Archive for 'Language'
Should I Roll My Rs In German? Posted by Constanze on Feb 21, 2018
Guten Tag! Today’s post is all about a question many German language learners encounter at one point or another, and that is: Should I roll my Rs when I speak German? And if I am supposed to, how do I physically do it? The rolled R is a stand-out feature of the German language for…
Sayings + Expressions 16 – Drehen Posted by Sten on Feb 15, 2018
In this long series of Sayings + Expressions, we have come across a lot. It might make your head spin. And that is why today, we will be talking about drehen (to spin). Because believe it or not, there are Sprichwörter (sayings) and Ausdrücke (expressions) with spinning too! Let’s start, as always, with the Sprichwort. Einen alten Baum verpflanzt man nicht…
Untranslatable German Words: die Scheißfreundlichkeit Posted by Constanze on Feb 14, 2018
Guten Tag! We’re back with another untranslatable words post! In this series, we look at the quirkiest, most interesting words the German language has to offer – words which, often, point at a very specific feeling or situation, and don’t have a perfect translation in English. Today’s untranslatable word is die Scheißfreundlichkeit. What does die…
A Unique German Way To Say It’s Snowing Posted by Constanze on Feb 7, 2018
Guten Tag! Is it snowing where you live? For me, there’s nothing better than that moment of seeing snow outside and exclaiming Es schneit! to whoever will listen. Today I’d like to give you a very different way of saying ‘It’s snowing’ in German. Frau Holle schüttelt ihre Betten aus A unique way of saying…
7 German Wedding Milestones Posted by Sten on Feb 2, 2018
Many people dream of it: Eine Traumhochzeit (a dream wedding). It is a huge Ereignis (event) in anyone’s life, and it is celebrated accordingly! To celebrate the Hochzeit year after year, the Hochzeitstag (wedding anniversary) is given meaning every year! This is known in other parts of the world as well as in Germany. Here are 7 of the most common Hochzeitstage and what they…
2 Words You Didn’t Know Were German Posted by Constanze on Jan 31, 2018
Guten Tag! When you think of English words that are German in origin, a few will spring to mind immediately: Angst, Poltergeist, and Doppelgänger, amongst others. Yet there are some English words that you need to look a little closer at to discover that they are, in fact, German! Today I’ve got two English words…
German Onomatopoeia Posted by Constanze on Jan 24, 2018
Today we’re going to look at onomatopoeia in the German language! The dictionary defines onomatopoeia as ‘the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g. cuckoo, sizzle ).’ You might already be familiar with some of these words in English: Splash, boom, and many animal noises including miaow. Just like…