GermanB1Lesson 7.1
🇩🇪 German B1 · Lesson 7.1

Soziale Medien — News, social media and opinions

Discuss how we consume news and the pros and cons of social media.

Listen first

Two friends discuss whether they trust the news they read on social media.

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New vocabulary — tap to hear
die Nachrichtenthe news 🔊
die sozialen Mediensocial media 🔊
die Quellethe source 🔊
die Werbungthe advertising 🔊
abhängigdependent / addicted 🔊
veröffentlichento publish / post 🔊

Now say it

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« Obwohl soziale Medien praktisch sind, kosten sie oft zu viel Zeit. » 🔊
Although social media are convenient, they often cost too much time.
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Pronunciation

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Liest du die Nachrichten eigentlich noch in der Zeitung? 🔊Do you actually still read the news in the newspaper?
Kaum. Obwohl ich weiß, dass es nicht immer zuverlässig ist, lese ich meistens online. 🔊Hardly. Although I know it's not always reliable, I mostly read online.
Das ist genau das Problem. Man muss bei den Quellen wirklich aufpassen. 🔊That's exactly the problem. You really have to be careful with sources.
Stimmt. Außerdem werde ich langsam ein bisschen abhängig von meinem Handy. 🔊True. Besides, I'm slowly getting a bit addicted to my phone.
Geht mir genauso. Trotzdem finde ich es praktisch, immer informiert zu sein. 🔊Same here. Still, I find it handy to always be informed.
Ja, man sollte nur nicht alles glauben, was man dort veröffentlicht sieht. 🔊Yes, one just shouldn't believe everything one sees posted there.
Grammar in focus · concessive 'obwohl'

'obwohl' (although) introduces a subordinate clause with the verb at the end, conceding a point that contrasts with the main clause: 'Obwohl ich müde bin, gehe ich noch arbeiten.' When the 'obwohl' clause comes first, the main clause begins with its verb: 'Obwohl es spät war, blieben wir noch.' Compare with the adverb 'trotzdem' (nevertheless), which keeps verb-second: 'Es war spät. Trotzdem blieben wir.'

Write it yourself

Write 5-6 sentences on whether social media does more good or harm. Use 'obwohl' and check your sources point.

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Tip for this task
Gut! Concede with 'obwohl' and verb-final: « Obwohl ich es gern nutze, mache ich mir Sorgen um die Privatsphäre. » Then state your overall view clearly.

Quick check

An adaptive quiz confirms you've got it and schedules the right words for review.

1. After 'obwohl', the verb goes…
2. Which word is the adverb meaning 'nevertheless' (verb-second)?
3. Complete: 'Obwohl es spät ___, blieben wir noch.'
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