📕 Lektion 19: Ämter und Behörden — Government Offices and Authorities

🎬 Video

1. 🎯 New Vocabulary

German	Pronunciation	English
die Behörde	[bəˈhøːʁdə]	government authority/office
der Antrag	[ˈanˌtʁaːk]	application
die Urkunde	[ʊʁˈkʊndə]	official document/certificate
einreichen	[ˈaɪ̯nˌʁaɪ̯çən]	to submit
die Bearbeitungszeit	[bəˈaʁbaɪ̯tʊŋsˌt͡saɪ̯t]	processing time
der Termin	[tɛɐ̯ˈmiːn]	appointment
die Auskunft	[ˈaʊ̯skʊŋft]	information/inquiry
die Gebühr	[ɡəˈbyːʁ]	fee
das Formular	[fɔʁˈmuːlaːr]	form
der Sachbearbeiter	[ˈzaxˌbeːaɪ̯btɐ]	case officer/clerk

2. 📖 Reading Passage

Fatima needs to go to the immigration office because her residence permit is expiring soon. She made an appointment online for next Monday at 10 o'clock.

Before she goes, she must prepare all important documents. She needs her passport, a rental contract, a passport photo, and the form for the extension. She also has to pay the fees — 80 euros for the extension.

On Monday, she arrives at the office on time. In the waiting room, she has to wait until she is called. After about thirty minutes, it is her turn. The case officer looks at her documents and asks a few questions.

"I would like to have my residence permit extended," says Fatima. The case officer tells her that the processing time is two to three weeks. He gives her a confirmation that she should keep until her next appointment.

Fatima is relieved that everything went so well. She was afraid that something was missing, but everything was complete.

Key vocabulary: - abläuft = expires - aufgerufen wird = is called - an die Reihe kommen = to come to one's turn - aufbewahren = to keep/store

Wishes and Suggestions (Polite Expressions)

In this lesson we learn how to express wishes and suggestions politely:

Structure	Meaning	Example
Ich würde gerne...	I would like to...	Ich würde gerne meinen Termin verschieben.
Man könnte...	One could...	Man könnte online einen Termin machen.
Können Sie bitte...?	Could you please...?	Können Sie bitte das Formular ausfüllen?
Was halten Sie davon, wenn...?	What do you think if...?	Was halten Sie davon, wenn wir morgen kommen?

Additional examples: - Ich hätte gerne eine Auskunft über... (I would like information about...) - Wäre es möglich, dass...? (Would it be possible that...?) - Darf ich Sie bitten, ...? (May I ask you to...?)

Doppelkonnektoren: "entweder ... oder" und "nicht nur ... sondern auch" (Paired Connectors)

In offices and official authorities, options and requirements are often presented with paired connectors:

Connector	Meaning	Example
entweder ... oder	either... or...	Entweder Sie kommen persönlich, oder Sie schicken die Unterlagen per Post.
nicht nur ... sondern auch	not only... but also	Man braucht nicht nur einen Termin, sondern auch alle Dokumente.

Examples: - Man kann den Antrag entweder online oder bei der Behörde stellen. (You can submit the application either online or at the authority) - Sie bekommen die Auskunft entweder telefonisch oder per E-Mail. (You get the information either by phone or by email) - Der Sachbearbeiter spricht nicht nur Deutsch, sondern auch Englisch. (The case officer speaks not only German but also English)

💡 Golden note: If the first sentence starts with entweder (position 1), the conjugated verb follows immediately; the second sentence starts with oder and its verb also stands in position 2: Entweder Sie kommen, oder Sie rufen an.

📖 See the full page: Doppelkonnektoren

derselbe / dieselbe / dasselbe (the very same)

We use these forms when a person or thing is literally identical — not merely similar:

Case	der (masculine)	die (feminine)	das (neuter)	Plural
Nominativ	derselbe	dieselbe	dasselbe	dieselben
Akkusativ	denselben	dieselbe	dasselbe	dieselben
Dativ	demselben	derselben	demselben	denselben

Examples: - Ich habe denselben Termin wie du. (I have the very same appointment as you) - Wir brauchen dasselbe Formular. (We need the same form) - Beide haben dieselbe Auskunft bekommen. (Both got the same information) - Wir wohnen in derselben Stadt. (We live in the same city)

💡 Golden note: derselbe is written as one word and declined with two endings together (article + sel-) because it always follows a definite article. By contrast, der gleiche means "looking identical" without being the very same item: Wir haben denselben Sachbearbeiter (literally the same officer) ≠ Wir haben den gleichen Mantel (a similar-looking coat).

4. 🏋️ Interactive Exercises

Exercise 1: Multiple Choice

#	Question	A	B	C
1	I ___ like to reschedule my appointment.	würde	will	kann
2	Could you please ___ the form?	ausfüllen	auszufüllen	ausfüllend
3	One ___ make an appointment online.	könnte	könnte nicht	muss
4	___ it possible that I come tomorrow?	Wäre	Ist	Kann

✅ Solution: 1. A — würde: Ich würde gerne (polite wish expression) 2. A — ausfüllen: Können Sie bitte + infinitive 3. A — könnte: could (suggestive modal verb) 4. A — Wäre: Wäre es möglich (polite expression)

Exercise 2: Fill in the Blanks

#	Sentence	Answer
1	I must submit an ___ at the office.	Antrag
2	The ___ are 80 euros.	Gebühren
3	Please fill out the ___.	Formular
4	I have an ___ at 10 o'clock.	Termin
5	The ___ checked my documents.	Sachbearbeiter

✅ Solution: 1. Antrag — application 2. Gebühren — fees 3. Formular — form 4. Termin — appointment 5. Sachbearbeiter — case officer

Exercise 3: Match

#	German	English
1	die Behörde	fee
2	der Antrag	form
3	die Gebühr	application
4	das Formular	government authority
5	die Urkunde	official document

✅ Solution: 1. c — government authority 2. a — application 3. d — fee 4. b — form 5. e — official document

🔤 Wishes and Suggestions 🔙 Back to B1