June 2009
38 posts
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#Travelling in #Germany : At the airport 2
Problems at the airport can occur every once in a while. So here are some phrases and vocabulary words for you.
die Sicherheitskontrolle = security check
Ich habe mein Gepäck verloren. = I lost my baggage.
Ich kann mein Gepäck nicht finden. = I cannot find my baggage.
Mein Gepäck ist beschädigt worden. = My baggage was damaged.
Ich habe meinen Flug verpasst. = I missed my flight.
Ihr Flug hat...
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#German - English idioms 8
jemandem auf den Wecker gehen = (to) drive somebody up the wall
Literally: (to) drive somebody up the alarmclock
Modern usage: yes
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#Travelling in #Germany : At the airport 1
Let’s have a look at some important phrases and vocabulary when you are at the check-in desk (der Abflugschalter) at the airport (der Flughafen).
Ich habe einen Flug nach… gebucht. / Ich möchte einen Flug nach…. buchen. = I booked a flight to… / I would like to book a flight to….
Kann ich das als Handgepäck mitnehmen? = Can I take this as a carry-on luggage?
Ich möchte einen...
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#Travelling in #Germany : Passports
Phrases and vocabulary words concerning travelling are helpful when you plan a trip to Germany. I will introduce you to some important phrases and words in the next couple of posts. If there is anything you’d like to know or you need more information about, please let me know :)
Today - passports:
1.) Passport control (die Passkontrolle):
der Pass (Pässe) = passport (passports)
der...
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Grammatical terms: pronouns
#definition
Some more grammatical terms for you today. There are many different types of pronouns - 7! :)
1. Personal pronoun: takes the place of a noun / thing;
2. Reflexive pronoun: adds info by pointing back to a noun
3. Intensive pronoun: adds emphasis to a noun / pronoun
4. Demonstrative pronoun: points back to a specific person / thing / place
5. Relative pronoun: beings the...
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10 ways to say "money" in #German
Just like in English, there’s a lot of different ways to say “money” in German. In parentheses, I added a literal translation if there’s one that doesn’t have anything to do with money.
1.) die Mäuse (mice)
2.) die Kohle (coal)
3.) die Knete (modeling clay)
4.) die Kröten (toads)
5.) das Moos (moss)
6.) der Zaster
7.) die Moneten
8.) der Kies (gravel)
9.) das...
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#German tag questions
Tag questions are attached to the end of a sentence. In English the tag equivalent of the sentence depends on the subject of the sentence e.g. He’s handsome, isn’t he? We’re going out tonight, aren’t we?
In German it’s more simple. “nicht wahr?” or “nicht?” are our tag questions. Both are independant of the subject of the sentence. You can use them for every subject.
Example:
Dein Vater...
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Conjugation (simple past): haben
Today’s conjugation:
(to) have = haben in the simple past (einfache Vergangenheit / Präteritum)
ich hatte
du hattest
er / sie / es hatte
wir hatten
ihr hattet
sie hatten
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#German - English idioms 7
in den sauren Apfel beißen = (to) bite the bullet
Literally: (to) bite the sour apple
Modern usage: yes
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The conjugation of #German regular verbs in the...
#grammar
I’ve already explained in another post what regular and irregular verbs are.
Today, I would like to give you the rules for the conjugation of regular verbs in the present tense. It’s a basic rule that you can apply to any regular verb.
Endings added to the infinite stem:
- e (ich)
- st (du)
- t (er/sie/es; ihr)
- en (wir, sie, Sie)
According to the subject, the verb endings...
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#German - English idioms 6
Ende gut alles gut. = All’s well that ends well.
Literally: End good all good.
Modern usage: yes
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#German phrases: "Das Telefon"
Today, we’ll learn some helpful phrases and vocabulary about:
das Telefon (Telefone) = telephone (telephones).
When you give a German a call, it’s very likely that they’ll identify themselves at once. Either with both their first and last name or just their last name. That way you know whom you’re talking to right away which is cool I think. Of course there are some people that will just say...
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The months in #German
Januar
Feburar
März
April
Mai
Juni
Juli
August
September
Oktober
November
Dezember
All months are masculine in German. e.g. der Juni
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Parts of days as adverbs in #German
We’ve already learned the days of the week in German. Well, to indicate repetition or habitual action, you may even use those nouns or parts of the day (e.g. morning, evening…) as adverbs. It’s very easy! Simply add an -s to the noun and do not capitalize it as usual.
montags
dienstags
mittwochs
donnerstags
freitags
samstags
sonntags
morgens
mittags
abends
nachts
Example:
Ich...
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#German - English idioms 5
Eine Hand wäscht die andere. = One good turn deserves another.
Literally: One hand washes the other.
Modern usage: yes
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#German sentence structure: separable verbs
#grammar
The other day, I wrote a post that dealt with the structure of sentences that include two verbs or two verb parts. I decided to delete it again, cause it was a bit confusing - sorry. Instead, I want to divide it into smaller posts that are clearer to understand.
Today I wanna introduce you to German seperable-prefix verbs. In the infinitive, the prefix is attached to the base form of...
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10 ways to say that something is getting on your...
1.) Das nervt mich.
2.) Das geht mir auf den Geist.
3.) Das geht mir auf den Senkel.
4.) Das geht mir auf den Wecker.
5.) Das geht mir auf den Zeiger.
6.) Das geht mir auf den Keks.
7.) Das geht mir auf den Sack.
8.) Das geht mir auf die Eier.
9.) Das geht mir auf die Nüsse.
10.) Das langweilt mich.
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#German - English idioms 4
die Katze aus dem Sack lassen = (to) let the cat out of the bag
Literally: the same
Modern usage: no
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The days of the week in #German
Montag = Monday
Dienstag = Tuesday
Mittwoch = Wednesday
Donnerstag = Thursday
Freitag = Friday
Samstag (Sonnabend) = Saturday
Sonntag = Sunday
Because of “der Tag (Tage)”, all days are masculine.
Note: In some areas of Germany, people say “Sonnabend” instead of “Samstag”.
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The difference between "wissen" und "kennen"
#vocab
I know that many learners of German confuse these verbs sometimes, so I figured a short explanation might help you a bit ;)
So basically both “wissen” and “kennen” (both irregular) are translated to “(to) know”. But there is a slight difference in the meaning.
“kennen” expresses the familiarity with something.
Examples:
Kennst du meinen Bruder? = Do you know my brother? I
ch kenne...
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#German - English idioms 3
Dein Wunsch sei mir Befehl. = Your wish is my command.
Literally: the same
Modern usage: yes
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#German sentence structure: Questions 2
#grammar
We’ve already learned about yes/no questions. Let’s now focus on the specific questions, which ask for a longer reply.
Question word - conjugated verb - (subject) - (object)
Example without a subject:
Wer möchte einen Drink? Who would like a drink?
(QW) (V) - (O) - ?
Example without an object:
Wo wohnst du? Where do you live?
(QW) (V) (S) ?
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