Ending a networking conversation and arranging a follow-up | Learn German in English

German lesson set in a contemporary Berlin everyday setting: At a professional networking event, two attendees politely end a conversation, exchange contact details, and agree how to frame the follow-up..

EN → DE / Level: B2

About This Lesson

Use Ending a networking conversation and arranging a follow-up to practice German conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.

Dialogue

A

Ich habe mich gerne mit dir unterhalten.

ikh HAH-buh mikh GAIR-nuh mit deer oon-ter-HAHL-ten. I have enjoyed talking with you.
A

Aber ich sollte noch ein paar weitere Leute kennenlernen.

AH-ber ikh ZHOL-tuh nokh eye-n pahr VY-ter-uh LOY-tuh KEN-en-LAIR-nen. But I should meet a few more people.
B

Das verstehe ich. Bei solchen Veranstaltungen vergeht die Zeit sehr schnell.

dahs fair-SHTAY-uh ikh. BY ZOL-khen fer-ahn-SHTAHL-toon-gen fair-GAYT dee tsyt zair shnell. I understand; this is the kind of event where time disappears quickly.
A

Könnten wir noch Kontaktdaten austauschen, bevor ich gehe?

KURN-ten veer nokh kon-TAHKT-dah-ten OWS-tow-shen, beh-VOR ikh GAY-uh? Before I go, could we exchange contact details?
B

Das würde ich gerne. Ich möchte dieses Gespräch später fortsetzen.

dahs VUR-duh ikh GAIR-nuh. ikh MURKH-tuh DEE-zes guh-SHPRAYKH SHPAY-ter FORHT-ZET-sen. I would like that. I want to continue this conversation later.
A

Eine kurze Notiz zu unserem Thema würde die weitere Kontaktaufnahme erleichtern.

EYE-nuh KUR-tsuh noh-TEETS tsoo OON-ser-em TAY-mah VUR-duh dee VY-ter-uh kon-TAHKT-owf-NAH-muh er-LYKH-tern. A short note about our topic would make the follow-up easier.
B

Erwähne die Diskussion über den Arbeitsablauf, dann weiß ich, worum es ging.

er-VAY-nuh dee dee-skoo-ZYOHN OO-ber den AR-bites-ahp-LOWF, dahn vyss ikh, voh-ROOM ess geeng. Mention the workflow discussion, and I will know the context.
A

Ich habe die konkreten Beispiele, die du genannt hast, sehr geschätzt.

ikh HAH-buh dee kon-KRAY-ten BY-shpee-luh, dee doo guh-NAHNT hahst, zair guh-SHETST. I appreciated the concrete examples you shared.
B

Deine Fragen haben mir geholfen, sie klarer zu erklären.

DYE-nuh FRAH-gen HAH-ben meer guh-HOL-fen, zee KLAH-rer tsoo er-KLAIR-en. Your questions helped me explain them more clearly.

Word by Word

Ich “Ich” means “I” and identifies the speaker in this dialogue. It is used as the subject before a verb, as in “Ich habe mich gerne mit dir unterhalten”.
habe “habe” is the speaker’s form of “haben” used here as an auxiliary in the perfect expression “Ich habe mich gerne mit dir unterhalten”. It helps describe a completed experience; reuse it with a past participle when talking about something you have done.
mich “mich” means “myself” here and refers back to the speaker in “Ich habe mich gerne mit dir unterhalten”. It is part of the reflexive expression “sich mit jemandem unterhalten”, meaning to talk with someone.
gerne “gerne” shows that the speaker enjoyed or was happy to do something in “Ich habe mich gerne mit dir unterhalten”. It commonly appears with an activity to express that the activity is done willingly or with pleasure.
mit “mit” means “with” and connects the speaker to the person they talked with in “mit dir”. A reliable pattern is “sich mit jemandem unterhalten” for talking with someone.
dir “dir” means “to you” or “with you” in the informal singular form used in “mit dir”. It refers to the person being addressed and appears after “mit” in this expression.
unterhalten “unterhalten” means “talk” or “converse” in “mich mit dir unterhalten”. It is the infinitive used after “habe” in the perfect expression; reuse it in “sich mit jemandem unterhalten”.
Aber “Aber” means “but” and introduces a contrast between enjoying the conversation and needing to meet more people. It can connect two statements when the second one limits or contrasts with the first.
sollte “sollte” expresses a mild obligation or practical plan in “Ich sollte noch ein paar weitere Leute kennenlernen”. It is the form of “sollen” used here before the infinitive “kennenlernen”; reuse “sollte” when giving a gentle suggestion or stating what would be sensible to do.
noch “noch” adds the meaning of “still” or “additional” in “noch ein paar weitere Leute”. It shows that more people remain to be met and commonly appears before the quantity or activity it modifies.
ein “ein” is part of the quantity expression “ein paar”, meaning a small number of people in this dialogue. Reuse the pattern “ein paar + plural noun”, as in the phrase “ein paar weitere Leute”.
paar “paar” in “ein paar weitere Leute” refers to a small number rather than an exact count. The reliable reusable expression is “ein paar + plural noun” for mentioning a few people or things.
weitere “weitere” means “additional” in “ein paar weitere Leute”. It adds the idea that these are more people beyond those already met; reuse it before a plural noun when referring to additional items or people.
Leute “Leute” means “people” and is the group the speaker still wants to meet in “weitere Leute kennenlernen”. It is commonly used for referring to people as a group in everyday conversation.
kennenlernen “kennenlernen” means “meet and get to know” in “Leute kennenlernen”. It is the infinitive after “sollte”; reuse it with a person or group as the object when describing becoming acquainted with them.
Das “Das” means “that” and refers to the preceding idea in “Das verstehe ich”. The expression acknowledges what the other person has said and can be reused when showing that you understand a previous statement.
verstehe “verstehe” means “understand” in “Das verstehe ich”. It is the speaker’s form of “verstehen” and is used with the understood statement as its object; reuse it to acknowledge someone’s point.
Bei “Bei” means “at” or “during” in “Bei solchen Veranstaltungen”, referring to the context of such events. It commonly introduces the setting or situation in which something happens.
solchen “solchen” means “such” and describes the events in “solchen Veranstaltungen”. It is used before the plural noun “Veranstaltungen”; reuse the pattern “bei solchen + plural noun” when referring to similar situations.
Veranstaltungen “Veranstaltungen” means “events” in “Bei solchen Veranstaltungen”. It refers here to professional or social gatherings and can be reused for organized events in general.
vergeht “vergeht” means “passes” or “goes by” in “vergeht die Zeit sehr schnell”. It describes time moving on, and a useful pattern is to combine it with “die Zeit” and an adverb describing the speed.
die “die” is the definite article in “die Zeit”, identifying the time being discussed. It introduces the noun in this fixed subject phrase and is not the relative pronoun meaning “who” or “that” here.
Zeit “Zeit” means “time” in “die Zeit sehr schnell”. In this dialogue it is the thing that passes quickly; reuse it with expressions describing how quickly time passes.
sehr “sehr” means “very” and intensifies “schnell” in “sehr schnell”. It commonly appears directly before an adjective or adverb to strengthen its meaning.
schnell “schnell” means “quickly” in “vergeht die Zeit sehr schnell” and describes how fast time passes. Here it functions with the verb “vergeht”; reuse it after a verb when describing the speed of an action.
Könnten “Könnten” introduces a polite request in “Könnten wir noch Kontaktdaten austauschen?”. It is used with “wir” and an infinitive to ask whether a joint action would be possible.
wir “wir” means “we” and refers to both speakers in “Könnten wir noch Kontaktdaten austauschen?”. It is the subject of a shared action and commonly appears before an infinitive in a question with a modal form.
Kontaktdaten “Kontaktdaten” means “contact details” in “Kontaktdaten austauschen”. It refers to information such as details needed for future contact; reuse it with “austauschen” when people exchange contact information.
austauschen “austauschen” means “exchange” in “Kontaktdaten austauschen”. It is the infinitive after “Könnten wir”; reuse it with two people or groups exchanging information or items.
bevor “bevor” means “before” and introduces the time condition in “bevor ich gehe”. It connects an action to something that must happen earlier and introduces a clause with its verb at the end.
gehe “gehe” means “go” or, in this setting, “leave” in “bevor ich gehe”. It is the speaker’s form of “gehen” in the subordinate clause; reuse “bevor ich gehe” when arranging something before leaving.
würde “würde” helps make “Das würde ich gerne” a polite expression of willingness, meaning “I would like that”. Together with “gerne”, it is useful as a courteous response to a suggestion or request.
möchte “möchte” expresses a polite desire or intention in “Ich möchte dieses Gespräch später fortsetzen”. It is used before an infinitive to say what the speaker would like to do; reuse “Ich möchte + infinitive” for a polite statement of intention.
dieses “dieses” means “this” and identifies the conversation at hand in “dieses Gespräch”. It appears directly before the noun and can be reused to point to a specific current matter.
Gespräch “Gespräch” means “conversation” in “dieses Gespräch später fortsetzen”. It refers to the discussion between the two people; reuse it with verbs such as “fortsetzen” when talking about continuing a conversation.
später “später” means “later” and places the continuation of the conversation at a later time in “später fortsetzen”. It can be used with an activity to say that it will happen after the current situation.
fortsetzen “fortsetzen” means “continue” or “resume” in “dieses Gespräch später fortsetzen”. It is the infinitive after “möchte” and commonly takes an activity or conversation as its object.
Eine “Eine” means “a” or “one” and introduces “eine kurze Notiz”. It presents one note as the proposed aid for future contact; reuse it before a singular feminine noun when introducing one item.
kurze “kurze” means “short” and describes the note in “Eine kurze Notiz”. It appears before the noun and can be reused with a noun when emphasizing limited length or brevity.
Notiz “Notiz” means “note” in “Eine kurze Notiz zu unserem Thema”. Here it is a brief written reminder about the conversation topic; reuse it with “zu” to identify what the note concerns.
zu “zu” means “about” or “on” in “zu unserem Thema”. It links the note to its subject and is useful in the pattern “eine Notiz zu + Thema”.
unserem “unserem” means “our” and shows that the topic belongs to or concerns both speakers in “unserem Thema”. It appears before “Thema” after “zu”; reuse it before a noun when referring to something shared by the speakers.
Thema “Thema” means “topic” in “unserem Thema”. It identifies what the note and the earlier discussion concern; reuse it when naming the subject of a conversation or message.
Kontaktaufnahme “Kontaktaufnahme” means “follow-up contact” in “die weitere Kontaktaufnahme”. It refers to getting in touch again after the event and is useful in professional contexts when discussing continued communication.
erleichtern “erleichtern” means “make easier” in “würde die weitere Kontaktaufnahme erleichtern”. It is the infinitive after “würde” and takes the thing that becomes easier as its object; reuse it for actions or tools that simplify a process.
Erwähne “Erwähne” means “mention” and gives an informal singular instruction in “Erwähne die Diskussion über den Arbeitsablauf”. It is used before the information to be mentioned; reuse “Erwähne + noun or topic” when asking someone to refer to something.
Diskussion “Diskussion” means “discussion” in “die Diskussion über den Arbeitsablauf”. It refers to a specific earlier exchange of ideas; reuse it with “über” to name the subject of a discussion.
über “über” means “about” or “concerning” in “über den Arbeitsablauf”. It introduces the subject of the discussion and commonly appears in the pattern “eine Diskussion über + topic”.
den “den” is the definite article in “den Arbeitsablauf”, identifying the specific workflow being discussed. It introduces the noun inside the expression “über den Arbeitsablauf”.
Arbeitsablauf “Arbeitsablauf” means “workflow” or “work process” in “die Diskussion über den Arbeitsablauf”. It refers to how work is organized and carried out; reuse it when discussing procedures or process design.
dann “dann” means “then” in “dann weiß ich, worum es ging”. It connects the requested mention with the resulting understanding and is useful in the pattern “..., dann ...” for sequencing actions and results.
weiß “weiß” means “know” in “dann weiß ich, worum es ging”. It is the speaker’s form of “wissen” and is used with an indirect question to state that the context will be clear.
worum “worum” means “what it is about” in “worum es ging”. It introduces an indirect question about the subject of the earlier discussion; reuse the pattern “wissen, worum es ging” when referring to a past topic.
es “es” is the pronoun in the indirect-question expression “worum es ging”. Together with “worum” and “ging”, it forms the clause meaning “what it was about”; keep it in this reusable expression.
ging “ging” means “was about” in “worum es ging”, rather than meaning physical movement. It is the past form of “gehen” in the expression about the subject of an earlier discussion; reuse “worum es ging” for recalling that subject.
konkreten “konkreten” means “concrete” or “specific” and describes the examples in “die konkreten Beispiele”. It emphasizes that the examples were definite and practical; reuse it before a noun when distinguishing specific examples from general ideas.
Beispiele “Beispiele” means “examples” in “die konkreten Beispiele, die du genannt hast”. It refers to the practical illustrations shared during the conversation and can be reused when discussing illustrations of an idea.
du “du” means informal singular “you” and identifies the person who provided the examples in “die du genannt hast”. It is used for the person being addressed in the informal relationship shown by “dir” as well.
genannt “genannt” means “mentioned” or “named” in “die du genannt hast”. It is the past participle of “nennen” in the relative clause; reuse it when referring to something a person has mentioned.
hast “hast” is the informal singular form of “haben” used as the auxiliary in “die du genannt hast”. It combines with “genannt” to describe what the other person mentioned; reuse this perfect construction when referring to an action by “du”.
geschätzt “geschätzt” means “appreciated” or “valued” in “Ich habe die konkreten Beispiele ... sehr geschätzt”. It is the past participle of “schätzen” and describes the speaker’s positive evaluation; reuse it with something that was appreciated.
Deine “Deine” means informal singular “your” and identifies the questions belonging to the person addressed in “Deine Fragen”. It appears before the plural noun and can be reused to refer to something provided or owned by that person.
Fragen “Fragen” means “questions” in “Deine Fragen haben mir geholfen”. Here the questions helped the speaker explain the examples more clearly; reuse it as the subject when describing questions that produce a helpful response.
haben “haben” is the plural form of “haben” used as the auxiliary in “Deine Fragen haben mir geholfen”. It combines with the past participle “geholfen” to describe the completed help provided by the questions.
mir “mir” means “to me” in “haben mir geholfen” and identifies the person who received the help. The verb “helfen” commonly appears with the person helped in this form.
geholfen “geholfen” means “helped” in “Deine Fragen haben mir geholfen, sie klarer zu erklären”. It is the past participle of “helfen” and is used with the person helped and an action that became easier.
sie “sie” means “them” here and refers back to “die konkreten Beispiele”. It is the object of “zu erklären” in “sie klarer zu erklären”; reuse a pronoun like this when the thing being explained is already clear from the context.
klarer “klarer” means “more clearly” in “sie klarer zu erklären”. It describes an improved way of explaining the examples and commonly appears before an infinitive to compare the clarity of an explanation.
erklären “erklären” means “explain” in “sie klarer zu erklären”. It is an infinitive with “zu” after “geholfen”; reuse the pattern “jemandem helfen, etwas zu erklären” when describing help with explaining something.

Grammar Points

wissen, worum es geht

Ich weiß, worum es geht.

ikh vyss, voh-ROOM ess gayt.

I know what it is about.

In an indirect question with „worum“, the conjugated verb goes to the end.

bevor + Nebensatz

Bevor ich gehe, erwähne ich das Thema.

beh-VOR ikh GAY-uh, er-VAY-nuh ikh dahs TAY-mah.

Before I leave, I mention the topic.

After „bevor“, the subordinate-clause verb comes at the end.

German Vocabulary

austauschen verb
OWS-tow-shen to exchange
bevor conj
beh-VOR before
fortsetzen verb
FORHT-ZET-sen to continue
gehen verb
GAY-en to go gehe
gerne adv
GAIR-nuh gladly; with pleasure
Gespräch noun
guh-SHPRAYKH conversation
kennenlernen verb
KEN-en-LAIR-nen to get to know; to meet
Kontaktdaten noun
kon-TAHKT-dah-ten contact details
Notiz noun
noh-TEETS note
unterhalten verb
oon-ter-HAHL-ten to converse; to talk
Veranstaltung noun
fer-AN-shtahl-toong event Veranstaltungen
vergehen verb
fair-GAY-en to pass; to elapse vergeht

Quiz

Spelling

Tap the letters to spell the word.

gladly; with pleasure

Show Answergerne

to converse; to talk

Show Answerunterhalten

to get to know; to meet

Show Answerkennenlernen

to pass; to elapse

Show Answervergeht