Day 115: Three Brass Stones by the Door
At a café in Halle, Jasmin (A), a customer, asks Tamara (B), the barista, about the three Stolpersteine, small brass plaques for victims of the Nazis, set into the pavement outside.
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
Entschuldigung, auf einem der Stolpersteine im Bürgersteig vor Ihrer Tür kann ich nur noch „überlebt“ entziffern. Wissen Sie, wer das war?
Excuse me, on one of the Stolpersteine, the 'stumbling stones', in the pavement outside your door, I can only make out the word 'survived'. Do you know who that was?
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B
Irene Hirsch, die Tochter der Familie. Sie kam 1939 mit einem Kindertransport nach England, ihre Eltern wurden 1942 deportiert.
Irene Hirsch, the family's daughter. She got to England on a Kindertransport in 1939; her parents were deported in 1942.
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A
Dass die Steine auch an Überlebende erinnern, wusste ich gar nicht. Woher kennen Sie die Geschichte so genau?
I had no idea the stones commemorate survivors too. How do you know the story so well?
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B
Irenes Enkelin kommt jedes Jahr aus Manchester zu uns. Wo heute unser Café ist, hatten ihre Urgroßeltern nämlich ein Hutgeschäft.
Irene's granddaughter comes over from Manchester every year. You see, her great-grandparents had a hat shop where our café is now.
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A
Schade, dass das Messing so angelaufen ist. Lassen sich die Steine einfach so putzen, oder braucht man dafür eine Genehmigung?
It's a shame the brass has tarnished so badly. Can the stones just be cleaned, or do you need permission for that?
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B
Keine Genehmigung, nur Messingpolitur und ein weiches Tuch, dann sind die Namen in zehn Minuten wieder lesbar.
No permission, just brass polish and a soft cloth, and the names are readable again in ten minutes.
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A
Sie klingen, als hätten Sie das schon öfter gemacht.
You sound as if you've done it before.
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B
Jedes Jahr am 9. November, mit ein paar Nachbarn und der Enkelin. Kommen Sie doch dazu, es sei denn, Sie müssen an dem Tag arbeiten.
Every year on 9 November, with a few neighbours and the granddaughter. Do come along, unless you have to work that day.
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A
Ich bin Lehrerin, und an dem Tag muss ich tatsächlich arbeiten. Darf ich stattdessen meine Klasse mitbringen?
I'm a teacher, and I do have to work that day. Could I bring my class instead?
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