German Stories - Learn German with Stories | Deutsch lernen mit Geschichten

Express feelings for one another & comparative: so normal wie möglich & irregular forms. It's Saturday, the day of the party, and Paul is visiting his parents. They’re getting along better since Father is overcoming his addiction to gambling and mobile games. He now compensates with sports and chess. Laura calls. She reveals why she has been so strange lately: Fritz's "neighbor" on the island of Sylt doesn't even live there. He is a friend of Laura and also a cop. He was investigating Fritz for corruption. That's why she was so interested in the blog article about him. The investigation was still ongoing. And that's why Paul shouldn't report him. Everything should be as normal as possible so that he can be caught red-handed. Today he’s been arrested when he wanted to pay for something with the stolen money he took from the Großkauf thieves from lesson 6. So, Paul never ends up reporting Fritz to the police, but his career is over anyway. Paul writes in the group chat that he has a surprise to announce at the party. What surprise is he talking about? Transcript, lesson and extras: german-stories.com/99-eine-echte-ueberraschung-comparative-and-superlative 3 Ways to Support Us: 1. Join us, reach levels A1 + A2 and get hooked on learning German 2. Get ad-free episodes on Apple Podcasts 3. Buy us a cup of coffee via PayPal

Congratulate someone, express pride, summarize a story & word formation: ‑lich & ‑isch. Paul has the painting! During the war, the lady and her husband were secretly listening to forbidden news - right in front of the painting (and he proposed to her there). It was the memories of her husband that she didn't want to lose. So she didn’t want to give it away, even though she doesn’t quite like it. It was also in front of this painting that he told her he wants to surrender. That's why she was so sure. Pauls work and blog are going well. He's considering writing a book, given that many people voted for it. But it still bothers him that he doesn’t know why Laura took Fritz's side. Mom calls: She is proud of him. And of his father because he's finally doing a gambling/gaming addiction therapy. Paul and his friends plan to celebrate. They change the date for Laura since she is busy with somehing very important that came up. She makes a secret of what this important thing is. And she doesn't want to reveal it until Saturday... Laura was overly interested in the blog article about Fritz, didn’t want Paul to report him even though she dislikes him, and now it’s even a secret what she’s busy with on Friday. What’s with all the secrecy? Transcript, lesson and extras: german-stories.com/98-was-im-haus-passiert-ist-word-formation-lich-and-isch 3 Ways to Support Us: 1. Join us, reach levels A1 + A2 and get hooked on learning German 2. Get ad-free episodes on Apple Podcasts 3. Buy us a cup of coffee via PayPal

Express disappointment, surprise, and compassion & comparison: modal verbs and their use. Paul and the grandson talk secretly: the widow had actually wanted to throw the painting away at one point. But she just can't let go of the old story and memories. Both grandpas were in the Hitler Youth and in the SA together. They really were Nazis. Paul is shocked. Paul’s grandpa must have learned the truth about what the Nazis did when he was a prisoner of war. He probably abandoned his political convictions there. But the grandson says his own grandpa was in Russia. And it was there that he began to no longer believe in the cause. That is what his grandpa told his grandmother while he was on home leave. That was three months before the letter came. In that last letter from the government, it was stated that he heroically tried to incite the enemy to surrender by waving a white handkerchief - and died in the process. But she always knew that he really only wanted to surrender himself. Paul asks how she could be so sure, and what the story has to do with the painting, anyway. That’s when the widow, who had been listening in on their conversation, speaks up. Finally, she realizes that withholding the painting won't bring her husband back either. She wants to give Paul the painting and tell him the story. How come the widow was so sure that Grandpa's friend just wanted to surrender? And what does the story have to do with the painting? Transcript, lesson and extras: german-stories.com/97-die-opa-uberraschung-modal-verbs-and-their-use 3 Ways to Support Us: 1. Join us, reach levels A1 + A2 and get hooked on learning German 2. Get ad-free episodes on Apple Podcasts 3. Buy us a cup of coffee via PayPal

Tell a sentimental story and express gratitude & word formation: -bar. Paul seems to have told the widow the whole dramatic story about the book, Fritz, his friends, Laura and his family. And he softened her emotionally with it. So she agrees to give him the painting, even though it didn't look like it at first. But then she suddenly becomes sentimental. She says it was in front of this painting that her now deceased husband had asked her if she wanted to marry him - three months before the letter came. She cries and is no longer willing give the painting away. Paul and her grandson talk to her, but she argues that the painting is the only thing she still has from her husband. She burned the letter. Paul wants to know: What letter, anyways? What letter is the widow talking about - and why did she burn it? Will Paul have to disappoint his family and relatives, and return without the painting? Transcript, lesson and extras: german-stories.com/96-ich-kann-es-ihnen-nicht-geben-word-formation-bar 3 Ways to Support Us: 1. Join us, reach levels A1 + A2 and get hooked on learning German 2. Get ad-free episodes on Apple Podcasts 3. Buy us a cup of coffee via PayPal

Understand weather information and talk about weather & weather word: es. A violent storm develops. Lightnings strike nearby. While Paul is in the house of his grandfather's friend, Tim, Anna and Meili are still in the car. They are concerned about the thunderstorm. They listen to the weather report and watch Paul through the window of the house as he speaks to the old lady. Then they get a message from him: The people in the house do have the painting! The three friends in the car wonder how he can prove that it belonged to his grandpa. After all, anyone can say that... Will the widow really give him the painting just like that? Transcript, lesson and extras: german-stories.com/95-ein-wetterbericht-weather-word-es 3 Ways to Support Us: 1. Join us, reach levels A1 + A2 and get hooked on learning German 2. Get ad-free episodes on Apple Podcasts 3. Buy us a cup of coffee via PayPal

Explain a concern in simple words & word formation: -los & the gap s. Paul is standing in front of the house, rings the doorbell and waits. An old woman opens the door. She is the widow of Grandpa's friend! At first, she is a little cautious and cannot really relate to what Paul wants because her husband has long been dead. But he gives her grandson the book, who then reads the old address and the birthday of her deceased husband out loud. When she hears this, she becomes nostalgic and asks Paul into the house. He takes out his phone and shows her a few snapshots he took of Grandpa’s old black and white photographs. The grandson seems to recognize the painting in one of the fotographs. He says it is perhaps one of those paintings that have been dusting in the basement for years. Then he goes to take a look. Is the painting really in the basement? Transcript, lesson and extras: german-stories.com/94-glauben-sie-sie-haben-das-bild-noch-german-gap-s 3 Ways to Support Us: 1. Join us, reach levels A1 + A2 and get hooked on learning German 2. Get ad-free episodes on Apple Podcasts 3. Buy us a cup of coffee via PayPal

Guide someone in the car where to turn and stop & Ordinal numbers (erste, zweite, dritte, …). Tim, Meili, Anna and Paul are driving to the address to look for the painting. Paul says Laura didn't want to talk about her weird behavior lately. A thunderstorm is approaching. He hopes something exciting will happen today so that he can write a good story in his blog. But it doesn’t look that way beacuse the area is quite unpopulated. His blog is getting more and more fans now. And his work as a writer is going well again. When they reach a house, the sat nav says they have arrived. Anna, Meili and Tim stay in the car because the people in the house probably won't let four strangers in. Paul is about to find out if the family of Grandpa's friend lives there and if they have the painting at all. Will the people in the house even listen to him, not to mention let him into their house? Why is Laura making such a secret of why she was so interested in the blog article? And why doesn’t she want Paul to report Fritz even though she dislikes him? Transcript, lesson and extras: german-stories.com/93-viel-glueck-ordinal-numbers-erste-zweite-dritte 3 Ways to Support Us: 1. Join us, reach levels A1 + A2 and get hooked on learning German 2. Get ad-free episodes on Apple Podcasts 3. Buy us a cup of coffee via PayPal

Clothing and family vocabulary & two-way prepositions: unter. Paul is shopping clothes with Anna and Meili, because the weather is supposed to get bad and he lost his rain jacket on Sylt. His parents call: Father found out the new address where they might find the painting! Everyone is happy that Paul will be looking for the painting - and his parents already told his relatives about it. This makes him feel pressured. Anna and Meili want come with him. Tim also agrees to help. But Laura cannot come. Paul still doesn't know why she takes Fritz's side now. He plans to ask her at the next opportunity. Will they find the family of Grandpa's friend at the new address? Will the painting be there? Why was Laura so interested in the blog article about Fritz the other day? And why shouldn't he report him to the police even though she dislikes him? Transcript, lesson and extras: german-stories.com/92-die-neue-adresse-two-way-prepositions-unter 3 Ways to Support Us: 1. Join us, reach levels A1 + A2 and get hooked on learning German 2. Get ad-free episodes on Apple Podcasts 3. Buy us a cup of coffee via PayPal

Admit a problem and accept help & two-way prepositions: über. Paul and his father walk through the city after the betting office incident. He admits he has a gambling addiction and agrees to undergo therapy. „Don't tell mom or your girlfriend about this“, he says, „and don't write it in your blog or in your book!“ „What book,“ Paul asks, and is suprised to hear that 1,500 people already voted online because they want to buy his story as a book. Maybe he will write a book after all. He can finally ask his Dad which app Grandpa wanted to use to find the new address of the people who lived in the hiding place with Grandpa’s painting. He says it's a company, not an app. But finding the address is not cheap. So he wants to take care of it himself. Will the company be able to find the new address where the painting could be found? Where is it? Transcript, lesson and extras: german-stories.com/91-du-brauchst-eine-therapie-two-way-prepositions-uber 3 Ways to Support Us: 1. Join us, reach levels A1 + A2 and get hooked on learning German 2. Get ad-free episodes on Apple Podcasts 3. Buy us a cup of coffee via PayPal

Play down a problem, demand what you deserve & two-way prepositions: in. Paul's dad plays down his gambling problem and goes to a betting office. And again, he has an argument because he had bet on a sports team's loss - but the bookmaker doesn't give him anything since it was a disqualification. That doesn't count as a loss. But he doesn’t want to accept that. Just as he is thrown out of the betting office and about to escalate the situation further, he is suddenly shocked when Paul interrupts him. His son now „officially“ knows about his gambling problem. Will he lose face in front of Paul? Are they going to argue? Transcript, lesson and extras: german-stories.com/90-was-machst-du-denn-hier-two-way-prepositions-in The best way to learn German: Don't beat yourself up with too many new words When writing a learning story it's easy to get carried away by an idea for a dialog. But that can result in an episode having way too many new words. That would be demotivating for you, the learner. Therefore we counted every word and went through endless writing and re-writing sessions for every episode to make sure that didn't happen to our story. If you want know why we spent over 1 1/2 years of work before we even published our first lesson, got to german-stories.com/the-best-way-to-learn-german

Explain a gambling problem, plan an intervention & two-way prepositions: an. Laura calls Paul while she is working on the site of a highway accident. She feared he would tell everyone his father is addicted. That’s why she called immediately. She says she recognized Paul's dad from her early days in the police force. He is apparently not only addicted to mobile phone games but also to gambling. He has had several heated arguments and therefore he had been banned from all betting offices in town. But now a new betting office has opened. He hasn’t yet been banned from entering there. She agrees to get Paul the address. He asks why she was so interested in what he wrote about Fritz in his blog post the other day. But at that moment, a police siren goes off. Laura has to hang up, and quickly get back to work. What will he do if he gets the new betting office’s adress? Why was Laura so overly interested in his blog post about Fritz? Why doesn’t she want Paul to report him to the police even though she dislikes him? Transcript, lesson and extras: german-stories.com/89-papas-problem-two-way-prepositions-an Learning German with training wheels The characters in our story DON'T speak at a regular speed, just like native speakers among themselves. Why? They speak natural German. But we put in countless hours of work to direct every voice actor so that he or she speaks a bit slower and more clearly, adapted to the language level. You can always speed up the audio in the app. We believe this is the better way. Just as we believe that at the beginning, training wheels teach a child to ride a bike better than bruises from falls do. If you want know why we spent over 1 1/2 years of work before we even published our first lesson, go to german-stories.com/the-best-way-to-learn-german

Deny facts and make excuses & two-way prepositions: auf. This Podcast episode is sponsored by italki. Promo Code: GERMANSTORY Web link: https://go.italki.com/germanstorypd App link: https://go.italki.com/germanstorypdapp Paul wants to know how Father helped Grandpa with his smartphone. With which app can you find out the new address where the painting might be? He calls him and asks, but his dad denies that he is banned from using a smartphone. He says he just doesn't like these new phones, that’s why he has an old Nokia phone. He also denies that he helped at all. He says he has no idea about technology - Grandpa just had it all wrong in his memory because he was old and forgetful. Of course Paul doesn't believe him. When he showed him his job applications he appeared to be a tech enthusiast who knows his stuff. He thinks he is just too proud to admit his mobile game addiction. He asks in the Whatsapp group for tips. Before he gives out any details, Laura quickly calls him, even though she is right in the middle of dealing with a highway accident because she’s a policewoman. She says she has to tell him something... What could be that important? Transcript, lesson and extras: german-stories.com/88-vater-luegt-two-way-prepositions-auf Easy German drills and exercises Grammar, and vocabulary drills can make your life easier. Do you know what's also great for your German learning? The hints and learning tips on the German Stories website! Why not try them out for FREE? Just go to german-stories.com

Describe a city adventure, tell a story & two-way prepositions: zwischen. In Paul’s latest blog article, he had an adventure with a subway ticket inspector on his way back from Grandpa's apartment. At home, he realized that the page he found fits the book. It is the lost page with the missing part of the old address! That's the place where Grandpa's friend and the painting used to be! The page probably fell out again at some point after Grandpa glued it in. In the blog comments, Paul's readers say they want to buy his story as a book, but he's not interested in writing one. He gets a message from Laura: She doesn't like Fritz at all, and Paul should know that. He aks, if that’s so, why does she take Fritz's side? And then he thinks about the painting again: He has the old address of the hiding place now. But how can he find the new address? Grandpa said Paul’s father had helped him with his smartphone despite being banned from using one. So Dad probably knows which app Grandpa wanted to use to find out the new address - but will he admit that? Perhaps not, given that Paul isn’t even supposed to know that he helped him. But he thinks he should at least try and dials his number. Will Paul’s dad help him and thus admit having used a smartphone despite being banned from using one? Why does Laura take Fritz's side even though she doesn't like him at all? Transcript, lesson and extras: german-stories.com/87-die-seite-die-fehlt-two-way-prepositions-zwischen Learn German online with us! We have easy German speaking, reading, listening, and writing exercises for you - and also more difficult ones. And a lesson plan with progress tracker. It's all right here at german-stories.com

Furniture and apartment vocabulary extension & two-way prepositions: vor. Paul helps his parents to clear Grandpa's apartment. While he and his mom are busy, his dad is secretly looking for Grandpa's smartphone. He finds it but mom sees this. She angrily takes it away from him because dad is banned from using smartphones. He is addicted to mobile games and could become the way he used to be. She definitely doesn't want that again! Father gets mad and says those days are over. But where has he been going every night for the last four days, if that’s the case? The people in the dance club are already gossipping. Paul comes back and they both play friendly so that he doesn't notice anything. Laura writes him not to report Fritz to the police. Paul wonders why she is on his side now. Does she like him? His thoughts are interrupted by finding a single page in Grandpa's room. He thinks it's the page from his book and immediately runs home with the page his hands. Why does Laura suddenly seem to like Fritz? Is the page Paul found really the lost page from the book? Transcript, lesson and extras: german-stories.com/86-das-gibts-ja-gar-nicht-two-way-prepositions-vor It's great to learn German for free ... but our German Stories members learn so much more! We want to tell our easy German Stories to the whole world. That’s why the podcast will always stay free. But without the support of our members, we couldn't do this. You can get your German Stories membership for little money. Not only will you improve your German, but you'll also help us create more material - which you can then benefit from. Just go to german-stories.com/membership-account/german-stories-membership Thank you!

Complain, ask for advice, give advice and express a plan & subjunctive II with sollte. Paul is depressed and regrets that he couldn't be there for Grandpa in the end. His work is also not going well since he is out of ideas. When Laura hears that he uploaded his Sylt adventure today, she is a little too interested in the new blog post, especially since she already knows the whole story. His blog is now super popular, but that doesn't cheer him up: Grandpa would have loved to look for the painting. But now he and the page are gone, which leaves Paul with no clue about where to find it. Tim complains about his employee and partner at his workshop. Laura remembers that Fritz, too, had a workshop and a partner. He betrayed also him, then ignored him and then used an excuse with a burnt cell phone - the same excuse he gave Paul. Fritz is ruthless, which is why he had also drawn suspicion on Anna by telling Paul about her previous conviction. Noticing how he has been tricked again, Paul is very angry and wants to report Fritz to the police. And he has proof: he had used his phone to make a sound recording of their last conversation on Sylt. Will he really report Fritz and thus put his police career in danger? Why is Laura suddenly so overly interested in the blog post about Sylt even though she already knows everything? Transcript, lesson and extras: german-stories.com/85-ich-sollte-eine-anzeige-gegen-fritz-machen-subjunctive-ii-sollte Dynamic transcripts make learning German easy On our German Stories website, you can see the meaning of every single word in each episode. Just tap on it! You can also activate whole sentence translation for better understanding. Try it out now for FREE at german-stories.com