Archive for 'Language'
This Is How German Letters Sound Posted by Sten on Dec 12, 2019
When you learn a new language, it is sometimes hard to get the pronunciation just right. You’re met with a blank stare, the native has no clue what you’re trying to communicate. Sure, you could try describing it, but what if you know the word, know how it’s written, but just not really how to…
German Word of the Year 2019 Posted by Constanze on Dec 11, 2019
Guten Tag! Today we will look at the Wort des Jahres in Germany. Each year, the Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache (GfdS) – The German Language Association – picks a word as their Wort des Jahres – ‘Word of the Year’. This is often a word related to a prominent topic in the country during the…
The Curiosity of the German Word “Orange” – Part 2 Posted by Sten on Dec 5, 2019
Last week, I talked about the curiosity of the German word “Orange”, since the pronunciation of the word differs when you refer to the color or the fruit. See the post for that. But there is something else curious about this word, or well, a related one (thanks Allan for the comment!). This little addendum…
The Curiosity of the German Word “Orange” Posted by Sten on Nov 28, 2019
German has some quirky words, and that’s what we explore in this series. Today, we’ll have a look at the word Orange. Nothing curious, it seems, right? Wait until you hear how it is pronounced… Click here for previous entries in the series on curious words in German Orange or Orange? Listen to the clips above…
The Germans on the Germans: North & South Posted by Constanze on Nov 27, 2019
Hallo! Every country has names for people from different regions within that country. In this post we will look at what people from northern Germany call people from southern Germany, and vice-versa (for a post on east and west Germany, click here!). *Please note: The point of learning about these words is not to encourage anybody…
St. Pauli – What’s up with this infamous German neighborhood? Posted by Sten on Nov 21, 2019
St. Pauli. You may have heard of this Stadtteil (district) in Hamburg. It is berüchtigt (infamous) and known all over Germany. But why? What’s so special about St. Pauli? FC St. Pauli The first reason is the Fußballverein (football club) FC St. Pauli that’s from this Stadtteil. While the name suggests that this is a Fußballverein only, it is much more. With…
Writing ‘The’ In German Gets Account Blocked Posted by Constanze on Nov 20, 2019
Guten Tag! There are many false friends between German and English. False friends are words we recognise in German because they are spelled the same as an English word. They do not, however, mean the same as the English word. Sometimes this mix-up with false friends can lead to confusion, laughter, embarrassment… and sometimes, it…