Episode study · A1
Folge 42: An der Ampel links
Emma’s dad is back, Nico’s bag is still missing—and everyone learns the route to Yara’s bike shop.
All episodes · Practice this episode
Episode summary
Emma nearly bumps into trouble as Lisa returns her after a week with Aunt Lisa; greetings fly between family and Herr González. The search for Nico’s lost bag stalls, but there is a lead: a Yara González who runs a bike shop at Adalbert-Stifter-Straße 43, downtown near the employment office. Someone has already checked—the shop matches the photo. Getting there becomes a full directions lesson. First take the bus to Grafenplatz, cross into Krugstraße, go along past a big intersection and the theater, then turn at a traffic light. Papa mixes up “second light” and “next light,” so Emma calmly pulls out her phone and restates a cleaner route: to Grafenplatz, left into Krugstraße, across Schlossstraße, right into Adalbert-Stifter-Straße. They set off with the corrected path.
Key vocabulary
die Ampel
Meaning: traffic light
Example: An der Ampel müssen wir warten.
der Fahrradladen
Meaning: bike shop
Example: Im Fahrradladen repariert man mein Rad.
das Arbeitsamt
Meaning: employment office
Example: Das Arbeitsamt liegt im Zentrum.
der Bus
Meaning: bus
Example: Wir fahren mit dem Bus zum Markt.
die Kreuzung
Meaning: intersection / crossing
Example: Überquert die große Kreuzung vorsichtig.
überqueren
Meaning: to cross (a street)
Example: Wir überqueren die Straße an der Ampel.
abbiegen
Meaning: to turn (off a road)
Example: Biegen Sie an der nächsten Ecke links ab.
entlanggehen
Meaning: to go along
Example: Geht die Straße bis zum Park entlang.
das Zentrum
Meaning: city center / downtown
Example: Der Laden ist im Zentrum, nicht am Rand.
das Handy
Meaning: mobile phone
Example: Ich schaue die Adresse im Handy nach.
zuerst
Meaning: first (of all)
Example: Zuerst fahren wir zum Bahnhof, dann zur Uni.
Grammar & usage focus
Sequencing directions: zuerst, dann, and imperative forms
Street directions stack sequence words with movement verbs. Zuerst marks the first step; dann continues the chain. Formal instructions use Sie-imperatives, while friends use ihr-forms. Separable verbs like abbiegen put the prefix at the end in main clauses: Ihr biegt rechts ab.
Examples
- Zuerst fahrt ihr mit dem Bus, dann geht ihr über den Platz.
- Biegen Sie an der Ampel rechts in die Nebenstraße ab.
Comprehension check
What address is given for Yara’s bike shop?
Show answer: Adalbert-Stifter-Straße 43, in the center near the employment office.
What is the first step of the suggested route?
Show answer: Take the bus to Grafenplatz.
Why does Emma take out her phone?
Show answer: Papa mixes up the traffic-light instructions, so she looks up a clearer route.
How does Emma’s corrected route end?
Show answer: Cross Schlossstraße and turn right at the next intersection into Adalbert-Stifter-Straße.
Tips for shadowing this episode
Draw a stick-figure map while listening: Bus → Grafenplatz → Krugstraße → Theater → Ampel. Practice both ihr and Sie versions of the same turn. When a speaker self-corrects, freeze the video and restate the accurate final instruction in one sentence.
Video © Deutsche Welle (Nicos Weg on YouTube). Echo Deutsch is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Deutsche Welle.