When you’ve got your life somehow vaguely figured out in Berlin, it is very easy to fall into a weekly routine. You see the same people, eat at the same restaurants and go after your favorite hobby. And somehow, this routine becomes dangerously comfortable, until boredom dares us to try something new. Personally, I fear and love my comfort zone. Love it, because Netflix & Angry Chicken with my hubby is fricking amazing. Hate it, because it keeps my mind from expanding. So, I challenge you and me to go out and try something new in the upcoming weeks. I came up with some ideas, fellas, see you there!!
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by Franziska | Stories
illustrations: Berk Karaoglu.
Even before my attempts at vegetarianism, I never really got the German hype about the Wurst. While national pride is usually a concept that I wouldn’t necessarily embrace, the sausage debate is the one instance where I could almost argue for the Polish supremacy. But in Germany, at least in the linguistic sense – you just cannot do without the Wurst. As we continue our iHeartBerlin mission of trying to provide some guidance while you navigate the maze that is the German language, the time has come for the most ridiculous set of idioms. Click through to enrich both your vocabulary and imagination!
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by Michalina | Stories
Although the mundane day to day routine sometimes makes us forget all about it, German is in fact way more than the apparent mother tongue of bureaucracy. Some actually use it to communicate on a daily basis – even in a joking or figurative manner. While you might have reasonable doubts about the feasibility of such venture, we’re here to introduce these 10 ingenious idioms from the German vernacular that will instantly elevate your conversational competence and make you question everything you thought you knew about particular farm animals at the same time.
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by Michalina | Stories
illustrations: Berk Karaoglu
It seems to be true for most relationships that after three years you get to notice things about your loved one that you’re just not very much into. And as I find, it’s no different after you’ve lived in a country for this period of time. Germany’s love for rules becomes apparent once you arrive at the airport and notice the line you’re supposed to stand behind while waiting for your suitcase to show up. Once you leave the airport, it may gradually start to dawn on you why is love sometimes synonymous with obsession.
We have chosen 10 German words that come from the field of bureaucracy. Chances are you don’t want to know them, but here there are anyway. You’ll thank us later.
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by Michalina | Stories
photo: Deutsch for Dich
Earlier this month marked my third year anniversary of living in Berlin. Though I have a permanent WG in Schillerkiez (the best Kiez in Berlin), a handsome German boyfriend with no interest in polyamory (the holy grail!), and a close-knit group of hilarious friends, I still don’t feel like a true Berliner.
Why? Because I don’t speak German.
I can read and understand most things, but every time I try to say something other than “Tschüs!” I freeze.
When I was visiting family in the USA a few months ago, I was amazed at my charisma. I was cracking jokes with the Waffle House waitresses, articulately asking for directions to the nearest Target and politely inquiring where the Kombucha section was in Whole Foods. I couldn’t believe how confident and shiny I was, not just around my family and friends, but out in the real world. Who was this girl? In Berlin, I shrink inside of myself every time I have to speak German with anyone. Upon returning and feeling my shiny-self dull more and more, I decided that learning German was no longer some frivolous thing expats like me talk about doing, it’s something that I needed to do order to let my true self shine.
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by Guest Author | Stories
illustrations: Berk Karaoglu
It’s the first thing someone wants to know when finding out about a new language: before learning how to say hi, or or how to introduce yourself, you want to learn how to curse. I’m sure there is a sociological angle to it, but science aside, swearwords are just amusing. Looking into the magnificent world of German swearwords, one isn’t at all surprised with the creativity levels the country of Goethe and Schiller has. We’ve collected some of the most noteworthy examples, that will have you regret every time you’ve called someone an idiot instead of an ass violin.
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by Stella | Stories
The Berlino Team
Despite your motivation or ability, learning a new language can be a drag: Until words start making sense, what you experience is constant confusion. The need of a language becomes even more imposing when you’ve moved to the country in which it is spoken: no matter how willing people are to speak in English to accommodate you, awkward situations where you don’t know what is happening in daily life are inevitable: the lady talking to you on the street, the cashier at the supermarket, the signs all around the city.
Berlino Schule, the newly created language school by the team behind Berlino Magazine, is ready to meet the challenges that make learning German unattractive, while keeping their price very very attractive: only 4 Euro/hr. They are devoted to providing a friendly atmosphere for their students, where they can feel as adults learning and not school kids. The groups are small in each class, and the staff keeps exploring new, innovative ways in order to make learning more effective and fun. We had the chance to speak with one of the Berlino founders, Andrea D’Addio, about how he came from running a blog about Berlin to running a language school and how to improve your German learning experience.
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by Stella | People
illustrations: Berk Karaoglu
Prior to moving to Berlin I never thought about how important language was when attempting to get to know someone better, particularly while dating. I always dated guys whose native language was English, American English at that. As if dating wasn’t confusing enough, try dating someone who doesn’t dream in the same damn language as you. It wasn’t until I started dating guys from around the world did I begin to understand how uncomfortable it felt not to be able to fully express myself. But, was this necessarily a bad thing?
Sure, when you speak the same language, you understand one another on a molecular level. You share the same phrases to describe mundane situations. You can even talk about your feelings (yuck!) until the cows come home…UM, WHAT? That was all fine and good, but I still wasn’t convinced that the benefits of speaking the same mother tongue outweighed the surmounting disadvantages.
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by Guest Author | Stories
illustrations: Berk Karaoglu
Contrary to a popular belief, communicating in the German language does not necessarily equal having to study extremely long grammar structures for hours on end. I mean – that may be useful when you’re applying for the German citizenship, but in casual everyday life conversations you’re better off mastering a few magic keywords that, although absent from the typical German as a foreign language curriculum, will polish your small talk game with the sought after air of nonchalance.
UPDATE: If you like this feature you will be happy to learn that we published a sassy little book featuring this and many more language pieces available at various shops all over Berlin. Learn more here.
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by Michalina | Stories
photo: Susanne Nilsson / CC
As I was growing up, verbal interactions in any language other than Polish were a pretty rare occurrence in my town. So when in 2014 I got a chance to spend my summer vacations at my brother’s in California, I couldn’t contain my excitement at actually being able to use English on an everyday basis. But it wasn’t before I experienced Berlin that I really got to know an environment truly fitting for a cosmopolitan spirit; I’ve realized that my typical day in Berlin comes with more linguistic challenges than I’d face in an entire year had I not moved here.
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by Michalina | Stories
