Day 17: Two Barons Order Oat Milk
In Köln, Paula (A) and Julian (B) rehearse their sketch for an alternative carnival show as an impoverished baroness and baron, directed by their friend Greta (C).
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
Verehrteste, empföhlen Sie uns wohl ein Heißgetränk? Es hülfe, wenn es den Wert unseres letzten Silberlöffels nicht überstiege.
Most honoured lady, might you recommend us a hot beverage? It would help if it did not exceed the value of our last silver spoon.
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B
Und stünde Ihnen der Sinn danach, unsere Zeche anzuschreiben, so gewönne Ihr Haus die ewige Gunst derer von Pleitenberg.
And should you be inclined to put our bill on the slate, your house would win the eternal favour of the von Brokenbergs.
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C
Stopp, das ist herrlich, aber viel zu verkopft für den Saal. Wer weiß nach dem vierten Kölsch noch, was „hülfe“ heißt?
Stop, that's wonderful, but far too highbrow for the hall. Who's still going to know what "hülfe" means after their fourth Kölsch?
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A
Genau das ist doch der Witz: verarmter Adel, der wie anno 1850 redet, in einem Café voller Hafermilch und Chiasamen.
But that's exactly the joke: impoverished aristocrats who talk like it's 1850, in a café full of oat milk and chia seeds.
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C
Ein Witz, den man erklären muss, ist keiner. Man nehme eine Pause und suche eine Pointe für den Jeck in der letzten Reihe.
A joke you have to explain isn't one. Let us take a break and look for a punchline for the reveller in the back row.
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B
Oder wir übertreiben es erst recht: endloses Hofdeutsch, und die Barista fragt nur trocken: „Mit Hafermilch?“
Or we overdo it even more: endless courtly German, and the barista just asks drily, "With oat milk?"
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A
Und du antwortest zutiefst gekränkt: „Hafer, gnädige Frau, bekamen auf unserem Gut allenfalls die Pferde.“
And you answer, deeply offended: "Oats, madam, were for the horses on our estate, if anyone."
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B
Und du fügst mit bebender Stimme hinzu: „Und die mussten wir als Erstes verkaufen, gleich nach dem Tafelsilber.“
And you add, your voice trembling: "And we had to sell those first, straight after the family silver."
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C
Das ist es! Pferde versteht jeder im Saal, und euer ganzes Hofdeutsch bleibt als Anlauf drin.
That's it! Everyone in the hall understands horses, and all your courtly German stays in as the run-up.
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A
Dann alles noch mal von vorn! Es lebe der Karneval, und nach der Probe gibt's Kölsch, ausnahmsweise ohne Hafermilch.
Then let's take it from the top! Long live carnival, and after the rehearsal there's Kölsch, for once without oat milk.
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