10 unequivocal signs that German, for you, will always remain a mystery

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Deutsche Sprache schwere Sprache, goes the saying. You might have known it prior to embarking on learning the language. But you love challenges, and you didn’t get discouraged: “How hard can it be? Six months, maximum one year of hard work and German will have no more secrets for me”. You enrolled in countless courses, you’ve climbed across levels, bought books and newspapers, listened with devotion the Deutsche Welle, harrased all sort of Tandempartners and passersby just to get a chance to practice your pronunciation.

But to your great astonishment, a few years have passed since you moved to Germany and you still struggle with a German that, although acceptable, can’t be defined as fluent and impeccable. You then start to feel a bit silly, asking yourself whether in your brain there is a specific zone whose task is to annul your efforts and delete all those notions that you constantly try to repeat by heart. But don’t worry, you’re not alone. We have identified 10 unequivocal signs that prove that German will remain to many a half mystery to many of us. In the name of reason we could say that no one has ever died out of not being a perfect mother tongue; likewise it can’t be used as an excuse: constancy, method and good teachers make more than satisfactory results even to the most refractory of minds to this impatient idiom.

Der, die or das?

It is one of the first things that you learn in school and, after all, learning the declination is not that hard. The real tough part is learning how to use the masculine, feminine and neutral: it’s true, there are some rules that allow us to understand the gender of a noun, but there are also several exceptions. Moreover, have you seen how many terms German has? Confronted with these challenges there are only 3 possible solutions: a) Renounce completely the article (several Berlin immigrants have opted for this option and have lived happily for decades), b) try to guess, c) mumble and try to trick your interlocutor. Neither option is one to be proud of…


Photo © Youtube

To decline correctly the adjective: maybe in another life?

The adjective, in German, is declined concurring to the gender, number and case. As if it wasn’t enough, there are three different forms of declinations according to the term that precedes it (determinative or indeterminative article or absence of the term). Such a combination requires for an indepth memory study. But the real challenge is when it comes to talking: you have to be able to coordinate article, adjective and noun, and prior to that, determine the gender of the noun, the operation upon which the whole mission depends on. The whole as trying to structure the whole architecture of the sentence. Headache? Kein Problem, the three suggested solutions before remain valid…

Photo © Deutschlernerblog.de

The verb at the end of the subordinates.

In German the infinite and the past participle go to the end in the main sentences, while in the subordinates there is also the verb to the indefinite form. The situation is even more appealing when, in Nebensatz, there is a modal verb and an infinite or, worse, a modal verb with the consequent, infamous rule of double infinity. Here too, with a lot of application, you can study the rule and apply it correctly when writing (quickly: let’s say in a fifteen to twenty minutes). Okay, but when are you in the middle of a speech? You let your beloved, old syntactic English structure take control and think “Who cares, I’ll sound weird but they’ll understand me the same”.

Photo © slideshare.net

The preposition lottery.

Place, time, cause, medium, purpose, adversity: German prepositions are infinite, can hold one or more cases and can express a myriad of different nuances. And, as if it weren’t enough, present countless exceptions. You know auf? Literally, it would mean “up”, when there is no contact with the underlyining surface (otherwise you would use über, clearly). An, on the other hand indicates proximity: “Sara ist an Fenster”, Sarah is at the window. Then again, to say “I’m at the postoffice”, why is it “ich bin auf der Post”? It is better not to question further.

Photo © memegen

Movies and songs in German.

At school they told you that looking at movies and series, alongside listening to songs is a great exercise. If possible, it would be even better without subtitles, this way you can train your ear. All true. However, most of the times, in class they propose you classics of German rock and pop, from Rammstein to the Ärzte (which are indeed more approachable also for students at an intermediate level), all the way to Bushido, one of Germany’s most notorious rappers. Heavy metal, punk, rap: but a good song-writer that pronounces everything clearly without screaming, without dialects and without guitars covering everything, is just not thinkable? We admit it with no problem: during these hearings we all cheated with subtitles every time we could.


rapper Bushido © YouTube

Wie bitte?

Staying on the topic of oral understanding: you exercise as much as you can with radio, CDs from your manual, TV series, newscasts. But when on the bus they ask you simply to pass through, or in a cafè they ask you if you want another lemon and ginger juice, you panic and you always find yourself asking your interlocutor: “Wie bitte?” asking to repeat the sentence not one, not twice, but as much as three times in a row. If you haven’t formed a wax cap, the only plausible explanation is that your auditory device is not calibrated to tune in the teutonic frequency.


Photo © memegen.de

Job interviews.

Blessed those times you despaired to prepare a university exam, which in retrospect weren’t that hard, and more importantly in your mother tongue. Now you find yourself facing an hypercompetitive market, you are facing an exigent recruiter and you have to invent a narration that is capable of selling of your capabilities. All of this in German. In the end you get out of the job interview completely exhausted, you aren’t sure about what you said and neither if you have good chances of being selected, but at least you can proudly say that you got out of it alive.

Photo © Karrierebibel

The bureaucracy.

Anmeldung, Krankenkasse, taxes, insurances to implode a 20mq flat: German bureaucracy is meticulous and relentless, the technical lexicon is as sympathetic as mononucleosis, the employees (not always: some, by experience, are nice and available) frustrated by years of kafkian grey. Days of farsighted preparation for the bureau meeting might not save you from the term that you had forgot or misunderstood, making the wake up alarm of 6am that you had to go through on that morning completely useless.


Photo © euklidnetwork

The slang.

The so-called Umgangssprache is the spoken language, the slang, the one you almost never learn in school and on books. When you start to familiarizing with it you feel cool and wish you could use it everywhere, calling Kumpel even the President of the Federal Republic and using Redewendungen and Sprichwörter in any context. However the slang is broad and tied to the local dialects. So there will always be an expression you never heard of before, that you will misunderstand within a conversation and cause for a moment of embarrassment. It will happen, it’s mathematic.

Photo © deutschlernenblog.de

The calling nightmare.

Simple operations as ordering a burger at home and reserving a table in a pizza restaurant may reveal to be intensively complicated if there isn’t the chance to read lips to understand what one is trying to say. So even here, even though you have meticulously prepared the phone call, the first unexpected response from the other head of the handset, pronounced at supersonic speed, will force you to propose a „Ja, natürlich“ even though you have no idea what he or she it is talking about. In a matter of a second you’ll find your sandwich the much detested coriander.

Photo © YouTube
Cover photo © Study in De

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8 curiosities about German which reveal its peculiar beauty

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Almost all those who approached the study of the German language questioned at a certain point whether it was the right choice.
Not because learning German is useless, quite the opposite, but because the effort that this language requires to be truly assimilated by those who study it is remarkable. The complications that arise when reaching an intermediate level might question the importance that German learning has for us. At this point only a great passion or the need for study and work reasons could help address the superhuman effort required to conduct a conversation or to comprehend a complex text in German. Still, it is undeniable that German has a certain concealed beauty, a romantic soul that makes it awesome and wonderful at the same time. We put together a list of curiosities about German that might seem incomprehensible at first, and that actually reveal its peculiar beauty.

1. The multiple meanings of bitte

Whereas in English, in particular in Britain but not only, there are countless ways to thank someone and to tell them that they are welcome (to mention a few, “Don’t mention it!”, “No worries!” or “My pleasure”), in German the choice is narrowed. By employing bitte we can in fact say all of the above! Moreover the expression ja bitte! means “tell me!”. And if we haven’t understood something we could ask for clarifications by asking wie bitte?

2. The declination of the articles

For those who have studied Latin or Greek, or speak Slavic languages like Russian, cases and declinations aren’t too much of a suffering. For those coming from languages like English and Italian, it is a different matter. In German the cases are nominative, accusative, dative and genitive. It is crucial to be able to recognize the ends of the articles in different cases because they allow you to reconstruct the sense of the sentence. It is worth taking a small effort initially so to better address subsequent language challenges.

3. The sound of German

At first German might sound a bit hostile due to the sounds that are so different from other European languages as French, Italian or English. However the sound of German varies a lot concurring to the tone in which the words are pronounced. In this video, for example, you can notice how the German can be surprisingly harmonious!

4. Also the most common verbs are difficult

Let’s take an example of a frequent verb such as “to put”. In English we wouldn’t notice the construction of the sentence, but German requires to be more precise: the verbal voice to „put something horizontal“ is not the same as „putting something upright“. In this case, German has two different verbs: they are called verbs of position and the most used are stehen / stellen (stand upright / put upright), liegen / legen (lying in horizontal position / put in horizontal position) , sitzen / setzen (sitting / setting) and hängen, that means both „hanging“ if static, and „hang“ if in movement. It is true that all these differentiations can represent for many reasons discomfort, but the logic of German is certainly an advantage to raise awareness of the idiom itself.

5. Gender is a delicate matter

Unlike our universal ‘the’, German has a peculiar assignation of gender. In this language, which includes also the ‘neutral’ gender, learning the rules that allow us to identify the most common desinance of the three genders might be useful to clear some doubts, but in reality the only way to truly learn the gender is by learning the words by heart. The mnemonic study is a method that today many despise and disagree with, in particular young people, because the learning abilities are limited. On the other hand, returning more than a hundred times to the dictionary to control the gender of a noun can be really frustrating and undermine the understanding of the text. To remedy this problem, there is no other cure to exercise this muscle, as Umberto Eco advised: German can therefore be an excuse to train the ability to remember and ward off the ability to become google-dependent.

7. Endless words

With its 79 letters Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft is the longest word recorded in the German vocabulary and indicates the association of subordinate officers of the Danube steam company’s electrical services department. It is not an isolated case because there are other very long words, formed by the association of different terms, which might be absolutely terrifying at first but at a second glance actually reveal their inner logic. Recognizing the terms that make up the composite words and singing them separately allows us to better understand what we are saying and not lose our breath by uttering meaningless sounds!

8. English and German

English, as so has French, have strongly influenced the language and to this day English speakers hold an advantage towards the language. Finger for instance means finger also in German as so does stinken mean to stink. Not to assume however that all English words can be translated in German! There are several ambiguous words which however will surely remain stuck in your mind.

 

Cover photo: screenshot from Youtube

10 beautiful and memorable German words

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Learning German is a life exercise because it is an idiom that tests us on a daily basis. Even Mark Twain, the american writer known for his troubled relation with German, a language that he didn’t particularly love but found very stimulating, said: “on the basis of my philology studies I came to the conclusion that a person prone to languages will be able to learn English (excluding the grammar and pronunciation) in 30 hours, French in 30 days and German in 30 years. It is obvious that the German language needs to be remodelled and repaired. If it were to remain as it is, it should be shelved, with gentleness and reverence, amid the dead languages, because only the dead have enough time to learn it”.

As follows we would like to propose 10 beautiful German words that have a very special meaning and that are unique in their own way to the German culture. Each of these words not only will help you expand your vocabulary, but will deepen your knowledge of this new world.

1. Sehnsucht

Amid different definitions, which vary from yearning, desire and/or craving, Sehnsucht is a feeling of longing for something unknown and indefinite. Who studied or is studying literature and in particular German Romanticism will surely have encountered this word whose roots reside in high German, meaning “illness of the painful whim”.

2. Weltschmerz

Translated as the “pain of the world” or “world-weariness”, Weltschmerz is the feeling of deep insatisfaction and pain which derives from the realization that the physical world can’t fully comfort the desires of the mind. The term was firstly coined by German Romantic author Jean Paul.

3. Torschlusspanik

The literal meaning would be the panic deriving from a closed door, but in everyday language it describes the anxiety felt when being close to a deadline. In English in fact Torschulsspanik could be translated as „last minute panic“, or the awareness that time passes by inexorably and that one has to act quickly. The door closing conveys a missed decision or action that we then might regret.

4. Fernweh

How to translate this word? Dictionaries talk about „having itchy feet“ or a „wanderlust desire“, however the similar Heimach talks about homesickness and nostalgia. The root of the word in fact indicates a sense of nostalgia projected not towards our home, but towards a different place, whether known or not. Fernweh is about the longing feeling to pack a bag and depart to the discovery of a place to always bring in our heart.

5. Zweisamkeit

When we talk of solitude in English we think about a person that is alone, isolated from others. In German it’s not really the same thing. Robert Musil, in the novel “The confusions of Young Törless” when talking about life in a couple says “being in two is no more than doubled solitude”. Even spending time with our loved one, isolated from the world, mens living in solitude, however the two elements of Zweisamkeit don’t complain, because they feel perfectly complete.

6. Backpfeifengesicht

The meaning of this word is far more familiar than what you might think. Do you know those kind of people whose face is enough to make you want to slap them? Well, from today you could also call them with the German word, instead of “punching-bag face”.

7. Feierabend

If you have just arrived in Germany and recently found a job, you will often hear your colleagues say “ich mache Feierabend” and ask yourself why and how every night they are going out to party (without inviting you, by the way) whereas you are always heading home dead-tired. Feierabend actually doesn’t refer to any party, but indicates that moment of the day dedicated to unwinding and to anything that is not work related.

8. Reisefieber

To have Reisefieber is literally to have a “travel fever”, and indicates that state of compulsive anxiety that manifests itself before a trip, usually but not only tied to the preparation of the luggages and necessary documents. Not everybody suffers it, but each of us know that someone affected by Reisefieber, whom will come to the airport 3 hours prior to departure, after having weighed at least 10 times the luggage and repeatedly checked to have all the documents in their backpack.

9. Vorfreude

“Awaiting for pleasure is itself pleasure” said Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, and with Vorfreude the allusion is precisely to the anticipation of a pleasure yet to come: it is the enjoying of a dream and expectation that we have.

10. Waldeinsamkeit

We talk about the “solitude of the forest”, that feeling you get when you are walking in a forest on your own. Waldeinsamkeit is a very dear term to the tradition of ascetic monasticism and to the movement of German romance, which promoted the rapprochement of Man to Nature.

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Cover photo © pixabay.com CC BY SA 2.0

Deutsch, we love you. But why are there 15 different ways to say meatball?

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To aim to become bilingual or at least fluent in German requires for a lot of patience and acceptance of the fact that there are different words that have the same meaning.

It’s a struggle, but nobody said it was easy. Not only is the German language more complex compared to others due to its syntactic structure and vast lexicon, there is also the context-specific meaning of a certain term that varies concurring to when it is employed. German words in fact vary according to the language register or the region. So to avoid feeling like a stranger in a multiethnic nation as Germany, it would be advised to know, if not all, at least some of these variations. We have selected the ones referring to the culinary tradition – which, as we all know very well, is the meeting place of different cultures.

Pancake


Pancake – Tabeajaichhalt CC0

If in Berlin you order Pfannkuchen, you won’t find yourself in front of some pancakes as in the rest of Germany, but doughnuts! In German there are exactly 12 different words whose meaning is pancake. So in Berlin we would have to ask for “Eierkuchen”, whereas in western Germany and at the borders with Switzerland we would have to order “das Omelett”, as similar to the French die Omelette. Around the area of Lipsia and the confine with Poland pancakes have yet a different word, and that would be “Plinse” or “Plinz”, whereas in Austria we might even meet someone that calls them “Pataschinke”.

Gingerbread man

gingerbread men – Gaetan Lee – CC BY 2.0

12 seems to be the lucky German number, for there are 12 different ways even to address Gingerbread men! Typically they would be called “Lebkuchenmann”, which appears to be the most common term also in Munich, Berlin and Hannover. In the south-western region however they prefer to call them “Weckmann” or “Weckmännchen” whereas in the north-west they would be “Stutenkerl”. In Austria gingerbread men are called Krampus and they represent a legendary creature, the punisher of children that misbehaved during the Christmas time. Around Stuttgart and Karlsruhe we would instead call it Dambedei. Our famous Gingerbread man may also be called in a different way according to the ingredients used to spice the cookie – a very common term even in Berlin would be Spekulatius, which derives from the belgian Speculoos (typical cinnamon Christmas cookies).

Meatballs

meatballs -SLT-A33 CC0

When moving to Germany one of the first things that stands out is the prevalence of meat in the menus, from sausages to meatballs. The most diffused term would be “Fleischkloß”, but in total there would be 15 different words that refer to meatballs! “Frikadelle” is very common in the centre and north-west areas of Germany, whereas “Fleischküchle” would be more common in the south-eastern region. In the areas of Leipzig and Dresden they would instead call them “Klops” or “Kloß”. A proper “berlinerisch” term would instead be “Bulette” or “Boulette” (again, the resonance with French is quite striking), whereas in Austria they would be “Fleischaiberl”.

“The heel” of the breadloaf

Breadloaf – pixel1 CC0

In english it is an ongoing debate: how to call the last (and first) bits of a breadloaf? “The butt”, “the heel”, the “devil’s elbow” or “duck bread” are variations, but Germans have more than 50 different terms! Here are some of the ones used in Germany: Kanten, Anschnitt, Kipf, Ranft/ Ränftchen, Knorze, Knust, Rankl, Krust, Kirshte and several others. In Switzerland they use a lot Anhau, Scherz, Mürggu, Mutsch, Chäppi, Houdi and Scherzerl is used also in Austria and in the south of Germany.

Hiccup

Mouth – RobinHiggins CC0

When you or friend will get caught by a hiccup, you can choose out of 25 words to address it! The first one that comes to mind is “Schluckauf” or even “Schluchzer”. In the regions bordering French and in the southern part of Germany they would prefer “Hädscher” instead. In Austria, “Schnackler” and in Switzerland “Hitzgi”.

Slippers

Slippers – Didgeman CC0

With “Hausschuhe” you can play it safe, for it literally means “house shoes”. But there are well over 10 different variations! “Pantoffeln” is common in Berlin and Hannover, whereas “Schluffen” is common in Rheinland and Frankfurt. “Bambuschen” is more common in eastern Germany, in Switzerland, instead, you may hear oftenly “Finken”.

Currently, Spiegel Online is taking an online survey on the use of the language variations in Germany. By taking this online test you too can contribute to the mapping of German variations in your region!

Cover picture:  © Weisswurst – Thomas S. Pubblic domain

Are you getting intrigued by the German language or wish to refine your vocabulary? Then take a look at the German courses that Berlino Schule organizes! 

 

5 tips to improve your German

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Whether for work, for study reasons or because you are planning on moving to Germany, learning German is a life experience on its own. Few courageous people pursue the learning of the language for mere delight. Although seemingly impossible at first, these 5 advices can be of great help (if coupled with good will and determination).

1.Don’t expect to be perfect

The first encounters with compound words, not to mention the peculiar gender allocation, can be absolutely demoralizing. But more than deciding to learn all of the new vocabularies by heart, and shyly wait for years of courses before attempting to mumble a few sentences, the advice is to throw yourself with no shame nor fear. True for every language, this is particularly pertinent to German.

2. Read your favorite books in German

To read a text, whether a book, short story, poem or what not in German can be of great help to learn new expressions that we wouldn’t have otherwise been able to learn. For beginners even children’s’ books can help to find confidence with the language. Even more, a bilingual edition of the text could be more helpful for others. If instead you want to throw yourself in a fully German translation, don’t get discouraged if having to run to the dictionary often.

3. Listen to songs and watch movies in German

If you still don’t know German bands or singers, the time has come to route around Youtube. The lyrics of a song as we all know are easier to learn and allow us to expand our vocabulary. Regarding movies, as for books it would be advised to start by watching those that we already familiar with. We already talked about 5 useful TV series that can help to enhance our knowledge of the language. If the sounds might sound incomprehensible at first, don’t give up, with a good dose of determination you will start to understand bits and pieces and trust us, it will be a great satisfaction.

4. Watch tutorials on Youtube

On Youtube there are several video-courses on pronunciation and grammar tips. Even following videos on topics that interest us can help us develop a specific lexicon and enhance our interest. It doesn’t matter whether they are ‘serious’ videos or not, the important thing is to be motivated by curiosity and not only be a sense of duty.

5. Get out of your shell and make friends!

Although it might be hard at first, it is very important to seek for German people with whom you can converse, overcoming the initial obstacle of embarrassment and the lack of appropriate terms for the occasion. Alcohol in these contexts is known to help dissolve and lose many inhibitions, but everything must start with the willpower and the desire to open up their own horizons, to confront and integrate into the new environment in which you want to live.l

Another option out of the list that we feel is advising you, fundamental to learning the basics of grammar and to melting in the conversation, is attending a German course. If your choice falls on this option (obviously in addition to the others), you can write to info@berlinoschule.com, Berlin’s Berlin Magazine German School. You will be provided with all the information to enroll yourself in a course with qualified teachers and an international environment to start practicing this beautiful language directly on the field!

 

Photo: CC BY SA 2.0  Pexels

10 German words for a night out in Berlin

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Berlin’s alternative and anarchic nightlife can be suitable for almost everyone. If you are visiting for a weekend, or having been living here for some time, you want to be well-prepared to know how to address in German your party mood or you after day hangover state. Deutsche Welle listed ten curious points to be aware of before going out for a night in Berlin.

FEIERABEND

Feel like going out tonight? First thing, you have to break free from working commitments and the stress. Germans have a word to describe exactly that moment: ‘Feierabend’, which literally means, to finish work or to knock off (work).

AUFBREZELN

After work, a quick pit-stop back home to freshen up is definitely something worth considering before a nice night out. After all, you never know how the night is going to evolve. Aufbrezeln means exactly this; to pamper up, whether with a fresh t shirt for boys and a line of lipstick for girls (or the other way round..).

VORGLÜHEN

Although it wouldn’t be proper to incite readers to drink, not to drink German beers would be like missing out on a pillar of the country’s cultural heritage. Vorglühen, in English to pre-heat / pre-drink, is exactly that: the drinking of one, two or, who are we kidding, three or more drinks prior to commencing the night out, to relax and zone out of the working mind and get into the partying one.

WEGBIER

After a while in Berlin you’ll notice it: whether it be one girl or boy walking on her own in the sole company of a cold beer in their hand, or bigger groups of people holding two or more bottles of beers (coats have pockets after all), you’ll be able to spot them in any neighbourhood of the city at any time of the night. A Wegbier is the beer you take along with you for the walk.

n.b. although drinking in public is legal in Germany, it is well advised to contain your exuberant- drunk spirits and maintain a dignified behavior – a bit of style never harms.

TÜRSTEHER

Sven: if you haven’t met him you surely heard about him. Berghains’ bouncer, in German, would be the Türsteher, as so would be a doorman or a doorkeeper, for the literal meaning is “Him who stands at the door”. Assuming a more active role than this passive description conveys, they are notorious here in Berlin. Starting by knowing how to address them could be a first, small, step towards getting into a club.

AUF EX

“Auf ex!” If your friends demand you do to so, perhaps it’s best you prepare for what will happen next. The literal translation? Empty your glass in one sip.

DÄMMERUNG

It’s that moment between day and night, or night and day – the beginning and end of a day all melted into one word. Between dusk and dawn, it can be a truly magical moment in Berlin (according to the season), and you’ll most likely find yourself more often than not at Dämmerung wondering how it is possible that the night is already over!

NACHTSCHWÄRMER

Being a night crawler. Everyone has one of those friends in Berlin that only emerge out of their den once the sun has set. Or maybe, you’ve become one of these yourself. Another interesting translation from German is night owl; you know that they are hiding somewhere during the day, but you’ll only see them at night.

KATER

Kater would be a ‘tomcat’, a male cat. But being one of those wonderful German words that have a certain meaning but actually mean something else, Kater is more commonly used to explain the state of being of the day following a night to remember (or not). You know it? You know it…

Photo:  © Christoffer Boman CC BY SA 2.0

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From Guten Tag to Moin Moin: all the different greetings in German

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If you thought that you could salute everyone in Germany with a universal “Guten Tag”, think again…

Germany is wonderful also due to its regionalisms and we already talked about interesting regional differences here. Greetings are important in every language, they allow us to approach native speakers and (at least try) to embark in a conversation with them. Given however all the peculiar variations of the German language, even salutations differ according to the place and context you’ll find yourself in, so it’s best to get prepared and be aware of these before finding yourself without words to reply!

In standard German to say “Good day” we will rely on “Guten Tag”, commonly used in particular in the Thüringen region, or we will say “Guten Morgen” to say “Good morning!”. These, amongst with the general “Hallo”, are the most widespread expressions throughout all of the German-speaking territories. Yet Germans from different cities and regions not always refer to these to salute you; here is a brief list of different greetings used in German regions and German speaking territories.

Grüß Gott

This expression is used mainly in the Baden Württemberg region, other than in Austria. Originally, the full expression was “grüß[e] dich Gott”, “may God bless you”. Today “grüß Gott” is used mainly in formal contexts, and not being tied to any particular moment of the day, you can say it in the morning, afternoon and night. If you find yourself in an informal context it would be more adequate to say “Grüß dich”. In Bavaria it would become “Grias Di”.

Servus

“Hallo”? No, if you find yourself in Bayern, strictly in an informal context, you would say “Servus”. This is originally an Austrian expression and derives from the latin servus. Variations include “Servas” or “Seas”. Literally, it would mean something like “I am your slave” or “I’m at your service”. It might seem weird to say hello to your friends and family by proclaiming that you are a “slave” for them (unless you’re really into Britney), but even salutations from other languages share a similar original meaning. The Italian “Ciao” in fact comes from an ancient regional greeting that had a similar meaning (“s’ciavo”,  slave) and it has been Germanized into “Tschau”. In Berlin in particular it is very common for a native speaker to say “Tschau!” instead of “Tschuss!”

Juten Tach

This variation to “Guten Tag” is commonly used in Berlin in informal contexts. “Tach” is however used also in Nordrhein – Westfalen, and “Gunn Tach” is its correspondent in Rheinland – Pfalz and in Saarland. In Hessen, we could also hear “Guude”. In Sachsen, “Tagchen”, “Gudden Tach” or “Gun Dach”. Essentially, the real difference amongst these greetings resides in a different pronunciation, which can be grasped only once taken a test in history of the German language and phonetic differences between high and low German.
Lastly, Salü e Grüezi, are the salutations used in Switzerland.

Moin Moin

It is an expression common to the Niedersachsen, used in Hamburg and in other areas of north of Germany. The term “moin” derives from “moien”, which means “good”. The word is present also in Luxembourg, where they would say “Moïen” to salute you. The full expression should be “Moien Dag”: “Moin” and “Moin moin” are merely abbreviations. It is a very colloquial expression that may be used at any moment of the day, but surely not with strangers.

Photo: © Comfreak CC 0

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Why should I learn German? 15 typical situations in Germany that will make you understand why

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Several foreigners arrive in Germany without speaking a word of the language. To those thinking that they can live happily without any knowledge of German, you’ll soon think twice.

We put together a list of 15 situations  that exemplify why you need, and should want, to learn German when in Germany.

1. At the pharmacy

To avoid having to open your mouth and “aaaah” at the saleswoman/man’s face to explain that you desperately need a spray for your throat. The pharmacist will be grateful.

2. To register in Germany

For all of those that wish that their Schufa (the document that states that you have no debts) stays immaculate and without shame.

3. At the bar

Because ordering a cappuccino or a latte, with the exact amount of milk or sugar, in perfect German is priceless.

4. Amongst friends

You’re looking for a new job. Your friends are concerned for you, they can feel that you’re one step away from packing your bags and heading back home…till when you’ll find yourself making orders for a table of 20 hungry and demanding people. The glory is tangible.

5. The meanders of German bureaucracy

Knowing the language of who will accept your request for the Hartz IV is surely something.

6. At the counter

When you’ll meet that particular cashier on a personal fight against mankind, you’ll know it. For who already has, how many times have you wished to be able to face her/him and respond adequately?

7. With your landlord

It is indispensable to make him understand that with you, the shark games won’t work. You are no amateur and it is important to put things straight immediately. In German.

8. With the Brazilian wax-lady

It might be kind of easy in Spanish, but in Portuguese it’s a different matter. To be able to speak German as a glowing wax lady from Belo Horizonte is covering your bikini area with incandescent honey will definetly come in handy.

9. With your colleagues

In particular during the first days of your new job when you’ll all be heading to the Kneipe for a cold beer, you surely don’t want to find yourself without words whilst everybody else is happily chirping their order.

10. During a job interview

Not every company demands you to know German, in particular the young-hip start ups. Considering the salary that they will offer you, one would expect them to be very flexible. However, understanding what you’re signing up for, including but not only those tiny German ‘oh that doesn’t mean anything’ asterisks in your contract, will surely make a difference.

11. To surprise co-national tourists

Ever overheard an unpleasant comment on what you’re wearing or on your new hairstyle by part of a co-national tourist? That’s where the fun starts: express your disappointment in German, look at them severely, and conclude with a nice “I love my co-nationals!”.

12. To conclude important transactions

Your girlfriend can’t live with the hat she just saw at that stand in Alexanderplatz, yet the vendor won’t negotiate? Try in German. You’re not a tourist after all, and it’s guaranteed that you’ll walk away with a smile and a bargained hat.

13. To conquer that German boy or girl

You don’t necessarily have to be fluent. But everybody knows that there is nothing cuter than having a foreigner trying to get your attention with some, more or less correct, expressions in your own language.

14. To understand Berlin’s exotic menus

In Berlin to step out of the house and look for a restaurant or Imbiss that inspires you is like traveling the world in 80 steps. Yet, no matter how exciting this may be to all food lovers, be sure that when you’ll find yourself in front of that 101-dish menu written in a different language (whether it be Siam, Japanese or Lebanese-Arabic) you’ll be quite concerned. The explanation in German of the dishes however helps (and is particularly useful to avoid unpleasant surprises, such as finding out that your dish is covered in coriander).

15. To really integrate

To stop obsessing over those two Germans chatting in the ubahn, thinking that they are talking about you after a glance and a smile. Beyond the irony, to understand / kind-of-speak German in Germany (as much as for any other language in any different place) allows us to be aware, and not feel lost, in our surroundings. Is there really anything more important?

5 tiny German words that once learned will make you feel integrated

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By now we all know it, whether through our German class or in our everyday encounter with native speakers, German is a tricky language to master. One of the reasons is surely its very, very extensive vocabulary. Yet not all of the words are as long as a sentence, some are very small and although seemingly insignificant at first they are actually the indicator of your proficiency in German. We are talking about those small words that once heard will make you long to learn and use in a conversation, and that will make you feel very satisfied when you’ll say them at the right moment.

  1. Doch

It is a conjugation that has a similar meaning to “aber” (but, yet) and can be used as a reinforcer to many sentences. As a single word ,however, it indicates a positive answer to a negative question. i.e. “Didn’t you go the movies yesterday?” … “Doch!”

  1. Genau

One of the first German words we usually learn and it means “exact, exactly”. Germans commonly use it to show that they are attentive to what their interlocutor in saying. Being one of the easiest and simple words, it is very common for people approaching the language that they’ll hear themselves use it and abuse it in any given context.

  1. Achso

This is an exclamation that Germans used to affirm (to great surpise) that they have finally understood what wasn’t evident before. In English the equivalent would be something like “Ooooh! Now i get it!”. i.e. “Isn’t Tim the collegeau you fought with? Achso!”. When you’ll start, it will be very hard to quit.

  1. Krass

It is an adjective that means “extreme” in the colloquial jargon of the Deutsch youth. It sort of took the place of the former cool and geil (strong) to convey something, ha!, a bit more extreme. Krass may be a night at the Berghein as much as a visit to a concentration camp. Learning how to use it is indispensable to demonstrate one’s linguistic proficiency when facing a native speaker. The risk? Everything that happened to you “Es war richtig krass!” (was really extreme!).

  1. Spontan

Germans are notorious for the pleasure they take out of planning. At times, though, they also enjoy being spontaneous, or, spontan. “Do you know what you’ll be doing this weekend?” … “I don’t know, I’ll be spontan!”

 

Cover photo: “Voll Krass” © Oliver Ponsold – CC BY SA 2.0

5 reasons why learning German is really difficult, and 5 reasons why it’s not

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Learning German can daunting, fun and frustrating all at once. It is a test of patience and will, but it many cases it is not as difficult as it seems.

For this reason we have put together a balanced list of 5 reasons by which learning German can be really hard, and 5 reasons by which it isn’t that much.

Five reasons why learning German is hard…

1. Because you can say the same thing in about 500 different ways

German has a very rich lexicon. This is partly due to its incredible ability to create new terms through Wortbildung, literally, the building of words. As a sort of creative exercise, different words and nouns can be joined with one or more suffixes. Furthermore the French cultural domination of the 18th century spoiled the German language and influenced the expression of certain concepts from the time. When then Romanticism and its underlying nationalist ideology spread throughout Europe in the 19th century, certain linguists quite literally invented 100% German words to convey those same expressions (some examples include: division= Aufteilung, definition= Bestimmung…).
The result? Several things in German can be said with two completely different words that actually have the same meaning. The choice of the word will then depend on the context and stylistic criteria. Unfortunately, this richness in choice applies also to whole sentences and expressions.
Thus even if you have been studying German for 10 years and know of 5 different ways to ask “how are you?”, be sure that a native speaker will come to you one day and employ that 6th way that you couldn’t even begin to imagine it existed.

2. Because the spoken language is terribly different from the written one

Yes, this is probably the most interesting, not to say terribly frustrating, aspect of German: no matter how well you know ALL the possible grammatical rules, the gender of thousand of nouns, the sentence structure etc… most likely the you won’t be able to understand one thing from your first conversations with a German, in particular in informal situations. The spoken language has in fact a name for it’s own, the so called Umgangssprache (vehicular language). Its lexicon has even been assembled in dictionaries, and holds the peculiarity of being transversal to dialects.

What characterizes the spoken language is that array of small words that have absolutely no meaning on their own and that Germans use to give a tone to the sentence (a bit like hand gestures for Italians) such as mal, schon, halt, doch… The use of these words will immediately separate a native speakers from who, regardless of how fluent they may be, learned German as a second language. There is then the tendency to ask „Wo kommst du her?“ and „Wo gehst du hin?“ as opposed to the common „Woher kommst du?“ and „Wohin gehst du?“. To our delight, Germans also like to liven up the language with particular expressions and to the universally known “Wie geht’s?” they will probably prefer a „Wie läuft’s?“ or a „Wie ist es?“…

3. Because there are three genders for nouns and with the exception of a few rules, the choice is absolutely random

This is possibly the greatest shock when starting to learn German: to find out that not only there are three different genders (masculine, feminine and neutral), and only few, vague rules (words that end in -ung are all feminine, those ending in -er are usually masculine), but most importantly, that the gender is not always dependent on the word structure, but on some completely random and unexplainable criteria. More than trying to find a logical reason behind the fact that a girl, for instance, is neutral (das Mädchen), the advice is to just accept it and move on. The same applies for plural.
The result is that unlike other languages, where it is pretty much enough to learn a word and move on, in German you’ll have to simultaneously learn it’s gender and it’s plural form. A mental violence, basically.

4. Because certain sounds are really hard to pronounce

Some have made it. This story takes the contours of a legend because certain sounds in German are really, really hard to pronounce. Some have a difficult time with the ch (not to be confused with the sch!) of which there are actually two different versions: the one found after vowels as a, o, u (Dach, Buch, Loch, in phonetic x) and the one found after the interior vowels i, e, ä, ü, ö (ich, Brecht, lächeln, Löcher, Bücher in phonetic ç). If you never noticed don’t worry, it’s normal, Germans themselves probably don’t even realize. One other fascinating sound is the guttural r, the one that departs from that unknown angle of the throat and that completely changes the sound of words like Brot.

5. Because we can’t accept that some verbs can be separated and that a piece of that verb has to be placed at the end of a sentence

Yes, when looking on the dictionary you’ll find a “full” word with a certain meaning, such as ausgehen = to go out, but in everyday sentences that same word will be split in two and the suffix will go at the end. Why? Who knows. Episodes in which you’ll find yourself translating a sentence and happily think to have understood what verb it is, just to find out that you actually missed a “piece” of it, will be very recurrent. And your brain will trip every time you’ll try to converse and have to think of that small element.

Photo: “Schnecken Schlecken” © Andreas: https://www.flickr.com/photos/124330160/ – CC BY SA 2.0

…and 5 reasons for which it isn’t that hard after all

1.It’s a very logical language

It’s true, German has several grammatical rules, but few exceptions. Once you learn the rule you will unlikely have unpleasant surprises.

2. Because there are few pronunciation rules

Except for the difficulty of the sounds aforementioned, one can’t say that German has tough pronunciation rules. Unlike English, for instance, where every word is pronounced in its own way or French, where to rules are so severe and dictations are done even in the most progressed course levels. In German the only sounds that change are certain diphthongs (such eu= oi and ei=ai) and the v which is read as f. For the rest, pretty much all the words are pronounced as they are written. And this is surely something worth mentioning…

3. Because nouns are recognized due to the capital letter

Even if you never studied this language, surely you may have noticed in for instance instruction manuals that several words in German are written with a capital letter. Those are nouns: common or abstract these may be, in German they always have a capital letter. This way of doing resides to the times of Luther and it has been contested for long yet never abandoned: Germans are too convinced of the enhanced readability of a text.

4. Because German has rules to which one can abide to, whereas in English the grammar is more ‘flexible’, so to say

Although English is one of the most learned and used languages globally, the English grammar remains a mystery to much of the native and foreign speakers alike. To this day English has no academy  (unlike French’s Académie française or the Spanish’s Real Academia Española), and debates on verb tenses are very much alive. With German it’s easier, you have the rules and you ought to respect them. They might not always ‘make sense’, but at a certain point the the inner struggle fades.

5. Because you don’t have the gerund and the duration form

In English the dilemma on whether to utilize the gerund or not (i.e. “What do you do”? vs “What are you doing?”) is unresolved. The absence of such in German simplifies our life, not to mention that the (in)famous duration form is nonexistent. So, if you’ve been eating for the past hour you will simply say “Ich esse seit einer Stunde“. Simple and concise.

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If you are starting to get intrigued by the German language, take a look at the German courses that Berlino Schule organizes.