Birdwatching in German: 38 birds and their names

Last month we spent just over a week in Germany. We attended a wedding, spent some time in Dortmund where I studied many years ago and spent a few days in Schüttorf, my hometown. As always, when in Schüttorf, we walked through our favourite forest, the Bentheimer Wald to our favourite bench, the Baumelbank It … Read more

A dose of German happiness for June 2026

Welcome to another month of the German Action for Happiness Calendars. As before, you can if you wish also print out a PDF version. And if you want or need to, you can see it here in English, where you also find further foreign languages. Use the following sentences as a German reading and translation exercise and then act on … Read more

German compound nouns with “Mai”: 16 seasonal words for learners

May is a lovely time of year to bring a little seasonality into your German learning. As the days get longer and everything begins to bloom, it’s the perfect moment to explore how the German language reflects this time of year. If you are a regular reader of my posts, you know that I like … Read more

A dose of German happiness for May 2026

Welcome to another month of the German Action for Happiness Calendars. As before, you can if you wish also print out a PDF version. And if you want or need to, you can see it here in English, where you also find further foreign languages. Use the following sentences as a German reading and translation exercise and then act on … Read more

A dose of German happiness for April 2026

Welcome to another month of the German Action for Happiness Calendars. As before, you can if you wish also print out a PDF version. And if you want or need to, you can see it here in English, where you also find further foreign languages. Use the following sentences as a German reading and translation exercise and then act on … Read more

A dose of German happiness for March 2026

Welcome to another month of the German Action for Happiness Calendars. As before, you can if you wish also print out a PDF version. And if you want or need to, you can see it here in English, where you also find further foreign languages. Use the following sentences as a German reading and translation exercise and then act on … Read more

More than just slippery: How Germans use ‘glatt’

With black ice (Glatteis) causing chaos across Germany at the moment, one small German word is everywhere: glatt. This page contains affiliate links to Amazon. It means I’ll get a few pence if you buy anything – at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t just describe icy roads, though. In German, glatt can mean … Read more

A dose of German happiness for February 2026

Welcome to another month of the German Action for Happiness Calendars. As before, you can if you wish also print out a PDF version. And if you want or need to, you can see it here in English, where you also find further foreign languages. Use the following sentences as a German reading and translation exercise and then act on … Read more

A dose of German happiness for January 2026

Welcome to another month – and year – of the German Action for Happiness Calendars. As before, you can if you wish also print out a PDF version. And if you want or need to, you can see it here in English, where you also find further foreign languages. This month’s theme: Happier January – Glücklicher Januar Happier – Kinder … Read more

Learn German and spread happiness in December 2025

Welcome to another month of the German Action for Happiness Calendars. As before, you can if you wish also print out a PDF version. And if you want or need to, you can see it here in English, where you also find further foreign languages. Use the following sentences as a German reading and translation exercise and then … Read more

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