Archive for 'Culture'
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…
The German Dish Labskaus Posted by Constanze on Jul 29, 2019
Guten Tag! I’m coming at you today with a word you may not have realised is German in origin. We’ve talked several times on the blog about English words that are actually German, including angst, wanderlust and rucksack, to name but a few. If you’re interested, there are posts on these here, here and here…
3 Words About Former West Germany Posted by Constanze on Jul 24, 2019
Guten Tag! I recently read a book about the history of Germany. It contained many words I hadn’t heard of before, that gave insights into specific aspects of German history. The section on the post-war/Cold War period (1945-1991), in particular, used several German words when discussing the topic of East and West Germany. We all…
3 Words About Former East Germany Posted by Constanze on Jul 22, 2019
Guten Tag! I recently read a book about the history of Germany. It contained many words I hadn’t heard of before, that described specific aspects of eras in German history. The section on the post-war/Cold War period (1945-1991), in particular, mentioned several German words when discussing the topic of East and West Germany. We all…
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…