A lot of legal decisions in this country are made by magistrates, volunteers, like you and me, working as a team to make decisions on cases in criminal or family courts with support from legal advisors. You don't need specific qualifications or experience. I'm an electrician myself, but you could be anything. A teacher, a delivery driver, unemployed. With ongoing support, you will learn new skills, enjoy new challenges, and help create positive change for your community. Volunteer.
at icanbeamagistrate.co.uk Hello, my name is Mark. Hello, and my name is Thomas. And welcome to Coffee Break German. This is the first in our new series, which will help you learn German step by step with us. Now, you may already be familiar with Coffee Break French or Coffee Break Spanish, and we're delighted to add German to our range of Coffee Break languages. Now, if you've listened to Coffee Break French or Spanish...
then you'll know that my role in those shows was to teach Anna or Cara and also to teach our listeners. But in this... program, I'm going to be taking on a different role because my German isn't very good at all. I can manage a few words, but not very much. So for that reason, I brought along Thomas. And Thomas is a native German speaker, and he's going to be helping me
and you learn German together. So Thomas, can you introduce yourself please and let all our listeners know who you are and where you come from? As I said, my name is Thomas. I come from the south of Germany, from Bavaria. And I'm currently studying in Innsbruck, which is in Austria, and doing my master's in geography and natural hazards.
Okay. And we have asked you to help us out with Coffee Break German. As a native German speaker, you're obviously going to be bringing that authentic element to our course. And you are going to be helping me improve my German over the course of these lessons. Yes, I am a native speaker and I speak German every day. And I hope that I can teach you German and all the listeners.
are able to speak perfect German at the end of the course. Excellent. I guess then we should really get started with this first lesson. So Mark, bist du fertig? Are you ready? I am indeed. Dann lass uns anfangen. So before we go any further, you've already asked me a German question, Thomas. You asked me, am I ready? Can you repeat that question for me? Once more?
Bist du fertig? Now, as Thomas says German phrases, then I will try to repeat the German phrases in my rather bad German accent, and hopefully all our listeners will also be repeating along with me. Let's hear the question one more time. Bist du fertig? And that means, are you ready? Now, does each word mean... The same, in the same order there. So bist, does that mean are? Are, yeah. Du, you. You. And fertig, ready. Yes. So bist du fertig? Ja.
Are you ready? And how would I answer that question? If I want to say yes, I'm ready. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, so I already know that. So that's yeah for yes. And if I were to say no. What would I say? I would say nine. Nine. Yes. So like the number nine in English almost. Yeah, it sounds the same. So let's get into a rhythm of repeating these words so that our listeners can repeat along.
You say the word first, then I'll repeat it, and then you say it again so that the last thing our listeners hear is your correct pronunciation. Okay, does that seem okay? Yes. Excellent. So let's go with yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And no. Nein. Nein. Nein. Okay, and let's just come back to that question, are you ready? Bist du fertig? Bist du fertig? Bist du fertig?
Okay, let's learn some more German. We are going to start with some greetings. So how would you say in German, hello? Hello. Okay, that's not too difficult. It's a good word to start with. Let's try that again. You say it and then I'll repeat it. Hallo. Hallo. Hallo. Okay, so if hello is hallo...
Can we just say goodbye? It's slightly more difficult. It's Auf Wiedersehen. Okay, let's hear that again. Auf Wiedersehen. Okay, can you slow that down? The first word seems quite easy. Auf. Auf. But the second word? Wiedersehen. It basically means see you again. Wiedersehen. Wiedersehen. So let's repeat this word. Auf Wiedersehen. Auf Wiedersehen. Auf Wiedersehen.
Okay. Is there another way of saying goodbye? Yeah, an easier one. Okay. Just say tschüss. Say that again? Tschüss. Tschüss. Tschüss. So is that more like an informal bye or bye-bye? Yeah, I would say it in daily life. And if you just go out of the bakery and say, tschüss. And if I were leaving the bakery, for example, and I knew I was going to be returning tomorrow, how would I say until tomorrow or see you tomorrow? Bis morgen. Say that again. Bis morgen.
Bis morgen. Yes. Very good. Okay. I'm not quite sure about this Morgan. Can you say Morgan again? Morgan. So... As I said, I'm from the south of Germany, of Bavaria. And in Bavaria, you tend to roll the R. So it's morgen. But if you go further north, it's more like a morgen, morgen.
Okay, well, me being a Scot, I can roll my R's very easily. So I can say morgen, morgen. But if I'm further north in Germany, I would maybe say something different. I would say morgen. So to say until tomorrow or see you tomorrow. I can say Bes Morgen. Yes. And Morgen, as we heard, also means morning. So if it's early in the day, you just say Guten Morgen, which means good morning. Okay, so we've got...
Let's hear that again, sorry. Guten Morgen. Guten Morgen. Guten Morgen. Guten Morgen. Okay. Guten Morgen. And the other one, bis morgen. Bis morgen. Until tomorrow. Yes. And guten Morgen. Good morning. Okay. So I think we'll leave the other greetings for different times of the day until a later lesson. But let's just focus on these ones now. We've got Hallo. Hallo.
We've got goodbye, which was Auf Wiedersehen. Auf Wiedersehen. Or Tschüss. Or Tschüss. That's the other one. So that's like bye. Tschüss. Tschüss. And then we had until tomorrow. Bis morgen. Bis morgen. Bis morgen. And we also learned there good morning, which was guten Morgen. Guten Morgen. Guten Morgen.
So one of the other things that I would always want to know early on in learning a language is how to say, how are you? So how would you say, how are you in German? In German, you'd just say, wie geht's. Say that again? Wie geht's. So what's the first word here? How? Wie? Wie? Geht's? Are you? Or is it going? So it literally means how is it going? Yes. Wie geht's? Wie geht's?
Very good. Wie geht's. Wie geht's. Wie geht's. Now, how would I answer that question? How would I say, well, gut. Okay, that's quite like, good morning, isn't it? Gut. Yeah, it's the same word. So, let's hear it again. Gut. Gut. Gut. So, if I ask you, wie geht's? Gut. Danke. I'm assuming you've said thank you there. Yes. Let's hear that again. Danke. Danke. Danke. Okay. So I can say, gut danke. I'm fine. Thanks. Okay. So I'll ask you, wie geht's?
Gut, danke. And now you ask me. Wie geht's? Gut, danke. Very good. If I wanted to say, I'm well, thank you. So not just well, thank you, or good, thank you. How would I say the I am part? You would add the mir geht's gut. So I am mir geht's. So does that literally mean I am well? Or is it linked in some way to the gates, it's going? No, it doesn't mean I am well, but it means to me, it's going well. So mir means to me? Yes.
And geht's, it's going, just like the question. Yes. And gut. Gut. The well part. Okay. So I can say mir geht's gut. Yeah, that's correct. Mir geht's gut. Mir geht's gut. Or, I'm well, thank you. To me, it's going well, thank you. Okay. And if it's going very well, is there a word for very? It's the word sehr. Sehr. Sehr. So to say very good or very well, I can say. Sehr gut. Sehr gut. Sehr gut. So let me think. Can I say mir geht's?
Sehr gut. Ja. I'm very well. Okay. Mir geht's sehr gut. Danke. So that would be I'm very well. Thank you. Or literally to me, it's going very well. Thank you. Mir geht's sehr gut. Danke. I'm very well. Thank you. Okay. And if I'm not feeling very good, how would I say I'm feeling bad? Schlecht would be the word for bad. Let's hear that again. Schlecht. Schlecht.
Schlecht. That's quite tricky. So it's Schlecht. It's a Sch sound and at the end the T. Schlecht. Schlecht. But before the T there's a Sch. I think it's more easier to Scottish people because they're used to the loch sound. So let's say schlecht. Okay. Can I then replace gut? With schlecht. Yeah, you can say, mir geht's schlecht. Mir geht's schlecht. So, mir geht's schlecht. Schlecht oder schlecht? Schlecht. Mir geht's schlecht. Danke.
Okay. You probably wouldn't add the danke. Danke, yeah. So we've got gut. Gut. Sehr gut. Sehr gut. And schlecht. So if you're a little bit in between, you're not feeling really, really good, but you don't feel really bad, you would say, which means I'm not so good. So let's hear that again. Nicht so gut. Nicht so gut. Nicht so gut. Yes, the word nicht means not. Okay, mir geht's nicht so gut. Mir geht's nicht so gut. Mir geht's nicht so gut. Ja, mir geht's nicht so gut.
Okay. Could you say, mir geht's nicht so schlecht? Yes, you can say that, but for I'm feeling regular, I'm not so good, you would probably say, mir geht's nicht so gut. What about wonderful, excellent, fantastic? How would I say I am feeling fantastic? Mir geht's wunderbar. Or mir geht's ausgezeichnet. Okay, I think the first one sounded a little more easy, so let's go with that.
Say it again. Wunderbar. Wunderbar. It means literally translated wonderful. Wonderful. Can I replace gut again with this? So mir geht's wunderbar. Yes, you can also always use the mir geht's and then gut. schlecht, wunderbar. Okay, let's try that. Mir geht's wunderbar. Mir geht's wunderbar. And there was another word that you used in there also. What was that word? Ausgezeichnet. Can you slow that down, please?
Let's take it syllable by syllable. The first syllable. Aus. Aus. Ge. Ge. Zeichnet. Zeichnet. Aus. Aus. Ge. Zeichnet. Yeah, very good. Ausgezeichnet. Ausgezeichnet. What does that mean? Extraordinary. Okay, so I'm feeling fantastic. When you're on the top of your mood, then you say ausgezeichnet. Mir geht's ausgezeichnet. Ja. Mir geht's ausgezeichnet. Yes, with a happy and enthusiastic voice. Mir geht's ausgezeichnet. Excellent. Ausgezeichnet.
Wir unterbrechen diese Sendung für eine sehr wichtige Meldung If you'd like to make faster progress with your German, don't forget that you can use the premium version of this course, which features video versions of the lessons, comprehensive lesson notes and bonus listening materials. What are you waiting for?
A lot of legal decisions in this country are made by magistrates, volunteers, like you and me, working as a team to make decisions on cases in criminal or family courts with support from legal advisors. You don't need specific qualifications or experience. I'm an electrician myself, but you could be anything. A teacher, a delivery driver, unemployed. With ongoing support, you will learn new skills, enjoy new challenges, and help create positive change for your community. Volunteer.
at ICanBeAmagistrate.co.uk Now, the Coffee Break chairman team isn't just me and Tomas. We're also going to be joined regularly by two other contributors. And I'm going to introduce them to you now. To help us get to grips with the German language, we're going to be joined by Kirsten, our grammar guru. And it's Kirsten's job to help us understand the intricate parts of the German language.
We'll meet Kirsten in just a moment, but first let's turn to Julia, our cultural correspondent. Hello, Marc and Thomas, and thanks for inviting me to be part of this exciting new show. I'm really excited to be involved in Coffee Break German and I'm sure it's going to be a huge success. As Mark has explained, learning a language is not just about learning the language itself. So much of a language is influenced by the culture.
all the cultures which surround it. And that's why I'm here as your cultural correspondent. In each episode of Coffee Break German, I'm going to be bringing you some cultural information. A little report on a particular aspect of culture associated with a part of the German-speaking world. And I really hope that you enjoy these little cultural tidbits each week.
Like Thomas, I'm a native German speaker, but from quite a different part of the country. I come from Potsdam, in the eastern part of the country, just southwest of Berlin. I studied in Leipzig and now I live and work in the wonderful city of Berlin. I'll be telling you more about Berlin in future episodes and indeed about many other parts of Germany. Austria and Switzerland, and other places where German has spoken as well. Ich bin sehr froh.
I'm really pleased to be working on Coffee Break German now. That's all from me this week. Just a little introduction, but through my weekly reports you'll get to know me a bit better. But more importantly, you'll get to know the cultures of the German-speaking areas better too. Danke und bis bald!
And I'm going to take this opportunity to introduce myself too. My name is Kirsten and I'm going to be your German grammar guru for the course. I love grammar. I'm a bit of a grammar geek, to be honest. And as the grammar guru, it's my job to help you understand the patterns of the language, just as Mark and Thomas have explained.
By learning the patterns, you'll begin to understand how the language works and you'll have a really strong foundation to build upon as you move forward with the course. Like Mark, I come from Scotland, but I've been studying German for many years. I have an honours degree in German, and I've spent a lot of time living and working in Germany.
In my working life, I use German every single day and I have many friends from various parts of the German-speaking world. I love all things German. The music, the literature... the beautiful villages, towns and cities I've travelled to, from the Baltic coast to the Alps, and of course, the people. They're so friendly and welcoming. I'm not a native speaker of German.
But as someone who has learned German from scratch, I understand the difficulties for learners. And so I hope I can help you overcome these difficulties, just as my own teachers did for me when I first started. I'm delighted to be part of the Coffee Break German team and I'm looking forward to bringing you my weekly Grammar Guru segments. I'll hand you back now to Mark and Thomas in the studio. Thanks to Kirsten and to Julia.
Before we finish the lesson, let's go through all the words and phrases that we've learned today. So to begin with, hello. Goodbye. Auf Wiedersehen. Auf Wiedersehen. Auf Wiedersehen. See you or bye-bye. Tschüss. Tschüss. Tschüss. See you tomorrow. Bis morgen. Bis morgen. Bis morgen. And we also learned good morning. Guten Morgen. Guten Morgen. Guten Morgen. And we'll be adding some more greetings for different times of the day in our next lesson. We learned how to ask, how are you?
Wie geht's? Wie geht's? Wie geht's? And we learned I'm well. Mir geht's gut. Mir geht's gut. Mir geht's gut. We also learned thank you. Danke. We learned I'm very well. Mir geht's sehr gut. I'm not so well. Mir geht's nicht so gut. I'm feeling bad. Mir geht's schlecht. And I'm feeling great. Mir geht's wunderbar. Mir geht's wunderbar. Mir geht's wunderbar. And then there was that one that's quite difficult to pronounce, but it sounds very German.
I'm feeling extraordinary, fantastic. Mir geht's ausgezeichnet. Mir geht's ausgezeichnet. Mir geht's ausgezeichnet. Well, mir geht's ausgezeichnet today because I have learned my first few phrases of German and I would like to say thank you, or now that I can say it in German, danke, to Thomas. Danke, Mark.
It was a wonderful lesson and I think we now have a basic idea for greetings and saying goodbye. Absolutely. Now, in the next lesson, we'll be taking our greetings further and learning a few more useful phrases in German. Now, if you'd like to find out how you can get more out of your Coffee Break German experience, It's time now to say goodbye and we'll be back again soon with more Coffee Break German. Auf Wiedersehen. Auf Wiedersehen.
You have been listening to a production of the Coffee Break Academy for the Radio Lingua Network. Copyright 2017, Radio Lingua Limited. A lot of legal decisions in this country are made by magistrates. Volunteers, like you and me, working as a team to make decisions on cases in criminal or family courts with support from legal advisors. You don't need specific qualifications or experience. I'm an electrician myself, but you could be anything. A teacher.
A delivery driver? Unemployed? With ongoing support, you will learn new skills, enjoy new challenges, and help create positive change for your community.