Facts and Episodes
about Germany, the Germans and the German language
Business German: Off the Peg or Unique?
You will hardly find a language course provider that does not also offer 'Business German'. "Something to do with business - we'll manage that." That's probably the thinking of some of our competitors. But what can you, as a demanding manager, expect from such...
“Vee haf vays of making you talk” (in German)
Yes, we have these means, and we have proven a thousand times over that they are extremely effective. But, of course, they are not the means you know from old war films of brutal SS men who use torture to force their prisoners to say what they don't want to say. Those...
An Italian learns a tricky German word – or two?
Some time ago I was reading a German text with my Italian client Flavio. Then it came to this little dialogue: Flavio: Niels, what does ‚anhalten' mean? Niels: 'to stop', 'fermarsi'. (I see Flavio noting: „anhalten = to stop“. I intervene)...
Fitness Test: German Prepositions
For anyone who wants to learn another language, prepositions can be like little devils. "Which preposition goes with which verb?" Logic alone is often not enough to answer this question. The result: mistakes. So far this applies to many languages. Anyone who wants to...
Scientific German – The Most Important Nouns
Technical language differs considerably from General German language. When we talk about Scientific German, it is clear that a chemist has a largely different technical language than an economist. However, there is an overlap – a vocabulary that is more or less...
Quality of Life – a Question of Perspective
Quality of life is obviously a question of perspective. The British ECONOMIST publishes an annual ranking from the perspective of expats and business travellers. For years, first place in this global ranking has been taken by a city that is not located in Germany,...
Business German: Presenting Facts and Figures in German
In terms of grammar, Business German hardly differs from German as a general language. In terms of vocabulary, however, it differs a lot.. And here the purchasing manager in the automotive industry needs a largely different technical vocabulary than the chief...
The Figure of the Month for April 2024: 2.2%
Good news from the German economy has unfortunately been quite rare recently. But here is a positive exception: The inflation rate in Germany fell to 2.2% in March. After 6.9% in 2022 and 5.9% in 2023, this signals a significant easing on the inflation front. Almost...
Most Relevant German Verbs
If you want to or are supposed to learn German, you will have to learn German vocabulary, among other things. This may not be much fun, but it is unavoidable if the project is to be successful. Of course, you have the same problem in other languages. If you want to...
German Vocabulary Training
Anyone who wants to communicate successfully in a language needs, of course, an extensive vocabulary. This is a necessary, but of course not yet sufficient condition. Of course, knowledge of grammar, among other things, is also indispensable. But let's concentrate on...
Pretty Woman
One client was a top Hollywood executive early in his career. During this time there he was offered the script for 'Pretty Woman'. He turned it down. He told me he turned down the script because he thought it was 'sexist shit'. After the film's terrific success, he...
Other countries – other customs: To tip or not to tip?
For continental Europeans, the German tipping culture is not a problem. On the continent, habits are largely similar. For U.S. Americans in particular, however, the German tipping culture holds surprises in store. Tipping is also popular here - especially in...