Choosing an Event Activity | Learn German in English

German lesson set in a contemporary Berlin everyday setting: At an event desk, two adults ask a staff member about available activities and choose a guided walk..

EN → DE / Level: A1

About This Lesson

Use Choosing an Event Activity to practice German conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Entschuldigung, an welchen Veranstaltungen können wir jetzt teilnehmen?

ent-SHOOL-dee-goong, ahn VEL-khen fer-AN-shtahl-toong-en KUR-nen veer YETSST TYLE-nay-men? Excuse me, which events can we join now?
C

Sie können zwischen einem geführten Spaziergang und einer Tanzveranstaltung wählen.

zee KUR-nen TSWISH-en EYE-nem ge-FYUR-ten shpa-TSEER-gahng oont EYE-ner TAHNTS-fer-AN-shtahl-toong VAY-len. You can choose between a guided walk and a dance session.
B

Wie ist der geführte Spaziergang?

vee ist dair ge-FYUR-tuh shpa-TSEER-gahng? What is the guided walk like?
C

Ein Guide führt den Spaziergang langsam.

ine GIDE fyurt dane shpa-TSEER-gahng LAHNG-zahm. A guide leads the walk at a slow pace.
C

So kann man leicht folgen.

zoh kahn mahn liekht FOHL-gen. So it is easy to follow.
A

Das klingt für einen ersten Versuch machbar.

dahs klinkt fyur EYE-nen AIRS-ten fer-ZOOKH MAKH-bahr. That sounds manageable for a first try.
B

Wie aktiv ist die Tanzveranstaltung?

vee ak-TEEF ist dee TAHNTS-fer-AN-shtahl-toong? How active is the dance session?
C

Dort geht es schneller, mit einfachen Schritten in der Gruppe.

dort gait ess SHNEHL-er, mit EYE-nfakh-en SHRIHT-en in dair GROO-peh. It moves faster, with simple steps in a group.
A

Der geführte Spaziergang passt besser zu uns.

dair ge-FYUR-tuh shpa-TSEER-gahng pahst BEH-ser tsoo oons. The guided walk suits us better.

Word by Word

Entschuldigung Entschuldigung means excuse me here and politely opens the question to the staff member. It is useful when getting someone’s attention before asking for information.
an In an welchen Veranstaltungen können wir jetzt teilnehmen, an belongs to the construction for taking part in an event. A reliable reuse pattern is an with teilnehmen when naming what someone participates in.
welchen welchen means which in the question about the available events. It is the form used with Veranstaltungen in this phrase, and it helps select one or more options from a known set.
Veranstaltungen Veranstaltungen means events in this dialogue. It is the plural of Veranstaltung and is used here for activities offered at the event desk.
können können expresses can or be able to for wir. It is followed by the infinitive teilnehmen, so the sentence asks what the speakers are able to join now.
wir wir means we and refers to the two people asking the question. It is the subject of können and is useful when speaking about an action done by the speaker together with others.
jetzt jetzt means now and limits the question to events available at the present time. It is useful with an action or offer whose availability may change.
teilnehmen teilnehmen means participate or join in this dialogue. It appears as an infinitive after können and is used with an to name the event someone takes part in.
Sie Sie means you when addressing someone formally, or you when addressing more than one person. In Sie können ... wählen, it refers politely to the people being advised.
zwischen zwischen means between and introduces the two alternatives in the choice. It is used here together with einem ... und einer ... before the two activities.
einem einem means a or an in the phrase einem geführten Spaziergang. It is the form of the article ein used here before the first activity in the choice.
geführten geführten means guided and describes the Spaziergang. This form comes from führen and has the ending used in einem geführten Spaziergang.
Spaziergang Spaziergang means walk, specifically the guided walk being offered. It names the first activity that people can choose.
und und means and and connects the guided walk with the dance event. It is useful for joining two equal choices or pieces of information.
einer einer means a or an in the phrase einer Tanzveranstaltung. It is the form of the article ein used before the second activity in the choice.
Tanzveranstaltung Tanzveranstaltung means dance event or dance session here. It names the second activity offered as an alternative to the guided walk.
wählen wählen means choose and appears as an infinitive after können. The sentence uses it to describe selecting one activity between two options.
Wie Wie means how in Wie ist der geführte Spaziergang?, which asks what the guided walk is like. This is useful when asking for a description or general impression of an activity.
ist ist means is and states what the guided walk is like in the question. The form comes from sein and is useful in questions that ask for a description.
Ein Ein means a or an and introduces one guide as the subject of the sentence. It appears before Guide in a simple statement about who leads the walk.
Guide Guide means guide, the person who leads the walk. In this dialogue it identifies the person responsible for guiding the activity.
führt führt means leads in Ein Guide führt den Spaziergang langsam. The form comes from führen and describes what the guide does to the walk.
den den means the in den Spaziergang. It marks Spaziergang as the specific walk being led in the sentence.
langsam langsam means slowly here and describes the pace at which the guide leads the walk. It is useful for describing how an action is carried out.
So So means so or therefore and introduces the consequence of the slow pace. Here it connects the way the walk is led with the fact that following it is easy.
kann kann means can or is able to for the general subject man. It is followed by the infinitive folgen and expresses that following is possible.
man man means one or people in general, not a specific person. In kann man leicht folgen, it makes a general statement about anyone taking part in the walk.
leicht leicht means easily here and describes how someone can follow. It is useful before or with an action when saying that the action presents little difficulty.
folgen folgen means follow in the context of keeping up with the guided walk or guide. It appears as an infinitive after kann and describes the action that is easy to do.
Das Das means that or it and refers here to the guided walk as just described. In Das klingt ..., it introduces the speaker’s reaction to that information.
klingt klingt means sounds and expresses an impression of the proposed activity. The form comes from klingen and is used here before an evaluation such as machbar.
für für means for and introduces the purpose or situation of a first attempt. In für einen ersten Versuch, it shows that the activity is being judged as an initial try.
einen einen means a or an in für einen ersten Versuch. It is the form of the article ein used before the masculine noun Versuch after für.
ersten ersten means first and describes Versuch as the initial attempt. It is useful when referring to the first time someone tries an activity.
Versuch Versuch means attempt or try in für einen ersten Versuch. It names the act of trying the guided walk for the first time.
machbar machbar means manageable or doable and evaluates the first attempt as possible. It is useful for saying that an activity can reasonably be completed.
aktiv aktiv means active in the question about the dance session. It asks about the level of physical movement or participation involved in that activity.
Dort Dort means there and points back to the dance session as the activity being discussed. It places the following description in that activity or setting.
geht geht means goes or proceeds in Dort geht es schneller. The form comes from gehen and describes how the activity proceeds rather than naming a person’s movement.
es es is the pronoun used in the expression Dort geht es schneller, referring in context to how the activity proceeds. Together with geht and schneller, it describes the pace of the activity.
schneller schneller means faster and compares the pace of the dance session with the slower guided walk. It is useful when describing that one activity proceeds at a higher speed than another.
mit mit means with and introduces a feature accompanying the dance session: simple steps in a group. It is useful for adding what or whom an activity includes.
einfachen einfachen means simple and describes the steps used in the dance session. Its ending matches the phrase mit einfachen Schritten.
Schritten Schritten means steps and refers to the movements used in the dance session. It is the plural form of Schritt and appears after mit in the group-activity description.
in in means in and introduces the group setting in in der Gruppe. It shows that the steps are performed as part of a group.
der der means the in der Gruppe. It is the definite article used with Gruppe in this phrase describing participation within the group.
Gruppe Gruppe means group and identifies the social setting for the simple steps. In der Gruppe describes doing the activity together with other participants.
passt passt means suits or fits in Der geführte Spaziergang passt besser zu uns. The form comes from passen and describes which activity is a better match for the speakers.
besser besser means better and compares the guided walk with the dance session for the speakers. It is useful with passt when expressing that one option is a more suitable match.
zu zu connects the activity with the people it suits in passt besser zu uns. This construction is useful for saying that something is suitable for a person or group.
uns uns means us and refers to the two speakers who are choosing an activity. It is the form of wir used after zu in passt besser zu uns.

Grammar Points

mit + Dativ

mit einfachen Schritten

mit EYE-nfakh-en SHRIHT-en

with simple steps

“Mit” requires the dative. In the plural, the adjective ends in -en: einfachen Schritten.

zwischen + Dativ

zwischen einem geführten Spaziergang

TSWISH-en EYE-nem ge-FYUR-ten shpa-TSEER-gahng

between a guided walk

For a choice between things, “zwischen” takes the dative: einem and geführten.

German Vocabulary

an prep
ahn at; in

an welchen Veranstaltungen

einem det
EYE-nem a; an

zwischen einem geführten Spaziergang

Entschuldigung intj
ent-SHOOL-dee-goong excuse me; apology

Entschuldigung, an welchen Veranstaltungen können wir jetzt teilnehmen?

geführten adj
ge-FYUR-ten guided

einem geführten Spaziergang

jetzt adv
YETSST now
Spaziergang noun
shpa-TSEER-gahng walk
Tanzveranstaltung noun
TAHNTS-fer-AN-shtahl-toong dance event; dance session
teilnehmen verb
TYLE-nay-men to participate; to join
Veranstaltungen noun
fer-AN-shtahl-toong-en events

an welchen Veranstaltungen

wählen verb
VAY-len to choose
welchen det
VEL-khen which

an welchen Veranstaltungen

zwischen prep
TSWISH-en between

zwischen einem geführten Spaziergang und einer Tanzveranstaltung

Quiz

Word Order

Arrange the words in the correct order.

What is the guided walk like?

Show AnswerWie ist der geführte Spaziergang?

A guide leads the walk at a slow pace.

Show AnswerEin Guide führt den Spaziergang langsam.

So it is easy to follow.

Show AnswerSo kann man leicht folgen.

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

now

Show Answerjetzt

to participate; to join

Show Answerteilnehmen

guided

Show Answergeführten

a; an

Show Answereinem