Email to the Exchange Partner's Mother: Register and Timing
You are in the interpersonal writing section. You open an email from Frau Weber, the mother of your German exchange partner. She writes in a friendly but formal register, consistently using 'Sie' and 'Ihre Familie.' She invites you to spend the weekend at their home in Potsdam and asks you to arrive on Friday before 18:00 because they have theater tickets for 19:30. You have a mandatory language course in Berlin until 17:30; the regional train to Potsdam takes 45 minutes, plus 10 minutes to walk to their house. You also must bring a presentation for Monday. The response box accepts 60–80 words, and you have 20 minutes. You want to accept the invitation, explain the timing problem, and propose a workable alternative without sounding rude.
1. Which address form and register should you use in your reply, and why?
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Use Sie throughout and keep a friendly-formal register. Frau Weber addresses you with 'Sie' and refers to 'Ihre Familie,' so she has not offered the informal 'du.' Even though she is warm, switching to 'du' would be presumptuous and could be read as inappropriate. A safe salutation is 'Liebe Frau Weber,' which is warmer than 'Sehr geehrte Frau Weber' but still formal and common when the relationship is friendly. Avoid 'Hallo Frau Weber' unless you know she uses it, and never use 'du' just because the invitation is personal. Close with 'Mit freundlichen Grüßen' or 'Herzliche Grüße'; both fit. The test rewards consistency: once you choose 'Sie,' keep the possessive 'Ihre,' the verb forms, and the pronoun 'Ihnen' consistent. Register is part of the interpersonal task, not decoration.
2. Draft a 60–80 word reply that accepts the invitation, explains the timing constraint, and proposes an alternative.
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A model reply: 'Liebe Frau Weber, vielen Dank für die Einladung! Ich komme sehr gern, aber ich schaffe es am Freitag nicht vor 18:00: Mein Kurs endet um 17:30 in Berlin, und die Fahrt nach Potsdam dauert etwa 45 Minuten. Könnte ich gegen 19:00 direkt zum Theater kommen? Ich bringe auch meine Präsentation für Montag mit. Herzliche Grüße, [Name]' This is about 60 words. It accepts first ('sehr gern'), then explains with specific times rather than vague excuses, then offers a concrete solution: meeting at the theater. It keeps 'Sie' and 'Ihnen' implicit through 'könnte ich.' The word limit forces you to omit unnecessary apologies. Notice that the reply does not promise to be at the house by 18:00, because that would be false given the 17:30 course end and the 45-minute train.
3. What should you avoid in this reply, and how would each mistake affect the interpersonal score?
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Avoid four traps. First, do not use 'du' or 'Hallo,' which breaks the established register. Second, do not simply say 'Ich kann nicht' and stop; the task requires accepting or negotiating, not refusing outright. Third, do not over-explain or apologize for half the message; the 60–80 word limit rewards efficient, specific information. Fourth, do not promise an impossible arrival time such as 18:00, because the math makes it false. Also avoid ignoring the theater tickets: a good reply connects your alternative to their 19:30 plan. Each of these is a task-completion or register issue, not a grammar issue, and the interpersonal writing score weighs appropriateness and task fulfillment heavily.