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German · A1 Bilingual Reader Culture and Traditions Travel

Ein Tag im Schwarzwald

On Saturday, Maria and Jan drive to the Black Forest. They want to go hiking. The air is fresh and the forest is green. They walk on a narrow path between tall trees.

Illustration for the A1 story "Ein Tag im Schwarzwald": On Saturday, Maria and Jan drive to the Black Forest. They want to go hiking. The air is fresh and the forest is green. They walk on a narrow path between tall
Length
123 words
Reading time
~1 min
Vocabulary
9 terms
Comprehension
3 questions
Warm-up

Pre-Reading Vocabulary

Review these key words and phrasing examples before you begin reading.

wandern
to hike
"Wir wandern im Schwarzwald."
der Wald
the forest
"Der Wald ist grün."
Weg
the path
"Sie gehen auf einem schmalen Weg zwischen hohen Bäumen. „Hör mal! Ein Vogel singt,“ sagt Maria. Jan hört den Vogel un…"

Your German story — tap highlighted words when you need help

1 min read
Native narration · pick a speed

Am Samstag fahren Maria und Jan in den Schwarzwald. Sie wollen . Die Luft ist frisch und ist grün. Sie gehen auf einem schmalen Weg zwischen hohen Bäumen. „Hör mal! Ein Vogel singt,“ sagt Maria. Jan hört den Vogel und lächelt. Jan hört den Vogel und lächelt. Nach einer Stunde kommen sie zu einem kleinen See. Das Wasser ist klar und kalt. Sie setzen sich auf einen Stein und essen ihre Butterbrote. „Der Schwarzwald ist so schön,“ sagt Jan. Sie setzen sich auf einen Stein und essen ihre Butterbrote. „Der Schwarzwald ist so schön,“ sagt Jan. „Ja, ich bin gern in der Natur,“ antwortet Maria. Am Nachmittag gehen sie in ein Gasthaus und trinken heißen Kakao. Es ist ein perfekter Tag.

Show full English translation

On Saturday, Maria and Jan drive to the Black Forest. They want to go hiking. The air is crisp and the forest is lush green. They walk along a narrow path between towering trees. " Listen! A bird is singing," says Maria. Jan hears the bird and smiles. After an hour, they reach a small lake. The water is clear and cold. They sit on a stone and eat their sandwiches. " The Black Forest is so beautiful," says Jan. "Yes, I love being in nature," replies Maria. In the afternoon, they visit a guesthouse and sip hot cocoa. It is a perfect day.

Reading Comprehension Exercise

A1 German Reading Comprehension Exercises

1. Was hören Maria und Jan im Wald?

2. Was machen Maria und Jan am See?

3. Was trinken Maria und Jan im Gasthaus?

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Notebook

Patterns to reuse

Talking about destinations with 'in den'

fahren Maria und Jan in den Schwarzwald

Maria and Jan drive to the Black Forest

Use 'in den' for going to masculine places.

in den [place]

  • in den Schwarzwald
  • in den Park
  • in den Zoo

Use 'in den' (to the) before masculine destinations when saying where someone is going.

Saying what you like doing with 'gern'

ich bin gern in der Natur

I love being in nature

Place 'gern' after the verb to say you enjoy doing something.

[verb] gern [activity/place]

  • ich wandere gern
  • ich esse gern Kuchen
  • ich trinke gern Tee

'Gern' shows you like doing the activity or being somewhere.

Describing where you are sitting with 'auf einem'

Sie setzen sich auf einen Stein

They sit on a stone

'auf' means 'on'; use the correct form for the object you sit on.

auf einen [object]

  • auf einen Stuhl
  • auf einen Tisch
  • auf einen Balkon

Use 'auf einen' when you are sitting down on something (accusative case).

Expressing the weather or qualities with 'ist'

Die Luft ist frisch und der Wald ist grün

The air is fresh and the forest is green

Adjectives come after 'ist' to describe qualities.

[something] ist [adjective]

  • Das Wasser ist klar
  • Das Wetter ist schön
  • Der Kaffee ist heiß

Use 'ist' (is) plus an adjective to describe things or places.

Insight

Translator's Note

"This story captures the serene beauty of the Black Forest, a perfect setting for beginners to explore simple German vocabulary and sentence structures."

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