German · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 5 of 12
Work and studies
Arbeit und Studium
Talk about your studies and jobs in German, use war, hatte and musste, and say how long you've worked somewhere.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Say what you studied and where you worked
- Use war and hatte for the past
- Use musste, konnte and wollte
- Say how long you've been doing a job
Listen
Daniel Nowak has a job interview at a software company in Kassel. Frau Schulz asks about his past. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Frau Schulz
Herr Nowak, was haben Sie studiert?
Mr Nowak, what did you study?
Daniel
Ich habe in Göttingen Informatik studiert.
I studied computer science in Göttingen.
Frau Schulz
Und wo haben Sie danach gearbeitet?
And where did you work after that?
Daniel
Zuerst war ich zwei Jahre bei einer Firma in Hannover.
First I was at a company in Hanover for two years.
Frau Schulz
Hatten Sie da ein Team?
Did you have a team there?
Daniel
Ja, ich hatte fünf Kolleginnen und Kollegen. Das hat viel Spaß gemacht.
Yes, I had five colleagues. That was a lot of fun.
Frau Schulz
Und warum wollten Sie nicht in Hannover bleiben?
And why didn't you want to stay in Hanover?
Daniel
Meine Frau hat eine Stelle in Kassel bekommen, und wir sind umgezogen.
My wife got a job in Kassel, and we moved.
Frau Schulz
Und was machen Sie jetzt?
And what do you do now?
Daniel
Seit vier Jahren arbeite ich hier bei einer Bank, im IT-Team.
I've been working at a bank here for four years, in the IT team.
Frau Schulz
Sprechen Sie auch Englisch?
Do you speak English too?
Daniel
Ja. Ich war ein Jahr in Dublin und musste da jeden Tag Englisch sprechen.
Yes. I spent a year in Dublin and had to speak English there every day.
Understand
war and hatte: the past of sein and haben
For and , people usually prefer the Präteritum (simple past), a one-word past tense, to the Perfekt:
In the Präteritum, and / / have the same form, with no ending: , . You'll hear both tenses together all the time:
| Person | (to be) | (to have) |
|---|---|---|
| / / | ||
| / |
Modal verbs in the past: musste, konnte, wollte
The modal verbs , and also use the Präteritum in conversation. Drop the umlaut, if there is one, and add -te: → , → , → . As in the present, the second verb goes to the end:
| Person | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| / / | |||
| / |
- Gestern konnte ich nicht kommen.I couldn't come yesterday.
- Wir wollten in Hannover bleiben.We wanted to stay in Hanover.
Participles without ge-
Verbs ending in -ieren have no ge- in the participle: → , → , → .
Verbs that start with be-, ver- or er- have no ge- either. These first parts never split off: → , → , → , (to tell) → .
- Ich habe in Göttingen studiert.I studied in Göttingen.
- Sie hat eine Stelle bekommen.She got a job.
- Das habe ich nicht verstanden.I didn't understand that.
More in the grammar: Modal verbs: können, müssen, wollen … · Sein and haben: to be and to have · The perfect tense (Perfekt) · The present tense · The simple past (Präteritum): war, hatte, musste
New words
- studierento study (at university) · Perfekt: ; = (university) studies
- die Informatikcomputer science · feminine, no plural
- danachafter that, afterwards
- zuerstfirst, at first
- die Firmacompany, firm · feminine, plural: ; = at a company
- der Kollege / die Kollegincolleague · plural: /
- Spaß machento be fun · = That was fun.
- warumwhy
- meine Frau / mein Mannmy wife / my husband · = woman, wife; = man, husband
- die Stellejob, position · feminine, plural:
- bekommento get, to receive · not “become”! Perfekt:
- umziehento move (house) · separable: ; Perfekt:
- die Bankbank · feminine, plural:
- sprechento speak · , ; Perfekt:
Practise
1.Which sentence is correct?
2.Complete with the Präteritum of .
We had a lot of work.
3.Complete with the Präteritum of .
I had to speak English every day.
4.Write the past participle of .
What did you study?
5.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.My wife got a job.
6.Match the German with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Ich habe Informatik studiert.
I studied computer science.
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.