Reading · C1 · Text 28

Schloss Versailles

33 words1 min read100% known at C1

Dann gab es hier eine Feier für den deutschen Kaiser.

Then there was a celebration here for the German Emperor.

Nach dem Ersten Welt-Krieg wurde hier der Friedens-Vertrag geschrieben.

After the First World War, the peace treaty was written here.

Weil Deutschland den Krieg verloren hatte, war der Vertrag für Deutschland schlecht.

Because Germany had lost the war, the treaty was bad for Germany.

6 words above C1

Feier

celebration, party plural: Feiern celebration; party; ceremony B2/ˈfa̯ɪɐ/

Kaiser

emperor plural: Kaiser emperor (ruler of certain monarchies; highest monarch); a common surname; nickname of Franz Beckenbauer B2/ˈkaɪ̯zər/

Friedens-Vertrag← der Friedensvertrag

peace treaty compound of Frieden + Vertrag; plural: Friedensverträge

verloren← verlieren

lost irregular: verliert, verlor, hat verloren to lose (something, or a game); to shed; to trail away, to fade away A2[fɛɐ̯ˈliːʁən]

geschrieben← schreiben

written irregular: schreibt, schrieb, hat geschrieben to write, to write out (use letters to make words and texts); to spell (use a particular combination of letters to make a word); to write (use… A1/ˈʃraɪ̯bən/

schlecht

bad, unfavorable bad, evil, wicked (the opposite of good; immoral); bad (unskilled; of limited ability); bad (unhealthy, unwell) A1/ʃlɛçt/

Grammar in this text

Prepositional phrase with 'für' + accusative

eine Feier für den deutschen Kaiser

'für' is a preposition that always takes the accusative case. Here, 'den deutschen Kaiser' is in the accusative (masculine singular).

Passive voice with 'werden' + past participle

wurde hier der Friedens-Vertrag geschrieben

The passive voice is formed with 'werden' (here in past tense 'wurde') and the past participle 'geschrieben'. It emphasizes the action rather than the agent.

Subordinate clause with 'weil' + verb at the end

Weil Deutschland den Krieg verloren hatte

'weil' introduces a subordinate clause that requires the finite verb to be placed at the end. Here, 'hatte' is the finite verb at the end, and 'verloren' is the past participle.

Past perfect tense (Plusquamperfekt)

verloren hatte

The past perfect is formed with 'hatte' (past of 'haben') and the past participle 'verloren'. It indicates an action that happened before another past action.

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Same text, graded forA2 version B1 version B2 version

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

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