German is spoken in Germany, Austria and Switzerland but also in the US, Russia, Africa (Namibia), Romania, Italy, Lichtenstein or Luxemburg. There is given an abridged version of the original German text for A1, A2 and B1 levels.
For German language learners, it is exciting to read Goethe’s famous poem The Erl-King, also called The Elf-King, written in 1782 and published as Der Erlkönig. The poem is based on the Germanic legend of an evil elf who haunts the Black Forest, luring children to destruction. It was translated into English by Sir Walter Scott and set to music in a famous song by Franz Schubert.
First Contact in German. Wie geht’s?/Wie geht es Ihnen? – How are you? Danke, sehr gut /gut/ganz gut. Und Ihnen? – Thank you, very well/well/fine.