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Why Bavaria Party Supports Scottish Independence Posted by Constanze on Sep 13, 2014
When I was last in Bayern there was an upcoming election, and the streets were filled with campaign posters for the different political parties. The one that stood out to me the most was the rather satirical poster for the Bayern Partei – the Bavaria Party. This is what it looked like: What I liked…
Holiday Destination: The Unspoilt Islands of Germany. Posted by Constanze on Sep 2, 2014
As I am going on holiday this week I am in great spirits, and so I felt inspired to write this holiday-themed post for all of you who want to escape the cold weather (remember: It’s still summer somewhere in the world!). When people think of beach holidays in Europe, they think of places like…
I Liab Di: Bavarian Love Posted by Constanze on Aug 24, 2014
Let’s face it, nobody thinks that German is a romantic language. I’m sure you’ve seen the cartoons and videos showing the phrase “I love you” in different languages, which suggests that everything sounds angry in German. It goes something like this: English: I love you French: Je t’aime Italian: Ti amo Spanish: Te quiero German…
Untranslatable German Words: Waldeinsamkeit Posted by Constanze on Aug 21, 2014
Guten Tag, and wilkommen to another post on untranslatable German words! The word of today is Die Waldeinsamkeit. What is the meaning of Waldeinsamkeit? It refers to a very specific feeling – the feeling of being alone in the woods. What does Waldeinsamkeit literally translate to? Wald means wood/forest. Einsamkeit means loneliness, or solitude. How…
Don’t take things so literally! … Unless you’re speaking German. Posted by Constanze on Aug 13, 2014
You can learn a lot about Germany from its language. There are many nouns in the German language that have very literal meanings to them. Their pattern is that they are made up of two or more separate words put together to form a new word. These are called compound nouns. Some examples are: Das…
Words and signs you might encounter in deepest Bavaria Posted by Constanze on Aug 10, 2014
If you visit Bavaria (especially if it’s a little place out in the depths of the Bayerischer Wald), you are likely to encounter the Bavarian language in one form or another. Spoken Bavarian probably sounds incomprehensible as a non-native German speaker, even if your Hochdeutsch is of a good standard. But when it comes to…
Untranslatable German Words: Torschlusspanik! Posted by Constanze on Aug 3, 2014
Guten Tag, and willkommen to another post on untranslatable German words! The word of today is Torschlusspanik. What is the meaning of Torschlusspanik? This is the fear that time is running out. It describes the panic you get when you realise one day that in actual fact, you haven’t done very much with your life…