The Lernen to Talk Show: Episode 36 – Kiosk Kwest!

Ah, the kiosk. Next to Sozialversicherung and the Bundesliga, one of the most important of German institutions. Whether its for a tasty beverage, an overpriced snack, or to get cash money for that precious precious Pfand, hardly a day has gone by when I haven’t entered a kiosk. In today’s episode, Ariane and I go on a quest to find a poorly described beverage for our friend Lea. We are greeted there by the friendly shopkeep, who aids us on our mission. Will we succeed? Tune in to find out!

Thanks to Heliana for filming!

0:16 – This was the first video where I messed up the number… it won’t be the last.

0:21 – This is also an episode that came very close to not happening! I had gone the whole day without meeting anybody to be the guest, but then luckily that evening Ariane came to the rescue! It’s people like her that make this whole project possible. That is, people who are not put off by requests to appear in videos within ten minutes of having met somebody.

0:26 – Sorry about the unprofessional introduction, Lea!

0:35 – Why she’d want it sugar free I don’t know. Fanta in Germany actually has real sugar! None of that HFCS garbage…

1:05 – Heliana is impressed.

1:35 – I’m gonna miss that corner.

1:56 – Kiosks are famous for their catchy and creative names.

2:10 – Eine Kinder Überraschung! Yes, this name translates literally to “Children Surprise”. No, I don’t think this is okay.

3:43 – Classic mistake. In German, if you want to use an adjective to make a comparison, you don’t ever use the word for “more”. That is, to say something is “more expensive”, you can’t say “mehr teuer“. You need to say “teurer“. This is the opposite of in Spanish, where saying “más” + adj. is the only way to go. So in this case, “more similar” expressed as “ähnlicher”

4:30 – Here’s an extremely German word: Gezwungenermaßen. “Out of necessity.”

4:51 – Another fun one: ertragreich. Normally used in agrarian contexts, meaning “fruitful”. Perhaps Ariane and I should found a business based around selling sunflower seeds taken off of buns.

5:45 – Oh no! I missed a subtitle! She says “Show us the Frauen Überraschung”. Darn it, that’s a pretty funny line…

6:03 – The Lucky Strike Bakery & Kiosk treats its customers well.

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