Ready for lesson 66? We'll dip into short stories and memories — quick, useful phrases you can use in real conversations. Have fun — a little practice goes a long way.
Level B1: In this lesson you'll practice common German phrases for telling short past stories and talking about experiences (when something happened, what you did, and how you felt). We'll cover phrases like 'Als ich jünger war...' and 'Ich war schon mal in ...' and practice asking and answering about past experiences. This B1, CEFR-aligned set helps you narrate and follow simple personal stories.
After this lesson you'll be able to:
Practice B1-level phrases to tell short stories about your past.
Ask and answer questions about past experiences and trips.
Use time phrases to place events and give a short outcome or memory.
Ready? Let's go!
When you tap play on phrases, we track your progress through this lesson.
1. Reading + Listening Practice
Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.
Als ich jünger war, habe ich oft ___.
I used to ___ when I was younger.
Meaning: I used to ___ when I was younger.
When to use: Use this to describe a repeated activity or habit from your younger years. The blank usually takes a past participle phrase (Perfekt), for example: Fußball gespielt.
Tip: Beginners sometimes use Präteritum in spoken stories (spielte) instead of the spoken Perfekt (habe gespielt).
Als ich jünger war, habe ich oft Fußball gespielt.
When I was younger, I often played football.
Als ich jünger war, habe ich oft mit meinen Freunden im Park gespielt.
When I was younger, I often played with my friends in the park.
Ich war schon mal in ___.
I’ve been to ___ before.
Meaning: I’ve been to ___ before.
When to use: Say this when you talk about having visited a place at some earlier time. For cities and many countries use 'in ___' and mind the correct case and preposition (e.g. in der Schweiz).
Tip: For some learners it's tricky to choose the right preposition and article (in + dative), e.g. in die Schweiz (wrong) vs. in der Schweiz (correct).
Ich war schon mal in Berlin.
I've been to Berlin before.
Ich war schon mal in Italien, aber nie in Rom.
I've been to Italy before, but never to Rome.
Hast du schon mal ___?
Have you ever ___?
Meaning: Have you ever ___?
When to use: Use this question to ask whether someone has had a past experience; it often appears with a past participle or perfect phrase.
Hast du schon mal Sushi probiert?
Have you ever tried sushi?
Hast du schon mal allein gereist?
Have you ever traveled alone?
Das ist passiert, als ich ___ war.
That happened when I was ___.
Meaning: That happened when I was ___.
When to use: Use this to place an event in time, such as an age or life stage: 'als ich zehn war' or 'als ich Student war'.
Das ist passiert, als ich zehn war.
That happened when I was ten.
Das ist passiert, als ich Student war.
That happened when I was a student.
Das erste Mal, dass ich ___, war ___.
The first time I ___ was ___.
Meaning: The first time I ___ was ___.
When to use: Introduce the first occurrence of an experience. Remember that after 'dass' the conjugated verb may go to the end in subordinate clauses.
Das erste Mal, dass ich allein gereist bin, war 2015.
The first time I traveled alone was 2015.
Das erste Mal, dass ich ein Konzert sah, war mit zwölf.
The first time I saw a concert was at twelve.
Vorher hatte ich noch nie ___.
I had never ___ before.
Meaning: I had never ___ before.
When to use: Use this to say something was new for you before a certain past moment; usually followed by a perfect phrase.
Vorher hatte ich noch nie so etwas gesehen.
Before that, I had never seen anything like that.
Vorher hatte ich noch nie allein gewohnt.
Before that, I had never lived alone.
Ich hätte nicht gedacht, dass ich ___.
I didn’t expect to ___.
Meaning: I didn’t expect to ___.
When to use: Use this to describe an unexpected result in a past story; follow with a clause (often introduced by 'dass').
Ich hätte nicht gedacht, dass ich so nervös sein würde.
I didn't expect to be so nervous.
Ich hätte nicht gedacht, dass ich das machen würde.
I didn't expect that I would do that.
Danach habe ich ___.
After that, I ___.
Meaning: After that, I ___.
When to use: Continue a past story by describing what happened next. Use 'bin' instead of 'habe' with verbs of movement/change of state (e.g. gegangen, gefahren).
Tip: A common error is to use 'habe' with movement verbs instead of 'bin' (e.g. *habe gegangen instead of bin gegangen).
Danach habe ich meine Koffer gepackt.
After that, I packed my suitcases.
Danach bin ich nach Hause gegangen.
After that, I went home.
Ich erinnere mich an ___.
I remember ___.
Meaning: I remember ___.
When to use: Use 'Ich erinnere mich an ___' to recall a person, place, or event. For a full clause, say 'Ich erinnere mich daran, dass ...'.
Ich erinnere mich an den ersten Schultag.
I remember the first day of school.
Ich erinnere mich an den Geruch von frischem Brot.
I remember the smell of fresh bread.
Das war eines der besten ___, die ich je hatte.
It was one of the best ___ I’ve ever had.
Meaning: It was one of the best ___ I’ve ever had.
When to use: Summarize how special an experience was. It usually takes a plural noun (e.g. Erlebnisse, Urlaube in appropriate form).
Das war eines der besten Erlebnisse, die ich je hatte.
That was one of the best experiences I've ever had.
Das war eines der besten Urlaube, die ich je hatte.
That was one of the best holidays I've ever had.
Vor ein paar Jahren habe ich ___.
A few years ago, I ___.
Meaning: A few years ago, I ___.
When to use: Start a simple narrative about the past. In spoken German, Perfekt is common; some verbs need 'bin' not 'habe' (e.g. moved = bin gezogen).
Vor ein paar Jahren habe ich nach Berlin gezogen.
A few years ago I moved to Berlin.
Vor ein paar Jahren habe ich einen Freiwilligendienst gemacht.
A few years ago I did a volunteer service.
Ich habe mal ___.
I once ___.
Meaning: I once ___.
When to use: Use 'Ich habe mal ...' in casual speech to mention a single past experience. Some verbs require 'bin' (e.g. Ich bin mal allein gereist).
Ich habe mal in einem Schloss übernachtet.
I once stayed overnight in a castle.
Ich habe mal mit einem Profi gekocht.
I once cooked with a professional chef.
Am Ende habe ich dann doch ___.
I ended up ___.
Meaning: I ended up ___.
When to use: Use this to show an unexpected result or change of plan. Often follows a story of attempts or choices.
Am Ende habe ich dann doch den Bus genommen.
In the end, I did take the bus after all.
Am Ende habe ich dann doch das Angebot angenommen.
In the end, I accepted the offer after all.
2. Conversational Listening Practice
Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.
Two friends trade short stories about living and memories.
Who worked in Berlin?
Anna
Hast du schon mal in Berlin gearbeitet?
Have you ever worked in Berlin?
David
Ja, ich war schon mal in Berlin. Vor ein paar Jahren habe ich dort gearbeitet.
Yes, I've been to Berlin. A few years ago I worked there.
Anna
Als ich jünger war, habe ich oft in den Sommerferien Verwandte besucht.
When I was younger, I often visited relatives in the summer holidays.
David
Das erste Mal, dass ich allein gereist bin, war mit achtzehn. Ich erinnere mich an den ersten Zug.
The first time I traveled alone was at eighteen. I remember the first train.
Anna
Vorher hatte ich noch nie so lange alleine gewohnt.
Before that I had never lived alone for so long.
David
Danach habe ich neue Freunde gefunden. Am Ende habe ich dann doch sehr viel gelernt.
After that I found new friends. In the end I ended up learning a lot.
3. Guided Practice
Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.
Which sentence means 'I've been to London before.'?
Which sentence is a natural question: 'Have you ever tried sushi?'
Which sentence best continues a story with 'After that, I ...'?
Which phrase expresses 'I didn't expect that I would ...'?
When I was younger, I used to play football every weekend.
___, I used to play football every weekend.
Have you ever visited Paris? — I've been to Paris before.
Have you ever visited Paris? — ___
In the end, I ended up taking the train instead.
In the end, ___ I took the train instead.
Match the core phrases
Match the extra phrases
4. Speaking Practice
Say phrases yourself (mic/recording).
Recording stays on your device only. Check speech uses your browser's speech tools when available.
