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German newspaper causes laughter: “Pope eats Argentines”!?. Posted by Sandra Rösner on Mar 18, 2013
Is the new pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a cannibal who favors his Argentinian fellow-countrymen as a delicious meal, just like the headline in a German newspaper suggested? Admittedly, I have no idea what kind of diet Francis, the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church prefers but I’m pretty sure that he is not after…
Check your German comprehension skills with these three jokes Posted by Sandra Rösner on Mar 17, 2013
Telling jokes is usually nice as a pastime but it can also help you to practice your comprehension skills in German (or any other foreign languages). Following, I listed three jokes, each presented in German and English. When you are a beginner of learning German as a foreign language, read the English version first and…
Germans are upset because of horsemeat in meals and fraudulent labeling of eggs Posted by Sandra Rösner on Mar 5, 2013
German consumers are very upset these days. Lebensmittelkontrolleure (food inspectors) found out that the Hackfleisch (minced meat) used in several Fertiggerichte (pre-cooked dishes) were mixed with Pferdefleisch (horsemeat). Usually, Germans prefer minced meat made of Schweinefleisch (pork) or Rindfleisch (beef). A couple of days later, media announced that organic eggs were as organic as pesticide-laden…
Teachers in Berlin and Saxony strike for better payment Posted by Sandra Rösner on Feb 27, 2013
When I arrived at the train station Berlin Friedrichstraße last week, many people – draped in huge “trash bags” – crossed my path. The words Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Bildung (GEW) (lit. labor union for upbringing and education) were printed on these trash bags. School and kindergarten teachers were striking. The German education system is often…
Impressions of the International Green Week Berlin 2013 Posted by Sandra Rösner on Jan 28, 2013
The weekend before last, I have been to the International Green Week (IGW) in Berlin for the very first time. The IGW is the world’s biggest fair for food, agriculture, and horticulture and one of the longest-standing fairs in Berlin. Originally, it was a local produce exchange, which was simply called Grüne Woche (Green Week)…
4 terms in different Swiss German dialects Posted by Sandra Rösner on Jan 25, 2013
Recently, I met a woman from Switzerland. We talked about the different regional dialects of German and Swiss German. Among other things, she gave me some examples in order to realize how differently Swiss people talk. Of course, I do not want to withhold my newly acquired knowledge about Swiss German. Cake – der…
Meinem, deinem, ihrem, unserem, etc.: German possessive pronouns in the dative case Posted by Sandra Rösner on Jan 21, 2013
In two of my previous post, I have already written about possessive pronouns in the nominative case and possessive pronouns in the genitive case. Now, I would like to continue with the third case or dative case. In general, the dative case shows possession. That is, when you want to use a possessive pronoun in…