German A1.11 Listening Practice: Put Time First And Keep The Verb Second
Listen to a A1 German dialogue about put time first and keep the verb second, with audio, transcript, and grammar notes for language learning.
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Level
A1.11
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
21 segments
A short German listening chapter with transcript.
Lead with the time, then place the action immediately after it before naming who does it.
Read while you listen.
1. Hanna · Teacher
Welcome back! I'm Hanna, your guide today. When you start a German sentence with a time word like 'heute', remember: the verb stays in position two, and the subject flips right after it. Let's listen to a quick conversation between Felix and Clara.
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2. Felix · Native Speaker 1
Hallo Clara! Was machst du?
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3. Clara · Native Speaker 2
Heute lerne ich.
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4. Felix · Native Speaker 1
Wohnt Lisa hier?
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5. Clara · Native Speaker 2
Heute wohnt sie hier.
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6. Felix · Native Speaker 1
Heute lernen wir!
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7. Hanna · Teacher
Let's break that down sentence by sentence. First, Felix said: Hallo Clara! Was machst du? That means: Hello Clara! What are you doing?
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8. Lukas · Student
Is 'was machst du' the standard way to ask what someone is doing?
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9. Hanna · Teacher
Yes, 'was' means 'what' and 'machst' comes from 'machen', which means 'to do'.
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10. Hanna · Teacher
Next, Clara replied: Heute lerne ich. This means: Today I am learning.
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11. Lukas · Student
So because 'heute' comes first, 'ich' has to go after the verb 'lerne'?
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12. Hanna · Teacher
Exactly, Lukas. The verb 'lerne' must stay second, so 'ich' moves behind it.
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13. Hanna · Teacher
Then Felix asked: Wohnt Lisa hier? That means: Does Lisa live here?
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14. Lukas · Student
Why is the verb 'wohnt' first here?
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15. Hanna · Teacher
In a simple yes-no question, the verb moves to the very first position.
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16. Hanna · Teacher
Clara answered: Heute wohnt sie hier. Meaning: Today she lives here.
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17. Lukas · Student
So 'sie' comes third because 'heute' is position one and 'wohnt' is position two?
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18. Hanna · Teacher
Spot on! The verb 'wohnt' keeps position two, pushing 'sie' to position three.
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19. Hanna · Teacher
Finally, Felix said: Heute lernen wir! This means: Today we learn!
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20. Lukas · Student
So with 'wir', the verb 'lernen' still sits in second position after 'heute'?
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21. Hanna · Teacher
Exactly. Whatever subject you use, keep your verb in second position whenever time comes first!
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