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All You Need to Know about the Elfter Elfter – Start of Karneval Posted by Sten on Nov 12, 2016
On the Elfter Elfter (eleventh of the eleventh), Carnival officially started around the world, including Germany. But what do Germans even call their Carnival? And what happens on Elfter Elfter? Find out here: 5 things to know! 1. Different names for the same Whether you call it Carnival or Mardi Gras – you mean the same thing…
Untranslatable German Words: Magdeburgisieren Posted by Sten on Nov 10, 2016
In our segment of untranslatable words in German, we discuss words that have no English equivalent. Today, I will have a look at a rather grim one, but that is definitely untranslatable. Today, I will discuss the verb magdeburgisieren. What does magdeburgisieren mean? During the Dreißigjährigen Krieg (Thirty Years’ War) from 1618-1648, an absolute low occurred in 1631. In…
The Curiosity of the Plural of “das Wort” Posted by Sten on Nov 8, 2016
This post is about the German word “das Wort”. What’s the plural? No, not bird! The plural is Wörter. Sounds right. And Worte. Sounds right. Wait, what? Which one is correct? Is there another form? What’s going on here? Let’s find out! What does the Duden say? The Duden, a prestigious German Wörterbuch (dictionary) gives the following explanation about the plural…
German and its beloved Silbenwörter Posted by Sten on Nov 3, 2016
We all like abbreviating things. From texting shortcuts to internet abbreviations, from names to government departments. There are differences in how we abbreviate, though. We Germans have a pretty interesting take on it! Germans like abbreviating stuff. Understandable, as German words can become really long sometimes. Especially for words that are used a lot in…
The Oldest Brezel Ever Found Posted by Sten on Oct 31, 2016
Who doesn’t know them? Brezel (pretzels) are known worldwide mostly as a Bavarian delicacy. The salty dough product is super popular throughout Germany. As it turns out now, not only its taste is superb, but also its best before date… How old is that oldest pretzel? Read on to find out! Where does the word Brezel even come from? The…
Untranslatable German Words: Lebenskünstler Posted by Sten on Oct 20, 2016
In another post in the awesome series on untranslatable words in German that Constanze started on this blog, we will have a look at the German word Lebenskünstler. It is pretty difficult to translate to English, because of its precise meaning. Let’s get into it! What does Lebenskünstler mean? A Lebenskünstler is a person that manages to deal with problems in life in…
Tauchgondel – What Is This? Posted by Sten on Oct 13, 2016
You may have come across the picture below while logging in on your Windows computer. Or somewhere else! This odd thing is in Germany. At the coast. But what is it? Just scroll down and find out. The Tauchgondel A Tauchgondel is in a way similar to a Taucherglocke (diving bell), which allows a Taucher (diver) to submerge himself longer. The Tauchgondel is…