Speak German with

confidence
Speak German with
confidence
Paul Coggle and Heiner Schenke
For UK order enquiries: please contact Bookpoint Ltd, 130 Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon
OX14 4SB. Telephone: +44 (0) 1235 827720. Fax: +44 (0) 1235 400454. Lines are open
09.00–17.00, Monday to Saturday, with a 24-hour message answering service. Details
about our titles and how to order are available at www.teachyourself.com
For USA order enquiries: please contact McGraw-Hill Customer Services, PO Box 545,
Blacklick, OH 43004-0545, USA. Telephone: 1-800-722-4726. Fax: 1-614-755-5645.
For Canada order enquiries: please contact McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd, 300 Water St,
Whitby, Ontario L1N 9B6, Canada. Telephone: 905 430 5000. Fax: 905 430 5020.
Long renowned as the authoritative source for self-guided learning – with more than 50
million copies sold worldwide – the teach yourself series includes over 500 titles in the fields
of languages, crafts, hobbies, business, computing and education.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data: a catalogue record for this title is available
from the British Library.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: on file.
First published in UK 2005 as Teach Yourself German Conversation by Hodder Education,
part of Hachette UK, 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH.
First published in US 2005 as Teach Yourself German Conversation by The McGraw-Hill
Companies, Inc.
This edition published 2010.
The teach yourself name is a registered trade mark of Hodder Headline.
Copyright © 2005, 2010 Paul Coggle and Heiner Schenke
In UK: All rights reserved. Apart from any permitted use under UK copyright law, no
part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information, storage and
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher or under licence from
the Copyright Licensing Agency Limited. Further details of such licences (for reprographic
reproduction) may be obtained from the Copyright Licensing Agency Limited, of Saffron
House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS.
In US: All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of
1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any
means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of
the publisher.
Typeset by Servis Filmsetting Ltd, Stockport, Cheshire.
Printed in the UK for Hodder Education, an Hachette UK Company, 338 Euston Road,
London NW1 3BH.
The publisher has used its best endeavours to ensure that the URLs for external websites
referred to in this book are correct and active at the time of going to press. However, the
publisher and the author have no responsibility for the websites and can make no guarantee
that a site will remain live or that the content will remain relevant, decent or appropriate.
Hachette UK’s policy is to use papers that are natural, renewable and recyclable products
and made from wood grown in sustainable forests. The logging and manufacturing
processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of
origin.
Impression number 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Year 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010
Contents

Track listing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Only got a minute? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Only got five minutes? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Only got ten minutes? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Conversation 1: Arriving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Part 1: Getting a taxi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Part 2: Checking into a hotel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Conversation 2: Ordering drinks and a snack. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Part 1: Ordering drinks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Part 2: Ordering a snack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Conversation 3: Asking the way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Part 1: Asking the way to the tourist information office . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Part 2: Asking the way to a museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Conversation 4: Using local transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Part 1: Taking the bus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Part 2: Taking the underground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Conversation 5: Going to a concert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Part 1: Finding out about tickets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Part 2: Making arrangements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Conversation 6: Ordering a meal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Part 1: Ordering starters and drinks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Part 2: Ordering a main course and dessert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Conversation 7: Out and about . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Part 1: Renting a car. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Part 2: Booking a hotel room. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Conversation 8: Meeting people . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Part 1: Introducing yourself at a reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Part 2: Having a conversation at a party . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Conversation 9: Asking advice on health problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Part 1: At the pharmacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Part 2: At the doctor’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Conversation 10: Going shopping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Part 1: Buying clothes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Part 2: Looking for a souvenir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Contents v
 CD3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Conversation 3/1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Part 1: Taking a taxi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Part 2: Football scores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Conversation 3/2: Ordering drinks and a snack. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Conversation 3/3: Asking the way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Conversation 3/4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Part 1: Planning a day trip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Part 2: Late arrival announcement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Conversation 3/5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Part 1: Going to the opera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Part 2: Radio announcement – what’s on? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Conversation 3/6: Ordering a meal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Conversation 3/7: Booking a room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Conversation 3/8: Meeting at a party . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Conversation 3/9: At the leisure centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Conversation 3/10: Shopping for food and drink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Cultural information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Grammar reference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Listening skills: Survival phrases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
German–English glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
English–German glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Essential vocabulary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Subject index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Recorded at Alchemy Studios, London

Cast: Walter Bohnacker, Margarete Forsyth, Ruth Rach, Sarah

Sherborne, Tom Wesel

vi
Track listing

CD 1

Track 1: Introduction
Tracks 2–10: Conversation 1: Arriving
Tracks 11–18: Conversation 2: Ordering drinks and a snack
Tracks 19–26: Conversation 3: Asking the way
Tracks 27–34: Conversation 4: Using local transport
Tracks 35–41: Conversation 5: Going to a concert

CD 2

Tracks 1–8: Conversation 6: Ordering a meal

Tracks 9–15: Conversation 7: Out and about
Tracks 16–22: Conversation 8: Meeting people
Tracks 23–30: Conversation 9: Asking advice on health problems
Tracks 31–8: Conversation 10: Going shopping

CD 3

Track 1: Introduction
Track 2: Conversation 1: Part 1: Taking a taxi
Track 3: Conversation 1: Part 2: Football scores
Track 4: Conversation 2: Ordering drinks and a snack
Track 5: Conversation 3: Asking the way
Track 6: Conversation 4: Part 1: Planning a day trip
Track 7: Conversation 4: Part 2: Late arrival announcement
Track 8: Conversation 5: Part 1: Going to the opera
Track 9: Conversation 5: Part 2: Radio announcement – what’s on?
Track 10: Conversation 6: Ordering a meal
Track 11: Conversation 7: Booking a room
Track 12: Conversation 8: Meeting at a party
Track 13: Conversation 9: At the leisure centre
Track 14: Conversation 10: Shopping for food and drink

Track listing vii

Credits

Front cover: C Squared Studios/© Photodisc.com

Back cover: © Jakub Semeniuk/iStockphoto.com, © Royalty-Free/

Corbis, © agencyby/iStockphoto.com, © Andy Cook/iStockphoto.com,
© Christopher Ewing/iStockphoto.com, © zebicho – Fotolia.com,
© Geoffrey Holman/iStockphoto.com, ©Photodisc/Getty Images,
© James C. Pruitt/iStockphoto.com, © Mohamed Saber – Fotolia.com
Introduction

Are you thinking of improving your spoken German or learning it from

scratch? As the authors of Speak German with confidence, we are very
keen to help you achieve your objectives. Both of us are enthusiastic and
experienced teachers of German and we like to think that what we have
produced for you is an excellent introduction to the spoken language.

In this course we present you with everyday spoken German in

recordings of simple conversations. The conversations on CD1 and
CD2 cover situations that you are likely to encounter during a visit to a
German-speaking country and are presented in such a way as to make
them manageable for the complete beginner. You are offered a lot of
practice in both listening and speaking. CD3, uniquely, teaches listening
and understanding skills and helps you to cope with more complex,
authentic language. All the recordings contain English commentaries to
help you grasp what is being said in German. There are also transcripts
to help to internalize new words and structures.

English translations of the conversations are provided to make quite

sure that you are able to understand everything.

For more practice in listening and speaking, and for reading and writing
practice, you can progress to our tried and tested Complete German
course. This also has more detailed information on how the language
works, and interesting facts about present-day German culture and
society.

As long as you are up for a bit of work, complete the activities suggested
on the recordings, and put in some practice, you will make encouraging
progress.

Good luck with learning German!

Paul Coggle and Heiner Schenke

Introduction 1
Only got a minute?
The aim of this course is to help you interact in German

with people both socially and practically. Situations such

as meeting people, asking the way, ordering a meal and

shopping are presented in recorded conversations, together

with assistance from an English-speaking narrator and easy-

to-follow practice.
German is spoken as a native language by

approximately 105 million people. About a further 80 million

people speak it as a second or foreign language. The standard

language is called Hochdeutsch and this is the language

taught in schools. But there are also many regional variants,

especially in Southern Germany, Austria and in Switzerland.

Here are a few basic expressions, some of which

you may already know: Ja Yes, Nein No, Bitte Please, Danke

Thank you, Auf Wiedersehen! Goodbye. Many everyday

German words are easy to recognize, such as Apfel apple,

Bus bus, trinken to drink, bringen to bring.

Only got a minute? 3

 5 Only got five minutes?
Speakers of German
German is the largest language group within the European Union with
around 92 million native speakers in Germany, Austria, Luxemburg
and parts of Belgium and Italy. German native speakers living outside
the EU in Switzerland and other communities throughout the world
bring the total to approximately 105 million. About a further 80 million
people speak German as a second or foreign language. German has
considerable importance within the EU not only because of the number
of speakers it has, but also because it is, along with English and French,
one of the three procedural languages of the European Commission.

German language and vocabulary

German belongs to the West Germanic group of languages and is
related to Dutch and English and more distantly to the Scandinavian
languages. German has also been influenced, particularly in vocabulary,
by Latin, French and in more recent decades by English. Whilst certain
German words have been borrowed into English – e.g. Delicatessen,
Doppelgänger, Kindergarten, Meister, Rucksack, Schadenfreude,
Weltanschauung, Zeitgeist – the number of English words borrowed
into German is much larger and constantly growing. More recent
additions have been der Airbag, der JobCenter, crashen (of computers),
downloaden, die E-Mail, der Laptop, shoppen. Some of the borrowed
words have taken on a different meaning in German, e.g.das Handy cell
phone, mobile phone, der Oldtimer vintage car, der Showmaster TV host,
der Smoking tuxedo, dinner jacket.

Recent borrowings from English are often referred to as Denglisch

(Deutsch + Englisch). They are regarded by some German speakers
as unwelcome intruders into the language and by others as a further

4
development of the language, comparable with the importations from
Latin and French in the past.

German literature
From a cultural point of view there is an enormous wealth of literature
in German, much of which is available in translation, but some of which
– especially poetry – must be read in the original German in order to
gain the full impact of the author’s use of language.

Two of the best known authors born in the eighteenth century are
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) and Friedrich Schiller
(1759–1805). In more recent times those best known in the English-
speaking world include Franz Kafka (1883–1924), Thomas Mann
(1875–1955) and Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956) as well as Erich Kästner
(1899–1974), Heinrich Böll (1917–85), Günter Grass (1927–) and
Patrick Süskind (1949–).

What the course contains

The vocabulary and the language structures that we introduce in this
course have been carefully chosen to take account of your needs as a
beginner and the kind of things you may want to use German for when
you are on a visit to a German-speaking country. On CD1 and CD2
the course covers some of the main situations you may find yourself in,
including among others, ordering food in a café or restaurant, asking
for directions, shopping for food and clothes, renting a car, etc. CD3,
uniquely, teaches skills for listening and understanding.

Each new situation or topic requires a special set of words and

expressions and specific constructions. For instance, to say who you are
you will use the expression Mein Name ist … My name is …, or to say
what you want you will need the phrase Ich möchte… I should like ….
If you are buying clothes, numbers are required in order to talk about
sizes. You will also want to be able to discuss colours and whether you
like something or not.

Only got a minute?

Only got five minutes? 5
 Practice and further exposure to German will allow you to transfer what
you have learned to other situations that you may encounter.

Adding to your German vocabulary

In addition to the vocabulary that you will learn in the conversations,
in the support book there are a few helpful lists of vocabulary grouped
under various headings, such as Food and drink, Days of the week, Time
and Numbers.

Here are a few basic German words and expressions to help you get
started. You may know some of them already:

Greetings: Hallo! hello!, Guten Tag good day, Guten Abend good evening.

Saying goodbye: Auf Wiedersehen! goodbye, see you later!

Saying please and thank you: Bitte please, Danke (schön) thank you (very
much).

Drinks: Kaffee coffee, Tee tea, Mineralwasser mineral water,

Orangensaft orange juice, Bier beer, Rotwein red wine, Weißwein white
wine.

6
 10 Only got ten minutes?
Learning to speak German
Whatever your reasons are for wanting to speak German, there are
certain basic language activities which you will need to engage in and
handle efficiently. Several of the most predictable ones are covered in
Speak German with confidence, including giving information about
yourself, asking for directions, ordering food and drink, making
arrangements, etc. The German conversations which have been recorded
for this course are introduced to you step by step by an English-speaking
narrator. There are also transcriptions of the conversations in the
support book, along with English translations to help you make sure
that you have grasped the meaning.

The narrator on the recordings first helps you to recognize and

understand what is being said in a given conversation. Then you are
given the opportunity to repeat the phrases of that conversation in
manageable chunks. Finally, you are asked to play the role of one of the
speakers in the conversation with the help of English prompts. You can
compare your performance with that of the original German speaker
and repeat this exercise until you feel sufficiently confident to continue.
Being able to handle the conversations adequately will in turn allow you
to transfer what you have learned to new situations, thus expanding
your capacity to communicate.

Adding to your German vocabulary

In addition to the vocabulary that you will learn in the conversations,
in the support book there are a few helpful lists of vocabulary grouped
under various headings, such as Food and drink, Days of the week, Time
and Numbers.

Only got ten minutes? 7

 Where German is spoken
German is spoken as a native language by approximately 105 million
people. About a further 80 million people speak it as a second or foreign
language. German is the official language or one of the official languages
in Germany, Austria, Luxemburg, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and the
Südtirol area of Italy.

There are communities of German native speakers in Russia

(approximately 2.9 million), Canada (over 438,000), the Südtirol (Alto
Adige) region of Italy (over 290,000), the USA (around 100,000), the
Walloon Region of Belgium (73,000) and Romania (45,000).

The German speakers in the United States are quite often members
of religious groups, such as the Amish and Mennonites. The Amish,
based in former times mainly in German-speaking Switzerland, began
migrating to Pennsylvania in the eighteenth century as part of a larger
migration from the Palatinate region of Germany. They were driven to
migration by religious conflicts, poverty, and religious persecution. Their
language came to be referred to as Pennsylvania Dutch (where Dutch is
really Deutsch). Nowadays it is primarily the Old Order Amish and Old
Order Mennonites who continue to speak Pennsylvania Dutch.

German language and vocabulary

German belongs to the West Germanic group of languages and is related
to Dutch and English and more distantly to the Scandinavian languages.
German has also been influenced, particularly in vocabulary, by Latin,
French and in more recent decades by English.

Many words in both languages have their origins in their shared

Germanic past, for example, Apfel apple, backen to bake, Bad bath,
danken to thank and Garten garden. You may not always spot the link
between two words straight away, as with Zaun fence. This is in fact
the same word in origin as the English town. Early settlements often
had fences around them to keep out wild animals, etc. The huntsmen
returning to the settlement would go back to the fenced area or to what
historical linguists think was called the tuna.
8
Both English and German have borrowed words from Latin. The
similarities are sometimes obvious, sometimes less so, for example,
tegula Ziegel tile, pirum Birne pear, caseus Käse cheese, planta Pflanze
plant. While the Norman invasion of England brought many Norman
French words into English, German too was influenced, although to a
much lesser extent, by French, e.g. Visage face, ordinär uncouth, frivol
frivolous, Affäre affair, Restaurant restaurant.

Whilst certain German words have been borrowed into English –

e.g. Delicatessen, Doppelgänger, Kindergarten, Meister, Rucksack,
Schadenfreude, Weltanschauung, Zeitgeist – the number of English
words borrowed into German is much larger and constantly growing.
More recent additions have been der Airbag, der JobCenter, crashen
(of computers), downloaden, die E-Mail, der Laptop, shoppen. Some
of the borrowed words have taken on a different meaning in German,
e.g. das Handy cell phone, mobile phone, der Oldtimer vintage car, der
Showmaster TV host, der Smoking tuxedo, dinner jacket.

Recent borrowings from English are often referred to as Denglisch

(Deutsch + Englisch). They are regarded by some German speakers
as unwelcome intruders into the language and by others as a further
development of the language, comparable with the importations from
Latin and French in the past.

Spelling and pronunciation

German spelling is much more consistent than English. Most words
are pronounced as they are spelled. Once you become familiar with the
sounds of German and with German stress patterns, you should have
little difficulty in reading German, even if you cannot fully understand
the meaning.

German spelling was not fully standardized until 1901 when the
Reichsamt des Innern Reich Ministry of the Interior convened the 2nd
Berlin Orthography Conference. In 1902 the rulings of this conference
became legally binding and were laid down in Konrad Duden’s
dictionary.

Only got ten minutes? 9

 In 1994 representatives of the Ministries of Culture and of the Interior
in Austria, Switzerland and the Federal Republic of Germany agreed on
a common draft for a spelling reform.

After a further 13 years of discussion and resistance to the reforms,

the new spelling rules became legally binding in schools in 2007.
German news agencies now write their material according to the
recommendations of Duden (http://www.duden.de) and Wahrig
(http://www.wahrig.de).

The alphabet
The German alphabet uses the same 26 letters as the English alphabet,
but with an additional four letters. Three of these are formed by adding
a so-called Umlaut – two dots above the letters a, o and u: ä, ö, ü.
They are used in words such as Bäcker baker, schön beautiful, nice and
Übung exercise. German speakers are strict about using the Umlaut and
do not omit it. For writing e-mails or blogs it is acceptable to add an
e after the vowel instead of using the Umlaut, e.g. Bäcker  Baecker,
schön  schoen.

The fourth extra letter is ß, which is called scharfes s or eszett. This

is used after a long vowel in words such as Straße street and Fußball
football. After a short vowel ss is used: Pass passport, Kuss kiss.

Word stress
All words of more than one syllable have what is called word stress.
This means that at least one of the syllables is longer and louder than
the other syllables. Word stress in German often falls on the first
syllable, as in Deutschland Germany and Mittagessen lunch. But the
word stress can appear on other syllables as well, e.g. erlauben to allow,
telefonieren to telephone, Metzgerei butcher’s shop. A few words that
are written the same have different stress for different meanings, e.g.
übersetzen to translate, übersetzen to ferry across.

10
Capital letters
All nouns are written with a capital letters in German: Bank bank, Haus
house. There have been moves to abandon this practice, but so far they
have not succeeded. Some people use lower case initials in informal
writing, such as e-mails.

Some adjectives which are written with a capital letter in English are
written with lower case letters in German, e.g. adjectives describing
nationality: mein deutscher Freund my German (boy)friend, ein
englisches Buch an English book. Similarly, words denoting political
and religious groups have lower case initials, e.g. eine sozialistische
Regierung a Socialist government, ein katholisches Land a Catholic
country.

We hope we have managed to persuade you to have a go at learning

German. It will open up a new world for you! We wish you Viel Erfolg
und viel Spaß! Lots of success and lots of fun!

Only got ten minutes? 11

 Conversation 1: Arriving

PART 1: GETTING A TAXI

L CD1, TR 2

Claudia Guten Tag.

Taxidriver Guten Tag.
Claudia Sind Sie frei?
Taxidriver Ja.
Claudia Zum Hotel Sonne in der Berliner Straße, bitte.
Taxidriver Kein Problem ... So, hier ist das Hotel.
Claudia Was macht das, bitte?
Taxidriver 30 Euro.
Claudia Bitte schön.
Taxidriver Danke. Auf Wiedersehen.
Claudia Auf Wiedersehen.

Insight
In these two conversations you are introduced to the standard
greeting in German which is Guten Tag. When you travel
to a German-speaking country don’t be surprised if you
encounter other greetings. In southern Germany or Austria it
is quite common to say Grüβ Gott. In Switzerland you may be
addressed with Gruezi.
There are also various alternatives to Auf Wiedersehen, such
as Auf Wiederschaun, Tschüss or Ciao.

PART 2: CHECKING INTO A HOTEL

LI CD1, TR 7

Receptionist Guten Tag.

Marco Guten Tag. Ich habe ein Zimmer reserviert.
Receptionist Wie ist Ihr Name, bitte?
Marco Mein Name ist Marco Feldmann.
Receptionist Ja. Ein Einzelzimmer für zwei Nächte.
Marco Nein, ein Doppelzimmer für zwei Nächte.
Receptionist Oh, ja. Sie haben Zimmer Nummer 5.

12
Claudia Good day.
Taxidriver Good day.
Claudia Are you free?
Taxidriver Yes.
Claudia To the Sun Hotel in Berliner Straße, please.
Taxidriver No problem ... So, here’s the hotel.
Claudia What does that come to, please?
Taxidriver 30 euros.
Claudia Here you are (lit. please very much).
Taxidriver Thanks. Goodbye.
Claudia Goodbye.

Receptionist Good day.

Marco Good day. I have a room reserved.
Receptionist What is your name, please?
Marco My name is Marco Feldmann.
Receptionist Yes. A single room for two nights.
Marco No, a double room for two nights.
Receptionist Oh, yes. You have room number 5.

Conversation 1: Arriving 13
 Marco Nummer 5.
Receptionist Hier ist Ihr Schlüssel.
Marco Danke. Wann ist Frühstück?
Receptionist Frühstück ist zwischen sieben und neun Uhr.
Marco Danke schön.

Conversation 2: Ordering drinks and a snack

PART 1: ORDERING DRINKS

LI CD1, TR 11

Marco Entschuldigen Sie, bitte. Ist hier frei?

Customer Ja. Bitte schön.
A waitress arrives.
Waitress Guten Tag. Was möchten Sie, bitte?
Claudia Ich möchte einen Kaffee.
Waitress Eine Tasse oder ein Kännchen?
Claudia Ich nehme ein Kännchen, bitte.
Marco Und ich möchte ein Glas Tee.
Waitress Mit Milch oder Zitrone?
Marco Mit Zitrone, bitte.
Waitress Also, ein Kännchen Kaffee und ein Glas Tee mit Zitrone.
Sonst noch etwas?
Claudia Nein, danke. Das ist alles.

PART 2: ORDERING A SNACK

LI CD1, TR 15

Waitress Was möchten Sie, bitte?

Claudia Ich möchte ein Stück Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, bitte.
Waitress Und Sie?
Marco Ich nehme ein Baguette mit Schinken und Tomaten.
Waitress Und was möchten Sie trinken?
Claudia Ich nehme eine Tasse Kaffee und ein Mineralwasser.
Waitress Mit oder ohne Kohlensäure?
Claudia Ohne Kohlensäure, bitte.

14
Marco Number 5.
Receptionist Here is your key.
Marco Thanks. When is breakfast?
Receptionist Breakfast is between seven and nine o’clock.
Marco Thank you.

Marco Excuse me, please. Is this (seat) free here?

Customer Yes. Go ahead.
A waitress arrives.
Waitress Good day. What would you like, please?
Claudia I’d like a coffee.
Waitress A cup or a pot?
Claudia I’ll take (have) a pot, please.
Marco And I’d like a glass of tea.
Waitress With milk or lemon?
Marco With lemon, please.
Waitress So, a pot of coffee and a glass of tea with lemon.
Anything else?
Claudia No, thanks. That’s all.

Waitress What would you like, please?

Claudia I’d like a piece of Black Forest cherry gateau, please.
Waitress And you?
Marco I’ll take (have) a baguette with ham and tomatoes.
Waitress And what would you like to drink?
Claudia I’ll take (have) a cup of coffee and a mineral water.
Waitress With or without carbon dioxide (fizzy or still)?
Claudia Without carbon dioxide (still), please.

Conversation 2: Ordering drinks and a snack 15

 Marco Ich trinke ein Bier, bitte.
Waitress Sonst noch etwas?
Claudia Nein, danke. Was macht das, bitte?
Waitress Das macht 11 Euro 10.

Insight
The verb möchten (would like to) is a very useful verb in
German that you will hear and use a lot. In a café, restaurant
or shop, people will often address you with Was möchten Sie,
bitte? You can simply reply with Ich möchte einen Kaffee, ein
Baguette, etc.

Conversation 3: Asking the way

PART 1: ASKING THE WAY TO THE TOURIST INFORMATION

OFFICE
LI CD1, TR 19

Marco Entschuldigen Sie, bitte. Wie komme ich zur

Touristeninformation?
Passer-by Die Touristeninformation? Die ist am Bahnhof
Zoo.
Marco Ist es weit?
Passer-by Nein, ungefähr fünf Minuten zu Fuß.
Marco Und wo ist der Bahnhof Zoo?
Passer-by Also, gehen Sie hier geradeaus und nehmen Sie die erste
Straße rechts.
Marco Ist das der Ku’damm?
Passer-by Genau. Gehen Sie dann 100 Meter weiter und nehmen
Sie die zweite Straße links.
Marco Also, hier geradeaus, rechts und dann links. Vielen Dank.
Passer-by Bitte schön.

16
Marco I’ll drink (have) a beer, please.
Waitress Anything else?
Claudia No, thanks. What does that come to, please?
Waitress That comes to 11 euros 10.

Marco Excuse me, please. How do I get to the tourist

information office?
Passer-by The tourist information office? That’s at the Zoo
Station.
Marco Is it far?
Passer-by No, about five minutes’ walk (lit. on foot).
Marco And where is the Zoo Station?
Passer-by Well, go straight on here and take the first street on
the right.
Marco Is that the Ku’damm?
Passer-by Exactly. Then go 100 metres further and take the
second street on the left.
Marco So, straight on here, right and then left. Many thanks.
Passer-by You’re welcome.

Conversation 3: Asking the way 17

 PART 2: ASKING THE WAY TO A MUSEUM
LI CD1, TR 23

Claudia Entschuldigen Sie, bitte. Wir möchten zum

Mauermuseum. Ist es weit?
Passer-by Ungefähr zehn Minuten zu Fuß.
Claudia Und wie kommen wir am besten dorthin?
Passer-by Nehmen Sie die nächste Straße links. Und gehen Sie
dann immer geradeaus, ungefähr 500 Meter.
Claudia Also, hier links, dann 500 Meter immer geradeaus.
Passer-by Ja, genau. Nehmen Sie dann die zweite Straße rechts
und dann kommen Sie zum Checkpoint Charlie.
Claudia Und dann?
Passer-by Dann sehen Sie das Mauermuseum.

Insight
When planning a trip to Germany, Austria or Switzerland visit
the websites of the relevant tourist information offices. They
are usually well organized and contain information about
Sehenswürdigkeiten (tourist attractions) and accommodation.
If you get stuck with your German, don’t worry – almost all
websites are nowadays also available in English.

Conversation 4: Using local transport

PART 1: TAKING THE BUS

LI CD1, TR27

Claudia Guten Tag. Wie kommen wir bitte am besten zum

Reichstag?
Passer-by Also, am besten fahren Sie mit dem Bus, mit der
Nummer 110.
Claudia Und muss man umsteigen?
Passer-by Nein, der Bus geht direkt.
Claudia Und wo kann man Fahrkarten kaufen?
Passer-by An einem Automaten.

18
Claudia Excuse me, please. We’d like to (get to) the Wall
Museum. Is it far?
Passer-by About ten minutes’ walk.
Claudia And what’s the best way to get there?
Passer-by Take the next street left. And then keep going straight
on, about 500 metres.
Claudia So, left here, then straight on for 500 metres.
Passer-by Yes, exactly. Then take the second street right and
then you come to Checkpoint Charlie.
Claudia And then?
Passer-by Then you’ll see the Wall Museum.

Claudia Good day. What’s the best way for us to get to the
Reichstag, please?
Passer-by Well, the best way for you to go is by bus, the
number 110.
Claudia And does one have to change?
Passer-by No, the bus goes direct.
Claudia And where can one buy tickets?
Passer-by From a vending machine.

Conversation 4: Using local transport 19

 Claudia Und wo ist die Bushaltestelle, bitte?
Passer-by Hier vorne links.
Claudia Vielen Dank!

PART 2: TAKING THE UNDERGROUND

LI CD1, TR 31

Marco Guten Tag. Wir möchten zwei Fahrkarten zum

Potsdamer Platz, bitte. Was kostet das?
Ticket woman Nehmen Sie am besten eine Tageskarte. Das ist
billiger.
Marco Und müssen wir umsteigen?
Ticket woman Ja. Nehmen Sie die Linie U1. Fahren Sie bis
Gleisdreieck. Da steigen Sie dann in die Linie U2 um.
Marco Also, mit der Linie U1 bis Gleisdreieck und dann
steigen wir in die Linie U2 um.
Ticket woman Ja, richtig. Also, zwei Tageskarten. Das macht 11
Euro 20.
Marco Vielen Dank.

Insight
Using public transport while in Germany is usually easy and
relatively cheap. Many cities offer special one, three or five-day
tickets or Welcome-Cards for tourists which often also contain
reduced admissions to museums, restaurants, clubs, etc.

Conversation 5: Going to a concert

PART 1: FINDING OUT ABOUT TICKETS

LI CD1, TR 35

Claudia Guten Abend. Ich möchte zwei Karten für das Konzert
von Ute Lemper.
Salesman Für heute Abend?
Claudia Ja, für heute Abend. Wann beginnt das Konzert?
Salesman Es beginnt um 22 Uhr.
20
Claudia And where is the bus stop, please?
Passer-by Just over here on the left.
Claudia Many thanks!

Marco Good day. We’d like two tickets to Potsdamer Platz,

please. What does that cost?
Ticket woman It’s best for you to take a day ticket. That’s
cheaper.
Marco And do we have to change?
Ticket woman Yes. Take the U1 line. Go as far as Gleisdreieck.
There you then change to the U2 line.
Marco So, with the U1 line to Gleisdreieck and then we
change to the U2 line.
Ticket woman Yes, right. So, two day tickets. That comes to 11
euros 20.
Marco Many thanks.

Claudia Good evening. I’d like two tickets for the Ute Lemper
concert.
Salesman For this evening?
Claudia Yes, for this evening. When does the concert begin?
Salesman It begins at 10 p.m.
Conversation 5: Going to a concert 21
 Claudia Und wann ist das Konzert zu Ende?
Salesman Um halb eins.
Claudia Und was kosten die Karten?
Salesman Ich habe Karten für 15, 24 und 35 Euro.
Claudia Dann nehme ich die Karten für 24 Euro.
Salesman Das macht 48 Euro.
Claudia Danke schön.

PART 2: MAKING ARRANGEMENTS

LI CD1, TR 39

Marco Wie spät ist es?

Claudia Es ist zehn vor vier.
Marco Oh. Wann beginnt das Konzert?
Claudia Um zehn Uhr.
Marco Ich möchte vorher ein paar Geschenke kaufen. Wann
schließen die Geschäfte?
Claudia Die meisten Geschäfte schließen um acht Uhr.
Marco Dann gehen wir nach acht etwas essen.
Claudia Das ist eine gute Idee.

Insight
Be careful when making appointments in German. Half hours
are always counted towards the next hour, so for example,
halb vier is half past three and halb sieben is half past six.
Germans frequently use both the 12 hour and 24 hour systems
for giving the time.

Conversation 6: Ordering a meal

PART 1: ORDERING STARTERS AND DRINKS

LI CD2, TR 1

Waiter Guten Abend. Haben Sie schon gewählt?

Claudia Ja. Als Vorspeise möchte ich eine Gemüsesuppe,
bitte.
22
Claudia And when does the concert end?
Salesman At half past 12.
Claudia And what do the tickets cost?
Salesman I have tickets for 15, 24 and 35 euros.
Claudia Then I’ll take the tickets for 24 euros.
Salesman That comes to 48 euros.
Claudia Thank you.

Marco What’s the time? (lit. How late is it?)

Claudia It’s 10 to 4.
Marco Oh. When does the concert begin?
Claudia At 10 o’clock.
Marco I’d like to buy a few presents beforehand. When do the
shops close?
Claudia Most of the shops close at 8 o’clock.
Marco Then we’ll go to eat something after 8.
Claudia That’s a good idea.

Waiter Good evening. Have you chosen?

Claudia Yes. For my (as a) first course I’d like a vegetable soup,
please.
Conversation 6: Ordering a meal 23
 Waiter Und für Sie?
Marco Ich möchte einen kleinen Salatteller.
Waiter Und was möchten Sie trinken?
Claudia Haben Sie Kirschsaft?
Waiter Nein, wir haben Apfelsaft und Orangensaft.
Claudia Dann nehme ich einen Orangensaft.
Waiter Und Sie?
Marco Ich nehme ein Glas Rotwein, bitte.
Waiter Sonst noch etwas zu trinken?
Marco Bringen Sie uns bitte eine Flasche Mineralwasser.

PART 2: ORDERING A MAIN COURSE AND DESSERT

LI CD2, TR 5

Waiter Und was möchten Sie als Hauptgericht?

Claudia Als Hauptgericht nehme ich Pasta mit
Spinat.
Waiter Und für Sie?
Marco Ich nehme Gulasch mit Knödeln und
Rotkohl.
Waiter Und als Nachtisch?
Marco Können Sie uns etwas empfehlen?
Waiter Ja, der Apfelstrudel mit Eis ist ausgezeichnet.
Marco Dann nehmen wir zwei Apfelstrudel mit
Eis, bitte.
***
Waiter Hat es Ihnen geschmeckt?
Marco Ja, sehr gut. Die Rechnung, bitte.
Waiter Ja, natürlich.

Insight
You have probably realized that there are a lot of similarities
between English and German and that you can guess the
meaning of many words. This is especially true when it comes
to items of food. Here are a few examples: Salat salad, Brot
bread, Butter butter, Apfel apple, Eis ice cream, Wein wine, Bier
beer.

24
Waiter And for you?
Marco I’d like a small salad (plate).
Waiter And what would you like to drink?
Claudia Do you have cherry juice?
Waiter No, we have apple juice and orange juice.
Claudia Then I’ll take (have) an orange juice.
Waiter And you?
Marco I’ll take (have) a glass of red wine, please.
Waiter Anything else to drink?
Marco Please bring us a bottle of mineral water.

Waiter And what would you like for your (as a) main course?
Claudia For (my) main course I’ll take (have) pasta with
spinach.
Waiter And for you?
Marco I’ll take (have) goulash with dumplings and red
cabbage.
Waiter And for dessert?
Marco Can you recommend us something?
Waiter Yes, the apple strudel with ice cream is excellent.
Marco Then we’ll have (take) two apple strudels with ice
cream, please.
***
Waiter Have you enjoyed your meal?
Marco Yes, very much (lit. good, well). The bill, please.
Waiter Yes, of course.

Conversation 6: Ordering a meal 25

 Conversation 7: Out and about

PART 1: RENTING A CAR

LI CD2, TR 9

Claudia Guten Tag. Ich möchte ein Auto mieten.

Rental agent Für wie viele Tage?
Claudia Von morgen, Montag, bis Freitag.
Rental agent Wir haben einen VW Golf, einen Audi A3 oder einen
BMW 530d.
Claudia Was kostet denn der Audi?
Rental agent Der kostet 285 Euro, inklusive Vollkaskoversicherung
und Kilometergeld.
Claudia Gut, dann nehme ich den Audi.
Rental agent Wie ist Ihr Name, bitte?
Claudia Mein Name ist Claudia Meier.
Rental agent Und wie ist Ihre Kreditkartennummer?
Claudia Meine Visa-Kreditkartennummer ist vier null null null
– zwo vier vier drei – fünf sechs sieben acht – neun
neun null acht.

PART 2: BOOKING A HOTEL ROOM

LI CD2, TR 13

Marco Guten Tag. Ich möchte ein Doppelzimmer buchen.

Receptionist Für wie viele Nächte?
Marco Für zwei Nächte, von Mittwoch bis Freitag.
Receptionist Möchten Sie ein Zimmer mit Bad oder mit
Dusche?
Marco Mit Dusche, bitte.
Receptionist Moment, bitte … Wir haben Zimmer zu 95 Euro und
120 Euro.
Marco Ich nehme das Zimmer für 120 Euro.
Receptionist Und wie ist Ihr Name, bitte?
Marco Mein Name ist Marco Feldmann.
Receptionist Und Ihre Telefonnummer?
Marco Meine Telefonnumer ist null zwo elf – dreiundsechzig
– vierundzwanzig – zwölf.

26
Claudia Good day. I’d like to rent a car.
Rental agent For how many days?
Claudia From tomorrow, Monday, to Friday.
Rental agent We have a VW Golf, an Audi A3 or a BMW
530d.
Claudia What does the Audi cost then?
Rental agent That costs 285 euros, including fully comprehensive
insurance and kilometre allowance.
Claudia Fine, then I’ll take the Audi.
Rental agent What is your name, please?
Claudia My name is Claudia Meier.
Rental agent And what’s your credit card number?
Claudia My Visa credit card number is 4000 – 2443 – 5678
– 9908.

Marco Good day. I’d like to book a double room.

Receptionist For how many nights?
Marco For two nights, from Wednesday to Friday.
Receptionist Would you like a room with a bath or with a
shower?
Marco With a shower, please.
Receptionist One moment, please … We have rooms at 95 euros
and 120 euros.
Marco I’ll take the room for 120 euros.
Receptionist And what’s your name, please?
Marco My name is Marco Feldmann.
Receptionist And your telephone number?
Marco My telephone number is 0 2 11 – 63 – 24 – 12.

Conversation 7: Out and about 27

 Insight
In this conversation you learned the German words for
telephone and for phone number but you also need to know
what mobile phone and mobile number are. They are: das
Handy and die Handynummer. In German My mobile number is
… is: Meine Handynummer ist …

Conversation 8: Meeting people

PART 1: INTRODUCING YOURSELF AT A RECEPTION

LI CD2, TR 16

Marco Guten Tag. Ich heiße Marco Feldmann.

Simone Mein Name ist Simone Mühlen.
Marco Und woher kommen Sie?
Simone Ich komme aus London, aber ich wohne jetzt in Berlin.
Und Sie, Herr Feldmann, wo wohnen Sie?
Marco Ich wohne in Düsseldorf.
Simone Und was machen Sie beruflich?
Marco Ich bin Fotograf. Und Sie?
Simone Ich bin Webdesignerin. Und wie finden Sie Berlin?
Marco Ich finde Berlin sehr interessant.

PART 2: HAVING A CONVERSATION AT A PARTY

LI CD2, TR 20

Claudia Hallo. Ich heiße Claudia.

Oliver Hallo. Ich heiße Oliver.
Claudia Woher kommst du, Oliver?
Oliver Ich komme aus Frankfurt, aber ich wohne jetzt in Berlin.
Und du? Wo wohnst du?
Claudia Ich wohne in Düsseldorf.
Oliver Und wie findest du Berlin?
Claudia Ich finde Berlin sehr interessant. Es ist eine wunderbare
Stadt.
Oliver Und was machst du beruflich?
28
Marco Good day. My name is (I’m called) Marco Feldmann.
Simone My name is Simone Mühlen.
Marco And where do you come from?
Simone I come from London, but I now live in Berlin. And you,
Mr Feldmann, where do you live?
Marco I live in Düsseldorf.
Simone And what do you do for a living?
Marco I’m a photographer. And you?
Simone I’m a web designer. And how do you find Berlin?
Marco I find Berlin very interesting.

Claudia Hello. My name is (I’m called) Claudia.

Oliver Hallo. My name is (I’m called) Oliver.
Claudia Where do you come from, Oliver?
Oliver I come from Frankfurt, but I now live in Berlin. And
you? Where do you live?
Claudia I live in Düsseldorf.
Oliver And how do you find Berlin?
Claudia I find Berlin very interesting. It’s a wonderful
city.
Oliver And what do you do for a living?
Conversation 8: Meeting people 29
 Claudia Ich bin Fotografin. Und du?
Oliver Ich bin Architekt.

Insight
Did you notice that when the people in these conversations
referred to their professions, they did not use the word for a,
ein or eine? Marco, for instance, said, Ich bin Fotograf and
Oliver said, Ich bin Architekt.
The feminine forms of these jobs are Fotografin and
Architektin. Adding -in to the masculine form is very common,
for example: der Taxifahrer / die Taxifahrerin taxi driver, der
Ingenieur / die Ingenieurin engineer.

Conversation 9: Asking advice on health problems

PART 1: AT THE PHARMACY

LI CD2, TR 23

Pharmacist Guten Tag. Was kann ich für Sie tun?

Marco Ich habe Magenschmerzen.
Pharmacist Wie lange haben Sie die Schmerzen schon?
Marco Seit gestern Nacht.
Pharmacist Haben Sie etwas Scharfes gegessen?
Marco Ja, wir haben Curry gegessen.
Pharmacist Ich gebe Ihnen ein paar Tabletten.
Marco Wie oft soll ich die Tabletten nehmen?
Pharmacist Nehmen Sie zwei Tabletten alle zwei Stunden.
Marco Vielen Dank.

PART 2: AT THE DOCTOR’S

LI CD2, TR 27

Doctor Guten Tag. Was kann ich für Sie tun?

Claudia Mein Rücken tut weh.
Doctor Kann ich mal sehen? Tut es hier weh?
Claudia Nein.
30
Claudia I’m a photographer. And you?
Oliver I’m an architect.

Pharmacist Good day. What can I do for you?

Marco I have stomachache.
Pharmacist How long have you had the pains?
Marco Since last (yesterday) night.
Pharmacist Did you eat something hot?
Marco Yes, we ate curry.
Pharmacist I’ll give you some (a few) tablets.
Marco How often should I take the tablets?
Pharmacist Take two tablets every two hours.
Marco Many thanks.

Doctor Good day. What can I do for you?

Claudia My back hurts.
Doctor Can I have a look? Does it hurt here?
Claudia No.
Conversation 9: Asking advice on health problems 31
 Doctor Und hier?
Claudia Au. Ja, das tut weh!
Doctor Also, es ist nichts Schlimmes. Ich verschreibe Ihnen eine
Salbe und ein paar Schmerztabletten.
Claudia Wie oft soll ich die Tabletten nehmen?
Doctor Nehmen Sie drei Tabletten pro Tag.

Insight
When Germans fall ill they often try to see a specialist
consultant Facharzt rather than a general practitioner
Allgemeinarzt. A few names that might be useful are:
Augenarzt eye specialist, Frauenarzt gynaecologist, Hals-,
Nasen-, Ohrenarzt ear, nose and throat specialist, Kardiologe
cardiologist, Orthopäde orthopaedic specialist and Zahnarzt
dentist.

Conversation 10: Going shopping

PART 1: BUYING CLOTHES

LI CD2, TR 31

Claudia Entschuldigung. Können Sie mir bitte helfen? Haben

Sie diese Jacke auch in braun oder schwarz?
Shop assistant In welcher Größe?
Claudia In 36.
Shop assistant Ich habe eine Jacke in braun, aber leider nicht in
schwarz.
Claudia Und was kostet die Jacke?
Shop assistant 49 Euro.
Claudia Und wo sind die Anprobekabinen?
Shop assistant Da vorne links.
A little later.
Shop assistant Haben Sie sich entschieden?
Claudia Ja, ich nehme die braune Jacke. Und wo ist die
Kasse, bitte?
Shop assistant Da vorne links.
32
Doctor And here?
Claudia Ow. Yes, that hurts!
Doctor Well, it’s nothing serious. I’ll prescribe you an ointment
and some painkillers.
Claudia How often should I take the tablets?
Doctor Take three tablets a day.

Claudia Excuse me. Can you help me, please? Do you have
this jacket also in brown or black?
Shop assistant In what size?
Claudia In a 36.
Shop assistant I have a jacket in brown, but unfortunately not in
black.
Claudia And what does the jacket cost?
Shop assistant 49 euros.
Claudia And where are the fitting rooms?
Shop assistant Over there on the left.
A little later.
Shop assistant Have you decided?
Claudia Yes, I’ll take the brown jacket. And where is the
cash desk, please?
Shop assistant Over there on the left.
Conversation 10: Going shopping 33
 PART 2: LOOKING FOR A SOUVENIR
LI CD2, TR 35

Marco Claudia, wie findest du dieses T-Shirt?

Claudia Ich finde es sehr gut.
Marco Soll ich das rote T-Shirt nehmen oder das blaue?
Claudia Ich glaube, das rote T-Shirt ist besser.
Marco Wo sind die Anprobekabinen?
Claudia Da vorne.
A little later.
Marco Also, ich nehme das rote T-Shirt.
Claudia Und was machen wir jetzt?
Marco Wir können in ein Café gehen...
Claudia Und Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte essen.
Marco Und etwas trinken.
Claudia Das ist eine gute Idee.

Insight
Department stores and supermarkets in bigger towns in
Germany are open until 8 p.m. or sometimes 10 p.m. from
Monday to Saturday. On Sundays most shops are closed. If
you are in Berlin don’t miss visiting the KaDeWe – Kaufhaus
des Westens, the biggest department store in Germany.

CD3
Conversation 3/1

PART 1: TAKING A TAXI

LI CD3, TR 2

Marcus Guten Tag.

Taxidriver Guten Tag.
Marcus Sind Sie frei?
Taxidriver Ja, bitte. Wohin möchten Sie denn?
Marcus Zum Hilton-Hotel.
Taxidriver In der Hamburger Straße?
34
Marco Claudia, what do you think of (how do you find) this T-shirt?
Claudia I think it’s (I find it) very good.
Marco Should I take the red T-shirt or the blue one?
Claudia I think the red T-shirt is better.
Marco Where are the fitting rooms?
Claudia Over there.
A little later.
Marco Right, I’ll take the red T-shirt.
Claudia And what shall we do now?
Marco We can go to a café...
Claudia And eat Black Forest gateau.
Marco And have something to drink (and drink something).
Claudia That’s a good idea.

Marcus Good day.

Taxidriver Good day.
Marcus Are you free?
Taxidriver Yes. (lit. please.) Where would you like (to go) then?
Marcus To the Hilton Hotel.
Taxidriver In Hamburger Straße?
CD3 Conversation 3/1 35
 Marcus Warten Sie mal, ja, in der Hamburger Straße.
Taxidriver Kein Problem... (starts engine) Schönes Wetter heute...
Marcus Ja, das Wetter ist fantastisch.
Taxidriver So, hier ist das Hotel.
Marcus Ja, vielen Dank. Was macht das denn?
Taxidriver 30 Euro.
Marcus Hier, bitte.
Taxidriver Danke schön. Und noch einen schönen Tag.
Marcus Ja, für Sie auch.

PART 2: FOOTBALL SCORES

LI CD3, TR 3

Newsreader Und hier sind Ergebnisse der restlichen vier

Begegnungen in der Fußballbundesliga:
Bayern München – Hamburg 3:1
Stuttgart – Dortmund 4:2
Hertha BSC Berlin – Hannover 1:2 und
Werder Bremen – Bayer Leverkusen 1:0.

Conversation 3/2: Ordering drinks and a snack

LI CD3, TR 4

Waiter Guten Tag. Was möchten Sie, bitte?

Maria Also, ich glaube, ich nehme einen Kaffee.
Waiter Ein Kännchen oder eine Tasse?
Maria Äh, ich bin ziemlich durstig, also ein Kännchen, bitte.
Waiter Sehr gut. Also ein Kännchen für Sie. Und was möchten
Sie, bitte?
Tim Etwas Kaltes für mich.... Also, ich nehme ein Mineralwasser.
Waiter Möchten Sie das mit oder ohne
Kohlensäure?
Tim Mit Kohlensäure, bitte.
Waiter Und möchten Sie auch etwas essen?
Tim Was haben Sie denn?

36
Marcus Wait a moment. Yes, in Hamburger Straße.
Taxidriver No problem... (starts engine) Lovely weather today...
Marcus Yes, the weather is fantastic.
Taxidriver So, here is your hotel.
Marcus Yes, many thanks. What does that come to then?
Taxidriver 30 euros.
Marcus Here you are.
Taxidriver Thank you. And have a nice day (still).
Marcus Yes, (for) you too.

Newsreader And here are the results of the remaining four

matches (lit. encounters) in the Federal (German)
Football League:
Bayern München – Hamburg 3:1
Stuttgart – Dortmund 4:2
Hertha BSC Berlin – Hannover 1:2 and
Werder Bremen – Bayer Leverkusen 1:0.

Waiter Good day. What would you like, please?

Maria Well, I think I’ll have (take) a coffee.
Waiter A pot or a cup?
Maria Mmm, I’m fairly thirsty, so a pot, please.
Waiter Very good. So a pot for you. And what would you like,
please?
Tim Something cold for me… So I’ll have a mineral water.
Waiter Would you like that sparkling or still (lit. with or
without carbon dioxide gas)?
Tim Sparkling, please.
Waiter And would you also like something to eat?
Tim What do you have then?

Conversation 3/2: Ordering drinks and a snack 37

 Waiter Also, wir haben Sandwiches, Baguettes, Salate und
Pizzas.
Tim Ja, dann nehme ich ein Sandwich, bitte.
Waiter Mit Käse, Schinken oder Salami?
Tim Mit Salami, bitte.
Waiter Und für Sie?
Maria Für mich ein Sandwich mit Käse, bitte.
Waiter Also, noch ein Sandwich mit Käse und ein Sandwich mit
Salami.
Tim Und was macht das, bitte?
Waiter Das macht 14 Euro 20.

Conversation 3/3: Asking the way

LI CD3, TR 5

Peter Entschuldigung. Sprechen Sie Englisch?

Passer-by Nein, leider nicht.
Peter Das ist schade. Ich möchte nämlich zum
Hofbräuhaus.
Passer-by Sind Sie zu Fuß?
Peter Ja, ist es denn weit?
Passer-by Na ja, vielleicht 10 Minuten.
Peter Wie komme ich denn am besten dorthin?
Passer-by Gehen Sie hier vorne die erste Straße rechts. Und dann
nach etwa 600 Metern gehen Sie links, bis Sie zu einer
Kreuzung kommen. Dann...
Peter Entschuldigung. Langsam bitte.
Passer-by Also, hier rechts und nach etwa 600 Metern links bis zur
Kreuzung.
Peter Und an der Kreuzung?
Passer-by An der Kreuzung gehen Sie links. Nach ungefähr 200
Metern sehen Sie schon das Hofbräuhaus auf der
rechten Seite.
Peter Also, an der Kreuzung wieder links. Vielen Dank.
Passer-by Genau. Und noch einen schönen Aufenthalt hier in
München.
38
Waiter Well, we have sandwiches, baguettes, salads and
pizzas.
Tim Yes, then I’ll have a sandwich, please.
Waiter With cheese, ham or salami?
Tim With salami, please.
Waiter And for you?
Maria For me a sandwich with cheese, please.
Waiter So, one more sandwich with cheese and one salami
sandwich.
Tim And was does that come to, please?
Waiter That comes to 14 euros 20.

Peter Excuse me. Do you speak English?

Passer-by No, I’m afraid I don’t (lit. unfortunately not).
Peter That’s a pity. You see (lit namely), I want to get to the
Hofbräuhaus.
Passer-by Walking? (lit. Are you on foot?)
Peter Yes, is it far then?
Passer-by Well, perhaps ten minutes.
Peter What’s the best way to get there then?
Passer-by Go right at the first street just here. And then after
about 600 metres go left, till you get to a crossroads.
Then...
Peter Sorry. Slowly, please.
Passer-by So, right here and after about 600 metres left as far as
the crossroads.
Peter And at the crossroads?
Passer-by At the crossroads you go left. After about 200 metres
you’ll see the Hofbräuhaus already on the right-hand
side.
Peter So at the crossroads left again. Many thanks.
Passer-by Exactly. And (have) a nice stay here in Munich.

Conversation 3/3: Asking the way 39

 Conversation 3/4

PART 1: PLANNING A DAY TRIP

LI CD3, TR 6

Bettina Guten Tag. Haben Sie einen Stadtplan von Berlin?

Assistant Aber natürlich, bitte sehr.
Bettina Wie kommen wir denn am besten nach Potsdam?
Assistant Sie können mit dem Zug fahren.
Bettina Und müssen wir umsteigen?
Assistant Nein, der Zug ist direkt.
Bettina Und was kostet das?
Assistant 8 Euro.
Bettina Oh, das ist ein bisschen teuer.
Assistant Sie können auch mit der S-Bahn fahren, mit der S1.
Bettina Ist die S-Bahn auch direkt?
Assistant Ja.
Bettina Und was kostet die S-Bahn?
Assistant 2 Euro 90.
Bettina Gut, dann machen wir das.

PART 2: LATE ARRIVAL ANNOUNCEMENT

LI CD3, TR 7

Announcer Und hier eine Durchsage für die Passagiere auf

Bahnsteig 2. Die Ankunft der S1 nach Oranienburg
verzögert sich um circa fünf Minuten. Und hier noch
eine Durchsage für die Passagiere auf Bahnsteig 1. Die
Ankunft der S3 nach Köpenick verzögert sich um circa
sieben Minuten.

40
Bettina Good day. Do you have a street map of Berlin?
Assistant Yes of course, here you are.
Bettina What’s the best way to Potsdam then?
Assistant You can go by train.
Bettina And do we have to change?
Assistant No, the train is a direct one.
Bettina And what does that cost?
Assistant 8 euros.
Bettina Oh, that’s a bit dear.
Assistant You can also go by metropolitan railway, with the S1.
Bettina Is the metropolitan railway direct, too?
Assistant Yes.
Bettina And what does the metropolitan railway cost?
Assistant 2 euros 90.
Bettina Good, then we’ll do that.

Announcer And here is an announcement for the passengers

on platform 2. The arrival of the S1 to Oranienburg
is delayed by approximately five minutes. And here
is an another announcement for the passengers on
platform 1. The arrival of the S3 to Köpenick is delayed
by approximately seven minutes.

Conversation 3/4 41
 Conversation 3/5

PART 1: GOING TO THE OPERA

LI CD3, TR 8

Marcus Haben Sie noch Karten für die Zauberflöte?

Box office Für heute?
Marcus Ja.
Box office Ja, wir haben noch ein paar Karten.
Marcus Und was kosten die Karten?
Box office Wir haben Karten für 15, 40 und 52 Euro.
Marcus Ah, Entschuldigung. Das habe ich nicht verstanden.
Box office Also, wir haben Karten für 15, 40 und 52 Euro.
Marcus OK. Und wann beginnt die Vorstellung?
Box office Die Vorstellung beginnt um halb acht.
Marcus Und wann ist die Vorstellung zu Ende?
Box office Gegen 23 Uhr.
Marcus Fantastisch. Dann nehme ich zwei Karten für 52 Euro.

PART 2: RADIO ANNOUNCEMENT – WHAT’S ON?

LI CD3, TR 9

Announcer Hier sind also unsere Veranstaltungstipps.

Im Loft spielt die Hamburger Band Blumfeld
alternativen Rock. Die Tickets kosten 12 Euro. Das
Konzert beginnt um 20 Uhr 30.

Für Theaterfreunde gibt es um 20 Uhr

Shakespeares Romeo und Julia im Stadttheater. Karten
ab 5 Euro.

Und im Sportpalast wird heute um 19 Uhr 30 Volleyball

gespielt. Das Team aus Wuppertal empfängt die Gäste
aus Köln. Der Eintritt ist 2 Euro 50.

42
Marcus Do you still have any tickets available for the Magic Flute?
Box office For today?
Marcus Yes.
Box office Yes, we still have a few tickets.
Marcus And what do the tickets cost?
Box office We have tickets for 15, 40 and 52 euros.
Marcus Oh, sorry. I didn’t understand that.
Box office So, we have tickets for 15, 40 and 52 euros.
Marcus OK. When does the performance start?
Box office The performance starts at 7.30 p.m. (lit. half (to) eight).
Marcus And when does the performance end?
Box office Around 11 p.m. (lit. around 23 hundred).
Marcus Fantastic. Then I’ll have two tickets for 52 euros.

Announcer So here are our tips about what’s on.

In the Loft the Hamburg band Blumfeld is playing
alternative rock. Tickets cost 12 euros. The concert
begins at 8.30 p.m.

For theatre-lovers there is Shakespeare’s Romeo and

Juliet at 8 p.m. in the municipal theatre. Tickets from 5
euros.

And in the sports palace there’ll be a volleyball game

(lit. volleyball will be played) at 7.30 p.m. The team
from Wuppertal is hosting the guests from Cologne.
Entrance is 2 euros 50.

Conversation 3/5 43
 Conversation 3/6: Ordering a meal

LI CD3, TR 10

Waitress Guten Abend. Haben Sie schon gewählt?

Sophie Ja, als Vorspeise nehme ich eine Tomatensuppe.
Leon Und ich möchte einen Salatteller, bitte.
Waitress Und als Hauptgericht?
Sophie Ich nehme die Pizza vegetarisch, mit Tomaten,
Auberginen und Zucchini.
Waitress Und für Sie?
Leon Für mich ein Wiener Schnitzel.
Waitress Möchten Sie das mit Kartoffeln oder Pommes frites?
Leon Mit Pommes frites, bitte.
Waitress So, einmal eine Tomatensuppe und einen Salatteller
und dann Pizza vegetarisch und ein Wiener Schnitzel mit
Salzkartoffeln.
Leon Nein, mit Pommes frites, bitte.
Waitress Ah ja, ääh, Entschuldigung. Mit Pommes frites.
Sophie Und wo sind die Toiletten, bitte?
Waitress Da vorne links.
Later.
Waitress Hat es Ihnen geschmeckt?
Sophie Ja, sehr gut, danke.
Waitress Möchten Sie noch einen Kaffee?
Leon Ja, bringen Sie uns zwei Kaffee. Und die Rechnung, bitte.
Können wir mit Kreditkarte zahlen?
Waitress Ja, natürlich.

44
Waitress Good evening. Have you decided (lit. chosen) yet?
Sophie Yes, as a starter I’ll have a tomato soup.
Leon And I’d like a salad plate, please.
Waitress And for the main course?
Sophie I’ll have the vegetarian pizza with tomatoes,
aubergines and courgettes.
Waitress And for you?
Leon For me a Wiener Schnitzel.
Waitress Would you like that with potatoes or French fries?
Leon With French fries, please.
Waitress So, one tomato soup and a salad plate and then a
vegetarian pizza and a Wiener Schnitzel with boiled
potatoes.
Leon No, with French fries, please.
Waitress Oh yes, ah, sorry. With French fries.
Sophie And where are the toilets, please?
Waitress Just over there on the left.
Later.
Waitress Did you like it (lit. Did it taste (good) to you)?
Sophie Yes, very good, thank you.
Waitress And would you like a coffee now?
Leon Yes, bring us two coffees. And the bill, please. Can we
pay by credit card?
Waitress Yes, of course.

Conversation 3/6: Ordering a meal 45

 Conversation 3/7: Booking a room

LI CD3, TR 11

Susanne Guten Tag. Ich möchte ein Zimmer buchen.

Receptionist Ein Einzelzimmer oder ein Doppelzimmer?
Susanne Ein Einzelzimmer.
Receptionist Für wie viele Nächte?
Susanne Für drei Nächte, von nächstem Montag bis Donnerstag.
Receptionist Von Montag bis Donnerstag.
Receptionist Mit Bad oder mit Dusche?
Susanne Mit Dusche, bitte.
Receptionist Moment, bitte … Ja, ich habe hier ein Einzelzimmer
für 85 Euro.
Susanne 85 Euro? Das ist in Ordnung.
Receptionist Und wie ist Ihr Name, bitte?
Susanne Susanne Meier.
Receptionist Meier mit e-i oder mit a-i?
Susanne Mit e-i.
Receptionist Und Ihre Adresse, bitte?
Susanne Bahnhofstraße 7, 65929 Frankfurt am
Main.
Receptionist Und wie ist Ihre Kreditkartennummer?
Susanne Meine Mastercard-Kreditkartennummer ist 3875 –
9663 – 1421 – 3003.
Receptionist Können Sie das bitte wiederholen?
Susanne Ja. 3875 – 9663 – 1421 – 3003.

Conversation 3/8: Meeting at a party

LI CD3, TR 12

Marcus Hallo, ich bin der Marcus. Und wie heißt du?
Patti Ich bin die Patti.
Marcus Und woher kommst du?
Patti Ich komme aus New York.

46
Susanne Good day. I’d like to book a room.
Receptionist A single room or a double room?
Susanne A single room.
Receptionist For how many nights?
Susanne For three nights, from next Monday till Thursday.
Receptionist From Monday till Thursday.
Receptionist With a bath or shower?
Susanne With a bath, please.
Receptionist One moment, please … Yes, I have a double room
here for 85 euros.
Susanne 85 euros? That’s OK.
Receptionist And what’s your name, please?
Susanne Susanne Meier.
Receptionist Meier with e-i or with a-i?
Susanne With e-i.
Receptionist And your address, please?
Susanne Bahnhofstraße (lit. Station Road) 7, 65929
Frankfurt am Main.
Receptionist And what is your credit card number?
Susanne My Mastercard credit card number is 3875 – 9663
– 1421 – 3003.
Receptionist Can you repeat that, please?
Susanne Yes, 3875 – 9663 – 1421 – 3003.

Marcus Hello, I’m Marcus. And what’s your name?

Patti I’m Patti.
Marcus And where do you come from?
Patti I come from New York.

Conversation 3/8: Meeting at a party 47

 Marcus Aus New York? Du sprichst aber sehr gut Deutsch.
Patti Danke. Mein Vater ist Deutscher. Und woher kommst
du?
Marcus Ich komme aus Berlin.
Patti So, ein richtiger Berliner also?
Marcus Ja, genau. Und was machst du beruflich?
Patti Ich bin Architektin. Und du?
Marcus Ich bin Student. Ich studiere Medizin. Und wie findest du
Berlin?
Patti Ich finde die Stadt sehr interessant.
Marcus Und wie findest du die Leute, die Berliner?
Patti Ich finde, die Leute sind sehr freundlich.

Conversation 3/9: At the leisure centre

LI CD3, TR 13

Konrad Guten Tag. Wann ist das Schwimmbad geöffnet,

bitte?
Receptionist Von Montag bis Freitag von 6.30 Uhr bis 22 Uhr. Und
am Samstag und Sonntag von 8 Uhr bis 22 Uhr.
Konrad Haben Sie auch eine Sauna?
Receptionist Ja natürlich. Die Sauna ist von 9 Uhr bis 22 Uhr
geöffnet.
Konrad Und was kostet das?
Receptionist Der Normal-Tarif ist 16 Euro.
Konrad Und was gibt es noch?
Receptionist Für Wellness-Fans haben wir Massagen. Es gibt
Kopfmassagen, Rückenmassagen und so weiter.
Konrad Mmh, das ist interessant. Haben Sie auch Aerobic-
Klassen?
Receptionist Ja, Aerobic-Klassen haben wir auch. Sie sind am
Dienstag und Donnerstag.
Konrad Vielen Dank.
Receptionist Gern geschehen.

48
Marcus From New York? But you speak German very well.
Patti Thanks. My father is German. And where do you come
from?
Marcus I come from Berlin.
Patti So, you’re a proper Berliner then.
Marcus Yes, exactly. And what do you do for a living?
Patti I’m an architect. What about you?
Marcus I’m a student. I am studying medicine. And how do
you find Berlin?
Patti I find the city very interesting.
Marcus And how do you find the people, the Berliners?
Patti I find the people are very friendly.

Konrad Good day. When is the swimming pool open,

please?
Receptionist From Mondays to Fridays from 6.30 a.m. till 10 p.m.
And on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. till 10 p.m.
Konrad Do you have a sauna too?
Receptionist Yes, of course. The sauna is open from 9 a.m. till
10 p.m.
Konrad And what does that cost?
Receptionist The normal rate is 16 euros.
Konrad And what else is there?
Receptionist For spa fans we have massages. There are head
massages, back massages, and so on.
Konrad Mmm, that’s interesting. Do you have aerobics
classes too?
Receptionist Yes. We have aerobics classes too. They are on
Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Konrad Many thanks.
Receptionist You’re welcome.

Conversation 3/9: At the leisure centre 49

 Conversation 3/10: Shopping for food and drink

LI CD3, TR 14

Grocer Guten Tag. Was kann ich für Sie tun?

Boris Ich möchte acht Brötchen, bitte.
Grocer Acht Brötchen. Und sonst noch etwas?
Boris Und noch ein Stück Käse.
Grocer Edamer, Gouda, Camembert...
Boris 300 Gramm von dem Edamer-Käse, bitte. Was kostet
denn der Schinken?
Grocer 100 Gramm 2,79 Euro.
Boris Dann nehme ich 250 Gramm, bitte.
Grocer Ja, gerne.
Boris Und äh, dann noch ein Kilo Kartoffeln und sechs
Orangen.
Grocer Ein Kilo Kartoffeln und sechs Orangen. Ist das alles?
Boris Ja ... Ah. Ich hatte noch die Getränke vergessen. Dann
nehm’ ich noch zehn Flaschen Bier, zwei Flaschen
Weißwein und zwei Flaschen Mineralwasser.
Grocer Zehn Flaschen Bier, zwei Flaschen Weißwein und zwei
Flaschen Mineralwasser ... Das macht zusammen 47, 80 Euro.
Boris Hier, bitte schön.
Grocer 50 Euro... und 2,20 zurück. Noch einen schönen Abend.
Boris Danke, Ihnen auch.

50
Grocer Good day. What can I do for you?
Boris I’d like eight rolls, please.
Grocer Eight rolls. And anything else?
Boris And a piece of cheese as well.
Grocer Edam, Gouda, Camembert ...
Boris 300 grams of the Edam, please. What does the ham
cost then?
Grocer 2 euros 79 for 100 grams.
Boris Then I’ll take 250 grams, please.
Grocer Yes, certainly (lit. willingly).
Boris And err, then I’d also like a kilo of potatoes and six
oranges.
Grocer A kilo of potatoes and six oranges. Is that all?
Boris Yes ... Um. I was forgetting the drinks too. So I’ll take
ten bottles of beer, two bottles of white wine and two
bottles of mineral water.
Grocer Ten bottles of beer, two bottles of white wine and two
bottles of mineral water … That comes to 47 euros 80.
Boris Here you are.
Grocer 50 euros ... und 2.20 back. And have a nice evening.
Boris Thanks, you too.

Conversation 3/10: Shopping for food and drink 51

 Cultural information

GREETINGS AND FAREWELLS

Although Guten Tag is the standard greeting in Germany, other

greetings are used as well. In the southern German areas of Swabia and
Bavaria, for instance, you will often hear Grüß Gott, in Austria Servus
and in Switzerland Gruezi.

There are also some alternatives to Auf Wiedersehen. For less formal
goodbyes people often say Tschüss or Tschüssing, but Ciao is now quite
commonly used, too.

COFFEE AND CAKE

Germans have traditionally drunk filter coffee with cream or milk. And
many people still drink it this way, despite the trend towards espresso,
caffè latte, cafetières and other methods of preparation. Coffee and cake
(Kaffee und Kuchen) are an indulgence that should not be missed when
you are visiting Germany, Austria or Switzerland.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Public transportation within German, Austrian and Swiss cities is well

organized and reliable. Berlin, for example, has an excellent integrated
system consisting of buses, trams, an underground railway and the
so-called S-Bahn, or metropolitan railway. Visitors to major cities can
usually buy special tickets, which enable them to travel freely within the
city during a specified period. Many cities and towns also have a highly
developed system of cycle lanes and good provision for cycle parking.

POST-WAR HISTORY

After the Second World War two German states were created – the
Federal Republic of Germany in the west and the German Democratic
Republic in the east, reflecting the Cold War situation prevailing at
the time between capitalism and communism. From 1961 until 1989
East Germany was sealed off from the rest of the world by barbed
wire fences along its borders. East Berlin was similarly sealed off from
52
West Berlin by the Berlin Wall. West Berlin was an isolated entity in
the middle of East Germany. Travel from east to west was practically
impossible except for the privileged few. The higher level of prosperity
which prevailed in the west before reunification continues to this day,
with unemployment still a greater problem in the former East Germany.

The reunited city of Berlin has once again regained its place among the
major cities of Europe. Some of the world’s greatest architects have
contributed to a programme of renewal and rebuilding. Areas such
as Potsdamer Platz have been completely transformed. The German
parliament once again meets in the now imaginatively reconstructed
Reichstag. The population is cosmopolitan and multi-cultural and once
again includes a thriving Jewish community.

Cultural information 53
 Grammar reference

TABLE 1: PERSONAL PRONOUNS – I, YOU, HE, SHE, ETC.

The personal pronouns in German are:

Singular Plural
I  ich we  wir
you (form.)  Sie you (form.)  Sie
you (inf.)  du you (inf.)  ihr

冧
he  er
she  sie they  sie
it  es

TABLE 2: GENDERS; HOW TO SAY THE AND A

Nouns in German are masculine, feminine or neuter. There are also

three different words for the definite and indefinite articles, according to
the gender of the noun:

masculine  der der Mann the man

feminine  die die Frau the woman
neuter  das das Kind the child

masculine  ein ein Mann a man

feminine  eine eine Frau a woman
neuter  ein ein Kind a child

TABLE 3: HOW THE AND A CHANGE IN A SENTENCE

In sentences like Ich möchte… (I’d like…) or Ich nehme… (I’ll take…),
the and a change for masculine nouns, but not for feminine and neuter
nouns:

masculine
der  den Ich möchte den Kaffee. I’d like the coffee.
ein  einen Ich möchte einen Kaffee. I’d like a coffee.

54
 feminine
die Ich nehme die Tasse Tee. I’ll take the cup of tea.
eine Ich nehme eine Tasse Tee. I’ll take a cup of tea.
neuter
das Ich möchte das Mineralwasser. I’d like the mineral water.
ein Ich möchte ein Mineralwasser. I’d like a mineral water.

TABLE 4: VERB ENDINGS

The endings for the forms covered in the ten German conversations are
usually as follows:

kommen – möchten – wohnen –

to come would like to live
I ich -e komme möchte wohne
you (form.) Sie -en kommen möchten wohnen
you (inf.) du -(e)st kommst möchtest wohnst
we wir -en kommen möchten wohnen

TABLE 5: FORMAL AND INFORMAL YOU IN GERMAN

Use Sie for talking to strangers and
people you address by surname.
Woher kommen Sie, Frau Mühlen?
Where do you come from,
Mrs Mühlen?
Wo wohnen Sie, Herr Feldmann?
Where do you live, Mr Feldmann?
Use du for talking to family
members, friends, children and
animals. Also usually people you
are on first-name terms with.
Woher kommst du, Oliver? Where
do you come from, Oliver?
Wo wohnst du, Claudia? Where do
you live, Claudia?

TABLE 6: HOW TO SAY ‘TO THE TRAIN STATION’, ETC.

You use zum for masculine and neuter nouns and zur for feminine
nouns:

der Bahnhof Wie komme ich zum How do I get to the station?
Bahnhof?
Grammar reference 55
 die Straße Wie komme ich zur How do I get to Goethe street?
Goethestraße?
das Museum Wie komme ich zum How do I get to the museum?
Museum?

TABLE 7: WORD ORDER (I)

When you start a sentence in German with the subject (I, we, etc.), the
verb (nehmen, möchten, etc.) usually comes straight afterwards, as in
English:

Ich nehme einen Orangensaft. I’ll take an orange juice.

Wir möchten ein Eis als Nachtisch. We’d like an ice cream for
dessert.

But when you put anything else at the beginning, the word order
changes and I, we, etc. come after the verb:

Dann nehme ich einen (lit.) Then take I an orange

Orangensaft. (lit.) juice.
Als Nachtisch möchten wir ein Eis. (lit.) For dessert would like we
an ice cream.

TABLE 8: WORD ORDER (II)

If you have two verbs in a sentence, the second verb usually goes to the
end:
Was kann ich für Sie tun? (lit.) What can I for you do?
Wir haben Pizza gegessen. (lit.) We have pizza eaten.

56
Listening skills: Survival phrases
Can you repeat that, please?
Can we pay by credit card?
Do you have a street map?
Do you speak English?
Do you also have...?
I didn’t understand that.
Slowly, please.
That’s a pity.
What else is there?
Where are the toilets?
You are welcome.
Können Sie das bitte wiederholen?
Können wir mit Kreditkarte zahlen?
Haben Sie einen Stadtplan?
Sprechen Sie Englisch?
Haben Sie auch...?
Das habe ich nicht verstanden.
Langsam, bitte.
Das ist schade.
Was gibt es noch?
Wo sind die Toiletten?
Bitte schön.
Listening skills: Survival phrases 57
 German–English glossary

The numbers indicate the conversation in which the vocabulary item

first appears. For conversations on the third CD the conversation
numbers are prefixed with 3/, e.g. 3/1 indicates CD3, Conversation 1.
Plural forms of nouns used in the plural in the recordings are indicated
as follows: (-n), (-en), (¨e), (-).

Note that the German letter ß, called eszet, is pronounced like an s. On

websites it is often replaced with ss. In Switzerland the letter ß is not
used at all; ss is used instead.

ab 3/5 from Bahnsteig, der 3/4 platform

Abend, der 5 evening beginnen 5 to begin, start
aber 8 but beruflich: Was machen Sie beruflich? 8 What
Adresse, die 3/7 address do you do for a living?

alles 2 everything, all besser 10 better

als 6 as besten: Wie kommen wir am besten...? 3

What’s the best way...?
also 1 well, so
Bier, das 2 beer
an 3 at, from; am, an der at the
billiger 4 cheaper
Ankunft, die 3/4 arrival
bin 7 am
Anprobekabine (-n), die 10 fitting room
bis 4 until
Apfelsaft, der 6 apple juice
bisschen: ein bisschen 3/4 a bit
Apfelstrudel, der 6 apple strudel
bitte 1 please
Architekt, der/Architektin, die 8 architect
bitte schön 1, 2, 3 there you are; go ahead;
Aubergine, die 3/6 aubergine, eggplant you’re welcome
auch 10 also, too blau 10 blue
Auf Wiedersehen 1 goodbye braun 10 brown
Aufenthalt, der 3/3 stay bringen 6 to bring
aus 7 out of, from Brötchen. das 3/10 bread roll
ausgezeichnet 6 excellent buchen 7 to book
Auto, das 7 car Bus, der 4 bus
Automat (-en), der 4 vending machine Bushaltestelle, die 4 bus stop
Bad, das 7 bath Café, das 10 café
Baguette, das/die 2 baguette Checkpoint, der 3 checkpoint
Bahnhof, der 3 station circa 3/4 approximately

58
Curry, das 9 curry frei 1 free
da there; da vorne 10 over there freundlich 3/8 friendly
danke 1 thanks; danke schön 1 thank you Frühstück, das 1 breakfast
dann 3 then für 1 for
das 2 that Fuß, der 3 foot; zu Fuß on foot
denn 5 then Gast, der 3/5 guest
Deutsch, das 3/8 German (language) geben 9 to give
Deutsche, der/die 3/8 German (person) gegen 3/5 about
dies -er/-e/-es 10 this gegessen 9 eaten
direkt 4 direct gehen 3 to go
Doppelzimmer, das 1 double room Gemüse, das 6 vegetable
dorthin 3 (to) there Gemüsesuppe, die 6 vegetable soup
du 8 you (informal) genau 3 exactly
Durchsage, die 3/4 announcement geöffnet 3/9 open
durstig 3/2 thirsty geradeaus 3 straight on
Dusche, die 7 shower gern geschehen 3/9 you’re very welcome
einmal 3/6 once Geschäft (-e), das 5 shop
Eintritt, der 3/5 entrance (fee) Geschenk (-e), das 5 present
Einzelzimmer, das 1 single room geschmeckt: Hat es Ihnen ~? 6 Have you
Eis, das 6 ice (cream) enjoyed your meal?

empfangen 3/5 to receive gestern 9 yesterday

empfehlen 6 to recommend Getränk, das 3/10 drink

Ende, das end; 5 zu Ende at an end, finished gewählt 6 chosen

entschieden decided; 10 Haben Sie sich gibt: es gibt 3/5 there is, there are
entschieden? Have you decided? Glas, das 2 glass
entschuldigen Sie 2 excuse me glauben 10 to believe
Entschuldigung 10 excuse me, sorry Größe, die 10 size
erst -er/-e/-es 3 first grün green
es 3 it Gulasch, das/der 6 goulash
essen 5 to eat gut 7 good, fine
etwa 3/3 about haben 1 to have
etwas 5 something halb 5 half; halb 8 half past 7
fahren 4 to go (in a vehicle) hat 6 has
Fahrkarte (-n), die 4 ticket (for a journey) Hauptgericht, das 6 main course
fantastisch 3/1 fantastic heißen 8 to be called
finden 8 to find helfen 10 help
Flasche, die 6 bottle heute 5 today; heute Abend this evening
Fotograf, der/Fotografin, die 8 photographer hier 1 here

German–English glossary 59
 hier vorne 4 just over here kosten 4 to cost
Hofbräuhaus, das 3/3 name of a famous beer Kreditkarte, die 7 credit card
hall in Munich Kreuzung, die 3/3 crossroads
Hotel, das 1 hotel lange 9 long; Wie lange...? How long?
ich 1 I langsam 3/3 slowly
Idee, die 5 idea leider 10 unfortunately
Ihnen 6 to you Leute, die 3/8 people
Ihr 1 your Linie, die 4 line
immer 3 always; immer geradeaus keep links 3 on the left
straight on
machen to make, to do 8; Was macht das? 1
inklusive 7 including What does that come to?
interessant 8 interesting Magenschmerzen, die (plural) 9 stomachache
ist 1 is mal 9 just
ja 1 yes man 4 one
Jacke, die 10 jacket Mauer, die 3 wall
jetzt 7 now Medizin, die 3/8 medicine (the subject)
Kaffee, der 2 coffee mein 8 my
kalt, etwas Kaltes 3/2 cold, something cold meisten: die meisten 5 most
kann 4 can Meter, der/das 3 metre
Kännchen, das 2 pot mich 3/2 me
Karte (-n), die 4 card; 5 ticket mieten: 9 to rent
Kartoffel, die 3/6 potato Milch, die 2 milk
Käse, der 3/2, 3/10 cheese Mineralwasser, das 2 mineral water
Kasse, die 10 cash point (till) Minute, die 3 minute
kaufen 4 to buy mir 2 me
kein 1 no, not a mit 2 with
Kilometergeld, das 7 kilometre allowance möchten/möchte 2 would like
Kirschsaft, der 6 cherry juice Moment, der 7 moment
Kirschtorte, die 2 cherry gateau morgen 7 tomorrow
Klasse, die 3/9 class Museum, das 3 museum
klein 6 small muss 4 must
Knödel, der dumpling; 6 mit ~n with dumplings müssen 4 to have to
Kohlensäure, die 2 gas, carbon dioxide na 3/3 well
Köln 3/5 Cologne nach 5 after; to
kommen 3 to come nächst -er/-e/es 3 next
können 4 to be able Nacht, die (¨e) 1 night
Konzert, das 5 concert Nachtisch, der 6 dessert
Kopf, der 3/9 head Name, der 1 name

60
nämlich 3/3 you see Salzkartoffel, die 3/6 boiled potatoes
natürlich 6 of course Sandwich, das 3/2 sandwich
nehmen 2 to take S-Bahn, die 3/4 metropolitan railway
nein 2 no schade 3/3 a pity
nicht 10 not scharf 9 hot, spicy; etwas Scharfes something
nichts nothing; nichts Schlimmes 9 nothing hot
serious Schinken, der 2 ham
noch 2 still; Sonst noch etwas? Anything else? schließen 5 to close
Nummer, die 1 number schlimm bad, serious; nichts Schlimmes 9
oder 2 or nothing serious

oft 9 often Schlüssel, der 1 key

ohne 2 without Schmerz (-en), der 9 pain

Orange, die 3/10 orange Schmerztablette (-n), die 9 painkillers

Orangensaft, der 6 orange juice schon 6 already

Ordnung, die 3/7 order schön 3/1 nice, lovely

paar: ein paar 5 a few schwarz 10 black

Palast, der 3/5 palace Schwarzwälder 2 (from the) Black Forest

Passagier, der 3/4 passenger Schwimmbad, das 3/9 swimming pool

Pasta, die 6 pasta sehen 3 to see

Pizza, die 3/2 pizza sehr 6 very

Platz, der 4 square seit 9 since

Pommes frites, die 3/6 French fries, chips Seite, die 3/3 side, page

pro 9 per; pro Tag per day Sie 1 you (formal)

Problem, das 1 problem sind 1 are

Rechnung, die 6 bill soll 9 should

rechts 3 on the right, right Sonst noch etwas? 2 Anything else?

Reichstag, der 4 German parliament building spät 5 late; Wie ~ ist es? 5 What’s the time?

reserviert 1 reserved Spinat, der 6 spinach

richtig 4 right, correct Sport, der 3/5 sport

rot 10 red sprechen 3/3 to speak

Rotkohl, der 6 red cabbage Stadt, die 8 town

Rotwein, der 6 red wine Stadtplan, der 3/3 street map

Rücken, der 9 back Straße, die 1 street

Saft, der 6 juice Stück, das 2 piece

Salami, die 3/2 salami Stunde (-n), die 9 hour; alle zwei Stunden every
two hours
Salat, der 3/2 salad
Suppe, die 6 soup
Salatteller, der 6 salad (plate)
Tablette (-n), die 9 tablet
Salbe, die 9 ointment

German–English glossary 61
 Tag (-e), der 1 day Vorspeise, die 6 starter
Tageskarte, die 4 day ticket Vorstellung, die 3/5 performance
Tarif, der 3/9 rate wann? 1 when?
Tasse, die 2 cup was? 1 what?
Team, das 3/5 team Webdesigner der/Webdesignerin, die 8 web
Tee, der 2 tea designer

teuer 3/4 dear, expensive weh | tun 9 to hurt

Telefon, das 7 telephone Wein, der 3/10 wine

Theaterfreund, der 3/5 friend of the theatre weiß white

Tipp, der 3/5 tip weit 3 far

Toilette, die 3/6 toilet weiter 3 further

Tomate (-n), die 2 tomato welch -er/-e/-es? 10 which?

Torte, die 2 gateau Wetter, das 3/1 weather

Touristeninformation, die 3 tourist information wie? 1 how? Wie ist Ihr Name? What is your
office name?

trinken 2 to drink wie viele 7 how many?

T-Shirt, das 10 T-shirt wieder 3/3 again

tun 9 to do wiederholen 3/7 to repeat

Uhr 1 o’clock; um 10 Uhr at 10 o’clock Wiener Schnitzel, das 3/6 breaded veal
escalope
um 5 at; by
wir 4 we
umsteigen 4 to change (bus, train, etc.)
wird … gespielt 3/5 is being played
und 1 and
wo? 3 where?
ungefähr 3 about
woher? 8 where ... from?
uns 6 us
wohin? 3/1 where … to?
vegetarisch 3/6 vegetarian
wohnen 8 to live
Veranstaltung, die 3/5 event
wunderbar 8 wonderful
vergessen 3/10 forgotten
zahlen 3/6 to pay
verschreiben 9 to prescribe
ziemlich 3/2 fairly
verstanden 3/5 understood
Zimmer (-), das 1 room
verzögern; verzögert sich 3/4 to delay; is
delayed Zitrone, die 2 lemon

viel 7 many vielen Dank 3 many thanks zu 3 to; zum, zur 1 to the; zu 7 at

vielleicht 3/3 perhaps Zucchini, die 3/6 zucchini, courgette

Vollkaskoversicherung, die 7 fully Zug, der 3/4 train

comprehensive (car) insurance zurück 3/10 back
von 5 from, by; of zusammen 3/10 together
vor 5 before, in front of zweit -er/-e/-es 3 second
vorher 5 beforehand zwischen 1 between
vorne 4 at the front; hier vorne just here
62
English–German glossary
about ungefähr, etwa, gegen by von, um
again wieder can kann; I can ich kann
also auch car das Auto
always immer cash point (till) die Kasse
am bin; I am Ich bin (to) change (bus, train, etc.) umsteigen
announcement die Durchsage cheaper billiger
approximately circa cheese der Käse
architect der Architekt; die Architektin chips die Pommes frites
are sind; you are Sie sind chosen gewählt
arrival die Ankunft class die Klasse
at an; at the station am Bahnhof (to) close schließen
at (of time) um; at half past twelve um halb cold kalt; something cold etwas Kaltes
eins Cologne Köln
aubergine die Aubergine (to) come kommen
back zurück concert das Konzert
back (part of the body) der Rücken correct richtig
bad schlimm (to) cost kosten
bath das Bad courgette die Zucchini
(to) be able können credit card die Kreditkarte
(to) be called heißen crossroads die Kreuzung
(to) begin, start beginnen day der Tag (-e)
beforehand vorher day ticket die Tageskarte (-n)
(to) believe glauben dear teuer
between zwischen (to) delay verzögern; is delayed verzögert sich
bill die Rechnung direct direkt
(a) bit ein bisschen (to) do machen; tun
boiled potatoes die Salzkartoffel double room das Doppelzimmer
bread roll das Brötchen drink das Getränk
breaded veal escalope das Wiener Schnitzel (to) eat essen
(to) bring bringen end das Ende; at an end, finished zu Ende
bus der Bus entrance (fee) der Eintritt
bus stop die Bushaltestelle evening der Abend
but aber event die Veranstaltung
(to) buy kaufen everything, all alles

English–German glossary 63
 exactly genau (to) hurt weh| tun
excellent ausgezeichnet I ich
expensive teuer idea die Idee
fairly ziemlich including inklusive
fantastic fantastisch interesting interessant
far weit is ist; it is… es ist…
few ein paar it es
(to) find finden jacket die Jacke
fine gut key der Schlüssel
first erst -er/-e/es kilometre allowance das Kilometergeld
fitting room die Anprobekabine (-n) line die Linie
foot der Fuß; on foot zu Fuß (to) live wohnen
for für; for me für mich long lang; How long…? Wie lange…?
forgotten vergessen lovely schön
free frei (to) make machen
French fries die Pommes frites many viel
friendly freundlich many thanks vielen Dank
friend of the theatre der Theaterfreund me mich
from von; I come from… Ich komme aus…; from medicine die Medizin
a vending machine an einem Automaten
metre der/das Meter
fully comprehensive (car) insurance die
metropolitan railway die S-Bahn
Vollkaskoversicherung
minute die Minute (-n)
further weiter
moment der Moment
German (language) das Deutsch
most: most of the shops die meisten Geschäfte
German (person) der/die Deutsche
museum das Museum
(to) go gehen; to go (in a vehicle) fahren
must muss
good gut
my mein(e)
guest der Gast
name der Name
half halb
next nächst -er/-e/-es
(to) have haben
nice schön
(to) have to müssen; Does one have to change?
Muss man umsteigen? night die Nacht (¨e)

head der Kopf no nein

here hier no, not a kein(e)

hotel das Hotel nothing nichts

hour die Stunde; every two hours alle zwei number die Nummer
Stunden o’clock Uhr; at 10 o’clock um 10 Uhr
how? wie? of von
how many? wie viele? of course natürlich
64
often oft sandwich das Sandwich
ointment die Salbe second zweit -er/-e/-es
once einmal (to) see sehen
open geöffnet (you) see nämlich
orange die Orange shop das Geschäft (-e)
order die Ordnung shower die Dusche
or oder side die Seite
page die Seite since seit
pain der Schmerz (-en) single room das Einzelzimmer
painkillers die Schmerztabletten size die Größe
palace der Palast slowly langsam
passenger der Passagier small klein
pasta die Pasta something etwas
(to) pay zahlen (to) speak sprechen
people die Leute sport der Sport
per: per day pro Tag square der Platz
performance die Vorstellung station der Bahnhof
perhaps vielleicht stay der Aufenthalt
photographer der Fotograf; die Fotografin stomachache Magenschmerzen (plural)
(a) pity schade street die Straße
pizza die Pizza street map der Stadtplan
platform der Bahnsteig swimming pool das Schwimmbad
(is being) played wird … gespielt tablet die Tablette (-n)
please bitte (to) take nehmen
potato die Kartoffel team das Team
(to) prescribe verschreiben telephone das Telefon
present (gift) das Geschenk (-e) thanks danke
problem das Problem that das
rate der Tarif then dann; denn
(to) receive empfangen there da; over there da vorne; (to) there dahin;
(to) recommend empfehlen there is/are es gibt

(to) rent, hire mieten thirsty durstig

(to) repeat wiederholen this dies -er/-e/-es

reserved reserviert ticket (for a journey) die Fahrkarte (-n)

right, correct richtig ticket (for a concert, etc.) die Karte (-n)

room das Zimmer (-) till die Kasse

salad der Salat tip der Tipp

salami die Salami to zu, nach to the zum/zur

English–German glossary 65
 today heute welcome: you’re very welcome gern geschehen
together zusammen well na
toilet die Toilette what? was?
tomorrow morgen What is your name? Wie ist Ihr Name?
too auch when? wann?
tourist information office die where? wo?
Touristeninformation where … from? woher?
town die Stadt where … to? wohin?
train der Zug which? welch -er/-e/-es?
understood verstanden wine der Wein
unfortunately leider with mit
until bis without ohne
vegetarian vegetarisch wonderful wunderbar
vending machine der Automat (-en) would like möchte
very sehr yes ja
wall die Mauer yesterday gestern
we wir you (formal) Sie; to you Ihnen
weather das Wetter you (informal) du
web designer der Webdesigner; die your (formal) Ihr(e)
Webdesignerin

66
Essential vocabulary
ham der Schinken
GREETINGS, FAREWELLS
hot, spicy scharf; something hot etwas
AND POLITE PHRASES Scharfes
ice das Eis
good day guten Tag
juice der Saft
good evening guten Abend
lemon die Zitrone
goodbye auf Wiedersehen
main course das Hauptgericht
thanks danke
milk die Milch
thank you danke schön
mineral water das Mineralwasser
many thanks vielen Dank
orange juice der Orangensaft
please bitte
pot das Kännchen; a pot of coffee ein
excuse me, please entschuldigen Sie, bitte
Kännchen Kaffee
sorry, excuse me Entschuldigung
red cabbage der Rotkohl
there you are bitte schön
red wine der Rotwein
you’re welcome bitte schön
salad (plate) der Salatteller
soup die Suppe
FOOD AND DRINK spinach der Spinat
starter die Vorspeise
apple juice der Apfelsaft
tea der Tee
apple strudel der Apfelstrudel
tomato die Tomate (-n)
baguette das/die Baguette
vegetable das Gemüse; vegetable soup die
beer das Bier Gemüsesuppe
bottle die Flasche; a ~ of mineral water eine wine der Wein; white wine der Weißwein
Flasche Mineralwasser
breakfast das Frühstück
carbon dioxide die Kohlensäure
COLOURS
cherry gateau die Kirschtorte
black schwarz
cherry juice der Kirschsaft
blue blau
coffee der Kaffee
brown braun
cup die Tasse; a cup of tea eine Tasse Tee
green grün
curry das Curry
red rot
dessert der Nachtisch; for dessert als Nachtisch
white weiß
(to) drink trinken
yellow gelb
dumpling der Knödel (-); with dumplings mit
Knödeln
glass das Glas; a glass of wine ein Glas Wein
goulash der/das Gulasch

Essential vocabulary 67
 CLOTHING
blouse Bluse (-n), die
coat Mantel (¨), der
hat Hut (¨e), der
jacket Jacke (-n), die
jeans Jeans (pl.), die
shirt Hemd (-en), das
shoe Schuh (-e), der
skirt Rock (¨e), der
suit Anzug (¨e), der
PARTS OF THE BODY
arm Arm (-e), der
back Rücken (-), der
behind Po (-s), der
chest, breast Brust (¨e), die
ear Ohr (-en), das
elbow Ell(en)bogen (-), der
eye Auge (-n), das
finger Finger (-), der
foot Fuß (¨e), der
hair Haar (-e), das
hand Hand (¨e), die
head Kopf (¨e), der
hip Hüfte (-n), die
knee Knie (-), das
leg Bein (-e), das
lip Lippe (-n), die
neck Hals (¨e), der
nose Nase (-n), die
shoulder Schulter (-n), die
stomach Magen (¨), der
tongue Zunge (-n) die
tooth Zahn (¨e), der
68
DAYS OF THE WEEK
Sunday Sonntag
Monday Montag
Tuesday Dienstag
Wednesday Mittwoch
Thursday Donnerstag
Friday Freitag
Saturday Samstag; Sonnabend
DIRECTIONS
Go straight on. Gehen Sie geradeaus.
How do I get to the Tourist Information
Office/to the museum? Wie komme ich zur
Touristeninformation/zum Museum?
It’s about five minutes’ walk. Es ist ungefähr
fünf Minuten zu Fuß.
Is it far? Ist es weit?
Take the first street on the left/right. Nehmen
Sie die erste Straße links/rechts.
We’d like to go to the Wall Museum. Wir
möchten zum Mauermuseum.
What’s the best way for us to get there? Wie
kommen wir am besten dorthin?
Where can one buy tickets? Wo kann man
Fahrkarten kaufen?
Where is…? Wo ist …?
TIME
What’s the time? Wie spät ist es?
1.00 Es ist ein Uhr.
2.15 Es ist zwei Uhr fünfzehn.
Es ist Viertel nach zwei.
3.30 Es ist drei Uhr dreißig.
Es ist halb vier.
4.45 Es ist vier Uhr fünfundvierzig.
Es ist Viertel vor fünf.
13.48 Es ist dreizehn Uhr achtundvierzig.
Es ist zwölf Minuten vor zwei.
15.02 Es ist fünfzehn Uhr zwei. 80 achtzig
Es ist zwei Minuten nach drei. 90 neunzig
When does the concert begin? Wann beginnt 100 hundert
das Konzert?
200 zweihundert
It begins at 10 o’clock. Es beginnt um zehn Uhr.
1.000 tausend
1.349 tausenddreihundertneunundvierzig
NUMBERS

0 null PHRASES
1 eins
Anything else? Sonst noch etwas?
2 zwei*
Are you free? Sind Sie frei?
3 drei
Can you recommend us something? Können Sie
4 vier uns etwas empfehlen?
5 fünf Does one have to change? Muss man
6 sechs umsteigen?
7 sieben For my (as a) first course I’d like… Als Vorspeise
8 acht möchte ich…

9 neun For my (as a) main course I’ll take… Als

Hauptgericht nehme ich…
10 zehn
Have you decided? Haben Sie sich
11 elf entschieden?
12 zwölf How much does that cost? Wie viel kostet das?
13 dreizehn I am a... Ich bin...
14 vierzehn I come from… Ich komme aus…
15 fünfzehn I’d like… Ich möchte…
16 sechzehn I have a room reserved. Ich habe ein Zimmer
17 siebzehn reserviert.
18 achtzehn I’ll have… Ich nehme…
19 neunzehn I live in... Ich wohne in…
20 zwanzig Is this (seat) free? Ist hier frei?
21 einundzwanzig I’ve got a headache/stomachache. Ich habe
22 zweiundzwanzig Kopfschmerzen/Magenschmerzen.

30 dreißig My name is… Mein Name ist…; Ich heiße...

40 vierzig My telephone number is... Meine Telefonnumer

ist…
50 fünfzig
No Problem! Kein Problem!
60 sechzig
That comes to… Das macht…
70 siebzig
That hurts! Das tut weh!
*zwo is often used instead of zwei in the spoken
language to avoid confusion with drei, especially That’s all. Das ist alles.
on the telephone. That’s a good idea. Das ist eine gute Idee.

Essential vocabulary 69
 The bill, please. Die Rechnung, bitte. What’s your name? Wie ist Ihr Name?; Wie
To the hotel… Zum Hotel… heißen Sie?

What can I do for you? Was kann ich für Sie What’s your telephone number? Wie ist Ihre
tun? Telefonnummer?

What does that come to? Was macht das? What would you like? Was möchten Sie?

What do you do for a living? Was machen Sie When is breakfast? Wann ist Frühstück?
beruflich? Where do you come from? Woher kommen Sie?

70
Subject index

Numbers refer to those German conversations on CDs 1 and 2 that

include the material.

a/an 2 parts of the body 9

please, thank you 1
clothing 10 plurals 6
colours 10 price 1, 2, 5, 6
credit card numbers 7
renting a car 7
days of the week 7
directions 3, 4 size 10
drink 2, 6
taking a taxi 1
first, second 3 telephone numbers 7
food 2, 6 telling the time 5
thank you, please 1
greetings and farewells 1, 5 the 3
this 10
hotel 1, 7

word order 4, 9
introducing yourself 8

yes, no 1
no, yes 1
you, formal 1, 8
numbers: 0–10 1; 11–20 2; 20–100 5;
10–1,000 3 you, informal 8

Subject index 71
“Global scale” of the Common European Framework of Reference
for Languages: learning, teaching, assessment (CEFR)
Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can
CEFR LEVEL C2 summarise information from different spoken and written sources,
reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation.
Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely,
TY Level 6

differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex situations.

Proficient User:

Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise

implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously
CEFR LEVEL C1

without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language

flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes.
TY Level 5

Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects,

showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and
cohesive devices.

Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete

and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of
CEFR LEVEL B2

specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that

makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without
TY Level 4

strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of
Independent User

(A Level)

subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages

and disadvantages of various options.

Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar

matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal
CEFR LEVEL B1

with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the
(Higher GCSE)

language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics which

TY Level 3

are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events,

dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations
for opinions and plans.

Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to

(Foundation GCSE)

areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family
CEFR LEVEL A2:

information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate

in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of
TY Level 2

information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple terms

aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in
Basic User

areas of immediate need.

Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic
phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can
CEFR LEVEL A1

introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions
about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows
TY Level 1

and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other
person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

© Council of Europe. www.coe.int/lang.

Extract reproduced with the permission of the Council of Europe, Strasbourg