French Language Story Game 4

French Language Story: Le voyage de Daniel 4.

In the fourth part of Daniel's trip to France, he spends a few days in Aix-en-Provence with his friends Pierre and Virginie. (Image of Aix-en-Provence by Linh Nguyen on unsplash)
Hear and read Part 4 of Daniel's trip in French.
It contains 140 basic words and phrases, which you hear and read in context.
With this story, you can test your Level of audio comprehension of French: If you understand most of the story, you are plus or minus on the Level of Threshhold or Intermediate, i.e. B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). You can check a Table on Wikipedia with the Levels here.
Once you've listened to the story and know the meaning of the words, play it again a few times. Don't translate in your head, just follow the meaning as best as you can.
To improve your pronunciation, repeat each sentence along with or right after the native speaker.

10 Key Verbs in the Travel Story

• voir - to see
• ouvrir - to open
• entrer - to go in
• revoir - to see again
• tutoyer - to say "tu" (informal "you")
• penser - to think
• commander - to order (at a restaurant)
• travailler - to work
• savoir - to know (a fact, etc.)
• marcher - to go, walk

You can see the English translation by rolling over a sentence on a Desk- or Laptop (but not on a Phone or Tablet). You can also look at the translation below to get familiar with the meaning of the sentences.

To practice and recall the individual words and phrases of the story, register or log in and go to French 1, Daniel en France.

Translation of the Story

[Daniel has arrived in Aix-en-Provence. He has the address of Pierre, a French friend he met in Boston two years before, and goes to his apartment. Pierre's girlfriend Virginie opens the door.]
Narrator: Daniel finds 52 Mazarine Street.
Narrator: Virginie opens the door.
Narrator: She greets him:
Virginie: Hello Daniel, glad to finally meet you.
Daniel: Me too.
Virginie: Pierre told me a lot about you.
Daniel: Good things I hope!
Narrator: Daniel comes into the apartment.
Narrator: He sees another young woman.
Virginie: Mathilde, let me introduce Daniel to you, a friend of Pierre's from Boston.
Narrator: Then she says to Daniel:
Virginie: My sister Mathilde is visiting me.
Daniel: Hello Mathilde, delighted to meet you.
Virginie: Daniel, don't be so formal. You can say "tu" to each other!
Daniel: You don’t mind, Mathilde?
Mathilde: Of course not.
Narrator: She continues:
Mathilde: Among students we always say "tu."
Daniel: You are doing your studies in Aix-en-Provence?
Mathilde: No, I go to the university of Avignon.
Daniel: And me, I’m going to Avignon the day after tomorrow!
Mathilde: I'm going back Sunday.
Daniel: Perhaps we could see each other there.
Mathilde: Sure, but tomorrow I'd like to visit Aix-en-Provence.
Daniel: Me too, can I come with you?
Mathilde: Of course.
Narrator: A little later Pierre comes home.
Pierre: Hi Daniel, I'm glad that you're visiting us.
Daniel: Me too, I'm pleased to see you again.
Virginie: When were you exactly in Boston, Pierre?
Pierre: More than two years ago.
Daniel: Yes, we had a lot of fun at that time.
Narrator: Then Virginie says:
Virginie: We should think about lunch now.
Pierre: I can order a pizza.
Virginie: Good idea, I can make a salad.
Narrator: The next day is a Thursday.
Narrator: Daniel walks with Virginie and Mathilde in the old town.
Narrator: Virginie points to a café.
Virginie: The painter Paul Cézanne went often to the Café Clément.
Daniel: I believe that one can visit his studio here in Aix-en-Provence.
Virginie: Yes, and here is the bank where he worked until 1862.
Daniel: The bank? Paul Cézanne was a banker?
Narrator: Virginie explains:
Virginie: Yes he worked in his father’s bank before painting.
Daniel: Oh OK, I didn't know that!
Virginie: Paul Cezanne liked to live in Aix-en-Provence.
Narrator: They walk in the old town.
Narrator: Daniel admires the numerous old houses.
Narrator: On Cathedral Square, Virginie says
Virginie: The Saint Sauveur Cathedral is very ancient.
Daniel: When was it built?
Virginie: The bell tower was erected in 1323.
Daniel: America was discovered more than a hundred years later.
Virginie: We are proud of our cathedral!
Daniel: Are we going to see the Cours Mirabeau?
Virginie: Yes, it's the liveliest neighborhood of Aix-en-Provence.

German Language Mini-Story Game 5

German Language Mini-Story Game 5: In the fifth part of Michael's trip to Germany, (Michaels Reise 5), he travels to Munich.  (photo by Philipp Bachhuber on unsplash)

The Mini-Story game uses 5 sentences from the original story. With this game - a sequence of Memory, Flash Cards, Word Invaders - you can learn and practice vocabulary and German word order.

Level: Elementary (A2)
Playing Time: 4 minutes

Mini-Story 5

Erzählerin: Am Samstag nimmt Michael den Intercity nach München.
Erzählerin: Am Nachmittag ruft er auf seinem Handy Claudia an.
Michael: Hallo Claudia. Ich möchte heute Abend ins Hofbräuhaus.
Michael;;Können wir uns dort treffen?
Claudia;;Ja gerne!

Vocabulary

• am Samstag - on Saturday
• er nimmt - he takes
• nehmen - to take
• den Intercity - (takes) InterCity Express 
• nach München - to need

• am Nachmittag - to write down
• er ruft an - he calls
• anrufen - to call
• auf seinem Handy - on his cell phone

• ich möchte - I would like
• mögen - to like
• heute Abend - this evening
• ins Hofbräuhaus - (to go) to the Hofbräuhaus

• wir können - we can
• uns - each other (us)
• treffen - to meet
• Ja gerne! - Yes gladly!

Word Order

Word Order in a simple sentence:
In German the verb, (nimmt) is the second element: Michael nimmt ... Am Samstag nimmt Michael ...
In English, the verb, (takes) follows the subject: Michael takes ... On Saturday, Michael takes ...

Michael nimmt den Intercity nach München.
(Michael takes the Intercity to Munich.)
Am Samstag nimmt Michael den Intercity nach München.
(On Saturday, Michael takes the Intercity to Munich.)

Er ruft Claudia an.
(He calls Claudia.)
Am Nachmittag ruft er Claudia an.
(In the afternoon, he calls Claudia.)

Ich möchte heute Abend ins Hofbräuhaus.
(I would like to go to the Hofbrauhaus this evening.)
Heute Abend möchte ich ins Hofbräuhaus.
(This evening, I would like to go to the Hofbrauhaus.)

A translation is available when you roll over a sentence. (Only on the computer)
Register or log in and go to German 1, Michael in Deutschland if you want to practice and recall the individual words and phrases of the full story of Michael's travels.

English Language Game: Question Words

Quick English Language Game: Question Words
Level: Beginner (A1)
Time to Play: 4 minutes
Play this interactive online English Language Game (ESL) to learn and practice 6 Question Words in the context of typical short sentences.
[Translations in French, German, and Spanish are provided.]

English Question Words

• Who?
• What?
• When?
• Why?
• Where?
• How?

Short Questions

• Who is calling? 
• What time is it?
• When will he be back?
• How much?
• Where are you from?
• Why not?

As you play, always say the English sentence out loud and try to say it as fast as the speaker says it.
This will help to improve your pronunciation.

German Language Game: Geben - Present Tense

Quick German Language Game: geben (to give) - present tense.
Level: Elementary (A2)
Playing Time: 4 minutes

Learn and practice the present forms of "geben" with this fun interactive online game.
Present Tense: stem vowel changes: du, er/sie/es = "i"; all others = "e" (including the formal "Sie")
"Geben" + indirect object (give "to whom"): Ich gebe dir ... (I give [to] you ...).
"Geben" + direct object (give "what"): Ich gebe das Geld. (I give the money.)

Present Tense of "geben"

ich gebe - I give
du gibst - you give
er/sie/es gibt - he/she/it gives
wir geben - we give
ihr gebt - you-all give
sie/Sie geben - they/you(form.) give

Idiomatic expressions

es gibt - there is
Was gibt's? - What's up?

Indirect Pronoun Objects - give "to whom":

mir - (to) me
dir - (to) you [familiar]
ihm - (to) him/it
ihr - (to) her
uns - (to) us
euch - (to) you-all
ihnen/Ihnen - (to) them/you (formal)

Direct Objects - give "what":

Ich gebe dir den Kaffee. - I give you the coffee. [der Kaffee, masculine]
Ich gebe dir die Adresse. - I give you the address. [die Adresse, feminine]
Ich gebe dir das Geld. - I give you the money. [das Geld, neuter]

Short Sentences: "Geben" + Ind. and Dir. Object

Wir geben ihr die Adresse. - We give her the address.
They give us the money. - Sie geben uns das Geld.
Ich gebe dir den Kaffee. - I'll give you the coffee.
Kannst du mir das Geld geben. - Can you give me the money?
Sie gibt ihnen den Kaffee. - She gives them the coffee.
Es gibt kein Geld. - There's no money.

You'll find more in our post: How to Use the German Modal Verb "Können"

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More Than a German Language Game

And don't forget: You can practice German online for FREE with our 36-Scene German 1 Story: "Michael in Deutschland" and our 72-Scene German 2 Mystery Story Sequel: "Blüten in Berlin?".
(If you already know that "Blüten" means blossom in German - you'll learn that Blüten has still another meaning...).
Just login HERE.
If you have any language questions  - don't hesitate to contact us!

Italian Language Game: Avere - Present Tense

Ouick Italian Language Game: avere (to have) - present tense.
Level: Beginner (A1)
Time: 4 minutes

Practice the present-tense forms of the irregular verb "avere" online, with this fun, interactive Italian Word Shoot language game.
Then, with Word Invaders, put together an easy sentence with each.
(Image Credit: Arthur Yeti on Unsplash)

Note that in Italian the pronoun is often dropped, except for emphasis or clarity.
But, in any case, with or without a pronoun, you always have to use the correct verb form.

Avere - to have

• io ho - I have
• tu hai - you have (familiar)
• lui, lei ha - he, she has
• noi abbiamo - we have
• voi avete - you(pl) have
• loro hanno - they have

Vocabulary

• il libro - the book
• l'indirizzo - the address (m)
• la chiave - the key
• le fotografie - the photos
  
  

As you play the game, make sure you say the words out loud.
It's a good way to learn new vocabulary and to improve your pronunciation.
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More Than an Italian Language Game

Remember: You can practice Italian online for FREE with our 36-Scene Italian 1 Travel-Story: "Marco in Italia".
In it you learn and practice all the words, phrases and sentences you also hear in the Italian 1 podcasts. Just login HERE.
And, if you have any language questions  - don't hesitate to contact us!