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Learn languages by copying everyday conversations.

Free German audio course

Learn by copying everyday conversations.

Hear a short scene, understand the useful phrases, copy them out loud, then try your own answers in the pauses.

Episode 2

The name mix-up

German · A1 beginner · 9 minutes · No signup

Download MP3 (6.5 MB) Read the transcript

Free to play, download, and read, with no account or email needed.

Voices are AI-generated. Jonas, the teacher, and Sam, the learner, are fictional characters.

All episodes

Take them in order: each episode builds on the phrases before it. Every one is free to play, download, and read.

  1. Episode 1

    First coffee mix-up

    A1 beginner · 9 minutes

  2. Episode 2

    The name mix-up

    A1 beginner · 9 minutes · Playing on this page

  3. Episode 3

    Looking for the bakery

    A1 beginner · 10 minutes

  4. Episode 4

    Roommate breakfast

    A1 beginner · 9 minutes

  5. Episode 5

    The market bag

    A1 beginner · 10 minutes

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How the lesson works

  1. 1

    Hear the scene

    Mila meets a man with a dog, and it turns out the man and the dog have the same name. First, you just listen for the dog's name.

  2. 2

    Understand the useful phrases

    Jonas explains each phrase in English, only as much as helps your next try.

  3. 3

    Copy them out loud

    Say each phrase in the pause after you hear it. Copy the sound and rhythm before worrying about grammar.

  4. 4

    Try your answers

    Say your own name, ask “what's your name?” from memory, then play Mila and meet a new dog. A spoken answer follows every pause, so you can compare.

Missed an answer? Keep listening. The words come back, and you don’t need to touch the screen once the episode is playing.

After this episode

You can say your name, ask someone their name the friendly way, ask what their dog is called, and call a dog over politely.

Level A1. Written for adult English speakers starting German. You don’t need any German to begin.

Phrases you’ll say

  • Hallo, ich heiße Mila.

    Hi, my name is Mila.

  • Wie heißt du?

    What's your name? (friendly)

  • Und wie heißt dein Hund?

    And what's your dog called?

  • Leo, komm bitte her!

    Leo, come here, please!

  • Der an der Leine.

    The one on the leash.

Phrases you’ll recognize

  • Hi! Ich heiße Leo.

    Hi! My name is Leo.

  • Er heißt auch Leo. Das ist etwas unpraktisch.

    He's called Leo too. That's a little inconvenient.

  • Welcher Leo?

    Which Leo?

  • Gut. Ich bleibe dann hier.

    Good. I'll stay here then.

Listening with your screen off

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Playing from this page can keep going when you lock your phone, depending on your phone and browser. Some pause when you switch apps or close the tab. If yours does, use the download.

The speaking pauses are optional. If you’re driving, keep your attention on the road: just listen, or skip the speaking parts. The episode says the same.

Transcript

Every word of Episode 2. Choose a time to play from there. “Your turn” marks a pause for you to speak; German is in bold.

Welcome

Sam: Quick question. What do you say when a man and his dog have the same name?

Jonas: You find out in this lesson. Welcome back to Copycat Cafe. I'm Jonas.

Sam: And I'm Sam.

Jonas: Sam and I are AI-generated voices. Today you'll learn to say your name in German, ask someone's name the friendly way, and ask what their dog is called. Listen first. Copy the sound. Then try the words for yourself. We'll leave space for you to speak.

Jonas: If you miss an answer, let it go. You'll hear the words again. You don't need to rewind or look at a screen. If you're driving, keep your attention on the road and skip the speaking exercises.

Meeting Leo

Jonas: Here's the whole scene. Sam is Mila. She meets a man who has a dog with him. I'm the man. They're relaxed and friendly, so they use du, the informal you. Listen for one thing: what's the dog's name?

Sam: Hallo, ich heiße Mila.

Jonas: Hi! Ich heiße Leo.

Sam: Und wie heißt dein Hund?

Jonas: Er heißt auch Leo. Das ist etwas unpraktisch.

Sam: Leo, komm bitte her!

Jonas: Welcher Leo?

Sam: Der an der Leine.

Jonas: Gut. Ich bleibe dann hier.

Jonas: So, what's the dog's name? Say it.

Your turn · 3-second pause

Jonas: Leo. The same as the man.

Sam: Two Leos. What could go wrong?

Say your name

Jonas: Let's start with names. Mila says: hallo, ich heiße Mila. Hello, my name is Mila. Ich heiße means I'm called. Copy just this part: ich heiße.

Your turn · 4-second pause

Jonas: Now with Mila's name: hallo, ich heiße Mila.

Your turn · 4.5-second pause

Jonas: Now say it with your own name. Hallo, ich heiße, and then your name.

Your turn · 5-second pause

Jonas: Here's mine. Hallo, ich heiße Jonas.

Sam: Hallo, ich heiße Sam.

Ask about the dog

Jonas: The man answers: hi! Ich heiße Leo. Then Mila asks about the dog: und wie heißt dein Hund? And what's your dog called? Wie, how. Heißt, is called. Dein Hund, your dog. Copy the start: wie heißt.

Your turn · 4-second pause

Jonas: Now the whole question: und wie heißt dein Hund?

Your turn · 5-second pause

Jonas: Two small things. You say ich heiße, but the dog heißt. The ending changes with who you're talking about. And dein is the friendly your, for someone you call du. With the barista in our first episode, it was Ihr, the polite your. Once more: und wie heißt dein Hund?

Your turn · 5-second pause

Ask a person

Sam: Can I use that on people? I don't only meet dogs.

Jonas: Yes. Swap dein Hund for du. Wie heißt du? What's your name? With du, it's still heißt. Copy it: wie heißt du?

Your turn · 4.5-second pause

Jonas: After you've said your own name, you can also just ask: und du? And you? It's the friendly version of und Sie, from the coffee shop. You only need to recognise that one today.

Jonas: Now without hearing the German first. You're talking to someone your own age, the friendly way. Ask: what's your name?

Your turn · 5-second pause

Jonas: Wie heißt du? Now ask about their dog: and what's your dog called?

Your turn · 5.5-second pause

Jonas: Und wie heißt dein Hund? One pattern, for a person or a dog.

Two Leos

Jonas: The man says: er heißt auch Leo. He's called Leo too. Er, he. Auch, too. Then: das ist etwas unpraktisch. That's a little inconvenient. Just recognise these. Here's a quick check. Das ist etwas unpraktisch. Does he think two Leos is convenient? Answer yes or no.

Your turn · 3.5-second pause

Jonas: No. Unpraktisch, inconvenient. Etwas unpraktisch, a little inconvenient.

Sam: A little.

Call the dog

Jonas: Now Mila calls the dog: Leo, komm bitte her! Leo, come here, please! Komm her, come here. Bitte, please. Copy it: komm bitte her!

Your turn · 4.5-second pause

Jonas: With the name: Leo, komm bitte her!

Your turn · 4.5-second pause

Jonas: Of course, the man answers too: welcher Leo? Which Leo? And Mila says: der an der Leine. The one on the leash. Der stands in for Leo the dog, so you don't repeat his name. Copy it: der an der Leine.

Your turn · 4.5-second pause

Jonas: Last line: gut. Ich bleibe dann hier. Good. I'll stay here then. Ich bleibe, I stay. In our first episode, the tea stayed on the counter: dann bleibt der Tee hier. Just listen for it today.

Sam: He's very calm about being mistaken for a dog.

Meet Leo

Jonas: Let's put it together. You're Mila. I'll be the man with the dog. Say hello, and say your name is Mila.

Your turn · 5-second pause

Jonas: Hi! Ich heiße Leo.

Jonas: Ask: and what's your dog called?

Your turn · 5.5-second pause

Jonas: Er heißt auch Leo. Das ist etwas unpraktisch.

Jonas: Call the dog. Say: Leo, come here, please!

Your turn · 5-second pause

Jonas: Welcher Leo?

Jonas: Tell him: the one on the leash.

Your turn · 5-second pause

Jonas: Gut. Ich bleibe dann hier.

Jonas: Here's one version of your part. Hallo, ich heiße Mila. Und wie heißt dein Hund? Leo, komm bitte her! Der an der Leine. If you missed a step, that's fine. These gaps are for practice, not a test.

Listen again

Jonas: Let's hear the original scene again. No explanations this time. Notice which bits you recognise.

Sam: Hallo, ich heiße Mila.

Jonas: Hi! Ich heiße Leo.

Sam: Und wie heißt dein Hund?

Jonas: Er heißt auch Leo. Das ist etwas unpraktisch.

Sam: Leo, komm bitte her!

Jonas: Welcher Leo?

Sam: Der an der Leine.

Jonas: Gut. Ich bleibe dann hier.

Your turn

Jonas: Now it's you, as yourself. Sam will stay quiet. You meet me, Jonas, and I have a dog of my own. I'll start. Then you say hello, give your own name, and ask: what's your name? Hallo!

Your turn · 8.5-second pause

Jonas: Ich heiße Jonas. Und das ist mein Hund.

Jonas: That's my dog. Ask: and what's your dog called?

Your turn · 5.5-second pause

Jonas: Er heißt Bruno.

Jonas: His name is Bruno. Call him over: Bruno, come here, please!

Your turn · 5-second pause

Jonas: Here's one version of your part, with Mila's name. Hallo, ich heiße Mila. Wie heißt du? Und wie heißt dein Hund? Bruno, komm bitte her!

Sam: Bruno. Finally, a dog with his own name.

Keep the phrases

Jonas: One last line from memory. You meet someone new, the friendly way. Ask: what's your name?

Your turn · 5-second pause

Jonas: Wie heißt du? Keep that question, and ich heiße for your own name. You heard them, copied them, and moved the question from a dog to a person. You don't need every word from the scene today. Come back and try the gaps again. Next in the course, we go looking for a bakery. This is the free Copycat Cafe audio course. The optional paid app adds pronunciation feedback and conversations that respond to you. Today's matching lesson is The name mix-up. Na dann, tschüss!

Sam: Bye, Leo. Both of you.

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About this episode

Episode 2 of the free Copycat Cafe German audio course. It’s adapted from “The name mix-up”, lesson 2 of our German course.

Jonas and Sam are fictional characters with AI-generated voices. The music is original.

Want feedback on your pronunciation?

The free course gives you the phrases, the pauses, and an answer to compare with. It can’t hear you. The Copycat Cafe app is a paid app that adds a pronunciation score on every word you say, and conversations with Copy, your AI conversation partner, that respond to what you actually say. In the app, “The name mix-up” uses the same scene.

See how Copycat works