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Looking Back: The Best German Posts of 2020 Posted by Sten on Dec 21, 2020
2020 has been a weird year. Jahresrückblicke (end-of-year reviews) don’t feel satisfying with the continuing pandemic and just before Christmas many European countries are back in a hard lockdown. What to do with the extra time sitting at home? Perhaps this post will give you plenty to entertain yourself for a while – let’s have our…
The German Haushaltswoche – Part 2: Merkel’s Speech Posted by Sten on Dec 11, 2020
It’s an exciting week in the German Bundestag (the German legislative body, its lower house of Congress). Earlier this week, German Bundesfinanzminister (secretary of finance) Olaf Scholz presented the Haushaltsentwurf (budget draft) for 2021. The Bundesregierung (federal government) has agreed; now it’s time for the Bundestag to follow suit. But before that happens, they have four days to…
The Curiosity of the German Word “Shitstorm” Posted by Sten on Jun 25, 2020
Today we’re looking at a a really fun German word: Der Shitstorm. I already hear you say “but that’s not a German word!” And you’d be right, of course. But hear me out, it gets funkier! But let me first tell you about the curious German word Shitstorm. Merkel said this?! Angela Merkel, the German Bundeskanzlerin, known…
A Delicious German Tradition: Kaffee und Kuchen! Posted by Sten on Jun 12, 2020
It’s time for Kaffee und Kuchen! Every Sunday, usually, Germans come together for Kaffee (coffee) and Kuchen (cake). What does this tradition look like, how do you do it right? And where does it come from? Let’s have a entspannten (relaxing) look! Noch ein Stück? It’s Sonntag (Sunday), and you’re invited by your friend to come to their home for Kaffee und Kuchen in…
German Bad Luck: Pech And Unglück Posted by Constanze on Apr 1, 2020
Guten Tag! Ich hoffe, es geht euch gut (Hello! I hope you are all well)! We recently talked about Glück (luck) on the blog. In case you missed those posts, they are here and here. Now we’re going to talk about its opposite, bad luck, which is a very interesting word in itself in German!…
How Germans Turned Into Almans Posted by Sten on Jan 27, 2020
Ah, the Germans. Attached to stereotypes of Pünktlichkeit (punctuality), Ordnung (order) and Gesetzestreue (law abidance) above all else, they have a distinct culture and lifestyle. But how could you encapsulate this in a term? What says “German” like nothing else? Alman, apparently. Let’s have a look. Making fun of Germans Don’t think we Germans are not aware of all these…
The German Word ‘Sitzfleisch’ Posted by Constanze on Oct 31, 2018
Guten Tag! Today I’d like to talk about another ‘untranslatable’ German word, namely: Sitzfleisch. This is a word that has been adopted by the English language, too, and which some think explains the German people’s efficient and productive nature. But before we get into that, let’s look at the word in more detail. Das Sitzfleisch…