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Untranslatable German: Feierabend Posted by Sten on Oct 30, 2020
Es ist 17:00. Endlich! Feierabend. (It’s 5 pm. Finally! End of the work day.) Time to go home, or go by the Kneipe (bar) and get a Bier (beer) to relax and wind down. A typical, almost stereotypical German Brauch (tradition). And Feierabend is the untranslatable word here. Let’s look at what it means and what perhaps could be an English…
A German Construction Disaster Comes to A Close Posted by Sten on Oct 29, 2020
Finally! After years and years of delays and billions of euros over budget, Berlin’s new airport BER will finally open this Saturday, October 31. Just so you get an idea of how big a deal this is: The airport was supposed to open in 2007. You read that right, not 2017, but 13 years ago! The…
Don’t Let It Confuse You! – Stall Posted by Sten on Oct 15, 2020
In this series, we look at words that exist in English, but have a completely different meaning in German, so-called false friends. But we also look at words that sound or look deceivingly similar. Today, we look at a word that really means something else than you might think – Stall! For previous posts in this…
Untranslatable German: der Flickenteppich! Posted by Sten on Oct 8, 2020
Just like many other countries in recent weeks, Germany has experienced a rise in Neuinfektionen (new infections) of das Coronavirus. And because of these Neuinfektionen, countries have once again issued Reisewarnungen (travel warnings) and imposed mandatory Quarantäne (quarantine) of 14 days upon return from a Risikogebiet (high-risk area). But if you think that these measures stop at country borders…
The Curiosity of the German Word “Wehrmacht” Posted by Sten on Sep 17, 2020
You may have heard of the German word die Wehrmacht (armed forces), which was what the German armed forces were called during the Second World War. When trying to pronounce the word, you may have gotten close to something that sounds like “Warmacht”, which may have lead you to conclude that Wehr must mean “war” in German. Not true!…
Why Should I Learn German? Posted by Sten on Jul 30, 2020
Why would you learn German? Let’s look at a few reasons why you would want to learn German! These reasons are by no means exhaustive, but it might give you some inspiration! Why should I learn a foreign language at all? There are a plethora of reasons to learn a language besides your mother tongue…
Who’s John Doe in Germany? Posted by Sten on Jul 28, 2020
If you don’t want to keep somebody’s name anonymous or if you simply need a placeholder, a common name to use is John Doe for men and Jane Doe for women, or Joe Bloggs or John Smith… There’s quite a list. How do we do it in Germany? The “Example Man” In Germany, we almost…