Video 8: Technik-Vokabular & lassen + Infinitiv (Causative)

Source: ~2.5 hour recorded live Zoom class (eighth session of the B1 batch), heavy with audio/video connection problems (multiple "I'm breaking off" / blurry-screen stretches). Long silences and connection troubleshooting are skipped below. Approximate topic timestamps:

• Silence / setup / roll call / page navigation (00:00–11:00) — skipped, logistics
• Warm-up sentences about phone/communication habits (calling parents, texting vs. calling, headphones on the metro) (11:00–13:25) — mostly chitchat, kept only the stören vocabulary note
• Fill-in-the-blank sentence exercise: translating sentences with (sich) etwas liefern/reparieren lassen, bestellen, lassen as "let/have done" (13:25–20:10)
• Picture-description exercise: reflexive verb + body part construction (sich die Nägel schneiden) — definite article vs. possessive (20:19–24:33)
• More fill-in-the-blank translation sentences (Pia story, Maria's old stove/phone) (24:33–41:00)
• Connection problems / blurry screen, switched to vocab-only page while waiting (41:00–43:00)
• Vocabulary block, page 28: device/technology nouns and verbs (43:00–01:06:00)
• Vocabulary recap/quiz (teacher calls out English, students answer German) (01:06:00–01:21:00)
• More vocabulary: notice/appear/trust/sufficient family of verbs, banking terms (01:21:00–01:36:00)
• Long connection breakdown (01:36:00–01:40:00) — skipped, logistics
• Listening exercise: three answering-machine messages (Handyshop repair, Hausmeisterservice, Stadtführung) with comprehension questions (01:40:00–02:08:00)
• Reading exercise: "Modernes Leben"-style text about repairing vs. replacing broken devices, three people's opinions (Lisan, Caroline, Simran) — introduces lassen + Infinitiv causative grammar in depth (01:50:00–02:22:00)
• Wrap-up / next page assignment / end of class (02:22:00–02:26:00) — skipped, logistics

Topics Covered

• Vocabulary: communication/devices (stören, recherchieren, Informationen)
• lassen + infinitive — "to let / have something done [by someone else]" (causative construction)
• Reflexive verbs with body parts: use the definite article, not the possessive pronoun (exception flagged for later dative-reflexive chapter)
• Large technology/household-device vocabulary set (chargers, buttons, screens, switches, repairs, complaints)
• Synonym clusters: kaufen vs. anschaffen vs. kriegen vs. erwerben; ökologisch vs. sparsam/ökonomisch; ausreichen vs. ausreichend vs. genügen; gratis vs. frei
• Verb pair steuern (to control) vs. die Steuer (tax) — spelling/capitalization distinction
• Prefix verbs built on nehmen: unternehmen, abnehmen, zunehmen, aufnehmen
• bedienen (dative verb) — two meanings: to serve and to operate/control a device
• Listening exercise vocabulary: phone-repair/landlord/tour-booking answering-machine messages
• lassen + Infinitiv causative construction in past tense (perfect tense with infinitive at the end, not participle)

lassen + Infinitive: "to have/let something be done"

Practiced through a translation exercise (fill-in-the-blank sentences using lassen):

• Wo kaufst du neue Geräte? Lässt du dich lieber beraten, oder bestellst du im Internet? → Where do you buy new devices? Do you prefer to let yourself be advised, or do you order online?
• Ich bestelle lieber online und lasse mir die Ware liefern. Mein Freund lässt sich lieber beraten. → I prefer to order online and have the goods delivered to me. My friend prefers to let himself be advised.
• Meine Eltern kaufen nur selten neue Sachen, sie lassen lieber die alten Sachen reparieren. → My parents rarely buy new things; they prefer to have the old things repaired. (selten = rarely)
• Ich bestelle lieber und lasse mir etwas liefern. → I prefer to order and have something delivered to me.
• Ich habe heute keine Lust zum Kochen, und du? Ich auch nicht. Lassen wir uns doch etwas bringen. Der neue Italiener hat ein tolles Angebot und ist günstig. → I don't feel like cooking today, and you? Me neither. Let's have something brought to us [order food]. The new Italian place has a great offer and is cheap.

Grammar point flagged explicitly: Lassen wir uns... is technically an imperative form with wir ("let's...") — the teacher noted this construction is heard/used but not the main focus of this lesson.

lassen in the past tense (perfect) — verb stays infinitive, not participle

This was explained in depth using the reading-exercise sentences about repairing devices:

• Mein Handy ist mir runtergefallen. Ich habe es reparieren lassen. → My phone fell down [I dropped it]. I had it repaired.
• Ich habe es im Handyladen reparieren lassen. Die Reparatur hat nur 80 Euro gekostet. → I had it repaired at the phone shop. The repair only cost 80 euros.
• Mein kaputtes Auto — ich habe mein gebrochenes Auto reparieren lassen. → My broken car — I had my broken car repaired.

Key clarification (student asked why the past participle rule — haben + participle at the end — doesn't seem to apply here):

• Normally, perfect tense = haben/sein (2nd position) + Partizip II at the end.
• With lassen, this is a new B1 rule: even in the perfect tense, the construction is haben (2nd position) + the main verb stays in the infinitive (not participle) + lassen also stays infinitive, both placed at the end. Example: Ich habe es reparieren lassen (not reparieren gelassen in this usage pattern as drilled in class).
• The helping verb is always haben with this construction — even when the main verb would normally take sein (movement verb), because the focus is "you got it done by somebody," not the movement itself.

Reflexive Verbs with Body Parts: definite article, not possessive

Triggered by a picture-description exercise (a person cutting their nails):

• Sie schneidet sich die Nägel. → She is cutting her nails. ("cutting the nails to/for herself")
• Rule: whenever the verb is reflexive and the object is a body part (nails, hands, hair, etc.), you use sich + the definite article (der/die/das) for the body part — not the possessive pronoun (ihre/seine, etc.).
• Sie schneidet sich ihre Nägel was marked as wrong. Correct: Sie schneidet sich die Nägel.
• This was flagged explicitly as an exception to remember for now — it is technically a form of dative reflexive, a topic the class had not yet formally covered (dative reflexive verbs come later, in chapter 8). For this lesson, just memorize: body part + reflexive verb → definite article, never the possessive.
• A related example translated in class: Ihre Mutter putzt das Auto selbst. → Her mother cleans the car herself.

Vocabulary: Communication & Research

• recherchieren → to research
• stören → to disturb. Example context: wearing headphones on the metro so you "disturb nobody" (ich störe niemanden).
• Information(en) im Internet recherchieren → to research information on the internet (note: cannot freely interchange Information and recherchieren-derived nouns — Information is already "researched" content, so the phrasing was checked carefully in class).

Vocabulary: Devices, Repairs & Complaints (page 28 set)

Large vocabulary block, including notes on which word-endings hint at gender (-er endings are mostly masculine, e.g. Kugelschreiber, Kellner, Rechner; -e endings are mostly feminine, e.g. Waschmaschine).

• der Staubsauger → vacuum cleaner
• die Waschmaschine → washing machine
• der Kopfhörer → headphones
• die Powerbank / die Bank (the financial bank) → feminine
• der USB-Stick → USB stick
• der Knopf → button (on clothing or on a device, e.g. pressing a button to turn on a CPU)
• der Monitor / der Bildschirm → monitor/screen (synonyms)
• einschalten → to switch on / turn on
• installieren → to install
• das Ladekabel → charging cable
• ausschalten → to turn off
• anschließen → to connect (e.g. a cable to a phone)
• der Handyakku (article: der) → mobile/phone battery
• aufladen → to charge (specifically used for charging devices)
• laden → also means "to charge" (general term, e.g. Ich lade mein Handy — works too) and "to load" (e.g. loading a truck); aufladen is the more device-specific term, laden is the general/common term
• sparsam → economical / thrifty (related to sparen = to save, e.g. Geld sparen = to save money)
• stumm schalten → to mute / put on silent (e.g. muting your phone)
• anschaffen → to acquire / purchase / get — flagged as a favorite word of telc examiners: texts often use kaufen, but the true/false questions then use anschaffen as a synonym to test comprehension (e.g. text says Maria hat ein neues Handy gekauft; question says Maria schafft sich ein neues Handy an — richtig/falsch should be richtig, same meaning).
• kriegen → also means "to get" (colloquial), similar usage to anschaffen/kaufen in context
• dabeihaben → to have something with/on oneself
• reklamieren → to complain about a product. Related prepositions: complain about something = über
  • accusative; complain to somebody = bei + dative.
• (um)tauschen → to exchange
• zurückgeben → to return / give back
• die Quittung → the receipt
• die Garantie → the guarantee
• zufrieden → satisfied (an adjective, not a noun, despite the -en ending) — e.g. Ich bin zufrieden. → I am satisfied.
• testen → to test
• benötigen → to need
• Synonym cluster flagged for special attention: kaufen, anschaffen, brauchen, benötigen and also nutzen, benutzen, verwenden (all related to "use/need/acquire" — important for varying vocabulary on the exam)
• die Anleitung / die Gebrauchsanweisung / die Anweisung → instructions / user manual
• automatisch → automatic

bedienen (dative verb, two meanings)

• bedienen is a dative verb with two meanings:
  1. to serve (e.g. a waiter serving a table) — contrast with servieren, which is accusative.
  2. to operate / control a device — relevant in the technology chapter context (e.g. operating/ controlling a machine).
• Distinguished from operieren, which means to perform a surgical operation on a person — a completely different sense of "operate."

steuern vs. die Steuer

• die Steuer (capitalized noun) → tax (e.g. paying tax)

• steuern (lowercase verb, with the extra -n) → to control (e.g. controlling a device)

• Spelling/capitalization is the only distinguishing cue between the noun and the verb.

• anpassen → to adjust / to fit / to adapt. Example: Das Licht an die Stimmung anpassen. → To adjust the light according to the mood.

• berühren → to touch (also extends to "to sense/feel" in some contexts) — compared to fühlen (to feel)

• reinigen → to clean

• technisch → technical; die Technik/Technologie → technology

• smart → smart

• machen zu + Akkusativ (verb with fixed preposition) → to make into / turn into something. Example: Lassen uns dieses Zimmer zum Arbeitszimmer machen. → Let's make this room into a workroom/office. (Noted as an imperative-with-wir construction, used in speech though not the formal focus.)

• die Alarmanlage → alarm system

• der Einbruch → break-in / burglary

• die Gefahr → danger

• sicher → safe / sure

• der Neubau → new building / new construction

• die Haustür → front door

• der Fingerabdruck → fingerprint

• der Sprachassistent → language/voice assistant (e.g. Alexa)

Prefix verbs built on nehmen

• nehmen → to take

• unternehmen → to undertake / to do (e.g. ich unternehme ein Abenteuer — I am undertaking an adventure)

• abnehmen → to reduce / decrease (also commonly used for losing weight)

• zunehmen → to increase / gain (also commonly used for gaining weight)

• aufnehmen → to take / to record

• die Ausnahme → exception (noun — written capitalized with an article in the notes to mark it as a noun, distinguishing it from the surrounding verbs). Also can mean integration (e.g. integration of people into society) — flagged as a meaning relevant to a later chapter.

• die Aufnahme → admission (e.g. university admission/intake)

• die Zulassung → approval (e.g. when an admission is approved/finalized)

• gleichzeitig → simultaneous(ly) / at the same time

• der Tagesablauf → daily routine

• das Produkt → product

• auf den Markt kommen → to launch (lit. "to come onto the market") — e.g. Das iPhone 9 ist auf den Markt gekommen. → The iPhone 9 was launched.

• sich verhalten → to behave; das Verhalten → behavior (noun)

• der Slogan → slogan

• ansprechen → to address (in the sense of speaking to/addressing someone or something)

Vocabulary Recap: Notice / Appear / Trust / Sufficient Family

• anschließen vs. verbinden vs. vernetzen/sich vernetzen → all roughly mean "to connect/network"; anschließen is typically used for connecting physical things (e.g. a cable), while verbinden/vernetzen can describe connecting to a network more broadly. All three can be used somewhat interchangeably depending on context.
• auffallen → to notice / to catch one's eye / to attract attention
• wirken → to appear / to seem. Example: Die Frau sieht traurig aus. (she looks sad) ≈ Die Frau wirkt traurig. (she seems/appears sad) — aussehen and wirken given as synonyms here, wirken specifically usable for "seems."
• wecken → to wake somebody up (causative — someone else does the waking), contrasted with aufwachen (to wake up by oneself). Example: Ich wecke meinen Bruder. → I am waking up my brother.
• beeinflussen → to influence
• der Rabatt → discount
• das Sonderangebot → special offer
• das Merkmal → characteristic / feature
• frech → naughty / cheeky
• ausgezeichnet → excellent (lit. related to "very well done")
• bemerken → to notice
• sich (etwas) merken → to memorize / remember something
• verbieten → to forbid / prohibit
• vertrauen → to trust. Example: Ich vertraue meinem Freund / meiner Freundin. → I trust my friend.
• reichen → to suffice / be enough; also separately riechen → to smell (sense) — flagged as an easily-confused near-homophone pair. Das reicht. → That's enough/sufficient.
• aufmerksam → attentive(ly)
• interessiert (an + dative) → interested — usable as adjective, verb, or related noun:
  • Adjective: Ich bin daran interessiert. → I am interested in that.
  • Verb: Ich interessiere mich dafür. → I am interested in that.
  • Noun: Ich habe Interesse (daran/dafür). → I have interest (in that).
  • dafür = "for that" / "therefore" — used to refer back to the thing of interest.
• die Erinnerung → memory / remembrance
• das Magazin → magazine
• die Vorstellung → imagination or introduction (both valid meanings)
• der Vorschlag → suggestion

ausreichen / ausreichend / genügen — "sufficient" cluster

• reichen → verb, "to suffice" (conjugated, e.g. das reicht = that's enough)
• ausreichend → adjective, "sufficient" (e.g. Das ist ausreichend.)
• genügen → another verb meaning "to suffice," synonym of reichen (e.g. das genügt = that's enough)

Banking & money vocabulary

• die EC-Karte → debit card
• das Geheimnis / die Geheimzahl → secret / secret number — used to explain PIN: Geheimzahl literally combines "secret" + "number," i.e. PIN.
• der Geldautomat → ATM
• das Girokonto → checking/current account
• gratis → free (of charge) — flagged as another examiner-favorite synonym: a text might say kostenlos while the question uses gratis, testing whether the student recognizes the synonym. gratis relates only to cost, not availability.
• frei → free, but in the sense of being available/unoccupied or having free time (e.g. Ich habe frei. → I have [time] off), not interchangeable with gratis (free of charge) — contrasted explicitly in class.

Listening Exercise: Answering-Machine Messages

Three short recorded messages, each followed by a "which solution A/B/C fits best" comprehension question.

1. Handyshop Mühlhausen (phone repair shop): Wir haben Ihr Handy zur Reparatur in die Zentrale geschickt und haben nun leider die schlechte Nachricht bekommen, dass eine Reparatur nicht möglich ist. Kommen Sie doch zu uns in den Laden. Wir haben zahlreiche Modelle und beraten Sie gern. Da Ihr Kundenvertrag noch ein Jahr bei uns läuft, können wir Ihnen auch einen Rabatt von 10% auf alle Modelle geben. → We sent your phone for repair to headquarters and unfortunately received the bad news that a repair isn't possible. Come visit us in the shop — we have numerous models and are happy to advise you. Since your customer contract still runs for another year with us, we can also give you a 10% discount on all models.
2. Hausmeisterservice24 (caretaker/maintenance service): Wir reservieren diese Woche am Donnerstag und Freitag die Heizung in Ihrem Haus... Wir müssen dann am Montag alle Wohnungen zur Kontrolle [besuchen]. Bei Ihnen sind wir so gegen 10 Uhr. → We're servicing the heating in your building this Thursday and Friday... On Monday we have to inspect all apartments; we'll be at yours around 10 o'clock.
   • Vormittag = late morning (before midday) — explained as vor (before) + Mittag (midday), i.e. the period just before noon, hence "around 10 o'clock."
3. Stadtführung Bremen (city tour booking) — mostly inaudible/garbled in this transcript.

Reading Exercise: Repair vs. Replace ("kaputtgehen" texts)

Three short personal statements about what people do when a device breaks (kaputtgehen = to break/stop working), matched to names (Lisan, Caroline, Simran/Erwin).

• Ständig kommen neue Produkte auf den Markt, und ständig geht irgendwas kaputt. → New products constantly come onto the market, and something is constantly breaking. (ständig = constantly; irgendwas = something/anything; kaputt gehen = to break down)
• Mal die Waschmaschine, mal das Handy, mal der Staubsauger. → Sometimes the washing machine, sometimes the phone, sometimes the vacuum cleaner [breaks].
• Dann steht man vor der Frage: Lässt man das kaputte Gerät reparieren, oder kauft man gleich ein neues oder moderneres Produkt? → Then one is confronted with the question: does one have the broken device repaired, or does one just buy a new or more modern product right away? (vor einer Frage stehen = to be confronted with a question — flagged as a slightly more advanced/B2-leaning phrase versus the simpler jemand hat mich gefragt)
• Lisan (repairs herself): Wenn bei uns zu Hause etwas kaputtgeht, repariere ich es immer selbst. Heute findet man im Internet zu jedem Problem ein Video mit einer Anleitung, wie man etwas repariert. So kann man kleine Reparaturen selbst machen. Eine Reparatur in der Werkstatt kostet auch immer viel Geld. Deshalb versuche ich es lieber selbst, und es macht Spaß. → If something breaks at our place, I always repair it myself. Nowadays you can find a video with instructions for every problem online showing how to fix things. So you can do small repairs yourself. A repair at the workshop also always costs a lot of money. That's why I prefer to try it myself, and it's fun.
• Caroline (prefers to buy new): Argues that repairing a damaged phone is expensive and not worth it (das lohnt sich nicht); prefers to buy a new phone to get a modern, better device, and points out that shops often have special offers too.
• Simran/Erwin (had a phone repaired cheaply): Mein Handy ist mir runtergefallen. Ich habe es im Handyladen reparieren lassen. Die Reparatur hat nur 80 Euro gekostet. Ein neues Handy ist viel teurer, und für die Umwelt ist es auch besser. → My phone fell. I had it repaired at the phone shop. The repair only cost 80 euros. A new phone is much more expensive, and it's also better for the environment.
  • Note on fallen: since it's a movement/change-of-state verb, it normally takes sein in the perfect, but the surrounding lassen-construction in this exercise was drilled with haben per the new lassen + infinitive rule explained above.
  • Note: das Handy does not take a possessive like "house name" in German — simply say Handy, not a construction implying ownership the way the student initially phrased it.

Notes & Tips

• anschaffen and gratis were both explicitly called out as favorite telc examiner synonyms — texts use the everyday word (kaufen, kostenlos), but true/false or matching questions substitute the synonym (anschaffen, gratis) to test whether you recognize them as equivalent.
• economical vs. ecological: easy to confuse because they sound similar. ökonomisch/sparsam relates to money/cost-efficiency; ökologisch relates to environmental protection (e.g. glass bottles are ecological compared to plastic).
• gratis vs. frei: gratis = free of charge (cost); frei = available/unoccupied or having free time — not interchangeable.
• reichen vs. riechen: near-homophones in fast speech — reichen = to suffice, riechen = to smell. Don't mix them up.
• Reflexive + body part exception: always use the definite article, never the possessive pronoun, with reflexive verbs describing actions on one's own body parts (e.g. sich die Nägel schneiden) — this is technically a dative reflexive construction, fully covered in a later chapter.
• lassen + infinitive (causative, "to have something done by someone else") keeps both verbs in the infinitive even in the perfect tense, with haben as the helping verb regardless of which auxiliary the main verb would normally take.
• Synonym clusters worth memorizing together for the exam: kaufen/anschaffen/kriegen/erwerben; brauchen/benötigen/nutzen/benutzen/verwenden; reichen/genügen/ausreichend.