Everyday Scenarios

Emil spends a weekend offline

Emil looks at his phone two hundred times a day, so Kalle takes him to a cabin by a lake without Wi-Fi. Learn to talk about screen time, habits and dependence, and about what you notice when everything goes quiet.

B2 23 words

Frida and the traffic in Berlin

On her way to work Frida has to squeeze past parked cars, while Bruno, who drives a van to the market, complains about the new bike lanes. Learn to talk about traffic in a city - bike lanes, exhaust fumes, car-free streets - and to weigh different needs fairly.

B2 22 words

Lotte looks for fair fashion

A T-shirt for four euros makes Lotte wonder who sewed it and for how much. Learn to talk about consumption and production - working conditions, materials, labels - and about buying less but better.

B2 23 words

Otti feels at home in Berlin

Two years ago Otti came to Berlin with one suitcase and not a word of German. Now he walks around the lake in Weißensee and notices that he no longer feels like a stranger. Learn to talk about home and roots, homesickness and belonging, and about how a place becomes yours.

B2 23 words

Should Otti move to Hamburg?

Otti has a job offer in Hamburg, and the friends sit together and weigh up everything - the salary, the sea, the rent and the people he would leave behind. Learn to argue for and against, to weigh consequences and to give a friend honest advice.

B2 21 words

Frida saves for later

Frida has turned thirty and wonders what will be left of her money in twenty years. Learn to talk about saving and investing - interest, shares, inflation, risk - and about how much security you need.

B2 20 words

Bruno saves food from the bin

At the end of a market day Bruno sees crates of good vegetables going into the bin, and he starts collecting them for a shared fridge in the neighbourhood. Learn to talk about food waste - best-before dates, leftovers, sharing - and about what you can still cook from it.

B2 22 words

Emil starts a podcast

Emil knows every street in Berlin and the story behind it, so he starts a podcast about them. Learn to talk about making a podcast - recording, guests, interviews, listeners - and to ask good questions.

B2 23 words

Otti takes the B2 exam

A year after B1 Otti sits the B2 exam - a text about work, an essay, a discussion with a stranger. Learn the words of a demanding exam and of good arguments, and celebrate with Otti what he has achieved.

B2 21 words

Otti leads a project

Otti's company is building an app for Berlin's libraries, and for the first time Otti leads the project - eight people, six months, one deadline. Learn to plan milestones, to delegate tasks, to keep an eye on the schedule and the risks and to stay calm when something is delayed.

C1 22 words

Lotte applies for a doctorate

Lotte's thesis on the trees in Berlin's parks raised more questions than it answered, and now she wants to spend three more years on them. Learn to write a research proposal - the research question, the method, the state of research - and to apply for a scholarship.

C1 23 words

Frida negotiates with a client

A hotel chain wants bread from Frida's bakery for its twelve hotels, but at a price that would leave nothing over. Learn to negotiate terms - prices, quantities, delivery dates - to know your room to manoeuvre and to make a concession without giving everything away.

C1 23 words