German · Upper intermediate (B2) · Chapter 7 of 12
Education and learning
Schule, Studium, Ausbildung
Talk about school, study and regrets in German: hätte … sollen / können for what you should or could have done, and nouns like der Student, den Studenten.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Talk about exams, school and plans after school
- Say what you should or could have done: Ich hätte mehr lernen sollen
- Use nouns like Student, Kollege and Herr correctly in every case
- Understand the basics of the German school system
Listen
In Osnabrück, Lea (18) comes home from one of her Abitur exams. Her father Andreas (47), an electrician, asks how it went. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Andreas
Na, Lea, wie war die Matheprüfung?
Well, Lea, how was the maths exam?
Lea
Nicht so gut. Ich hätte mehr lernen sollen. In den letzten zwei Wochen habe ich vor allem für Deutsch gelernt.
Not so good. I should have studied more. In the last two weeks I mainly studied for German.
Andreas
Das kann jedem passieren. Du hast ja noch drei Prüfungen. Weißt du schon, was du nach dem Abitur machen willst?
That can happen to anyone. You've still got three exams. Do you know yet what you want to do after your Abitur?
Lea
Ich würde gern Medizin studieren. Aber dafür braucht man ein sehr gutes Abitur, und mit meiner Note in Mathe wird das schwierig.
I'd like to study medicine. But for that you need a very good Abitur, and with my maths grade that'll be difficult.
Andreas
Frag doch mal Paul, den Sohn von Herrn Albrecht. Er studiert Medizin in Göttingen, und in Mathe war er auch nicht der Beste.
Why don't you ask Paul, Mr Albrecht's son? He's studying medicine in Göttingen, and he wasn't the best at maths either.
Lea
Mit Paul habe ich schon gesprochen. Er hat nach der Schule zuerst eine Ausbildung als Krankenpfleger gemacht. Das wäre auch ein Weg für mich.
I've already talked to Paul. After school he trained as a nurse first. That would be a possible route for me too.
Andreas
Siehst du, es gibt nicht nur einen Weg. Ich hätte damals auch studieren können, aber ich wollte unbedingt mein eigenes Geld verdienen.
You see, there's more than one way. I could have gone to university back then too, but I really wanted to earn my own money.
Lea
Und bereust du das heute?
And do you regret that now?
Andreas
Manchmal schon. Als Elektriker verdiene ich gut, aber ich hätte gern Architektur studiert. Ich hätte mich damals besser informieren sollen.
Sometimes, yes. I earn well as an electrician, but I'd have liked to study architecture. I should have found out more about it back then.
Lea
Und warum machst du es nicht jetzt? Man lernt doch nie aus.
So why don't you do it now? You're never too old to learn.
Andreas
Mit 47 noch mal Student? Ich weiß nicht. Aber ich könnte mal mit einem Kollegen reden, der neben der Arbeit studiert.
Become a student again at 47? I don't know. But I could talk to a colleague who's studying alongside his job.
Lea
Mach das. Dann lernen wir ab jetzt beide: ich für die Prüfungen und du für die Uni.
Do that. Then from now on we'll both be studying: me for my exams and you for university.
Understand
Should have, could have: hätte … sollen / können
To say what you should have done, could have done or would have had to do, German uses + the main verb + the modal verb, both in the infinitive, at the end: Ich hätte mehr lernen sollen. (I should have studied more.) Ich hätte studieren können. (I could have studied.) The modal verb does not become a participle here.
This is the natural way to talk about regrets and missed chances. It works with all modal verbs: (you should have called me). In a clause with the verb at the end, comes before the two infinitives: Ich weiß, dass ich mehr hätte lernen sollen. You only need to recognise this order.
| German | English |
|---|---|
| I should have studied more. | |
| I could have studied. | |
| We would have had to leave earlier. | |
| You shouldn't have said that (it wasn't allowed). |
der Student, den Studenten: the n-declension
A group of masculine nouns add -n or -en in every case except the nominative singular: , but , , , and in the plural. This is the n-declension ().
You can often recognise these nouns. They are masculine and end in -e (), or in -ant, -ent, -ist (), or they're on a short list you just learn: , , ( in the singular, in the plural). also adds -s in the genitive: .
| Case | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | |||
| accusative | |||
| dative | |||
| genitive |
- Ich könnte mit einem Kollegen reden.I could talk to a colleague.
- Frag doch Paul, den Sohn von Herrn Albrecht.Why don't you ask Paul, Mr Albrecht's son?
School in Germany
Children go to primary school () for four years, in some states six. Then they go to different types of secondary school; the leads to the , the exam you need for university, usually after 12 or 13 years. The system varies between the 16 federal states.
Grades () go from 1 () to 6 (); 4 is the lowest pass. For popular subjects like medicine, only a limited number of places is available, so a very good matters. Many young people do an apprenticeship () instead of, or before, studying.
More in the grammar: The Konjunktiv II: würde, hätte, wäre, könnte · The n-declension: der Student, den Studenten
New words
- die Prüfungexam · feminine, plural: ; = maths exam
- das Abiturschool-leaving exam (like A levels) · neuter; informally
- die Notegrade, mark · feminine, plural:
- der Krankenpfleger / die Krankenpflegerinnurse · plural: /
- verdienento earn · = to earn money
- bereuento regret · = Do you regret it?
- der Elektriker / die Elektrikerinelectrician · plural: /
- sich informierento find out, to get information · + accusative:
- Man lernt nie aus.You're never too old to learn. · a saying; literally “you never finish learning”
- der Student / die Studentinstudent (at university) · plural: / ; n-declension:
- jeder / jede / jedesevery, each; everyone · = That can happen to anyone.
- neben der Arbeitalongside your job, while working · = next to; besides
- beideboth · = both of us
- die Uniuniversity · informal for
Practise
1.How do you say “I should have studied more”?
2.Complete with the right form of .
I could have gone to university back then too.
3.Complete with the right form of .
I could talk to a colleague.
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.I should have found out more.
5.Match the words about school and study.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
6.Which sentence is correct?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Ich hätte mehr lernen sollen.
I should have studied more.
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.