Archive for 'Language'
11 Animal-Related Sayings In German Posted by Constanze on Nov 17, 2021
Guten Tag! Today I have a light-hearted little post for you where you will get to learn some Sprichwörter (das Sprichwort: The saying/proverb). In particular, this post will focus on Sprichwörter relating to die Tiere (das Tier: animal)! 11 animal-related sayings in German Da steppt der Bär Literally: ‘There dances the bear’ Meaning: “That’s where…
How Corn Flakes Conquered the German Language Posted by Sten on Nov 11, 2021
First a breakfast favorite in the States, then spread all over the world: Corn flakes! Created by the Kellog brothers, the light breakfast ahs seen many varieties. In the US, these are widely known as “cereal”, or “breakfast cereal”. But how do you translate that to German? Maybe you simply don’t… Here’s the curiosity of…
Did You Know This About Mozart? Posted by Constanze on Nov 3, 2021
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is one of the most famous classical composers of all time. Mozart lived a short life (1756 – 1791), dying at the age of 35. However, he composed more than 600 musical works during his lifetime, with Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) and Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (A Little Serenade- often called A…
The Difference Between Machen And Tun In German Posted by Constanze on Oct 27, 2021
Guten Tag! Last week on the blog, I wrote about the phrase Ich habe zu tun (I’m busy) and briefly covered the verb tun – to do. A lot of you asked for a post on the difference between tun (to do) and the more widely known machen (to do/to make), so here it is!…
How to Make a Phone Call in German Posted by Larissa on Oct 26, 2021
Having a phone call in another language can be daunting. I remember when I first moved to Germany I avoided speaking on the phone in German, however in some situations you can’t avoid it. Here are some scenarios to help you prepare for your phone call. There is also another great post that you can…
The German Phrase ‘Ich Habe Zu Tun’ Posted by Constanze on Oct 20, 2021
Guten Tag! Today we’re going to look at a slightly unusual-sounding phrase in the German language. Maybe you’ve come across this phrase before, but thought a word was missing, or that it didn’t sound quite right. The phrase in question is this one: Ich habe zu tun. Ich habe zu tun This phrase, literally translated…
German has sentence tags, hasn’t it? – Tags in German Posted by Sten on Oct 15, 2021
English is a bit (in)famous for its use of sentence tags, those little endings of sentences to indicate that you are looking for agreement or confirmation. It’s nice, isn’t it? German, like many other languages, doesn’t have such tags. But we do ask for confirmation like this, too, of course! So, how does German do…