Day 132: Cameras in the Stairwell
In the kitchen of their shared flat in Gießen, flatmates Eva (A), a law student, and Linda (B), whose bike has just been stolen, sit down with their landlord, Marc Engelhardt (C), who has something to ask them.
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
Kommen Sie rein, Herr Engelhardt. Linda meinte, Sie wollten mit uns über die gestohlenen Fahrräder sprechen?
Come in, Mr Engelhardt. Linda said you wanted to talk to us about the stolen bikes?
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B
Meins war erst zwei Wochen alt, das Schloss allein hat 80 Euro gekostet. Abgeschreckt hat das den Dieb nicht, er hat es seelenruhig im Hof geknackt.
Mine was only two weeks old, and the lock alone cost 80 euros. It didn't put the thief off: he calmly broke it open in the courtyard.
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C
Genau darum geht es: Ich würde gern zwei Kameras im Treppenhaus anbringen, an der Haustür und am Kellerabgang. Sie hätten doch nichts dagegen, oder?
That's exactly what it's about: I'd like to put up two cameras in the stairwell, one by the front door and one by the cellar stairs. You wouldn't mind, would you?
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A
Ehrlich gesagt schon. Ohne die Zustimmung aller Mieter wäre das in der Regel ein unzulässiger Eingriff in unsere Privatsphäre, schließlich würde jeder Besuch gefilmt.
To be honest, we would. Without the consent of all the tenants, that would usually be an unlawful invasion of our privacy: after all, every visitor would be filmed.
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C
Sie studieren Jura, das hört man. Aber ich sage immer: Vertrauen ist gut, Kontrolle ist besser.
You're studying law, I can tell. But I always say: trust is good, control is better.
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B
Nur: Je mehr Kameras hier hängen, desto größer wird das Misstrauen im Haus. Und die Räder wurden übrigens im Hof geklaut, nicht im Treppenhaus.
The thing is, the more cameras there are here, the more mistrust there'll be in the building. And the bikes were nicked in the courtyard, by the way, not the stairwell.
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C
Im Hof darf ich vermutlich auch nicht filmen. Was schlagen Sie also vor, soll ich mir einen Wachhund anschaffen?
I suppose I'm not allowed to film in the courtyard either. So what do you suggest, shall I get myself a guard dog?
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A
Einen abschließbaren Fahrradraum. Der alte Tankraum im Keller wird doch nicht mehr gebraucht, seit das Haus an der Fernwärme hängt.
A lockable bike room. Surely the old oil tank room in the cellar isn't needed any more, now the building's on district heating.
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C
Gelegenheit macht Diebe, da haben Sie wohl recht. Also gut, ich lasse ein Schloss einbauen, aber ausräumen müssen Sie den Raum selbst.
Opportunity makes the thief, you've probably got a point there. All right, I'll have a lock fitted, but you'll have to clear the room out yourselves.
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