How to Talk About Cars - Level Up Your Language Dates and Times - OWAD Business English Trainer
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OWAD
OWAD Business Trainer | January 2021
BUSINESS
English
ENGLISH TRAINER
January 2021
Level Up Your Language
How to Talk About Cars
GRAMMAR FOCUS NEW WORK
Dates and Covid-19 and The End of Open-
Times Unemployment Plan Offices?
02 Index OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
03 - 04 13 - 15 25 - 26
FOCUS LEVEL UP YOUR LANGUAGE AN AMERICAN VIEW
Covid-19 and Unemployment How to Talk About Cars The Name Game
05 - 06 16 - 17 27 - 28
ENGLISH AROUND THE WORLD ANNIVERSARIES THE LAST WORD
English in Ireland Martin Luther King Day How Dark Is Your Humour?
07 - 08 18 - 19 29 - 31
NEW WORK TROUBLESOME TELEPHONING
The End of Open-Plan Offices? TRANSLATIONS Bausteine & Dialoge
09 - 10 20 - 21 32 - 34
FABULOUS FOOD NEXT STOP, FRANKFURT EXERCISES & SOLUTIONS
English Indian Food Episode 13
11 - 12 22 - 24 35 - 40
NEWSWORTHY WORDS GRAMMAR VOKABELKARTEN
Dates and Times
03 Focus OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
Covid-19 and
Unemployment
_
How Is Germany Different from the USA?
_
04 Focus OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
Around the world, the massive im- During this process, they might
pact of Covid-19 has sent business lose their healthcare – and let’s not
owners and employees into a whirl- forget that getting hired again is
wind of critical decision-making. never a guarantee.
While every region was hit hard, Although the final amount of
fewer jobs disappeared in Europe weekly compensation paid out to
than in the US. But why? unemployed workers isn’t terrible
(it varies from state to state, with a
Kurzarbeit – known as ‘short time’ national average weekly payout of
or ‘short-term work’ in English- $378), the process can be brutal,
speaking regions – came to the lengthy, and uncertain.
rescue for many full-time, salaried
employees in Germany. Furloughing does exist in the US
(that is, the process of companies
It’s one of the country’s most temporarily suspending work for
unique unemployment insurance their employees), but often these
policies, and it came fully into the employees go without pay.
spotlight this year as governments
grappled with the fallout of the They may, however, keep their
pandemic. health employment benefits.
The US media covered Kurzarbeit Finally, while the US did introduce In this way, Germany sets a prime
more heavily than usual, due to its a Covid-specific unemployment example for the rest of the world.
attractive benefits in unprecedent- programme, the CARES Act, it
ed times. was slashed in July, and millions of Will other countries soon align their
unemployed Americans lost their unemployment benefit models
compensation of $600 per week. more closely to that of Germany?
Differences in approach
This means that many Americans are Perhaps time – and the pandemic –
When it comes to unemployment dealing with a high level of job uncer- will tell.
and lay-offs in Germany and the tainty at an already distressing time.
USA, there are plenty of stark dif-
ferences.
Long-term workforce impact Vocabulary Trainer
With German Kurzarbeit, for
example, employers temporarily In general, Germany affords much
· to come to the rescue zu Hilfe kommen
lay off their workers, who can still more protection to its unemployed
receive up to 67 per cent of their workforce, which likely gives it · salaried angestellt
current salary from the government. economic returns in the long run.
· in the spotlight im Rampenlicht
Similar amounts exist for the gen- After all, workers who are on Kur- · to grapple kämpfen
eral unemployment benefits in Ger- zarbeit have high hopes that they
· stark krass
many. can return to their jobs without
having to throw their hard-earned
This is in sharp contrast to unemploy- skills down the drain.
ment in the US, which affords fewer
long-term benefits and less protec- It’s a much more practical ap-
tion for workers: they get fired, they proach for the long-term health of
file for unemployment benefits, and a country’s economy.
they must look for a job.
05 English Around the World OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
English in Ireland
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Why English Is Spoken in Ireland and What It’s Like
_
06 English Around the World OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
The Emerald Isle – a wonderfully speaking English was seen as a way • grand – means ‘great’ and is the
green country known around the to escape poverty, as it allowed standard answer to the question
world for its traditional music, for its you to emigrate. Today, Irish is ‘How are you?’
Guinness, and for being the home taught in schools in the Republic • the guards – means ‘the police’
of St. Patrick’s Day. But there’s of Ireland, but English remains the and is the informal way of referring
much more to this island than that. most widely spoken language. to the Gardaí (official name for the
police)
• sure – used in a lot of different
Ireland’s official languages Accents and pronunciation Irish English phrases, such as ‘Ah,
sure look it!’ (a phrase that can be
The Republic of Ireland is a bilingual Irish English is really varied in terms used in many ways, such as to show
country. The first official language of accents and pronunciation. you agree with what someone just
is Irish. Today around 40 per cent of There are 32 different accents in said)
Irish people know how to speak the the country – a lot for a small is- • your man – means ‘some guy’,
language. The second official language land. The reason for this is that it such as ‘Your man at the bar just
is English, which is spoken by almost was historically a relatively poor told me a great joke!’
everyone. Today more English is country, so people did not travel • wean – means ‘child’ –
spoken in Ireland than Irish – but that much. This meant that local dia- pronounced ‘wayne’
wasn’t always the case. lects and accents remained quite • eejit – means ‘an idiot’, for
isolated. example: ‘What is that eejit doing?’
• craic – means ‘a good time’ or
A brief history Although there are so many ac- ‘good fun’ and is pronounced
cents, there are a few stereotypical ‘crack’ – ‘What’s the craic?’ means
The story of English in Ireland things that spring to mind when something like ‘What’s up?’ or
begins in the late 12th century one thinks of Irish English. One is ‘What’s going on’?
with the Norman invasion. Anglo- that the ‘th’ sound is said more like
Normans – who spoke Old English – ‘t’ – so ‘thing’ becomes ‘ting’. An- So, if you find yourself in Ireland
arrived in Ireland and started to other is that the final ‘t’ in a word any time soon, listen to the English
establish territories. Ireland fell is soft – so that a word like ‘eejit’ around you – and enjoy the craic!
under British rule and, over the (see below for meaning!) ends in a
years, more and more people much softer sound than you would
moved from England to Ireland. think from the spelling. Vocabulary Trainer
At first English was mostly spoken
around Dublin, in the east of the Major differences in accents can · to spread sich verbreiten
country, but over time its influence be heard if one compares the ac-
began to spread further west. cents of people from Northern · to be dealt a blow einen Schlag
and Southern Ireland. Northern versetzt bekommen
In the 17th century, Oliver Irish can be quite nasal sounding
· the Great Famine die Große
Cromwell invaded Ireland. He and very different from the softer
Hungersnot
killed and exiled many Irish people. sounds of the Western and South-
People were expected to speak western accents. · to spring to mind spontan in den Sinn
English and become more British kommen
in their ways. Then, in 1831, Irish
National Schools were introduced Irish English words
by the British government – but
Like any kind of English, Irish
teaching was only in English. Irish
English has many of its own words
was dealt another blow during the and phrases. Here are a few to
Great Famine of 1845–49, when listen out for:
07 New Work OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
The End of
Open-Plan Offices?
_
Will Open-Plan Offices Continue to Exist
in a Post-Pandemic World?
_
08 New Work OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
A demanding boss. Your loudly Companies could repurpose in- Only with proper distancing be-
sneezing co-worker. The revolving dustrial lofts or other buildings tween desks and adequate ven-
door of visitors at the front desk. that were never meant to be used tilation plans will open offices be
as offices. able to exist again, some experts
Offices with open plans – those in say.
which employees work alongside A new trend was born – or, should
each other in a large, open room we say, repackaged – for the mod- At the same time, other experts
without cubicles or individual of- ern tech era. argue that cubicles and small
fices – have been criticized heavily corners cause larger amounts of
since they began rising in popular- The problem is that the new plans pathogens to remain in one single
ity in the last decade. never quite resulted in the soaring area, increasing the chances of in-
communication and productivity fecting any visitors to that area.
While open-plan offices have their levels that many CEOs desire.
benefits – such as increased flexi- So what is the fate of the open-
bility for the growth of a company, plan office?
cost efficiency, and a more relaxed
environment – a 2018 study from What seems likely is that some
Harvard Business School found kind of middle ground will be
that they reduced face-to-face found once the pandemic slows.
employee interactions by 70 per
cent and increased messaging and We don’t anticipate that all busi-
emails by 50 per cent. Yikes. nesses will cast aside their open
office plans; some will likely resort
In a post-pandemic world, then, to updating them with better safe-
how much more efficient can ty protocols.
these offices really be when com-
pared to remote work? Either way, there will be a new way
of working – and the layout of the
The answer is yet to be seen, but office will come into conversation
many experts are calling for the more than ever before.
end of the open-office setup.
A repackaged trend
Vocabulary Trainer
Although open-plan offices have
existed since the 1940s, it was · to call for sth. nach etw. verlangen
Google who led the modern rise in Incompatible with Covid-19 · to reject sth. etw. gegenüber etw.
their popularity. in favour of sth. den Vorzug geben
Now that Covid-19 has swept the
The tech giant’s famous renova- globe, the open office is being · to repurpose umfunktionieren
tion of its headquarters in Moun- called into question yet again –
· soaring aufsteigend
tain View, California resulted in and perhaps with a more final
an impressively bright, expansive tone. Is this way of working totally · fate Schicksal
floor plan that rejected any dark dead?
· to cast aside verwerfen/beiseitelegen
and depressing corners in favour
of cheerful neighbourhood vibes. Many workers have expressed
anxiety about returning to the of-
Many startups wanted to be like fice, which is made worse by an
Google, and an open floor plan open floor plan and potentially
seemed to require less architec- catastrophic rates of exposure to
tural planning. the virus.
09 Fabulous Food OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
English Indian Food
_
England’s Love of Indian Food and Where It All Began
_
10 Fabulous Food OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
Curry houses are part of the fur- The first Indian restaurant national dish. Interestingly, no one
niture in England, and the nation’s is quite sure what the origins of
love of Indian food is no secret. The first Indian restaurant in England the dish are – some claim it was
But where did it all begin? And was opened by Sake Dean Mohamed, invented in Glasgow in Scotland,
why is Indian food so popular in a Bengali immigrant who emigrated whilst others maintain that its
the UK? Let’s take a look. to London. He lived in a part of roots are originally Indian.
the city that was popular among
colonial returnees and nabobs. He In 2016, the supermarket Sainsbury’s
The first English forays opened his Indian restaurant, called released data that claimed that, on
into Indian food the Hindoostane Dinner and Hooka average, a Brit will spend a whopping
Smoking Club, in 1810. £30,331 (around €33,885) on curry
In December 1600, Queen Eliza- during their lifetime! But today,
beth I issued a royal charter to a Not long after that, the restaurant people in the UK aren’t just eating
group of English merchants, au- failed and Mohamed went bank- well-known anglicized favourites like
thorizing them to trade in the In- rupt. In reality, he was a bit ahead chicken tikka masala.
dian subcontinent, then known of his time, as Indian food didn’t
as the East Indies, on behalf of become really popular in the UK More and more regionally specific
the crown. And so, the East India until the Victorian era. eateries are now springing up, such
Company was born, an entity that as restaurants specializing in Tamil/
would eventually enable England Around a century later, Indian South Indian food or Rajasthani
to colonize the Indian subconti- food started to grow in popular- dishes. Interest in experiencing
nent and dominate and effectively ity, and more Indian restaurants authentic cuisine is growing. Does
rule there for almost two centu- began to appear. The opening of this perhaps mean that common
ries. a restaurant called Veeraswamy in English phrases such as ‘Let’s go for
Piccadilly in 1926, by a retired An- a curry’ might one day be replaced
In the 18th century, many of these glo-Indian officer of the British In- with more region-specific and dish-
East India Company men – known dian Army, revolutionized the Indi- specific vocabulary?
as ‘nabobs’ – wanted to recreate an restaurant scene in London and
the flavours of Indian food when eating Indian food became fash- Who knows what the future of
they arrived back in the UK. Some ionable. In the 1970s, large num- curry in the UK is. Indian food has
brought their Indian cooks back bers of Bangladeshis arrived in the certainly come a long way since it
to the UK with them, but others UK. After that, the curry house in- was first introduced to the coun-
couldn’t afford to do that – so they dustry began to really take off. try and eating habits continue to
turned to the coffeehouses. change. But one thing seems sure:
the British people’s love of Indian
Curry was first seen on a menu Indian food in England today food is here to stay!
in England in 1733, at the Norris
Street Coffee House in Haymarket, Today Indian food remains
London. One of the first English incredibly popular in the UK, Vocabulary Trainer
cookbooks to include curry reci- where National Curry Week is
pes was Hannah Glasse’s The Art celebrated each October! But the · foray into sth. Ausflug in etw.
of Cookery – published in 1747! By word ‘curry’ is not a word used in · to go bankrupt in Konkurs gehen
1784, curry and rice were served India itself; it is a – some would
in some of London’s fashionable say colonial – British word used · retired pensioniert
Piccadilly restaurants. to describe spiced dishes that are · to maintain behaupten
Indian or South Asian in origin.
Back then, English curries were · whopping kolossal/riesengroß
not very spicy and often contained Perhaps the most well-known
more herbs than spices. By the Indian dish in the UK is the chicken
19th century, more spices – such tikka masala. In fact, this dish is so
as turmeric, cumin and ginger – beloved in the UK that it could
were used. almost be called an unofficial11 Newsworthy Words OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
Newsworthy
Words12 Newsworthy Words OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
Newsworthy Words
Here we take a brief look at interesting words and phrases that have appeared in the news
of late. Some have been around a while and are simply getting a lot of use at the moment,
while others are not officially words yet as far as the major dictionaries are concerned.
polar vortex furlough
a large-scale, low-pressure area of cold air surround- a temporary layoff from work
ing the North and South Poles
Furlough is a temporary leave of absence given to
A polar vortex is a wide expanse of swirling cold air. employees or soldiers. The word is sadly hitting the
In winter, the polar vortex at the North Pole expands, headlines a lot right now as companies lay off workers
sending cold air southwards, thereby triggering out- in a bid to cope with the repercussions of the global
breaks of cold temperatures in various countries. coronavirus pandemic and the related economic crisis.
If we’re lucky, we’re heading for another mild winter Furloughed staff are kept on the payroll, although they
this year due to a strong polar vortex that has now receive less or sometimes even no income. Many em-
emerged over the North Pole and which is locking the ployers hope that furloughing most of their staff will
brutally cold Arctic air in place there. cut costs, retain talent and potentially protect employ-
ees from redundancy.
The polar vortex is approaching record strength.
That’s not a scary thing (Washington Post) ‘Millions of jobs’ at risk as furlough lifeline nears end
(BBC News)
Aircraft spies gravity waves being sucked into Antarc-
tica’s polar vortex (Science Magazine) New lockdown will be ‘very challenging’ for furloughed
staff, minister concedes (The Guardian)
A weak polar vortex will usher in record cold air (CNN)
Busy law firms repay state furlough cash (Financial
Polar vortex returns about 19.1 million Google (.com) Times)
hits.
Furlough returns about 26 million Google (.com) hits.
German translation________________________________________ German translation________________________________________
The solutions are on page 34.13 Level Up Your Language OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
How to Talk About Cars
_
Key Vocab and Useful Phrases
_14 Level Up Your Language OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
Cars. Most of us have driven one. Many of us own one. But not all of us feel
comfortable talking about them in English. So let’s take a look at some of the
words and phrases you’ll need to know if you want to have a chat about cars.
Key words: an overview
Heckklappe Gangschaltung Windschutzscheibe
boot manual windscreen
Benzin Steuer Scheibenwischer
petrol steering wheel windscreen wiper
Lackierung Motorhaube
paintwork bonnet
Tankdeckel Bremse/Handbremse
fuel cap brake/handbrake
Radkappe Kupplung
hubcap clutch
Automatik Stoßstange Servolenkung
automatic bumper power steering
Talking about your car 1. What do you drive? a. I can usually do around 450 km
on a full tank.
So now you have some basic vo- 2. What kind of fuel does your car
cab under your belt, let’s take a take? b. I drive an Audi/a Volkswagen
look at a few questions that some- Polo/a Seat Leon.
one might ask you about your car. 3. What’s the range of your car?
c. No, an automatic – it’s so much
See if you can match the ques- 4. Was your car new or used when easier, especially in traffic!
tions to the correct answers. The you bought it?
solutions are on page 34. d. It was new – I don’t like the idea
5. Do you drive a manual? of a second-hand car.
e. Petrol./Diesel./It’s an electric
car, so I just have to charge it.15 Level Up Your Language OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
Useful phrases
Read the German words in the 6. Oh no, there’s a crack in my English and American English.
box. Then see if you can match windscreen!
each German word to the bold _______________________________ In British English, you either drive an
words in the English sentences automatic or a manual – but in the
below. 7. When’s your next MOT due? US, people say they drive an auto-
_______________________________ matic or a stick shift. You might also
The solutions are on page 34. hear phrases like ‘I drive stick’.
8. Will they do an emissions test
as part of the MOT? In the UK, you open the bonnet
_______________________________ if you want to take a look at your
Reifendruck car’s engine – but in the US you
Tankstelle 9. My car has alloy wheels – what open the hood. At the rear of the
Reifenwechsel about yours? car, Brits open the boot whereas
Inspektion _______________________________ Americans open the trunk.
Frostschutz
Alufelgen 10. I check the oil and cool- When you’re driving a car in the
Waschstraße ant levels in my car every week. UK and it starts to rain, you turn
Einparkhilfe ______________, ________________ on the windscreen wipers so that
Windschutzscheibe you can see through the wind-
TÜV-Termin 11. Don’t forget you can check screen better.
Abgassonderuntersuchung your tyre pressure at the petrol
Außenspiegel station. Across the pond, Americans turn
Sommer- und Winterreifen ______________, ________________ on their windshield wipers so that
Öl they can see through the wind-
Werkstatt 12. Seasonal tyre changes are shield.
a good idea – they make driving
much safer! And in the UK, you can check your
_______________________________ tyres at a petrol station.
1. My car needs to go in for a ser-
vice tomorrow. 13. Does this car come with Not in the US! There, you would
_______________________________ both summer and winter tyres? check your tires at a gas station.
_______________________________
2. The garage I take my car to is So there you have it – a whole
just around the corner. host of useful phrases to help you
_______________________________ out the next time you need to talk
about cars!
3. I really need to take my car
to the car wash – it’s filthy!
_______________________________
4. Luckily, the wing mirrors on
my car are electric – and heated! British English versus
_______________________________ American English
5. My dad’s car has parking sen- And finally, just to make sure you’re
sors, thank goodness – he’s a ter- as prepared as possible, let’s take a
rible driver! look at a couple of differences be-
_______________________________ tween talking about cars in British16 Anniversaries OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
Martin Luther King Day
_
America's Annual Civil Rights Holiday
_17 Anniversaries OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
Anniversaries
When speaking a foreign language, one of the most difficult things is initiating a conversa-
tion. Not only current events but also history can help you trigger a discussion. Anniversa-
ries can be a particularly engaging approach. With that in mind, this series will commemo-
rate an interesting historical event each month, giving you an ice-breaker and perhaps the
inspiration to search for more.
On 15 January 1929, one of the Ultimately, MLK Day became the movement. Many BLM activists
world’s most influential civil rights first holiday dedicated to a nation- and protestors link past civil rights
leaders, Martin Luther King Jr., al figure who was not a president protests to today’s fight to end
was born. and who was African-American. systemic racism and police brutal-
Some members of Congress found ity in the US.
Until his assassination in 1968, it difficult to accept that a holiday
King led a pivotal movement would recognize someone they Because Black History Month is
against racial inequality – specif- felt was a troublemaker, referring also celebrated in February, the
ically advocating for Black Amer- to the fact that King organized first quarter of each year is often
icans to be afforded basic civil marches and demonstrations to a time when civil rights messages
liberties such as the right to vote advance his cause. gain momentum.
and participate in a desegregated
society. Nevertheless, King’s widow, King’s work and teachings, cou-
Coretta Scott King, continued to pled with the messages of mod-
Nowadays, King is honoured on fight hard for the holiday, and in ern-day civil rights groups, have
Martin Luther King Day (MLK Day), 1983 President Ronald Reagan the potential to create an ampli-
which is observed as an American finally signed a bill for its com- fied message that could be heard
federal holiday on the third Mon- mencement in 1986. around the globe, and there’s no
day of January each year. more pivotal time for this to hap-
pen than in 2021.
It’s one of two National Days of What happens on MLK Day?
Service in the United States, along
with 11 September. This means For many Americans, Martin Lu-
that, on this day, volunteer groups ther King Day is a holiday free Vocabulary Trainer
around the country often organize from work or school obligations.
projects and events to advance Around 42 per cent of US busi-
· pivotal entscheidend
causes surrounding civil rights. nesses give their employees the
day off. · desegregated Gesellschaft in der die
society Rassentrennung
The long road to MLK Day Speeches, parades, and demonstra- aufgehoben ist
tions take place to remember King’s
It wasn’t until 1986 that the federal legacy and how it impacts the world · to be dedicated jdm. geweiht sein
government recognized Martin Lu- today. Around 500 US national to sb.
ther King Day as an official holiday. parks offer free admission – just one
· troublemaker Unruhestifter
That’s a full 20 years after the idea of four days during the year when
was first introduced in Congress. this happens. · renewed erneut
· to gain in Schwung kommen
Even then, not all states recog- Despite this, only a small percent-
momentum
nized the holiday; South Carolina age of Americans spend this day in
became the last state to do so in service or reflection of the cause.
2000. Strangely enough, Missis-
sippi and Alabama even celebrate Perhaps this is changing, how-
the birthday of Robert E. Lee – ever, as Martin Luther King Day
the Confederate general – on the takes on a renewed importance
same day! with the Black Lives Matter (BLM)18 Troublesome Translations OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
Troublesome
Translations
For native German speakers, finding the right translation, from German to English or vice
versa, can sometimes be a challenge. Here are some examples to help you figure out how to
say certain words. And to make sure you keep yourself out of trouble.
Many or much? Fewer or less?
There are many examples of people confusing many In the same way, it’s easy to mix up fewer and less.
with much.
Fewer is used for countable nouns and less is used for
Much precedes uncountable nouns – if you can’t make uncountable nouns. For example, if there were fewer
the noun plural, then it’s an uncountable noun. Much cars in the world then there would be less pollution.
also indicates a large quantity and can normally be re-
placed by ‘some’ or ‘a lot of’. For example, ‘Is there 1. I wish you would turn off the light, so we could use
much food in the fridge?’ _____ electricity. (Ich wünschte, Sie würden das Licht
ausschalten, damit wir weniger Strom verbrauchen
Many precedes countable nouns – if a number can könnten.)
come before the noun, then the noun is countable. It
can be replaced by ‘a lot of’ or ‘several’. For example, 2. This car park is too crowded. I wish there were
‘There are many snacks in the fridge.’ ______ cars. (Dieser Parkplatz ist zu voll. Ich wünschte,
es gäbe weniger Autos.)
1. I don’t have _____ time, and you don’t have ______
money. (Ich habe nicht viel Zeit und du hast nicht viel 3. There are now _____ than five children living in my
Geld.) house, so there is _____ noise than before. (In meinem
Wohnhaus leben jetzt weniger als fünf Kinder, sodass
2. We have _______ friends, in ______ different coun- weniger Lärm herrscht als früher.)
tries all over the world. (Wir haben viele Freunde in
vielen verschiedenen Ländern auf der ganzen Welt.) 4. I have _____ pairs of shoes than I used to have but
more clothes so there is still _____ room in my ward-
3. How _____ did you pay for that car? It looks top of robe. (Ich habe weniger Paar Schuhe als früher, aber
the range. (Wie viel hast du für das Auto bezahlt? Es mehr Kleidung, sodass in meinem Kleiderschrank im-
sieht erstklassig aus.) mer noch weniger Platz ist.)
4. There are almost as ______ Americans here as there
are in California. (Es gibt hier fast so viele Amerikaner
wie in Kalifornien.) The solutions are on page 34.19 Troublesome Translations OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
WHOOPS! DID I JUST SAY THAT?
However hard you try, carrying out an English conversation can sometimes be a bit tricky. With a little practice though,
you can easily impress friends and colleagues. Below is an example of ‘how not to say it’ and ‘how to say it’. In many in-
stances, it’s not about whether something is grammatically correct. Rather, it simply comes down to how native speakers
express themselves. And it often involves very nuanced differences that will help you sound professional.
In the dialogue below, Katia has just started a new job at a new company and is meeting her team manager,
Martin, and other team members for a meal after work.
Wrong! Right!
M: Thanks for coming along this evening, Katia. M: Thanks for coming along this evening, Katia.
I saw it as a good opportunity for you to get to I saw it as a good opportunity for you to get to
know the other members of your new team. Did know the other members of your new team. Did
you find the restaurant OK? you find the restaurant OK?
K: I’m still having trouble to use the underground K: I’m still having trouble using the underground
and getting to know the city so I got lost at first. and getting to know the city so I got lost at first.
With luck, I took a decision to leave home early Luckily, I made the decision to leave home early
tonight so I still got here in time at 18.30 p.m. tonight so I still got here on time at six thirty.
M: Tell us a little bit more about yourself, Katia. For M: Tell us a little bit more about yourself, Katia.
instance, what are your hobbies? For instance, what are your hobbies?
K: Actually, I’m interested to find a new hobby. K: Actually, I’m interested in finding a new hobby.
In late times, I’ve just been working all the time. Lately, I’ve just been working all the time. That’s
That’s why I considered in taking a new job. why I considered taking a new job.
M: Well, welcome to the team! We’re glad to have M: Well, welcome to the team! We’re glad to have
you onboard. Tell us more about your new respon- you. Tell us more about your new responsibilities?
sibilities?
K: Basically, I have to take care of our company
K: Basically, I have to take care about our company finances and balance the books.
finances and balance the books.
M: Excellent, that sounds like just what we need.
M: Excellent, that sounds like just what we need. We look forward to working with you!
We look forward to working with you!20 Next Stop, Frankfurt OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
Next Stop,
Frankfurt
EPISODE 13
Happy New Year!
This is the ongoing story of Jenny Wilson, a 31-year-old project manager from
England who has decided to relocate to Germany. In this episode Jenny cele-
brates New Year’s Eve in Germany.
‘Surprise!’ ‘I cannot believe I’ve never had ra-
clette before!’ exclaimed Jenny, as
Jenny opened her eyes and looked she set about loading up her next
around her living room. It was all little raclette pan. ‘It’s delicious!’
set up ready for a dinner party, it
seemed. ‘Welcome to German New Year’s
Eve!’ said Lena, laughing. ‘Next
Six places were set at the table, Seb, a busy bee by nature, had stop: Bleigiessen!’
and what she vaguely recognized clearly been working hard.
as a raclette set stood in the mid- ‘Well actually, we’ll be doing it
dle. ‘Oh Seb, what a fantastic idea! with wax,’ Seb explained, taking
Thank you so much!’ another slice of cheese and deli-
She looked at Seb questioningly. cately laying it on top of the veg-
‘You’re welcome. It’s going to be etables in his pan. ‘Real Bleigiessen
‘We’re throwing a New Year’s Eve fun – your first ever German New has been banned since 2018, you
party for our friends tonight – but Year’s Eve!’ know!’
I wanted to surprise you, so you
wouldn’t have to worry about ‘Can’t wait!’ Jenny replied, with a grin. ‘I haven’t got the foggiest idea
planning it. I figured you’d be pret- what you guys are talking about!’
ty tired after your late flight last Jenny exclaimed, looking from Seb
night – so everything’s ready to Ready for raclette to Lena and back again.
go! Lena helped me.’
A good few hours later, Jenny and ‘It’s an old German tradition to
Jenny shook her head in disbelief. Sebastian were sat around the table melt little pieces of lead on New
She had got back from the UK really with Jenny’s work friends Mateo Year’s Eve, drop them into ice-cold
late last night, and she’d spent most and Monique, as well as her flat- water, and see what shapes they
of the morning snoozing in bed. mate Lena and her boyfriend Jens. create. It’s kind of a way of telling
the future!’ Lena exclaimed.21 Next Stop, Frankfurt OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
‘Right,’ Sebastian added. ‘But melt- hands with the people either Seb, excited to be bringing in a
ing lead is not exactly good for side of them. Then, when the new year in Germany for the first
your health – so we’ll be doing it clock strikes 12, we start to sing time and wondering what the year
with wax instead!’ Auld Lang Syne – although half would bring.
the time, people don’t know all
‘Oh, I see!’ said Jenny, grinning. the words! As you sing, you walk
‘Sounds fun!’ towards the middle of the circle
and then back out again. And you
all kind of shake your hands up Interesting idioms
Punch all round and down at the same time. Then
at the end you all wish each oth- to be a busy bee – someone
‘More punch?’ Jenny asked a while er ‘Happy New Year’ and hug and who is always busy and in-
later, dipping the ladle into the kiss.’ dustrious and likes enjoying
big bowl and looking expectantly doing lots of things
around the room. ‘Anyone for ‘That sounds … very British!’ said
more Bowle from the bowl?’ She Lena, grinning. not to have the foggiest
chuckled at her own little language idea – to not understand
joke and proceeded to top up ‘It’s fun!’ Jenny replied. ‘Although something at all or have
everyone’s glasses. I have to say that German New no idea whatsoever about
Year’s Eve is turning out to be something
‘So how will people be celebrating pretty great too!’
in the UK tonight, Jen?’ asked Mo- to cost an arm and a leg – to
nique, swirling the colourful punch be incredibly expensive
around in her glass before taking a Firework fun
delicate sip. with bated breath – in an
At five to midnight, they all made excited, eager or anxious
‘Well, I don’t think we have as their way out onto the balcony, way
many traditions as the Germans glasses of champagne in hand.
do,’ Jenny began. ‘No melting of Jenny waited with bated breath
lead, no New Year’s Eve punch. to see what would happen at
Some people go to house parties, midnight. She had heard stories Amy Koerner is a freelance writer,
or to pubs – they’ll often put on of how crazy the Germans were editor and proofreader originally
special New Year’s Eve parties, but about setting off fireworks on New from the UK but now based in
the tickets for those events often Year’s Eve – not something that Frankfurt am Main.
cost an arm and a leg.’ was anywhere near as popular in
the UK – and she was looking for-
‘What about food?’ asked Mateo, ward to the pyrotechnic display.
gesturing to the table. ‘Is there Vocabulary Trainer
anything traditional?’ And she didn’t have long to wait.
As the clock struck midnight, they
· to set about sich daranmachen,
‘No, not really,’ Jenny replied. ‘I all clinked glasses and wished each
doing sth. etw. zu tun
think the biggest tradition is prob- other ‘Frohes neues Jahr!’ and
ably singing Auld Lang Syne.’ watched as the sky lit up with fire- · to proceed to do sth. sich anschicken,
works. A few people were setting etw. zu tun
‘Oh right, you told me about that,’ them off down on the street below,
Seb began. ‘Don’t you sing it in the and there were lots coming from · to clink glasses die Gläser klingen
street or something?’ along the river. Church bells were lassen
sounding all across the city, and the
‘Exactly! We usually go outside combination of that and the sights
around ten to midnight with a and sounds of the fireworks made
glass of bubbles in hand, and for a breathtaking display.
then we form a circle. Everyone
crosses their arms and holds Jenny stood with her arm around22 Grammar OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
Dates and Times
_
Top Tips to Help You Get Them Right, Every Time
_23 Grammar OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
We plan to meet on the 18th. the context, you need to use a.m.
The punctuation of and p.m. to differentiate between
In this case, the th, rd, or nd should
dates and times often be superscript, like in the example morning and evening. Also, a.m.
above. and p.m. are always lowercase,
leads to confusion. There always use two full stops, and
always have a space in front of
are differences between When expressing dates in numeric them.
format, the solidus (forward slash)
English and German, and is used:
further differences be-
tween British and Amer- 26/01/2021 Tip
ican English. The fact Once again, British English requires A round hour time may be
expressed without the full
that both are used on the ordering DD/MM/YYYY (ex-
stop and zeros: 4 p.m
tended format, e.g. 26/01/2021)
the Internet, and often or DD/MM/YY (short format,
even mixed, can leave e.g. 26/01/21). American Eng-
lish requires MM/DD/YYYY (e.g.
even native speakers 01/26/2021) or MM/DD/YY (e.g.
The video conference will be held at
7.15 a.m. on Tuesday.
perplexed. Here are the 01/26/21).
rules to use. To express context, instead of
If you use the numeric format, you
risk not being properly understood. using a.m. and p.m., use:
For example:
The date in the morning/afternoon/evening/night
The meeting will take place on
5/12/2021. If you are being less formal, it is
In British English, the standard
traditional to express the time of
date format in business is DD day in words and stick to whole
Here it is not clear whether the
Month YYYY: meaning is 5 December or 12 May. hours or fractions of an hour. For
Even if you correspond with a firm whole hours, o’clock is less often
22 January 2021 in the UK, the date is not safe. used. When using o’clock, the hour
Many Americans work in the UK. should be written with a word,
There is no internal punctuation, not a number, and the o is always
and the month is always spelled lowercase (except at the beginning
The right thing to do is to avoid of a sentence):
out in full. this format altogether in emails
and letters. Stick to DD Month
Note that the format in North YYYY, as this will be understood in See you at eight o’clock.
America is different. There, the North America as well.
month comes first and there is O’clock is not used with a.m. and
always a comma before the year: p.m., and it is never used for times
The time that are not round hour times.
January 22, 2021
In British English, the time is
It is acceptable in both dialects expressed with a full stop: Fractions of an hour
to leave the year out, but the
remaining ordering of information 8.30 Half is used to mean thirty minutes,
must remain the same. If the day quarter for fifteen minutes.
name is used, it is placed before
the date and followed by a comma: America and Scandinavia always
use a colon instead of a full stop. Could you call me at four?
Friday, 22 January 2021 Internet English, for the most part,
Friday, January 22, 2021 does the same. Our appointment is at three o’clock.
The only time to use th, rd, and nd As a general rule, time is never Meet me for lunch at a quarter to four.
after the date is when the date is expressed in 24-hour format
used alone: accept in military correspondence We got there at half past three.
and documentation. This means
that unless the time is clear from24 Grammar OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
Important!
When using phrases like a
quarter to three, do not use
hyphens. A is often used
before quarter (although in
informal situations it doesn’t
have to be), but it is never
used before half. So the
following sentences are all
correct:
Meet me at a quarter past
three.
Meet me at quarter to three.
Meet me at half past three. I arrived at a quarter past six 12.45 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time
yesterday evening. Three o’clock Eastern Standard Time
3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time
I’ll arrive at 7 tomorrow morning.
Their abbreviations are likewise
capitalized:
Punctuality and clarity
Warning To underscore that you will be 12.45 p.m. GMT
punctual, you can use sharp or on
Sometimes the British use the dot: 3 p.m. EDST
the expression half without
any additional words: I’ll I’ll arrive at 7 tomorrow morning on Typically, if the time is spelled
meet you at half three. Unlike the dot. out in words, the time zone
in German, the meaning of should be spelled out as well, not
this construct is past. The The meeting will start at 8.30 sharp, abbreviated.
meaning of the above is so don’t be late.
thus: Note that in American English, the
Some speakers aren’t clear that time zones are often not capitalized
I’ll meet you at 3.30. 12 a.m. is midnight and 12 p.m. when they are spelled out.
is noon. It’s an easy mistake to
Avoid using this way of make. If you’re referring to one
expressing time in business of these times, it’s a good idea to
correspondence as it will add the word midnight or noon to Tip
underscore your meaning. In this
confuse people from many case, leave out the a.m. or p.m.: Unlike in German, the seasons
parts of the world, especially
in English are not capitalized:
North Americans and even I arrived at 12 noon.
some Britons. Always use spring, autumn, fall, winter,
past to ensure maximum summer
clarity:
Time zones Note that British people
Let’s meet at half past 4. would say autumn whilst
Time zones, which are always
placed after the time, are always North Americans would say
capitalized when spelled out: fall.25 An American View OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
The Name Game
_
Not Everyone Is Named Smith
_26 An American View OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
Daniel Hawpe is a freelance translator and copywriter and
an editor for OBET. The US native has lived and worked in
Germany for more than 25 years.
Hopping mad populations in the world, the days guez and Martinez round out the
when a teacher could breeze top ten.
If I had ten cents for every time I through the morning roll call by
had to tell someone how to pro- merely sounding a few Smiths, Names also got altered during the
nounce my name, I would have al- Johnsons, Millers, and Jones are a great European immigration rush
ready surpassed Jeff Bezos as the thing of the past. Now they have that took place in the 18th and 19th
richest person on the planet. Or is to figure out how to pronounce centuries. This was because immi-
it Bill Gates? tongue-twisters like Nguyen, Rau- gration officers often misheard the
takallio, Tjarnqvist, Mukherjee, or name or failed to write down the
My general practitioner’s office Czyżewska. proper spelling.
has an automated, AI-based sys-
tem that calls out the patients’ But because many immigrant DNA testing traced my father’s side
names over an intercom and tells families have been living there of the family back to Switzerland
you which examination room to for several generations, some be- and the name ‘Haab’, for instance.
go to. Being a German-language stow ‘normal’ first names on their It’s not hard to imagine that the
system, of course it assumes the children. The effect is that teach- immigration authorities simply
‘w’ is pronounced like a ‘w’ in Ger- ers have pupils with names like transposed some letters when
man, meaning with the English ‘v’ Amy Nguyen, Mark Rautakallio, or the original Mr Haab entered the
sound, like in valley. Kathleen Czyżewska. country.
For emphasis, it then adds the That makes things a bit easier for But as the Great Bard William
‘pe’ at the end. So phonetically it the teacher since they are on a Shakespeare said, ‘A rose by any
sounds like this: ‘Herr Hav-peh, first-name basis with their pupils other name spells as sweet ...’
bitte ins Zimmer zwei.’ Like I tell at anyway. The challenge is conduct-
least five people a day, you have ing a phone conversation or face-
to imagine that the ‘e’ is missing. to-face meeting with a parent,
When pronounced, my name then which can require several minutes
sounds something akin to ‘hop’. practicing how to pronounce the Vocabulary Trainer
surname so as to avoid an embar-
I caught a lot of ribbing from rassing gaffe. · akin ähnlich
school classmates, with constant · ribbing Neckerei
references to ‘hopping’ bunny rab-
bits or mean-spirited comments Our European roots · roll call Namensaufruf
like ‘So why don’t you just hop · tongue-twister Zungenbrecher
along?’ Despite the proliferation of
non-English-sounding names, data · gaffe Fauxpas
That would make me ‘hopping from the US Census Bureau still · proliferation starke Zunahme/
mad’ sometimes ... illustrates our heavy English, Irish, Ausbreitung
and Scottish heritage. According
to the census carried out in 2010, · to trace sth. back zurückverfolgen
Tongue-twister the five most common surnames,
· to transpose vertauschen
ranked in order, were Smith, John-
At least I have the benefit of hav- son, Williams, Brown, and Jones.
ing a one-syllable surname, like
Smith. Other people in the US In another indication of the coun-
don’t have it so easy. try’s ethnic make-up, Garcia was
listed as the 6th most common, fol-
With one of the largest immigrant lowed by Miller and Davis. Rodri-27 The Last Word OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
How Dark
Is Your Humour?
_
Gallows Humour and Ironic Jokes –
Something to Laugh At?
_28 The Last Word OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
Want to learn a new
English word every day?
If so, check out:
www.owad.de
At his public execution, the mur- boiling oil, burning pitch, wax, and Bright Side of Life’ was the third
derer William Palmer is said to sulphur, then being dismembered most popular song Britons would
have looked at the trapdoor on the by four horses, burnt to ashes, and like played at their funerals. By
gallows and asked the hangman, scattered in the wind. 2014, it was the most popular.
‘Are you sure it’s safe?’
If you feel a twinge of guilt about
Another murderer, James French, finding bad things funny, take con-
shortly before his death by electric solation from a recent study pub-
chair, said to curious journalists: ‘How’s lished in the Journal of Cognitive
this for a headline? “French Fries.”’ Processing entitled ‘Cognitive and
emotional demands of black hu-
Are you in some way amused by mour processing: the role of intelli-
these examples of ‘gallows hu- gence, aggressiveness and mood’ –
mour’, or does your dark go in a it concluded that ‘people with dark
different direction? humour may have higher IQs, show
lower aggression, and resist negative
Curious readers can check out feelings more effectively than peo-
their humour style online at: http:// ple who turn up their noses at it’.
www.humorstyles.com/
Paul Smith
The sense of humour is a natural hu- After hearing the gruesome sen-
man instinct found in different cul- tence, Damiens is reported to P.S. If you have any comments or
tures throughout recorded history. have replied: ‘Well, it’s going to be questions about this article, just
a tough day.’ drop me a line at: paul@smith.de.
For example, in ancient Rome, I’m always happy to hear from you.
Saint Lawrence was executed by When the destroyer HMS Shef-
being roasted on a gridiron over field was struck by an Exocet
red-hot coals. cruise missile on 4 May 1982 in Vocabulary Trainer
the Falklands War, her crew sang
After the martyr had suffered the immensely popular Monty
· gallows Galgen
great pain for a long time, the leg- Python song ‘Always Look on the
end concludes with him cheerfully Bright Side of Life’ while waiting to · to conclude enden
declaring: ‘I’m well done. Turn me be rescued from their sinking ship,
· to sentence bestrafen
over!’ with the line from the song ‘Worse
things happen at sea, you know’ · molten geschmolzen
This is how St. Lawrence became being especially ironic.
· to surmount überwinden
the patron saint of cooks, chefs,
and comedians. Can dark humour have a deep · twinge of guilt Anflug eines schlechten
meaning? Professor and writ- Gewissens
Robert-François Damiens, a er Wylie Sypher once said, ‘To
· entitled mit dem Titel
Frenchman who attempted to be able to laugh at evil and er-
assassinate King Louis XV, was ror means we have surmounted
sentenced on 26 March 1757 to a them’, and this also seems to apply
most horrible execution involving to our fear of death.
having his skin ripped off at the
breast, arms, and legs, having his In 2005, a survey by Music Choice
right arm burnt with molten lead, showed that ‘Always Look on theOWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021 Telephoning 29 Bausteine & Dialoge Liebe Obet-Leser, wenn ich die Teilnehmer meiner Seminare ge- fragt habe, was ihnen im Englischen am meisten Probleme bereitet, so war die Antwort in den meisten Fällen: Telefonieren. Dies erstaunt nicht, da es einfach ungemein schwieriger ist, sich mit jemandem zu unterhalten, dessen Mi- mik und Gestik man nicht sieht. Für die kommenden Ausgaben unseres OWAD Business English Trainers habe ich solche Si- tuationen identifiziert, die im Geschäftsleben immer wiederkehren. Für diese Situationen habe ich Textbausteine geschaffen, die Sie je nach Ihrem Sprachvermögen einsetzen kön- nen. Verbunden mit realen Dialogen, wie man sie rund um den Globus jeden Tag millionen- fach hört. Zunächst beschreiben wir Ihnen stets eine Mein Ziel ist es, dass Sie britische und amerikanische Telefon-Situation, wie sie häufig in Ihrem Job Native-Speaker besser verstehen und Ihrem eigenen vorkommen wird. Bei den Bausteinen zei- Englisch mehr Präzision, Tiefe und Stil verleihen. Mit die- gen wir Ihnen dann als Erstes, wie Sie diese sem Wissen ist Ihnen nicht nur die Anerkennung Ihrer Situation am Telefon mit einem Basiswissen Gesprächspartner sicher, vielmehr erreicht Ihr Englisch meistern können. Wir erläutern Ihnen aber ein neues Niveau an Professionalität und Authentizität. auch, wie ein Advanced-Speaker und darüber hinaus ein Insider diesen Satz-Baustein for- mulieren würde. Ich wünsche Ihnen viel Erfolg und Die Insider’s Formulierung dieser Situation vor allem Spaß! greifen wir dann in den Dialogen wieder auf und setzen sie in einen Kontext. Nehmen Sie an, Ihr Ihr Gegenüber wäre ein Native-Speaker, Sie selbst Paul Smith verwenden die Bausteine des Insider’s. Neben den aufgeführten Dialogen finden Sie an der Seite immer den Hinweis darauf, welcher Part von Ihnen gelernt werden sollte. Diesen haben wir mit einem „You“ gekennzeichnet.
30 Bausteine und Dialoge OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
Organizing Organisieren
OFFERING TO EMAIL DIRECTIONS – ANBIETEN, PER E-MAIL EINE
HOW TO FIND US WEGBESCHREIBUNG ZU SENDEN
Components Bausteine
Would you like me to email you Möchten Sie, dass ich Ihnen per
instructions on how to find our E-Mail eine Wegbeschreibung zu
office? unserem Büro sende?
Basic Basic
Level Level
Do you know how to find us? I’d Wissen Sie, wie Sie zu uns kommen?
Advanced be happy to send you an email Advanced Ich kann Ihnen gerne eine E-Mail mit
Level with directions to our office. Level der Wegbeschreibung schicken.
Our office is in an old part of Unser Büro liegt in der Altstadt
town and can be quite hard to und ist nicht so einfach zu finden.
Insider’s find. The streets around here are Insider’s Die umliegenden Straßen sind ein
Level an impossible jumble. Should I Level unmöglicher Wirrwarr. Soll ich
email you a document containing Ihnen per E-Mail ein Dokument mit
directions on how to get here? der Wegbeschreibung schicken?
Dialogue Dialog
Hello, this is Andreas at SoftSolu- Hallo, hier ist Andreas von SoftSolutions.
tions. I’d like to confirm my meeting Ich möchte gern meinen heutigen Termin
mit Jay Humboldt bestätigen. Können
with Jay Humboldt today. Can you
Sie ihm ausrichten, dass ich zur verabre-
let him know I’ll be there as planned? Andreas deten Zeit da sein werde? Andreas
Of course. Have you been here Natürlich. Waren Sie schon einmal
before? Our office is in an old part bei uns? Unser Büro liegt in der
of town and can be quite hard to Altstadt und ist nicht so einfach zu
You find. The streets around here are finden. Die umliegenden Straßen
an impossible jumble. Should I You sind ein unmögliches Wirrwarr. Soll
email you a document containing ich Ihnen per E-Mail ein Dokument
directions on how to get here? mit der Wegbeschreibung schicken?
Thanks, but that won’t be necessary. Danke, aber das wird nicht nötig sein.
I visited Jay a few times last year and Ich habe Jay letztes Jahr ein paarmal
know how to get there. besucht und weiß, wie ich zu Ihnen
Andreas komme. Andreas31 Bausteine und Dialoge OWAD Business English Trainer | January 2021
Organizing Organisieren
ASKING TO BE PICKED UP FROM A BITTEN, VOM BAHNHOF ABGEHOLT
TRAIN STATION ZU WERDEN
Components Bausteine
Could you pick me up from the Könnten Sie mich um 14:15 Uhr
main train station at 2:15? vom Hauptbahnhof abholen?
Basic Basic
Level Level
I should be at the main train sta- Ich müsste um 14:15 Uhr am
Advanced tion at 2:15. Would you be able Advanced Hauptbahnhof sein. Wäre es Ihnen
Level to collect me? Level möglich, mich abzuholen?
My train’s scheduled to arrive at Mein Zug sollte planmäßig um 14:15
the main station at 2:15. Since Uhr am Hauptbahnhof ankommen.
Insider’s we’ve already planned to drive to Insider’s Da wir ja schon verabredet haben,
Level the customer together, maybe you Level gemeinsam zum Kunden zu fahren,
could save me a trip to the office and könnten Sie mir vielleicht den Weg
ins Büro vorher ersparen und mich
swing by to collect me on the way?
auf dem Weg abholen?
Dialogue Dialog
Good morning, Berndt. I’m just pol- Guten Morgen, Berndt. Ich gebe gerade
ishing the slides for our presentation den Folien für unsere Präsentation heute
Nachmittag den letzten Schliff. Wann
this afternoon. When will you be
kommen Sie an?
arriving? Andreas Andreas
My train’s scheduled to arrive at Mein Zug sollte planmäßig um 14:15
the main station at 2:15. Since Uhr am Hauptbahnhof ankommen.
we’ve already planned to drive to Da wir ja schon verabredet haben,
You the customer together, maybe you gemeinsam zum Kunden zu fahren,
could save me a trip to the office You könnten Sie mir vielleicht den Weg
and swing by to collect me on the ins Büro vorher ersparen und mich
way? auf dem Weg abholen?
No problem, I was hoping it would Kein Problem, ich hatte schon gehofft,
work that way. Wait at the east en- dass wir es so machen können. Warten
trance, I’ll hook up with you there. Sie am Ostausgang, ich treffe Sie dann
Andreas dort. AndreasYou can also read
