Learning a new language might prove difficult, especially when this language is German; pronunciation, declension, past tenses to mention but a few. Granted, every language has its own difficulties and challenges. However, the most difficult part in learning a language is not coming in terms with the basic rules of grammar, syntax or vocabulary, but maintaining regular contact with it beyond the few hours one spends in a classroom weekly.
The traditional teaching method would expect the student to improve his language skills by discussing rather mundane and/or out of touch topics and doing grammar exercises off a textbook. While that can prove efficient to a certain extent -annoying as it is, learning a new language avoiding grammar is impossible- it does not bring one’s language skills to the next level. By “next level”, I refer to the level, where the student is not exclusively dependent on a traditional course and a teacher, but they integrate them organically as one of their many tools in their attempt to elevate their language level.
In order to bring our German language guides to the next level as well, we spoke with someone who is an expert on the topic. Sela is the founder of the language school Sprachsalon in Neukölln and has had her fair share of experience with learning and teaching languages. We sat down with her and discussed some advice on how to fine-tune your German skills.
Read on…
by Nikos | Stories
photo: Days of Deutsch
Actually fact is that you can easily get by in Berlin without any German. It has happened to me more than one time that I started speaking German in a cafe or restaurants only to be stared at blankly with the response of ‘Do you speak English?’. So why bother?
Because you are missing out on nuances of the German culture. As with every language, there are things that you can only express in German and any attempt of translation will lose the meaning immediately. Jokes are not funny anymore by the time somebody has translated them. Or take the word ‘Schadenfreude’ – so unique in its meaning that the word is now used worldwide in German and everybody understands what this means. So what is the best way to actually learn German, one of the most difficult languages to learn? Read more about our recommendations after the jump. Read on…
by Yoori | Stories
photo: Tom
Our fellow blogger Federico is a funny guy. Not only does he share his quirky and witty thoughts on his blog, he has also started a new project that has the Italian Berliner invent a new German word every day for 100 days in a row. Obviously the guy has a fascination with the German language and the fact that our grammar allows us to combine several nouns to one word (which requires a whole sentence to express in English) seems to have been a great inspiration for his new word inventions. Let me tell you one thing up front: They are not actually correct German words and therefore should not be understood as value German lessons such as the words from Days of Deutsch, but they do make so much sense, so maybe the guys from the Duden should consider some of them for inclusion into our vocabulary. Words like Kotzerleichterung (the feeling of relieve after you threw up), Finanzangst (the fear of dealing with the tax officials) and Lieberechenbarkeit (the predictability of someone you love) are so relatable to me and I don’t understand why no-one ever came up with them before. After the jump we have a couple of our favorites of Federico’s new German words. And if you want to hear more of his wit you should tune into tonight’s episode of Off the Record on Flux FM at 22h where he will be a guest of the show.
Read on…
by Frank | Stories
I think it’s pretty obvious that you have to speak German when you want to live in Germany. But Berlin is not Germany. Berlin is a state of mind. And in this state of mind of total freedom people often think that they don’t need to speak German when they start living and working here. I know quite some people who are annoyed by the English speaking expats, but for me as a German I find it actually pretty great that I can practice my English with a lot of native speakers without even leaving my neighborhood. But for the new people who arrive in Berlin and who try learning German it’s really difficult to practice because everybody automatically switches to English as soon they hear a foreign accent.
I know for a fact that without a certain knowledge of German (and an understanding of the culture and mentality of the Germans) some doors (business and private ones) will never open for the new Berliners who plan to make a life here. That sounds a bit dramatic, but I just wish that new Berliners have less fear of the German language and maybe a bit more enthusiasm for learning it.
While I just typed the word “enthusiasm” I had to imagine the shocked faces of several of my non-German speaking friends. And probably quite a lot of my non-German speaking readers think that I have gone insane right now. But honestly: German is a beautiful and precise language with a lot of creative freedom and abundance of neologism that makes the language alive. I don’t want to bother you much more with my love for the German. That’s why I would like to let this photography project convince you to at least try to spark your enthusiasm. The amazing photo tumblr Days of Deutsch that I discovered a couple of days ago, helps you to learn German with photographs of Berlin. More about this beautiful project after the jump.
Read on…
by Claudio | Photos, Stories
photo: marcmo
Immer wieder fällt mir auf, dass viele Leute gar nicht realisieren, dass dieser Blog sowohl auf deutsch als auch auf englisch von uns geschrieben wird. In der oberen rechten Ecke der Seite könnt ihr mit den Fähnchen zwischen den Sprachen wechseln. Interessant für euch zu wissen: Oftmals sind die korrespondierenden Artikel keine Übersetzungen sondern eigene Texte, insbesondere in unserer Stories Kategorie ist das so. Lohnt sich also da mal in der jeweiligen anderen Sprache reinzuschauen. Für die Leser der deutschen Seite sei empfohlen, die Partytipps auf englisch zu lesen, denn da steht viel mehr drin, als in der abgespeckten deutschen Version.
Die deutsche Version von iHeartBerlin.de findet ihr unter dieser Adresse: http://www.iheartberlinde.de/de/
Again and again I notice that people don’t realize this blog is in both English and Deutsch. Up in the right corner of the header you can switch languages. What might be interesting for you to know is that the articles are not the same sometimes. Instead of translating we write a different text in the corresponding language. Especially the articles in the Stories section are worth checking out in German also, while the party guides for instance are way longer and more detailed in the English version.
by Frank | Uncategorized
