Archive for January, 2017
The Curiosity of “mein Freund” Posted by Sten on Jan 30, 2017
Der Freund, die Freundin. The friend. A simple German word, but one that can lead to confusion. Why? Find out here, and find out what to do about it. Freund: What Does It Mean? First and foremost, Freund is friend. Nothing more, nothing less. However, if you make it possessive, things change. If you say…
German Emergency Services pt2 Posted by Constanze on Jan 28, 2017
Guten Tag! Welcome to the second part of my posts on calling the emergency services in Germany or Austria. In the first post, we looked at how to call the police, and the things you might say. We also looked at how to ask for help from the public. That post is here. This time…
Sayings + Expressions 11: Sweet! Posted by Sten on Jan 27, 2017
Süß, süß, süß. Such a beautiful German word! It describes a sweet taste, it describes something cute, it lets you know whether somebody is sweet or cute… So naturally, there are Sprichwörter (sayings) and Redewendungen (idioms) related to this great word. Let’s explore two of them. Rache ist süß Revenge is sweet Rache ist…
Grand Opening of the Elbphilharmonie Posted by Sten on Jan 20, 2017
Last week on Wednesday, one of the largest, most modern and acoustically best Konzerthäuser (concert halls) in the world had its Eröffnungsfeier (inaugural ceremony) in Hamburg – the Elbphilharmonie (Elbe Philharmonic Hall). It was highly anticipated, and the opening was a great Erfolg (success). However, there were some issues with building it. And is it really that toll (nice)? Is it worth the millions of Steuergelder (tax…
German Emergency Services: P1 Posted by Constanze on Jan 20, 2017
What do you do if you find yourself in an emergency situation in a German-speaking country? Which number do you call, and what is it you ask for? This post will tell you exactly that! The numbers to call: In Germany: 110 – police 112 – ambulance/fire brigade In Austria: Call 112 for general emergency…
German Quiz: Mastering the Basics Posted by Larissa on Jan 17, 2017
Hello and welcome to another quiz! The first quiz of 2017. This time the topics are: basic conversation, numbers and renting an apartment. If you want to brush up on your knowledge before you take the quiz, then you can find the posts here, here, here and here. Grab a pen and paper… good luck!…
Untranslatable German Words: Morgenmuffel Posted by Constanze on Jan 13, 2017
Hello and welcome to another post on untranslatable German words, where I bring you the quirkiest, funniest and most intelligent words that the German language has to offer – and ones that are difficult to find a direct translation for! Today’s word is der Morgenmuffel. What does der Morgenmuffel mean? In German, a Morgenmuffel is…