Day 71 of 97

Day 71: Opa Was an Ehrenmann

In Warnemünde, on the night before his grandfather's funeral, sixteen-year-old Piet (A) reads his father Heiko (B) the eulogy he has written for the old fisherman.

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

    Papa, hörst du dir kurz meine Rede für morgen an? Sonst stehe ich in der Kapelle komplett lost da.

    Dad, will you listen to my speech for tomorrow for a sec? Otherwise I'll be standing there in the chapel totally lost.

  2. B

    Klar, schieß los. Mit feierlichen Reden konnte Opa ja eh nie viel anfangen.

    Sure, fire away. Grandad never had much time for solemn speeches anyway.

  3. A

    „Opa war ein krasser Ehrenmann. Vom Fang zurückgekehrt, hat er am Alten Strom keinem Touri je Fisch von gestern als fangfrisch angedreht.“

    'Grandad was an epic Ehrenmann, a man of honour. Back from the catch, he never once palmed off yesterday's fish on a tourist at the Alter Strom as fresh off the boat.'

  4. B

    Ehrenmann, krass, Touri? Piet, das ist eine Trauerfeier und kein Gruppenchat. Seine alten Kollegen vom Fischereihafen denken doch, du machst dich über ihn lustig.

    Ehrenmann, epic, tourist? Piet, this is a funeral, not a group chat. His old mates from the fishing port will think you're making fun of him.

  5. A

    Wie soll ich's denn sonst sagen? Bei „Er war ein ehrlicher Mensch“ schläft die halbe Kapelle ein, und Opa hätte als Erster geschnarcht.

    How else am I supposed to say it? At 'He was an honest man', half the chapel will nod off, and Grandad would have been the first to snore.

  6. B

    Etwas feierlicher darf es schon sein. Etwa: „Zeit seines Lebens der See verbunden, blieb er ein aufrechter Mann, auf dessen Wort man bauen konnte.“

    It can be a bit more dignified. Something like: 'Bound to the sea all his life, he remained an upright man whose word you could rely on.'

  7. A

    Das klingt wie der Nachruf vom Anglerverein, Papa. „Aufrecht“ hat Opa nie gesagt, aber „Ehrenmann“ war sein Lieblingswort, seit ich es ihm auf dem Kutter erklärt hab.

    That sounds like the angling club's obituary, Dad. Grandad never said 'upright', but 'Ehrenmann' was his favourite word ever since I explained it to him on the boat.

  8. B

    Stimmt, von dir frisch geschult, hat er jeden zum Ehrenmann ernannt, der passend zahlte, sogar den Pastor. Der rätselt bis heute, was Opa damit meinte.

    True, fresh from your coaching, he dubbed everyone who paid with the exact change an Ehrenmann, even the pastor. The pastor's still puzzling over what Grandad meant.

  9. A

    Siehste! Ich streiche „krass“ und „Touri“, aber auf „Ehrenmann“ bestehe ich. Fairer Deal?

    See! I'll cut 'epic' and 'tourist', but I'm not budging on 'Ehrenmann'. Fair deal?

  10. B

    Abgemacht, und „Ehrenmann“ kommt ganz ans Ende, als letztes Wort. Wer deinen Opa kannte, weiß, dass es bei ihm kein höheres Lob gab.

    Agreed, and 'Ehrenmann' goes right at the end, as the very last word. Anyone who knew your grandad knows that with him there was no higher praise.

  11. A

    Du bist übrigens auch ein Ehrenmann, Papa. Und falls ich morgen mittendrin losheule, erzählst du allen, das war der Ostwind.

    You're an Ehrenmann too, by the way, Dad. And if I start bawling halfway through tomorrow, you tell everyone it was the east wind.

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