Archive by Author
Der Duden – the cornerstone of German spelling Posted by Sten on Mar 25, 2015
Was ist richtig, was ist falsch? Schlag im Duden nach! Like the Oxford Dictionary, the Dikke van Dale, or Mirriam-Webster, Germany has the Duden. Just like all the above-mentioned famous dictionaries, the Duden has its own history. In the 19th century, Konrad Duden, a High School teacher at the Gymnasium created his own dictionary, which was named after him. It influenced the creation…
Silvester in Berlin Posted by Sten on Jan 20, 2015
On the 31st of December, I made a quick decision with my brothers – let’s go to Berlin, to celebrate NYE there! The capital has one of the largest open air, free entrance NYE events of the world, the so-called Silvesterparty am Brandenburger Tor. It stretches from the Brandenburger Tor all the way to the…
Food with Alessia 1 – Kalter Hund! Posted by Sten on Dec 2, 2014
Welcome to Food with Alessia! Alessia and I are students in Maastricht in the Netherlands. I am both German and Dutch, and I know the cultures, and I am in “familiar territory” so to say. Alessia is from Italy, and just moved to Maastricht. So in these blogs and videos, we have food that is…
Sayings + Expressions 9 – The Spanish Vitamin Posted by Sten on Sep 29, 2014
After some absence, I am back with a new Sayings + Expressions! This week – a Spanish vitamin… Does that make sense? Read on to find out… Vitamin B(eziehungen) Vitamin C(ontacts) (good connections) As we all know, vitamin B is a very important vitamin that we need to survive. It regulates certain vital parts of…
German-Dutch in the mix Posted by Sten on Sep 27, 2014
The Netherlands and Germany are two countries that could not oppose each other in certain ways: soccer, language, some cultural traits, morals, fashion styles… But they also find harmony. There are many activities that connect both countries. Not only economically. I grew up in a small German town on the Dutch border and went to…
Sayings + Expressions 8: The Fall and The Cosmetics Posted by Sten on Sep 15, 2014
Liebe Leser! First of all, sorry for the delay, but here we are again… The next sayings + expressions! This time, we are concerned with falling, and… cosmetics? The saying, please! Hochmut kommt vor dem Fall Pride/Haughtiness goes before a fall The meaning of this saying is quite clear, and originates in the Bibel (Bible), in Sprüche (Proverbs) 16,18…
Sayings + Expressions 7: Old Love or the Casanova? Posted by Sten on Aug 27, 2014
Dear readers! Welcome to yet another Sayings + Expressions. Today it is all about love, or rather, romance. Because what is love, how do we interact with each other on that intimate plane? German has a very nice saying for this, and at the same time a very famous expression… First, as always, the saying. Enjoy!…