Voice Input (Microphone)

1. On your chat partner's page, click on the CHAT button.
2. Use the on/off slider on the left to switch from text to microphone input.
3. "Allow" your internet browser to access your microphone.
4. You have the option to send your voice message "immediately" or after a specified number of "seconds."
     The default option is "off." (You can review and make changes to your question text before sending it.) 
5. In microphone mode, click the "microphone" button on the left and speak.
Please note that voice input does not work on iPads. Type your questions instead.
Text Input (Keyboard)
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1. On your chat partner's page, click on the CHAT button.
2. Type your text message in the input box on the bottom of your screen.
3. Send your text message by clicking the "send" button on the right or by pressing your keyboard RETURN key.
4. You have the option to send your text message "immediately" or after a specified number of "seconds."
     The default option is "off." You can review and make changes to your question text via keyboard before hitting "send."
Internet Connection Speed

If your internet connection is slow, chat answers may take a bit longer to return. If this happens, refresh your browser or move to a location with better internet reception.
HOW TO CHAT
Our virtual chat partners behave very much like real people, but they are not humans. To get the most out of you chat sessions, follow a few basic rules:
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1. Choose conversation topics from your chat partner's knowledge base. The Themen list and the worksheets are a good place to start. From there, see where the conversation is going. Who knows what additional information a chat partner may reveal? 

2. Use correct forms as German chat partners appreciate correct spelling and syntax. It is best to ask questions in complete sentences. Enunciate properly when using your microphone. German is a phonetic language. Make every syllable count. 

3. Start your conversation with an appropriate greeting to let your chat partner know you wish to talk. "Hallo," "Guten Tag," or any other kind of greeting will do. End your chat session with a form of farewell. "Tschüß," "Auf Wiedersehen" or "Bis bald" are good options. Use the formal "Sie" or the informal "Du" form of address depending on your chat partner's age.

​4. Remain flexible if you do not immediately get the response you were hoping for. Try again by rephrasing your sentence or by asking a new question altogether. As with real people, be forgiving. Two way communication is always a negotiation of meaning.

5. Ask good questions to gather useful information from your conversation partner. Review the German question words below before you start chatting away (place your mouse cursor over the question words to see their German equivalent):
Trabbis in Berlin
German Chatterbox 1.0 is an online application for Beginning German Language Learners. Current version: Academic Year 2018-19. 
All rights reserved | 2016-2020 Nick Ostrau. Chat content is provided by a Google service. User assumes all risks by accessing any chatbot on this site.
"German Chatterbox is one of my favorite ways to practice German. I think it's a wonderful way to improve." - Mary Jo