📘 Colloquial German for Beginners
🟩 UNIT 2: Small Talk and Introductions
🗣️ Dialogue 1 – Formal Small Talk (Standard German)
Basic Phrases:
- Guten Morgen! – Good morning!
- Wie heißen Sie? – What’s your name?
- Was machen Sie? – What do you do?
- Freut mich! – Nice to meet you!
- Vielen Dank! – Thank you very much!
Markus: Guten Morgen! Wie geht es Ihnen?
Lisa: Guten Morgen! Mir geht es gut, danke. Und Ihnen?
Markus: Auch gut, danke. Ich heiße Markus. Wie heißen Sie?
Lisa: Ich heiße Lisa. Schön, Sie kennenzulernen.
Markus: Schön, Sie kennenzulernen. Was machen Sie?
Lisa: Ich bin Studentin. Und Sie?
Markus: Ich bin Lehrer.
Lisa: Wo arbeiten Sie?
Markus: In einer Schule in München. Und Sie, wo studieren Sie?
Lisa: An der Universität München.
Markus: Super! Viel Erfolg!
Lisa: Danke, Ihnen auch!
Translation:
Markus: Good morning! How are you?
Lisa: Good morning! I’m good, thanks. And you?
Markus: Also good, thanks. My name is Markus. What’s your name?
Lisa: My name is Lisa. Nice to meet you.
Markus: Nice to meet you too. What do you do?
Lisa: I’m a student. And you?
Markus: I’m a teacher.
Lisa: Where do you work?
Markus: At a school in Munich. And you, where do you study?
Lisa: At the University of Munich.
Markus: Great! Good luck!
Lisa: Thanks, to you too!
🗣️ Dialogue 2 – Casual Small Talk (Colloquial German)
Basic Phrases:
- Hey! – Hey!
- Na, wie läuft’s? – Yo, how’s it going?
- Was machst’n? – What you up to?
- Alles klar! – All good!
- Klingt gut! – Sounds good!
Tom: Hey! Na, wie läuft’s bei dir?
Sara: Yo, alles klar! Ich bin Sara. Und du?
Tom: Ich bin Tom. Cool, was machst’n so?
Sara: Ich chill grad an der Uni, Studium und so. Und du?
Tom: Ich jobb in ’nem Café. Nice! Woher kommst’n?
Sara: Aus Köln. Und du?
Tom: Aus Leipzig. Krass, lass mal ’nen Drink zusammen machen!
Sara: Klar, klingt gut!
Translation:
Tom: Hey! Yo, how’s it going?
Sara: Yo, all good! I’m Sara. You?
Tom: I’m Tom. Cool, what you up to?
Sara: I’m chilling at uni, studying and stuff. You?
Tom: I work at a café. Nice! Where you from?
Sara: From Cologne. You?
Tom: From Leipzig. Awesome, let’s grab a drink sometime!
Sara: Sure, sounds good!
🗣️ Dialogue 3 – Bavarian Small Talk (Bavarian)
Basic Phrases:
- Servus! – Hello!
- Was machst? – What you doing?
- Passt scho! – All good!
- Freut mi! – Nice to meet you!
- Jo, guad! – Yeah, good!
Franz: Servus! Was machst’n so, gell?
Klara: Jo, passt scho! I bin d’Klara. Und du?
Franz: I bin da Franz. Freut mi! Was arbeit’st?
Klara: I bin Schreiner. Und du?
Franz: I lern an da Uni. Mei, des is schee!
Klara: Jo, woher kimmt’n?
Franz: Aus Regensburg. Und du?
Klara: Aus Passau. Jo, mia zwoa miassn amoi a Bier trinka!
Franz: Jo, guad!
Translation:
Franz: Hello! What you up to, yeah?
Klara: Yeah, all good! I’m Klara. You?
Franz: I’m Franz. Nice to meet you! What’s your job?
Klara: I’m a carpenter. You?
Franz: I study at the uni. Man, that’s nice!
Klara: Yeah, where you from?
Franz: From Regensburg. You?
Klara: From Passau. Yeah, we gotta grab a beer sometime!
Franz: Yeah, good!
🗣️ Dialogue 4 – Swabian Small Talk (Swabian)
Basic Phrases:
- Grüß di! – Hello!
- Was machst’n? – What you doing?
- Alles gudd! – All good!
- Freut mi! – Nice to meet you!
- Jo, super! – Yeah, great!
Paul: Grüß di! Was machst’n, gudd?
Hanna: Jo, alles gudd! I bin d’Hanna. Und du?
Paul: I bin dr Paul. Freut mi! Was schaffst’n?
Hanna: I bin Bäcker. Und du?
Paul: I studier in Tübingen. Richtig schee!
Hanna: Wo kommst’n her?
Paul: Aus Ulm. Und du?
Hanna: Aus Reutlingen. Jo, mir zwoi köi ma ins Wirtshaus go!
Paul: Jo, super!
Translation:
Paul: Hello! What you up to, good?
Hanna: Yeah, all good! I’m Hanna. You?
Paul: I’m Paul. Nice to meet you! What do you do?
Hanna: I’m a baker. You?
Paul: I study in Tübingen. Really nice!
Hanna: Where you from?
Paul: From Ulm. You?
Hanna: From Reutlingen. Yeah, we should hit the pub sometime!
Paul: Yeah, great!
🧠 Vocabulary
Note: In Standard German, "Studieren" is a formal verb for academic study, typically at a university (e.g., "Ich studiere Medizin" means "I study medicine"). In Colloquial German, "Pauken" is slang for "to cram" or "to study hard," often used by students for intense study sessions... ↓
Note: Colloquial German uses contractions like “kommst’n” and slang like “jobben.” Bavarian prefers “jo” and regional terms like “kimmt’n.” Swabian has a melodic tone with words like “schaffen” and “gudd.”
📚 Grammar Focus: Present Tense of Regular Verbs
Regular verbs like “machen” (to do) and “kommen” (to come) follow a predictable pattern in the present tense, with variations in dialects reflecting regional pronunciation and contractions. Below, explore the conjugations and listen to pronunciations by clicking each form.
Conjugations
Grammar Explanation
In Standard German, regular verbs follow a consistent conjugation pattern in the present tense. The verb stem (e.g., "mach-" for "machen" or "komm-" for "kommen") is modified with specific endings based on the pronoun:
- Ich: -e (e.g., mache, komme)
- Du: -st (e.g., machst, kommst)
- Er/Sie/Es: -t (e.g., macht, kommt)
- Wir: -en (e.g., machen, kommen)
- Ihr: -t (e.g., macht, kommt)
- Sie: -en (e.g., machen, kommen)
Colloquial German often simplifies pronunciation, dropping the -e in "ich" forms (e.g., "komm" instead of "komme") for a more casual tone.
Bavarian alters vowel sounds and endings, such as "kimm" for "komme" or "machn" for "machen" in plural forms, reflecting regional phonetics. The "’s" in "macht’s" (ihr) is a dialectal contraction.
Swabian tends to align closely with Standard German for these verbs but uses a softer, melodic tone. For example, "machen" and "kommen" conjugations are mostly identical to Standard German, but the pronunciation may vary slightly in practice.
Note: Dialectal variations may affect word choice in sentences (e.g., "mei" instead of "meine" in Bavarian). Pay attention to context when using these forms in conversation.
Examples
Standard:
- Ich mache meine Arbeit – Formal: I do my work.
- Kommst du aus Berlin? – Polite: Are you from Berlin?
- Wir machen Pläne – Clear: We are making plans.
- Er macht eine Pause – Formal: He takes a break.
- Kommt ihr später? – Polite: Are you (plural) coming later?
Colloquial:
- Was machst’n, Kumpel? – Casual: What’re you up to, buddy?
- Ich komm gleich, Mann! – Relaxed: I’ll be there soon, man!
- Wir machen Party! – Lively: We’re throwing a party!
- Kommst’n morgen? – Casual: You coming tomorrow?
- Macht ihr was Cooles? – Relaxed: Are you guys doing something cool?
Bavarian:
- I mach mei Arbeit – Regional: I do my work.
- Kimmt’n aus Minga? – Sing-song: You from Munich?
- Mia machn an Plan – Warm: We’re making a plan.
- Machst’n a Brotzeit? – Regional: Are you having a snack?
- Kemma mia z’Minga? – Warm: Are we going to Munich?
Swabian:
- I mach mei Sach – Soft: I do my thing.
- Kommst’n aus Stuggi? – Melodic: You from Stuttgart?
- Mir machen Spaß – Expressive: We’re having fun.
- Macht er sei Arbeit? – Soft: Is he doing his work?
- Kommt ihr ins Wirtshaus? – Melodic: Are you (plural) going to the pub?
✍️ Exercises
Exercise 1: Fill in the Blank (Standard German)
Fill in the blank with the correct form of “machen” in Standard German.
1. Ich meine Hausaufgaben.
2. Du was?
3. Er Pläne.
4. Wir eine Pause.
5. Sie viel Arbeit.
Exercise 2: Matching Phrases to Dialects
Drag each phrase to its corresponding dialect.
Exercise 3: Sentence Ordering (Colloquial German)
Drag the words to form correct sentences in Colloquial German.
1.
2.
3.
Exercise 4: Multiple Choice Vocabulary
Choose the correct vocabulary word to complete the sentence.
1. (Standard) machen Sie beruflich?
2. (Colloquial) kommst’n?
3. (Bavarian) mi!
4. (Swabian) Jo, super!
Exercise 5: Fill in the Blank (Mixed Dialects)
Fill in the blank with the correct form of “kommen” (use the dialect indicated).
1. (Standard) Ich aus Hamburg.
2. (Colloquial) Na, du später, oder?
3. (Bavarian) I aus Landshut, gell!
4. (Swabian) Mir z’samm ins Café.
5. (Standard) Sie aus Köln, Herr Schmidt.
6. (Colloquial) Alles klar, wir gleich!
7. (Bavarian) Er aus Augsburg, jo?
8. (Swabian) Kommst du drau?
Exercise 6: Translate and Transform (Standard to Colloquial)
Translate the Standard German sentences into Colloquial German.
1. Guten Morgen! Was machst du?
2. Ich komme aus München.
3. Lass uns Pläne machen!
4. Freut mich, dich kennenzulernen!
Exercise 7: Write a Dialogue
Write a short dialogue (4–6 lines) using at least one number and vocabulary from the unit (e.g., Hey, Servus, Na, wie läuft’s).
Exercise 8: Multiple Choice Vocabulary (Repeated for Practice)
Choose the correct vocabulary word to complete the sentence.
1. (Standard) machen Sie beruflich?
2. (Colloquial) kommst’n?
3. (Bavarian) mi!
4. (Swabian) Jo, super!
Exercise 9: Fill in the Blank (Mixed Dialects, Repeated)
Fill in the blank with the correct form of “kommen” (use the dialect indicated).
1. (Standard) Ich aus Hamburg.
2. (Colloquial) Na, du später, oder?
3. (Bavarian) I aus Landshut, gell!
4. (Swabian) Mir z’samm ins Café.
5. (Standard) Sie aus Köln, Herr Schmidt.
6. (Colloquial) Alles klar, wir gleich!
7. (Bavarian) Er aus Augsburg, jo?
8. (Swabian) Kommst du drau?
Exercise 10: Fill in the Blank and Write a Paragraph
Fill in the blank with the correct form of “machen” and write a short paragraph (3–4 sentences) using vocabulary from the unit.
1. Ich meine Arbeit.
2. Du was, Kumpel?
3. Er Pläne für morgen.
4. Wir Party!
Paragraph:
0 Comments:
Post a Comment