Why Germany’s Record-Breaking Cathedral Is So Impressive Posted by Sten on Apr 16, 2021
Right next to the Hauptbahnhof (m, central station), the Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral) is one of the first things you’ll see when visiting the city in Nordrhein-Westfalen (North-Rhine Westphalia). It’s a cathedral with many world records in its name. What makes it so impressive? It’s been a long time coming The massive Kathedrale (f, cathedral) was only…
How The Umlaut Changes German Words Posted by Constanze on Apr 14, 2021
Guten Tag! Today we’re looking at the Umlaut – specifically, German words whose meanings change depending on whether an Umlaut is present in the word, or not! Hopefully this will help you to recognise and avoid some common errors when it comes to using the Umlaut. Firstly, what is the Umlaut? If you’re not familiar…
Why Did Germany Change This Street Name? Posted by Constanze on Apr 12, 2021
Guten Tag! The subject of today’s post is a good example of how language evolves over time, and how powerful an effect it can have. In summer 2020, Germany decided to change a street name in Berlin. In this post we’ll look at why that is, and what they changed it to! Why Did Germany…
The German Genitive Case Ending Explained Posted by Sten on Apr 8, 2021
For all the German learners out there, I probably don’t need to say this. Grammar in German is a pain. In the jungle of articles, conjugations and cases, it can be daunting to get it all right. We’ve written about the Genitiv (Genitive) jungle before. And today, I want to focus on a small patch in that…
German Idioms 30: The Court and The Water Posted by Sten on Apr 1, 2021
Last week, we talked about the Osterruhe (f, Easter rest) and how it was revoked within one day. Two German idioms were prominent that week, and so I want to explain them here today. In the 30th edition of German Idioms! For older posts, please follow this link. Hart/scharf mit jemandem ins Gericht gehen Literally: to go hard…
German Suffixes And Word Genders Posted by Constanze on Mar 31, 2021
Guten Tag! Today we’re revisiting the subject of German word genders (articles), and how you can recognise if German words are masculine (der), feminine (die) or neuter (das), by looking at their suffixes. Learning the genders of every single German noun is no small task – especially when there is no hard and fast rule…
5 Tips For Your Indoor Plants In German Posted by Larissa on Mar 30, 2021
Following on from my last post, which you can find here, I will be giving you five top tips on how to keep your plants alive and thriving indoors. I love having plants in my home. Not only are they good air filters, but they also brighten up the place. 1. Diese Pflanzen lieben die…