Everyday Scenarios

Otti writes an opinion piece

The local paper has asked Otti for a commentary on whether libraries should open on Sundays, and he has five hundred words. Learn to state a clear thesis, to answer the counterarguments before your readers raise them and to be sharp without becoming polemical.

C1 22 words

Kalle and the trees of the city

On a hot August afternoon Kalle finds that it is eight degrees cooler under the old plane trees than in the car park next door. Learn to talk about the urban climate - sealed surfaces, heat islands, shade and greening - and about what a single tree does for a street.

C1 21 words

Emil learns to take criticism

A big customer has ended its contract with Emil's courier service, and the reasons in the email sting. Learn to take criticism without taking it personally - to reflect on yourself, to see a setback as a lesson and to ask for feedback that really helps.

C1 21 words

Lotte at a philosophy evening

Once a month a café by the lake asks a big question, and tonight it is whether you may lie to protect a friend. Learn to talk about ethics and morality, freedom and responsibility, and to think a dilemma through when there is no easy answer.

C1 22 words

Frau Hilde and the history of her building

Otti's building is more than a hundred years old, Frau Hilde has lived in it for sixty years, and now scaffolding is going up for a careful restoration. Learn to talk about architecture - the old building, the façade, the stucco, the listed building - and about what should change and what should stay.

C1 20 words

Otti and the subtleties of German

When Frau Hilde says that a dish is interesting, she does not always mean it kindly, and Otti has begun to hear the difference. Learn to talk about nuance, connotation, irony and undertone, and to understand what is said between the lines.

C1 22 words

Bruno's restaurant turns one

A year ago Bruno opened his restaurant with twenty seats, and tonight, after the last guest has gone, he goes through the numbers with his business partner. Learn to take stock of a year in business - turnover, fixed costs, staff, supply chains and bottlenecks - and to set prices that are fair to your guests and to you.

C1 22 words

Frida and the smart city

In a new quarter in Haselhorst the streetlights count bicycles and the bins report when they are full, and Frida, who rides through it every day, wants to know who sees the data. Learn to talk about infrastructure, networked mobility and data sovereignty, and to weigh convenience against privacy.

C1 21 words

Kalle and the drought in Brandenburg

For the third summer in a row hardly any rain has fallen, and the pine forests beyond Schmöckwitz are as dry as tinder. Learn to talk about drought - groundwater, forest fires, water shortage - and about what foresters and everyone else can do to prevent the worst.

C1 22 words

Emil starts a cooperative

Emil's courier service has grown, and now he wants it to belong to all the riders together, like the colourful houses of the garden city in Bohnsdorf, which have belonged to a cooperative for more than a hundred years. Learn to talk about a cooperative - members, shares, statutes, co-determination - and about sharing profits and decisions fairly.

C1 22 words

Lotte teaches a seminar

As part of her doctorate Lotte teaches her first seminar - twenty students on Tuesday mornings, some of them older than she is. Learn to talk about teaching - didactics, presentations, leading a discussion, grading - and about how to get a quiet room talking.

C1 21 words

The friends organise a charity run

Around the lakes of Kaulsdorf the friends are organising a run in which every kilometre brings in money for new books for the children's library. Learn to plan an event - sponsors, logistics, volunteers, the route - and to thank everyone who helps.

C1 22 words