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German Sayings + Expressions 22: Heat, Heat, Heat Posted by Sten on Jul 4, 2019
These past few weeks and the upcoming ones have been showing tropische Temperaturen (tropical temperatures) in Germany, with up to 40°C (104°F). Not only time to look for some Sonnencreme (sunscreen) and some Schatten (shade), but also a Sprichwort (saying) and an Ausdruck (expression) that go along with it! As always, let’s start with the Sprichwort. For older posts, please follow this link. Now, let’s…
How or what is a Spitzenkandidat? Posted by Sten on Jun 27, 2019
A significantly higher voter turnout made the European elections held a month ago a success for democracy. But there is one thing: The different leaders cannot agree on which of the Spitzenkandidaten should follow up Jean-Claude Juncker, the current president of the European Commission, the executive organ of the European Union. Let’s talk about that…
Colors in German – How does the grammar work? Posted by Sten on Jun 21, 2019
There is some weird stuff going on with the Grammatik (grammar) of Farben (colors) in German. Sometimes they are capitalized. Sometimes not. What are the rules? And how can you determine what to do? Let’s have a look. Substantivierung As a small reminder, Substantive (nouns) are written with a capital first letter. This is pretty…
The Curiosity of the German Word “Koffein” Posted by Sten on Jun 13, 2019
Do you drink Kaffee (coffee)? Whether you drink it because you like the Geschmack (taste), just out of Gewohnheit (habit) or for the Koffein (caffeine), it sure is a very popular Getränk (drink). But wait a second – Kaffee contains Koffein? What’s going on here? Click here for previous entries in the series on curious words in German A Curious History So even though Kaffee is written…
Dwight Schrute’s Terrific German – Part 5: Singing in German Posted by Sten on Jun 6, 2019
You may remember Dwight Schrute, the quirky top paper salesman from NBC’s “The Office” (by the way, there is a German spin-off, called Stromberg). While the sitcom celebrated its finale back in May 2013, it is still one of the most watched shows today. And Mr Schrute is one of the audience’s favorite characters. Not…
Dwight Schrute’s Terrific German – Part 4: Dwight’s Christmas Party Posted by Sten on May 30, 2019
You may remember Dwight Schrute, the quirky top paper salesman from NBC’s “The Office” (by the way, there is a German spin-off, called Stromberg). While the sitcom celebrated its finale back in May 2013, it is still one of the most watched shows today. And Mr Schrute is one of the audience’s favorite characters. Not…
Dwight Schrute’s Terrific German – Part 3: German Traditions Posted by Sten on May 23, 2019
You may remember Dwight Schrute, the quirky top paper salesman from NBC’s “The Office” (by the way, there is a German spin-off, called Stromberg). While the sitcom celebrated its finale back in May 2013, it is still one of the most watched shows today. And Mr Schrute is one of the audience’s favorite characters. Not…