Archive for 'Language'
5000 New German Words Added To Dictionary Posted by Constanze on Aug 9, 2017
You may have seen articles floating around the past couple of days about how 5,000 new German words have been added to Duden. But what is Duden? And what are the words? Duden is a dictionary of the German language. It was first published by Konrad Duden (hence the name) in 1880, and has just released its…
20 Motivational Sayings In German Posted by Constanze on Jul 31, 2017
Guten Tag! Ich hoffe, es geht euch gut! 🙂 Sometimes we lack in motivation, be it for our work, chores – and even our language learning. At times it can feel like we’ve hit a wall, like we aren’t good enough, or like our efforts over the months aren’t paying off. But that’s not true…
Untranslatable German Words: Klangwunder Posted by Sten on Jul 28, 2017
In the series of untranslatable German words, we tackle those words that just don’t have a direct English translation that makes sense. This week, we have a wonderful word, that encapsulates a lot: Klangwunder. What is a Klangwunder? A Klangwunder is a place or device that has miraculous acoustics. It puts you in awe and wonder how such…
The Curiosity of the German Word “Hochzeit” Posted by Sten on Jul 27, 2017
In the series of curious German words, we look at words that for some reason don’t make sense. Check out Curious German Word Weg, for example. The word Hochzeit (wedding, literally “high time”) is pretty common. A wedding! Nothing special on face value. But pronounce it: Hochzeit. Hoch and Zeit put together. Do you notice something? Pronunciation The pronunciation of Hochzeit makes no sense…
Untranslatable German: Das Backpfeifengesicht Posted by Constanze on Jul 26, 2017
Guten Tag and welcome to another ‘untranslatable words’ post, where I bring you the quirkiest words the German language has to offer. Today’s word is a popular one that was requested by a reader: das Backpfeifengesicht. What is the meaning of das Backpfeifengesicht? A Backpfeifengesicht is the word for a face you don’t like…
Smoking In Germany Posted by Constanze on Jul 19, 2017
Today’s post is about das Rauchen – smoking – in Germany. I was recently in Munich and one of the things that fascinates me every time I go there is the presence of smoking ads and cigarette vending machines in the streets. In the UK, you will not see one single smoking advert, and you…
9 Uses For The German Word Scharf Posted by Constanze on Jul 12, 2017
Sometimes the smallest, simplest of German words can surprise with a multitude of meanings. It’s useful to look at these kinds of words in more detail, so that they don’t confuse so much when read or heard in real life. Today the German word we’re going to look at in more detail is the adjective…