German · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 11 of 12
Travel stories
Reisegeschichten
Tell a travel story in German: mix the past tenses, say what would have happened with hätte and wäre, and react with surprise.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Tell the story of a trip that went wrong
- Say what would have happened: Wenn ich … hätte, wäre …
- Mix the Perfekt, Präteritum and Plusquamperfekt
- React to a story with surprise
Listen
On Monday in the office in Aachen, Carolin (33) tells her colleague Sebastian (38) about the end of her holiday on the Baltic coast. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Sebastian
Hallo, Carolin. Na, wie war dein Urlaub an der Ostsee?
Hi, Carolin. So, how was your holiday on the Baltic?
Carolin
Schön, aber am letzten Tag hatten wir Pech. Wir haben die letzte Fähre von Hiddensee verpasst.
Lovely, but on the last day we were unlucky. We missed the last ferry from Hiddensee.
Sebastian
Echt? Wie ist das denn passiert?
Really? How did that happen?
Carolin
Wir sind den ganzen Tag mit dem Rad über die Insel gefahren. Ich hatte morgens den Fahrplan gelesen und dachte, die letzte Fähre fährt um sieben.
We cycled around the island all day. I'd read the timetable in the morning and thought the last ferry left at seven.
Sebastian
Und das stimmte nicht?
And that wasn't right?
Carolin
Nein. Als wir um halb sieben zum Hafen kamen, war die Fähre schon um sechs abgefahren. Da war niemand mehr.
No. When we got to the harbour at half past six, the ferry had already left at six. There was nobody there any more.
Sebastian
Das gibt's doch nicht! Und was habt ihr dann gemacht?
I don't believe it. And what did you do then?
Carolin
Wir wollten unser Hotel auf Rügen anrufen, aber mein Akku war leer. Wenn ich den Fahrplan genau gelesen hätte, wäre das alles nicht passiert.
We wanted to call our hotel on Rügen, but my battery was dead. If I had read the timetable properly, none of that would have happened.
Sebastian
Und wo habt ihr dann übernachtet?
So where did you spend the night?
Carolin
In unserem Hotel, wie geplant. Zum Glück hat uns ein Fischer im Hafen gesehen. Er hat uns mit seinem Boot nach Rügen gebracht.
In our hotel, as planned. Luckily a fisherman saw us at the harbour. He took us to Rügen in his boat.
Sebastian
Unglaublich. Was wäre passiert, wenn er nicht da gewesen wäre?
Incredible. What would have happened if he hadn't been there?
Carolin
Dann hätten wir wahrscheinlich im Hafen geschlafen. Aber das nächste Mal lese ich den Fahrplan genauer.
Then we'd probably have slept at the harbour. But next time I'll read the timetable more carefully.
Understand
If I had known: hätte / wäre + participle
To talk about a past that didn't happen, use the Konjunktiv II of the past: or + past participle. It's like English “would have done” and “had done” in an if-sentence:
Choose or exactly as in the Perfekt: verbs that take in the Perfekt take here ( → ). A common reaction is (I wouldn't have thought so).
| Perfekt | Konjunktiv II (past) | English |
|---|---|---|
| I would have read | ||
| we would have slept | ||
| it would have happened | ||
| he would have been there |
- Wenn ich das gewusst hätte, wäre ich früher zum Hafen gefahren.If I'd known that, I would have gone to the harbour earlier.
- Ohne den Fischer hätten wir im Hafen geschlafen.Without the fisherman we would have slept at the harbour.
Telling a travel story
In a spoken story, use the Perfekt for most events (), the Präteritum for , and the modal verbs (, ) and for a few common verbs like (thought, from ) and . Use the Plusquamperfekt for what had happened before:
Reacting with surprise
When someone tells you a story, short reactions show that you're listening. is informal; works everywhere.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| / | Really? |
| I don't believe it. / No way. | |
| Incredible. | |
| I wouldn't have thought so. | |
| Oh no. And then? | |
| Thank goodness. / Luckily. |
More in the grammar: The perfect tense (Perfekt) · The simple past (Präteritum): war, hatte, musste · The Konjunktiv II: würde, hätte, wäre, könnte · The past perfect (Plusquamperfekt): hatte gemacht, war gegangen
New words
- Pech habento be unlucky · = bad luck
- verpassento miss (a train, a ferry) · Perfekt: (no ge-); careful: = to miss a person
- echtreally · informal: = Really?
- die Inselisland · feminine, plural:
- der Fahrplantimetable · masculine, plural: ; = to leave (Perfekt: )
- der Hafenharbour, port · masculine, plural:
- niemandnobody, no one
- der Akkubattery (of a phone, laptop) · masculine, plural:
- leerempty; flat, dead (a battery)
- übernachtento stay the night · Perfekt: (no ge-)
- zum Glückluckily · = luck; happiness
- der Fischer / die Fischerinfisherman / fisherwoman · plural: /
- das Bootboat · neuter, plural:
- unglaublichincredible, unbelievable
Practise
1.Which sentence means “If I had read the timetable, …”?
2.Complete with or .
If I had read the timetable properly, it wouldn't have happened.
3.Complete with or .
What would have happened if he hadn't been there?
4.Complete the Plusquamperfekt.
When we got to the harbour, the ferry had already left.
5.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.Then we would have slept at the harbour.
6.Match the words with their meanings.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Wir haben die letzte Fähre verpasst.
We missed the last ferry.
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.