Scenes Season 2 | Chapter 4: Ein Tisch für zwei

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Hallo und herzlich willkommen zu Coffee Break German. Mein Name ist Thomas. Und mein Name ist Marc. Wie geht's dir, Thomas? Good, good, vielen Dank der Nachfrage. Wie geht's dir heute? Mir gets out, danke. This is, of course, scenes from the Coffee Break German Cafe, where we're

listening in or watching in, watching over scenes that happen in this cafe, all of the life of the village or of the town, the people who come in, the people who own the cafe, and all of that. And of course, there's lots of German to learn. I'm the learner Thomas is our brilliant teacher and we are ready for another chapter. Los geats. So in this episode we have something romantic. Last time it was a little bit different.

Yes, we had a a little bit of a not yeah, a bit of a sadder story because there were four older gentlemen coming to the cafe, and actually the narrator didn't realize straight away who they were, but Erna did. And they had a chat with them and but it turned out there used to be five of them and now there were only four coming to the cafe. Okay, so in this episode, as I said, something a little romantic. So let's hear more about the episode now. Los geht's. Ich freue mich drauf.

Es wird schon spät, aber ich kann jetzt unmöglich den Laden schließen. Alle unsere heutigen Gäste sind schon gegangen, außer den letzten zwei. Sie merken wahrscheinlich gar nicht, dass nur noch Sie übrig sind. Denn sie haben nur Augen füreinander. Wenn ich sie so sehe, muss es sich wohl um eine erste Verabredung handeln. Sie kichern und schauen sich aufmerksam in die Augen. Die junge Frau spielt schüchtern mit ihren Haaren, wenn der junge Mann hin und wieder ihre Hand nimmt.

Der Mann trägt ein weißes Hemd und auch sie ist schick gekleidet und dezent geschminkt. Ihre langen blonden Haare sind zu einem lockeren Pferdeschwanz zusammengebunden. Und wenn sie lacht, fallen ihr vorne ein paar Strähnchen ins Gesicht. Ich kann gar nicht wegschauen, so herzig sind sie anzuschauen.

Eigentlich habe ich Erna versprochen, rechtzeitig abzuschließen. Doch ich bin mir sicher. dass auch sie es nicht übers Herz bringen würde, so einen romantischen Moment zu zerstören. Also mache ich das Radio an, während ich besonders langsam den Abwasch mache. In der Küche aufräume, aufwische und das Kühlregal auffülle. Gegen halb neun verirrt sich ein weiteres Pärchen ins Kaffee. Und ich muss sie leider wegschicken. Darauf wird das Paar dann aufmerksam und schaut mich verdutzt an.

Wie vermutet, haben sie überhaupt nicht bemerkt, dass es schon so spät ist. Und entschuldigen sich kichernd. Ich versichere ihnen lächelnd, dass es überhaupt kein Problem ist, aber dass ich Sie nun langsam bitten muss, zu gehen. Als sie das Kaffee verlassen, sehe ich, dass er seinen Arm um ihre Schultern legt.

Okay, das ist tatsächlich etwas romantisch. Oh, ein schönes Kapitel. Ein sehr schönes Kapitel. Indeed. Let's go through it line by line. Es wird schon spät, aber ich kann jetzt unmöglich den Laden schließen. Right. It's already getting late. It's becoming already late. Ganz genau. Aber ich kann jetzt unmöglich. So möglich is possible. Yep. So ich can jetzt unmöglich den Laden schließen. I can like I I cannot possibly

Close the shop. No. Exactly. So in English you would say like can not possibly, but in German you say like can impossibly. uh close the shop. And we saw that last time with like un unterbrochen. You can just for some pass particip past participles and some adjectives put that un in front of it and then have the opposite meaning. Okay. So möglich, unmöglich. Alle unsere heutigen Gäste sind schon gegangen.

So alle unsere heutigen Gestar. Heutigen we've seen before the it's the adjective relating to today. So all of today's guests sind schon gegangen. They have already left. Außer den letzten zwei zwei is that except for the last two. Ganz genau. Außer just means except here. And it's one of those prepositions that always take the dative case. So den letzten zwei. Außer den letzten zwei. Okay.

And nothing end. Okay. Sie merken wahrscheinlich gar nicht, dass nur noch Sie übrig sind, denn sie haben nur Augen füreinander. Oh, we see merken here again that we've come across in lots of different uh variations before. So that's to notice. So probably they didn't even notice. Like un little bit feeling of uncertainty. That only still they are like left over. That's only them left. Only them left. Denzig hab' no augn für einanda because they only have eyes for each other.

Right. When ich sie so sehr, when I see them like that. muß es sich wohl um eine erste Verabredung handeln. Is it like saying when I see them like that? It must be like this must be a first date basically. Genau. Yeah, perfect. And um the verb is es handelt sich um. So it is all it's about something. And then you also have the modal verb, so it must be Yep. All about or in simpler terms just it must be a first deed. Yeah.

It's a it's a tricky thing because we kinda feel that we have to translate all the words, but sometimes the meaning can be conveyed. more succinctly in one of the languages, whether it's German or or English. Exactly. That uh English is a lot shorter here because you can say but it must be a first date. However, if we just say

Es muss eine erste Verabredung sein, is a little bit like it doesn't have the same element of that speculation in here. If you use es handelt sich um, so it must all about it must be possibly be a first date. It's probably a a nice way to say it in English, but it's not coming to me at the moment. Sie kichern und schauen sich aufmerksam in die Augen. So we've got more merksome here. Like aufmerksam. Um did you say that that's

attention, aufmerksamkeit. Genau. So, aufmerksam is like attentively. Perfect, genau. As you already said it correctly, it's an adverb here. So, sie kicken, they're giggling und schauen sich aufmerksam in die Augen and they're looking. And each other attentively into each other's eyes. So much good languaging here for the first date. Die junge Frau spielt schüchtern mit ihren Haaren, wenn der junge Mann hin und wieder ihre Hand nimmt. Okay, um, Schüchtern, help me. Uh, Shiley.

Oh, shochtern shy, and then here because she plays shyly with her. When the younger man hinwita ir a hand nimmt while the young man now and then takes her hand. Geno hin and we there just every now and then now and then. Der Mann trägt ein weißes Hemd und auch sie ist schick gekleidet und dezent geschminkt. So the man is wearing a white shirt. Mm-hmm.

And auch sie and she also is schick gekleidet. Um she's like smartly dressed. Yeah, we've seen it uh before in other contexts with like sich schick anziehen is like to dress up smartly. Decently something? Ah, I was I was kind of waiting for that. Yeah, it's it's a false friend. It doesn't mean decently, it means like

Subtle. So she's like discreetly subt sub subtle or discreetly. I can't say the word sub subtle. Subtle. Subtle. Subtle. You don't need to see the be um subtly uh has like subtle or like Discrete makeup on. Oh, so geschminkt. So it's not too much, just a little bit. All right. So she's subtly made up. She's got subtle makeup on. Ihre langen, blonden Haare sind zu einem lockeren Pferdeschwanz zusammengebunden, und wenn sie lacht, fallen ihr vorne ein paar Strähnen ins Gesicht.

And it's plural in German, Zind, although it's singular in English. So her long blond hair is zu einem lockeren Pferdeschwanz zu sammen gebunden. Right. I'm not really very well up in talking about hairstyles, to be perfectly honest,'cause it's an area that I'm lacking in myself. Um, so I think eine Pferdeschwans must be a ponytail. A ponytail? Yeah, perfect, genau. Um, so her hair is

Like tied up? Yeah, genau. So binden would be to tie and then tied together to summon binden, and we just see it here as a past participle. So her hair is tied back into a lockerin? Yeah. Ponytail A los ponytail and when she laughed and when she laughs Fallen Iafner and Paren ins Gesicht to her fall a few

Strands, I'm guessing, of hair? Yeah. Over her face or across her face. Exactly. Probably like just the ones here at the side when they come out of the ponytail and they like fall into her face. Okay. I did used to have long hair, but I don't often have a ponytail to be honest. Ich kann gar nicht wegschauen. So herzig sind sie anzuschauen. So, ich kann gar nicht wegschauen. I can hardly look away. Genau. So herzig sind sie anzuschauen, der so herzig, sich sweet.

Genau. So sweet to watch. Yeah. And um yeah, I I associate herzig with like very Austrian, kind of like South German, like, oh, that is so herzig. uh connotation and it's very different from herzlich. Yes. Yeah. So don't get this makeup. Okay, we'll pause there because that seems to be the first description of the scene in the in the cafe. Um we will be back in just a moment to hear what else is happening today.

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So we've just had a lovely scene of a young couple who are presumably on their first date. Yes, they are dressed. smartly and subtly. Subtle makeup is worn. Um and uh I think they're very Lovi Dovi. Lovey Dovey, yeah. Nice. Let's continue. Eigentlich habe ich Erna versprochen, rechtzeitig abzuschließen. Doch ich bin mir sicher, dass auch sie es nicht übers Herz bringen würde, so einen romantischen Moment zu zerstören. Okay. Eigentlich, actually, habe ich einer versprochen.

So actually I promised Erna that I would close on time rechtszeitig abzuschließen. Um doch ich bin mir sicher, but I'm sure uh that auch Znittershead bringt. Does that like mean that she wouldn't have the heart? She wouldn't bring it over her heart. She couldn't get herself to Okay. She wouldn't have the heart to. Yeah. so einen romantischen Moment zu zerstören.

Uh like spoil uh such a romantic moment. Yes, so to störin can also be more drastic, like to destroy, but I think it's too much in this context or just to interrupt to spoil such a romantic moment. Okay. Also mache ich das Radio an, während ich besonders langsam den Abwasch mache, in der Küche aufräume, auffische und das Kühlregal auffülle. Okay, so very practical vocabulary. Also mache ich das Radio an. So I turn on the radio, während ich besonders langsam

then abwaschmacher while I um do the wash the washing up to the dishes. Yeah. Yeah. Is like especially slowly? Yeah. So she's just she's stalling for time. Yeah. Um in der Küche auf Räume. Uh Alfräume is to tidy up in the kitchen. Yeah, say good. Alfvischer um Hãy subscribe cho kênh La La School Để không bỏ lỡ những video hấp dẫn Like wash up? To mop. So all in addition is to mop. Okay, so to mop up und das Kühlregal auffülle and like to fill up the

Like the fridge. Yeah. So kühlregal is a is a different word for kühlschrank. Okay. And Aufelia to to restock or to fill up. Um can you spot all the separable verbs in that? Let's have a look. Um so it's an machen. Aufräume? Genau. Aufräumen? Abfischen? Ja. Und auffüllen. Ja. And do you know, like, why they're not separated? Like for the Aufräume, Auffische, Auffülle? Während ich besonders langsamer.

I don't know actually. So it's a good point and something you always keep in mind if you're in a subordinate clause. And your verb goes to the end. Separable verbs don't separate. So while you're in the main clause, ich mache das Radio an. Yep. They separate. Prefix goes to the end. Because then you have the variant introducing that subordinate clause, your separable verbs don't separate and you just have them together at the end of the sentence.

So that's sometimes harder to spot a separable word because if you see them in that context they're just together. They're together. That I think is entirely new to me. Probably I should know it already, but that's good to know. Yeah, that's interesting. A good a good s sentence then to look at as a both. Excellent. Gegen halb neun verirrt sich ein weiteres Pärchen ins Café und ich muss sie leider wegschicken.

Right, okay. This might help move things along gigan half nine, around half past eight. verirrt sich ein weiteres Pärchen ins Café. So another couple like wanders into the or strays into the the the cafe? Yeah, perfect. Sich verirren can also mean like to get lost, like ich habe mich im Wald verirrt and got lost in the woods.

But it's also used in that context that you just wander in kinda aimlessly, like, Oh, there's a cafe, let's check it out. Okay. Und ich muss sie leider wegschicken and I must unfortunately send them away. Genau. Darauf wird das Paar dann aufmerksam und schaut mich verdutzt an. Right, so darauf, on that, wird das Paar dann aufmerksam.

Is that like Aufmergsam werden to become aware of? Genau, to become aware of or probably in English just to notice. Yeah. So the the couple, like that's the couple on the date, notice this. Und schaut mich verdutzt an. Verdutzt, yeah. So they look at me I don't know the verduzzed. Be bewildered or like baffled? Like for dozed is kinda like anything like a baffled face. Wie vermutet, haben sie überhaupt nicht bemerkt, dass es schon so spät ist, und entschuldigen sich kichernd.

So, wie vermutet, um I'm guessing that's like a suspected, as we thought. Ja, and I think we saw Vermutung, the noun, or we saw Vermutung in a different chapter. Ja, the assumption. Haben sie überhaupt nicht bemerkt? They hadn't... Or they haven't noticed at all that's shown so space, that it's already so late, and entschuldigen sich kichyant.

And uh the apologize gigglingly. Gigglingly, genau. Kichern really does feature a lot in these text. Ich versichere Ihnen lächelnd, dass es überhaupt kein Problem ist. Aber dass ich sie nun langsam bitten muss zu gehen. Right. So I assure them ich versichere ihnen lächelnd, like smiling. Yeah, with a smile, yeah, smiling. Smiling Lee. Yeah, that's it. That is absolutely no problem. But that ich sie nun langsam bitten muss to gehen. But uh that I they now slowly ask must ask them to leave.

But I now have to slowly ask them to leave. Yeah. And you often used it like Um, ich muss sie bitten zu something in a in a polite setting. So if you're in a restaurant something and the waiter would come up to you, he would say, or ich muss sie leider bitten, diesen Tisch frei zu machen. So instead of just ich bitte sie like I have to, I don't want to. But I have to, yep. Okay. Als sie das Kaffee verlassen, sehe ich, dass er seinen Arm um ihre Schultern legt.

So als sie das Kaffee verlassen, als sie den Kaffee verlassen, sehe ich, dass er seinen Arm um ihre Schultern legt. Er legt seinen Arm um ihre Schultern. Yes, and it's a step up from the hand in hand that we saw in chapter one. Excellent.

Thomas, just thinking about this young couple completely oblivious to what's going on around them in the cafe. Um, it reminds me of a not a romantic situation, definitely not a working situation. Um but you've probably seen the photo um from when Pierre Benoit from Coffee Break Friends and Monica who's our wonderful can do anything. She does everything, yes from editing to design and so on.

Um and I we were filming in non And we had gone out for dinner um to a lovely restaurant, sat out in the terrace. And my back was to the rest of the restaurant. So Pierre Benoit and Monica facing the rest of the restaurant and all the other tables and my back was to the the the back of the the the all the other tables.

And we chatted and laughed and enjoyed our meal and everything else. And then I got up to to go to the bathroom and I realized that the entire restaurant, all the tables had been put away behind us. So obviously the the staff in the restaurant were very respectful, letting us enjoy our meal and everything, but they had completely cleaned up the whole restaurant around us.

Um Did they did they put the music on and just like tidied up and cleaned up very slowly? And I'm sure they were using separable verbs as they were doing it. You have to. Anyway, we have seen quite a number of interesting things in this episode. Um we have seen some interesting elements with cases, so things like um alsa with the dative. Um All of those reflexes. We've learned uh quite some vocabulary about hair and general appearance, whether it's makeup or how you dress.

Or how you style your hair. Mm-hmm. And then I I like the phrase no Augen für ein ander haben. Oh yes. Um to only have eyes for each other. And one thing that we also came across and that's actually expanded on in the spotlight video is the word herz, because we saw like herzig and ubers herz bringen. So if you want to learn more expression that feature herz Listen to a spotlight video. Okay. But for now, let's listen again to the whole text and we'll see how much we understand this time.

Es wird schon spät, aber ich kann jetzt unmöglich den Laden schließen. Alle unsere heutigen Gäste sind schon gegangen, außer den letzten zwei. Sie merken wahrscheinlich gar nicht, dass nur noch sie übrig sind, denn sie haben nur Augen füreinander. Wenn ich sie so sehe, muss es sich wohl um eine erste Verabredung handeln. Sie kichern und schauen sich aufmerksam in die Augen Die junge Frau spielt schüchtern mit ihren Haaren, wenn der junge Mann hin und wieder ihre Hand nimmt.

Der Mann trägt ein weißes Hemd, und auch sie ist schick gekleidet und dezent geschminkt. Ihre langen blonden Haare sind zu einem lockeren Pferdeschwanz zusammengebunden. Und wenn sie lacht, fallen ihr vorne ein paar Strähnchen ins Gesicht. Ich kann gar nicht wegschauen, so herzig sind sie anzuschauen. Eigentlich habe ich Erna versprochen, rechtzeitig abzuschließen. Doch ich bin mir sicher, dass auch sie es nicht übers Herz bringen würde, so einen romantischen Moment zu zerstören.

Also mache ich das Radio an, während ich besonders langsam den Abwasch mache, in der Küche aufräume, aufwische und das Kühlregal auffülle. Gegen halb neun verirrt sich ein weiteres Pärchen ins Kaffee. Und ich muss sie leider wegschicken. Darauf wird das Paar dann aufmerksam und schaut mich verdutzt an. Wie vermutet haben sie überhaupt nicht bemerkt, dass es schon so spät ist. Und entschuldigen, sich kichern.

Ich versichere ihnen lächelnd, dass es überhaupt kein Problem ist, aber dass sie Sie nun langsam bitten muss, zu gehen. Als sie das Kaffee verlassen, sehe ich, dass er seinen Arm um ihre Schultern legt.

Now this episode is of course part of the Coffee Break Scenes course. And there you can access the lesson notes for each lesson. You can also access vocabulary and uh exercises and our wonderful spotlight videos that Tobas has mentioned. These it take a particular element of the course of the the of the particular text.

And go into that in more detail, giving you further examples and letting you extend and expand your language. And there's even some exercises with a spotlight video where you can practice what you've learned in that video. Excellent. You can find all of that at coffeebreakacademy dot com. And if you're in the mood for learning more German or improving your German even further, then make sure that you subscribe to our weekly newsletter at coffeebreaklanguages.com.

slash German and you get a free lesson about various different things into your inbox every Friday. Also, das reicht für heute. Vielen Dank, Thomas. Vielen Dank, Marc. War wie immer schön. Und bis zum nächsten Mal. Bis dann. Happy Coffee Breaking! Thank you. You have been listening to a Coffee Break Languages production for the Radiolinguina. 2026 Radiolingua Limited Recording Copyright 2026 Radiolingua Limited. All rights reserved.

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