German A1.3 Listening Practice: Verb Second
Listen to a A1 German dialogue about verb second, with audio, transcript, and grammar notes for language learning.
Podcast listening pages are in beta while chapter audio, transcripts, and discussion flows are still being completed.
Level
A1.3
Audio
2m 2s
Transcript
27 segments
A short German listening chapter with transcript.
A1: Learn the German sentence spine by moving heute, jetzt, and spaeter in front.
Read while you listen.
1. Teacher
Welcome to ChickyTutor. Today, we are practicing how to use time words in German while keeping our verb in the correct spot.
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2. Native Speaker 1
Ich lerne Deutsch.
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3. Native Speaker 2
Heute lerne ich Deutsch.
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4. Native Speaker 1
Jetzt trinke ich Kaffee.
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5. Native Speaker 2
Später trinke ich Kaffee.
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6. Native Speaker 1
Wir lernen und trinken!
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7. Teacher
Let's break down those five sentences. First, we heard: Ich lerne Deutsch.
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8. Teacher
This means 'I learn German' or 'I am learning German'. The verb 'lerne' is in the second position.
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9. Student
Does German have a different form for 'I am learning'?
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10. Teacher
No, German uses the simple present tense for both 'I learn' and 'I am learning'.
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11. Teacher
Next, we heard: Heute lerne ich Deutsch.
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12. Teacher
This means 'Today I learn German'. 'Heute' means 'today'. Because 'Heute' is first, the verb 'lerne' stays second, and 'ich' moves to third.
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13. Student
So the verb must always be the second idea in the sentence?
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14. Teacher
Exactly. In a normal statement, the verb is glued to position two.
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15. Teacher
Then, we heard: Jetzt trinke ich Kaffee.
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16. Teacher
This means 'Now I drink coffee'. 'Jetzt' is the time word for 'now', and the verb 'trinke' is second.
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17. Student
Can I say 'Jetzt ich trinke'?
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18. Teacher
No, that is a common mistake. The verb must come second, so it has to be 'Jetzt trinke ich'.
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19. Teacher
Next, we heard: Später trinke ich Kaffee.
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20. Teacher
This means 'Later I drink coffee'. 'Später' is the word for 'later'. Once again, the time word is first, and the verb 'trinke' is second.
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21. Student
How do I pronounce the 'ä' in 'Später'?
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22. Teacher
The A-umlaut sounds like the 'e' in 'bet' or the 'a' in 'late'. Später.
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23. Teacher
Finally, we heard: Wir lernen und trinken!
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24. Teacher
This means 'We learn and drink!'. 'Wir' is the pronoun for 'we'.
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25. Student
Why do the verbs end in '-en' here?
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26. Teacher
Because the subject 'wir' always matches the infinitive form, which ends in '-en'. Wir lernen.
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27. Teacher
Great job today! Keep practicing your German verb positions.
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