Day 60: Dad Wants to Sell Our Flat
In the kitchen of the flat in Aachen that Pia (A), a student, shares with her friend Derya (B), Pia confronts her father, Ralf Wendt (C), who owns the flat, about an estate agent she has just met on the stairs.
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
Papa, im Treppenhaus hat mir gerade ein Makler seine Karte gegeben. Donnerstag kommt er zum Fotografieren, sagt er.
Dad, an estate agent just gave me his card on the stairs. He says he's coming on Thursday to take photos.
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B
Mich hat er vorhin gefragt, wie lange ich noch studiere. Ich dachte, das wäre Smalltalk.
He asked me earlier how much longer I'll be studying. I thought it was small talk.
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C
Pia, ich wollte es dir heute Abend sagen. 2016 für 170.000 Euro gekauft, ist die Wohnung heute das Doppelte wert, und der Gewinn wäre jetzt steuerfrei.
Pia, I was going to tell you this evening. Bought in 2016 for 170,000 euros, the flat is worth twice that today, and the profit would now be tax-free.
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A
Steuerfrei! Du redest über mein Zuhause wie über eine Aktie, Papa. Ich wohne hier seit dem ersten Semester!
Tax-free! You're talking about my home as if it were a share, Dad. I've lived here since my first semester!
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C
Und seitdem zahlst du keinen Cent Miete, während ich Hausgeld zahle und jetzt noch 16.000 Euro Sonderumlage für die neue Heizung.
And ever since, you haven't paid a penny in rent, while I pay the service charge and now, on top of that, a special levy of 16,000 euros for the new heating.
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A
Hülfe es dir, verehrter Herr Vermieter, wenn ich Miete zahlte? Oder soll ich gleich meine Kartons packen?
Would it be of help to you, my esteemed landlord, if I paid rent? Or shall I pack my boxes straight away?
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C
Von deinem Nebenjob? Ich bin achtundfünfzig und will nicht bis zur Rente eine Wohnung finanzieren, in der ich nicht mal wohne.
On your part-time wages? I'm fifty-eight, and I don't want to be paying until I retire for a flat I don't even live in.
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B
Darf ich als Mieterin was sagen, Herr Wendt? Stünde die Wohnung leer, bekämen Sie 340.000, aber ich habe einen unbefristeten Mietvertrag.
May I say something as the tenant, Mr Wendt? If the flat stood empty, you'd get 340,000, but I have an open-ended tenancy.
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C
Kauf bricht nicht Miete, ich weiß: Vermietet bringt sie weniger. Aber ewig draufzahlen kann ich auch nicht.
A sale doesn't break a lease, I know: with a tenant in it the flat fetches less. But I can't keep losing money on it for ever.
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B
Müssen Sie auch nicht. Ausgeräumt und vermietet, bringt das dritte Zimmer 450 Euro im Monat, und Pia zahlt ja jetzt auch. Nach unserem Master verkaufen Sie bezugsfrei.
You won't have to. Cleared out and let, the third room brings in 450 euros a month, and Pia's paying now too, isn't she? After our master's, you sell with vacant possession.
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C
Also gut, bis zum Master. Aber den Makler rufen Sie an, Frau Aydın: Wer ihm die Provision vermasselt, soll es ihm auch selbst erklären.
All right, until your master's. But you're ringing the estate agent, Ms Aydın: whoever ruins his commission can explain it to him in person.
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