Day 57: The Prize Winner Left Me Cold
Walking along the Heiliger See in Potsdam, Josephine (A) and her close friend Romy (B) talk about a much-praised novel that has just won a big literary prize.
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
-
A
Und, wie fandest du den preisgekrönten Roman, von dem alle reden? Ich habe ihn gleich zweimal gelesen.
So, what did you think of the prize-winning novel everyone's talking about? I've read it twice already.
-
B
Ehrlich gesagt hat er mich kaltgelassen. Ein Satz über vier Seiten ohne Punkt ist für mich kein Stil, sondern Angeberei.
To be honest, it left me cold. A four-page sentence without a full stop isn't style to me, it's showing off.
-
A
Solche Sätze müssen eben laut gelesen werden, dann hört man ihren Rhythmus, wie Wellen am Ufer.
Sentences like that have to be read aloud, that's all, then you can hear their rhythm, like waves on the shore.
-
B
Soll ich hier am Heiligen See etwa den Schwänen vorlesen? Die gefeierte Autorin verlangt ganz schön viel von ihren Lesern.
So I'm supposed to read aloud to the swans here on the lake? The celebrated author asks rather a lot of her readers.
-
A
Gute Literatur darf etwas verlangen. Und die Geschichte der vertriebenen Großmutter hat dich doch berührt, oder?
Good literature is allowed to ask something of you. And the story of the grandmother driven from her home did move you, didn't it?
-
B
Die schon, nur stand ihr die gekünstelte Sprache ständig im Weg. Die Hälfte der erfundenen Wörter hätte gestrichen werden müssen.
The story did, but the contrived language kept getting in its way. Half the made-up words should have been cut.
-
A
Dann lies mal ihr Debüt. Das ist knapp, fast karg, und wurde damals völlig übersehen.
Then read her debut. It's spare, almost bare, and nobody paid it any attention at the time.
-
B
Knapp und übersehen, das ist schon eher nach meinem Geschmack. Leihst du es mir aus?
Spare and overlooked, that's more my sort of thing. Will you lend it to me?
Your progress is saved in this browser only, with no sign-up. The course page and the menu show where you left off. Well done! Next up: Day 58: The Chair's Unwritten Rules
If this free course has helped you in your German journey, please consider supporting the project. It's a one-person effort, and even small contributions help keep it running and free for everyone.