During our last trip to Germany over the holidays of 2018, we drove through a small town in southwestern Germany called “Kuchen” during one of our day trips. This prompted the following conversation between me and my husband: Him (confused): “Why would a town be named after the German word for kitchen? Me: “Actually, Kuchen …
Whether you are learning German “just because” or because you are planning to visit — or move to — Germany, getting familiar with some of the basics of German language is not only helpful in day-to-day life, but can also enhance your experience in a plethora of ways. In this blog post I’d like to …
100+ Common German Phrases and Expressions to Sound Like a Native SpeakerRead More »
The Holidays are more or less right around the corner — close enough, in fact, to perk up a bit if all of your preparations happen at the last minute like mine usually do (hey, no judgment!). But before going into a tizzy about your Holiday to-do list for this year, let’s take a moment …
“Merry Christmas” in German – Holiday Traditions and GreetingsRead More »
Whether you’re from the United States, from Poland or from Brazil – celebrating your birthday in your home country surely comes with a variety of different and interesting traditions. Obviously, Germany also has a lot of customs and rituals to celebrate your or someone else’s special day. Some will look quite familiar, and some of …
“Happy Birthday” in German – Wishes, Traditions and TriviaRead More »
Whether you want to tell people about your family constellation or how many pets you own, you most likely won’t be able to accomplish that without using the German verb “haben” (to have). But apart from these situations, the word “haben” is used for so much more: it additionally serves as a “helper verb” for …
A Complete Guide to the Conjugation of the German Verb “Haben”Read More »
“Sein oder Nichtsein, das ist hier die Frage” (To be or not to be, that is the question) — whether you’re into Shakespeare or not, the famous line from Hamlet, written in 1600 (or possibly 1602), is the perfect opener for today’s topic: the conjugation of the German verb “sein”. This will not only come …
Conjugation of the German Verb “Sein”: A Crash CourseRead More »
Whether you’re planning a road trip or want to tell your German friends about your upcoming vacation, it’s likely you will need to use the German verb “fahren” (“to drive”, “to travel”, “to go”). This entire blog post is dedicated to the conjugation of the verb “fahren”. Let’s have a look at how it works! …
All About the Conjugation of the German Verb “Fahren”Read More »
If you have ever listened to the German opening of the famous TV series Sesame Street, you might have stumbled upon the following line: “Wieso, weshalb, warum — wer nicht fragt bleibt dumm!” (“How come, for what reason, why — if you don’t ask you’ll stay stupid.”) As per usual for the German language, this …
In a recent post, I talked about the conjugation of the German verb “gehen”. In this blog post, I’ll talk about a different topic that sounds very similar: the conjugation of the German verb “sehen”. “Sehen”, which means “to see”, doesn’t just sound similar, it also is – just as “gehen” (“to go”) – an …
Conjugation of the German Verb “Sehen”: The Definitive GuideRead More »
“This dress is so pretty, but it’s just a little bit too short.” “I had to go home because I wasn’t feeling well.” “He didn’t study very hard and therefore he failed his classes.” What do all these sentences have in common? If you take a closer look at the way these statements are structured, …
German Conjunctions (Konjunktionen): A Complete GuideRead More »
