a rbe i te .
Would you like (even) more?
I always drink coffee when I work.
Ve rste h st d u m i ch , w e n n i ch a u f Ich m ö ch te h e u te n o ch d i e se n Bri e f

En g l i sch spre ch e ? ve rsch i cke n .
Do you understand me when I speak on I want to send out this letter today still.
(in) English?
GRAMMAR
In German, the conditional mood (confusingly called Konjunktiv) can be formed using würde:

ich würde
du würdest
er würde
wir würden
ihr würdet
sie würden
Use with an infinitive verb, just like the future:

Ich werde ins Schwimmbad gehen. (I will go to the swimming-pool)
Note that in German, the conditional mood may be used on both sides of a conditional
statement:
Ich würde mitkommen, wenn du das Treffen verschieben würdest. - I would come along, if
you moved the meeting. (German: would move)
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Liebe Anna,
wie geht es dir? Mir geht es gut. Ich wohne jetzt bei Michaela in Düsseldorf. Ihr Haus und die
Umgebung sind sehr schön, und ich finde Deutschland sehr interessant. Das Bier hier ist
auch sehr lecker. Morgen gehen wir vielleicht in die Stadt und sehen uns die
Sehenswürdigkeiten an. Ich hoffe es gibt keinen Regen. Jetzt gerade ist das Wetter schön,
aber ich muss um 4 Uhr bei einem Freund sein. Ich schreibe dir später mehr.
Liebe Grüße,
John

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #23
At the Post Oﬃce
CONTENTS
2 German
3 English
5 Informal German
7 Informal English
8 Vocabulary
9 Sample Sentences
10 Grammar
11 Cultural Insight
# 23
GERMAN
1. A: Der Nächste, bitte!
2. John: Guten Tag!
3. A: Guten Tag. Wie kann ich Ihnen helfen?
4. John: Ich möchte diese zwanzig Postkarten verschicken.
5. A: Wohin?
6. John: Achtzehn gehen nach Amerika und zwei nach Deutschland.
7. A: Haben Sie schon Briefmarken?
8. John: Nein, ich möchte Briefmarken hier kaufen. Was kosten die
Briefmarken?
9. A: Die Postkarten nach Deutschland kosten je 45 Cent, die Postkarten

nach Amerika kosten je einen Euro, also insgesamt achtzehn Euro
neunzig.
10. John: Hier sind zwanzig Euro.
11. A: Danke, und hier sind zehn Cent zurück. Sonst noch etwas?
12. John: Was kostet ein Brief nach Amerika?
13. A: Wie groß ist der Brief denn, und wie dick? Geben Sie ihn mir.
14. John: Ich habe noch keinen Brief, aber ich werde einen Brief schreiben.
15. A: Ein normaler Brief kostet einen Euro siebzig.
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #23 - AT THE POST OFFICE 2

16. John: Und ein Paket oder Päckchen?
17. A: Was denn jetzt, ein Paket oder ein Päckchen? Wie groß und wie
schwer? Per Luftpost oder nicht?
18. John: Ähmm… sagen Sie mir einfach alles.
19. A: Alles??? Das würde Stunden dauern! … Aber nehmen Sie sich
doch diese Broschüre.
20. John: Ah, danke.
21. A: War das jetzt alles, oder möchten Sie noch etwas?
22. John: Das war alles.
23. A: Okay, dann auf Wiedersehen!
24. John: Auf Wiedersehen!
25. A.: Der nächste bitte!
ENGLISH
1. A: Next one please!
2. John: Good day!
3. A: Good day. How can I help you?
4. John: I would like to send off these twenty postcards.
CONT'D OVER

5. A: Where to?
6. John: Eighteen go to America and two to Germany.
7. A: Do you already have stamps?
8. John: No, I would like to buy stamps here. What do the stamps cost?
9. A: The postcards to Germany cost 45 cents each, the postcards to

America cost one Euro each, so in total eighteen euros and ninety
cents.
10. John: Here are twenty euros.
11. A: Thanks, and here you have ten cents back. Anything else?
12. John: What does a letter to the USA cost?
13. A: How big is your letter, and how thick? Give it to me.
14. John: I don’t have a letter yet, but I will write a letter.
15. A: A normal letter costs one Euro and seventy cents.
16. John: And a package or a small parcel?
17. A: What now, a package or a small parcel? How big and how heavy?
By air mail or not?
18. John: Ehmm… just tell me everything.
19. A: Everything??? That would take (last) hours! … But just take this
brochure.
CONT'D OVER

20. John: Ah, thanks.
21. A: Was that all now or do you want anything else?
22. John: That was all.
23. A: Okay, then goodbye!
24. John: Goodbye!
25. A.: Next one please!
INFORMAL GERMAN
1. A: Der Nächste, bitte!
2. John: Guten Tag!
3. A: Guten Tag. Wie kann ich dir helfen?
4. John: Ich möchte diese zwanzig Postkarten verschicken.
5. A: Wohin?
6. John: Achtzehn gehen nach Amerika und zwei nach Deutschland.
7. A: Hast du schon Briefmarken?
8. John: Nein, ich möchte Briefmarken hier kaufen. Was kosten die
Briefmarken?
CONT'D OVER

9. A: Die Postkarten nach Deutschland kosten je 45 Cent, die Postkarten
nach Amerika kosten je einen Euro, also insgesamt achtzehn Euro
neunzig.
10. John: Hier sind zwanzig Euro.
11. A: Danke, und hier sind zehn Cent zurück. Sonst noch etwas?
12. John: Was kostet ein Brief nach Amerika?
13. A: Wie groß ist der Brief denn, und wie dick? Gib ihn mir.
14. John: Ich habe noch keinen Brief, aber ich werde einen Brief schreiben.
15. A: Ein normaler Brief kostet einen Euro siebzig.
16. John: Und ein Paket oder Päckchen?
17. A: Was denn jetzt, ein Paket oder ein Päckchen? Wie groß und wie
schwer? Per Luftpost oder nicht?
18. John: Ähmm… sag mir einfach alles.
19. A: Alles??? Das würde Stunden dauern! … Aber nimm doch diese
Broschüre.
20. John: Ah, danke.
21. A: War das jetzt alles, oder möchtest du noch etwas?
22. John: Das war alles.
23. A: Okay, dann tschüss!
CONT'D OVER

24. John: Tschüss!
25. A.: Der nächste bitte!
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1. A: Next one please!
2. John: Good day!
3. A: Good day. How can I help you?
4. John: I would like to send off these twenty postcards.
5. A: Where to?
6. John: Eighteen go to America and two to Germany.
7. A: Do you already have stamps?
8. John: No, I would like to buy stamps here. What do the stamps cost?
9. A: The postcards to Germany cost 45 cents each, the postcards to

America cost one Euro each, so in total eighteen euros and ninety
cents.
10. John: Here are twenty euros.
11. A: Thanks, and here you have ten cents back. Anything else?
12. John: What does a letter to the USA cost?
CONT'D OVER

13. A: How big is your letter, and how thick? Give it to me.
14. John: I don’t have a letter yet, but I will write a letter.
15. A: A normal letter costs one Euro and seventy cents.
16. John: And a package or a small parcel?
17. A: What now, a package or a small parcel? How big and how heavy?
By air mail or not?
18. John: Ehmm… just tell me everything.
19. A: Everything??? That would take (last) hours! … But just take this
brochure.
20. John: Ah, thanks.
21. A: Was that all now or do you want anything else?
22. John: That was all.
23. A: Okay, then goodbye!
24. John: Goodbye!
25. A.: Next one please!
VOCABULARY

vowel-changing
verb: e → i for 2nd
helfen to help verb and 3rd person
singular; er hilft, er
half, er hat geholfen
feminine; plural:
Briefmarke stamp noun Briefmarken
kosten to cost verb weak verb
placed before the

je each adverb price, not after
insgesamt in total adverb
also a verb prefix

with that meaning, e.
zurück back adverb g. “zurückkommen”,
“zurückgeben”, …
dick thick, fat adjective
per Luftpost by air-mail expression
masculine; plural:
Brief letter noun Briefe
to last, to take (a
dauern certain amount of verb weak verb
time)
schwer heavy, difficult adjective
nächster / nächste /
nächstes next adjective
einfach easy; simply adjective
otherwise, other
sonst than that conjunction
wohin where to question word
SAMPLE SENTENCES

En tsch u l d i g u n g , kö n n te n S i e m i r D re i Bri e fm a rke n , bi tte .
bi tte h e l fe n ?
Three stamps, please.
Excuse me, could you please help me?
D i e Bri e fm a rke n ko ste n j e 55 C e n t. In sg e sa m t si n d w i r m i t d e m

Erg e bn i s se h r zu fri e d e n .
The stamps are 55 cents each.
In total we are very pleased with the result.
Wa n n w i rst d u zu rü ck se i n ? Ich m a g d i cke Bü ch e r l i e be r a l s

dünne.
When will you be back?
I prefer thick books to thin ones.
Ich w e rd e n m e i n e n Bri e f pe r Ich w e rd e n m e i n e n Bri e f pe r

Lu ftpo st ve rsch i cke n . Lu ftpo st ve rsch i cke n .
I am going to send my letter by air-mail. I am going to send my letter by air-mail.
Ich m ö ch te h e u te n o ch d i e se n Bri e f Ich e rw a rte n o ch e i n e n Bri e f.

ve rsch i cke n .
I’m still awaiting a letter.
I want to send out this letter today still.
Wa ru m d a u e rt d a s so l a n g e ? D e r S ch ra n k i st sch w e r.
Why is this taking so long? The wardrobe is heavy.
D a s w a r e i n e sch w e re Au fg a be . D e r N ä ch ste , bi tte .
That was a difficult task. Next, please.
D i e se Le kti o n w a r se h r e i n fa ch . Ma g st d u d e i n
We i h n a ch tsg e sch e n k? S o n st
This lesson was very easy.
ve rka u fe e s d o ch .
Do you like your Christmas present?

Otherwise just sell it.
GRAMMAR

In this lesson’s dialog you have found one weird verb form: “ich möchte”. This is actually the
conditional that we learned in the last lesson, but it’s the true conditional of “mögen” (to like),
so “ich möchte” means “I would like”. Forming the conditional with “würde” is actually just a
bad habit, which is taking over all of Germany. Verbs also have a native form – but for the vast
majority of verbs, that form is no longer used (especially not in the spoken language) and
instead we used something with “würde”. “mögen” however is one of the few verbs that retain
their original form, and that is “möchte”. It conjugates just like “würde”.
It’s now also high time to learn some more numbers, though most of you have probably
learned them before anyway:
We already had the numbers up to 12. After that comes: 13 dreizehn, 14 vierzehn, 15 fünfzehn,
16 sechzehn, 17 siebzehn, 18 achtzehn, 19 neunzehn - these are like counting, 2, 3, 5... and
just adding the ending “zehn”, which corresponds to the English “-teen”. Be careful with 16
and 17, because these have been shortened a bit for pronunciation reasons.
20 is zwanzig. 30 is dreißig. 40 is vierzig and from then on the remaining numbers always
consist of a base number you already know and the ending –zig: Fünfzig, sechzig, siebzig,
achtzig, neunzig. Counting with these is a bit weird, because Germans will say the equivalent
of “one and twenty, two and twenty, three and twenty…” and so on – but actually, if you read
Jane Austen, you will notice that old English was doing the same.
After 99, you will need the word “hundert” to continue – but that’s not hard, because it’s almost
the same as in English. And “zweihundert” corresponds to “two hundred” and
“vierhundertfünfzig” corresponds to “four hundred fifty”, and so on. Same for thousands, the
German word is “tausend”. This way you can describe a lot of numbers, even
“fünftausendvierhundertzweiunddreißig” – five thousand four hundred thirty-two, or should we
say five thousand four hundred two-and-thirty.
CULTURAL INSIGHT
Currency: the Euro

Nowadays it becomes more and more popular in Music videos, so chances are you have
seen some Euro bills before.
The Bills themselves are easy to recognize and look the same everywhere:
And you will find a pattern there.
The 5 Euro Bill is gray with an antique building.
The 10 Euro Bill is red with a building from the romanticism area.
The 20 Euro Bill is blue with a gothic building
The 50 Euro Bill is orange with a rennaisance building
The 100 Euro Bill is green with a barocke and rococo building.
The 200 Euro Bill is yellow-brown with a building from the industrial area.

The 500 Euro Bill is purple with a sample of modern architecture.
On the back you find a matching bridge and a silhouette of Europe.
The coins are easy to memorize too:

The 1, 2 and 5 Euro Cent coins show some oak leaves. These are a symbol of the German
Confederation, a movement that meant to unite all the small contries in Germany and
Austria. There was a lot of political tension between Germany and Austria, because both
wanted to be the dominant power. But the German Confederation went a long way in
establishing a unified trade system .
And the 10, 20 and 50 Euro Cent coins show the Brandenburg Gate.
It is a very important symbol for Germany. When the Berlin Wall was erected the Gate was
closed and when the Wall fell East and West Germans embraced each other on the place in
front of the Gate first.
Today it is a symbol for a united Germany. Since it also was part of the End of the cold war, it
also represente the European unification process.
Now for the 1 and 2 Euro coins.

There you will find the Coat of arms of Germany, an eagle. It was used on and off since 1871
and is used in it’s current design since 1950.
You will also find the words “Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit”, which is the beginning of the
current German national anthem.
- right now 1 Euro is approximately $ 1.50

- bring approximately 250-300 euros per person per week when visiting Germany, of course
depending on your lifestyle, the amount of souvenirs…
- if you have a credit card, you don’t need to bring as much money. It’s not always possible to
pay by credit card, as credit cards are less common in Germany, but in an emergency
situation you can use your credit card to withdraw money from a German ATM machine. Your
bank is probably going to charge you a ridiculous sum for that service though, better ask them
beforehand.

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #24
What's next?
CONTENTS
2 German
2 English
3 Informal German
4 Informal English
4 Vocabulary
5 Sample Sentences
6 Grammar
7 Cultural Insight
# 24
GERMAN
1. Michaela: Willkommen zurück, Herr Williams! Wie war das Treffen mit Ihrem
Freund?
2. John: Es war schön, danke.
3. Michaela: Was haben Sie morgen vor?
4. John: Ich habe noch nichts vor, aber ich möchte endlich die
Sehenswürdigkeiten sehen. Könnten wir in die Stadt fahren?
5. Michaela: Ja, sicher. Bis jetzt waren Sie ja beschäftigt Freunde treffen,
Postkarten schreiben, essen, schlafen…
6. John: Aber ich war doch nicht jeden Tag beschäftigt!
7. Michaela: Doch…
8. John: Gestern waren Sie den ganzen Tag beschäftigt!
9. Michaela: Das ist nicht wahr!
10. John: Es ist okay. Ich möchte nur morgen die Sehenswürdigkeiten
sehen, wenn es geht.
ENGLISH
1. Michaela: Welcome back, Mr Williams! How was the meeting with your friend?
2. John: It was nice, thanks.
3. Michaela: What do you intend to do tomorrow?
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #24 - WHAT'S NEXT? 2

4. John: I didn’t plan anything yet, but I would like to finally see the sights.
Could we go into the city?
5. Michaela: Yes, sure. Until now you have been busy meeting friends, writing
postcards, eating, sleeping…
6. John: But I wasn’t busy every day!
7. Michaela: Yes…
8. John: Yesterday you were busy the entire day!
9. Michaela: That isn’t true!
10. John: It’s okay. I would just like to see the sights tomorrow, if it’s possible.
INFORMAL GERMAN
1. Michaela: Willkommen zurück, John! Wie war das Treffen mit deinem Freund?
2. John: Es war schön, danke.
3. Michaela: Was hast du morgen vor?
4. John: Ich habe noch nichts vor, aber ich möchte endlich die
Sehenswürdigkeiten sehen. Könnten wir in die Stadt fahren?
5. Michaela: Ja, sicher. Bis jetzt warst du ja beschäftigt Freunde treffen,

Postkarten schreiben, essen, schlafen…
6. John: Aber ich war doch nicht jeden Tag beschäftigt!
CONT'D OVER

7. Michaela: Doch…
8. John: Gestern warst du den ganzen Tag beschäftigt!
9. Michaela: Das ist nicht wahr!
10. John: Es ist okay. Ich möchte nur morgen die Sehenswürdigkeiten
sehen, wenn es geht.
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1. Michaela: Welcome back, John! How was the meeting with your friend?
2. John: It was nice, thanks.
3. Michaela: What do you intend to do tomorrow?
4. John: I didn’t plan anything yet, but I would like to finally see the sights.
Could we go into the city?
5. Michaela: Yes, sure. Until now you have been busy meeting friends, writing
postcards, eating, sleeping…
6. John: But I wasn’t busy every day!
7. Michaela: Yes…
8. John: Yesterday you were busy the entire day!
9. Michaela: That isn’t true!
10. John: It’s okay. I would just like to see the sights tomorrow, if it’s possible.
VOCABULARY
treffen to meet verb
wahr true adjective
„vor“ splits off; ich

habe vor, ich hatte
vorhaben to plan, intend verb vor, ich habe
vorgehabt
endlich finally adverb
beschäftigt busy adjective
change like an
jeder, jede, jedes every misc adjective
gestern yesterday noun
Tag day noun plural: Tage
bis until adverb
for “day after

tomorrow” there is a
special word:
morgen tomorrow noun “übermorgen”; don’t
confuse with „der
Morgen“ (the
morning)
ich schlafe, ich

schlafen to sleep verb schlief, ich habe
geschlafen
SAMPLE SENTENCES
Ich tre ffe j e tzt m e i n e n n e u e n Bo ss. D a s i st n i ch t w a h r!
I am meeting my new boss now. That's not true!

H a st d u m o rg e n sch o n w a s vo r? En d l i ch bi n i ch d a s l o s.
Do you already plan something for Finally I am rid of this.

tomorrow?
J e tzt n i ch t. Ich bi n be sch ä fti g t! Er g e h t j e d e n D o n n e rsta g

sch w i m m e n .
Not now. I'm busy!
He goes swimming every Thursday.
Ü bri g e n s: Ich h a be g e ste rn Pe te r D i e se r Ta g i st e i n Fe i e rta g .

g e tro ffe n .
This day is a public holiday.
By the way: I met Peter yesterday.
H e u te i st e i n g u te r Ta g . Fre d d i e w i rd d a s bi s spä te r
sch a ffe n .
Today is a good day.
Freddie will make it until later.
Mo rg e n h a be i ch e i n e n Te rm i n . Ich sch l a fe j e d e n Ta g bi s 10 U h r.
Tomorrow I have an appointment. I sleep until 10 am every day.
GRAMMAR
Remember what we said about native forms of the conditional, which do not use “würde”? In
this lesson’s dialog, you have encountered one more: “könnte”. This is derived from
“können” (can), so “könnte” should be translated as “could”. The personal endings are of
course the same again as for “würde” and “möchte”. “könnte” is particularly useful when you
want to make a polite request: e. g. “Könnten Sie mir (bitte) helfen?” – Could you (please) help
me? Even without the “bitte”, it’s so much more polite than if you had started the question with
“Können Sie…”.
Another quick tip for today: you can turn any verb into a noun just by capitalising it. This way
you get the noun that describes the action, and this noun will always be neuter and have no
plural. Examples:
treffen – das Treffen (to meet – the meeting)

essen – das Essen (to eat – the eating – in this case, “Essen” can also mean “the food”)
trinken – das Trinken (to drink – the drinking)

These verb-nouns are particularly popular in official German, for example “Das Trinken im
Unterricht ist nicht erlaubt.” (The drinking [of stuff] during the class is not allowed.)
CULTURAL INSIGHT
6 tips for sight-seeing in Germany
1. Plan enough time. Despite being a small country area-wise, Germany is full of great sights,
and every region is very different from the next. You could spend a lifetime in Germany and
still discover things you haven’t seen. If you come here for a week, don’t expect to get more
than an overview of one German region, and come back later for the others.
2. Try the local food. While German food isn’t yet famous internationally, most German food
is delicious and meals are usually well-balanced. Also try German bakery goods (bread,
cake, pastries…), this is what Germans miss the most when living abroad.
3. Avoid asking your host for numbers. Germany’s most popular sights don’t generally fit in
the categories “biggest”, “tallest”, “fastest” and so on, and even if they do, Germans generally
don’t care to know the numbers. Look them up online.
4. Bring your camera. What Germans do care about is beauty. That is nice architecture (even
on normal houses), interior arrangement, art… you will find plenty of things to take photos of.
5. Learn a bit about history. Despite the bombings, there are plenty of old houses in German
cities, old churches, cathedrals, even medieval castles and ruins dating back to Roman
times. You will appreciate these much better (and avoid making a fool of yourself) if you know
a little about German history, or European history in general. (watch out for new audioblogs
on history)
6. Give public transport a try. Since the city centres of most German big cities were laid out
long before cars were around, many streets in the city centres are now too narrow for the
amount of traffic that should pass through them. Not to mention that Germans like their
pedestrian zones, where cars don’t have any access. Parking lots in the centre city are also
extremely scarce; parking houses would be your best bet, and they are expensive as hell. So,
to save yourself a lot of stress and money, use the subway, bus, tram or train to get around.
(This is particularly true for Köln, Cologne, where the main train station will drop you off right
next to the big cathedral that is Cologne’s main sight and in the center of the pedestrian
shopping streets. Try getting there by car!)

LESSON NOTES
Beginner #25
Are you coming, or what?
CONTENTS
2 German
3 English
4 Informal German
5 Informal English
7 Vocabulary
7 Sample Sentences
8 Grammar
9 Cultural Insight
# 25
GERMAN
1. John: Sind Sie fertig, Frau Wucher? Ich möchte jetzt gehen.
2. Michaela: Noch nicht. Ich muss mich noch duschen. Und Sie?
3. John: Ich bin schon fertig.
4. …
5. John: Was ist, Frau Wucher? Kommen Sie?
6. Michaela: Ich bin noch im Badezimmer, sehen Sie das nicht?
7. John: Ich frage ja nur. Was machen Sie so lange im Badezimmer?
8. Michaela: Chhh! Was macht man wohl im Badezimmer?! Ich wasche mir die
Haare, trockne mir die Haare ab, ich kämme mich, ich putze mir
die Zähne…
9. …
10. John: Und jetzt? Sind Sie jetzt fertig? Ich möchte endlich die
Sehenswürdigkeiten sehen!
11. Michaela: Ich muss mich noch anziehen.
12. John: Okay, ich warte schon mal an der Tür.
13. …
14. Michaela: So, da bin ich!
15. John: Gut, gehen wir!
CONT'D OVER
GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #25 - ARE YOU COMING, OR WHAT? 2

16. Michaela: Sie wollen so gehen??
17. John: Ja, warum nicht?
18. Michaela: So nehme ich Sie nicht mit. Sie müssen sich erst rasieren. Ich
werde draußen auf Sie warten.
ENGLISH
1. John: Are you ready, Ms Wucher? I would like to go now.
2. Michaela: Not yet. I still have to shower. And you?
3. John: I’m already ready.
4. …
5. John: What’s up, Ms Wucher? Are you coming?
6. Michaela: I’m still in the bathroom, don’t you see that?
7. John: I’m just asking. What are you doing in the bathroom for so long?
8. Michaela: Chhh! What do people do in the bathroom?! I am washing my hair,

drying my hair, combing it, brushing my teeth…
9. …
10. John: And now? Are you ready now? I would like to finally see the sights!
11. Michaela: I first have to get dressed still.
CONT'D OVER

12. John: Okay, I’m going to wait at the door.
13. …
14. Michaela: So, here I am!
15. John: Alright, let’s go!
16. Michaela: You want to go like this??
17. John: Yes, why not?
18. Michaela: I’m not taking you along like this. You first have to shave. I will wait
for you outside.
INFORMAL GERMAN
1. John: Bist du fertig, Michaela? Ich möchte jetzt gehen.
2. Michaela: Noch nicht. Ich muss mich noch duschen. Und du?
3. John: Ich bin schon fertig.
4. …
5. John: Was ist, Michaela? Kommst du?
6. Michaela: Ich bin noch im Badezimmer, siehst du das nicht?
7. John: Ich frage ja nur. Was machst du so lange im Badezimmer?
CONT'D OVER

8. Michaela: Chhh! Was macht man wohl im Badezimmer?! Ich wasche mir die
Haare, trockne mir die Haare ab, ich kämme mich, ich putze mir
die Zähne…
9. …
10. John: Und jetzt? Bist du jetzt fertig? Ich möchte endlich die
Sehenswürdigkeiten sehen!
11. Michaela: Ich muss mich noch anziehen.
12. John: Okay, ich warte schon mal an der Tür.
13. …
14. Michaela: So, da bin ich!
15. John: Gut, gehen wir!
16. Michaela: Du willst so gehen??
17. John: Ja, warum nicht?
18. Michaela: So nehme ich dich nicht mit. Du musst dich erst rasieren. Ich werde
draußen auf dich warten.
INFORMAL ENGLISH
1. John: Are you ready, Michaela? I would like to go now.
2. Michaela: Not yet. I still have to shower. And you?
CONT'D OVER

3. John: I’m already ready.
4. …
5. John: What’s up, Michaela? Are you coming?
6. Michaela: I’m still in the bathroom, don’t you see that?
7. John: I’m just asking. What are you doing in the bathroom for so long?
8. Michaela: Chhh! What do people do in the bathroom?! I am washing my hair,

drying my hair, combing it, brushing my teeth…
9. …
10. John: And now? Are you ready now? I would like to finally see the sights!
11. Michaela: I first have to get dressed still.
12. John: Okay, I’m going to wait at the door.
13. …
14. Michaela: So, here I am!
15. John: Alright, let’s go!
16. Michaela: You want to go like this??
17. John: Yes, why not?
CONT'D OVER

18. Michaela: I’m not taking you along like this. You first have to shave. I will wait
for you outside.
VOCABULARY
fertig completed, ready
neuter; plural is the

Badezimmer bathroom noun same
can be reflexive;
vowel-changing a ->
waschen to wash verb ä, ich wasche, du
wäschst
can be reflexive;
abtrocknen to dry verb weak verb; “ab” splits
off
Haar hair noun; neuter, das neuter; plural: Haare
can be reflexive;
kämmen to comb verb weak verb
die Zähne putzen to brush teeth expression can be reflexive
can be reflexive; er
anziehen to wear, to put on verb zieht an, er zog an,
er hat angezogen
feminine; plural:
Tür door noun Türen
synonymous with
warum why question word “wieso”
can be reflexive;
rasieren to shave verb weak verb
duschen to shower verb reflexive; weak verb
SAMPLE SENTENCES

D a s Mi tta g e sse n i st g l e i ch fe rti g . Wo i st e u e r Ba d e zi m m e r?
Lunch will soon be ready. Where is your bathroom?
Ich m u ss d e n H u n d w a sch e n . Ich tro ckn e d a s G e sch i rr a b.
I need to wash the dog. I'll dry the dishes.
D u h a st g e su n d e H a a re . S i e kä m m t i h re H a a re se h r o ft.
You have healthy hair. She combs her hair very often.
Ma n so l l te si ch n a ch j e d e r Ma h l ze i t Ka n n i ch d a s ro te Kl e i d zu d e n
d i e Zä h n e pu tze n . bl a u e n S ch u h e n a n zi e h e n ?
One should brush ones teeth after every Can I wear the red dress together with the
meal. blue shoes? (Implied: do they match?)
Ka n n st d u d i e Tü r a u fm a ch e n ? Wa ru m d a u e rt d a s so l a n g e ?
Can you open the door? Why is this taking so long?
Er h a t si ch be i m R a si e re n Ich so l l te m i ch zu e rst d u sch e n .

g e sch n i tte n .
I should shower first.
He cut himself while shaving.
GRAMMAR
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 wäscht sich” (He
washes himself) rather than “Er wäscht ihn”, which would mean he washes some other male
person - or the “ihn” could also reference an object that is grammatically masculine in
German.

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 it’s 3rd person). You’d 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 you’ll 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

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LESSON NOTES

1. John: Entschuldigung! Sind Sie “Michaela Wucher”?

3. John: Ich bin John Williams. Ich bin aus Pennsylvania...

5. John: Oh, Entschuldigung!

1. John: Excuse me! Are you Michaela Wucher?

2. Michael: No, I am not “Michaela Wucher”. Who are you?

3. John: I am John Williams. I am from Pennsylvania...

4. Michael: Ahhh! You are John Williams! I am “Michaela Wucher”, but it is

5. John: Oh, sorry!

1. John: ’tschuldigung! Bist du "Michaela Wucher“?

GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #1 - ARE YOU MICHAELA WUCHER? 2

5. John: Oh, Entschuldigung!

1. John: Excuse me! Are you Michaela Wucher?

2. Michael: No, I am not “Michaela Wucher”. Who are you?

3. John: I am John Williams. I am from Pennsylvania...

4. Michael: Ahhh! You are John Williams! I am “Michaela Wucher”, but it is

5. John: Oh, sorry!

Ge r man English C lass Ge nde r

Sie you (formal) personal pronoun

ich I personal pronoun

wer who pronoun

GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #1 - ARE YOU MICHAELA WUCHER? 3

nicht not adverb

aus from preposition

Ich n e h m e d i e En tsch u l d i g u n g a n . H a be n S i e e i n e a n d e re Kre d i tka rte ?

I accept the apology. Do you have another credit card?

Do you speak English? You are Mr Smith.

Ich h a tte l e tzte Wo ch e so vi e l zu Ich bi n Li sa .

Who is that? That can't be true!

I am a student. No, I am not from Cologne.

I didn't say that! You aren't my father!

GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #1 - ARE YOU MICHAELA WUCHER? 4

Here is a table with all the present tense forms:

du bist you are (informal)

er ist / sie ist / es ist he is / she is / it is

wir sind we are

ihr seid you are (plural)

sie sind / Sie sind they are / you are (formal)

* getting somebody’s attention

GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #1 - ARE YOU MICHAELA WUCHER? 5

* you are talking to somebody under 18

GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #1 - ARE YOU MICHAELA WUCHER? 6

2. #1: Es ist okay, Herr Williams. Sind Sie sehr müde?

2. #1: It’s okay, Mr Williams. Are you very tired?

3. #2: No, I am not very tired, just a bit.

2. #1: Es ist okay, John. Bist du sehr müde?

GERMANPOD101.COM BEGINNER #2 - GOING HOME 2

2. #1: It’s okay, John. Are you tired?

3. #2: No, I am not very tired, just a bit.

Ge r man English C lass

müde tired adjective

sehr very adverb

nur only, just adverb

ein bisschen a little adverb

mein my possessive pronoun

Auto car noun

dort drüben over there expression

zehn ten (10) numeral

Zuhause, zu Hause home, at home

I am very tired today. That's very good!

Ich e sse n u r G e m ü se . Ich spre ch e n u r e i n bi ssch e n

My name is Tim. My name is Lisa.

D a s Au to i st d a s Li e bl i n g sspi e l ze u g Me i n Au to i st e i n bi ssch e n d re cki g .