Maya: Welcome back to German for Gringos, lesson four. I'm Maya.
Devon: And I'm Devon. Yesterday we counted one to twenty. Today: twenty-one to one hundred, plus the money words you need in every shop, market, and restaurant.
Maya: First, the tens. Twenty is "TSVAHN-tsik". Thirty is "DRY-sik". Forty is "FEER-tsik". Fifty is "FOONF-tsik". Sixty is "ZEKH-tsik".
Devon: Seventy is "ZEEP-tsik". Eighty is "AHKT-tsik". Ninety is "NOYN-tsik". One hundred is "HOON-dert". Say it again: "HOON-dert".
Maya: Now the famous backwards logic. In German, twenty-one is not twenty-one. It is one-and-twenty: "INE-unt-tsvahn-tsik".
Devon: Exactly. You say the small number first, then "unt", then the ten. Twenty-two is "tsvy-unt-tsvahn-tsik". Forty-five is "foonf-unt-feer-tsik".
Maya: Sixty-three? "dry-unt-zekh-tsik". It feels weird for about ten minutes, then it clicks. Say a few out loud right now.
Devon: Money words. "Der OY-ro" is the euro. Cents is "tsent", like English cent with a t at the front.
Maya: One euro is "INE-en OY-ro". Ten euros is "tsayn OY-ro". Ninety-nine cents is "noyn-unt-noyn-tsik tsent".
Devon: The key question for every shopper: how much does it cost? "Vee feel KOS-tet dahs?" Pronunciation tip: "Vee" with a v sound, "feel", "KOS-tet", "dahs". Say it with me: "Vee feel KOS-tet dahs?"
Devon: Quick quiz before the demo. Say seventy-four out loud.
Maya: "feer-unt-zeep-tsik". Now thirty-eight.
Devon: "ahkt-unt-dry-sik". See? You are already thinking backwards in German.
Maya: Demo time. Devon, you're the market vendor. I'm buying a pretzel and a souvenir stein.
Devon: GOO-ten TAHK! Welcome to my market stall!
Maya: GOO-ten TAHK! Vee feel KOS-tet dahs?
Devon: The pretzel is "DRY OY-ro foonf-tsik tsent". The stein is "tsvy-unt-tsvahn-tsik OY-ro".
Maya: So three euros fifty for the pretzel, and twenty-two euros for the stein. That's twenty-five fifty. "INE-unt-tsvahn-tsik" plus "DRY" plus "foonf-tsik" — see, the backwards math works!
Devon: "DAHN-kuh shurn!" That is "thanks very much" from yesterday's lesson, by the way. Review without even trying.
Maya: Cultural note: German prices always include tax. The price on the tag is exactly the price you pay, no surprise sales tax at the register like in the US. And cash is still king at markets and bakeries, so your number skills pay off every day.
Maya: Recap drill. Number one: how do you say forty-five?
Devon: "foonf-unt-feer-tsik". Number two: how much does it cost?
Maya: "Vee feel KOS-tet dahs?" Number three: how do you say one hundred?
Devon: "HOON-dert". Lesson four complete. Tomorrow, ordering food and drink, where you will order like a local. CHOOss!