This is Teil zwei (part two) of the story of Max, a German student. To read part 1, go here. Last week, Max just could not get out of his bed, even though his alarm rang and he knew he had a very important appointment that day. Then suddenly he received a phone call, which got him out of his bed to pick up. Who is it? And what appointment does he have? Read on!
Kapitel 2
Das Handy klingelt lauter mit jedem Schritt. Ist es der neue Klingelton, den er eingestellt hat? Oder hört es sich einfach nur lauter an, weil er dem Handy näher kommt? Wie auch immer, Max hat jetzt keine Zeit, sich darüber Gedanken zu machen, und hebt ab. »Hallo, wer ist da?«, fragt Max. »Hi, Max! Wie geht’s dir?«, sagt eine Stimme mit schwerem australischem Akzent. Max erkennt sie nicht. »Hello?«, versucht er, und bekommt eine Antwort zurück, doch wieder auf deutsch. »Ich bin’s, Oliver, dein Pen Pal – sagt man das so? – aus Neuseeland! Ich habe deinen Brief bekommen, mit deiner Telefonnummer!«
»Ach, Oliver! Schön, von dir zu hören! Ja, es geht mir gut. Ich habe leider wenig zeit, denn ich habe einen Termin in einer Stunde. Ich bin gerade erst aufgestanden. Und Pen Pal ist ‘Brieffreund’ auf deutsch!«, antwortet Max erheitert. Er ist froh, Oliver zu hören, aber er weiß auch, dass er gerade wirklich keine Zeit hat zum plaudern.
»Oh, ich habe die… – Time Zone? – komplett vergessen! Das tut mir Leid!«, entschuldigt sich Oliver.
»Kein Problem! Zeitzone. Ich schreibe dir später, damit wir eine Zeit vereinbaren können zum telefonieren, einverstanden?«, erwiderte Max.
»Zeitzone, Danke. Ja, klar! Tschüss!«
»Bis später!«
Das Handy legt Max wieder auf seinem Büro. Den Alarm braucht er jetzt nicht mehr abzuschalten. So, jetzt schnell unter die Dusche! Der Augenarzt wartet nicht!
THE TRANSLATION
Chapter 2
The phone rings louder with every step. Is it the new ringtone, that he set? Or does it just sound louder, because he gets closer to the phone? Whatever it is, Max does not have time right now to worry about this, and picks up. “Hello, who is there?”, Max asks. “Hi, Max! How are you?”, a voice says with a strong Australian accent. Max does not recognize it. “Hello?”, he tries, and he receives an answer back, though again in German. “It’s me, Oliver, your pen pal – do you say it like that? – from New Zealand! I received your letter with your phone number!”
“Oh, Oliver! Nice to hear from you! Yes, I am fine. Unfortunately, I have little time, because I have an appointment in one hour. I just got up. And pen pal is ‘Brieffreund‘ in German!”, Max answered exhilarated. He is glad to hear Oliver, but also knows, that he does not really have time to chat right now.
“Oh, I forgot the… – time zone? – completely! I am sorry!”, Oliver apologizes.
“No big deal! ‘Zeitzone‘. I will write you later, so we can arrange a time to call, OK?”, Max replies.
“‘Zeitzone’, thanks! Yes, sure! Bye!”
“Talk to you later!”
Max puts the phone back on his desk. He does not have to turn it off anymore now. Right, now quickly under the shower! The eye doctor does not wait!
SOME WORDS TO KEEP IN MIND
näher – closer
sich Gedanken (m. pl.) machen – to worry
(das Telefon) abheben – to pick up (the phone)
der Akzent – accent
froh – glad
vergessen – to forget
Tut mir Leid! – I am sorry!
(etwas) vereinbaren – to arrange (something)
Bis später! – Later!
die Dusche – shower
schnell – quick
I hope you enjoyed part 2! Read on here for part 3! Any questions, comments? Let me know!
Yours,
Sten
Comments:
Alkspa:
Good tutorial. Keep up the good work!
Michael:
Die Geschichte gefaellt mir. Sie ist nicht zu schwer zu verstehen.
Sherief:
Vielen Dank. Finde ich noch diese Geschichte nützlich, informativ und sehr einfach.
Irene Hogan:
Thanks. I am Australian so enjoyed the New Zealand link. I guess others in the world cannot tell, but New Zealanders have their own accent, not an Australian accent. LOL. Probably much like many of the different German dialects would sound different.
Sten:
@Irene Hogan Yes, I thought so ;). But it is also to convey that Max himself believes it is an Australian accent, because he does not know the difference, or hear the difference. But you are right: there are also many different accents in Germany, just as there are in Oceania, and I bet even within New Zealand too?
Irene Hogan:
Ah yes, I see your point about the purpose of the reference to the Australian accent in the story. I visited New Zealand recently and someone in Wellington (in the North Island) told me how the South Islanders speak differently to them. 🙂 In Australia, however, we don’t really have different accents in the different states, which is strange.
Sten:
@Irene Hogan Oh, that is strange indeed! Such a big country…