Die Stunde Null: Zero Hour Posted by Constanze on Aug 28, 2019
Guten Tag! Today we continue on the theme of words that tell us a great deal about periods of German history. Today we are looking at four words, but the main one is this: die Stunde Null. Die Stunde Null translates to ‘the zero hour’, wherein die Stunde means hour, and null is the word…
The New Law in Germany for E-Scooters Posted by Larissa on Aug 27, 2019
As of June this year, a new law has been made to allow Elektrokleinstfahrzeugen (small electric vehicles) to be used without needing a Führerschein (driving license). This means that from the age of 14 and upwards, anyone can buy or rent an E-Scooter and can drive up to 20 km/h on cycle paths (or roads if there…
Why German Drivers Hate These Points Posted by Sten on Aug 22, 2019
Last week, I received a rather unfortunate surprise in the Post (mail): A Strafzettel (fine) because I drove too fast. Fortunately, it was a quite minor Verstoß (violation), since I only drove a few km/h above the limit. This means that I only have to pay a Bußgeld (fine). But careful with more serious Verstöße – then you might also get Punkte in…
German Wiedergutmachung (Reparations) Posted by Constanze on Aug 21, 2019
Guten Tag! Today we’re looking at the word die Wiedergutmachung. In 1953, the German government agreed to pay reparations to Holocaust survivors following World War II. This included anyone who was directly victimised by the Nazis in any way (it did not, however, include relatives/descendants of those people, for example). That is what the word…
German Sayings + Expressions 24: Order and the Drawer Posted by Sten on Aug 15, 2019
Germans are all about Ordnung (order). They love having everything put together and well-defined. No wonder then that there are Sprichwörter (sayings) about this! The Ausdruck (expression) is a reaction to it… Let’s go! For older posts, please follow this link. Ordnung ist das halbe Leben Literally: Order is half of life Cleanliness is next to godliness Order is so important to…
German Phrases About Beginnings & Endings Posted by Constanze on Aug 14, 2019
Guten Tag! It’s nearing the end of Sommer (summer). September and Herbst (autumn/fall) represent new beginnings and the end of an era in several ways: The start of a new term at Schule (school) or Universität (university), the end of summer and the changing of the seasons as the leaves start to fall. This year…
Untranslatable German Words: Der Augenschmaus Posted by Constanze on Aug 12, 2019
Guten Tag! Today I’m bringing you another quirky German word that has no single-word equivalent in the English language. We call these words ‘untranslatable’ (unübersetzbar), even if there are English phrases that convey the same meaning. These ‘untranslatable’ words are fantastic at displaying the efficiency of German compound nouns. Today’s word is der Augenschmaus. What…