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fluentbyear
🇩🇪 German · Fluency Level 2

PART 1 · LESSON 10 OF 30 · 30 MINUTES

Grandma's Cologne

Ask Jan what Cologne was like after the war and hear his grandmother's story, the city in ruins, the cathedral standing, and the rebuilding.

Audio instruction: English

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THE STORY

Jan's kitchen in Cologne, a black-and-white photo of his grandmother on the wall and the cathedral in the window.

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Words and phrases

The lesson is for your ears. Open this afterwards, to see what you learned.
Jan, wie war Köln nach dem Krieg?yahn, vee vahr kurln nahkh daym kreekJan, what was Cologne like after the war? To a friend.
Meine Oma erzählte immer davon.MY-neh OH-mah air-TSAYL-teh IM-er dah-FONMy grandma always told about it.
Sie bauten die Stadt wieder auf.zee BOW-ten dee shtaht VEE-der owfThey built the city up again.
Und was erzählte sie dir?oont vahs air-TSAYL-teh zee deerAnd what did she tell you? To a friend.
Die Stadt lag in Trümmern.dee shtaht lahk in TRUEM-ernThe city lay in ruins.
Und der Dom? Stand er noch?oont dair dohm, shtahnt air nokhAnd the cathedral? Was it still standing?
Der Dom stand. Alles andere nicht.dair dohm shtahnt, AHL-es AHN-der-eh nikhtThe cathedral stood. Everything else did not.
Und dann kam der Wiederaufbau.oont dahn kahm dair VEE-der-owf-bowAnd then came the rebuilding.
Ja. Meine Oma trug die Steine selbst.yah, MY-neh OH-mah trook dee SHTY-neh zelpstYes. My grandma carried the stones herself.