Archive for 'Language'
German Lucky Charms Posted by Constanze on Mar 23, 2020
Guten Tag! I hope everybody is well. Last time on the blog I talked about the extensive use of the word Schwein (pig) in the German language. If you read that post, you might now be wondering why the word Schwein is used in so many sayings and expressions in Germany. There are two theories…
The Pig In The German Language Posted by Constanze on Mar 16, 2020
Guten Tag! The German language has some wonderfully quirky sayings, and sometimes, there is a theme to them. Today we’re looking at German sayings that all have one thing in common: A pig. There are plenty of sayings in German that use the humble Schwein (pig) to make their point. Let’s get straight into them!…
Untranslatable Words: Die Konfirmandenblase Posted by Sten on Mar 12, 2020
Do you have to go to the bathroom a lot? Looks like you may have a Konfirmandenblase… A what? Let’s look at this untranslatable classic today! What does Konfirmandenblase mean? https://youtu.be/3ATLej-1WW0?t=1178 A Konfirmandenblase refers to a weak bladder, somebody that has to go to the toilet a lot. Other similar words referring to the same are “Sextanerblase” (“Sexta…
Learn About It In German: Coronavirus Posted by Constanze on Mar 11, 2020
Guten Tag! Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few months, you’ll be aware of the coronavirus. Governments worldwide have released information about the coronavirus and what everyone can do to stop it from spreading. In this post I’ll write that information, using German words and phrases related to the subject…
Nouns with MULTIPLE Articles?! Posted by Sten on Mar 5, 2020
Willkommen zu Transparent Language! Der Blog für deine Portion Deutsch! Oder… Das Blog für deine Portion Deutsch? In a recent post, I told you everything you need to know about German Artikel (articles). But there is something I left out. And that is the strange case where one single Nomen (noun) can have multiple Artikel. Why and how does this…
Learn About It In German: Muskelkater Posted by Constanze on Feb 26, 2020
Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS, as it is commonly known in English) describes the pain and soreness felt in your muscles a day or two after working out, or doing some form of hard, physical labour. The German language has a fantastic word for this: Der Muskelkater, which breaks down to der Muskel (muscle) and…
Curious German Words: Der Föhn Posted by Constanze on Feb 19, 2020
Guten Tag! Today we’re looking at a very interesting German word. This word is related to the weather, and is also the subject of Alpine folklore. It has made its way into the English language, and is also the German word for ‘hairdryer’. Today we’re looking at the word Föhn. Föhn, Fön, Foehn/foehn? Throughout this…