Day 132: Who Gets the Boat Hire?
On the jetty of their parents' boat hire on the Flensburg Fjord, Keno (A), who stayed at home and has helped run the business for years, confronts his brother Bent (B), who has just come back from Berlin.
How to study this lesson 3 steps
- Read the situation under the title. It says who is talking and how they know each other, which decides how politely they speak.
- Read the dialogue line by line with its translation, until every line makes sense. Point at (or tap) a German word to see what it means.
- Spend at least 30 minutes listening to native German, for example from the Resources page. It doesn't matter if you don't understand it yet.
Dialogue
Audio recordings are on the way. For now, each lesson is the dialogue with its English translation.
Keys: E hide English · ← → previous / next day · point at a word to see its meaning
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A
Moin, Bent. Kaum aus Berlin zurückgekehrt, erklärst du mir, wie man den Bootsverleih führt, den ich seit acht Jahren mit Papa schmeiße?
Moin, Bent. Barely back from Berlin, and you're telling me how to run the boat hire that I've been running with Dad for eight years?
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B
Ich stelle nur Fragen. Zum Beispiel, warum man bei euch 2026 ein Ruderboot immer noch nur telefonisch reservieren kann.
I'm just asking questions. For example, why in 2026 you can still only book a rowing boat here by phone.
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A
Weil unsere Stammkunden eben anrufen, zumal die meisten über siebzig sind und seit dreißig Sommern jeden Juli dieselbe „Möwe“ mieten.
Because our regulars simply ring up, especially as most of them are over seventy and have rented the same boat, the "Möwe", every July for thirty summers.
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B
Und die Jüngeren fahren längst nach Glücksburg, wo es SUP-Boards und eine App gibt, wohingegen man bei uns auf Papas Anrufbeantworter von 1998 landet.
And the younger ones have long since been going to Glücksburg, where there are SUP boards and an app, whereas here you end up on Dad's answering machine from 1998.
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A
Da haben wir's. In Berlin gescheitert, kommst du zurück und spielst den großen Retter, damit keiner merkt, dass du deinen Job los bist.
There we go. Having failed in Berlin, you come back and play the great saviour, so that nobody notices you've lost your job.
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B
Gescheitert? Ich habe gekündigt, weil ich keine Lust mehr hatte, E-Roller aus der Spree fischen zu lassen. Und dann rief Mama an, obwohl sie sich raushalten wollte.
Failed? I resigned, because I'd had enough of having e-scooters fished out of the Spree. And then Mum rang, even though she meant to stay out of it.
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A
Mama hat dich angerufen, und mich fragt mal wieder keiner. Wer hat denn jeden Winter die Rümpfe geschliffen, während du in Berlin Folien gebaut hast?
Mum rang you, and as usual nobody asks me. Who sanded the hulls every winter while you were in Berlin putting slides together?
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B
Du, und genau deshalb hat sie angerufen. Papa hält dich für den besseren Bootsmann, wenngleich er das nur Mama sagt, und er will nicht, dass du den Laden allein stemmst.
You did, and that's exactly why she rang. Dad thinks you're the better boatman, even if he only ever says so to Mum, and he doesn't want you shouldering the business on your own.
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A
Das sagt er zu Mama? Mit mir redet er nicht mal über Außenborder so viel am Stück. Trotzdem: zwei Kapitäne auf einem Boot, das geht selten gut.
He says that to Mum? He doesn't talk to me that much in one go even about outboard motors. Still: two captains on one boat rarely ends well.
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B
Dann probieren wir's eine Saison: Du machst die Boote und die Stammkunden, ich die Buchungen und die Bretter. Im Oktober, das letzte Boot an Land gezogen, ziehen wir Bilanz.
Then let's try it for one season: you do the boats and the regulars, I do the bookings and the boards. In October, with the last boat hauled ashore, we take stock.
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A
Eine Saison, meinetwegen, sofern Papas Ansage auf dem Anrufbeantworter bleibt. Sagst du auch nur einmal „disruptiv“, gehst du über Bord, ohne Weste.
One season, fine by me, provided Dad's message on the answering machine stays. Say "disruptive" just once and you're going overboard, without a life jacket.
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B
Abgemacht. Wobei ich dich warnen muss: Soweit ich mich erinnere, bin ich schon mit zehn schneller geschwommen als du.
Deal. Though I should warn you: as far as I remember, I could already swim faster than you when I was ten.
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