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4.11 Was ich kann – Talente

Hallo allerseits!

Zum Aufwärmen machen wir unseren Tagesminiplausch und eine Wiederholung.

Wiederholung

In the previous lesson, you learned how to talk about more hobbies and other free time activities. Let’s review.

Jetzt bist du dran!

Besuchst du deine Eltern? Gehst du in die Kirche? Do you visit your parents? Do you go to church? What hobbies or activities are you into at the moment? Use your written journal to recall some hobbies or activities that are meaningful to you.

Lektionsüberblick

Being able to talk about your hobbies and interests may often include the interconnected topic of talents, i.e. the things you are able to do. This lesson will focus on saying what you can (and cannot do). In the end, you will be able to 1) say what you can do and 2) say what you cannot do. You will also be able to 3) say how much German you can now speak.

1) Ich kann…

The word kann in German shares a resemblance to its English counterpart. With that in mind, see if you can figure out the meaning of these sentences.

 

Let’s practice!

Jetzt bist du dran!

Was kannst du machen? What can you do? Welche Talente hast du? Which talents do you have? You have learned a lot of sports and hobbies in the last few lessons. Which ones can you do well? Write those in your written journal, using the modeled language above.
Now record this in German in your audio journal. If you can do it immediately without reading, that’s great! Otherwise, practice saying it a couple times before recording. Or rerecord, if you are not satisfied.

 

Frankfurt am Main im Blickpunkt

Goethehaus
Das Goethehaus
Goethe lounging on bench
Goethe in der römischen Campagna (Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein)

Frankfurt ist die Geburtsstadt von Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, einem sehr bekannten deutschen Dichter und Schriftsteller. Seine Lebensjahre (1749-1832) heißen heute die Goethezeit. Sein Geburtshaus kann man heute noch besuchen. Goethe schrieb berühmte Werke wie Faust, Die Leiden des jungen Werthers, und viele Gedichte.

Frankfurt is the birthplace of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a very famous German poet and writer. The years he lived (1749-1832) are called today the Goethezeit (=the time of Goethe). His birthplace can still be visited today. Goethe wrote famous works such as Faust, The Sorrows of Young Werther, and many poems.

2) Ich kann nicht…

Sometimes we can and sometimes we can’t. What can these characters not do?

Let’s practice.

 

Jetzt bist du dran!

Was kannst du nicht machen? What can you not do? In your written journal write down one or more talents that you don’t have. Maybe it’s one of the talents above or in a previous lesson. Have no shame; we can’t do everything!
Then record yourself in your audio journal. If you can do it immediately without reading, that’s great! Otherwise, practice saying it a couple times before recording. Or rerecord, if you are not satisfied.

3) Ich kann etwas Deutsch.

It’s official! You can now say in earnest (im Ernst) one of the following sentences to express your German skill level.

Ich kann ein bisschen/etwas Deutsch (sprechen).
Ich kann immer besser Deutsch.
Ich kann noch nicht viel Deutsch, aber ich lerne!

Jetzt bist du dran!

Kannst du Deutsch sprechen? Can you speak a little German? Is your German getting better and better? Or, maybe you cannot speak much German now, but you are learning. Which sentence above best fits how you feel? Write that sentence in your written journal.
Then listen to the audio recording again and record yourself repeating the sentence in your audio journal. If you can do it immediately without reading, that’s great! Otherwise, practice saying it a couple times before recording.

 

Zum Schluß

In this lesson, you learned how 1) say what you can do and 2) say what you cannot do. You will also be able to 3) say how much German you can now speak. If you are feeling unsure about any part of this lesson, go back to that section and review.
Now write out those talents you can do (at least one), a talent you do not have or cannot do (at least one), and one sentence describing your German skill at this time.  Please listen to the audio recordings above and repeat afterwards to grow your confidence. Then record yourself in your audio journal. If you can do it immediately without reading, that’s great! Record your answers until you feel like a rockstar.

*As you conclude this lesson, don’t forget to check Canvas!*

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Deutsch im Alltag I (DE) Copyright © by Dr. Rebecca Steele and Dr. Stephanie Schottel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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