Day 154 of 159

Day 154: The Heat Pump Argument

In their detached house near Ulm, Korbinian (A), a teenager, talks to his father, Michael (B), who is about to replace their old oil heating with a new oil boiler.

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, bevor du die neue Heizung bestellst: Hast du mal über eine Wärmepumpe nachgedacht?

    Dad, before you order the new boiler, have you thought about a heat pump at all?

  2. B

    Du redest ja, als ob du Energieberater wärst. Seit wann interessiert dich denn unsere Heizung?

    You're talking as if you were an energy adviser. Since when have you cared about our heating?

  3. A

    Seit wir's in Physik hatten. Mit Förderung zahlst du vielleicht nur die Hälfte, und Öl wird jedes Jahr teurer.

    Since we did it in physics. With a grant you might only pay half, and oil gets dearer every year.

  4. B

    Das hängt doch davon ab, ob so eine Pumpe unser altes Haus überhaupt warm kriegt.

    That depends on whether a pump like that can even keep our old house warm.

  5. A

    Ich bin doch nur dagegen, dass du dich noch mal zwanzig Jahre ans Öl bindest. Frag vorher einen echten Energieberater.

    I'm only against you tying yourself to oil for another twenty years. Ask a real energy adviser first.

  6. B

    Na schön, soll der entscheiden. Aber wenn er zum Öl rät, will ich kein Wort mehr über Wärmepumpen hören.

    All right, let him decide. But if he recommends oil, I don't want to hear another word about heat pumps.

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