Chapter 10

Going Out on the Town

In This Chapter

Deciding where to go

Talking about an event you attend

Going to a concert, an art exhibition, or a party

You find a surprisingly large number of cultural venues in Germany, and that’s mostly true all across Europe. Not only do the arts receive state and federal funds to support their efforts, but Europeans also have a long-standing appreciation of their cultural assets. To get a taste of German culture, check the media to find out what’s going on. Along with local Web sites, the local newspapers and other media offer weekly guides of local events by publishing a Veranstaltungskalender (fêr-ân-shtâl-toongs-kâ-len-der) (calendar of events).

What Would You Like to Do?

Sometimes you may want to go out by yourself, and other times you may want company. If you’re in the mood for companionship and want to toss around ideas with someone about what to do, you can ask

Was wollen wir unternehmen? (vâs vol-en veer oon-ter-ney-men?) (What do we want to do?)

Use the following phrases if you want to find out about somebody’s plans. These phrases are also very useful when you want to know whether somebody is available:

Haben Sie (heute Abend) etwas vor? (hah-ben zee [hoy-te ah-bênt] êt-vâs fohr?) (Do you have anything planned [for this evening]?)

Haben Sie (heute Abend) Zeit? (hah-ben zee [hoy-te ah-bênt] tsayt) (Do you have time this evening?)

Hast du (morgen Vormittag) etwas vor? (hâst dooh [mor-gen fohr-mi-tahk] êt-vâs fohr?) (Do you have anything planned [for tomorrow morning]?)

Use the formal Sie (zee) (you) when you don’t know the person you’re speaking with very well, and use the informal du (dooh) (you) only when you’re on mutually familiar terms.

Going to the Movies

When you want to tell someone that you’re interested in going to the movies, you can use the following phrases:

Ich möchte ins Kino gehen. (iH merH-te ins kee-noh gey-en.) (I would like to go to the movies.)

Ich möchte einen Film sehen. (iH merH-te ayn-en film zey-en.) (I would like to see a film.)

Watching films in a language you want to learn is a terrific way of getting your ear accustomed to how the language sounds. At the same time, you can get used to understanding many different speakers. All around the world, in fact, people learn English by watching American movies.

Getting to the show

If you’re searching for a movie to go to, your best bet is to check out local Web sites, weekly guides of local events, or newspaper listings. The listings usually tell you everything you need to know about die Vorstellung (dee fohr-stêl-oong) (the show): when and where the show is playing, who the actors are, and whether the movie is in its original language — im Original (im o-ri-gi-nahl) (original); OmU, which stands for Original mit Untertiteln (o-ri-gi-nahl mit oon-têr-ti-teln) (original with subtitles); or synchronisiert (zyn-kro-nee-zeert) (dubbed). (See the sidebar “What a strange voice you have” for more about language in movies.)

If you don’t have access to the Internet or other sources of information, the following phrases can help you ask for information about a movie:

In welchem Kino läuft . . .? (in vêlH-êm kee-noh loyft . . .?) (In which movie theater is . . . showing?)

Um wie viel Uhr beginnt die Vorstellung? (oom vee feel oohr be-gint dee fohr-stêl-oong?) (At what time does the show start?)

Läuft der Film im Original oder ist er synchronisiert? (loyft dêr film im o-ri-gi-nahl oh-der ist êr zyn-kro-nee-zeert?) (Is the film shown in the original [language] or is it dubbed?)

Buying tickets

You can use the following phrase whenever you want to buy tickets, be it for the opera, the movies, or the museum:

Ich möchte (zwei) Karten / Eintrittskarten für . . . (iH merH-te [tsvay] kâr-ten / ayn-trits-kâr-ten fuer . . .) (I would like [two] tickets / entrance tickets for . . .)

After buying your tickets, you may get some information from the ticket seller, including the following:

Die Vorstellung hat schon begonnen. (dee fohr-shtêl-oong hât shon be-gon-en.) (The show has already started.)

Die . . . -Uhr-Vorstellung ist leider ausverkauft. (dee . . .-oohr-fohr-stêl-oong ist lay-der ous-fêr-kouft.) (The . . . o’clock show is unfortunately sold out.)

Wir haben noch Karten für die Vorstellung um . . . Uhr. (veer hah-ben noH kâr-ten fuer dee fohr-shtêl-oong oom . . . oohr.) (There are tickets left for the show at . . . o’clock.)

These phrases work for any type of show or performance, not just movies.

Talkin’ the Talk

Antje is talking to her friend Robert on the phone. Antje wants to go to the movies. After greeting her friend, Antje gets right to the point. (Track 22)
Antje:	Der neue Zeichentrickfilm von Pixar Studios soll super witzig sein. dêr noy-e tsayH-en-trik-film fon pix-ahr shtooh-dee-ohs sol sooh-per vits-eeH zayn. The new animated film from Pixar Studios is supposed to be incredibly funny.
Robert:	Wann willst du gehen? vân vilst dooh gey-en? When do you want to go?
Antje:	Morgen Abend habe ich Zeit. mor-gen ah-bênt hah-be iH tsayt. I have time tomorrow evening.
Robert:	Morgen passt mir auch. In welchem Kino läuft der Film? mor-gen pâst meer ouH. in vêlH-êm kee-noh loyft dêr film? Tomorrow works for me as well. In which movie theater is the film showing?
Antje:	Im Hansatheater. Die Vorstellung beginnt um 20 Uhr. im hân-sâ-tey-ah-ter. dee fohr-shtêl-oong be-gint oom tsvân-tsiH oohr. In the Hansa Theater. The show starts at 8 p.m.
Robert:	Gut, treffen wir uns um Viertel vor acht vor dem Kino. gooht, trêf-en veer oons oom fir-tel fohr âHt fohr deym kee-noh. Okay. Let’s meet at a quarter to eight in front of the movie theater.
Antje:	Prima. Bis morgen dann. pree-mâ. bis mor-gen dân. Great. Until tomorrow then.

There are two German words that mean ticket (for a show), Karte and Eintrittskarte. The difference is simply the fact that Eintrittskarte is a compound word that translates roughly as entrance ticket. You come across many such compound words in German, and they’re frequently a combination of two words, in this case, Eintritt(s) and Karte.

What Was That? The Simple Past Tense of “Sein”

Chapter 2 discusses the present tense of sein (zayn) (to be): Ich bin . . . / du bist . . . (iH bin . . . / dooh bist . . .) (I am . . . / you are . . .) and so on. When talking about things that happened in the past — with phrases such as “I was . . .”, “You were . . .,” and “They were . . .” — you put the verb sein into the simple past tense. The simple past tense of the verb sein looks like this:

Conjugation	Pronunciation
ich war	iH vahr
du warst	dooh vârst
Sie waren	zee vah-ren
er, sie, es war	êr, zee, es vahr
wir waren	veer vah-ren
ihr wart	eer vârt
Sie waren	zee vah-ren
sie waren	zee vah-ren

You can use the simple past tense of sein to express many different ideas and questions. Take a look at the past tense of sein in action:

Ich war gestern im Kino. (iH vahr gês-tern im kee-noh.) (I was at the movies yesterday.)

Wie war der Film? (vee vahr dêr film?) (How was the film?)

Wir waren heute Morgen im Kunstmuseum. (veer vah-ren hoy-te mor-gen im koonst-moo-sey-oom.) (We were at the art museum this morning.)

Warst du letzte Woche in Wien? (vârst dooh lêts-te voH-e in veen?) (Were you in Vienna last week?)

Wo waren Sie am Freitag? (vo vah-ren zee âm fray-tahk?) (Where were you on Friday?)

Going to the Museum

Germany has a long and rich museum tradition, with many world-renowned museums sprinkled liberally across the country. Most German museums receive state or federal funds and, as a consequence, often charge surprisingly low entrance fees.

If you’re into art, keep an eye open for the Kunstmuseum (koonst-moo-sey-oom) (art museum). If you want to find out more about the traditional lifestyle of a certain area, go to the Freilichtmuseum (fray-leeHt-moo-sey–oom) (open-air museum). You can find museums for virtually everything a human being might fancy, including a Biermuseum (beer-moo-sey-um) (beer museum) in Munich and several other locations!

When you want to catch an exhibition — Ausstellung (ous-shtêl-oong) — the following phrases come in handy:

Ich möchte ins Museum gehen. (iH merH-te ins moo-sey-oom gey-en.) (I would like to go to the museum.)

Ich möchte die . . . Ausstellung sehen. (iH merH-te dee . . . ous-shtêl-oong zey-en.) (I would like to see the . . . exhibition.)

In welchem Museum läuft die . . . Ausstellung? (in vêlH-em moo-sey-oom loyft dee . . . ous-shtêl-oong?) (At which museum is the . . . exhibit running?)

Ist das Museum montags geöffnet? (ist dâs moo-sey-oom mohn-tahks ge-erf-net?) (Is the museum open on Mondays?)

Um wie viel Uhr öffnet das Museum? (oom vee-feel oohr erf-net dâs moo-sey-oom?) (At what time does the museum open?)

Gibt es eine Sonderausstellung? (gipt ês ayn-e zon-der-ous-shtêl-oong?) (Is there a special exhibit?)

Talkin’ the Talk

Jan and Mona are planning a trip to a museum. They invite their friend Ingo to join them.
Jan:	Hallo, Ingo. Wir wollen morgen ins Städtische Museum. hâ-lo, in-go. veer vol-en mor-gen ins shtê-ti-she moo-sey-oom. Hi, Ingo. We want to go to the city museum tomorrow.
Mona:	Wir wollen uns die Ausstellung über die Bronzezeit ansehen. Kommst du mit? veer vol-en oons dee ous-shtêl-oong ue-ber dee bron-tse-tsayt ân-zey-en. komst dooh mit? We want to see the exhibit about the Bronze Age. Do you want to come along?
Ingo:	Hmm, ich weiß nicht. Die Ausstellung habe ich schon letzte Woche gesehen. hmm, iH vays niHt. dee ous-shtêl-oong hah-be iH shohn lets-te voH-e ge-zey-en. Hmm, I don’t know. I already saw the exhibit last week.
Mona:	Hat sie dir gefallen? hât zee deer ge-fâl-en? Did you like it?
Ingo:	Ja. Vielleicht komme ich noch einmal mit. yah. fee-layHt kom-e iH noH ayn-mahl mit. Yes. Maybe I’ll come along for a second time.
Jan:	Wir wollen morgen um 10.00 Uhr in die Ausstellung. veer vol-en mor-gen oom tseyn oohr in dee ous-shtêl-oong. We want to go to the exhibit tomorrow at ten o’clock.
Ingo:	Gut. Ich treffe euch dort. gooht. iH trêf-e oyH dohrt. Good. I’ll meet you there.

Talking about Action in the Past

Earlier in this chapter, you discover how to use the simple past tense of the verb sein (zayn) (to be) in order to say things like “I was at the museum yesterday” or “It was cold yesterday.” To communicate a full range of actions that happened in the past, you need to use a different form of the verb.

To refer to actions that took place in the past, the perfect tense is the name of the beast you need to use. To form the perfect tense, you need two verb parts, and you need to know where to put them in a sentence:

You need the appropriate present tense form of either haben (hah-ben) (have) or sein. If you’re asking a yes/no type of question, this present tense form appears as the first word of the question. If your sentence is a straightforward statement, it appears in the second position of the sentence.

You need the past participle of the verb, which goes at the end of the sentence (or phrase). Whether you use haben or sein with the past participle of the verb depends on which verb you’re working with. Simply put, most verbs require haben, and some use sein. You simply have to memorize which verbs use haben and which ones use sein. (We tell you more about how to form the past participle of a verb in the next section.)

You should consider the perfect tense a real lifesaver. This tense is very versatile in German, and you can use it to refer to most actions and situations that took place in the past. In fact, you won’t have much use for the other past tenses until you’re writing a novel in German or are preparing to address the German Parliament. Hey, stranger things have happened!

Forming the past participle

Try to get to know the past participle form of each new verb. A few rules make grasping the past participles easier. To apply the rules, you need to know which category the verb in question falls into.

Weak (regular) verbs

Weak verbs, also known as regular verbs, form the largest group of German verbs. When forming the past participle of a weak verb, use this formula:

ge + verb stem (the infinitive minus -en) + (e)t = past participle

Honest, this isn’t really as hard as algebra! Look at how the formula plays out on the common verb fragen (frah-gen) (to ask):

ge + frag + t = gefragt

Now check out a verb that has the ending -et instead of -t, like reden (rey-den) (to talk):

ge + red + et = geredet

In this case, you add -et, and consequently another syllable. The -et ending is added to verbs that have a stem ending in -d, -t, -fn or -gn, and the reason for doing this is so you can actually pronounce (and hear) the word ending.

Another verb that follows this pattern is öffnen (erf-nen) (to open):

ge + öffn + et = geöffnet

Strong (irregular) verbs

Some verbs, the so-called strong verbs (also known as irregular verbs) follow a different pattern. They add ge- in the beginning and -en at the end. Forming the past participle of a strong verb entails the following:

ge + verb stem (the infinitive minus -en) + en = past participle

The verb kommen (kom-en) (to come) is a good example of this:

ge + komm + en = gekommen

Pesky critters that they are, some strong verbs change the spelling of their verb stem when forming a past participle. For example, a stem vowel, and sometimes even a stem consonant, can change.

The verb helfen (hêlf-en) (to help) changes its stem vowel from e to o:

ge + holf + en = geholfen

The verb gehen (gey-en) (to go) undergoes a bigger change, from geh to gang:

ge + gang + en = gegangen

Using “haben” in the perfect tense

Because the present tense forms of haben are so important to forming the perfect tense with many verbs, here’s a quick reminder of the conjugation of haben in the present tense:

Conjugation	Pronunciation
ich habe	iH hah-be
du hast	dooh hâst
Sie haben	zee hah-ben
er, sie, es hat	êr, zee, ês hât
wir haben	veer hah-ben
ihr habt	eer hâpt
Sie haben	zee hah-ben
sie haben	zee hah-ben

Table 10-1 shows you some common German verbs that use haben in the perfect tense.

Table 10-1 Verbs That Use Haben in the Perfect Tense
Verb	Past Participle
arbeiten (âr-bay-ten) (to work)	gearbeitet
essen (ês-en) (to eat)	gegessen
hören (her-en) (to hear)	gehört
kaufen (kouf-en) (to buy)	gekauft
lachen (lâH-en) (to laugh)	gelacht
lesen (ley-zen) (to read)	gelesen
machen (mâH-en) (to make, do)	gemacht
nehmen (ney-men) (to take)	genommen
schlafen (shlâf-en) (to sleep)	geschlafen
sehen (zey-en) (to see)	gesehen
spielen (shpee-len) (to play)	gespielt
trinken (trin-ken) (to drink)	getrunken

Take a look at some examples of how the verb haben combines with a past participle to make the perfect tense:

Ich habe den Film gesehen. (iH hah-be deyn film ge-zey-en.) (I have seen the film.)

Hast du eine Theaterkarte bekommen? (hâst dooh ayn-e tey-ah-ter-kâr-te be-kom-en?) (Did you get a theater ticket?)

Wir haben das Kino verlassen. (veer hah-ben dâs kee-noh vêr-lâs-en.) (We left the movie theater.)

Habt ihr Karten für die Matinee gekauft? (hâpt eer kâr-ten fuer dee mâ-tee-ney ge-kouft?) (Did you buy tickets for the matinee?)

Ich habe viel gelacht. (iH hah-be feel ge-lâHt.) (I laughed a lot.)

Using “sein” in the perfect tense

Some verbs don’t use the present tense of haben to form the perfect tense; instead they use sein. As a reminder, here are the present tense forms of sein:

Conjugation	Pronunciation
ich bin	iH bin
du bist	dooh bist
Sie sind	zee zînt
er, sie, es ist	êr, zee, ês ist
wir sind	veer zint
ihr seid	eer zayt
Sie sind	zee zint
sie sind	zee zint

Verbs in that category include the verb sein itself as well as many verbs that indicate a change of place or a change of state. Sound a bit theoretical? Table 10-2 shows you some common verbs that take sein in the perfect tense.

All verbs conjugated with sein are strong verbs: Their past participles are irregular. Try to memorize the past participle whenever you pick up a new verb that’s used with sein.

Table 10-2 Verbs That Use “sein” in the Perfect Tense
Verb	Past Participle
fahren (fahr-en) (to drive/ride)	gefahren
fliegen (flee-gen) (to fly)	geflogen
gebären (gê-bê-ren) (to give birth)	geboren
gehen (gey-en) (to go)	gegangen
kommen (kom-en) (to come)	gekommen
laufen (louf-en) (to run)	gelaufen
sein (zayn) (to be)	gewesen
sterben (shtêr-ben) (to die)	gestorben

Take a look at these examples of verbs forming the present perfect tense with the present tense of sein and the past participle:

Ich bin ins Theater gegangen. (iH bin ins tey-ah-ter ge-gâng-en.) (I went to the theater.)

Bist du mit dem Auto gekommen? (bist dooh mit deym ou-to ge-kom-en?) (Did you come by car?)

Sie ist mit dem Zug gefahren. (zee ist mit deym tsoohk ge-fahr-en.) (She went by train.)

Wir sind letzte Woche ins Kino gegangen. (veer zint lêts-te woH-e ins kee-noh ge-gâng-en.) (We went to the movies last week.)

Going Out for Entertainment

Wherever you may be staying in Europe, you’re probably just a short trip away from cultural centers presenting Oper (oh-per) (opera), Konzert (kon-tsêrt) (concert), Sinfonie (sin-foh-nee) (symphony), and Theater (tey-ah-ter) (theater). Performing arts centers abound in Europe.

If you’re up for going out on the town, say

Ich möchte heute Abend ausgehen. (iH merH-te hoy-te ah-bênt ous-gey-en.) (I would like to go out this evening.)

Worried about the dress code? It’s relatively liberal, although Europeans do enjoy getting decked out for opera and symphony performances, especially for Premiere (prêm-yee-re) (opening night) or a Galavorstellung (gâ-lâ-fohr-shtêl-oong) (gala performance). Other than that, as long as you stay away from the T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers look, you won’t stick out like a sore thumb.

The following words and phrases may be helpful during a night out:

Ich möchte ins Theater/Konzert gehen. (iH merH-te ins tey-ah-ter/kon-tsert gey-en.) (I would like to go to the theater/a concert.)

Ich möchte in die Oper gehen. (iH merH-te in dee oh-per gey-en.) (I would like to go to the opera.)

Gehen wir ins Theater/Konzert. (gey-en veer ins tey-ah-ter/kon-tsert.) (Let’s go to the theater/a concert.)

Gehen wir ins Ballet. (gey-en veer ins bâ-lêt.) (Let’s go to the ballet.)

Wann ist die Premiere von. . . ? (vân ist dee prêm-yee-re fon. . . ?) (When is the opening night of. . . ?)

In welchem Theater spielt. . . ? (in vêlH-em tey-ah-ter shpeelt. . . ?) (In which theater is . . . showing?)

How Was It? Talking about Entertainment

When it comes to entertainment, everybody seems to have an opinion. So why miss out on the fun?

Asking for an opinion

Somebody may ask you one of the following questions — or you may pose one of them to someone else — in order to start a conversation about an exhibition, film, or performance (the first version is for speaking with someone formally; the second is for informal speaking):

Hat Ihnen die Ausstellung/der Film/die Oper gefallen? (hât een-en dee ous-shtêl-oong/dêr film/dee oh-per ge-fâl-en?) (Did you like the exhibition/the movie/the opera?)

Hat dir die Ausstellung/der Film/die Oper gefallen? (hât deer dee ous-shtêl-oong/dêr film/dee oh-per ge-fâl-en?) (Did you like the exhibition/the movie/the opera?)

Telling people what you think

Now comes the fun part — telling someone what you think about a film or performance you’ve just seen. For starters, you can say whether you liked the entertainment. Try one of the following on for size:

Die Ausstellung/der Film/die Oper hat mir (sehr) gut gefallen. (dee ous-shtêl-oong/dêr film/dee oh-per hât meer [zeyr] gooht ge-fâl-en.) (I liked the exhibition/the movie/the opera [a lot].)

Die Ausstellung/der Film/die Oper hat mir (gar) nicht gefallen. (dee ous-shtêl-oong/dêr film/dee oh-per hât meer [gâr] niHt ge-fâl-en.) (I didn’t like the exhibition/the movie/the opera [at all].)

You may want to follow up a statement with a reason. Start out by saying

Die Ausstellung/der Film/die Oper war wirklich. . . . (dee ous-shtêl-oong/dêr film/dee oh-per vahr virk-liH. . . .) (The exhibition/the movie/the opera was really. . . .)

Then you can finish the thought with any of the following adjectives that apply. You can always string a few of them together with the conjunction und (oont) (and) if you like:

aufregend (ouf-rey-gent) (exciting)

ausgezeichnet (ous-ge-tsayH-net) (excellent)

enttäuschend (ênt-toy-shênt) (disappointing)

fantastisch (fân-tâs-tish) (fantastic)

langweilig (lâng-vay-liH) (boring)

sehenswert (zey-êns-veyrt) (worth seeing)

spannend (shpân-ênt) (thrilling, suspenseful)

unterhaltsam (oon-ter-hâlt-tsahm) (entertaining)

wunderschön (voon-der-shern) (beautiful)

Talkin’ the Talk

Frau Peters went to the theater last night. Today, at the office, she’s telling her colleague Herr Krüger about the show. (Track 23)
Herr Krüger:	Sind Sie nicht gestern im Theater gewesen? zint zee niHt gês-tern im teh-ah-ter ge-vey-zen? Weren’t you at the theater last night?
Frau Peters:	Doch. Ich habe das neue BalIet gesehen. doH. iH hah-be dâs noy-e bâ-lêt ge-zey-en. Indeed. I saw the new ballet.
Herr Krüger:	Wie hat es Ihnen gefallen? vee hât ês een-en ge-fâl-en? How did you like it?
Frau Peters:	Die Tänzer waren fantastisch. Die Vorstellung hat mir ausgezeichnet gefallen. dee tên-tser vahr-ren fân-tâs-tish. dee fohr-shtêl-oong hât meer ous-ge-tsayH-net ge-fâl-en. The dancers were fantastic. I liked the performance very much.
Herr Krüger:	War es einfach, Karten zu bekommen? vahr ês ayn-fâH, kâr-ten tsooh be-kom-en? Was it easy to get tickets?
Frau Peters:	Ja. Ich habe die Karte gestern Morgen an der Theaterkasse gekauft. yah. iH hah-be dee kâr-te gês-tern mor-gen ân dêr tey-ah-ter-kâs-e ge-kouft. Yes. I bought the ticket at the box office yesterday morning.

Going to a Party

Just as Americans do, German speakers have different ideas about what makes a good party. They enjoy organizing all kinds of gatherings, ranging from formal sit-down dinners to Sunday afternoon barbecues. If you’re invited to a rather formal gathering at somebody’s home, it’s considered polite to bring a small gift, such as a bottle of wine or a bouquet of flowers.

And if you’re invited to an informal get-together, your host or hostess may ask you to bring along something to eat or drink. You can also take the initiative and ask whether you should bring anything by asking

Soll ich etwas mitbringen? (zol iH êt-vâs mit-bring-en?) (Do you want me to bring anything?)

If you’re invited to Kaffee und Kuchen (kâ-fey oont koohH-en) (coffee and cake) in the afternoon, a German institution, do arrive on time. In fact, some Germans like to arrive ten minutes early just to be on the safe side, and they wait out on the street until the exact hour to ring the doorbell. Don’t expect to stay for dinner. You may be asked, but don’t count on it.

Getting an invitation

You may hear any of the following common phrases when receiving an invitation — die Einladung (dee ayn-lah-doong) — to a party:

Ich würde Sie gern zu einer Party einladen. (iH vuer-de zee gêrn tsooh ayn-er pâr-tee ayn-lah-den.) (I would like to invite you to a party.)

Wir wollen ein Fest feiern. Hast du Lust zu kommen? (veer vol-en ayn fêst fay-ern. hâst dooh loost tsooh kom-en?) (We want to have a party. Do you feel like coming?)

Declining

If you can’t make it (or don’t want to go for some reason), you can politely turn down the invitation by saying the following:

Nein, tut mir leid, ich kann leider nicht kommen. (nayn, toot meer layt, iH kân lay-der niHt kom-en.) (No, sorry, unfortunately I won’t be able to make it.)

Nein, da kann ich leider nicht. Ich habe schon etwas anderes vor. (nayn, dâ kân iH lay-der niHt. iH hah-be shohn êt-vâs ân-de-res fohr.) (No, unfortunately I won’t be able to make it. I have other plans.)

Accepting

If you’d like to go, you can accept an invitation with the following phrases:

Vielen Dank. Ich nehme die Einladung gern an. (fee-len dânk. iH neh-me dee ayn-lah-doong gêrn ân.) (Thank you very much. I’ll gladly accept the invitation.)

Gut, ich komme gern. (gooht, iH kom-en gêrn) (Good, I’d like to come.)

Talking about a party

When someone asks you Wie war die Party am Samstag? (vee vahr dee pâr-tee âm zâms-tahk?) (How was the party on Saturday?), here are some possible responses:

Toll, wir haben bis . . . Uhr gefeiert. (tol, veer hah-ben bis . . . oohr ge-fay-êrt.) (Great. We partied until . . . o’clock.)

Wir haben uns ausgezeichnet unterhalten. (veer hah-ben oons ous-ge-tsayH-net oon-ter-hâl-ten.) (We had a great time.)

Das Essen war. . . . (dâs ês-en vahr. . . .) (The food was. . . .)

Wir haben sogar getanzt. (veer hah-ben zoh-gahr ge-tântst.) (We even danced.)

Die Musik war. . . . (dee mooh-zeek vahr. . . .) (The music was. . . .)

Das Fest war. . . . (dâs fêst vahr. . . .) (The party was . . . .)

Check out the list of adjectives in the earlier section “Telling people what you think” for appropriate descriptions to fill in the preceding phrases.

Fun & Games

Many words in German have cognates (words similar in meaning and spelling) in English. In the following statements, some people are describing what they thought of an event. You decide which form of entertainment they’re speaking of and then write that word at the end of the statement. Choose from the list of cognates shown below.

1. Die Ausstellung hat uns sehr gut gefallen. ______________________________

2. Die Zugabe war auch ausgezeichnet. ______________________________

3. Ich habe die Originalfassung gesehen. ______________________________

4. Die Tänzer haben mir gut gefallen. ______________________________

5. Die Sänger sind fantastisch gewesen. ______________________________

6. Wir haben viel gegessen und getrunken. ______________________________