Archive for April, 2015
German Phone Call Vocabulary Posted by Constanze on Apr 25, 2015
In German, speaking on the phone is called telefonieren. Some people (like me) find telephone calls a bit scary and intimidating. They’re even moreso if you’re making a phone call in a different language! So I’ve compiled this list of useful phrases and vocabulary to help make German phone calls less scary. Etiquette When answering…
German poetry goes Frankfurt vernacular Posted by Sandra Rösner on Apr 21, 2015
A couple of weeks ago, one of you ask me if I’m familiar with the poem “Fourteen Daughters” by Friedrich Stoltze – a German poet an writer who was famous for his poems written in Frankfurt vernacular. I have to admit that I had never heard of him before but after a quick search on Google I…
Catholicism In The Bavarian Language Posted by Constanze on Apr 20, 2015
Bavaria is a predominantly Catholic part of Germany. While this is evident in its culture, architecture and religious rituals, it is also evident in its language. To explain, I’m going to take some simple Bavarian phrases and expressions and show you the religious meanings behind them. For all examples I’ve included the Hochdeutsch (Standard…
Obscure German Sorrows: Weltschmerz and Lebensmüde Posted by Constanze on Apr 15, 2015
Today’s untranslatable German words post was inspired by John Koenig’s project, The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. This ‘dictionary’ fills gaps in the English language for feelings that were never given a name. One of the ones I came across on there had a German name: Altschmerz. “Altschmerz: weariness with the same old issues that…
Beer Garden Culture Posted by Larissa on Apr 12, 2015
Now that the weather is brightening up I went for lunch in a typical Bavarian beer garden, which gave me the idea to share with you some beer garden tips and why it’s so popular to go in Bavaria! One of the great things in der Biergarten (the beer garden) is that it is erlaubt…
Fräulein Veronika Dankeschön Posted by Constanze on Apr 10, 2015
One of my first posts on this blog was about the Trümmerfrauen, the post-war German women who cleaned up their war-torn country while their men were away or missing. The way these women stepped out of their stereotypical roles as housewives and mothers to do what was seen as men’s work is still talked about…