Day 148: Pouring Wax on New Year's Eve
In the kitchen of their shared flat in Weimar on New Year's Eve, Mathilda (A) introduces her flatmate Eleni (B) to an old German custom.
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
Das Wachs ist gleich flüssig. Mein Opa goss an Silvester noch echtes Blei und las daraus jedem die Zukunft.
The wax is almost melted. My grandad still poured real lead on New Year's Eve and read everyone's future in it.
-
B
Echtes Blei? Und wie liest man aus so einem Klumpen die Zukunft?
Real lead? And how do you read the future in a lump like that?
-
A
Er hielt ihn vor die Kerze und deutete den Schatten. Meiner Tante sagte er jedes Jahr eine Hochzeit voraus.
He held it up to the candle and read the shadow. Every year he predicted a wedding for my aunt.
-
B
Die Arme! Und falls das hier ein Schiff ist, gehe ich im neuen Jahr auf Reisen, oder?
Poor thing! And if this is a ship, I'll be off travelling in the new year, right?
-
A
Ein Schiff? Das ist doch ein Schuh, und der bedeutete bei Opa immer einen Umzug.
A ship? That's a shoe, surely, and for Grandad a shoe always meant moving house.
-
B
Dann einigen wir uns lieber auf ein Schiff. Falls ich nämlich ausziehe, kratzt dir keiner mehr das Wachs vom Küchentisch.
Then let's agree on a ship. Because if I move out, nobody will scrape the wax off the kitchen table for you any more.
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 149: No Abitur Class This Summer
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.