GermanHeit » Fun German Language/Culture Learning

Long time no see....

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:20:51 +0100

Hey guys, I haven’t posted in a while and I am sorry about that. Since I moved to Los Angeles...

Pfeffernüsse = pepper nuts are small, firm and round cookies...

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 18:00:02 +0100

Pfeffernüsse = pepper nuts are small, firm and round cookies that are popular in the holiday season. I love them!

Here’s a simple recipe for you!

The difference between anderes & anders

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 18:00:25 +0100

Both look pretty similar but are used in a different way… 1. anderes = something else Gib mir...

“Almost as beautiful as a woman. But not out of its...

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 18:00:27 +0100

“Almost as beautiful as a woman. But not out of its head.”

nicht richtig ticken (reg.) = (to) be out of one’s head

ticken (reg.) = (to) tick/work (clock)

Frankfurt’s Christmas market is one of the bigger ones in...

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 18:00:26 +0100

Frankfurt’s Christmas market is one of the bigger ones in Germany. Stop by if you have a long layover at the Frankfurt Airport!

It is open until 9pm daily from November 26th - December 23rd.

(pic via frankfurt-tourismus.de)

Answers to yesterday's exercise

Sat, 08 Dec 2012 18:00:07 +0100

1. Es MACHT Spaß, jemanden zum Lachen zu bringen. 2. Wenn die Arbeit Spaß MACHT, dann geht sie...

Who would like to come to the blackboard...

Fri, 07 Dec 2012 18:00:16 +0100

and fill in the gaps. You can use “Spaß haben” (to have fun) or “Spaß...

It’s Christmas time! And that means that Germany is full...

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 18:00:18 +0100

It’s Christmas time! And that means that Germany is full of Christmas markets again. Almost every town, no matter if big or small, has their own Christmas market. On the picture you can see a rather small market in a town called Coburg, Bavaria.

(pic via br.de)

der Weihnachtsmarkt = Christmas market

Do you enjoy Christmas markets?

Yesterday I asked you to guess what a “trübe Tasse”...

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 18:00:25 +0100

Yesterday I asked you to guess what a “trübe Tasse” is.

Well, you can call somebody “eine trübe Tasse” who is really boring. It literally translates to gloomy/blurred cup, which doesn’t make a lot of sense of course. ;)

pic via augensound.de

Who would like to come to the blackboard....

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 18:00:02 +0100

and guess what a “trübe Tasse” is?

sitzen & setzen

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 18:00:14 +0100

Oioi, those two can be quite confusing! a) sitzen sitzen = (to) sit irregular in the past tense:...

In German, we tell somebody “to cock their ears”...

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 18:00:04 +0100

In German, we tell somebody “to cock their ears” when we want them to listen carefully. We also tell them “to be all ears” when we’re only focusing on what they say.

die Ohren spitzen = (to) cock sb.’s ears

ganz Ohr sein = (to) be all ears

reichen & riechen

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 00:23:03 +0100

<ei> and <ie>: Basically the same letters but they totally change the meaning of the...

Today I heard the sad news about Germany’s famous...

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 21:39:10 +0200

Today I heard the sad news about Germany’s famous comedian/actor/TV host passed away in his hotel in Berlin last night. Dirk Bach was only 51 years old and his death was really sudden. The entire German media world is shocked.

Dirk was one of two hosts of Germany’s “Dschungelcamp” (The Jungle Camp) (see photograph via spiegel.de) and was loved by the audience.

R.I.P. Dirk!

Since I moved to the US, I’ve been getting this question a...

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 18:39:23 +0200

Since I moved to the US, I’ve been getting this question a lot: What do you miss about Germany? Well, besides my family and friends there’s one thing I miss - German bread. It’s just the best in my opinion. Fresh, warm, crisp slices with butter and salt - maybe add some cheese or sausage and you have an amazing rustic dinner…. mmmhhh!

Here’s a nice recipe for Bauernbrot (farmer’s bread). CLICK

German proverb: “Alle guten Dinge sind...

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 02:46:37 +0200

German proverb:

“Alle guten Dinge sind drei.”

Literal translation: All good things are three.

Equivalent: Third time is a charm.

Have you written about when to use 'mit' or 'bei'? I think that would be a good article! :)

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 16:59:16 +0200

I don’t think I have. But you’re right, it would be a good topic. Ask me anything

Can you recommend any computer games that feature deutsch voice acting and untertitels? Can you recommend any games aimed at children for increasing their vocabulary (or adults!). I find the Mindsnacks ap to be fantastic, but I'd like more.

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 16:58:58 +0200

Well, any computer game that you buy in Germany has German voice acting. I’m not sure about...

bieten & bitten

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 17:48:54 +0200

It can be easy to mix up those two verbs - even though they are totally different! a) bieten ->...

German proverb: “Mal den Teufel nicht an die...

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 17:45:51 +0200

German proverb:

“Mal den Teufel nicht an die Wand.”

Literal: Don’t paint the devil on the wall.

Equivalent: Let sleeping dogs lie.

der Teufel = devil

die Wand = wall

malen (regular) = (to) paint

(pic via wand-dekor.com)