German Children’s Stories 1 Posted by Constanze on Jul 22, 2016
Guten Tag! A little while ago somebody requested posts on children’s books and stories. I thought, where better to start than the German books my mum used to read to me as a child! DER STRUWWELPETER Der Struwwelpeter is a very famous German children’s book by Dr. Heinrich Hoffmann. Hoffmann wrote it because he couldn’t…
German Nationalparks – Part 13: Unteres Odertal Posted by Sten on Jul 21, 2016
In previous months, we have already explored a large part of the geschützte Schönheit (protected beauty) of German nature. We went to the windige Küsten (windy shores) of the Wattenmeer, the eindrucksvolle Felsen (impressive rocks) of the Sächsische Schweiz, the Jahrhunderte alten Wälder (centuries old forests) of the Bayerischer Wald, the Erzminen (ore mines) in the Harz, the Tiger (tigers) roaming around in the Eifel, the Tausend Seen (thousand lakes) of Müritz, the hohe Gebirge (high mountain…
Sayings + Expressions 10: Flowers! Posted by Sten on Jul 19, 2016
After a long time of no Sayings + Expressions, I am back! Today, we have a fitting theme for the beautiful, sunny Sommerwetter (summer weather): flowers! So keep reading to find out how to express yourself more elegantly in German in summer style! Manchmal muss man durch Dornen gehen, um Rosen zu erreichen. Sometimes you have to…
Take It Easy and Learn German! Posted by Sten on Jul 17, 2016
There are many ways to learn a language, but German is sometimes hard to start with. Fortunately, there are initiatives such as Leichte Sprache, which can make things a lot easier. Read on! “(1) Hält ein Gericht ein Gesetz, auf dessen Gültigkeit es bei der Entscheidung ankommt, für verfassungswidrig, so ist das Verfahren auszusetzen und, wenn…
Office German 1: Addresses and Shipping Posted by Constanze on Jul 7, 2016
Last year I worked as a German language assistant in an office here in the UK. The company I worked for had just started selling their products in Germany and had no one in their office who could speak German. In this series of ‘Office German’ posts I will share the help and advice I…
After the Brexit, maybe a Dexit? Posted by Sten on Jun 27, 2016
The people of the United Kingdom have decided: they want to leave the European Union (EU). This is also referred to as the Brexit, a combination of Britain and exit. But what does this mean for other countries in Europe, what about Germany? Will there be a Dexit? The Brexit Even though many outlets and economic…
Untranslatable German: Tote Hose Posted by Constanze on Jun 23, 2016
Guten Tag! It’s time for another untranslatable German word – but it’s a special one, because it’s technically a phrase that is used in place of a single word. Confused? Don’t be! It’s a funny one. Today’s phrase is ‘tote Hose’. What does tote Hose mean? In German, ‘tote Hose’ is used to describe something…