Lesson 9: Nuanced Opinions and Assumptions in Business Meetings and the News (Konjunktiv II, Konjunktiv I, Hedging, Modal Particles)
Build the skills to express hypothetical scenarios and polite requests, report speech in news contexts, and add nuance to your position during professional meetings.
About this lesson
In this lesson, we focus on two key B2 competencies: carefully framing opinions in a professional setting and accurately conveying information in news reports and briefings. You will practise Konjunktiv II for polite suggestions and conditional hypotheses, Konjunktiv I for indirect speech, as well as hedging phrases and modal particles (e.g. wohl, doch) that soften or add shades of meaning to statements. You will also consolidate useful idioms for discussion, disagreement, and negotiation.
40 minutes
What you'll learn
- Use Konjunktiv II to make polite requests, cautious suggestions, and hypothetical scenarios in professional conversations.
- Apply Konjunktiv I for indirect speech in reports, announcements, and news articles, including signalling an uncertain source.
- Hedge and nuance statements with phrases such as 'unter der Voraussetzung, dass', 'angenommen', and 'unter Umständen', as well as modal particles (wohl, doch).
- Use appropriate idioms and collocations for raising topics, challenging ideas, and reaching a compromise.
- Construct smooth, diplomatic exchanges during business meetings and when commenting on current events.