Archive for 'Language'
Similar German Words: Stimme, Stimmung, stimmen Posted by Constanze on Sep 11, 2019
Guten Tag! Today we’re going to look at three words that appear extremely similar, but which have different meanings. It can be confusing to a language learner to see a word that you think you recognise, only to find out it means something else entirely. So let’s start with three words: Stimme, Stimmung, and stimmen…
Neuschwanstein is 150 years old! And it has a surprise up its sleeve Posted by Sten on Sep 5, 2019
You’ve heard of this place. And you have definitely seen it, or a version of it. Schloss Neuschwanstein (Castle Neuschwanstein) is celebrating its 150th birthday today, on September 5. We say herzlichen Glückwunsch! But there’s more: it comes with a special Geburtstagsüberraschung (birthday surprise)! Grundsteinlegung Schloss Neuschwanstein is one of Germany’s most famous sights. With its märchenhafte (fairytale-like)…
4 ‘Untranslatable’ German Summer Words! Posted by Constanze on Sep 4, 2019
Guten Tag! As the summer draws to a close I thought it would be fun to see what words and phrases are used in German to describe summer weather, as there are several that are ‘untranslatable’ – ie. unique to the German language! Of course, these words can really be used at any time of…
Three Easy German Grammar Rules to Remember Posted by Larissa on Sep 3, 2019
German grammar can sometimes be really confusing – which article to use, how does the article change in the accusative case, when to use a capital letter, and so on. Although I personally find it easier to speak casually when I’m not actively thinking about grammar, it is always good to have a refresher on some…
How This One Night Changed Germany Posted by Sten on Aug 29, 2019
Last week, there was finally an Urteil (verdict) from the Landgericht Chemnitz (District Court of Chemnitz). Alaa S. was convicted of Totschlag (manslaughter) and gefährliche Körperverletzung (dangerous bodily harm) on Daniel Hillig and is to go to Gefängnis (prison) for neuneinhalb Jahre (nine and a half years) Haft (detention). They are going into Revision (appeal), claiming that the Beweis (evidence) is shaky. This Rechtsfall (legal…
Die Stunde Null: Zero Hour Posted by Constanze on Aug 28, 2019
Guten Tag! Today we continue on the theme of words that tell us a great deal about periods of German history. Today we are looking at four words, but the main one is this: die Stunde Null. Die Stunde Null translates to ‘the zero hour’, wherein die Stunde means hour, and null is the word…
Why German Drivers Hate These Points Posted by Sten on Aug 22, 2019
Last week, I received a rather unfortunate surprise in the Post (mail): A Strafzettel (fine) because I drove too fast. Fortunately, it was a quite minor Verstoß (violation), since I only drove a few km/h above the limit. This means that I only have to pay a Bußgeld (fine). But careful with more serious Verstöße – then you might also get Punkte in…