Archive for February, 2019
Don’t Let It Confuse You! – Chef Posted by Sten on Feb 28, 2019
Due to the great interest in the last post in this new series, here is the second one early! In this series, we will look at words or phrases that seem to mean the exact same thing in English, simply because they are spelled the same or sound the same. These are also known as “false cognates”…
The German Phrase ‘Passt Schon’ Posted by Constanze on Feb 27, 2019
German is full of tiny phrases that have a huge range of meanings. In this post, we will look in more depth at the phrase ‘Passt schon’. This literally translates to ‘Fits already’, ‘Fits yet’ or ‘Does fit’. But what this little phrase actually means is ‘it’s OK’, ‘no worries’, ‘it’s all good’, ‘never mind’…
The German Phrase ‘Es Passt’ Posted by Constanze on Feb 26, 2019
Guten Tag! In my last post I talked about the phrase ‘Es steht dir (gut)’, the German way of saying ‘It (really) suits you’. A question people often have when they learn this phrase is: What is the difference between saying ‘Es steht dir’ (it suits you) and a similar phrase, ‘Es passt dir’ (it…
Don’t Let It Confuse You! – Dose Posted by Sten on Feb 23, 2019
Today, we start a new series on the blog, called Don’t Let It Confuse You! In this series, we will look at words or phrases that seem to mean the exact same thing in English, simply because they are spelled the same or sound the same. These are also known as “false cognates”, in German known as Fauxami (a “false…
German: It Suits You! Posted by Constanze on Feb 13, 2019
Guten Tag! How do you tell someone in German that something ‘suits them’? Read on to find out! So you’re out shopping with a German friend and they want your opinion on the t-shirt they’ve just tried on. It looks really good. What do you tell them? You could say “Es sieht gut aus!” (“It…
Save the Bees in Bavaria! Posted by Larissa on Feb 12, 2019
In the last few weeks there has been a whirlwind of advertising through banners, flyers and social media posts about saving the bees. Unless you have been living under a rock the past few years, then you will know it is common knowledge that our bees are dying out in the whole world. Why are…
Did JFK Really Call Himself A Doughnut In German? Posted by Constanze on Feb 8, 2019
It happened way back in 1963, but still the question comes up: Did John F. Kennedy really call himself a doughnut during his famous speech in West Berlin? At the end of a speech in which the president showed solidarity with the citizens of West Berlin following the erection of the Berlin Wall, Kennedy said…