German B1.4 Listening Practice: Turn Known Object Forms Back To The Subject
Listen to a B1 German dialogue about turn known object forms back to the subject, with audio, transcript, and grammar notes for language learning.
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Level
B1.4
Audio
Segmented audio
Transcript
21 segments
A short German listening chapter with transcript.
Reuse familiar object forms when the subject and object refer to the same person, but learn each verb together with its required complement.
Read while you listen.
1. Hanna · Teacher
Welcome to today's German lesson! Today, we are focusing on reflexive verbs where the action turns back to the subject, like 'sich beeilen', 'sich erinnern an', and 'sich freuen auf'. Let's listen to Felix and Clara.
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2. Felix · Native Speaker 1
Ich beeile mich schon, Clara!
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3. Clara · Native Speaker 2
Erinnerst du dich an unseren Termin um zwei Uhr?
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4. Felix · Native Speaker 1
Ja, ich erinnere mich an den Termin.
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5. Clara · Native Speaker 2
Und freust du dich auf die Reise morgen?
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6. Felix · Native Speaker 1
Ich erinnere mich an den Termin, und ich freue mich auf die Reise.
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7. Hanna · Teacher
In the first sentence, Felix said: 'Ich beeile mich schon, Clara!' This means 'I'm already hurrying, Clara!' The verb 'sich beeilen' means 'to hurry' and uses 'mich' for 'ich'.
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8. Lukas · Student
So 'sich beeilen' doesn't need an extra preposition like 'with' or 'to'?
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9. Hanna · Teacher
That's right, Lukas! 'Sich beeilen' takes no governed prepositional complement, so you simply say 'Ich beeile mich' or 'Sie beeilt sich'.
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10. Hanna · Teacher
Next, Clara asked: 'Erinnerst du dich an unseren Termin um zwei Uhr?' which means 'Do you remember our appointment at two o'clock?' Note that 'der Termin' means appointment, and its plural is 'die Termine'.
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11. Lukas · Student
Why does she use the preposition 'an' with 'sich erinnern'?
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12. Hanna · Teacher
In German, 'sich erinnern an' specifically pairs with 'an' followed by the accusative case to mean 'to remember something'.
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13. Hanna · Teacher
Felix then replied: 'Ja, ich erinnere mich an den Termin.' Meaning 'Yes, I remember the appointment.'
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14. Lukas · Student
Why did 'der Termin' turn into 'den Termin' here?
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15. Hanna · Teacher
Because 'an' takes the accusative case with 'sich erinnern', changing the masculine article 'der' to 'den'.
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16. Hanna · Teacher
After that, Clara asked: 'Und freust du dich auf die Reise morgen?' which means 'And are you looking forward to the trip tomorrow?' The noun 'die Reise' means trip, with the plural 'die Reisen'.
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17. Lukas · Student
Does 'sich freuen auf' always express anticipation for something in the future?
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18. Hanna · Teacher
Exactly! 'Sich freuen auf' plus the accusative case is used when looking forward to an upcoming event.
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19. Hanna · Teacher
Finally, Felix said: 'Ich erinnere mich an den Termin, und ich freue mich auf die Reise.' This translates to 'I remember the appointment, and I am looking forward to the trip.'
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20. Lukas · Student
So both 'sich erinnern an' and 'sich freuen auf' govern accusative objects?
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21. Hanna · Teacher
Yes, both prepositions require the accusative case in these standard patterns. Great job today!
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