Reading · B1 · Text 18

Richter

88 words1 min read98% known at B1

Ein Richter entscheidet bei Gericht, was richtig und was falsch ist.

A judge decides in court what is right and what is wrong.

Zudem entscheidet er, ob jemand bestraft werden muss, und wie streng.

Furthermore, he decides whether someone must be punished, and how severely.

Richter dürfen niemanden besser oder schlechter behandeln als andere.

Judges must not treat anyone better or worse than others.

Sie dürfen auch nicht etwa Geld von jemandem annehmen.

They must also not accept money from anyone, for example.

Außerdem müssen sie aufpassen, was sie über eine Verhandlung sagen.

Additionally, they must be careful about what they say about a trial.

Wer Richter werden will, muss an einer Universität Rechts-Wissenschaft studieren.

Anyone who wants to become a judge must study law at a university.

Dann muss man aber auch noch lange üben, bis man ein richtiger Richter ist.

Then one must also practice for a long time before becoming a real judge.

In den meisten Ländern tragen Richter bei Gericht lange schwarze oder rote Gewänder.

In most countries, judges wear long black or red robes in court.

17 words above B1

Gewänder← das Gewand
robe, gown (formal clothing worn by judges) plural: die Gewänder sumptuous garment; any kind of garment C1/ɡəˈvant/
rote← rot
red declined form of 'rot' red (colour); red (pertaining to Marxism in the widest sense: social democratic, socialist, communist); of the social democratic SPD or the more… B2/roːt/
judge plural: die Richter judge; a surname originating as an occupation; Judges: Book of Judges (book of the Bible) B1/ˈʁɪçtɐ/
entscheidet← entscheiden
decides entscheiden, entschied, hat entschieden to decide, to make a decision; to opt, to decide; to decide, to determine the outcome of B1/ʔɛntˈʃaɪ̯dn̩/
court (place where justice is administered) bei Gericht = in court court (of justice); judgement / judgment; dish (a type of prepared food) A2/ɡəˈʁɪçt/
correct, right correct, accurate, right; right, correct, good; right, fit, appropriate A1/ˈʁɪçtɪç/
wrong, incorrect false, unfactual, untrue; wrong (incorrect); wrong (disadvantageous) A2/falʃ/
in addition, moreover moreover, furthermore A1[tsuˈdeːm]
bestraft← bestrafen
punished bestrafen, bestrafte, hat bestraft; past participle used with 'werden' for passive to punish B1/bəˈʃtʁaːfən/
strict, severe strict, rigorous; severe, intense; pungent, strong and unpleasant A2/ʃtʁɛŋ/
may, be allowed to modal verb to be allowed (to do something); to be permitted (to do something); may; to be allowed or permitted to do something implied or previously stated;… A2
niemanden← niemand
nobody (accusative) indefinite pronoun nobody, no one; nobody (unimportant person) A1/ˈniːmant/
treat behandeln, behandelte, hat behandelt to treat (medicinally); to treat (physically, psychologically); to cover B1[bəˈhandl̩n]
accept, take (e.g., money) trennbar: an|nehmen, nahm an, hat angenommen to assume, to suppose (as given); to take on, to assume (a role, form, etc.); to take care of, to take on B1/ˈa(n)ˌneːmən/
be careful, pay attention trennbar: auf|passen, passte auf, hat aufgepasst to watch out, to be alert; to look after, to take care of; to be attentive A1[ˈaʊ̯fpasən]
trial, hearing plural: die Verhandlungen negotiation; hearing, trial A2[fɛɐ̯ˈhandlʊŋ]
university plural: die Universitäten A2/ˌuni.vɛʁ.siˈteːt/

Grammar in this text

Passive voice with modal verbs (Passiv mit Modalverben)

ob jemand bestraft werden muss

The structure 'bestraft werden muss' shows the passive voice combined with the modal verb 'müssen'. It means 'must be punished'. The past participle 'bestraft' is used with 'werden' and the modal verb at the end.

Subordinate clauses with 'was' (relative clauses with 'was')

was richtig und was falsch ist

'was' introduces a relative clause referring to an entire idea or an indefinite pronoun. Here it means 'what is right and what is wrong'. The verb goes to the end of the clause.

Subordinate clauses with 'bis' (temporal conjunction)

bis man ein richtiger Richter ist

'bis' means 'until' and introduces a temporal subordinate clause. The verb is placed at the end of the clause. Here it indicates the time until someone becomes a real judge.

Keep going

Same text, graded forB2 versionC2 version

Text from Richter — Klexikon, used under CC BY-SA 4.0. See sources.

Translation, glossary and grammar notes are machine-generated and inherit the same licence.