Guten Tag! 1.8 Conversations: Introductions-2

Now Marko Tredup introduces Sophie Gerland to his mother. It's therefore a more formal conversation. Which pronouns are used here and why?

 

Conversation 6: Angenehm, Frau Tredup

Marko Mutter, darf ich dir meine Freundin Sophie vorstellen?

Frau Tredup Freut mich, Sie kennen zu lernen, Sophie.

Sophie Angenehm, Frau Tredup. (Sie geben sich die Hand.)

 

Glossary

die Mutter Mother 

Darf ich dir ... vorstellen? "May I introduce ... to you?" Marko uses "dir" (the dative form of "du") because he is talking to his mother. Were he to be speaking in more formal circumstances he would say "Darf ich Ihnen ... vorstellen?"

meine Freundin Here: "my girlfriend". It is also the word which is used for a "any female friend".

Freut mich, Sie kennen zu lernen. "Pleased to meet you." This is a more formal version of "Freut mich" which we met in the first conversation. Note that Frau Tredup calls Sophie "Sie", even though the latter is the same age as her son Marko.

Angenehm "Pleased to meet you". It literally just means "pleasant". It is interchangable with "Freut mich" as a polite response when being introduced to someone.

(Sie geben sich die Hand) They shake hands. once more, shaking hands is an essential part of social etiquette in this context.