Day 26: Three Hours in a Cinema Seat
Leaving a cinema in Mannheim after a three-hour historical drama, Paula (A) and her boyfriend Florian (B) disagree about what they have just seen.
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
Diese Kameraarbeit! Jede Einstellung sah aus wie ein Gemälde, vor allem das verschneite Schlachtfeld.
That camera work! Every shot looked like a painting, especially the snowy battlefield.
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B
Gemälde trifft es: Da bewegt sich auch nichts. Ich habe ernsthaft in Erwägung gezogen, mich rauszuschleichen.
'Painting' is the word: nothing moves in those either. I seriously considered sneaking out.
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A
Du bist halt an Schnitte im Sekundentakt gewöhnt. Der Regisseur lässt den Bildern bewusst Zeit.
You're just used to a cut every second. The director gives the images time on purpose.
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B
Wenngleich die Bilder großartig waren, kam die Handlung nicht vom Fleck. Drei Stunden für einen Winter!
Stunning as the images were, the plot never got going. Three hours for one winter!
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A
Die Kritik feiert den Film aber als Meisterwerk, zumal selten jemand so leise vom Krieg erzählt hat.
The critics are hailing it as a masterpiece, though, especially since hardly anyone has ever told a war story so quietly.
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B
Schön für die Kritiker. Dann treffen wir eine Grundsatzentscheidung: Ab sofort suchen wir die Filme abwechselnd aus.
Good for the critics. Then let's settle this once and for all: from now on we take turns choosing the film.
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A
Abgemacht, sofern ich anfangen darf. Nächste Woche läuft nämlich der zweite Teil.
Deal, provided I get to go first. Part two starts next week, you see.
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