Listen to this German conversation.
Inchruligenzi frestian zi English.
Nine Ifristiacan English, ifrishtiaan bisin Deutsche, Cincia Americana, Yeah, Americana.
In the next few minutes, you learn not only to understand this conversation, but to take part in it yourself. Imagine an American man sitting next to a German woman in someone's home or on a train. He wants to begin a conversation, so he says, excuse me, inchrudigen zi. The German speaker is going to repeat this part by part, starting from the end. You were to repeat each part after him, trying to make your pronunciation sound exactly like his. Let's start with the last part. Be sure to repeat
aloud z Z did you repeat? Try it again after the speaker z.
Z.
Now try this.
Digan digen.
Schure schure.
Schuigen schuigen schordigen z chordigen z.
Now let's add the first part. Continue repeating and and.
Rodigan rodigan rodigen z rodigen z.
How do you say excuse me in German?
And troldigen z H.
Say excuse me again.
In trillion z.
Now he wants to ask her if she understands English. First the word English. Listen and repeat.
Englishlishlish ng, ng English English.
Pay attention to the beginning of the word it's ng and not ing how do you say English in German English.
English?
Say excuse me.
In trillion z.
You should repeat after the speaker gives the right response, trying to make your pronunciation sound like.
His in trulligenzi in trudigen zy.
Now he wants to ask, do you understand. Here's the word understand. Just listen Firstian, repeat part by part.
Schteen schteen fair fair.
Fechtian, Fechtian, say understand.
Fechtian.
Here's how to say you understand. Listen and repeat.
See Frechtian c z.
C Firstian C Firstian, say you understand.
C Firstian.
Do you remember how to say English?
English?
And now try to say you understand English.
See Firstian English C Firstian English.
Say again you understand.
See Firstian.
Many statements can be made into a question simply by turning them around and giving them a rising intonation. Once again, say you understand.
Z Firstian.
Now try to ask do you understand.
Frestian z firstian Z.
Say excuse me in Trudian z, Ask me if I understand.
Freshtian z.
Ask me if I understand English.
Freshian z English Firstian the English.
The woman answers, no, listen and repeat nine.
Nine.
How do you say no?
Nine?
How would you ask someone if he understands.
Freshtien z freshtian z.
The man says, I understand, just listen is freshtiar. The German word for I is ch and it contains a sound that we don't have in English. It's something like the beginning of our word. Hugh, say it after me, exaggerating the age a little, Hugh. Hugh, now put the sound and in front of it, as in hue, and leave off the end. H continue repeating after the German speaker.
Ish ish.
Ish, and now the word understand.
Fresh dear steer stea fresh dear, fresh dear is fresh dea is fresh dea?
Say I understand.
Is fresh dea?
Try to say, I understand English.
Is fresh dear English ishfreshtia English.
Listen to the words I understand and you understand together.
Ish freshtia c Frestian ishfreshtia z Frestian.
Say you understand c Frestian, Say I understand ishfreshtia say excuse me.
And schwordigen Zi.
Ask do you understand.
Freshtian Z.
Ask the young woman do you understand English?
Firstian the English?
How does she answer?
No?
Nine?
Nine?
Now she wants to say, I understand no English.
Listen and repeat, ifs do your kind English, kine kine kind English kind English, I firs do your kind English? If firs to your kind English.
Say I understand Firstia, say I understand no English.
If fest your kind English, say.
No English.
Kind English, I understand no English. If fest your kind English, efest your kind English.
Ask do you understand.
Christian Zi.
Ask me if I understand English.
Fristian Zi English.
Answer no, I understand no English.
Nine if first your kind English.
Now here's the name of the German language. Listen and repeat Deutsch, Deutsche, Deutsche say German meaning the German language. Deutsche, say I understand first Year, say I understand German.
Is firschta Deutsche.
Now tell me that you understand German.
Ifrechtia Deutsche.
Now tell me that you understand no German.
Ifreshta kind Deutsche kinduche ifreshta kind.
Deutsche, say you understand German.
C Frechtian Deutsche z Frechtian Deutsche.
Ask me if I understand German.
Fustian ze Deutsch. Fristian ze Deutsch.
Here's how to say a little bit. Listen and repeat, I'm.
Bistion chin chin bis bisi bistion, i'mbistion, i'm bistion.
Biscian has the same sound in it as ish say a little, meaning a little bit, i'mbistion only a little. Repeat the word for only nuah nuah nuah, say only a little nuenbiscan, I understand only a little ishfrestian nuenbiscim say I understand German.
Isfreshtia doorge ishfreshtija douche.
Only a little German.
Nuenbiscian doorge.
Now the young woman wants to ask him, are you an American? Listen and repeat the word for an.
American Americana Khanna, khanna amri amri americana, americana, say an American Americana.
Here's how to say you are. Listen and repeat.
Thez in't dezn't dezn't.
Say you are.
Des in't.
Say you are an American.
Decent Americana these and Americana.
And now try to ask are you an American?
Cinc The Americana cinci Americana.
Ask do you understand German.
Feshtiansi doorge festiansi doorge.
Ask are you an American?
Cinc The Americana.
Here's how to say yes, listen and repeat yeah, yeah, Ask are you an American.
Cinci Americana, cinc The Americana.
Answer yes, an American.
Yeah Americana, Yeah Americana.
Now sit back and listen to a German conversation, the same one you've heard just a few minutes ago.
In truligan z frestian the English nine ifchtia kind English freshtian bissin Deutsche, since the Americana.
Yeah, Americana.
Listen to it again in truligan z frestian ze.
English nine ichestia kind English freshtian bissin Deutsche, since the Americana, Yeah Americana.
Now imagine that you are the person sitting next to the German woman. You want to begin a conversation, So what do you say.
In tchuldigen zi in tchrudigen zi.
She doesn't answer, So try asking her if she understands.
Freshtien z freshtian z.
Ask her if she understands German.
Freshtian zi Deutsch freshtian zi Deutsch.
Still no answer. Now ask her if she understands English.
Freshtian ze English, firstianzie English? Nine?
How does she tell you that she doesn't understand English?
Ifristia kind English? Ifstia kind English?
How does she ask you if you understand German?
Firstinsie Deutsch firstin zie Deutsche.
Tell her you understand a little German.
Fristia ambisiandusche is frishtia ambisian douge.
Tell her only a little.
Nu Ambisian.
She wants to ask you if you are an American. How does she say it?
Cincia americana, cinci Americana.
Tell her, yes, an American, Yeah, Americana. She'll ask you a question, Try to answer it truthfully.
Fashtinsi English. Fashtinsi English, Yeah, is freshdie English?
She'll ask you another question. Answer it using the expression only a.
Little festinsi doorge festinsi doutge huhenbisian freshtian when bisien Deutsche.
And that's true. Now you do understand German a little, and you've just had your first conversation in German. Don't be concerned if you've not made every response correctly. All that you have learned here will be reviewed in future units. If you have mastered about eighty percent of the material in this lesson, you're ready to move on to the next tomorrow. Otherwise you should invest another half hour or so in doing this unit over again