Day 40: Settling Before the Hearing
In the corridor of the district court in Nürnberg, Romy (A) and Selin (B), who used to share a flat, wait for the hearing in their case against their former landlord, Detlef Pöhlmann (C), who has kept their deposit.
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
-
A
Da kommt er, mit Aktenordner und Zollstock unterm Arm. Wetten, Selin, dass er da drin jedes Dübelloch dokumentiert hat?
Here he comes, with a ring binder and a folding rule under his arm. I bet you, Selin, he's got every single drill hole documented in there.
-
B
Soll er doch. Im Übergabeprotokoll festgehalten, gilt der Kratzer als Vorschaden, und dafür haften wir nicht.
Let him. It's in the handover report, so the scratch counts as prior damage, and we're not liable for that.
-
C
Guten Morgen, die Damen. Der Kratzer im Protokoll ist der am Fenster, Frau Kaya, der neue geht quer durchs Wohnzimmer.
Good morning, ladies. The scratch in the report is the one by the window, Ms Kaya; the new one runs right across the living room.
-
A
Dafür haben wir vor dem Auszug frisch gestrichen, zweimal sogar. Und trotzdem behalten Sie die ganzen 2.400 Euro Kaution ein?
But we repainted before we moved out, two coats even. And you're still keeping the whole 2,400-euro deposit?
-
C
Gestrichen, gewiss, aber in Salbeigrün! Stünde im Mietvertrag „nach Lust und Laune“, gewönnen Sie heute, aber da steht „in hellen, neutralen Farbtönen“.
Painted, certainly, but in sage green! If the tenancy agreement said 'as the mood takes you', you'd win today, but it says 'in light, neutral shades'.
-
B
Hab ich dir doch gleich gesagt, Romy: Salbeigrün ist kein Neutralton. Aber du wolltest ja unbedingt „Wohnen wie in Kopenhagen“.
I told you right from the start, Romy: sage green isn't a neutral. But no, you just had to have 'Copenhagen living'.
-
A
Und wer hat beim Auszug seinen Schreibtischstuhl voller Kartons durchs Wohnzimmer gerollt? Der Kratzer ist exakt so breit wie deine Stuhlrollen.
And who rolled her desk chair piled with boxes across the living room when we moved out? The scratch is exactly as wide as your chair's castors.
-
B
Das sind Gummirollen, Romy, die kratzen nicht!
They're rubber castors, Romy, they don't scratch!
-
C
Meine Damen, bevor Sie sich gegenseitig verklagen: Stünde ein Vergleich zur Debatte? Ich zahle 1.600 Euro zurück, und wir ersparen uns den Richter.
Ladies, before you end up suing each other: would a settlement be on the table? I'll pay back 1,600 euros, and we'll spare ourselves the judge.
-
B
Wie großzügig auf einmal. Hat Ihre Nachmieterin nicht gestern unser Salbeigrün gepostet, mit dem Satz „Deshalb hab ich die Wohnung genommen“?
How generous all of a sudden. Didn't your new tenant post our sage green yesterday, captioned 'This is why I took the flat'?
-
C
Also gut, 2.300 Euro, und die hundert für den Kratzer behalte ich. Irgendwer muss heute ja verurteilt werden, und sei es nur ein Schreibtischstuhl.
All right, 2,300 euros, and I'll keep the hundred for the scratch. Someone has to be found guilty today, even if it's only a desk chair.
Your progress is saved in this browser only, with no sign-up. The course page and the menu show where you left off. Well done! Next up: Day 41: Selling Shares in the Club
If this free course has helped you in your German journey, please consider supporting the project. It's a one-person effort, and even small contributions help keep it running and free for everyone.