Thursday, 29 January 2026

Thursday the 29th of January, 2026


English Warmups - Simply translate into English, then scroll down for suggested solutions.

Gehen wir einkaufen.  

Ich möchte ein Buch kaufen.   

Ein Buch von James Joyce.  

Die Dubliners.  

Ich mag Dublin.  

Ich bin oft dort. 

Sehr freundliche Menschen.  

Toller Humor.  

Es regnet jeden Tag.  

Kein Problem. 

Dublin liegt an der Küste. 

Die Irische See.  

Viele Menschen haben Boote.  

Segeln ist ein beliebtes Hobby.  

Ich gehe morgen segeln.

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Let's go shopping.  I want to buy a book.   A book by James Joyce.  The Dubliners.  I like Dublin.  I often go there. Very friendly people.  Great humour.  It rains every day.  No problem. Dublin lies on the coast. The Irish Sea.  Many people have boats.  Sailing's a popular hobby.  I'm going sailing tomorrow.

 


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Please scroll down for  Talk Fritzi - Very easy.

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 The Bartons - Chapter 14 - The Golden Spoon

Idioms -  TOP NOTCH - The best.     TAKE SOMETHING WITH A PINCH OF SALT - to be sceptical about what is said.  AS FAR AS YOU CAN THROW SOMEONE -  You can't trust them at all.  THE POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK - Describes a hypocrite. They do the same as the person they are complaining about.  FROGS - This is what the English call French people.

Redewendungen – TOP NOTCH – Das Beste. TAKE SOMETHING WITH A PINCH OF SALT – Etwas mit Skepsis betrachten. AS FAR AS YOU CAN THROW SOMEONE – Man kann ihnen überhaupt nicht trauen. THE POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK – Beschreibt einen Heuchler. Sie tun dasselbe wie die Person, über die sie sich beschweren.  FROGS – So nennen die Engländer die Franzosen.

The Bartons - Chapter 14 - The Golden Spoon

I bumped into my brother Andy in the village yesterday.

That's interesting, Ken.  How was he?

Fine, thanks, Jean.  

Did he have anything interesting to say?

He told me, they'd been to the Golden Spoon for dinner.

That's the new restaurant that opened about three weeks ago isn't it?

That's right, Jean.

Did he say it was good, dad?

A good question,  Dave.  In fact, Andy said it was top notch. We really should try it.

I don't know, Ken.  Normally,  every thing Andy says must be taken with a pinch of salt.  I'll ask Sarah and see what she says.  You can only trust Andy as far as you can throw him.  

You've got a point, mum.  Do you remember what Andy said about The Silver Kettle restaurant in Bawtry?  It was also top notch. Three weeks later,  it was closed down after 9 guests nearly died from serious food poisoning. And, do you recall what Andy said about the art exhibition he saw in Scunthorp?  That was also top notch. Everyone else said it was rubbish.

Come come, Dave. You sound like the kettle calling the pot black. I remeber what you said about Claire's ehibition in London. You said it was fantastic.  Everyone else said it was rubbish.

Well, I had to say that dad. Claire was my girl friend at the time. I was scared she'd have kicked me out if I'd have said something bad about her work.

Well, that's what she did do, Dave. Now Claire's enjoying snail and frog leg sanwiches for supper every evening with her onion eating red wine drinking frog boyfriend, Pierre.

Talking about food has made me hungry, boys.  How about a nice cup of tea and a nice slice of cherry cake,

A great idea, mum. I'll put on the kettle.

And, I'll get the cups and saucers.

QUESTIONS -  What did Andy say about the Golden Spoon?  When did the Golden Spoon open?  Can Andy be trusted?  Who is Jean going to ask for the truth about the Golden Spoon?  What was the Silver Kettle?   Where was the Silver Kettle?  What did Andy say about the Siver Kettle?  How many people nearly died after eating dinner at the Silver Kettle?  What did Dave say about Claire's exhibition in London?    And, what happened to Dave and Claire?   What does Claire have for supper every evening?




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Talk Fritzi  34.  Please listen and repeat. VERY EASY

Ein gutes Buch?   A good book?    

Sehr gut.  Very good.

Ein interessantes Buch?  An interesting book?

Viele Bilder?  Many pictures?

In Farbe?  In colour?

Der Film ist gut.  The film is good.

Das Buch ist besser. The book is better.

Ein Tierbuch.  An animal book.

Über eine Löwin.  About a lioness.

Und ihre Pflegerin.   And her keeper.

Joy Fletcher.  Joy Fletcher.

Ein Happy End.  A happy end.

Für die Löwen.  For the lioness.

Die Löwin frisst  Joy Fletcher.   The lioness eats Joy Fletcher.

Eine wahre Geschichte.  A true story.

A good book?  Very good.  An interesting book?  Many pictures?   In colour?  The film is good.  The book is better.  An animal book.  About a lioness.  And her keeper.  Joy Fletcher.  A happy end.  For the lioness.  The lioness eats  Joy Fletcher.  A true story.




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My name is Nigel A. JAMES. 
Talk Clemelee is my YouTube channel. 
German and English. Articles of general interest, 
short stories, interviews, Easy English 
 to help with your learning, and
much more as well.
 

>Bitte klicken Sie hier<
>Please click here<




Mein Name ist Nigel A. JAMES. 
Talk Clemelee  ist mein YouTube-Kanal. 
Deutsch und Englisch. Artikel von allgemeinem Interesse, 
Kurzgeschichten, Interviews, leicht verständliches Beiträge 
das Ihnen beim Lernen hilft, und vieles mehr. 
 

Sunday, 25 January 2026

Sunday the 25th of January, 2026


 

The Bartons - 28. Jan. 2025

English Warmups - Simply translate into English, then scroll down for suggested solutions. Have fun and good luck.

Mir ist sehr kalt. 

Ich hätte Lust auf ein Nickerchen. 

Vor dem Kamin. 

Ich habe gerade wunderbar zu Mittag gegessen. 

Ein köstliches Steak. 

Ein Glas Rotwein. 

Ein Glas Portwein. 

Ich habe mir ein Mittagsschläfchen verdient. 

Gregor, wo ist deine Frau? 

Im indischen Restaurant. 

Zum Essen? 

Nein, sie wäscht das Geschirr. 

Das ist ihre Sonntagnachmittagsarbeit. 

Armer Gregor. 

Jeden Sonntag allein zu Hause.

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I'm very cold.  I fancy a nap.  In front of the fire.  I've just had a wonderful lunch.  A delicious steak. A glass of red wine. A glass of port. I've earned an afternoon nap.  Gregor, where is your wife?  At the Indian restaurant. Having a meal?  No, washing the dishes. It's her Sunday afternoon job. Poor Gregor.  Home alone every Sunday.




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Talk Fritzi - Listen, repeat, learn, and have fun.  Very easy

Ein englischer Bauernhof  -  An English Farm

Viele Tiere  - Many animals

Pferde, Kühe und Schweine - Horses, cows, and pigs.  

Der Schweinestall  -  The pigsty.

Riecht wunderbar  - Smells beautiul. 

Wie französischer Käse - Like French cheese. 

Die Ställe  -  The stables.

Ratten und Mäuse - Rats and mice.

Katzen und Hunde -  Cats and dogs. 

Der Bauer - The farmer. 

Ein englischer Gentleman  - An English Gentleman.  

Die Bäuerin - The farmer's wife. 

Eine schreckliche Frau -  A terrible woman. 

Sehr herrisch - Very bossy. 

Aber eine sehr gute Köchin. But, a very good cook.

Gute, reichhaltige Mahlzeiten auf dem Bauernhof- Good square meals on the farm.

An English Farm.  Many animals.  Horses, cows, and pigs.  The pigsty.  Smells wonderful. Like French cheese. The stables.  Rats and mice.  Cats and dogs.  The farmer.  An English gentleman.  The farmer's wife.  A terrible woman. Very bossy.  But, a very good cook.  Good square meals on the farm.




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Monday, 19 January 2026

Monday the 19th of January, 2026

 


English Warmups - Please translate into English, then scrolll down for suggsted solutions. 


  


Weihnachten ist noch nicht vorbei.

wir haben noch unseren Weihnachtsbaum,  

den behalten wir bis Februar.  

Bis zum 2. Februar. 

Eine Tradition in Österreich.  

Ich mag diese Tradition.  


Österreichische Weihnachtskuchen. 

Eine weitere schöne Tradition. 

Es ist wieder Winter.

 Schnee und Eis.  

Sehr rutschig und gefährlich.  

Wir müssen vorsichtig sein. 

Sehen wir es positiv: 

Bald ist wieder Sommer.

Christmas is not over,  We still have our Christmas tree,  We keep it until February.  February the second. A tradition in Austria.   I like this tradition.  Austrian Christmas cakes. Another nice tradition. It's winter again.  Snow and ice.  Very slippery and dangerous.  We must be careful. Look on the bright side. It will soon be summer again.


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Thursday, 8 January 2026

Sunday the 11th of January, 2026


English Warmups -  Simply translate into English then scroll down for suggested solutions.  Have fun.

Gregor ist drinnen. 
Er hält sich warm. 
Vor dem Kamin. 
Er trinkt heiße Schokolade. 
Gregor, wo ist  deine Frau?  
Sie ist draußen.  
Auf der Straße.  
Sie räumt den Schnee.  
Gregor, warum räumst du nicht den Schnee?  
Gleichberechtigung.  
Was Männer können, können Frauen besser.  
Gregor ist ein sehr netter Mann.  
Er denkt immer  an andere. 
Gregor ist einer von Millionen.  
Ein Vorbild für uns alle.

Gregor is inside. Keeping warm.  In front of the fire. Drinking hot chocolate. Gregor, where is  your wife?  She's outside.  In the road.  Clearing the snow.  Gregor, why aren't you clearing the snow?  Equality.  What men can do, women can do better,  Gregor's a very nice man.  Always thinking  of others. Gregor is one in a million.  An example to us all.


Next edition of The Baxters - Wednesday the 14th of January, 2026

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Valentine's Day  Champagne,  Flowers and Cards!

February the 14th is Valentine's Day. People send flowers, go out for candle-light meals, drink Champaign by the bucket, and are generally nice. A wonderful day. But, the best part of all is the British tradition of Valentine's cards. Great excitement and fun.

Valentine's cards are anonymous. No one knows who they're from. They simply flutter in with the post. And, the fun's in the guessing who sent them. Love should then follow. But, usually it doesn't. Mostly a story of dreams.

And, St. Valentine's cards are romantically arty. Most have pictures of red hearts and roses. And, all of them beg, “Be my Valentine.” Romantically silly. But, the two Valentine's cards I received said exactly the opposite.

On the front of the first card was a horrible picture. Rats, slugs, cockroaches, and snakes. All very revolting. And, when I opened the card, the message was simple and straight to the point. “Just thinking of you,” were the words that were written.

The second card wasn't much different. On the front of the card were the heart lifting sensational words, “If I had 100 pounds for every time I thought of you . . .” I opened the card and read on. Instead of, “I would be the richest woman on earth,” were the shattering words, “I would think of you more often.” “If I had a hundred pounds for every time I thought of you, I would think of you more often.”

This was a long time ago. The only two Valentine's cards I ever received. I sent many, but my love was never returned. So, who was St. Valentine? I did some research. St. Valentine was stoned to death for what he invented. St. Valentine invented marriage! In those days, a very good reason for stoning someone to death. But, why did they make him a saint? An unanswered question.

February the 14th is Valentine's Day. People send flowers. They go out for candle-light dinners. And, that's it for another 12 months.

The story of love is no easy road. It had a hard stony end for poor Valentine.

St. Valentine's Day. Champagne. Flowers and Cards. Secrets. High hopes and deep disappointments.

See you next year. Please, please, be my Valentine!

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Thursday, 1 January 2026

Thursday the First of January 2026 - Happy New Year!

Die Raunächte 


English Warmups
 - Simply translate into English, then scroll down for suggested solutions,   


Es ist Samstag, der 3. Januar.     

Vor Weihnachten ist nach Weihnachten.  

Bald ist wieder Weihnachten.  

Meine Frau ist gerade nach Hause gekommen.  

Vom Markt.  

Vom Meisel Markt in Wien. 

Wunderbare Düfte. 

Seltsame Kuchen.  

Ungewöhnliche Früchte. 

Ein ganz besonderes Gefühl. 

Ehemänner und Ehefrauen.  

Die Ehemänner tragen die Einkäufe.   

Die Frauen kaufen ein. 

Es herrscht leichte Panik.  

Last-Minute-Weihnachtseinkäufe.  

Nur noch vier Tage.  

Das orthodoxe Weihnachtsfest steht vor der Tür. 
 

It's Saturday the 3rd of January.     Before Christmas is after Christmas.   It will soon be Christmas again.  My wife has just come home.  From the market.  The Meiselmarkt in Vienna. Wonderful smells. Strange cakes.  Unusual fruits. A very special feeling. Husbands and wives.  The husbands carrying the shopping.   The women doing the shopping. There's a feeling of panic.  Last minute Christmas shopping.  Only 4  more days.  Orthodox Christmas is just round the corner. 





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The Bartons - Chapter 13


Idioms    -  To pull out all the stops - To make a  great effort to achieve a great result.  To give all that you have means to do something with all the  energy and talent you have.  Second to none means the best. For the life of me means  however hard I try.  To grin and bear it means to get through a hard situation because there's nothing you can do about it.      And, now to our story.   A Concert

I say, mum and dad, that was a brilliant concert.

Yes, Dave, The Wiener Philharmonic is wonderful orchestra.

And, the conductor was fantastic.    He conducted brilliantly.  He gave everything he had.

You're right Jean, He pulled out all the stops.  This year's new year's concert was second to none.  In fact, it was the best Viennese new year's concert I've ever seen.

What was the conductor's name, Dave?

For the life of me, I can't remeber, dad.

I can remeber his name, Ken.  It was Yannick Nézet-Séguin.  It's an easy name to remember, Ken. Yannick Nézet-Séguin is a typical Canadian name.

I never knew that, Jean.  And, What did you think of the orchestra, Jean?

A great orchestra, Ken. I think the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra must be a professional orchestra. Most of the players seemed  to know what they were doing. In fact, some of them were really good.

Really mum!  The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the best in the world.  And, what do you say to the audience, dad?

A typical Viennese audience, Dave. The Viennese are amongst the nicest people in the world. They're always friendly and never stop smiling. Never a bad word. The Viennese all have a golden smiling heart.  It could be the Viennese food.  Maybe, you should get yourself a Viennese Fräuline, Dave.  

I don't know any Viennese Fräulines, dad.

Well, it's time you did, Dave. We're going to Vienna next year.  Christmas and new year.   Dave, Jean, you can do the organizing. Money's no problem. The Imperial hotel.  I've heard it's very good.

It must be very good, Ken.  That's where the Queen stayed.

Well, if it's good enough for the Queen, it's good enough for us.

Oh, and Ken, I'll need one or two new dresses for the trip.

We can buy you a Dirndl when we get to Vienna, Jean. 

A good idea, Ken. Then I'll look just like a typical Viennese Oma. How exciting.

And, Dave, some Lederhosen for you. 

Of course, dad. And, dad, while we're at it, can we go to the new year's concert, please?

Of course we can. Whilst you're booking the hotel, Dave,  you can book three tickets for the New year's concert as well.

Just leave it to me, Dad.

So, Jean, what do say?

I say let's have a nice cup of tea and a nice slice of Christmas cake.

No cherry cake, mum?

Next week, Dave. First we must finish the Christmas cake.

And, what's for lunch, Jean?

Cold turkey, again. Sorry boys.

No problem, mum. We'll just have to grin and bear it. The turkey will soon be gone.

 Ken, Jean, and Dave, a  happy new year to you all.

Questions

Did the Bartons enjoy the New Year's concert?   What does Ken say about the Viennese?  Did you see the concert?  Why is Jean buying a Dirndl?  What did Jean say about the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra?  Did Dave agree with her?  What did Ken say about the conductor?  How did Jean know the conductor was canadian?  Is it easy to get tickets for the New Year's concert?






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Thursday the 26th of February, 2026

Simply translate into English, then scroll down for suggested solutions. Noch eine Rechnung.  Eine Rechnung nach der anderen.  Strom ist seh...