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1.8 Conversations: Introductions (2)

In the following conversations, people introduce themselves to each other in different contexts.

Conversation 5. Firstly, Sophie Gerland introduces her boyfriend Marko Tredup to her friend Barbara Zacharias. All three are 18-year-old students.

Sophie Gerland    Marko Tredup     Barbara Zacharias

Sophie Gerland Hallo Barbara! Darf ich vorstellen? Das ist mein Freund Marko.
Barbara Zacharias (Gibt ihm die Hand.) Hallo Marko!
Marko Tredup Hallo Barbara!
Barbara Zacharias Nett, dich kennen zu lernen.
Marko Tredup Danke, gleichfalls.

Darf ich vorstellen?  "May I introduce?" When introducing someone else, you omit the pronoun "mich" which you use when introducing yourself. 
(Gibt ihm die Hand)   Although the fellow students naturally use "du" to each other, they still shake hands on being introduced to each other.
mein Freund  Here: "my boyfriend". It is also the word which is used for a "any male friend".
Nett, dich kennen zu lernen.  "Nice to meet you". An informal response to being introduced. Note that "dich" is the accusative form of the pronoun "du".
Danke, gleichfalls  "Thank you, likewise". Or: "The same to you". 


Conversation 6. Now Marko Tredup introduces Sophie Gerland to his mother. It's therefore a more formal conversation. Which pronouns are used here and why?

Marko Tredup    Frau Tredup    Sophie Gerland

Marko Mutter, darf ich dir meine Freundin Sophie vorstellen?
Frau Tredup Freut mich, Sie kennen zu lernen, Sophie.
Sophie Angenehm, Frau Tredup. (Sie geben sich die Hand.)

die Mutter  Mother 
Darf ich dir ... vorstellen?  "May I introduce ... to you?" Marko uses "dir" (the dative form of "du") because he is talking to his mother. Were he to be speaking in more formal circumstances he would say "Darf ich Ihnen ... vorstellen?"
meine Freundin  Here: "my girlfriend". It is also the word which is used for a "any female friend".
Freut mich, Sie kennen zu lernen.  "Pleased to meet you." This is a more formal version of "Freut mich" which we met in the first conversation. Note that Frau Tredup calls Sophie "Sie", even though the latter is the same age as her son Marko.
Angenehm  "Pleased to meet you". It literally just means "pleasant". It is interchangable with "Freut mich" as a polite response when being introduced to someone.
(Sie geben sich die Hand)  They shake hands. Once more, shaking hands is an essential part of social etiquette in this context.

Weiter!Chapter 1.9: German names

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