Latest / Learn German with Fexingo / German at the Post Office - Briefmarke
Transcript
- Lucas: Hmm, Luna, have you ever sent a postcard from Germany? Luna: Oh, actually, I did once! But I had no idea what to say at the post office. I just pointed at a stamp and hoped for the best. Lucas: Right, that's exactly why today we're going to learn some phrases for the post office. It's a handy skill if you're traveling or living in Germany. Luna: Perfect! So what's the first thing I need to know? Lucas: Let's start with the word for stamp: die Briefmarke. Say it slowly with me: die Briefmarke. Luna: die Briefmarke. Lucas: Good. Now, if you want to buy a stamp, you can say: Ich möchte eine Briefmarke. That means 'I would like a stamp.' Luna: Ich möchte eine Briefmarke. Lucas: Exactly. And if you need a stamp for a letter, the word for letter is der Brief. So you could say: Ich möchte eine Briefmarke für einen Brief. Luna: Ich möchte eine Briefmarke für einen Brief. That's a bit long, but I think I can manage. Lucas: You can also just say 'einen Brief' to mean 'a letter'. Now, what about a package? That's das Paket. Luna: das Paket. So if I want to send a package, I'd say: Ich möchte eine Briefmarke für ein Paket? But that doesn't sound right, packages need more postage. Lucas: You're right. Usually you'd say: Ich möchte ein Paket schicken. That means 'I would like to send a package.' But you still need to ask for the price. So: Was kostet das? — 'How much does that cost?' Luna: Was kostet das? Simple enough. Lucas: Exactly. And when you want to send a letter somewhere, you say: einen Brief nach... schicken. For example, einen Brief nach Amerika schicken. Luna: einen Brief nach Amerika schicken. So the pattern is 'einen Brief nach schicken.' Lucas: Perfect. Now let's practice a little scene. You're at the post office in Berlin and you want to send a postcard to a friend in Italy. Luna: Okay, I'll try. Ich möchte eine Briefmarke für eine Postkarte nach Italien. Was kostet das? Lucas: Ah, you added 'Postkarte' — that's postcard. Good thinking. And the cashier would say: Das kostet 95 Cent. Then you'd say: Hier, bitte. Luna: Hier, bitte. 'Here, please.' Got it. Lucas: Let's do another. You need to send a package to your family in the US. Luna: Ich möchte ein Paket nach Amerika schicken. Was kostet das? Lucas: Sehr gut! And the answer might be: Das kostet 16 Euro. You can then say: Okay, ich nehme es. 'Okay, I'll take it.' Luna: Okay, ich nehme es. That's useful. Lucas: Now, let's review our key phrases. First: die Briefmarke. Luna: die Briefmarke. Lucas: der Brief. Luna: der Brief. Lucas: das Paket. Luna: das Paket. Lucas: Ich möchte eine Briefmarke. Luna: Ich möchte eine Briefmarke. Lucas: Was kostet das? Luna: Was kostet das? Lucas: And the full phrase: einen Brief nach... schicken. Luna: einen Brief nach... schicken. Lucas: You know, just like we learned at the train station last time with 'eine Fahrkarte nach...', it's the same structure. Luna: Oh, so it's like 'I want a ticket to...' becomes 'I want to send a letter to...' That makes sense. Lucas: Exactly. Okay, one more practice. Imagine you're at the post office and you want to ask for a stamp for a letter to Spain. Luna: Ich möchte eine Briefmarke für einen Brief nach Spanien. Was kostet das? Lucas: Perfekt! You've got it. Now, next time you're in Germany, you can handle the post office with confidence. Luna: I'm feeling pretty good about this. Thanks, Lucas! And hey, to our listeners, practice these phrases and you'll be ready. Thanks to Fexingo for making this possible. Lucas: Yes, keep practicing, and we'll see you next time. Tschüss! Luna: Tschüss!