Episode study · A1
Folge 30: Tageszeiten
Before babysitting, Nico gets Emma’s full day: wake-up, meals, homework, flute — and no TV.
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Episode summary
Someone walks Nico through Emma’s typical day so he can babysit without chaos. Emma gets up at half past six and brushes her teeth — she claims she always does, then softens it to almost always. Breakfast is usually cereal with milk, sometimes an apple. Lunch is often vegetables such as tomatoes, lettuce, and broccoli, served at twelve. In the afternoon she normally does homework from two to three and practices the flute from four to half past four; an adult promises to check. Nico is told not to let her watch TV, and after playing she must tidy up. Tomorrow looks manageable: the caregiver will be home again for dinner around six. The episode is a dense routine script packed with adverbs of frequency and clock times you can reuse for any child.
Key vocabulary
aufstehen
Meaning: to get up
Example: Am Wochentag stehe ich um halb sieben auf.
die Zähne putzen
Meaning: to brush one’s teeth
Example: Nach dem Frühstück putze ich immer die Zähne.
das Frühstück
Meaning: breakfast
Example: Zum Frühstück esse ich Müsli mit Milch.
das Müsli
Meaning: cereal / muesli
Example: Manchmal gibt es Müsli, manchmal nur einen Apfel.
das Mittagessen
Meaning: lunch
Example: Mittagessen gibt es bei uns um zwölf Uhr.
das Gemüse
Meaning: vegetables
Example: Zum Mittagessen essen wir oft frisches Gemüse.
die Hausaufgabe
Meaning: homework (usually plural)
Example: Von zwei bis drei macht sie ihre Hausaufgaben.
üben
Meaning: to practice
Example: Am Nachmittag übt sie eine Stunde Flöte.
aufräumen
Meaning: to tidy up
Example: Nach dem Spielen räumt ihr bitte alles auf.
fernsehen
Meaning: to watch TV
Example: Heute siehst du nicht fern — erst die Hausaufgaben.
normalerweise
Meaning: normally / usually
Example: Normalerweise isst sie Gemüse und keinen Kuchen.
manchmal
Meaning: sometimes
Example: Manchmal isst sie einen Apfel statt Müsli.
Grammar & usage focus
Frequency adverbs: immer, fast immer, normalerweise, manchmal
Emma’s day is built from how often things happen. Immer means always; fast immer softens it to almost always. Normalerweise describes the usual pattern, and manchmal marks exceptions. These adverbs typically sit in the midfield after the conjugated verb (Sie isst normalerweise Müsli). Pair them with clock times so a daily routine sounds natural rather than robotic.
Examples
- Sie steht normalerweise um halb sieben auf.
- Manchmal isst sie einen Apfel, aber nicht immer.
Comprehension check
What time does Emma get up?
Show answer: At half past six (um halb sieben).
What does she usually eat for breakfast?
Show answer: Cereal with milk; sometimes an apple.
When is lunch, and what is it often?
Show answer: At twelve; often vegetables such as tomatoes, lettuce, and broccoli.
What are her afternoon tasks between two and half past four?
Show answer: Homework from two to three, then flute practice from four to half past four.
What two house rules does Nico get about TV and tidying?
Show answer: No watching TV, and after playing she must tidy up.
Tips for shadowing this episode
Write Emma’s day as a six-line schedule with a frequency word in each line. Shadow the “immer oder manchmal / fast immer” exchange — it is a tiny dialogue you can reuse about any habit. When you practice fernsehen and aufstehen, say the separable forms in a full sentence.
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