Archive for 'Language'
Sayings + Expressions 8: The Fall and The Cosmetics Posted by Sten on Sep 15, 2014
Liebe Leser! First of all, sorry for the delay, but here we are again… The next sayings + expressions! This time, we are concerned with falling, and… cosmetics? The saying, please! Hochmut kommt vor dem Fall Pride/Haughtiness goes before a fall The meaning of this saying is quite clear, and originates in the Bibel (Bible), in Sprüche (Proverbs) 16,18…
German grammar in use: The conjugation of the verb “kommen” Posted by Sandra Rösner on Sep 8, 2014
The German verb kommen is an irregular verb. That is, there is a vowel change when you form its past. The common English translation of kommen is “to come” or “to arrive”. But kommen is also used in several phrases. Check out the example sentences below to find out how the verb kommen is used…
German grammar in use: The conjugation of the verb “machen” Posted by Sandra Rösner on Sep 1, 2014
The regular German verb machen means “to do” or “to make” in English. But machen is also used in various compounds in German, which have specific English translations. In these specific translations the English verbs “to do” and “to make” need not occur necessarily. Präsens – Present tense In German the Präsens is used to…
Sayings + Expressions 7: Old Love or the Casanova? Posted by Sten on Aug 27, 2014
Dear readers! Welcome to yet another Sayings + Expressions. Today it is all about love, or rather, romance. Because what is love, how do we interact with each other on that intimate plane? German has a very nice saying for this, and at the same time a very famous expression… First, as always, the saying. Enjoy!…
German grammar in use: The conjugation of the verb “gehen” Posted by Sandra Rösner on Aug 25, 2014
The German verb gehen has got several English translations. First of all, it means to go, to walk, to leave, and to attend. But gehen is also used in German to say that something works or is feasible. Let’s have a closer look, which meanings gehen can have in the German tenses. Präsens –…
I Liab Di: Bavarian Love Posted by Constanze on Aug 24, 2014
Let’s face it, nobody thinks that German is a romantic language. I’m sure you’ve seen the cartoons and videos showing the phrase “I love you” in different languages, which suggests that everything sounds angry in German. It goes something like this: English: I love you French: Je t’aime Italian: Ti amo Spanish: Te quiero German…
Untranslatable German Words: Waldeinsamkeit Posted by Constanze on Aug 21, 2014
Guten Tag, and wilkommen to another post on untranslatable German words! The word of today is Die Waldeinsamkeit. What is the meaning of Waldeinsamkeit? It refers to a very specific feeling – the feeling of being alone in the woods. What does Waldeinsamkeit literally translate to? Wald means wood/forest. Einsamkeit means loneliness, or solitude. How…