German Stories - Learn German with Stories (and more)

Heute gibt’s was zu lachen. Hahaha! Ich probiere neues Format aus und präsentiere dir 20 lustige Deutsche Schilder. Dann erkläre ich den Witz und sage, was zum Teufel sie sich wohl dabei gedacht haben. Am Ende korrigiere ich noch die unfreiwillige Komik. In Zukunft wird es mehr solche Episoden geben, in denen ich freier spreche und weniger Skript verwende. Zum Beispiel: Gespräche mit Freunden, wie ich Tests mache, Witze erzähle, draußen Spazieren gehe oder einfach Geplauder über diverse themen.

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Ein Zirkuslöwe zerfleischt einen Mann und eine Frau. Es sieht wie ein Unfall aus. Der Mann ist tot, doch die Frau überlebt – und behält ihr grausames Geheimnis für sich.

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Ein einziges Detail verrät den Mörder – ohne dass er es merkt. Findest du es, bevor ich dir die Lösung sage?

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Du musst dir unbedingt diese Geschichte anhören: Morgens sind sie arm und hungrig, abends essen sie Kaviar und rauchen Zigarren – alles dank eines verrückten Plans, der erstaunlich gut funktioniert.

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Mord an einem exzentrischen alten Mann. Der Täter verrät sich in einem einzigen Satz. Dir wird er auch auffallen… oder?

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Millionen Leute sehen nicht, dass er nackt ist... Wieso nur?!?

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Ein Polizist erzählt, was passiert sein soll. Der Professor weiß sofort: Das ist gelogen! Aber woher weiß er das so schnell?

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Sie steigt in einen Zug nach Bristol. Doch sie wird dort nie ankommen. Wer ist der Mörder? Findest du ihn, bevor Poirot ihn nennt?

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Ein Mann liegt tot in der Nähe eines Jagdlagers. Vier Fragen später kennt der Professor die Wahrheit.
Wirst du sie auch erkennen – bevor ich sie dir sage?

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Ein Offizier sitzt in einer Bar. Er sieht, wie ein Mann einen Löffel aus Silber stiehlt. Dilemma!
- Sagt er nichts, verliert er seine Moral.
- Sagt er etwas, riskiert er Ärger mit dem Dieb.
Was er dann tut, ist intelligent – aber gefährlich.

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Was Hanspeter in dieser Nacht passiert, wird er nie wieder vergessen.

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Deutsch lernen mit einer lustigen und spannenden Geschichte, frei nach dem Original von Arkadij Awertschenko. 3 Leute langweiligen sich und wollen etwas Spannung - doch dann wird ihr Wunsch zum Albtraum. Ein Albtraum, der aber trotzdem lustig ist ;-) PDF mit Übungen und Wörterliste verfügbar.

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Deutsch lernen mit dem klassischen Märchen Schneewittchen (Snow White) von den Brüdern Grimm. Wir verfolgen eine kriminelle Prinzessin, die vor ihrer wahnsinnigen Stiefmutter flieht und einen nekrophilen Prinzen heiratet. PDF mit Übungen und Wörterliste verfügbar.

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Deutsch lernen mit einem spannenden Textabenteuer von Marius Müller. Du bist in Ostdeutschland, besser gesagt, in der DDR. Und du willst in den Westen fliehen. Wirst du es schaffen oder werden sie dich erschießen?

Du kannst das Spiel hier selbst spielen: Spiel Schießbefehl

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Deutsch lernen mit einem klassischen Märchen von den Brüdern Grimm. Heute wird gefressen, verstümmelt, gelogen und ertrunken! Ich lese dir den vereinfachten Text (diesmal mit Toneffekten) vor, wir machen eine Wiederholungslektion der wichtigsten Wörter und Phrasen und ich erkläre dir jedes kleinste Detail. PDF und Wörterliste verfügbar.

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Deutsch lernen mit einem schrecklich übertriebenen Aufsatz von Mark Twain. Humorvoll durch und durch. Ich lese dir den extrem vereinfachten Text vor, erkläre ihn, sage dir "Mark Twains" RICHTIGEN Namen und wir machen eine Wiederholungslektion der wichtigsten Wörter und Phrasen. PDF und Wörterliste verfügbar.

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Deutsch lernen mit einem spannenden Textabenteuer von IkeC. Heute geht's in den Wilden Westen. Mach dich gefasst auf Revolver, Pferde und Action! Natürlich auf Deutsch. Und ich spreche etwas über mich selbst, damit du mich besser kennenlernen kannst.

Du kannst das Spiel hier selbst spielen: ikeserver.de/Staub

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Deutsch lernen mit einer lustigen Kurzgeschichte von Arkadij Awertschenko. Heute gibt's Humor vom Autor, der die Russische Satire bekannt gemacht hat. Natürlich auf Deutsch. Ich lese dir den Originaltext vor, erkläre ihn, gebe dir Kontext und Hintergrundinfos und fasse ihn kurz zusammen. PDF verfügbar.

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Deutsch lernen mit einer klassischen Kurzgeschichte von Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In dieser Folge behandeln wir einen klassischen Sherlock Holmes Krimi. Ich lese dir den Originaltext vor, erkläre ihn und fasse ihn am Ende kurz zusammen. Diese Geschichte ist sehr lang, also kann ich diesmal leider nicht auf die einzelnen schwierigen Wörter eingehen. PDF verfügbar.

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Deutsch lernen mit einer klassischen Kurzgeschichte von Ilse Aichinger. In dieser Folge möchte ich dir helfen, eine Kurzgeschichte zu verstehen und zu genießen. Ich lese dir den Originaltext dieser Gesellschaftskritik vor, erkläre ihn und fasse das Geschehen zusammen. Entspann dich, hör aufmerksam zu und versuche, diese klassische Geschichte zu genießen. PDF verfügbar.

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Tell a happy end, correctly use words that are always confused by German learners & words with the same or similar spelling, but different meanings.

Party at Paul's place. Anna says she has almost finished her studies and will soon be a teacher at a primary school. Paul's family is super proud of him and his blog has gained so much traction that he was even able to boost the business of Tim's bicycle repair shop with it. Meili's German has gotten much better. She says she would be living in China now if it wasn't for Paul's...

Express feelings for one another & comparative: so normal wie möglich & irregular forms.

It's Saturday, the day of the party, and Paul is visiting his parents. They’re getting along better since Father is overcoming his addiction to gambling and mobile games. He now compensates with sports and chess. Laura calls. She reveals why she has been so strange lately: Fritz's "neighbor" on the island of Sylt doesn't even live there. He is a friend of Laura and also a cop. He was investigating Fritz for corruption. That's why she was so interested in the blog article abo...

Congratulate someone, express pride, summarize a story & word formation: ‑lich & ‑isch.

Paul has the painting! During the war, the lady and her husband were secretly listening to forbidden news - right in front of the painting (and he proposed to her there). It was the memories of her husband that she didn't want to lose. So she didn’t want to give it away, even though she doesn’t quite like it. It was also in front of this painting that he told her he wants to surrender. That's why she was so sure. Pauls work and blog are...

Express disappointment, surprise, and compassion & comparison: modal verbs and their use.

Paul and the grandson talk secretly: the widow had actually wanted to throw the painting away at one point. But she just can't let go of the old story and memories. Both grandpas were in the Hitler Youth and in the SA together. They really were Nazis. Paul is shocked. Paul’s grandpa must have learned the truth about what the Nazis did when he was a prisoner of war. He probably abandoned his political convictions there. But the grandson says his own grandpa was in Ru...

Tell a sentimental story and express gratitude & word formation: -bar.

Paul seems to have told the widow the whole dramatic story about the book, Fritz, his friends, Laura and his family. And he softened her emotionally with it. So she agrees to give him the painting, even though it didn't look like it at first. But then she suddenly becomes sentimental. She says it was in front of this painting that her now deceased husband had asked her if she wanted to marry him - three months before the letter came. She cries and is no longer...

Understand weather information and talk about weather & weather word: es.

A violent storm develops. Lightnings strike nearby. While Paul is in the house of his grandfather's friend, Tim, Anna and Meili are still in the car. They are concerned about the thunderstorm. They listen to the weather report and watch Paul through the window of the house as he speaks to the old lady. Then they get a message from him: The people in the house do have the painting! The three friends in the car wonder how he can prove that it belonged to his grandpa...

Explain a concern in simple words & word formation: -los & the gap s.

Paul is standing in front of the house, rings the doorbell and waits. An old woman opens the door. She is the widow of Grandpa's friend! At first, she is a little cautious and cannot really relate to what Paul wants because her husband has long been dead. But he gives her grandson the book, who then reads the old address and the birthday of her deceased husband out loud. When she hears this, she becomes nostalgic and asks Paul into the house. He takes...

Guide someone in the car where to turn and stop & Ordinal numbers (erste, zweite, dritte, …).

Tim, Meili, Anna and Paul are driving to the address to look for the painting. Paul says Laura didn't want to talk about her weird behavior lately. A thunderstorm is approaching. He hopes something exciting will happen today so that he can write a good story in his blog. But it doesn’t look that way beacuse the area is quite unpopulated. His blog is getting more and more fans now. And his work as a writer is going well again. When they...

Clothing and family vocabulary & two-way prepositions: unter.

Paul is shopping clothes with Anna and Meili, because the weather is supposed to get bad and he lost his rain jacket on Sylt. His parents call: Father found out the new address where they might find the painting! Everyone is happy that Paul will be looking for the painting - and his parents already told his relatives about it. This makes him feel pressured. Anna and Meili want come with him. Tim also agrees to help. But Laura cannot come. Paul still doesn't know why she takes Fritz's side...

Admit a problem and accept help & two-way prepositions: über.

Paul and his father walk through the city after the betting office incident. He admits he has a gambling addiction and agrees to undergo therapy. „Don't tell mom or your girlfriend about this“, he says, „and don't write it in your blog or in your book!“ „What book,“ Paul asks, and is suprised to hear that 1,500 people already voted online because they want to buy his story as a book. Maybe he will write a book after all. He can finally ask his Dad which app Grandpa wanted to use to fin...

Play down a problem, demand what you deserve & two-way prepositions: in.

Paul's dad plays down his gambling problem and goes to a betting office. And again, he has an argument because he had bet on a sports team's loss - but the bookmaker doesn't give him anything since it was a disqualification. That doesn't count as a loss. But he doesn’t want to accept that. Just as he is thrown out of the betting office and about to escalate the situation further, he is suddenly shocked when Paul interrupts him. His son now „officially“ knows about his ga...

Explain a gambling problem, plan an intervention & two-way prepositions: an.

Laura calls Paul while she is working on the site of a highway accident. She feared he would tell everyone his father is addicted. That’s why she called immediately. She says she recognized Paul's dad from her early days in the police force. He is apparently not only addicted to mobile phone games but also to gambling. He has had several heated arguments and therefore he had been banned from all betting offices in town. But now a new betting office has opened. He hasn’t yet...

Deny facts and make excuses & two-way prepositions: auf.

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Paul wants to know how Father helped Grandpa with his smartphone. With which app can you find out the new address where the painting might be? He calls him and asks, but his dad denies that he is banned from using a smartphone. He says he just doesn't like these new phones, that’s why he...

Describe a city adventure, tell a story & two-way prepositions: zwischen.

In Paul’s latest blog article, he had an adventure with a subway ticket inspector on his way back from Grandpa's apartment. At home, he realized that the page he found fits the book. It is the lost page with the missing part of the old address! That's the place where Grandpa's friend and the painting used to be! The page probably fell out again at some point after Grandpa glued it in. In the blog comments, Paul's readers say they want to buy his story as a...

Furniture and apartment vocabulary extension & two-way prepositions: vor.

Paul helps his parents to clear Grandpa's apartment. While he and his mom are busy, his dad is secretly looking for Grandpa's smartphone. He finds it but mom sees this. She angrily takes it away from him because dad is banned from using smartphones. He is addicted to mobile games and could become the way he used to be. She definitely doesn't want that again! Father gets mad and says those days are over. But where has he been going every night for the last four days, if that’s...

Complain, ask for advice, give advice and express a plan & subjunctive II with sollte.

Paul is depressed and regrets that he couldn't be there for Grandpa in the end. His work is also not going well since he is out of ideas. When Laura hears that he uploaded his Sylt adventure today, she is a little too interested in the new blog post, especially since she already knows the whole story. His blog is now super popular, but that doesn't cheer him up: Grandpa would have loved to look for the painting. But now he and the...

Reproach, stroll down memory lane & subjunctive II with würde.

Paul is back in Munich, riding his bike to Grandpa's apartment. He has the book, but without the important page. His parents are already there. They're clearing all the rooms because he has died. That is why Paul’s mother was so strange on the phone when he was on Sylt. The call wasn't dropped due to bad reception - she hung up because she was crying. When Grandpa's condition got worse and she heard that Paul was on Sylt, she knew he couldn't come back that sam...

Accusations, reasons, excuses & subjunctive II with hätte.

At the party, Fritz hid the book under his sweater and took it away. That actually saved it from falling off the balcony, he says. When Paul upset everybody there was no chance to give it back secretly. And the option to admit that he was the one who had the book without losing his face was gone, too. So he handed the book over to the caretaker who's doing the lost-and-found for Paul's apartment building. But that was already 3 weeks ago. That's why he's so shocked that Paul d...

Get upset about someone, blow off steam, make excuses & order of dative and accusative in a sentence when both objects are personal pronouns.

Paul confronts Fritz, who does not apologize, but justifies his behavior instead: His new girl is Paul’s ex girlfriend, and he thought Paul would mind. So he didn't tell him. He blocked his facebook posts for all of his friends because it was supposed to be a surprise that he caught the Großkauf thieves, got the promotion, the vacation, and the holiday home. But he forgot that Meili is also on facebook and...

Travel vocabuary, neighborhood rules & order of dative and accusative in a sentence when one object is a personal pronoun.

Paul thinks about his situation: he doesn't get any unemployment benefits anymore because he’s now able to make a living as a freelancer. Fortunately, his laptop and cell phone survived yesterday's rain thanks to a plastic bag. He has already checked out of the hotel room. And he has been looking for Fritz for five hours today - with no success. He realizes that he has to give up the search. Unfortunately he will have to disappoint Gr...