Reading · C2 · Text 16

Erzieher

80 words1 min read90% known at C2

Politiker haben sich schon Gedanken gemacht, wie man mehr Leute überzeugen kann, den Beruf zu erlernen.

Politicians have already thought about how to convince more people to learn the profession.

Es wird auch überlegt, wie man mehr Männer finden kann, die Erzieher werden möchten.

It is also being considered how to find more men who would like to become educators.

Aber der Beruf ist auch nicht ganz einfach: Man arbeitet sehr viel und bekommt nicht so viel Geld für die Arbeit.

But the profession is not entirely easy: you work a lot and don't get much money for the work.

Manchmal ist es auch für den Körper anstrengend: Man muss Kinder oft tragen oder selbst auf kleinen Stühlen sitzen.

Sometimes it's also physically demanding: you often have to carry children or sit on small chairs yourself.

Deswegen ist es schwierig, Leute für den Beruf zu begeistern.

That's why it's difficult to get people excited about the profession.

12 words above C2

Gedanken← der Gedanke
thought Plural: die Gedanken; in the fixed phrase 'sich Gedanken machen' = to think about / worry
erlernen
to learn, to acquire (a skill/profession) weak verb; used with 'zu' in the text: 'den Beruf zu erlernen'
Erzieher← der Erzieher
educator, childcare worker Plural: die Erzieher; feminine form: die Erzieherin
überlegt← überlegen
considered, thought over past participle; in passive 'Es wird überlegt' = 'It is being considered' to lay something over something, to cover something, to put on something; to spank someone (by bending them over one's knee); to lean over something… B1/ˈʔyːbɐˌleːɡŋ̩/
to convince weak verb; 'jemanden überzeugen' = to convince somebody to convince; to convince oneself; to be convincing, be impressive, stand out, win (people) over B2/ˌyːbəʁˈtsɔʏ̯ɡən/
tiring, exhausting present participle used as adjective strenuous (requiring great exertion); exhausting B2/ˈanˌʃtʁɛŋənt/
to carry strong verb: trägt, trug, getragen to carry, to bear (something on one's person); to bear, to carry (responsibility, blame, a name, a title, etc.); to bear, to (have to) pay (for)… A2/ˈtʁaːɡn̩/
to inspire, to make enthusiastic weak verb; 'jemanden für etwas begeistern' = to make someone enthusiastic about something to fill with enthusiasm, to enthuse, to thrill; to be enthusiastic, to enthuse B1/bəˈɡaɪ̯stɐn/
Deswegen← deswegen
that's why, therefore conjunctive adverb therefore, because of that B1/ˈdɛsˈveːɡn̩/
selbst
even here: 'even on small chairs', not 'oneself'
bekommt← bekommen
gets, receives strong verb: bekommt, bekam, bekommen; 3rd person singular present
to sit strong verb: sitzt, saß, gesessen to sit; to perch; to stay (in one place); to remain; to be (in a particular place or state); to fit A2/ˈzɪtsn̩/

Grammar in this text

Infinitive clause with zu

den Beruf zu erlernen

After verbs like 'überzeugen', a dependent infinitive with 'zu' is used. You can recognize it by 'zu' directly before the infinitive at the end of the clause.

Relative clause with modal verb and verb-final order

die Erzieher werden möchten

The relative pronoun 'die' refers to 'Männer'. In the dependent clause, the full verb 'werden' appears before the modal verb 'möchten' at the very end.

Impersonal passive with 'es'

Es wird auch überlegt

'Es' serves as a placeholder subject, followed by 'wird' + past participle 'überlegt'. This passive construction is used when the agent is not mentioned or important.

Indirect question with 'wie' and verb-final order

wie man mehr Leute überzeugen kann

Introduced by 'wie', this dependent clause has the finite verb 'kann' moved to the end, which is typical of indirect questions in German.

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

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