Interviews (Leaving Cert German): Revision Notes
Interviews
What are interviews in German listening exams?
Interview segments appear frequently in your Leaving Cert German listening exam. These audio clips typically feature a reporter conducting a conversation with another person, usually covering topics relevant to young people's lives. The conversations might discuss school experiences, career aspirations, hobbies, or current social issues that affect teenagers and young adults.
During these listening tasks, you'll need to identify and extract both factual details and personal opinions from the dialogue. This requires careful attention to different speakers' voices and understanding the distinction between objective information and subjective viewpoints.
Essential vocabulary
Understanding key interview vocabulary will help you follow the conversation structure and identify important information. Here are the core terms you'll encounter:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| das Interview | interview |
| der Reporter / die Reporterin | reporter |
| der/die Befragte | person being interviewed |
| die Frage | question |
| die Antwort | answer |
| erzählen | to tell / talk about |
| beschreiben | to describe |
| meinen / glauben / finden | to think / believe / find |
| der Beruf | job / profession |
| die Erfahrung | experience |
| die Meinung | opinion |
| interessant | interesting |
| langweilig | boring |
| schwierig | difficult |
| einfach | easy |
| sich erinnern an | to remember |
| weil / da | because |
| obwohl | although |
These words form the foundation of interview conversations and will help you understand the flow between questions and responses. Focus particularly on opinion verbs like meinen, glauben, finden as these signal subjective viewpoints.
Common interview topics
Interview segments typically focus on areas that relate to young people's experiences and concerns. Expect to hear discussions about educational experiences, where speakers might talk about their favourite subjects, challenging exams, or memorable school trips. Career-related conversations often explore future plans, apprenticeship opportunities, university choices, or part-time job experiences.
Social issues frequently appear in interview format, covering topics like environmental concerns, technology's impact on daily life, volunteering experiences, or discussions about equality and fairness in society. You might also hear about personal experiences such as travel adventures, festival attendance, sporting achievements, or competitive activities that have shaped the speaker's perspective.
Familiarising yourself with these topic areas before your exam will help you activate relevant vocabulary and predict potential question directions during your preparation time.
Question types to expect
Understanding different question patterns will help you anticipate what information to listen for. Personal detail questions seek basic information, such as asking about someone's job or profession. Experience questions explore what someone has done, like asking about activities from the previous year.
Opinion questions invite subjective responses, asking what someone thinks about a particular topic or situation. Reason questions dig deeper into motivations, exploring why someone made specific choices or decisions. Future-focused questions ask about plans and aspirations, while comparison questions examine how different situations or experiences contrast with each other.
Common Question Pattern Examples:
- Personal details: "Was ist ihr Beruf?" (What is her job?)
- Experience: "Was hat er letztes Jahr gemacht?" (What did he do last year?)
- Opinion: "Was meint sie dazu?" (What does she think about it?)
- Reason: "Warum hat er das gewählt?" (Why did he choose this?)
- Future plans: "Was sind ihre Pläne?" (What are her plans?)
- Comparison: "Wie ist das Leben anders?" (How is life different?)
Phrase bank for interview conversations
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Was ist ihr Beruf? | What is her job? |
| Was hat er letztes Jahr gemacht? | What did he do last year? |
| Was meint sie dazu? | What does she think about it? |
| Warum hat er das gewählt? | Why did he choose this? |
| Was sind ihre Pläne? | What are her plans? |
| Wie ist das Leben anders? | How is life different? |
| Meiner Meinung nach... | In my opinion... |
| Ich finde, dass... | I think that... |
| Ich glaube... | I believe... |
Practice recognising these phrases in spoken German, as they often signal the type of information that will follow in the response.
Effective listening strategies
Success in interview listening tasks depends on identifying who's speaking at any given moment. Learn to distinguish between the reporter's voice and the interviewee's responses, as this helps you understand the conversation flow and attribute information correctly.
Pay special attention to question words, particularly the German W-words: Warum, Wie, Was, Wann, and Wer. These signal what type of information will follow in the response. Focus on verbs throughout the conversation, as they often carry the main meaning and indicate the timeframe being discussed.
Watch for opinion indicators such as "Ich finde," "Meiner Meinung nach," or "Ich glaube," which signal that subjective viewpoints are being expressed. Be alert for contrast words like "obwohl," "aber," or "trotzdem," as these often introduce important shifts in meaning or perspective that could affect your understanding of the speaker's position.
Voice Recognition is Critical
Always identify whether the reporter or the interviewee is speaking. Mixing up speakers is one of the most common mistakes that leads to incorrect answers. The reporter asks questions, the interviewee provides answers and opinions.
Exam techniques for interview tasks
During your preparation time, use those precious moments to predict what questions might arise based on the context provided. Remember that both factual information and personal opinions carry equal weight in these exercises, so prepare to note both types of content.
When taking notes, focus on key words and short phrases rather than attempting to write complete sentences. This approach allows you to capture essential information without falling behind in the audio. If you miss one answer, don't panic or lose concentration – move on immediately to stay focused on the remaining questions.
Listen carefully for tense changes in responses, as speakers might shift between past experiences (hat gemacht), present situations (macht), and future plans (wird machen). Don't stop listening too early, as speakers often provide multiple details for each answer, and all information could be relevant to your task.
Time Management Strategy
Use your preparation time wisely: read the questions, predict the topic area, and activate relevant vocabulary in your mind. This mental preparation is crucial for success.
Common mistakes and tips
Avoid These Common Pitfalls
Students often struggle with distinguishing between the reporter's questions and the interviewee's responses. Practice identifying different voices and speech patterns to avoid attributing information to the wrong speaker. Don't assume that the first piece of information you hear is the complete answer – many responses contain several relevant details.
Avoid focusing exclusively on vocabulary you recognise while missing the overall meaning. Sometimes unfamiliar words aren't essential for understanding the main message. Similarly, don't get stuck on one difficult section and miss subsequent easier questions.
Pay attention to register and tone, as these can provide clues about the speaker's attitude or the formality level of the conversation. This context can help you interpret ambiguous responses more accurately.
Key Points to Remember:
- Interview listening tasks test both factual comprehension and opinion recognition – prepare for both types of information
- Question words (Warum, Wie, Was, Wann, Wer) signal what type of response to expect
- Opinion phrases like "Ich finde" and "Meiner Meinung nach" indicate subjective viewpoints
- Use preparation time wisely to predict potential questions based on the given context
- Stay focused on the audio flow – missing one answer shouldn't derail your performance on remaining questions