Archive by Author
Writing a letter in German: Formal Letters Posted by Sandra Rösner on Apr 5, 2011
Someone of you asked to explain how to write a letter in German. So, I provide a step-by-step instruction for formal letters and an example letter in this post. I guess you will find a lot of varying explanations and examples when you surf the web or look it up in books but I do…
Schwyzerdütsch – Schweizerdeutsch – Swiss German Posted by Sandra Rösner on Apr 1, 2011
In connection with my previous post about Low German I would like to continue with another dialect of German: Schwyzerdütsch or Schweizerdeutsch (Swiss German). Once more I copied and pasted some passages of a Wikipedia site. Below you can find one and the same text in Swiss German, High German, and English. In case, that…
Plattdüütsch – Plattdeutsch – Low German Posted by Sandra Rösner on Mar 28, 2011
Some of you seem to be very interested in German dialects. That’s why I introduce you to Plattdüütsch or Plattdeutsch (Low German) in this post. I neither come from a Low German speaking region of Germany nor do I speak Low German, but I am able to understand it when it isn’t spoken too harsh…
Karneval – Carnival Posted by Sandra Rösner on Mar 7, 2011
DEUTSCH – GERMAN Sicherlich kennen viele von euch den Karneval in Rio mit den Sambatänzerinnen und den Karneval in Venedig mit den Maskenkostümen. Auch in Deutschland feiern wir jedes Jahr Karneval. Wir nennen die Zeit des Karnevals auch „die fünfte Jahreszeit“. Obwohl die Karnevalfeiern erst am Donnerstag vor Aschermittwoch anfangen, leiten viele die Karnevalssaison bereits…
Game: Was bin ich? – What am I? Posted by Sandra Rösner on Mar 2, 2011
I would like to give you the chance to practice your reading and comprehension skills. Therefore, I prepared a game for you. The game is called: Was bin ich? (What am I?). I described ten things in German and gave three possible answers. All you have to do is to spot the right answer. Good…
Wetten, dass … ? Posted by Sandra Rösner on Feb 27, 2011
Wetten, dass …. ? is one of Germany’s most popular entertainment show, which is broadcasted six times a year from different locations in Germany, and sometimes also from Switzerland and Austria. It attracts about 10 million viewers. Wetten, dass … ? was first broadcasted in 1981. Frank Elstner, who developed the show, had also presented…
Idiomtische Redewendungen und Ausrufe – Idiomatic Expressions and Interjections Posted by Sandra Rösner on Feb 25, 2011
Idiomatic expressions and interjections are useful means of communication. Idioms are set phrases. Knowing them can promote your linguistic competence to a considerable degree. Interjections are short words or phrases that express emotions. Below you can find two tables, each with the literal meanings of the German expressions plus the English equivalents. I hope you find…