German A1.17 Listening Practice: Hold The Action Until The End
Listen to a A1 German dialogue about hold the action until the end, with audio, transcript, and grammar notes for language learning.
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Level
A1.17
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
21 segments
A short German listening chapter with transcript.
Open the clause with the form of can, hold the action, and complete it at the far end.
Read while you listen.
1. Hanna · Teacher
Welcome to German Grammar Pod! I'm Hanna. Today, we are learning how to hold the action until the end of the sentence when using modal verbs. Let's listen to Felix and Clara.
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2. Felix · Native Speaker 1
Ich kann warten.
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3. Clara · Native Speaker 2
Du kannst kommen.
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4. Felix · Native Speaker 1
Wir können das Buch lesen.
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5. Clara · Native Speaker 2
Wir können das Buch heute lesen.
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6. Felix · Native Speaker 1
Ich kann heute kommen.
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7. Hanna · Teacher
Let's break those down. Felix said: 'Ich kann warten.' That means 'I can wait.'
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8. Lukas · Student
So 'kann' goes in position two, and 'warten' stays in its basic form at the end?
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9. Hanna · Teacher
Exactly, Lukas! 'Kann' changes for 'ich', while the main action 'warten' stays as an infinitive at the end.
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10. Hanna · Teacher
Next, Clara said: 'Du kannst kommen.' This means 'You can come.'
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11. Lukas · Student
Why did 'kann' change to 'kannst' here?
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12. Hanna · Teacher
Because the subject is 'du'. 'Du' uses 'kannst', while 'kommen' sits as an infinitive at the end.
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13. Hanna · Teacher
Then Felix said: 'Wir können das Buch lesen.' That means 'We can read the book.'
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14. Lukas · Student
'Das Buch' is 'the book', right?
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15. Hanna · Teacher
Yes! The plural is 'die Bücher', and notice how 'lesen' comes right after 'das Buch' at the very end.
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16. Hanna · Teacher
Clara then said our challenge sentence: 'Wir können das Buch heute lesen.' That means 'We can read the book today.'
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17. Lukas · Student
'Heute' means 'today', but does 'lesen' still stay at the end?
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18. Hanna · Teacher
That's right! Extra words like 'heute' go in the middle, pushing the main action 'lesen' to the end.
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19. Hanna · Teacher
Finally, Felix said: 'Ich kann heute kommen.' This means 'I can come today.'
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20. Lukas · Student
So 'heute' goes right between 'kann' and 'kommen'?
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21. Hanna · Teacher
Spot on! 'Kann' is second, 'heute' sits in the middle, and 'kommen' closes the sentence. Great work today!
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