Episode study · A1
Folge 35: Wann spielen wir?
Over the fish lunch menu, Max’s football friends hunt for a free Friday — and recruit Nico as player eight.
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Episode summary
Yanis greets Max and Tarek at the restaurant and orders the lunch menu with fish twice, drinks as usual. Talk turns to football: they often play together and want another match. This week Max cannot; next week works, but Saturday is out because he meets Anna at the swimming pool in the afternoon. Friday seems fine until Max remembers Robert cannot come, leaving only seven players. They need an eighth person and ask Nico, who likes football and wants to know when. They settle on next Friday at two o’clock — one is too early for Max — and agree to meet at the restaurant. Just then Lisa rushes in, apologizing for being way too late. Scheduling phrases and polite invitations fill the dialogue from the first greeting to the final meetup plan.
Key vocabulary
das Mittagsmenü
Meaning: lunch menu
Example: Wir hätten gern zweimal das Mittagsmenü mit Fisch.
das Getränk
Meaning: drink
Example: Getränke wie immer, bitte.
der Fußball
Meaning: football / soccer
Example: Am Freitag spielen wir wieder Fußball.
diese Woche
Meaning: this week
Example: Diese Woche kann ich leider nicht.
nächste Woche
Meaning: next week
Example: Nächste Woche Freitag habe ich Zeit.
treffen
Meaning: to meet
Example: Wir treffen uns am Freitag vor dem Restaurant.
das Schwimmbad
Meaning: swimming pool
Example: Am Samstag treffe ich eine Freundin im Schwimmbad.
Lust haben
Meaning: to feel like (doing something)
Example: Hast du Lust, mit uns Fußball zu spielen?
zu früh
Meaning: too early
Example: Um eins ist zu früh — ich kann erst um zwei.
die Person
Meaning: person
Example: Für das Spiel brauchen wir eine achte Person.
sich setzen
Meaning: to sit down
Example: Bitte setzt euch — euer Tisch ist fertig.
Grammar & usage focus
Making plans: diese Woche / nächste Woche + day
To place an event in the near future, combine a week word with a day: diese Woche (this week), nächste Woche (next week), then Am Freitag or simply Freitag in casual speech. Questions like Wann spielen wir? invite a full answer with day and time. Modal-flavored refusals (kann ich nicht) and checks (Geht das?) keep the negotiation polite while you rearrange the calendar.
Examples
- Diese Woche kann ich nicht, aber nächste Woche geht’s.
- Wir treffen uns nächste Woche Freitag um zwei Uhr.
Comprehension check
What do Yanis and his friend order?
Show answer: The lunch menu with fish twice, drinks as usual.
Why can’t Max play on Saturday?
Show answer: He meets Anna at the swimming pool in the afternoon.
Why isn’t Friday perfect for the full team at first?
Show answer: Robert can’t make it on Friday, so they would only be seven.
When and where do they finally agree to meet for football?
Show answer: Next Friday at two o’clock, meeting at the restaurant.
Who arrives late at the end of the scene?
Show answer: Lisa — she says she is way too late.
Tips for shadowing this episode
Role-play the scheduling ping-pong: propose Friday, reject Saturday, adjust the hour from one to two. Learn Hast du Lust? as your go-to invitation. Count the player names once out loud so the “we need eight” punchline is easy to follow on a rewatch.
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