Learn how to ask for a day off
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| INTRODUCTION |
| John: Hi everyone, and welcome back to GermanPod101.com. This is Business German for Beginners Season 1 Lesson 16 - Asking For Time Off Work. John Here. |
| Jennifer: Guten Tag! I'm Jennifer. |
| John: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to ask for a day off. The conversation takes place on the phone. |
| Jennifer: It's between Linda Müller and Tom Schulze. |
| John: The speakers are colleagues, therefore, they will speak formal German. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Linda Müller: Herr Schulze, bitte entschuldigen Sie die Störung am frühen Morgen. |
| Tom Schulze: Hallo Linda, was ist los? |
| Linda Müller: Heute fühle ich mich nicht so gut und würde daher gerne Zuhause bleiben. |
| Tom Schulze: Bitte erholen Sie sich gut und falls nötig gehen Sie zum Arzt. |
| John: Listen to the conversation one time slowly. |
| Linda Müller: Herr Schulze, bitte entschuldigen Sie die Störung am frühen Morgen. |
| Tom Schulze: Hallo Linda, was ist los? |
| Linda Müller: Heute fühle ich mich nicht so gut und würde daher gerne Zuhause bleiben. |
| Tom Schulze: Bitte erholen Sie sich gut und falls nötig gehen Sie zum Arzt. |
| John: Listen to the conversation with the English translation. |
| Linda Müller: Mr. Schulze, sorry to call so early... |
| Tom Schulze: Hello Linda. What happened? |
| Linda Müller: Today I don't feel very good and I'd rather stay home. |
| Tom Schulze: Sure, don't worry. If you need to, go to the doctor. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| John: I hope that Linda is okay and that it isn’t anything serious. |
| Jennifer: Me too! Hopefully she’s back at work quickly. |
| John: If you’re ill and need to take a day off work, what should you do? |
| Jennifer: You usually need to go to the doctor to get a notification of sickness or a doctor’s certificate, known as das Attest. |
| John: And you have to give this to your employer when you return to work? |
| Jennifer: Yes. Freistellung, meaning "exemption," is the option to leave work or an exemption from the obligation to work. |
| John: If you have an exemption, would you still get your salary? |
| Jennifer: Yes. You’re entitled to be paid for things such as Arbeitsunfähigkeit. |
| John: “Work incapacity.” |
| Jennifer: Beschäftigungsverbote für Schwangere. |
| John: Pregnancy. |
| Jennifer: Abwesenheit aus persönlichen Gründen. |
| John: Absence due to personal reasons. |
| Jennifer: Urlaubsanspruch. |
| John: Vacation! Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| John: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is... |
| Jennifer: Anruf [natural native speed] |
| John: call |
| Jennifer: Anruf[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jennifer: Anruf [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Jennifer: Zuhause [natural native speed] |
| John: at home |
| Jennifer: Zuhause[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jennifer: Zuhause [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Jennifer: bleiben [natural native speed] |
| John: to stay |
| Jennifer: bleiben[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jennifer: bleiben [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have... |
| Jennifer: natürlich [natural native speed] |
| John: of course, natural, naturally |
| Jennifer: natürlich[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jennifer: natürlich [natural native speed] |
| John: And last... |
| Jennifer: Arzt [natural native speed] |
| John: doctor, physician |
| Jennifer: Arzt[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Jennifer: Arzt [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| John: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first phrase is... |
| Jennifer: Was ist los? |
| John: meaning "What’s wrong?" What can you tell us about this expression? |
| Jennifer: You can use this phrase when concerned about someone’s well-being. |
| John: Can you use this on formal occasions or with people you don’t know too well? |
| Jennifer: It’s best not to. |
| John: Is there an equivalent phrase that you can use in formal situations? |
| Jennifer: Ist alles in Ordnung mit Ihnen? |
| John: This means “Is everything fine with you?” All right, can you give us one last example using the first phrase? |
| Jennifer: Sure. For example, you can say, Was ist los mit ihr? |
| John: ...which means "What is wrong with her?" |
| John: Okay, what's the next word? |
| Jennifer: natürlich |
| John: meaning "of course." What can you tell us about this word? |
| Jennifer: This literally means “naturally.” |
| John: How is it used? |
| Jennifer: It can be used in two ways. The first is to say that someone or something is natural. |
| John: And the second? |
| Jennifer: To say that something is fine with you or that you agree with it. |
| John: Can you give us an example using this word? |
| Jennifer: Sure. For example, you can say, Natürlich können Sie nach Hause gehen. |
| John: ...which means "Of course you can leave for home." |
| John: Okay, now onto the lesson focus. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| John: In this lesson, you'll learn how to ask for a day off. If you need to make a sudden request for a day off, you should call your supervisor before your working hours start. |
| Jennifer: That way, they can cover for you and make other arrangements if they need to. |
| John: You should give a reason for your absence, right? |
| Jennifer: Yes. A simple reason such as Ich bin erkältet is fine. |
| John: That means “I have a cold.” How would we say a more general excuse, like “I am ill.” |
| Jennifer: Ich bin krank. Both of those used Ich bin, which means “I am.” You can also use the verb haben, “to have.” |
| John: Let’s hear an example with that. How about “I have a high fever?” |
| Jennifer: Ich habe hohes Fieber. |
| John: Now that we’ve said that we’re sick, we need to ask for the day off. |
| Jennifer: You should be as mild and polite as possible. |
| John: What did Linda say in the conversation? |
| Jennifer: Würde daher gerne Zuhause bleiben. |
| John: “I would rather stay at home.” Oh yes, that’s very polite. Do you have some other examples? |
| Jennifer: Daher würde ich gerne zum Arzt gehen wollen. |
| John: “That is why I would like to see the doctor.” |
| Jennifer: You can also use the verb könnte, meaning “could.” |
| John: An example, please? |
| Jennifer: Könnte ich einen Tag frei nehmen? |
| John: “Can I take the day off?” |
| Jennifer: In German, we use the Konjunktiv. |
| John: which actually means “conditional” in English, not “conjunctive.” |
| Jennifer: Right. It’s formed using würde. |
| John: Which means “would.” That “conditional” and “conjunctive” difference could be confusing! |
| Jennifer: Yes, but we’ll try to keep it straight in our lessons! The Konjunktiv is mainly used when we imagine or wish something which is not currently possible, and in reported speech. |
| John: Let’s hear an example. |
| Jennifer: Ich würde gerne jetzt zum Meeting. |
| John: “I would attend the meeting now.” |
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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