Spell it Well: German Words Starting with s/sch Posted by Sten on May 6, 2021
English spelling is a mess. I don’t think that anybody would argue with that. German spelling, on the other hand, is pretty straightforward! Simply pronounce every single letter, and you’re already halfway there. However, German is not free from some confusing spelling itself. Let’s take a look at some of that. For example, the s/sch. Why…
Curious German Words: Die K-Frage Posted by Sten on Apr 29, 2021
Like I wrote in a previous post, Germany is going through a Superwahljahr (n, “Super election year”, a year with many regional and national elections). A year like that comes with its own lingo, of course. Let’s look at a word that was pretty relevant this past week in this regard: Die K-Frage (f, the K-question). Mysterious, right? Laschet…
Ways To Say “I Don’t Mind” In German Posted by Constanze on Apr 28, 2021
Guten Tag! Whilst it’s fairly easy to express yourself with yes and no in German, do you know how to say “I don’t mind”? How do you respond if someone presents a couple of options to you, and you don’t mind either way which one is chosen? Alternatively, how do you let someone know –…
Grillen: One of Germany’s Favorite Activities Posted by Larissa on Apr 27, 2021
The sun has returned, and I have recently bought a new barbeque, which is what inspired me to write this post. Grillen (meaning “to barbeque” in German) is very popular in Germany and many people have a barbeque in their garden, on their balcony, or even have a small transportable one to take with them…
4 Ways To Say ‘Nonsense’ In German Posted by Constanze on Apr 26, 2021
Guten Tag! Today’s post is about die Rede (speech), something we have touched upon before in this post, where I explained the difference between sagen, reden, sprechen, and other words meaning ‘to talk’ or ‘to speak’. Today’s post is more about the contents of that speech – in particular, 4 ways to say nonsense in…
The Curiosity of the German Word “Mütend” Posted by Sten on Apr 22, 2021
Ah, the Pandemie (f, pandemic). We’re still in the middle of it, especially with the relatively slow vaccination rate in Europe. Between opening up the country and new Lockdowns (m, lockdown), continuing economic hardship and mentally trying times, there is a lingering frustration among Germans. And there’s a new word for that: Mütend. What’s mütend? Yes, Mütend! As…
The Petersglocke: Germany’s Massive Cathedral Bell Posted by Sten on Apr 19, 2021
The Petersglocke (f, St. Peter’s Bell) is one of the largest swinging bells in the world. It has its home in the Kölner Dom (m, Cologne Cathedral), a breath-taking cathedral with a long history and many records of its own. Known locally also as Dicker Pitter (Big Peter), the Glocke weighs about 24.000 kilograms (53.000 pounds) and measures 3.22 meters (10.5 feet) across…