Day 165: Interviewing Parents About 1990
At the University of Greifswald, two students, Fiete (A) and Mieke (B), tell their professor, Regina Wittstock (C), about their oral-history project.
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
Frau Wittstock, für unser Projekt wollen wir Eltern aus Ost und West zu ihren Erinnerungen an 1990 befragen.
Professor Wittstock, for our project we want to interview parents from East and West about their memories of 1990.
-
B
Meine Mutter ist in Schwerin aufgewachsen, Fietes Vater in Kiel. Beide sind damit einverstanden, dass wir sie aufnehmen.
My mum grew up in Schwerin, Fiete's dad in Kiel. They've both agreed to us recording them.
-
C
Gute Idee. Es hängt aber davon ab, ob die Leute reden wollen: Über die Wende spricht nicht jeder gern.
Good idea. But it depends on whether people want to talk: not everyone likes talking about the end of the GDR.
-
A
Deshalb fangen wir ja mit unseren eigenen Eltern an. Die empfehlen uns dann hoffentlich weiter.
That's exactly why we're starting with our own parents. Hopefully they'll then recommend us to others.
-
C
Und mal ehrlich: Wie viele Interviews werden Sie bis zur Frist Ende Januar geführt haben?
And honestly now: how many interviews will you have done by the deadline at the end of January?
-
B
Na ja, zwanzig wären schön. Realistisch werden wir bis dahin eher zehn geschafft haben.
Well, twenty would be nice. Realistically, we'll have managed more like ten by then.
-
C
Zehn gute reichen. Und falls Ihnen noch jemand aus dem Westen fehlt: Ich habe 1990 in Bremen Abitur gemacht.
Ten good ones will do. And if you're still short of someone from the West, I did my Abitur in Bremen in 1990.
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 166: A Farmhouse for 90,000 Euros
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.