Day 88: The Shrinking Local Pages
On a tram in Dresden, Ewald (A), who has taken the same daily paper for decades, grumbles to Marlene (B), the young woman sitting next to him.
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
Erst zwanzig Minuten auf die Bahn gewartet, und jetzt das: Der Lokalteil hat gerade mal drei Seiten, davon eine nur Werbung.
First I wait twenty minutes for the tram, and now this: the local section is barely three pages, and one of them is nothing but adverts.
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B
Früher waren es mehr, ich weiß. Aber je weniger Abonnenten, desto weniger Reporter, so einfach ist das.
There used to be more, I know. But the fewer subscribers, the fewer reporters, it's as simple as that.
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A
Seit über vierzig Jahren bin ich Abonnent, aber je mehr ich zahle, desto dünner wird das Blatt!
I've been a subscriber for over forty years, but the more I pay, the thinner the paper gets!
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B
Leider logisch: Druck und Zustellung werden teurer, und irgendwie muss die Lokalredaktion ja finanziert werden. Ich arbeite nämlich selbst dort.
Logical, sadly: printing and delivery are getting more expensive, and the local newsroom has to be paid for somehow. I work there myself, you see.
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A
Sie sind Reporterin? Dann erklären Sie mir mal, warum über unsere Straßenbahn erst berichtet wird, wenn eine Strecke gesperrt werden muss.
You're a reporter? Then explain to me why our trams only get written about when a line has to be closed.
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B
Weil wir nur noch zu fünft sind und unmöglich alles abdecken können. Aber Ihr Ärger kommt mir gerade sehr gelegen.
Because there are only five of us left and we can't possibly cover everything. But your annoyance comes in very handy right now.
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A
Wie bitte? Kommt Ihnen jeder griesgrämige Rentner in der Straßenbahn gelegen?
I beg your pardon? Does every grumpy pensioner on the tram come in handy for you?
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B
Nur die mit guten Argumenten. Ich schreibe gerade über den neuen Fahrplan: Darf ich Sie mit Ihren zwanzig Minuten zitieren?
Only the ones who make a good point. I'm writing about the new timetable at the moment: may I quote you on your twenty minutes?
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A
Ewald Pietsch, zweiundachtzig. Aber nur, wenn der Artikel nicht neben der Werbung landet.
Ewald Pietsch, eighty-two. But only if the article doesn't end up next to the adverts.
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