Listening cue: a listening-task definition

Definition and example

A short word or phrase that tells you how to interpret the information around it.

A listening cue is useful because it changes your practical interpretation. In our platform task, nicht … sondern rejects the old platform and introduces its replacement. In a meal order, stattdessen introduces a replacement. The cue is not necessarily the loudest or longest word. A small expression can decide which location or item belongs in your final note.

German example: Nicht am Montag, sondern am Dienstag. Translation: Not on Monday, but on Tuesday. Nicht rejects Monday and sondern introduces Tuesday as its replacement. Memorising the weekdays alone does not recover the change. You need the relationship between them.

Do not treat a cue as a magic keyword with one fixed result. Noch can describe something that remains available or something still unfinished. Read and hear the surrounding sentence. The cue gives you a reason to inspect the relationship, not permission to ignore context.

On a worksheet, underline one cue and draw an arrow to the detail it controls. Then describe what would change if the cue were absent. Use this method on a real video after the written task. A caption can help you locate the phrase, but the actual speech remains your listening material.

Use this term in a task

• Catch a platform change in a German announcement
• Follow a German canteen order when one dish has run out
• Replace the right detail when a German speaker corrects themselves

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