#52 German Story: The Eternal Excuses (Die ewigen Ausreden) đ€„
Welcome to Episode 52 of our B1 German series! Today, Anna is waiting... and waiting. Lukas is late! But when he finally
đ Transcript
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Lukas, you're 30 minutes late. Where were you? Hello Anna, I'm sorry. Because of the traffic.
Aha, because of the traffic. At least your grammar is on time, even if you're not.
Phew. Yes, so this little role-play to start, quite a tough introduction, right? But hello and a warm welcome to today's Deep Dive. Glad you're joining us on this little journey of discovery.
Mhm. Hello from me too. Just imagine, you're running to the train. Um, the doors close right in front of your nose and you know exactly, I'm late.
Exactly, you're late. And now you have to elegantly explain why, without sounding like a complete beginner.

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German Made Simple
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đ Vocabulary
Key vocabulary from this episode with part of speech, meaning, and example sentences. Practice along with the video above.
| Word | Type | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| zu spÀt sein | Verb phrase | to be late | Ich bin heute zu spÀt zur Arbeit. |
| es tut mir leid | Phrase | I'm sorry | Es tut mir leid, dass ich so spÀt bin. |
| der Verkehr | Nomen (m.) | traffic | Der Verkehr war heute sehr schlimm. |
| die Ausrede | Nomen (f.) | excuse | Er hat immer eine Ausrede, wenn er zu spÀt kommt. |
| pĂŒnktlich | Adjektiv | punctual, on time | Es ist wichtig, pĂŒnktlich zu sein. |
| der Stau | Nomen (m.) | traffic jam | Wegen eines Staus bin ich zu spÀt gekommen. |
| der Wecker | Nomen (m.) | alarm clock | Mein Wecker hat heute Morgen nicht geklingelt. |
| wegen | PrÀposition | because of | Wegen des Regens bleiben wir zu Hause. |
| trotz | PrÀposition | despite | Trotz des schlechten Wetters gehen wir spazieren. |
| wÀhrend | PrÀposition | during | WÀhrend des Essens sprechen wir nicht. |
âïž Exercises
Test your understanding with fill-in-the-blank and multiple choice questions. Click "Check" to see the answer.
Es ___ mir leid, dass ich zu spÀt bin.
What does 'zu spÀt sein' mean?
Ich bin heute ___ spÀt zur Arbeit gekommen.
What is 'der Verkehr'?
Mein ___ hat mich heute Morgen nicht geweckt.
What is 'die Ausrede'?
Ich war ___ des Staus zu spÀt.
___ der KĂ€lte bin ich trotzdem spazieren gegangen.
___ des Films haben wir Popcorn gegessen.
What does 'pĂŒnktlich' mean?
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