{"id":10726,"date":"2019-05-03T14:26:18","date_gmt":"2019-05-03T14:26:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=10726"},"modified":"2019-05-03T14:27:28","modified_gmt":"2019-05-03T14:27:28","slug":"the-german-word-eselsbrucke-mnemonic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/the-german-word-eselsbrucke-mnemonic\/","title":{"rendered":"The German Word Eselsbr\u00fccke (Mnemonic)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guten Tag! Today we are going to look at the German word die Eselsbr\u00fccke, and what it means. Not only is it an interesting word, but an Eselsbr\u00fccke is something that might even help you with your language learning!<\/p>\n

Die Eselsbr\u00fccke<\/strong> literally translates to \u2018the donkey bridge\u2019.<\/strong> Its actual translation in English, however, is mnemonic<\/strong> \u2013 an abbreviation, phrase or rhyme used to help remember things.<\/p>\n

Die Eselsbr\u00fccke is made up of the words der Esel<\/strong> (donkey) and die Br\u00fccke<\/strong> (bridge). So what do a donkey and a bridge have to do with mnemonics?<\/p>\n

\"\"

der Esel – donkey. image via pixabay.<\/p><\/div>\n

This word, die Eselsbr\u00fccke, refers to a time when donkeys were used to transport goods. People used to create shortcuts in the form of bridges, to cut down on the time it would take to transport the goods from place to place. A mnemonic can be seen as a \u2018mental shortcut\u2019, and that is why this word – Eselsbr\u00fccke – is used in German to describe it.<\/p>\n

However, it is also commonly known as der Merksatz<\/strong> or der Merkspruch<\/strong>. The first part of these words \u2013 Merk \u2013 comes from the German verb merken: to remember\/to notice\/to realise. Der Satz <\/strong>means sentence<\/em> or phrase<\/em>, and der Spruch<\/strong> means saying<\/em>.<\/p>\n

In English, you would say to \u2018create\u2019 a mnemonic. However, in German, you\u2019d build<\/strong> one. So if you wanted to advise a student on how to remember something tricky, you\u2019d say:<\/p>\n

“Bau dir eine Eselsbr\u00fccke”
\n“Build yourself a donkey-bridge”<\/em><\/h3>\n
\"\"

die Br\u00fccke – bridge. image via pixabay.<\/p><\/div>\n

Are there any Eselsbr\u00fccken you can use to help you learn German?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, there are. Here is an example. To help you remember which prepositions take the accusative case and which take the dative case, you can use these Eselsbr\u00fccken:<\/p>\n

FUGODE (accusative)<\/strong><\/p>\n

F<\/strong>\u00fcr – for
\nU<\/strong>m – around\/at
\nG<\/strong>egen – against
\nO<\/strong>hne – without
\nD<\/strong>urch – through
\nE<\/strong>ntlang \u2013 along<\/p>\n

BAMSVANZ (dative)<\/strong><\/p>\n

B<\/strong>ei – at
\nA<\/strong>us \u2013 from\/out of
\nM<\/strong>it – with
\nS<\/strong>eit – since
\nV<\/strong>on – from
\nA<\/strong>usser – except
\nN<\/strong>ach – after
\nZ<\/strong>u \u2013 to<\/p>\n

As you start learning different topics, have a look for any Eselsbr\u00fccke that might help you remember what you\u2019re learning. Alternatively, why not make up your own? And if you have any good Eselsbr\u00fccken to help you remember certain aspects of German, why not share them in the comments below? \ud83d\ude42<\/strong><\/p>\n

Related: Take a look at this post by Jan on Eselsbr\u00fccke in German.<\/a><\/p>\n

Related Vocabulary<\/strong><\/h3>\n

die Mnemotechnik<\/strong> \u2013 mnemonic\/memory-aiding technique<\/p>\n

die Erinnerung\/das Ged\u00e4chtnis<\/strong> \u2013 memory<\/p>\n

das Ged\u00e4chtnistraining<\/strong> \u2013 memory training<\/p>\n

das Hilfsmittel<\/strong> \u2013 aid\/help<\/p>\n

die Lerntechnik<\/strong> \u2013 learning\/study technique<\/p>\n

studieren<\/strong> \u2013 to study<\/p>\n

erinnern<\/strong> \u2013 to remember<\/p>\n

zur\u00fcckrufen<\/strong> \u2013 to recall<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Guten Tag! Today we are going to look at the German word die Eselsbr\u00fccke, and what it means. Not only is it an interesting word, but an Eselsbr\u00fccke is something that might even help you with your language learning! Die Eselsbr\u00fccke literally translates to \u2018the donkey bridge\u2019. Its actual translation in English, however, is mnemonic…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":119,"featured_media":10728,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[3957,3083,914,3794,926,521699,238364,95131,457016,451644,376023,499,95130,13526,337679,257573,13],"class_list":["post-10726","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-language","tag-abbreviation","tag-abbreviations","tag-accusative","tag-accusative-case","tag-dative-case","tag-eselsbrucke","tag-eselsbrucken","tag-german-language","tag-german-vocabulary","tag-german-words","tag-language","tag-language-learning","tag-learning-tips","tag-mnemonics","tag-untranslatable-german","tag-untranslatable-words","tag-vocabulary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t