Archive for September, 2018
3 German Things That Aren’t So Efficient Posted by Constanze on Sep 26, 2018
Guten Tag! We often talk about Germans being ultra-efficient. In fact, one of the first things that comes to people’s minds when asked to describe Germans is usually a comment about their effizient (efficient) nature. So is there anything about German life and culture that’s actually… not so efficient? Here are three things that may…
The German Kur Posted by Constanze on Sep 19, 2018
When you need to take a period of sick leave from work, you generally stay at home during that time, right? In Germany, when you`re ill, as part of the Krankenkasse (German health insurance), you can request to be sent on a Kur – a type of spa break. Die Kur – literally ‘the cure’…
Celebrating Birthdays in Germany Posted by Larissa on Sep 18, 2018
Hello, my birthday was a couple of weeks ago which inspired me to write this post. I love birthdays – there is nothing better than a day of giving or recieving presents, eating cake and just generally being happy! Germany celebrates birthdays pretty much the same way as in the UK or USA, there is…
What’s Your Star Sign In German? Posted by Constanze on Sep 14, 2018
Guten Tag! Whether die Astrologie (astrology) interests them or not, most people are aware of what their Sternzeichen (star sign) is. In today’s post, we’ll be looking at the star signs in German! In German, the term das Sternzeichen literally translates to ‘star sign’, but another word for it is das Tierkreiszeichen, which translates to…
Sayings + Expressions 18: Life Posted by Sten on Sep 6, 2018
In the long-standing series Sayings + Expressions, we look at Ausdrücke (expressions) and Sprichwörter (sayings) in German. There are some really crazy ones, so have a look at the other posts at this link. Today, we are looking at das Leben. What other Thema (theme) inspires so many weise (wise) things to say than life itself? As always, let’s dive right in with the Sprichwort first! Das…
German Exclamations And Interjections Posted by Constanze on Sep 5, 2018
There is a phrase that kept coming up in my work some time ago. The phrase was ‘Klein, aber oho!’. It took me a while to figure out how to translate this phrase. It starts ‘Small, but…’ and then the mysterious word ‘oho’. On first glance, this looks like an abbreviation for something. But it…
How to describe your bike in German Posted by Larissa on Sep 4, 2018
Servus, one of the things I love most about living in Munich is that there are cycle paths everywhere. I find cycling so much quicker than taking the bus or the U bahn, and it gives you some fresh air and exercise too! One thing that might get annoying is when your bicycle breaks (I…