Untranslatable German Words: Bauchpinseln Posted by Constanze on Feb 18, 2017
Guten Tag! As it was Valentinstag (Valentines Day) on 14th Februar, I thought I’d bring you a (sort of!) topical “untranslatable word”. This one will hopefully make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Today’s untranslatable word is bauchpinseln. What does bauchpinseln mean? It means to flatter or compliment someone, just like you would…
Untranslatable German Words: Wichteln Posted by Sten on Feb 9, 2017
In the pre-Christmas time, many groups throughout Germany practice an old tradition: Das Wichteln. But what is that? Find out here, in another post in the awesome series on untranslatable words in German that Constanze started on this blog! What does Wichteln mean? Wichteln is a tradition where all participants get a gift for someone else in the group. Mostly, the originality…
The German Word ‘der Kater’ Posted by Constanze on Feb 8, 2017
Guten Tag, everybody! In case you weren’t aware yet, I think the German language is truly wonderful. I love it when I tell somebody about an unusual German word and their face lights up. So here’s a post that I hope will make your face light up, too! In this post we’ll learn the German…
How To Remember What German Letters Sound Like Posted by Sten on Feb 2, 2017
Recently, a reader of the blogs commented that it is difficult to remember what German letters sound like. Really, it is, just like most about learning a language, all about Übung (practice). Übung. How do you say that? Sounds like a good word to start with! How to pronounce Übung Ok. That is Übung. I am sure, when you listen…
The Curiosity of “mein Freund” Posted by Sten on Jan 30, 2017
Der Freund, die Freundin. The friend. A simple German word, but one that can lead to confusion. Why? Find out here, and find out what to do about it. Freund: What Does It Mean? First and foremost, Freund is friend. Nothing more, nothing less. However, if you make it possessive, things change. If you say…
German Emergency Services pt2 Posted by Constanze on Jan 28, 2017
Guten Tag! Welcome to the second part of my posts on calling the emergency services in Germany or Austria. In the first post, we looked at how to call the police, and the things you might say. We also looked at how to ask for help from the public. That post is here. This time…
Sayings + Expressions 11: Sweet! Posted by Sten on Jan 27, 2017
Süß, süß, süß. Such a beautiful German word! It describes a sweet taste, it describes something cute, it lets you know whether somebody is sweet or cute… So naturally, there are Sprichwörter (sayings) and Redewendungen (idioms) related to this great word. Let’s explore two of them. Rache ist süß Revenge is sweet Rache ist…