Learn how to express gratitude
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| M: Welcome to German Survival Phrases brought to you by germanpod101.com, this course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Germany. You will be surprised at how far a little German will go. Now before we jump in, remember to stop by germanpod101.com and there you will find the accompanying PDF and additional info in the post. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment. |
| F: German Survival phrases, lesson 1. Thank you. Wherever your destination maybe, manners are a must and in this respect, Germany is no different. So in our very first lesson, we will be taking a look at a phrase there is no excuse not to bring with you to Germany. Again, I will stress this over and over. A little bit of a language can go such a long way. In Germany, thank you is [Danke schön] Let’s break it down by syllable [Danke schön]. Now let’s hear it once again [Danke schön]. The first word of this phrase [Danke] means thanks. Let’s break down this word and hear it one more time [Danke]. This is followed by [schön] which in German is beautiful. [schön]. Now in German, there are also other ways to express one’s gratitude. There are somewhat more formal and more casual ways to do this. Let’s look at the casual way. In German, the casual way of expressing gratitude that is the equivalent of thanks is [Danke]. You heard it before in [Danke schön]. This phrase is used among friends and in other casual situations. On the other hand, for very special occasions, when someone goes above and beyond the call of being kind, when someone is extremely generous or for any other time, you will be extremely grateful, we have the following phrases to express extreme gratitude. The first one is [Vielen Dank] or many thanks. The first word [Vielen] means many in English. Broken down by syllable, that’s [Vielen, Vielen Dank.] Next is [Herzlichen Dank] or heartfelt thanks in English. Let’s break that down by syllable. [Herzlichen] that’s [Herzlichen] One last time [Herzlichen Dank] In a formal situation, it is important to address people in the formal [Sie] and [Ihnen] forms. This is especially important if you don’t know the person. In business settings or any case when more distance is required. A good example would be meeting a professor, an employer or in a business meeting. In these situations, the simple [Danke] is by no means rude. However using the formal [Ich danke Ihnen] is better. Now let’s go over that one more time. [Ich danke Ihnen] Let’s break it down. The first word [Ich] is German for I. That was [Ich] and once more [Ich] then [danke] is used as a verb here to thank. [Danke] and the last word [Ihnen] which is the formal form for the English you. By syllable, that is [Ihnen] and slowly [Ihnen] To review the formal form of thank you is [Ich danke Ihnen] and again [Ich danke Ihnen]. These phrases are important and easy to use every day. So wherever you go in Germany, always remember to say [Danke]. |
| M: Okay to close our today’s lesson, we’d like you to practice what you’ve just learned. I provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you are responsible for shouting it out aloud. You have a few seconds before I give you the answer. So [Viel Glück] which means good luck in German. |
| F: Thank you [Danke schön], Thanks [Danke], Many thanks [Vielen Dank], Heartfelt thanks [Herzlichen Dank], Thank you, formally [Ich danke Ihnen]. |
| M: That’s going to do it for today. |
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