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Weak Verbs in German Posted by Sandra Rösner on May 7, 2012
In German, there are two basic forms of verbs: weak verbs and strong verbs. Weak verbs or regular verbs are those that follow a set pattern of rules and retain the same stem vowel throughout. These verbs are called weak verbs because you might think of them as being simply too weak to alter the…
Expressing your opinions in German Posted by Sandra Rösner on Apr 18, 2012
As soon as you are engaged in interpersonal communicative situation, e.g. in face-to-face situations or any form of written exchange, you will recognize that it is more or less necessary to define your position at some time. In other words, sooner or later your interlocutor would ask you about your opinion on a particular topic…
German Idiomatic Expressions: Rund ums “Ohr”– All about the “ear” Posted by Sandra Rösner on Apr 16, 2012
In my last post I already began to talk about idioms – fixed phrases whose meaning cannot be inferred from the meanings of the individual words. This time I would like to focus on idioms that have to do with the ear because there are many useful German idioms, containing the ‘ear’, that will help…
German Idiomatic Expressions: Becoming competent in no time at all Posted by Sandra Rösner on Apr 13, 2012
Language cuts both ways. On the one hand, language is an open system and allows its users to be creative and to produce as many novel expressions as wished, as long as they make sense. That is, it is not necessary to have ever heard a particular phrase or sentence before in one’s life in…
German Pop Music: Pur Posted by Sandra Rösner on Apr 11, 2012
Since I have begun to write blog entries for Transparent Language, I know that there are several German music bands who are very well known beyond the borders of Germany, e.g. Rammstein, Scorpions, and Tokyo Hotel. But do you also know the German band PUR? PUR has been the most successful German band in Germany…
School life in Germany: The former German Democratic Republic Posted by Sandra Rösner on Apr 10, 2012
How do German students spend their days in school? Of course, they attend classes, sit tests, and prepare for their graduation. But how does this exactly look like? Although schooling is more or less a worldwide operation I have recognized that there are still significant differences between countries. For example, in France the satus quo…
Frohe Ostern! – Happy Easter! Posted by Sandra Rösner on Apr 5, 2012
The time has come again. Easter is almost here. Since Germany is a Christian country, its people celebrate the annual commemoration of the Auferstehung Jesu Christi (Resurrection of Jesus), commonly known as Ostern (Easter). Both designations German Ostern and English Easter have the same linguistic roots, and there are different explanations of its origin. Among…