Learn how to buy a train ticket
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Chuck: Chuck here Upper Beginner, Season 1, Lesson #4. Buying a Ticket All The Time in Germany. |
| Judith: Hi my name is Judith and I am joined here by Chuck. |
| Chuck: Hello everyone and welcome back to germanpod101. |
| Judith: What are we learning today? |
| Chuck: In this lesson, you will learn how to buy a train ticket in German. |
| Judith: This conversation takes place at the Berlin main train station. |
| Chuck: The conversation is between Joe and a clerk. |
| Judith: The speakers are in a business relationship. Therefore they will be speaking formal German. |
| Chuck: Let’s listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Bahn: Hallo, wie kann ich Ihnen helfen? |
| Joe: Hallo, ich möchte gerne eine Fahrkarte kaufen. |
| Bahn: Okay. Wohin möchten Sie fahren? |
| Joe: Ich möchte nach München fahren. |
| Bahn: Gut. Und wann möchten Sie nach München? |
| Joe: Montag früh. |
| Bahn: Okay, ich gucke mal im Computer… Also, Sie können einen Zug um halb 9 nehmen. Sie müssen nicht umsteigen und sind dann um 15 Uhr 15 in München am Hauptbahnhof. |
| Joe: Hmm und wie viel kostet die Fahrkarte? |
| Bahn: 89 Euro. |
| Joe: Oh. Das ist viel Geld. |
| Bahn: Hmm, sie können auch den Zug um Viertel vor 10 oder um 10 Uhr nehmen. Dann kostet die Fahrkarte nur 79 Euro. |
| Joe: Hmm, nein. Dann nehme ich den Zug um 9 Uhr 30. |
| Bahn: Äh. Sie meinen 8 Uhr 30. Um halb zehn fährt kein Zug nach München. |
| Joe: Oh, ja natürlich. |
| Bahn: Möchten Sie auch die Rückfahrt buchen? |
| Joe: Nein, danke. Jetzt noch nicht. |
| Bahn: Okay, dann reserviere ich jetzt einen Sitzplatz für den Zug Berlin-München am Montag um 8.30Uhr. |
| Joe: Gut. |
| Bahn: Das macht dann 89 Euro, bitte. |
| Joe: Bitte sehr. |
| Bahn: Danke. Gute Reise! |
| Joe: Danke. |
| Judith: And now it’s slowly. |
| Bahn: Hallo, wie kann ich Ihnen helfen? |
| Joe: Hallo, ich möchte gerne eine Fahrkarte kaufen. |
| Bahn: Okay. Wohin möchten Sie fahren? |
| Joe: Ich möchte nach München fahren. |
| Bahn: Gut. Und wann möchten Sie nach München? |
| Joe: Montag früh. |
| Bahn: Okay, ich gucke mal im Computer… Also, Sie können einen Zug um halb 9 nehmen. Sie müssen nicht umsteigen und sind dann um 15 Uhr 15 in München am Hauptbahnhof. |
| Joe: Hmm und wie viel kostet die Fahrkarte? |
| Bahn: 89 Euro. |
| Joe: Oh. Das ist viel Geld. |
| Bahn: Hmm, sie können auch den Zug um Viertel vor 10 oder um 10 Uhr nehmen. Dann kostet die Fahrkarte nur 79 Euro. |
| Joe: Hmm, nein. Dann nehme ich den Zug um 9 Uhr 30. |
| Bahn: Äh. Sie meinen 8 Uhr 30. Um halb zehn fährt kein Zug nach München. |
| Joe: Oh, ja natürlich. |
| Bahn: Möchten Sie auch die Rückfahrt buchen? |
| Joe: Nein, danke. Jetzt noch nicht. |
| Bahn: Okay, dann reserviere ich jetzt einen Sitzplatz für den Zug Berlin-München am Montag um 8.30Uhr. |
| Joe: Gut. |
| Bahn: Das macht dann 89 Euro, bitte. |
| Joe: Bitte sehr. |
| Bahn: Danke. Gute Reise! |
| Joe: Danke. |
| Judith: Now with the translation. |
| Bahn: Hallo, wie kann ich Ihnen helfen? |
| Bahn: Hello, how can I help you? |
| Joe: Hallo, ich möchte gerne eine Fahrkarte kaufen. |
| Joe: Hello, I'd like to buy a ticket. |
| Bahn: Okay. Wohin möchten Sie fahren? |
| Bahn: Okay. Where would you like to go? |
| Joe: Ich möchte nach München fahren. |
| Joe: I would like to go to Munich. |
| Bahn: Gut. Und wann möchten Sie nach München? |
| Bahn: Good. And when do you want to [go to] Munich? |
| Joe: Montag früh. |
| Joe: Early on Monday. |
| Bahn: Okay, ich gucke mal im Computer… Also, Sie können einen Zug um halb 9 nehmen. Sie müssen nicht umsteigen und sind dann um 15 Uhr 15 in München am Hauptbahnhof. |
| Bahn: Okay, I shall look in the computer... Well, you can take a train at half past 8. You don't have to change trains and you will be at Munich main train station at 3.15pm. |
| Joe: Hmm und wie viel kostet die Fahrkarte? |
| Joe: Hmm, and how much does the ticket cost? |
| Bahn: 89 Euro. |
| Bahn: 89 euros. |
| Joe: Oh. Das ist viel Geld. |
| Joe: Oh. That is a lot of money. |
| Bahn: Hmm, sie können auch den Zug um Viertel vor 10 oder um 10 Uhr nehmen. Dann kostet die Fahrkarte nur 79 Euro. |
| Bahn: Hmm, you could also take the train at quarter to 10 or at 10. Then the ticket is only 79 euros. |
| Joe: Hmm, nein. Dann nehme ich den Zug um 9 Uhr 30. |
| Joe: Hmm, no. I'll take the train at 9.30. |
| Bahn: Äh. Sie meinen 8 Uhr 30. Um halb zehn fährt kein Zug nach München. |
| Bahn: Ehm. You mean 8.30. There is no train to Munich at half past 9. |
| Joe: Oh, ja natürlich. |
| Joe: Oh, yes of course. |
| Bahn: Möchten Sie auch die Rückfahrt buchen? |
| Bahn: Would you like to book the trip back as well? |
| Joe: Nein, danke. Jetzt noch nicht. |
| Joe: No, thanks. Not yet. |
| Bahn: Okay, dann reserviere ich jetzt einen Sitzplatz für den Zug Berlin-München am Montag um 8.30Uhr. |
| Bahn: Okay, then I shall now reserve a seat on the train Berlin-Munich on Monday at 8.30am. |
| Joe: Gut. |
| Joe: Good. |
| Bahn: Das macht dann 89 Euro, bitte. |
| Bahn: That's 89 euros please. |
| Joe: Bitte sehr. |
| Joe: There you go. |
| Bahn: Danke. Gute Reise! |
| Bahn: Thanks. Have a good trip! |
| Joe: Danke. |
| Joe: Thanks. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Chuck: So Joe is looking to travel to Munich. What options does he have really? How can he get there? |
| Judith: Well one option is obviously the car. You can rent a car and drive around. That is once you familiarized yourself with the German traffic rules and the look of the road signs, they are rather different from the ones in the states but keep in mind that gas is at least twice and sometimes three times as expensive as in the states. So this may not be the cheapest nor the most convenient way to see Germany. |
| Chuck: If you traveled around long distance in the states a bit, you might have used the bus but here while they are good for getting around within a city, but they are not really used that much for long distance buses. |
| Judith: Yeah trains are so much faster and more comfortable. |
| Chuck: But there are a few lines that will take you between major cities and also to foreign cities and one advantage that they have is that you can almost always like see the price online when you want to get a ticket. |
| Judith: Yeah. |
| Chuck: Often you always see an international train ticket price once you are at the station. |
| Judith: Yeah and that brings to mind the trains. Next to cars, trains are foremost in people’s minds when thinking of long distance travel in Germany. Germany boasts fast trains that can take you from any big city to any other at speeds of up to 190 miles per hour. |
| Chuck: That’s pretty fast. |
| Judith: Yes. |
| Chuck: It’s pretty cool when you are sitting in there and it doesn’t feel like you are going that fast. You just see all the scenery just whip straight past you. |
| Judith: It’s awesome and it’s a lot more convenient than cars. You don’t get into traffic jam and you are there faster. These trains also go internationally. You may be able to catch a direct train to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Continental Denmark, Warsaw, Prague, Vienna, Milan, Basel, lots of options. |
| Chuck: Like there is even a direct train from Berlin to Moscow but I don’t recommend that. It takes 24 hours. |
| Judith: Probably because of the immigration in every single country you pass on the way. |
| Chuck: Yeah that too. |
| Judith: What I like is that there is also a comprehensive network of slower trains that are used for smaller cities. So in conjunction with the fast trains, you can reach almost every town in Germany. |
| Chuck: Yeah it’s really nice that way but another way to get around is you can fly. But going from one part of Germany to another is pretty new. |
| Judith: Yeah by plane that is. |
| Chuck: Yeah because while everyone is just used to taking trains all the time and the really cheap airlines that we’ve had recently are also very new. |
| Judith: Yes they are the ones who make it possible. Now you can even hop to Venice, Barcelona or London for a weekend for shopping. It’s a completely new possibility. |
| Chuck: You even have some people going just for a night. |
| Judith: Yeah. You just have to wait for a good offer. |
| Chuck: And make sure you don’t have too much luggage. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Chuck: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. The first word is |
| Judith: Fahrkarte. |
| Chuck: Ticket as in for a ride. |
| Judith: Fahrkarte. Fahrkarte. Die Fahrkarte and the plural is Fahrkarten. |
| Chuck: Next |
| Judith: Wohin. |
| Chuck: Where to |
| Judith: Wohin. Wohin. |
| Chuck: Next |
| Judith: Montag. |
| Chuck: Monday. |
| Judith: Montag. Montag. |
| Chuck: Next |
| Judith: Zug. |
| Chuck: Train. |
| Judith: Zug. Zug. Der Zug and the plural is Züge. |
| Chuck: Next |
| Judith: Um. |
| Chuck: Around or at as in a point of time. |
| Judith: Um. Um. |
| Chuck: Next |
| Judith: Umsteigen. |
| Chuck: To switch, to change buses, trains or planes. |
| Judith: Umsteigen. Umsteigen. And the um splits off. |
| Chuck: Next |
| Judith: Hauptbahnhof. |
| Chuck: Main train station. |
| Judith: Hauptbahnhof. Hauptbahnhof. Der Hauptbahnhof and the plural is Hauptbahnhöfe. |
| Chuck: Next |
| Judith: Geld. |
| Chuck: Money. |
| Judith: Geld. Geld. Das Geld. |
| Chuck: Next |
| Judith: Rückfahrt. |
| Chuck: The trip back. |
| Judith: Rückfahrt. Rückfahrt. Die Rückfahrt. The plural is Rückfahrten. |
| Chuck: Next |
| Judith: Buchen. |
| Chuck: To book. |
| Judith: Buchen. Buchen. |
| Chuck: Next |
| Judith: Reservieren. |
| Chuck: To reserve. |
| Judith: Reservieren. Reservieren. |
| Chuck: Next |
| Judith: Sitzplatz or simply Platz. |
| Chuck: Seat. |
| Judith: Sitzplatz. Sitzplatz. Der Sitzplatz and the plural is Sitzplätze. |
| Chuck: Next |
| Judith: Reise. |
| Chuck: Journey or trip. |
| Judith: Reise. Reise. Die Reise and the plural is Reisen. |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| Chuck: Let’s have a closer look at the usage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson. |
| Judith: The first phrase is noch nicht. |
| Chuck: Still not or not yet. |
| Judith: Yes still not is just the literal meaning noch nicht. Then we saw Bitte sehr. Bitte sehr is the same as simply saying Bitte or Bitte schön when handing something over and Gute Reise. |
| Chuck: Good trip or in other words have a good trip. |
| Judith: Yes the have a is always understood in German expressions like also Guten Appetit is like have a good appetite. Gute Reise. Finally remember that am is a combination of an and dem. So it means at the, am. It’s not possible to say an dem unless you mean at this. If you mean at the, these two words always mesh. They form am together. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Chuck: The focus of this lesson is telling the time in German. |
| Judith: In German, there are different ways of giving the time. The most common ones is to name the nearest quarter of the hour. Use the word um to say the full hour like um zehn. |
| Chuck: At 10 o’ clock. |
| Judith: Then there is viertel nach like viertel nach zehn. |
| Chuck: A quarter past ten. |
| Judith: Viertel is quarter. Then there is halb. Halb zehn. |
| Chuck: As in half past nine. |
| Judith: Halb is half. So literally we are saying half 10, halb zehn, but it is half past nine. Then what you did with viertel nach you can also say viertel vor. Vor is before. So quarter before, viertel vor zehn. |
| Chuck: A quarter to ten. |
| Judith: Yes. You can also indicate any amount of minutes before or after the full hour by using vor and nach. Zehn nach sechs. |
| Chuck: 6:10 |
| Judith: Zwanzig vor vier. |
| Chuck: 3:40 |
| Judith: Or you can give the time digitally by just reading the numbers like you can say 12 Uhr 34. |
| Chuck: 12:34. Careful when using this approach. Almost all Germans will use the 24 hour clock instead of 12. So 5 o'clock in the evening is usually called siebzehn Uhr, 17 o’ clock. You might have come across this military time before. |
Outro |
| Chuck: Any way that just about does it for today. Stop by germanpod101.com and pick up the lesson notes. |
| Judith: It has the conversation transcript |
| Chuck: Vocabulary, sample sentences and grammar explanation |
| Judith: And a cultural insights section. |
| Chuck: Seeing the German |
| Judith: Really helps you remember faster. |
| Chuck: Don’t take our word for it. Please have a look for yourself. |
| Judith: And let us know what you think. |
| Chuck: All right. See you next week. |
| Judith: Okay, dann bis nächste Woche. |
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