Kapitel 2: Videos zum Spaß
Super Easy German 83: Conjugation of regular verbs: Sagen, Machen, Hören
Warum ist das relevant?
- Hear the present tense forms of these verbs, accompanied by clear and creative examples!
Easy German: German Basic Phrases 30: Telling the time in German
Warum ist das relevant?
- Review basic phrases for telling the time!
Trio: Da da da
Please note also this brilliant lipsyncing performance of a simpler version of the song by the “Chinese Backstreet Boys” (see the description on the site)!
Warum ist das relevant?
- Practice the basic structure of the accusative, and some accusative pronouns: “Ich lieb dich nicht, du liebst mich nicht.”
- Refreshingly simple lyrics
- “Da, da, da” by Trio was a big 80s hit in Germany with its minimalist lyrics, and briefly famous in the US both at that time and in the late 90s, when it was used in a VW ad [“Drivers wanted”].
Liedtext [=song lyrics]:
Aha, aha, aha […]
Was ist los mit dir, mein Schatz [=what’s wrong with you my dear], aha
Geht [=goes] es immer [=always] nur [=only] bergab [=downhill], aha
Geht nur das was du verstehst, aha.
This is what you got to know
Loved you though we didn`t show
Ich lieb dich nicht, du liebst mich nicht [4x]
Da, da, da [4x] [da = there, but “da, da, da” is intentionally meaningless]
Da, da, da, ich lieb dich nicht, du liebst mich nicht [4x]
Da, da, da [4x]
(Ich lieb dich nicht, du liebst mich nicht) Aha [4x]
So, so, du denkst es ist zu spät, aha.
Und du meinst [=think], dass [=that] nichts mehr geht, aha.
Und die Sonne wandert schnell, aha.
After all is said and done
It was right for you to run
Ich lieb dich nicht, du liebst mich nicht, aha [4x]
[usw. [=und so weiter = etc.]]
Seeed [<== kein Tippfehler / not a typo!]: Aufstehen
Warum ist das relevant?
- Practice the separable verbs “aufstehen” and “aufwachen”
- The lyrics are about getting out of bed and enjoying what life has to offer ==> gute Motivation
Excerpt from the lyrics [click here to see the complete lyrics (including an English translation!)]:
Baby wach auf,
ich zähl [=count] bis zehn.
Das Leben will einen ausgeben [normally “einen ausgeben” = to pay for a round of drinks; here the idea is that life [das Leben] wants to show us a good time]
und das will ich sehn!
Lass uns endlich [=finally, after long delay] rausgehn [=go out],
das Radio aufdrehn [=turn up, blast].
Das wird unser Tag [=will be our day],
Baby wenn [=if] wir aufstehen.
Steh auf!!
Jetzt oder nie [=now or never],
Girl zuviel geschlafen
und das Leben ist halb vorbei [=life is half over].
Easy German: Episode 1 – Hallo
Warum ist das relevant?
- This video was made by high school students at the Schillergymnasium in Münster, Germany, for beginning students of German. The students spontaneously interviewed people in the pedestrian zone, saying “Hi” asking them how they’re doing, what they like to do, where they’re from, etc.
- You’ll hear both the formal “Wie geht es Ihnen?” and the informal “Wie geht es dir?” and “Wie geht’s?” Sometimes the speakers switch from “Sie” to “du,” recognizing that they and the interviewer are both quite young.
- The video includes German subtitles; later episodes in the series include both German and English subtitles, and have better audio
Vokabeln:
- Schönen Tag noch = Have a nice rest of the day
- Danke gleichfalls = Thanks, same to you
- Was ist los? = What’s up? / What’s going on? [an odd thing for the man to say at that moment]
- Moin moin = An informal Northern German greeting [the lady who says this is from the Northern German city of Oldenburg]
Easy German: Episode 4 – Was machst du heute?
Warum ist das relevant?
- This video was made by high school students at the Schillergymnasium in Münster, Germany, for beginning students of German. The students spontaneously interviewed people in the pedestrian zone, saying “Hi” in various ways and asking them what they’re doing, what they like to do, where they’re from, etc.
- The video includes German and English subtitles.
Blumentopf: So la la
Warum ist das relevant?
- Wie geht’s? So la la
- “So la la” is an unenthusiastic but not explicitly negative response to questions about how things are going. These lyrics emphasize the euphemistic nature of that response. Many of the lines involve some really creative word-play that you might want to return to as you learn more German, in order to see how much more you can understand!
Excerpt from the lyrics [click here to see the complete lyrics]:
Hey, sagt wie geht’s Euch?
Solala, solala!
Und wie laufen die Geschäfte? [=How’s business?]
Solala, solala!
Sagt, wie findet ihr das Wetter?
Solala, solala!
Und wie geht es Euch privat?
Solala, solala!
[…]
Wo sind meine Wodka trinkenden Flatrate-Säufer? [=flatrate boozers (Not sure what this means, but the English term “flatrate” is commonly used for phone/internet contracts)]
Solala, solala!
Und ihre Wasser trinkenden Kumpels, die sie nachher heimfahren? [=their water-drinking buddies who drive them home afterwards]
Solala, solala!
Und jetzt alle: Wie seht ihr Eure Chancen auf dem Arbeitsmarkt? [=How do you view your chances on the job market?]
Solala, solala!
Und die Entwicklung der [=the development of the] deutschen Hip-Hop-Szene?
Solala, solala!