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Zugfahrt nach München

Laura stands at Frankfurt central, her light backpack on her shoulders, holding a reservation for the ICE to Munich.

Illustration for the A2 story "Zugfahrt nach München": Laura double-checks the platform flip, survives a cheerful snack trolley, and steps into München Hauptbahnhof with fewer translation crutches.

What you'll learn

  • Bilingual graded story
  • Native narration
  • 9 useful words
  • 4 comprehension questions

Then shadow

Borrow the narrator’s rhythm

Pause after this line and repeat it aloud without translating. Aim for three clean repetitions.

1Listen first

Hear the whole story

Native German narration of this exact text. Keep the transcript visible on the first pass.

0:00–:––
Playback speed: Natural

2Then shadow

Laura steht am Frankfurter Hauptbahnhof, ihr leichter Rucksack auf dem Rücken, und hält eine Reservierung für den ICE nach München in der Hand.

Warm-up vocabulary

Preview 3 optional words before reading
Rucksack
backpack
“Ich trage meinen Rucksack zur Schule.”
eilen
to hurry
“Ich muss mich beeilen, um den Bus zu erwischen.”
duften
to smell (pleasantly)
“Die Blumen duften wunderbar.”

Your German story

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Story + translation + quiz

Laura steht am Frankfurter Hauptbahnhof, ihr leichter Rucksack auf dem Rücken, und hält eine für den ICE nach München in der Hand. Eine plötzliche ändert das , also eilt sie los und fragt einen nach dem richtigen Wagen für Platz zwölf. Im duftet es nach frisch gebrühtem Kaffee; eine ältere Dame bietet ihr ein Stück Apfelkuchen an, aber Laura entscheidet sich später für ein Sandwich aus dem Bistro. Zwischen weiten Feldern und dichten Wäldern murmelt sie neue Wörter wie „“, „pünktlich“ und „Ausweis“, damit Deutsch nicht nur im Unterricht bleibt. Als der Zug in München einfährt, wagt sie es, ohne Englisch zu fragen: „Entschuldigung, wo ist hier der Ausgang zur U-Bahn?“

Show full English translation

Laura stands at Frankfurt central, her light backpack on her shoulders, holding a reservation for the ICE to Munich. A sudden announcement changes the platform, so she hurries and asks a conductor about the right coach for seat twelve. In the compartment, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee fills the air; an older lady offers her a slice of apple cake, but Laura opts for a bistro sandwich later. Between vast fields and dense forests, she murmurs new words like "exit," "punctual," and "ID," so German doesn't stay just in class. As the train pulls into Munich, she dares to ask without English: "Excuse me, where is the subway exit?"

Reading Comprehension Exercise

A2 German Reading Comprehension Exercises

1. Why does Laura have to walk faster?

2. Who does she ask for the right carriage?

3. What does she ask in German at the end?

4. Wo ist Laura am Ende angekommen?

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