Tag Archives: politics
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…
German Idioms 30: The Court and The Water Posted by Sten on Apr 1, 2021
Last week, we talked about the Osterruhe (f, Easter rest) and how it was revoked within one day. Two German idioms were prominent that week, and so I want to explain them here today. In the 30th edition of German Idioms! For older posts, please follow this link. Hart/scharf mit jemandem ins Gericht gehen Literally: to go hard…
How was a German lockdown announced AND revoked within one day? Posted by Sten on Mar 25, 2021
It was a tough week for Bundeskanzlerin (f, Federal Chancellor) Angela Merkel. Due to the announced lockdown for Ostern (Easter), everyone went hart ins Gericht (“hard into court”) with her. With rising coronavirus cases, the planned Lockerungen (f, relaxations) of the COVID rules fielen ins Wasser (“fell in the water”). But what actually happened? A “knallharter Lockdown“ On Monday…
Why 2021 Is a “Super Year” for Germany (a Superwahljahr) Posted by Sten on Mar 18, 2021
Germany is in a Superwahljahr (n, super election year). There is a Bundestagswahl (f, Federal Parliament election), sure. But wouldn’t that just make it an election year? What’s super about it? Elections, elections, elections! Germany is a federation, like the United States. This means that each of the 16 German states, called Bundesländer (n, “federal countries”), has its…
Germany’s 5 Steps To Get Rid of COVID Posted by Sten on Mar 5, 2021
Since March 1, die Friseure (hair salons) opened again in Germany. Finally! After months of lockdown, non-essential businesses can open again, at least that was the plan. However, there are now new rules in place that extend the current lockdown until the end of March, with a new strategy with five opening steps. Die Bundesregierung (federal government) presented five Öffnungsstrategien (f…
More German ‘Non-Words’ of 2020 Posted by Constanze on Jan 27, 2021
Guten Tag! Today’s post is a follow-up to the Unwort des Jahres 2020 – the German ‘non-word’ of the year 2020. To fall into the category of an ‘Unwort’, the word must do one or more of the following: violate the principles of human dignity; violate the principles of democracy; discriminate against social groups; or…
Does Germany Need an Impfpflicht? Posted by Sten on Jan 14, 2021
In the last few weeks, Impfstoffe (vaccines) against the Coronavirus have been rolled out around the world. However, the rate at which Impfungen (vaccinations) have been administered caused a lot of concern. Also in Germany. With 1207 deaths in one day, the country saw a new record; and yet, the amount of people that are open to an Impfung remains…