I’ve lost count on how many times I heard that question and the answer depends on so many different factors. How motivated are you? How much time do you have? Are you learning in Germany or in your own country? Have you learned a language before? The Goethe-Institut once produced a poster with the rough … Read more
One of the first songs German children learn is ‘Alle meine Entchen’, as it’s a very easy song. In fact, it’s so easy, you can sing along with it, even if you don’t speak any German. A close English translation (to make it fit the song) would be: All my little ducklings, (are) swimming in … Read more
I just had to share this with you! The Telegraph posted a very interesting slide show today about the 10 best languages to study. Guess which is the best one? I show you the no 1 slide: Yes, it’s German! “Germany remains the largest single export market for British goods outside of the … Read more
Two weeks ago I wrote a blog post about German food words in everyday English when my friend Suzan St Maur told me she got hungry reading my post and where could she buy some German sausages. And, actually, could I write a blog post about where you can buy German food in England. So this post is … Read more
Could you imagine that somebody would patent the word ‘hello’ and you couldn’t sell T-Shirts with it? This is currently happening in Austria with the words ‘griaß di’. Griaß di is a greeting similar to hello or hi. It is used in parts of Bavaria are and also in Austria. Now there were two … Read more
The other day I came across a blog post about 25 German Loanwords. It’s a good list, but I felt, out of the 25 words only five or six are used frequently. And yet, there are many German words in everyday English, especially food items. How about – Bratwurst (a sausage) Frankfurter (another sausage) Hamburger … Read more
It’s my birthday today and people have already sung for me. That reminded me of a question I often get asked: ‘How do the Germans sing ‘happy Birthday’? Well …………. they sing ……….. ‘Happy Birthday to you’! There is a German version but most of the time they sing it in English. If you’d like … Read more
As I am a German teacher people will (quite rightly J) say that I am biased, but I have always said that for businesses German is a far more important language than other foreign languages. Yesterday I read about the compulsory language lessons planned for primary schools and I wasn’t surprised when I read: ‘The plans to be … Read more
I have just enjoyed some Diamond Jubilee celebrations in Devizes where I was asked by somebody what I made of all the fuss about Queen Elizabeth II and her jubilee. It wasn’t the first time. Last week I was asked whether I was glad that Germany didn’t have a monarchy and how I was going … Read more
That’s a stupid question, I hear you say! Walking a marathon is a physical challenge, learning German isn’t! True, but they are both challenges. Imagine: You’re looking for a challenge and decide to walk a 26 miles marathon. You book your place and as it’s quite a while before the walking date, you’re not really … Read more
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