German A1.4 Listening Practice: Speak For Groups And Use Formal Sie
Listen to a A1 German dialogue about speak for groups and use formal sie, 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
A1.4
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
17 segments
A short German listening chapter with transcript.
Add group speech and formal address with one shared verb form, then use capitalization to read formal Sie correctly.
Read while you listen.
1. Hanna · Teacher
Welcome to today's lesson! Today, we're looking at how to talk about groups using 'wir' and 'sie', as well as formal 'Sie' in German.
Audio ready
2. Hanna · Teacher
Let's listen to a short conversation between Felix and Clara.
Audio ready
3. Felix · Native Speaker 1
Hallo! Wir sind hier.
Audio ready
4. Clara · Native Speaker 2
Guten Tag! Sie sind Herr Berg?
Audio ready
5. Felix · Native Speaker 1
Nein, wir sind Felix und Maria.
Audio ready
6. Clara · Native Speaker 2
Ah, wo sind sie?
Audio ready
7. Felix · Native Speaker 1
Sie sind müde.
Audio ready
8. Hanna · Teacher
First, Felix said: 'Wir sind hier.' This means 'We are here.' In German, 'wir' means 'we', and it always takes 'sind'.
Audio ready
9. Lukas · Student
So 'wir sind' is always used for 'we are'?
Audio ready
10. Hanna · Teacher
That's right, Lukas. Whenever you talk about a group that includes yourself, use 'wir sind'.
Audio ready
11. Hanna · Teacher
Next, Clara asked Felix: 'Sie sind Herr Berg?' She is using formal 'Sie' to mean 'you'.
Audio ready
12. Lukas · Student
Does formal 'Sie' also use 'sind'?
Audio ready
13. Hanna · Teacher
Yes! Capitalized 'Sie' always pairs with 'sind', whether addressing one person or several people formally.
Audio ready
14. Hanna · Teacher
Finally, Clara asked 'Wo sind sie?' meaning 'Where are they?', and Felix answered: 'Sie sind müde.' - 'They are tired.'
Audio ready
15. Lukas · Student
Since 'sie' for 'they' sounds identical to formal 'Sie', how do I know the difference when listening?
Audio ready
16. Hanna · Teacher
You tell by context! The verb 'sind' is the exact same, so the situation around the sentence tells you if it means 'they' or formal 'you'.
Audio ready
17. Hanna · Teacher
Great practice today! Remember: 'wir sind', 'sie sind', and formal 'Sie sind' all share the verb 'sind'. See you next time!
Audio ready