Tag Archives: Curious Words
The German Word ‘Mensch’ Posted by Constanze on May 26, 2021
Hallo! In today’s post we’re going to look at the German word der Mensch in greater detail. I will tell you what it means, the different ways it’s used, and a few alternative words with the same or similar meanings. Let’s get started. He’s a really great guy! You may have heard or seen this…
Curious German Words: Kommilitone Posted by Sten on May 21, 2021
Like any other language, German has some odd words. But also beautiful ones. In Curious German Words, we take a look at some odd words and their origins. Today, let’s take a look at a German word that might remind you of your time in school or college, a memory to your fellow students –…
Curious German Words: Die K-Frage Posted by Sten on Apr 29, 2021
Like I wrote in a previous post, Germany is going through a Superwahljahr (n, “Super election year”, a year with many regional and national elections). A year like that comes with its own lingo, of course. Let’s look at a word that was pretty relevant this past week in this regard: Die K-Frage (f, the K-question). Mysterious, right? Laschet…
4 Ways To Say ‘Nonsense’ In German Posted by Constanze on Apr 26, 2021
Guten Tag! Today’s post is about die Rede (speech), something we have touched upon before in this post, where I explained the difference between sagen, reden, sprechen, and other words meaning ‘to talk’ or ‘to speak’. Today’s post is more about the contents of that speech – in particular, 4 ways to say nonsense in…
The Curiosity of the German Word “Mütend” Posted by Sten on Apr 22, 2021
Ah, the Pandemie (f, pandemic). We’re still in the middle of it, especially with the relatively slow vaccination rate in Europe. Between opening up the country and new Lockdowns (m, lockdown), continuing economic hardship and mentally trying times, there is a lingering frustration among Germans. And there’s a new word for that: Mütend. What’s mütend? Yes, Mütend! As…
The German Word Fisimatenten Posted by Constanze on Nov 11, 2020
Guten Tag! Today we’re looking at a peculiar German word: Fisimatenten. If you’re thinking, Well, that doesn’t look like a German word, you’d be right! There are a few different theories as to this word’s origins. But before we get into that, what on earth does Fisimatenten actually mean? Die Fisimatenten Fisimatenten is difficult to…
The German Word ‘Gell’ Posted by Constanze on Oct 21, 2020
Guten Tag! In today’s post, I’m bringing you two German words that are the same, but have different meanings. There are several words like this in German, the difference sometimes being their gender (der Taube – deaf person, and die Taube – pigeon, for example), or that the word ending changes when plural (die Mutter…