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Why German Drivers Hate These Points Posted by Sten on Aug 22, 2019
Last week, I received a rather unfortunate surprise in the Post (mail): A Strafzettel (fine) because I drove too fast. Fortunately, it was a quite minor Verstoß (violation), since I only drove a few km/h above the limit. This means that I only have to pay a Bußgeld (fine). But careful with more serious Verstöße – then you might also get Punkte in…
German Sayings + Expressions 24: Order and the Drawer Posted by Sten on Aug 15, 2019
Germans are all about Ordnung (order). They love having everything put together and well-defined. No wonder then that there are Sprichwörter (sayings) about this! The Ausdruck (expression) is a reaction to it… Let’s go! For older posts, please follow this link. Ordnung ist das halbe Leben Literally: Order is half of life Cleanliness is next to godliness Order is so important to…
German Sayings + Expressions 23: Wishes Posted by Sten on Aug 8, 2019
Do you have any Wünsche (wishes) or Verlangen (desires)? Then it is helpful to have words to express this. Today in our sayings and expressions, we look at these wants and how we can accommodate them in the German language. For older posts, please follow this link. Now, let’s start with the Sprichwort (saying)! Der Wunsch ist der Vater des Gedankens Literally: The…
How Switzerland Started – The Bundesfeiertag Posted by Sten on Aug 1, 2019
It’s August 1! Not only the start of another summery month, but also an important day: The Bundesfeiertag. The Swiss celebrate the birth of their beautiful country. So let’s have a look at what the Swiss do today and how this day started. A Controversial Date The Bundesfeiertag was celebrated for the first time in 1891 on…
Why Merkel Is Sitting Down Now Posted by Sten on Jul 25, 2019
Something is going on with Germany’s Bundeskanzlerin (Federal Chancellor) Angela Merkel. The Powerfrau (power woman) experienced heavy Zittern (tremors) several times in the past few weeks, and it got the Germans worried. What’s behind the Schüttelattacken (shake attacks)? Geht es ihr gut? Die Zitteranfälle On June 18, during a state ceremony, Bundeskanzlerin Merkel shook visibly . Afterwards, she declared “Ich habe inzwischen mindestens drei…
What The German Mittwoch Means Posted by Sten on Jul 18, 2019
Yesterday was Mittwoch (Wednesday), the third day of the German week. It’s a Tag (day) that does not even deserve to be called a Tag, Mittwoch simply indicates the middle of the Woche (week). And even that is not true anymore. Why does this day have to suffer so much and be singled out like this? Let’s find out. From Wodan to Jesus…
Untranslatable German Words: 08/15 Posted by Sten on Jul 11, 2019
Untranslatable words can also be a simple array of 4 numbers – 08/15 is a term that has entrenched itself in everyday German. Pun intended. What does 08/15 mean? According to the Duden, 08/15 means “bar jeglicher Originalität, persönlichen Note; auf ein alltäglich gewordenes Muster festgelegt und deshalb Langeweile oder Überdruss erzeugend” (bare of any originality, personal character…