Day 142: A Half-Timbered House for Sale
On a weekend in Quedlinburg, Milena (A) stops in front of an old half-timbered house with a sign in the window, and her boyfriend Enno (B) takes a closer look.
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
Enno, schau mal: ein Fachwerkhaus von 1680, direkt unterhalb des Schlossbergs, für 90.000 Euro! Das ist doch geschenkt.
Enno, look: a half-timbered house from 1680, right below the castle hill, for 90,000 euros! That's practically a gift.
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B
Geschenkt ist da gar nichts, Milena. Die Fassade ist so schief, dass die Fenster kaum noch schließen dürften.
Nothing about it is a gift, Milena. The front is so crooked that the windows probably barely close any more.
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A
Schief ist hier jedes zweite Haus, das gehört zum Charme. Stell dir vor: Balken an der Decke, ein Kachelofen und hinten ein kleiner Garten.
Every other house here is crooked, that's part of the charm. Just imagine: beams on the ceiling, a tiled stove and a little garden out the back.
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B
Angesichts der Baukosten mache ich mir eher Sorgen um das, was man nicht sieht: Schwamm in den Balken, keine Dämmung, uralte Leitungen.
Given what building work costs, I'm more worried about what you can't see: dry rot in the beams, no insulation, ancient wiring.
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A
Du tust ja so, als wäre ich naiv. Den Kredit bekämen wir schon, und für Denkmäler gibt es Fördergeld und Steuervorteile.
You're acting as if I'm naive. We'd get the loan all right, and there's funding and tax breaks for listed buildings.
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B
Und hinsichtlich des Denkmalschutzes solltest du dir nichts vormachen: Ohne Genehmigung darfst du da nicht mal ein Fenster austauschen.
And as far as the heritage rules go, don't kid yourself: without permission you can't even replace a single window.
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A
Dann fragen wir jemanden, der es wissen muss. Die Frau nebenan hat ihr Haus auch saniert und steht gerade am Zaun, warte kurz.
Then let's ask someone who ought to know. The woman next door restored hers too, and she's standing at her fence right now, wait a moment.
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B
Und? Du warst eine halbe Ewigkeit drüben, sie muss dir ihre ganze Lebensgeschichte erzählt haben.
Well? You were over there for ages, she must have told you her whole life story.
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A
Fast. Die Sanierung habe doppelt so lange gedauert und das Dreifache gekostet, sagt sie, und sie würde es trotzdem jederzeit wieder tun.
Almost. She says the restoration took twice as long and cost three times as much, and she'd still do it again any time.
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