May 2010
59 posts
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Pronouncing the German "ch"
An anomynous reader asked me to give her tips how to explain the <ch> sound to a friend.
CLICK - I’ve already posted an audio file in which I’m trying to explain the sound of <ch> better.
1.) After the vowels a, o and u the “ch” is pronunced in the back of your throat (guttural). It’s the more difficult of the two I’d say and it’s kinda...
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German cars
Some people immediately think of cars when they think of Germany. There’s a reason for that of course - Germany is one of the most popular exporter of cars in the world.
Cars are a very important part of Germany’s industry and this industry is pretty profitable. From 2003-2008 Germany was the world’s largest exporter of goods - did you know that??? Having been surpassed by China...
epicwinsauce asked: The rules of the subjunctive tense of verbs have always seemed a little unclear to me. Could you explain them? Thanksss!
goingyeah asked: Ich möchte fragen, ob du bitte erklären könnte (ist das richtig?) der Unterschied zwischen verbaler Modi, vor allem (especially?) der Unterschied zwischen den Konjunktiv I und den Konjunktiv II? Danke! :)
Anonymous asked: For the person asking about German bands, my personal favorites are Juli and Silbermond ;) Maybe he'd enjoy those, too!
theepicspaceodyssey-deactivated asked: Hallo! Ich möchte mehr deutsche Bands oder Singers entdecken, vor allem Pop und/oder Rock, also möchte ich wissen, welchen du mich raten würdest. Also wäre es einfach toll, wenn du mir einige Tippen geben könnstest. =)
Grussen aus Frankreich!
Grussen aus Frankreich!
Anonymous asked: Is it customary to say "Happy Maibaum" on May 1st? Is this though of as romantic, or just a normal friendly greeting?
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Some Genitive prepositions
The 2nd German case “Genitiv” is triggered by the following prepositions:
außerhalb = out of / outside of
innerhalb = inside of / within
statt = instead of
trotz = despite of
während = during
wegen = because of
dank = thanks to
Find a complete list of Genitive prepositions here.
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koshchey asked: For the person who asked about Ossi-Words, it isn't so much the vocabulary but the pronunciation. Most vocab differences stem from the Communists looking for alternatives to Anglicisms [e.g Supermarkt = Einkaufzentrum].
Where I lived, in Thuringia, and to an even stronger degree in Saxony,
1. Most vowels tend to sound as if they have an umlaut e.g Wurst s.l Würst.
Where I lived, in Thuringia, and to an even stronger degree in Saxony,
1. Most vowels tend to sound as if they have an umlaut e.g Wurst s.l Würst.
Anonymous asked: Why do some Germans say the time differently.
e.g. 4:15 = Viertel nach vier AND Viertel Fünf
Took me months to finally solve this riddle and be on time for appointments. haha. What's going on? [I live in Thüringen, if that helps]
e.g. 4:15 = Viertel nach vier AND Viertel Fünf
Took me months to finally solve this riddle and be on time for appointments. haha. What's going on? [I live in Thüringen, if that helps]
anywherebutsweden asked: I'm curious how the person, who wrote about the East German accent, speaks. I lived in Dresden for four months but I didn't really noticed any "true" Dresden accent, except that they always said "zwo" instead of "zwei" and liked to say "Tschüssi". What's typical "Ossi-words"?
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Who would like to come to the blackboard...
… and tell us their favourite TV show (yesterday, I wrote a post about Germany’s favourite soap opera that’s why I’m asking this ;))?
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Anonymous asked: I was wondering if you can translate the song lyrics of "Blick Nach Vorn" by Max Herre into English. I can't seem to find a good translation of it anywhere ):
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Anonymous asked: Hey,
I lived in East Germany for a while and I have been told by friends from the West that I make mistakes with my pronunciation, but I know this is how they spoke in the East. Should I change my pronunciation to a more Western version, or do I have every right to speak like a true Ossi?
I lived in East Germany for a while and I have been told by friends from the West that I make mistakes with my pronunciation, but I know this is how they spoke in the East. Should I change my pronunciation to a more Western version, or do I have every right to speak like a true Ossi?
anywherebutsweden asked: I have a question about the grammar. I sometimes hear Germans leaving out a verb, like "Ich will Pizza" or "Darf ich mal kurz vorbei". Shouldn't it be "Ich will Pizza haben" and "Darf ich mal kurz vorbeigehen"? Or is it just a way you can use when you're talking German?
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Anonymous asked: Hi! i'm such a big fan of your blog. It's really helpful and I learn so much. I just want to know what German movies you can recommend. I really like watching foreign movies. Unfortunately, i haven't checked out any German films yet. What can you recommend me? I love comedy, romance, and anything light. Thank you very much and keep on posting more!! <3
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10 ways to say that someone is a dork/idiot
So ein (masculine)….! = What a….!
1.) Idiot
2.) Depp (yes - Johnny Depp translates to Johnny Dork LOL)
3.) Trottel
4.) Hohlkopf (literal: empty head)
5.) Quatschkopf (literal: nonsense head)
6.) Schwachkopf (literal: weak head)
7.) Vollpfosten
8.) Blödmann
9.) Dummkopf
10.) Volltrottel
Anonymous asked: What German TV shows would you recommend to watch, for a A-Level German Student? (eg. 6 years of German in school, but something relatively easy to follow and understand)
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sailing-by-night asked: What are some of your favorite German TV shows and movies? Where can I watch them? Would doing so be a good way to learn (or at least familiarize myself with) the language?
Anonymous asked: Tag! What do you call these in German (Abitur sheets?!)
http://www.mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au/la/lote/german/images/schule-header.jpg
I'm a German teacher in Australia and think it would be really cool to introduce this kind of a tradition for our German students!
Vielen Dank!
Belinda :)
http://www.mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au/la/lote/german/images/schule-header.jpg
I'm a German teacher in Australia and think it would be really cool to introduce this kind of a tradition for our German students!
Vielen Dank!
Belinda :)
ldmarshburn asked: Hi! I am moving to Kandern, Germany in August for a couple of years to work at a school...any advice? Also is it hard living in Germany if you do not know any German, only English?
Anonymous asked: Wie sagt man 'one' auf deutsch? Wie, "What kind of bike do you have?" "An ugly ONE."
Die Antwort ist ziemlich schwierig zu finden weil das Wort "one" viele verschiedene Definitionen hat.
Danke!
Die Antwort ist ziemlich schwierig zu finden weil das Wort "one" viele verschiedene Definitionen hat.
Danke!
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eyesmadeofcoal-deactivated20100 asked: help! what on earth does digga mean? it's not a harsh word, I know this, but does it mean something along the lines of ~friend?
zoeyfulwanderer asked: What is the verb for "to rap" (as in the music style) in German?
Anonymous asked: This is a completely serious question. Lately you have been talking about German manners, and I've thought about them a lot while around my German teacher. But something really awkward happened today, and I didn't know what to do, because I didn't know whether or not I would offend her. She farted with me and two other students in the room. None of us said anything, but we all...
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The Genitive case in German
The 2nd of German’s four cases is called “Genitiv” (genitive). It’s used to show possession, so we can also call it the “case of possession”. In English, it’s usually expressed by “of” or an apostrophe-s (’s).
Nowadays, German speakers use it more in the written than in the spoken form, but it definitely has a certain spoken elegance and...
Anonymous asked: I'm a beginner in German and i was wondering if there are any German short children stories that you can recommend. I want to practice reading in German so i don't forget what i learned. Thank you in advance! :)
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Questions about Germany's "dark days"
Dear readers,
there are several questions waiting in my queue regarding Nationalsocialism and the Third Reich. Many of them are broad curiosities like “how do Germans feel?” or “I know somebody who reacted in a strange way when I mentioned something about Hitler - why is that?”.
As much as I would like to answer your questions about this topic - there are some I simply...
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Comments in regards to the "German stare"
Thx for your interesting comments, guys!
For the future: Please use the disqus comment feature on my site and not the question feature if you want to discuss or comment about something. That would be really helpful! :) Thanks much. Keep it up! :)
phuturetents said:
about the staring: I’m an American currently studying in Marburg, Germany and I think that person meant more so that Germans...
entropymorpheus asked: What are your thoughts on the so-called "German stare"? (I'm talking about making eye contact with stranger who's looking at you, then staring back at them for a few seconds.)
Why do Germans do this, and why do think Americans, for example, don't? It made me uncomfortable when I first experienced it studying abroad, but I eventually came to embrace it.
Why do Germans do this, and why do think Americans, for example, don't? It made me uncomfortable when I first experienced it studying abroad, but I eventually came to embrace it.
dartharaiz asked: You said that Austrian German (AG) has differences in vocab when compared with the mainland German. And what about Swiss German? What's the difference when compared with those 2?
I heard that when a person wants to take Switzerland nationality, he or she had to learn Swiss German, even if he or she is a German native speaker already (Is it correct?).
I heard that when a person wants to take Switzerland nationality, he or she had to learn Swiss German, even if he or she is a German native speaker already (Is it correct?).
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pretzel-diva asked: To the person Study Abroading that wanted to know about Nuremburg. I went there this past summer and it was absolutely beautiful. You can see the castle when you walk throughout most of the city. The history is amazing, and I went all out touristy there ( I was with a study abroad group too). I stayed in the hostel that is located in the castle, so I was able to overlook the city. another good...
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The German verb "lassen"
The German verb “lassen” is kinda tricky. It has various meanings:
a) (to) let as in: Let me go! Lass mich gehen!
b) (to) leave as in: Leave me alone! Lass mich in Ruhe!
c) (to) let / have something done as in: Ich lasse mein Auto reparieren. I’m having my car repaired.
In a) and b) “lassen” functions like any other verb that can stand on its own.
In c) it...
Anonymous asked: i'm studying abroad and going to munich, berlin, weimar, and nuremberg. have you been to any of those places? what are they like? any advice?
buckshotninja asked: Hey... my friend and I are having an argument about the conjugation of multiple verbs in a sentence.
He thinks it should be "Du bist was du ißt"
And I think it should be "Du bist was du eßen"
Which one of us is correct?
He thinks it should be "Du bist was du ißt"
And I think it should be "Du bist was du eßen"
Which one of us is correct?
dasch asked: Hallo. Ich schreibe mal auf deutsch, da mein englisch nicht besonders ist. Folge Deinem Blog um es ein bißchen zu verbessern. ^^
Wegen der Frage nach deutschem Fernsehen. Da gibt es einmal die Möglichkeit Miro zu nutzen und dann über "Videos nach Sprache" zu suchen oder bei iTunes ganz unten im Store ein anderes Land auszuwählen.
Sind...
Wegen der Frage nach deutschem Fernsehen. Da gibt es einmal die Möglichkeit Miro zu nutzen und dann über "Videos nach Sprache" zu suchen oder bei iTunes ganz unten im Store ein anderes Land auszuwählen.
Sind...
Anonymous asked: In relation to another question about practicing German listening; is there somewhere online I can watch streaming German TV (like Hulu in the USA, if you are familiar)?
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German Social Manners Part 3
Part 3: PUNCTUALITY
Being on time is very much appreciated in Germany. I’d even go so far and say that punctuality is one of the most important - if not the most important - social etiquette. Being late will usually leave a bad impression, especially when you have a business meeting. But even if it’s just a social event with friends or familiy, arriving a couple of minutes earlier is...
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Anonymous asked: helo... ich habe eine Fage... Wie kann ich mein Hoeren auf Deutsch verbessern? = i have a question... how can i improve my listening on german language? Danke schoen
pretzel-diva asked: Hi. :)
I have a AP test for German, and I was wondering if you could give me a list of all the Subordinating and coordinating conjunctions. I think It's stime I actually lern them, since They will be very helpful in the Luckentext Portion of the exam. Thanks, :)
I have a AP test for German, and I was wondering if you could give me a list of all the Subordinating and coordinating conjunctions. I think It's stime I actually lern them, since They will be very helpful in the Luckentext Portion of the exam. Thanks, :)
summerbirds asked: may i add, your posts are interesting :D sorry, i was the one who went all: i hate germany. well i do, but i have nothing against your blog, i guess i'm just following for the sake of saving some germaness in me. en plus the german language can be quite appealing.
logladys asked: What is so special about swedish? As i am from sweden i find it very interesting why you chose my mother tongue as one of the most beautiful languages. (It is, though.)