Learn how to give someone a present in a formal setting
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| INTRODUCTION |
| John: Hi everyone, and welcome back to GermanPod101.com. This is Business German for Beginners Season 1 Lesson 21 - Giving a Gift in a Business Setting. John Here. |
| Jennifer: Guten Tag! I'm Jennifer. |
| John: In this lesson, you’ll learn what to say when giving someone a present in a formal setting. The conversation takes place in the office of Mr. Smith. |
| Jennifer: It's between Linda Müller and Paul Schmitt. |
| John: The speakers are colleagues, therefore, they will speak informal German. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Linda Müller: Wir möchten Ihnen ein Geschenk von der Firma ABC überreichen. |
| Paul Schmitt: Vielen Dank. Das ist sehr nett von Ihnen. |
| Linda Müller: Gern geschehen! Wir schätzen die Zusammenarbeit. |
| John: Listen to the conversation one time slowly. |
| Linda Müller: Wir möchten Ihnen ein Geschenk von der Firma ABC überreichen. |
| Paul Schmitt: Vielen Dank. Das ist sehr nett von Ihnen. |
| Linda Müller: Gern geschehen! Wir schätzen die Zusammenarbeit. |
| John: Listen to the conversation with the English translation. |
| Linda Müller: Please accept this present from ABC. |
| Paul Schmitt: Thank you. That is very kind of you. |
| Linda Müller: Not at all! Thank you for your cooperation. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| John: I like presents. |
| Jennifer: I think that everyone does! |
| John: People give presents for many reasons, and in Germany business gifts are quite common. |
| Jennifer: Presents are usually given at the company Christmas party. This get-together is also to celebrate the company’s success that year. |
| John: Who gives the gifts and what do they give? |
| Jennifer: Co-workers will give small presents to each other, such as wine or sweets. |
| John: How about the boss? |
| Jennifer: You should definitely give your boss a present. |
| John: Is it okay to give the same thing every year? I always struggle to think of presents to give! |
| Jennifer: No, you should give different things. And instead of giving generic gifts, you should try to give something tailored to the tastes of your boss or co-workers, such as something hobby related. |
| John: That sounds complicated, but at least you get presents back! Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| John: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is... |
| Jennifer: Geschenk [natural native speed] |
| John: present |
| Jennifer: Geschenk[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jennifer: Geschenk [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Jennifer: überreichen [natural native speed] |
| John: to give |
| Jennifer: überreichen[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jennifer: überreichen [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Jennifer: nett [natural native speed] |
| John: nice, kind |
| Jennifer: nett[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jennifer: nett [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Jennifer: Geste [natural native speed] |
| John: gesture |
| Jennifer: Geste[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jennifer: Geste [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Jennifer: schätzen [natural native speed] |
| John: to estimate; to esteem |
| Jennifer: schätzen[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jennifer: schätzen [natural native speed] |
| John: And last... |
| Jennifer: Zusammenarbeit [natural native speed] |
| John: collaboration |
| Jennifer: Zusammenarbeit[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jennifer: Zusammenarbeit [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| John: Let's have a closer look at the usage of one of the words from this lesson. The word is... |
| Jennifer: nett |
| John: meaning "nice." What can you tell us about this word? |
| Jennifer: This is a modest adjective. |
| John: As it’s modest, it’s good to use in business situations. |
| Jennifer: Yes. If it’s informal, you might want to use something that is more powerful, such as Das ist toll. |
| John: “That is awesome.” Can you give us an example using “nice?” |
| Jennifer: Sure. For example, you can say, Das ist ein netter Kollege. |
| John: ...which means "This is a kind coworker." |
| John: Okay, now onto the lesson focus. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| John: In this lesson, you'll learn what to say when giving someone a present in a formal setting. You may have to give someone a present, as a way to thank him or her for their work or to show your desire to make the business relationship stronger. What did Linda say in the conversation? |
| Jennifer: Wir möchten Ihnen ein Geschenk von der Firma ABC überreichen. |
| John: “Please accept this present from ABC.” Literally, she says “We would like to present you with a gift from the company ABC.” |
| Jennifer: First is the subject Wir, then möchten, a modal verb meaning “would.” |
| John: Next is a dative personal pronoun. |
| Jennifer: Then the accusative object, ein Geschenk von der Firma ABC, followed by überreichen. |
| John: Which means “like to give.” How else can we say this? |
| Jennifer: Eine Kleinigkeit für Sie. |
| John: “A small piece for you.” |
| Jennifer: You can also say Ein kleines Dankeschön an den Chef. |
| John: “A small thank you to your boss.” |
| Jennifer: It’s good to be modest, so using klein, meaning “small,” is a good idea. |
| John: Okay. We give a present, the receiver says “thank you,” then how do we respond? |
| Jennifer: You can say Gern geschehen. |
| John: This means “you’re welcome.” |
| Jennifer: bitteschön has the same meaning, but sounds less formal. |
| John: Let’s hear an example sentence. |
| Jennifer: Gern geschehen! Wir schätzen die Zusammenarbeit. |
| John: which means "Not at all! Thank you for your collaboration. " |
| Jennifer: That last part, Wir schätzen die Zusammenarbeit, is a good phrase to remember. |
| John: It’s often used to express your gratefulness to your business partners. |
Outro |
| John: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye! |
| Jennifer: Auf Wiedersehen! |
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