Day 60 of 129

Day 60: Phones Locked Away at School

At breakfast in Heilbronn, Bettina (A) and Oliver (B) find their daughter Smilla (C) upset about a new rule at her school.

How to study this lesson 3 steps
  1. Read the situation under the title. It says who is talking and how they know each other, which decides how politely they speak.
  2. 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.
  3. 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

  1. A

    Smilla, was ist denn los? Du stocherst schon seit zehn Minuten in deinem Müsli herum.

    Smilla, what's the matter? You've been poking at your muesli for ten minutes.

  2. B

    Ich tippe auf den Elternbrief von gestern: das von der Schulkonferenz beschlossene Handyverbot.

    My guess is yesterday's letter to parents: the phone ban voted through by the school's teachers, parents and pupils.

  3. C

    Hier steht's: „Mobiltelefone verbleiben während des gesamten Schultags im Schließfach, es sei denn, es liegt ein Notfall vor.“

    It says here: 'Mobile phones shall remain in the locker for the entire school day, unless there is an emergency.'

  4. B

    Finde ich völlig richtig. Ohne die ständige Ablenkung redet ihr in der Pause endlich wieder miteinander.

    I think that's absolutely right. Without the constant distraction, you lot will finally talk to each other at break again.

  5. A

    Ich weiß nicht, Oliver. Durch ein pauschales Verbot lernen die Kinder jedenfalls nicht, vernünftig mit dem Handy umzugehen.

    I don't know, Oliver. A blanket ban certainly won't teach children to use their phones sensibly.

  6. C

    Genau, Mama! Außerdem ist das total scheinheilig: Papa schaut doch selbst bei jedem Essen aufs Handy.

    Exactly, Mum! Besides, it's totally hypocritical: Dad looks at his phone at every meal himself.

  7. B

    Erwischt, vorbildlich ist das nicht. Dann bräuchte ich wohl selbst so ein Schließfach.

    You've got me, that's hardly setting a good example. I suppose I could do with a locker like that myself.

  8. A

    Kannst du haben: Ab heute kommen beim Essen alle Handys in die Schublade, es sei denn, es brennt.

    You can have one: from today, all phones go in the drawer at mealtimes, unless the house is on fire.

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