Episode study · A1

Folge 39: Wo ist der Aufzug?

Max and friends hunt for Lisa Brunner’s interview room—and race upstairs with the papers she forgot.

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Episode summary

Max Stöpel arrives at an office building looking for Lisa Brunner, who has a job interview at fourteen o’clock. A receptionist first sends them toward the third floor, then corrects himself: today the interviews are on the fourth floor next to the cafeteria. He gives careful directions—take the elevator, go left, then right, then left again—to room 431. Armed with the room number, Max and his companions still get turned around until they spot a floor plan near the toilets and argue over which corridor leads between the conference rooms. Just in time, they find Lisa and hand over the application documents she left behind. Relieved, she calls them her saviors. The episode packs building vocabulary, floor numbers, and the step-by-step directions you need when you are late for something important indoors.

Key vocabulary

der Aufzug (Article: der · Plural: Aufzüge)

Meaning: elevator / lift

Example: Wir nehmen den Aufzug in die fünfte Etage.

die Etage (Article: die · Plural: Etagen)

Meaning: floor (of a building)

Example: Das Büro liegt in der zweiten Etage.

das Bewerbungsgespräch (Article: das · Plural: Bewerbungsgespräche)

Meaning: job interview

Example: Mein Bewerbungsgespräch beginnt um zehn Uhr.

der Besprechungsraum (Article: der · Plural: Besprechungsräume)

Meaning: meeting room

Example: Der Besprechungsraum ist neben der Kantine.

die Kantine (Article: die · Plural: Kantinen)

Meaning: cafeteria / canteen

Example: Nach dem Termin essen wir in der Kantine.

der Lageplan (Article: der · Plural: Lagepläne)

Meaning: floor plan / site map

Example: Auf dem Lageplan sehe ich Zimmer 210.

die Bewerbungsunterlagen (Article: die · Plural: Bewerbungsunterlagen)

Meaning: application documents

Example: Bitte bringen Sie Ihre Bewerbungsunterlagen mit.

suchen

Meaning: to look for

Example: Ich suche den Ausgang zum Parkplatz.

links

Meaning: left / to the left

Example: Gehen Sie hier links und dann geradeaus.

rechts

Meaning: right / to the right

Example: Der Aufzug ist rechts neben den Toiletten.

Grammar & usage focus

Giving indoor directions with links / rechts and floor numbers

When someone asks where a room is, German often chains short commands: take the elevator (nehmen + den Aufzug), name the floor (in der dritten / vierten Etage), then add turns (links, rechts, dann wieder links). Ordinal floor numbers use the dative after in der: in der dritten Etage. Room numbers are said as plain numbers or simply 431.

Examples

  • Nehmen Sie den Aufzug und fahren Sie in die vierte Etage.
  • Gehen Sie links, dann rechts; der Raum ist Zimmer 120.

Comprehension check

Why are Max and the others looking for Lisa Brunner?

Show answer: She has a job interview there at fourteen o’clock, and they need to find her (later with her forgotten papers).

Where do the interviews take place today?

Show answer: On the fourth floor next to the cafeteria, in meeting room 431.

What do they use when they get lost in the corridor?

Show answer: A floor plan (Lageplan) near the toilets.

What had Lisa forgotten?

Show answer: Her application documents (Bewerbungsunterlagen).

Tips for shadowing this episode

Pause after each direction chunk (elevator → floor → left/right) and repeat it aloud before the next line. Practice saying room numbers out loud—431, dritte Etage, vierte Etage—until they feel automatic. When you watch again, cover the English and point left or right with your hand as the receptionist speaks.

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