Learn how to use essential social expressions
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| Welcome to Can Do German by GermanPod101.com. |
| In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use essential social expressions in German. |
| For example, "Excuse me" is |
| Entschuldigung. |
| Anouk Ahrens is on the train. A fellow passenger drops his wallet as he exits the train. Anouk picks up the wallet and chases after the man. |
| Before you listen to the dialogue, let's preview some of its key components. |
| Entschuldigung. |
| "Excuse me." or "sorry" depending on the context |
| Entschuldigung. |
| Entschuldigung. |
| Bitte. |
| "You're welcome." |
| Bitte. |
| Bitte. |
| Danke. |
| "Thank you." |
| Danke. |
| Danke. |
| Entschuldigung. |
| "I'm sorry." |
| Entschuldigung. |
| Entschuldigung. |
| Kein Problem. |
| "No problem." |
| Kein Problem. |
| Kein Problem. |
| Listen to the following three short dialogues between Anouk and the man. |
| Anouk is chasing the man on the platform with the wallet in her hand. |
| Entschuldigung. |
| Ja? |
| Anouk hands the man the wallet. |
| Danke. |
| Bitte. |
| Anouk turns to board the train, but the doors shut. |
| Entschuldigung... |
| Kein Problem. |
| Once more with the English translation. |
| Anouk is chasing the man on the platform with the wallet in her hand. |
| Entschuldigung. |
| "Excuse me." |
| Ja? |
| "Yes?" |
| Anouk hands the man the wallet. |
| Danke. |
| "Thank you." |
| Bitte. |
| "You're welcome." |
| Anouk turns to board the train, but the doors shut. The man apologizes. |
| Entschuldigung... |
| "I'm sorry…" |
| Kein Problem. |
| "No problem." |
| Let's break down each of these expressions. |
| First, do you remember how Anouk Ahrens says, |
| "Excuse me." |
| Entschuldigung. |
| In this context, Entschuldigung is used to get someone's attention, and translates as "Excuse me." Entschuldigung. |
| Entschuldigung. |
| This is a formal expression. Anouk uses it because she’s speaking with someone she doesn’t know. |
| Note: This expression can also be used as a mild apology, but here Anouk uses it to get the attention of the person she’s chasing after. |
| Do you remember how the passenger acknowledges Anouk by saying, |
| "Yes?" |
| Ja? |
| Ja? "Yes?" Ja?. |
| Ja? |
| The second part of the conversation takes place after Anouk returns the passenger’s wallet. |
| Do you remember how the passenger says, |
| "Thank you." |
| Danke. |
| Danke. "Thank you." Danke. |
| Danke. |
| To add more emphasis to your appreciation, you could say, Vielen Dank, literally, "many thanks," but translates as "thanks a lot." Vielen Dank. This is an idiomatic expression used throughout all of Germany. |
| Do you remember how Anouk says, |
| "You’re welcome." |
| Bitte. |
| "You're welcome." |
| Bitte. Bitte. |
| Bitte literally means "please." |
| "You’re welcome" is one of the most common translations, but this is a versatile phrase that can be used in multiple situations with many translations. So you will come into contact with it a lot. |
| After the train doors shut and Anouk misses her train, do you remember how the passenger apologies to Anouk by saying, |
| "I’m sorry…" |
| Entschuldigung... |
| In this context, Entschuldigung..., means "I’m sorry…" |
| Entschuldigung... |
| The passenger feels responsible for Anouk missing her train and is apologizing. |
| The meaning of Entschuldigung depends on context. |
| Do you remember how Anouk replies, |
| "No Problem." |
| Kein Problem. |
| This starts with Kein, which means "no." Kein. Kein. |
| Next is Problem, "problem." Problem. Problem. |
| All together, kein Problem. "No problem." |
| Kein Problem |
| This is a common phrase used to express that things are alright. |
| Entschuldigung is a universal form which can be used in both formal and informal situations. |
| In informal situations, you may hear your peers saying entschuldige, and for formal situations Entschuldigen Sie. |
| Another equally common expression for apologizing is tut mir leid. Literally it means "does me sorrow," but translates as "I'm sorry." Tut mir leid. |
| Let’s look at the expressions once more. Listen and repeat, or speak along. |
| Entschuldigung. |
| "Excuse me." |
| Entschuldigung. |
| Ja? |
| "Yes?" |
| Ja? |
| Danke. |
| "Thank you." |
| Danke. |
| Bitte. |
| "You're welcome." |
| Bitte. |
| Entschuldigung… |
| "I'm sorry..." |
| Entschuldigung… |
| Kein Problem. |
| "No problem." |
| Kein Problem. |
| Let's review. |
| Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then repeat after the native speaker, focusing on pronunciation. |
| Ready? |
| Do you remember the formal way to say, |
| "Excuse me." |
| Entschuldigung. |
| Entschuldigung. |
| And how to say, "yes?" |
| Ja? |
| Ja? |
| Do you remember how to say |
| "Thank you." |
| Danke. |
| Danke. |
| And how to say |
| "You’re welcome." |
| Bitte. |
| Bitte. |
| Do you remember how to say, |
| "I'm sorry..." |
| Entschuldigung... |
| Entschuldigung... |
| Do you remember how to say, |
| "No Problem." |
| Kein Problem. |
| Kein Problem. |
| Let's practice. |
| Imagine you’re Aylin Ahrens , and you receive a popular German candy from your German teacher. |
| Say, "Thank you." |
| Ready? |
| Danke. |
| Bitte. |
| Listen again and repeat. |
| Danke. |
| Danke. |
| Let’s try another. |
| Imagine you’re Arnold Ahrens , and a passenger bumps into you. |
| Respond by saying, "No Problem." |
| Ready? |
| Entschuldigung. |
| Kein Problem. |
| Listen again and repeat. |
| Kein Problem. |
| Kein Problem. |
| Let’s try one more. |
| Imagine you’re Arnold Ahrens and you see a man drop his wallet. |
| Get his attention. |
| Ready? |
| Entschuldigung. |
| Ja? |
| Listen again and repeat. |
| Entschuldigung. |
| Entschuldigung. |
| Well done! This is the end of the lesson and the Can Use Essential Social Expressions unit of this course. |
| Remember, these Can Do lessons are about learning practical language skills. |
| What's next? |
| Show us what you can do. |
| When you're ready, take your assessment. |
| You can take it again and again, so try anytime you like. |
| Our teachers will assess it, and give you your results. |
| Keep practicing — and move on to the next lesson! |
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