Day 38 of 39

Day 38: The King Who Boasts of Socks

At home in Greifswald, Wiebke (A) is helping her seven-year-old son Ole (B) write a funny scene for the school summer party, in which he will play a pompous king.

How to study this lesson 3 steps
  1. Read the situation under the title. It says who is talking and how they know each other, which decides how politely they speak.
  2. 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.
  3. 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

  1. A

    So, Ole, dein König braucht noch einen ersten Satz, über den der ganze Schulhof lacht. Ein Angeber mit Krone und Hofstaat redet nämlich furchtbar vornehm.

    Right, Ole, your king still needs an opening line that makes the whole playground laugh. A show-off with a crown and a royal court talks terribly posh, you see.

  2. B

    Ich bin der König und hab die schönste Krone der Welt! Ist das vornehm genug?

    I'm the king and I've got the most beautiful crown in the world! Is that posh enough?

  3. A

    Nicht schlecht, aber ein echter König sagt: „Ich rühme mich der prächtigsten Krone im ganzen Reich.“ Das klingt wichtiger, zumal kein Mensch mehr so redet.

    Not bad, but a real king says: 'I boast of the most magnificent crown in the whole realm.' That sounds more important, especially since nobody talks like that any more.

  4. B

    Ich rühme mich ... meiner Socken! Die mit den Dinos, die sind nämlich noch prächtiger als die Krone.

    I boast of ... my socks! The dinosaur ones, they're even more magnificent than the crown.

  5. A

    Ole, das ist genial! Ein König, der sich so pompös seiner Socken rühmt, ist zum Schießen, sofern du dabei ganz ernst guckst.

    Ole, that's brilliant! A king who boasts of his socks so pompously is a scream, as long as you keep a completely straight face.

  6. B

    Guck mal, so ernst? Und dann kommt der Drache, und den spielst du, Mama!

    Look, this serious? And then the dragon comes, and you're playing it, Mum!

  7. A

    Ich? Die Rolle kann doch ein Kind aus deiner Klasse übernehmen, zumal ich beim Schulfest sowieso am Kuchenstand stehe.

    Me? One of the children in your class can take that part, especially since I'll be on the cake stall at the school party anyway.

  8. B

    Nein! Der König bedarf keines anderen Drachen, und du kannst am besten Feuer spucken.

    No! The king has no need of any other dragon, and you're the best at breathing fire.

  9. A

    Na, du bedienst dich ja schon ganz königlich der neuen Wörter. Also gut, sofern ich keinen langen Text lernen muss, bin ich dein Drache.

    Well, you're already helping yourself to the new words like a proper king. All right then, as long as I don't have to learn a long script, I'll be your dragon.

  10. B

    Du hast nur einen Satz: „Pfui, diese Socken!“ Und dann fällst du ganz laut in Ohnmacht.

    You've only got one line: 'Ugh, these socks!' And then you faint really loudly.

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