Don’t Let It Confuse You! – Stall Posted by Sten on Oct 15, 2020
In this series, we look at words that exist in English, but have a completely different meaning in German, so-called false friends. But we also look at words that sound or look deceivingly similar. Today, we look at a word that really means something else than you might think – Stall! For previous posts in this…
German ‘Mother’ Words Posted by Constanze on Oct 14, 2020
Guten Tag! In a recent post, I looked at the word Muttermal in detail. Whilst researching that post, it occurred to me how many German words start with the word mother – die Mutter. Some have obvious translations, while others are a little more intriguing. Today I thought I’d give you a handful of these…
Untranslatable German: der Flickenteppich! Posted by Sten on Oct 8, 2020
Just like many other countries in recent weeks, Germany has experienced a rise in Neuinfektionen (new infections) of das Coronavirus. And because of these Neuinfektionen, countries have once again issued Reisewarnungen (travel warnings) and imposed mandatory Quarantäne (quarantine) of 14 days upon return from a Risikogebiet (high-risk area). But if you think that these measures stop at country borders…
The German Word ‘Muttermal’ Posted by Constanze on Sep 30, 2020
Guten Tag! Wie geht’s? Today we’re going to look at an interesting German word – das Muttermal. Das Muttermal Das Muttermal is the German word for a birthmark or mole – as in, the moles on your skin, not the mole the animal (this is called der Maulwurf in German!). The literal translation of Muttermal…
An Insight to German Sekt Posted by Larissa on Sep 29, 2020
Continuing on from my wine theme, today we are going to look at Sekt (sparkling wine). You can find my other posts about wine here and here. Why is it called Sekt? The word Sekt comes from a Shakespearean actor Ludwig Devrient in 1825, who asked his barkeeper “Bring mir Sekt, Schurke!” translating to…
The German Wackeldackel Posted by Constanze on Sep 23, 2020
Guten Tag! Today we’re going to look at a toy called the Wackeldackel that you may have seen – you may even have one yourself! What is a Wackeldackel?! The Wackeldackel is the nodding head dog you see in cars. Their heads are on a spring so that each time the car moves quickly or…
The Curiosity of the German Word “Wehrmacht” Posted by Sten on Sep 17, 2020
You may have heard of the German word die Wehrmacht (armed forces), which was what the German armed forces were called during the Second World War. When trying to pronounce the word, you may have gotten close to something that sounds like “Warmacht”, which may have lead you to conclude that Wehr must mean “war” in German. Not true!…