Making that call
Katrin Schmidt rings up about a hotel job she has seen advertised. Listen to the conversation between Katrin and Herr Felsen, then answer the questions about it.
- Ceist
- What is the name of the hotel?
- Which job is Katrin ringing about?
- What will Herr Dietrich do?
- What is Katrin’s phone number?
- Hotel Stern.
- Cleaner – Zimmermädchen.
- He will ring back – Er wird zurückrufen.
- Katrin's telephone number is: 02-31-49-10.
- Ceist
How could you answer the following questions during a telephone conversation about a job as a waiter?
Gasthaus Braun. Herr Braun am Apparat. Kann ich Ihnen helfen?Possible answers:
Ich rufe wegen der Anzeige an. – I’m ringing about the advert.Ich rufe wegen der Stelle als Kellner an. – I’m calling about the job as a waiter.Ich möchte mich für die Stelle als Kellner bewerben. – I’d like to apply for the job as a waiter.
- Ceist
- Wie heißen Sie?
Possible answers:
Ich heiße Körner, Alex. – My name is Alex Körner.
Mein Name ist Alex Körner. – My name is Alex Körner.
Replace 'Alex Körner' with your own name.
- Ceist
- Wie ist Ihre Telefonnummer, bitte?
Possible answer:
Null-drei-vier-sieben-neun, eins-sechs, sechs-acht, drei-null – 03479-16-68-30
You should aim to learn your own telephone number in German.
- Ceist
- Können Sie bitte zurückrufen?
Possible answer:
Ja sicher. Wann? – Yes, of course. When?
Wann soll ich zurückrufen? – When should I call back?
Did you know?
In formal situations, like an official telephone conversation, people from all areas speak a standard form of German known as Hochdeutsch – High German.
But German can sound very different from person to person depending on where they were brought up. The German spoken in Bern, the capital of Switzerland, for example, is very different from that spoken in Wien (Vienna) or Berlin. Apart from a variation in accents, the vocabulary may also be different.
In Austria, Switzerland and southern Germany, people will greet you by saying Grüß Gott, Grüß dich or Servus, rather than Guten Morgen or Guten Tag. In Switzerland you may also hear Grüezi or Grüezi mitenand.
In Switzerland, instead of using the word arbeiten – to work – people say schaffen, which literally means 'to create'. You may also be conversing in German when the person you're talking to says merci or merci vielmal rather than danke because of the French influence in a multilingual country.
