Chapter 6 of Buddenbrooks, volume 1 of 2 is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Buddenbrooks, volume 1 of 2 is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
They were rising from table. “Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous.... Billiards for whoever chooses. Jean, you will show them the way back to the billiard-room? Madame Köppen, may I have the honour?”
Chapter 6 of Buddenbrooks, volume 1 of 2 is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
any of several games played on rectangular cloth-covered table (with cushioned edges) in which long tapering cue sticks are used to propel ivory (or composition) balls
From this reading “Billiards for whoever chooses.”
third-person singular of “choose” — pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading “Billiards for whoever chooses.”
plural of “cigar” — a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading ““Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous....”
a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans
From this reading ““Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous....”
plural of “feel” — an intuitive awareness
From this reading ““Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous....”
willing to give and share unstintingly
From this reading ““Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous....”
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
From this reading “Jean, you will show them the way back to the billiard-room?”
strong highly flavored sweet liquor usually drunk after a meal
From this reading ““Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous....”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading ““Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous....”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous....
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous....
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Jean, you will show them the way back to the billiard-room?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jean, you will show them the way back to the billiard-room?
any of several games played on rectangular cloth-covered table (with cushioned edges) in which long tapering cue sticks are used to propel ivory (or composition) balls
From this reading Billiards for whoever chooses.
third-person singular of “choose” — pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading Billiards for whoever chooses.
plural of “cigar” — a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading “Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous....
a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans
From this reading “Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous....
plural of “feel” — an intuitive awareness
From this reading “Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous....
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Billiards for whoever chooses.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading They were rising from table.
willing to give and share unstintingly
From this reading “Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous....
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading “Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous....
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous....
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Madame Köppen, may I have the honour?”
the state of being honored
From this reading Madame Köppen, may I have the honour?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Madame Köppen, may I have the honour?”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous....
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous....
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
From this reading Jean, you will show them the way back to the billiard-room?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Madame Köppen, may I have the honour?”
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading “Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous....
strong highly flavored sweet liquor usually drunk after a meal
From this reading “Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous....
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading “Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous....
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous....
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Madame Köppen, may I have the honour?”
immediately following in time or order
From this reading “Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous....
advancing or becoming higher or greater in degree or value or status
From this reading They were rising from table.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading “Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous....
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Jean, you will show them the way back to the billiard-room?
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading They were rising from table.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous....
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Jean, you will show them the way back to the billiard-room?
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were rising from table.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Jean, you will show them the way back to the billiard-room?
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Jean, you will show them the way back to the billiard-room?
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well, ladies and gentlemen, _gesegnete Mahlzeit!_ Cigars and coffee in the next room, and a liqueur if Madame feels generous....
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were rising from table.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Billiards for whoever chooses.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Jean, you will show them the way back to the billiard-room?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Jean, you will show them the way back to the billiard-room?
Chapter 6 of Buddenbrooks, volume 1 of 2 by Thomas Mann holds 141 sentences, grouped into 29 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 6 holds 141 sentences of Buddenbrooks, volume 1 of 2, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Buddenbrooks, volume 1 of 2 by Thomas Mann exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 141 sentences, grouped into 29 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 6 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Buddenbrooks, volume 1 of 2 by Thomas Mann on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7148 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #72961 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #72961, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 595 minutes of reading across 1430 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Buddenbrooks, volume 1 of 2 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Buddenbrooks, volume 1 of 2 to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Buddenbrooks, volume 1 of 2, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
