Dialogue

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
John: Hi everyone, and welcome back to GermanPod101.com. This is Business German for Beginners Season 1 Lesson 25 - Politely Declining an Invitation. John Here.
Jennifer: Guten Tag! I'm Jennifer.
John: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to decline an invitation in a formal way. The conversation takes place in the office.
Jennifer: It's between Linda Müller and Stefan Herzog.
John: The speakers are colleagues, therefore, they will speak informal German. Okay, let's listen to the conversation.
DIALOGUE
Linda Müller: Bis dann, schönes Wochenende!
Stefan Herzog: Linda, haben Sie heute Abend Zeit? Wir werden eine kleine Feier für Herrn Schmitt haben.
Linda Müller: Bitte entschuldigen Sie vielmals, ich bin heute Abend bereits verabredet.
Stefan Herzog: Ich verstehe, keine Ursache.
Linda Müller: Trotzdem vielen Dank. Einen schönen Abend noch!
John: Listen to the conversation one time slowly.
Linda Müller: Bis dann, schönes Wochenende!
Stefan Herzog: Linda, haben Sie heute Abend Zeit? Wir werden eine kleine Feier für Herrn Schmitt haben.
Linda Müller: Bitte entschuldigen Sie vielmals, ich bin heute Abend bereits verabredet.
Stefan Herzog: Ich verstehe, keine Ursache.
Linda Müller: Trotzdem vielen Dank. Einen schönen Abend noch!
John: Listen to the conversation with the English translation.
Linda Müller: Goodbye, have a good weekend!
Stefan Herzog: Linda, do you have time tonight? We're having a little party for Mr. Smith.
Linda Müller: I'm really sorry, but I have a commitment tonight!
Stefan Herzog: I see, nevermind.
Linda Müller: Thank you anyway! Have a good evening!
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
John: Another invitation! Linda works in a party office!
Jennifer: I don’t know if it’s really a party office, but there seem to be a few get-togethers, definitely!
John: Although this time she couldn’t make it.
Jennifer: It was short notice though.
John: That’s true. Stefan didn’t seem to mind that she declined the invitation.
Jennifer: Activities after working hours aren’t compulsory, so it’s no problem to turn them down. You can even be quite direct about it.
John: That’s different from a lot of other countries where even if it isn’t compulsory, you still feel an obligation to go.
Jennifer: Right. Germany is a bit different there.
John: Why is that?
Jennifer: The German mentality is individualistic, not group-oriented.
John: So it’s okay to put your own needs in front of group harmony?
Jennifer: When it isn’t a mandatory part of your job, yes.
John: Okay, now onto the vocab.
VOCAB LIST
John: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is...
Jennifer: Wochenende [natural native speed]
John: weekend
Jennifer: Wochenende[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Jennifer: Wochenende [natural native speed]
John: Next we have...
Jennifer: Feier [natural native speed]
John: party
Jennifer: Feier[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Jennifer: Feier [natural native speed]
John: Next we have...
Jennifer: Verabredung [natural native speed]
John: appointment
Jennifer: Verabredung [slowly - broken down by syllable]
Jennifer: Verabredung [natural native speed]
John: Next we have...
Jennifer: verstehen [natural native speed]
John: to understand
Jennifer: verstehen[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Jennifer: verstehen [natural native speed]
John: Next we have...
Jennifer: Keine Ursache. [natural native speed]
John: Nevermind.
Jennifer: Keine Ursache.[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Jennifer: Keine Ursache. [natural native speed]
John: And last...
Jennifer: trotzdem [natural native speed]
John: despite that, anyway
Jennifer: trotzdem[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Jennifer: trotzdem [natural native speed]
KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES
John: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the phrases from this lesson. The first phrase is...
Jennifer: Keine Ursache.
John: meaning "Nevermind." What can you tell us about this phrase?
Jennifer: This is used in the same way as Kein Problem.
John: We saw this phrase in an earlier lesson; it means “no problem.”
Jennifer: Yes. Kein Problem is more commonly used.
John: Can you give us an example using this phrase?
Jennifer: Sure. For example, you can say, Das ist keine Ursache.
John: ...which means "This is no problem."
John: Okay, what's the next phrase?
Jennifer: Einen schönen Abend noch!
John: meaning "Wish you a great evening!" When might we say this phrase?
Jennifer: You can say this when you leave the office during the evening.
John: Oh, so it’s a nice way to say goodbye to your boss and colleagues?
Jennifer: Yes. It’s polite and friendly, but you can also say it in casual situations too.
John: Can you give us an example using this phrase?
Jennifer: Sure. For example, you can say, Ich wünsche dir noch einen schönen Abend!
John: ... which means "I wish you a great evening!"
John: Okay, now onto the lesson focus.

Lesson focus

John: In this lesson, you'll learn how to decline an invitation formally and politely.
Jennifer: Yeah, if the invitation comes at short notice like the one in the conversation, you might not be able to go.
John: It’s inevitable that at some point there will be an invitation that you’ll have to turn down due to prior commitments.
Jennifer: In the conversation, Linda said Bitte entschuldigen Sie vielmals, ich bin heute Abend bereits verabredet.
John: “I'm really sorry, but I have a commitment tonight!” Or, more literally, “Please excuse me, I have an appointment tonight already.”
Jennifer: First, you should say how sorry you are.
John: Then give a reason.
Jennifer: In this context, Bereits means “already.”
John: Let’s hear an example.
Jennifer: Ich bin bereits vergeben.
John: “I am already engaged.” After declining, we should say thanks and wish them a good time.
Jennifer: Yes, that’s only polite!
John: What did Linda say?
Jennifer: Trotzdem vielen Dank. Einen schönen Abend noch!
John: “Thank you anyway! Have a good evening!” We heard the last part of that in the key vocabulary section.
Jennifer: Yes, it’s a nice phrase used when leaving the office for home.
John: What if it isn’t evening?
Jennifer: You could say Haben Sie einen schönen Tag.
John: “Have a great day.”
Jennifer: Another useful word is Trotzdem, meaning “anyway.” It’s similar to the English “nevertheless.”
John: How does that work in a sentence?
Jennifer: Ich habe trotzdem Lust auf das Event zu gehen.
John: “Nevertheless, I feel like going to that event”
Jennifer: Das ist trotzdem eine gute Idee.
John: “That is a good idea anyway.”

Outro

John: Okay, that’s all for this lesson and this series. Thank you for listening everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye!
Jennifer: Auf Wiedersehen!

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