From post office to email
Von Postamt zu E-Mail
- Send and receive messages.
- Email and internet.
Learn practical German for everyday communication—from sending a Brief and buying Briefmarken at the Post to writing informative E-Mails at work and asking nach einer E-Mail-Adresse. Master key verbs like empfangen, schicken, and können in relevant contexts.
Vocabulary (15) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Übung 1: Conversation exercise
Anleitung:
- Do you still send letters or only emails? (Do you still send letters or only emails?)
- What is necessary when you want to send a letter? Use the subjunctive. (What is necessary when you want to send a letter? Use the subjunctive. )
- How many emails do you usually receive in a day? (How many emails do you usually receive in a day?)
Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes
Example phrases:
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Ich verschicke jetzt nur noch E-Mails. Es ist schneller und einfacher. I only send emails now. It’s faster and easier. |
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Manchmal schicke ich Briefe für besondere Anlässe. Wie Geburtstage oder Feiertage. Sometimes I send letters for special things. Like birthdays or holidays. |
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Es ist wichtig, dass Sie den Brief unterschreiben. It is important that you sign the letter. |
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Es ist notwendig, dass Sie den Brief zum Beispiel zur Post bringen. It is necessary that you send the letter by taking it to the post office for example. |
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Ich bekomme normalerweise 10 oder 15 E-Mails. Die meisten sind für die Arbeit. I usually get 10 or 15 emails. Most are for work. |
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Ich erhalte 5 E-Mails pro Tag. Einige sind von Freunden, einige von Zeitungen. I receive 5 emails a day. Some are from friends, some from newspapers. |
| ... |
Exercise 2: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 3: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Ich ___ jeden Tag viele E-Mails im Büro.
(I ___ many emails every day at the office.)2. Gestern habe ich eine wichtige E-Mail ___ .
(Yesterday I ___ an important email.)3. Wenn ich mehr Zeit hätte, ___ ich schneller auf E-Mails antworten.
(If I had more time, I ___ reply to emails faster.)4. ___ Sie mir bitte das Paket schicken?
(___ you please send me the package?)Exercise 4: From the Post Office to the Email
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Empfangen - Receive
Präsens
- ich empfange
- du empfängst
- er/sie/es empfängt
- wir empfangen
- ihr empfangt
- sie/Sie empfangen
Empfangen - Receive
Perfekt
- ich habe empfangen
- du hast empfangen
- er/sie/es hat empfangen
- wir haben empfangen
- ihr habt empfangen
- sie/Sie haben empfangen
Können - Can
Konjunktiv II Präsens
- ich könnte
- du könntest
- er/sie/es könnte
- wir könnten
- ihr könntet
- sie/Sie könnten
Können - Can
Präsens
- ich kann
- du kannst
- er/sie/es kann
- wir können
- ihr könnt
- sie/Sie können
Grammar Share Copied!
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Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
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From Post Office to Email: Lesson Overview
This lesson focuses on everyday communication in German involving traditional postal services and modern email correspondence. It is designed for A2 level learners, offering practical dialogues and vocabulary to help you handle sending letters, buying stamps, writing emails at work, and exchanging email addresses.
Lesson Content Highlights
- Postal Service Interaction: Practice dialogues demonstrate how to send a letter at the post office and inquire about postage costs, such as "Guten Tag, ich möchte einen Brief nach Berlin schicken." and responses like "Das Porto kostet 1,55 Euro."
- Writing Emails: Learn how to write professional emails at work, request information politely, and close emails with common greetings — for example, "Könnten Sie mir bitte den Termin bestätigen?" and "Viele Grüße, Stefan."
- Asking for Email Addresses: Gain confidence in asking for and spelling out email addresses, important in both informal and formal contexts, like "Entschuldigung, wie ist Ihre E-Mail-Adresse?" and careful spelling examples.
Key Vocabulary and Expressions
- Brief (letter), Briefmarke (postage stamp), Postkarte (postcard)
- E-Mail schreiben (to write an email), Anhang (attachment), Bericht (report)
- E-Mail-Adresse (email address), buchstabieren (to spell)
- Verbs: empfangen (to receive), schicken (to send), können (can/to be able to), including important conjugation forms like ich empfange, ich habe empfangen, and subjunctive könnte.
Useful Phrase Structures
- At the Post Office: "Ich möchte einen Brief schicken." (I would like to send a letter.)
- Requesting Information Via Email: "Könnten Sie mir bitte ... schicken?" (Could you please send me ...?)
- Asking for Contact Details: "Wie ist Ihre E-Mail-Adresse?" (What is your email address?) and spelling it out: "A, N, N, A, Punkt, M, U, E, L, L, E, R."
Grammatical Focus
This lesson reinforces the use of the verbs empfangen (to receive) and können (can), including their present, perfect, and subjunctive forms. You'll see these in context, enhancing your understanding of typical situations like receiving important emails or politely making requests.
Language Notes: Differences and Tips
Since the instruction language and the learning language are different, translations and equivalents are provided here for clarity. Unlike English, German sentence structure can place verbs in different positions, especially in questions and subordinate clauses. For example, "Könnten Sie mir bitte den Termin bestätigen?" uses the subjunctive to form a polite request, which is more formal than the English "Could you please confirm the date?".
Some useful phrases include:
- Guten Tag - Good day (formal greeting)
- Natürlich - Of course
- Danke schön - Thank you very much
- Viele Grüße - Kind regards (common email closing)
Remember, German email addresses are spelled out clearly including the word "Punkt" for "dot", and "Strich" (dash) if necessary, which differs from English where spelling out is rarely needed.
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