Day 127: Two Readings of Gregor Samsa
In the school library in Stralsund, classmates Colin (A) and Mathilda (B) are preparing a presentation on Kafka's The Metamorphosis.
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
Mathilda, ich hab's: „Die Verwandlung“ handelt von Arbeit. Gregor wacht als Ungeziefer auf und denkt als Erstes an den verpassten Zug.
Mathilda, I've got it: 'The Metamorphosis' is about work. Gregor wakes up as vermin, and the first thing he thinks about is the train he's missed.
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B
Der Zug ist doch Nebensache. Statt ihm zu helfen, sperrt ihn seine eigene Familie weg.
The train's a side issue. Instead of helping him, his own family locks him away.
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A
Aber wer hat die Familie jahrelang ernährt? Gregor, und zwar ohne dass sich je jemand bei ihm bedankt hätte.
But who supported the family for years? Gregor, and without anyone ever thanking him for it.
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B
Eben! Und sein angeblich ruinierter Vater hatte die ganze Zeit Geld auf der hohen Kante, ohne Gregor ein Wort davon zu sagen.
Exactly! And his supposedly ruined father had money put by the whole time, without saying a word to Gregor about it.
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A
Das zeigt, dass ihn alle bloß als Geldverdiener sehen, genau wie seine Firma. Nicht umsonst klingelt schon am ersten Morgen der Prokurist.
That shows they all see him as nothing but a breadwinner, just like his firm does. It's no coincidence that the chief clerk rings the bell on the very first morning.
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B
Mag sein, aber am Ende sagt ausgerechnet seine Schwester: „Wir müssen versuchen, es loszuwerden.“ Nicht ihn, sondern es!
Maybe, but in the end it's his sister, of all people, who says, 'We must try to get rid of it.' Not him, it!
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A
Doch nur, weil der verwandelte Gregor kein Geld mehr verdient! Ohne Job ist er für sie bloß ein Kostenfaktor mit zu vielen Beinen.
Only because the transformed Gregor doesn't earn any money any more! Without a job, to them he's just a cost with too many legs.
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B
So kommen wir nicht weiter, und am Donnerstag ist schon das Referat. Statt uns auf eine Deutung zu einigen, machen wir einfach ein Streitgespräch draus, deine Lesart gegen meine.
We're getting nowhere like this, and the presentation's on Thursday. Instead of agreeing on one interpretation, let's just turn it into a debate: your reading against mine.
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A
Kafka als Debatte, das wird unserer Deutschlehrerin gefallen. Aber ich fange an, und du darfst mich erst unterbrechen, wenn der Prokurist geflohen ist.
Kafka as a debate: our German teacher will love that. But I go first, and you can't interrupt me until the chief clerk has fled.
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