Aus vs. Von Posted by Sten on Jul 20, 2014
In German, the issue between von and aus is not a very prevalent one. But it can be confusing when learning German from English, since von and aus are both used for its English equivalent “from.” So, here is a clarification where von is used, and where aus is used in cases where they can…
Sayings + Expressions 2 – The Square and the Concept Posted by Sten on Jul 14, 2014
In this second post, we have another two! Let’s start off again with the saying. Das Runde muss ins Eckige the round (thing) must go into the square (thing) Very much football-related, and not very translatable to English, this saying has quite some background meaning. Of course, it talks about the football entering the goal, which it has to…
The German wimp: A broad definition Posted by Constanze on Jul 13, 2014
Guten Tag, and wilkommen to another post on untranslatable German words. This week I want to talk about a word that I didn’t know until last week, when a customer at work told me about “this German word that means you park in the shade”. He thought it was hilarious, but he couldn’t remember exactly…
Germany’s World Cup-Song 2014 (music video and lyrics) Posted by Sandra Rösner on Jul 8, 2014
The World Cup’s semifinal is calling. In a few hours Germany and Brazil will compete at Estádio Mineirão in Belo Horizonte. The German TV station ARD is responsible for the live broadcast of the game. In order to accompany the impressions of the soccer World Cup musically the ARD chose Andreas Bourani’s song Auf uns…
The German culture of cleanliness: Putzfimmel and Kehrwoche Posted by Constanze on Jul 6, 2014
Everyone I know who’s been to Germany has commented on what a clean country it is. Germany is stereotyped as being clean, anyway – although how much of this is a stereotype, and how much of it is the simple truth? There are two words in the German language that suggest Germany has a culture…
How to Watch Football Like a German Posted by Constanze on Jun 30, 2014
Tonight we’ll see the tense football match between Germany and Algeria. It’ll be the first time these teams have played one another since the controversy of the 1982 World Cup, which was claimed to have been “fixed” so that Germany and Austria would go through to the next round at Algeria’s expense (Click here to…
Seven reasons to like the transport system in München Posted by Constanze on Jun 29, 2014
Public transport is generally not something to get excited about. In London, at least, travelling by train or bus can be a stressful, claustrophobic, and somewhat unhygienic experience. But each time I get a train in München, I am always pleasantly surprised by what a nice experience it is. Last time I was in München…