Latest / Learn German with Fexingo / German Time Phrases - Bald and Später
Transcript
- Lucas: Hey Luna, ready for another tiny German lesson? Luna: Absolutely. I've been practicing those question words from last time. Wer ist das? Was ist das? Lucas: Perfect. You're nailing those. Today we're going to talk about time expressions. Specifically, two little words that make a big difference: bald and später. Luna: Bald and später. I think I've heard those. What do they mean? Lucas: Bald means soon, and später means later. Let's start with bald. Say it with me: bald. Luna: bald. Lucas: Great. Now, a common phrase is 'Bis bald!' which means 'See you soon!' Luna: Bis bald! Lucas: Perfect. You can use that when you're leaving a friend. Like, 'Ich gehe jetzt. Bis bald!' Luna: So I could say that to my friend when we're going to the movies later. Lucas: Exactly. Now, let's try später. Repeat after me: später. Luna: später. That sounds a bit tricky. Später. Lucas: You've got it. Now, a useful sentence: 'Ich komme später.' That means 'I'll come later.' Luna: Ich komme später. Good. So if I'm running late, I can text that. Lucas: Exactly. And one more: 'Das machen wir später.' That's 'We'll do that later.' Luna: Das machen wir später. That's handy for putting things off. Lucas: You bet. Now, let's practice a little scene. Imagine I'm your neighbor and I say, 'Ich gehe jetzt. Bis bald!' What do you say? Luna: Bis bald! Lucas: See, you're a natural. Now, if I say, 'Wann kommst du?' you could answer, 'Ich komme später.' Luna: Wann kommst du? Ich komme später. Lucas: That works. Let's do one more. I'll say, 'Hast du die Hausaufgaben gemacht?' Luna: Uhh, das machen wir später. Lucas: There you go. You're already using it naturally. Luna: These are so useful. But I'm curious, how do you remember when to use which? Lucas: Think of bald as something close, and später as something further away. Like, 'Bis bald' when you'll see them soon, and 'später' when it's later in the day. Luna: Got it. So if I say, 'Ich mache das bald,' that means I'll do it soon. Lucas: Yes, that's right. And you can also say, 'Ich mache das später.' Luna: Ich mache das später. Okay, I think I need to practice these a few more times. Lucas: Definitely. Repetition is key. Let's go through them one more time. So, 'bald'. Luna: bald. Lucas: 'Bis bald!' Luna: Bis bald! Lucas: 'später'. Luna: später. Lucas: 'Ich komme später.' Luna: Ich komme später. Lucas: And 'Das machen wir später.' Luna: Das machen wir später. Lucas: You're doing amazing. Now, quick story: Yesterday I bumped into a friend from work. She said, 'Wir müssen das Projekt bald besprechen.' And I said, 'Ja, aber ich habe jetzt keine Zeit. Können wir das später machen?' Luna: So you used bald and später naturally. Lucas: Exactly. And she said, 'Bis bald!' and we went our separate ways. Luna: That's a perfect example. Lucas: Speaking of making things happen, you know what's funny? We're able to make this podcast for free, without ads, thanks to a handful of listeners who chip in monthly via buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That literally funds our time to create these episodes for you. Luna: Yeah, it's pretty amazing. If this show has been helping you make progress with German, even a small monthly thing goes a long way. Lucas: No pressure at all, but if you ever feel like supporting, that's where you can do it. Now, back to the phrases. Let's try a little role-play. I'll be a friend who says, 'Ich muss los. Bis bald!' You reply. Luna: Bis bald! Lucas: And if I say, 'Wann hast du Zeit?' Luna: Ich habe später Zeit. Lucas: Perfect. You just made a new sentence. 'Später' can be used in many ways. Luna: I'm feeling more confident already. These time words are so handy. Lucas: And remember, you don't have to rush. Take your time, practice a few minutes each day, and soon you'll be using them without thinking. Luna: That's a good point. I'll keep practicing these until our next chat. Lucas: Sounds good. So, let's wrap up with a quick review. Can you say 'See you soon' in German? Luna: Bis bald! Lucas: And how do you say 'I'll come later'? Luna: Ich komme später. Lucas: And 'We'll do that later'? Luna: Das machen wir später. Lucas: Perfect. You've got them. Keep practicing these, and we'll see you next time on Learn German with Fexingo. Luna: Bis bald!