Archive for 'Language'
Spell it Well: German s/sch in the middle of a word Posted by Sten on May 13, 2021
Last week in Spell it Well, we discussed the use of the s/sch at the beginning of a word. However, there is some weirdness going on with these letters in the middle of words, too! To find out what that’s all about, and how to spell words correctly that deal with this, keep reading! Click…
Spell it Well: German Words Starting with s/sch Posted by Sten on May 6, 2021
English spelling is a mess. I don’t think that anybody would argue with that. German spelling, on the other hand, is pretty straightforward! Simply pronounce every single letter, and you’re already halfway there. However, German is not free from some confusing spelling itself. Let’s take a look at some of that. For example, the s/sch. Why…
Ways To Say “I Don’t Mind” In German Posted by Constanze on Apr 28, 2021
Guten Tag! Whilst it’s fairly easy to express yourself with yes and no in German, do you know how to say “I don’t mind”? How do you respond if someone presents a couple of options to you, and you don’t mind either way which one is chosen? Alternatively, how do you let someone know –…
4 Ways To Say ‘Nonsense’ In German Posted by Constanze on Apr 26, 2021
Guten Tag! Today’s post is about die Rede (speech), something we have touched upon before in this post, where I explained the difference between sagen, reden, sprechen, and other words meaning ‘to talk’ or ‘to speak’. Today’s post is more about the contents of that speech – in particular, 4 ways to say nonsense in…
The Curiosity of the German Word “Mütend” Posted by Sten on Apr 22, 2021
Ah, the Pandemie (f, pandemic). We’re still in the middle of it, especially with the relatively slow vaccination rate in Europe. Between opening up the country and new Lockdowns (m, lockdown), continuing economic hardship and mentally trying times, there is a lingering frustration among Germans. And there’s a new word for that: Mütend. What’s mütend? Yes, Mütend! As…
Why Germany’s Record-Breaking Cathedral Is So Impressive Posted by Sten on Apr 16, 2021
Right next to the Hauptbahnhof (m, central station), the Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral) is one of the first things you’ll see when visiting the city in Nordrhein-Westfalen (North-Rhine Westphalia). It’s a cathedral with many world records in its name. What makes it so impressive? It’s been a long time coming The massive Kathedrale (f, cathedral) was only…
How The Umlaut Changes German Words Posted by Constanze on Apr 14, 2021
Guten Tag! Today we’re looking at the Umlaut – specifically, German words whose meanings change depending on whether an Umlaut is present in the word, or not! Hopefully this will help you to recognise and avoid some common errors when it comes to using the Umlaut. Firstly, what is the Umlaut? If you’re not familiar…