This Wednesday, March 8th, is International Women's Day. In the federal states of Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Internationaler Frauentag has been an official holiday since 2019, meaning that offices, stores, and schools are all closed. However, the holiday has existed since the early 20th century as part of the women's rights movement.
The word for gender in German is das Geschlecht, so "gender equality" in German is die Gleichstellung der Geschlechter (note the genitive construction!).
Ein Zeichen dafür, dass Frauen in Deutschland
A sign that women in Germany,
trotz der rechtlichen Gleichstellung
despite legal equality,
noch immer in bestimmten Aspekten des Lebens benachteiligt werden.
are still disadvantaged in certain aspects of life.
Captions 26-28, Gleichberechtigung - Internationaler Frauentag am 8. März
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What does gender equality look like? Getting the right to vote, which women have had in Germany since 1919, was certainly a watershed moment.
Was regelt das Wahlrecht in Deutschland?
What does the right to vote control in Germany?
Caption 29, Bundesrepublik Deutschland - Einbürgerungstest
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However, today's work is focused on women around the world being free from violence, oppression, and discrimination. In Germany, there are also questions of political representation and equal pay.
Wir wollen eine Gleichberechtigung, keine Diskriminierung.
We want equality, not discrimination.
Caption 39, Integration von Nationalitäten - Hessen miteinander
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Here, there's still room for improvement in German politics and offices. However, there are some structures that support women in their work and family life. The noun die Elternzeit is used to describe time taken off by any parent of a new baby.
Da kannst du nur hoffen, dass dein Mann Elternzeit nimmt.
Then you can only hope that your husband takes parental leave.
Caption 48, Großstadtrevier - Nicht mit mir
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Of course, some older traditions still carry forward a slightly misogynistic viewpoint, as beautiful as the costumes may be:
Sind die Bollen rot, bedeutet das, dass die Frau unverheiratet ist.
If the balls are red, it means that the woman is unmarried.
Schwarze Kugeln sind das Zeichen für eine verheiratete Frau.
Black balls are the symbol for a married woman.
Captions 7-8, Cettina erklärt - Sitten und Bräuche
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Further Learning
Be sure to watch Cettina's video about Internationaler Frauentag on Yabla German!
Los verbos alemanes y españoles pueden compartir similitudes semánticas, pero las diferencias en su uso y construcción pueden dar lugar a sutiles diferencias importantes.
Por ejemplo, los verbos wechseln, tauschen y ändern son verbos en alemán que se pueden traducir al español como "cambiar", pero cada una de ellos tiene un significado preciso.
Vamos a explicarlo.
Wechseln:
significa "cambiar" en el sentido de reemplazar o cambiar una cosa por otra. Por ejemplo, ich möchte das Geld wechseln (Quiero cambiar dinero), que hace referencia al cambio de una moneda por otra, o ich möchte den Wechsel meines Autos (Quiero cambiar mi auto) hace referencia al cambio de una medio por otro.
Würde es dir was ausmachen, das Thema zu wechseln?
¿Te importaría cambiar el tema?
Subtítulo 36, Lilly unter den Linden - Kapitel 6: Warten auf die Entscheidung
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Kann man das Bein wechseln? -Nein!
¿Se puede cambiar la pierna? -¡No!
Subtítulo 7, Die OLElympischen Spiele - Laotischer Hühnertanz
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Tauschen:
También significa "intercambio" en el sentido de cambiar una cosa por otra, se usa también en el caso de “cambiar dinero”. Sin embargo, tauschen se centra en el acto de intercambio. Por ejemplo: ich tausche mein Buch gegen dein Buch (cambio mi libro por el tuyo).
OK. Und noch eine Frage: Wollen wir mal kurz den Hut tauschen? -Nein! -Hahaha...
OK. Y otra pregunta: ¿Nos cambiamos el sombrero?- ¡No!- Ja ja ja...
Subtítulo 27, Rheinmain Szene - DJ-Ikone Sven Väth
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Hey, tauschst du Westgeld? Eins zu sechs.
Oye, ¿cambias dinero occidental? Uno a seis.
Subtítulo 1, Marius Müller-Westernhagen - Der Mann auf der Mauer
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Ändern:
significa "cambiar" en el sentido de modificar o cambiar algo. Se utiliza para denotar cambios en forma, contenido, estructura, apariencia, etc. Por ejemplo, ich ändere meinen Plan (Cambiaré mi plan), se refiere a la modificación de los planes originales.
Das ändert nichts, es muss getan werden.
Eso no cambia nada, hay que hacerlo.
Subtítulo 6, Operation Walküre - Das Stauffenberg-Attentat
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Willst du dein Leben ändern?
¿Quieres cambiar tu vida?
Subtítulo 9, Nena - Licht
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En resumen, mientras que wechseln se refiere a reemplazar una cosa por otra, tauschen se enfoca en el acto de intercambiar y ändern se usa para decir que algo varía. Por ello, es importante elegir las palabras adecuadas según el contexto y el significado que se quiera transmitir.
Aprendizaje adicional.
En nuestra biblioteca de Yabla alemán encontrarás decenas de videos con diálogos auténticos con hablantes nativos usando los verbos wechseln, tauschen y ändern. Escucha detenidamente y cuando aparezcan puedes precisar el significado más específico.
In a previous Yabla German lesson, we discussed heterographs. Today, we'll be taking a look at homographs. These are homophonic words, which means they are words that sound the same and are spelled the same, but have different meanings. Homographs can be quite confusing in spoken language, because the only way to know the meanings of the words—since they sound the same—is by the context in which they are used. In German, the gender of the word can play a significant role. The word "homograph" comes from Ancient Greek and literally means "written the same."
Note too that in German, regional differences in pronunciation can sometimes make a set of words homophones in one region, but not in another. Keep in mind that because of the capitalization of nouns in German, in order for two words to be true homographs, they must both be the the same case, with the first letters either lower or upper case. So while the adjective arm ("poor") may be the same letters and sound the same as the noun der Arm ("arm"), they are homophones but not strictly homographs because of the difference in cases. Since all nouns are capitalized in German, this means that a noun can never be a homograph of a verb, adjective, or adverb in German. This makes for very few homographs in German compared to English and other languages! Here are a few examples.
Zu seiner Überraschung fielen alle sieben Fliegen auf den Tisch.
To his surprise, all seven flies fell onto the table.
Caption 12, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Das tapfere Schneiderlein
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Angst vor dem Fliegen hat sie jedenfalls nicht.
Fear of flying, in any case, she does not have.
Caption 4, Im Höhenflug - Ariadne (die Ex von Lothar Matthäus)
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The plural of the insect "fly" (die Fliege) is die Fliegen, and the noun das Fliegen comes from the verb fliegen ("to fly"). We can invent some funny sentences with these word combinations: Haben Fliegen Angst vor fliegen? ("Are flies afraid of flying?") What a silly question!
Im Sommer verschmäht er auch Insekten und Spinnen nicht.
In summer, it does not reject insects and spiders, either.
Caption 15, Die letzten Paradiese - Schätze der Natur: Südtirol
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Dieses Konzept ermöglicht das Spinnen von zwei verschiedenen Garnfeinheiten gleichzeitig.
This concept enables the spinning of two different yarn counts simultaneously.
The plural of the arachnid "spider" (die Spinne) is die Spinnen, and the noun das Spinnen is yet again a noun derived from the verb spinnen ("to spin"). Sind die Spinnen an all das Spinnen gewöhnt? ("Are the spiders used to all the spinning?") It's logical that the German words for "spinning" and for "spiders" are nearly the same. Spinning webs is what spiders do best, right?
Mit dem ersten Band kündigt die junge Autorin ihre literarischen
Ambitionen an.
With the first volume, the young author is announcing her literary ambitions.
Die Band ist eingespielt; die Models wissen, wie sie laufen müssen.
The band has warmed up; the models know how they must walk.
Caption 29, Mode - Backstage auf der Modenschau
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Daher umsäumt ein helles Band den Weißensee und gibt ihm seinen Namen.
From that, a bright band surrounds the Weissensee and gives it its name.
Caption 14, Alpenseen - Kühle Schönheiten
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In the three examples above, we see der Band, die Band and das Band, three words that are spelled and pronounced the same, but have different genders and meanings. Der Band means a volume in a set of books; die Band comes from the English word "band" as in a musical group; das Band has the most meanings, and can mean a band such as a silk band, or a belt, ribbon, strap, tie, tape or even the belt in a conveyor belt, depending upon the context. Note too that the three words have different plurals: Der Band = die Bände; die Band = die Bands; das Band = die Bänder (alternately: die Bande). The easiest one here to remember is that since die Band comes from English, its plural is from the English too with -s.
Let's go for all three in one sentence, shall we?
Welcher Band der Diskografie der Band wurde auf Band aufgenommen?
We can decrypt the above by gender: Welcher Band in the nominative case makes for der Band, thus "volume"; der Band is in the genitive case, thus in the nominative case is die Band, or "band" as in musical group; the last Band has no pronoun, but the verb aufgenommen (recorded) tells us it must be referring to magnetic recording tape, thus das Band.
Which volume of the band's discography was recorded on tape?
Or in plural:
Welche Bände der Diskografien der Bands wurden auf Bänder aufgenommen?
Which volumes of the bands' discographies were recorded on tapes?
Luckily, this is about as complicated as German gets! In most cases, people would use das Tonband (die Tonbänder) for "recording tape" too. Let's just take a deep breath now and know that even some native German speakers might have some problems with this one.
Further Learning
Take a look at these examples of German homophones on Wikipedia and find some examples of the words used in a real-world context on Yabla German. Then see if you can create some German sentences using both homophones in the same sentence. You are allowed to make up silly sentences if you want to, of course!
You may have occasionally seen sentences like the following: Sie sagte, er spreche sehr gut Deutsch.
You may think, er spreche? What is going on here?
This structure is an example of what is known as the indirekte Rede (in English "reported speech"), which is used more often but not exclusively in written German and formal reporting or storytelling. Sentences like this will involve the verb sagen or other verbs used to talk about what people think and say, such as antworten, äußern, behaupten, berichten, denken, erklären, fragen, glauben, or meinen.
In instances where someone's speech or thoughts are reported, you may see the subjunctive (Konjunktiv I) employed, like in the sentence above. For regular verbs, some of the endings are indistinguishable from other tenses, but some are very different. Here is the complete Konjunktiv I conjugation of the verb sprechen, and here are examples of how it would be used with reported speech:
Er sagte, ich spreche sehr gut Deutsch. ("He said I speak very good German.")
Er sagte, du sprechest sehr gut Deutsch. ("He said you speak very good German.")
Er sagte, er/sie spreche sehr gut Deutsch. ("He said she/he speaks very good German.")
Er sagte, wir sprechen sehr gut Deutsch. ("He said we speak very good German.")
Er sagte, ihr sprechet sehr gut Deutsch. ("He said you speak very good German.")
Er sagte, Sie/sie sprechen sehr gut Deutsch. ("He said they speak very good German.")
In the following examples, you can see the same conjugation pattern with a few other verbs:
Der König hatte sie nicht eingeladen,
The King hadn't invited her,
weil es hieß, sie habe ein böses Herz.
because it was said she had an evil heart.
Caption 19, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Dornröschen
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Er verband ihm das Bein,
He bandaged his leg,
fragte ihn nicht, wohin er wolle, woher er käme.
did not ask him where he was going, where he had come from.
Captions 7-8, Janoschs Traumstunde - Der Wettlauf zwischen Hase und Igel
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Der hat mir erzählt, er sei echt nur...
he told me that he really just is...
Er fahre eigentlich Mercedes
He actually drives a Mercedes
und kleide sich deshalb so schräg ...
and the reason he dresses so weirdly...
Captions 30-31, Yello-Biographie - Ein Leben für die Avantgarde
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You may have noticed that kommen is irregular. One other irregular verb that you have likely seen conjugated like this is sein:
Von daher werde ich nicht tanzen,
Therefore I won't be dancing,
so dass ich behaupten kann, ich sei ein brillianter Tänzer,
so I can claim that I'm a brilliant dancer
und niemand kann es konterkarieren.
and nobody can disprove it.
Captions 25-26, Deutsche Sporthilfe - Ball des Sports
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Hans erklärte, er sei nicht verzaubert,
Hans explained that he was not bewitched,
sondern wirklich ein Igeljunge.
but really a hedgehog boy.
Caption 71, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Hans mein Igel
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Sie behaupteten, sie seien Weber eines seltenen,
They claimed that they were weavers of a rare,
besonders schönen Stoffes.
especially beautiful cloth.
Caption 25, Märchen - Sagenhaft Des Kaisers neue Kleider
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Further Learning
You will likely come across examples of reported speech on Yabla German from time to time, but structures like Sie sagt, dass er Italienisch spricht are simply more common in spoken German. When you do see an example that uses Konjunktiv I, check to see if it's a regular or irregular verb in terms of its conjugation.
Don't be afraid of the difficult-looking words above! It's really quite simple: Homophones are words that sound the same, but have different meanings. Heterographs are homophones that also have different spellings. This can be quite confusing in spoken language, because the only way to tell homophones and heterographs apart is by the context in which they are used. The word "homophone" literally means "sounds the same," whereas the word "heterograph" means "written differently." In German, both nouns are neuter: das Homofon (or das Homophon) and das Heterofon (or das Heterophon).
Note too that in German, regional differences in pronunciation can sometimes make a set of words homophones in one region, but not in another. Let's take a look at some German heterographs today.
Monika aß sehr viel gekochtes Getreide.
Monika ate a lot of cooked grains.
Caption 4, Deutsch mit Eylin - Ernährungsformen
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Wenn die Nahrung knapp wird, begnügt er sich mit Aas.
When food becomes scarce, it makes do with carrion.
Caption 26, Die letzten Paradiese - Schätze der Natur: Südtirol
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It's ironic (and a bit disgusting) that the past tense of "to eat" (aß, from essen) sounds the same as the word for cadaver (das Aas). There's a certain logic, however, in the fact that most animal cadavers in the wild tend to get eaten by scavenger animals. When a homophone pair consists of a verb and a noun, you can construct funny-sounding sentences from them, such as: Er aß das Aas. By the way, only humans are referred to with the verb essen ("to eat"), whereas animals always take the verb fressen ("to devour"). And indeed, fressen also has a heterograph.
Das Pferd frisst gerne Äpfel.
The horse likes eating apples.
Caption 38, Deutsch mit Eylin - Pronomen
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Diese Frist kann verlängert werden,
This deadline can be extended
und zwar wieder nur durch einen einstimmigen Beschluss.
and only—indeed once again—through a unanimous ruling.
Caption 19, Brexit-Votum - Merkel warnt vor Spaltung Europas
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The third-person present tense of "to devour" (fressen) is frisst, and die Frist is a deadline or time limit. Der Pferd frisst Äpfel lieber ohne Frist. Nobody likes to be hurried to eat, right?
Er bot den Frauen ein Abkommen an.
He offered the women a deal.
Caption 55, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Die Weiber von Weinsberg
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Oje, das Boot von Opa Wutz hat kein Benzin mehr.
Uh oh, Grandpa Wutz's boat is out of gas.
Caption 16, Peppa Wutz - Sport
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Thus the past tense of "to offer" (bot, from bieten) is a heterograph of das Boot. Using both words in the same sentence, you can say something like: Das Boot bot uns viele Reisemöglichkeiten.
Wenn diese Temperatur so anhält,
If this temperature continues,
frieren die ganzen Seen in der Umgebung, wie ihr auch hinter mir sehen könnt, komplett zu.
all the lakes in the area will completely freeze over, as you can see behind me.
Captions 6-7, Unterwegs mit Cettina - Schlittschuhlaufen
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In this case, the plural of "lake" (der See) is Seen, and the verb "to see" is sehen. In the above example, both words of this heterograph pair are already in a single sentence.
Further Learning
Take a look at these examples of German homophones on Wikipedia and find some examples of the words used in a real-world context on Yabla German. Then see if you can create some German sentences using both homophones in the same sentence. You are allowed to make silly sentences, of course!
In English, when we talk about something being done for a purpose, we might use the phrase "in order to" or simply "to." In German, you will see the prepositions um and zu used in combination to express this, but they have to be implemented in a certain way.
In both of the examples below, one action is taken so that another may happen. Notice that the "to" in each English sentence could also be replaced with "in order to."
Wir lesen sie, um zu erfahren, was in der Welt passiert.
We read it to find out what's happening in the world.
Caption 2, Deutsch mit Eylin - Denk schnell!
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Die Seekuh muss mindestens einmal alle zwanzig Minuten auftauchen, um zu atmen.
The manatee must surface at least once every twenty minutes to breathe.
Captions 60-61, Die Top Ten - Die 12 freundlichsten Meerestiere der Welt
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In some more complex examples with direct objects and dependent clauses, you can see that there can actually be quite a lot of space between um and zu. However, zu and the infinitive are always at the very end.
Und es wird benutzt, um Dinge und Lebewesen zu identifizieren.
And it's used to identify objects and living things.
Caption 49, Deutsch mit Eylin - Haben und Sein
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Wir beide arbeiteten,
We both worked
um neben der Schule etwas Geld zu verdienen.
to earn some money alongside school.
Captions 17-18, Konjugation - Das Verb „arbeiten“
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Da können Sie dann im Wartebereich das Mobiliar zerhacken,
With that, you can then chop up the furnishings in the waiting area
um sich ein Lagerfeuer zu machen.
to make yourselves a campfire.
Captions 16-17, Extra 3 - Das ehrliche Reisebüro
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Dann bist du nämlich ziemlich bald startklar,
Then pretty soon you'll be ready
um über Zukünftiges auf Deutsch zu sprechen.
to talk about the future in German.
Captions 63-64, Deutsch mit Eylin - Das Futur bilden
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Have you noticed that there is always a comma before um in these sentences that involve the um... zu... structure? This is a rather easy rule that you should keep in mind when writing.
Further Learning
There are many examples of this construction on Yabla German, but why not also make up some sentences that are related to your life?
The Duden German Dictionary has the definition of the standard form of the adjective/adverb schräg as "deviating from a vertical or horizontal line at an acute or obtuse angle." With this standard meaning, schräg is usually translated into English as "diagonal" or "diagonally."
Sie lehnen den Kopf schräg nach links...
You'll turn your head diagonally to the left...
Caption 12, Nackenschmerzen - steifer Nacken
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In dem er sich senkrecht oder schräg positioniert,
By positioning itself vertically or diagonally,
lauert der Trompetenfisch seiner Beute auf.
the trumpet fish lies in wait for its prey.
Captions 47-48, Evolution - Meeresbewohner
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The second definition of schräg as a slang term is more interesting. Duden's definition describes schräg as "deviating from the norm, customary, or expected, and therefore unacceptable." In other words, "weird"—and not in a good way.
Although the German dictionary mentions that the slang usage of schräg is usually a pejorative or put-down, it does not give any examples of schräg used in a complimentary sense. In fact, the slang adjective—probably originally used as a put-down of jazz, experimental music, and modern art—eventually had its negative connotation turned on its head. By the late 1970s and early 1980s, with the advent of punk and industrial music, as well as increasingly "difficult" contemporary art, describing music or art as schräg was often meant as a compliment.
It might seem a bit tricky to tell if something somebody describes as schräg is meant as an insult or a compliment, but it's usually pretty easy to tell in context.
Alles frei nach dem Motto:
Everything freely according to the motto:
„Je schräger desto besser."
"the more eccentric, the better."
Caption 12, Auftrumpfen - Mit Kitsch und Protz
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Der war irgendwie psychisch ziemlich... schräg drauf.
Who was, in a way, quite psychologically... skewed.
-Angeschlagen.
-Damaged.
Caption 75, Sons of Sounds - Interview
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Die Kanzlerin auf einer vom schrägen Designer gepimpten Glitzer-Harley?
The Chancellor on a glittering Harley pimped out by the weird designer?
Caption 13, Stardesigner Harald Glööckler - Jetzt auch noch "Bling-Bling"-Motorräder
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Er fahre eigentlich Mercedes und kleide sich deshalb so schräg,
He actually drives a Mercedes and the reason he dresses so weirdly
weil er vor 20 Jahren Boris Blank getroffen habe.
is because he had met Boris Blank 20 years ago.
Captions 31-32, Yello-Biographie - Ein Leben für die Avantgarde
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The most common English translation of the slang meaning of schräg is "weird," but as you see above, there is a lot of latitude in translation, depending upon the context. The translation in the "Sons of Sounds" video as "skewed" is very clever, since it also acknowledges the translation of the standard meaning of schräg as "diagonal" yet still conveys the slang meaning!
Further Learning
Think of a concert or some kind of art event that you have attended that surprised you by being strange in a way that you liked. Make up a few sentences describing the event in a positive way using the slang meaning of schräg. Now think of some events you attended that were just too strange for you to like. Think up a few sentences describing these events in a negative way using schräg. Then go to to Yabla German and watch the full-length videos quoted above to get a better sense of the contexts in which schräg was used.
Al hablar o escribir cualquier idioma, es importante aprender cómo ampliar nuestras ideas. Esa es la función de los conectores, añadir relación de causa-efecto, comparación, contraste, consecuencia, etc.
Por tanto, los conectores ayudan a enriquecer los textos, los discursos cotidianos, dando fluidez a los mismos y evitando las secuencias de frases aisladas o inconexas.
En alemán se utilizan conectores para unir nuestras ideas, igual que en español.
No obstante, algunos pueden cambiar de forma e incluso no significar exactamente lo mismo si se traducen literalmente.
Ese sería el caso del conector “por eso” que tiene en alemán varias palabras correspondientes.
Algunas de esas palabras son: daher, deswegen, deshalb y darum.
Veamos unos ejemplos con hablantes nativos:
Daher
Das war eine sehr große Familie und ich hatte daher sieben Gastgeschwister.
Era una familia muy grande, así que tenía siete hermanos anfitriones.
Subtítulo 6, Im Ausland unterwegs - Federico's Jahr in den USA
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Daher der Spruch: „Gib Süßes oder es gibt Saures!“
Por eso el dicho: "¡Entrega dulce o hay truco!"
Subtítulo 26, Cettina erklärt - Halloween
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Deswegen
Deswegen kommen jetzt noch ein paar Beispielsätze.
Por eso, aquí vienen otras frases más de ejemplo.
Subtítulo 44, Deutsch mit Eylin - Das Futur bilden
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Deshalb
Er hat seinen ganzen Ärger deshalb jetzt in einem Buch aufgeschrieben.
Por eso, ahora ha escrito todos sus enfados en un libro.
Subtítulo 5, Buchtipp - Aufregen für Fortgeschrittene
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Deshalb erzähle ich dir heute mal etwas über Astrologie.
Por eso, voy a contarte hoy algo sobre la astrología.
Subtítulo 5, Deutsch mit Eylin - Astrologie 1 Planeten
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Darum
Darum feiern wir! -Oh, frohe Weihnachten.
¡Por eso celebramos! -Oh, Feliz Navidad.
Subtítulo 74, Peppa Wutz - Weihnachten
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Aprendizaje adicional.
Además de los ejemplos mencionados anteriormente, existen otros conectores en alemán que son útiles para enriquecer el lenguaje y mejorar la coherencia y cohesión tanto al hablar como al escribir textos. Ahora, disfruta de los videos de la videoteca de Yabla alemán y fíjate cuál palabra se ha usado para traducir “por eso”
In the German language, there are a number of words that can be used to describe whether something is allowed or not. Generally, each adjective is also the participle of the related verb.
For something that is allowed, permitted, or approved, there are the adjectives erlaubt (verb: erlauben), gestattet (gestatten), gewährt (gewähren), and zugelassen (zulassen).
Was ist bei Bundestags- und Landtagswahlen in Deutschland erlaubt?
What is allowed in the national and state elections in Germany?
Caption 19, Bundesrepublik Deutschland - Einbürgerungstest
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Das dürfen wir nicht gestatten, König.
We must not allow that, King.
Caption 31, Deutsche Sagen - Die tapferen Weiber von Weinsberg
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Einen kleinen Einblick gewährt er uns aber trotzdem.
He grants us a little glimpse, but nevertheless.
Caption 10, Der Papst - Hier wohnt der Papst
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Nun, die politischen Umstände in Nordafrika
Well, the political circumstances in North Africa
haben das erst mal nicht zugelassen.
didn't allow that at first.
Caption 66, Terra X - Ohne Kohle und Atom - Geht uns der Strom aus?
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Some words that have the opposite meaning are verboten (verbieten) and untersagt (untersagen).
Du weißt, dass Handys in meinem Unterricht verboten sind.
You know that cellphones are banned in my classroom.
Caption 31, Die Pfefferkörner - Gerüchteküche
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Schulen wurden geschlossen, Spielplätze gesperrt,
Schools were closed, playgrounds closed off,
der Kontakt zu anderen Menschen wurde untersagt.
contact with other people was prohibited.
Captions 12-14, Cettina erklärt - Auswirkungen des Coronavirus
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In general, the adjectives gestattet and untersagt are used in more formal contexts than erlaubt or verboten. The adjective zugelassen can also be translated as "licensed" or "registered."
61,5 Millionen Kfz sind in Deutschland zugelassen.
61.5 million motor vehicles are registered in Germany.
Caption 2, Richter Alexander Hold - Richtig parken
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Further Learning
Go to Yabla German and search for the verbs and the adjectives that are derived from them. Pick a place and write some sentences about what is allowed or not allowed there. Some examples are Glasflaschen sind im Freibad nicht gestattet or Handys sind während der Prüfung verboten.
It's hard to break old habits of speech when you are learning to pronounce words in German that you already knew before, such as many place names. It can take a while to change the pronunciation that you learned a long time ago in your native language. Such may be the case with the capital city of Germany, Berlin.
In English, "Berlin" is pronounced bur-LIN. The first part sounds like "brr," when you are cold, and it's certainly a cold enough place in winter. The second part rhymes with "win" and is the stressed syllable. You probably pronounce it this way already, though if you happen to come from Berlin, Connecticut or Berlin, New Hampshire, you might naturally put slightly more emphasis on the first syllable. Don't do that if you are talking about bur-LIN, Germany!
Ironically, a number of Germans I know, when they are speaking English, mispronounce the English pronunciation of Berlin as BURR-lin. Maybe they're trying to sound more American with the heavy emphasis on the R, but I usually don't have the heart to correct them. In the following video, a male American student says "Berlin" with the American pronunciation, followed by his female native German teacher saying "Berlin" with a proper German pronunciation:
„Wenn ich Urlaub habe, gehe ich nach Berlin... -nach Berlin." Gut.
"When I am on vacation I go to Berlin... -to Berlin." Good.
„Nach Berlin." -„Gehe ich nach Berlin", ja.
"To Berlin." -"I go to Berlin," yes.
Captions 64-65, Deutschkurs in Tübingen - Nebensätze als Satzanfang
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In German, of course, "Berlin" is pronounced very differently. The first syllable sounds like "bear" and the second syllable like "lean": bear-LEAN. Of course, the bear (der Bär) is the symbol of Berlin! The German teacher above is in Southern Germany, but in Northern Germany and especially in Berlin, people tend to emphasize the "i," sounding more like bur-LEEEN :
Aber seit ich in Berlin lebe,
But since I've lived in Berlin,
arbeite ich als Kellnerin und Barista in Cafés.
I've worked as a waitress and barista in cafés.
Caption 16, Berlin - Judith und die „Brezel Bar“
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Das ist tatsächlich ein Hotel in Berlin mit einem ganz verrückten Konzept.
This is, in fact, a hotel in Berlin with a completely crazy concept.
Caption 2, Berlin - Indoor-Camping im „Hüttenpalast“
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Kommst du auch aus Hamburg?
Do you also come from Hamburg?
Nee, aus Berlin.
No, from Berlin.
Captions 33-34, Großstadtrevier - Nicht mit mir - Part 4
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Du kommst gar nicht aus Berlin.
You're not from Berlin at all.
Caption 24, Großstadtrevier - Nicht mit mir - Part 5
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Further Learning
Go to Yabla German and search for videos about Berlin. You can also watch the music video of the song "Berlin" by the 1980s German punk band Ideal. The chorus repeats Ich steh auf Berlin, which means "I like Berlin." It shows a lot of street scenes and demonstrations from the early 1980s West Berlin, when the city was much rougher than it is today!
The new year always seems to get off to a slow start in Germany. The days are actually getting longer again, but it won't really be noticeable for another month or so. Particularly in the northern part of the country, there is very little sun at the moment, and the urge to hibernate can be intense!
The German verb for "to sleep" is schlafen, and it is accompanied by the following related verbs:
Also, ich kann überall relativ schnell einschlafen.
So, I can fall asleep relatively quickly anywhere.
Caption 6, Angelique Kerber - Generali fragt Angelique Kerber #5 | Was kann Angie?
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Und am Sonntag will ich ausschlafen.
And on Sunday, I want to sleep in.
Caption 16, Deutsch mit Eylin - Wochentage, Monate und Jahreszeiten
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Ach, jetzt weiß ich, warum wir verschlafen haben.
Oh, now I know why we overslept.
-Aha, warum denn?
-Uh-huh, why then?
Caption 55, Die Pfefferkörner - Cybermobbing
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There is also the phrase etwas überschlafen, which means to delay making a decision on something until the following day. This exists in English with a different preposition: "sleep on it."
Another verb that means "to sleep" is pennen, which is a slang word similar to when people use the verb "to crash" in English.
Sieben Nächte die Woche zu wenig gepennt.
Seven nights a week, slept too little.
Caption 7, Max Giesinger - 80 Millionen
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Although you will often hear der Mittagsschlaf used for the word "nap," there is also das Nickerchen. These are used with the verb machen.
Wenn sie ein Nickerchen machen wollen,
If they want to take a nap
dann muss dies zwischen zwei Atemzügen geschehen.
then this must be done between two breaths.
Captions 62-63, Die Top Ten - Die 12 freundlichsten Meerestiere der Welt
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And to conclude, here are some relevant adjectives:
Und ich putze auch nicht den Boden,
And I also won't clean the floor,
dafür bin ich nämlich viel zu müde!
I am namely much too tired for that!
Caption 19, JoNaLu - Prinz Dreckspatz
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Sonnenblumen, schläfrig am Zaun.
The sunflower, sleepy against the fence.
Caption 14, Sabine und Ivana - Gedichte im Bus
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Further Learning
You can find these words related to sleep used in context on Yabla German. Make sure to read our previous lesson about the verb verschlafen, which also has meanings that aren't related to sleep! You can also learn some variations on the adjective müde, such as hundemüde, lebensmüde, und todmüde.
The German name of the city of Munich is "München," which is a difficult word to pronounce correctly. The problem for many native English speakers is that "München" contains a difficult vowel and consonant combination (ü and ch) — sounds that don't really exist in the English language. And when you add a third consonant ("n") into the mix, you wind up with a potential tongue-twister. So let's focus today on learning to pronounce "München" correctly and not having it sound like something between "Munchkin" and "moonshine!"
Let's start with the umlaut vowel "ü." It's best if you click directly on the Deutsch mit Eylin video link below and listen to the "ü" sound several times before trying to imitate it. Notice that you may have to make a different shape with your mouth to get the sound right. Much like playing a musical instrument, learning to pronounce new sounds in a foreign language requires muscle memory: training your mouth to make different shapes than it is used to!
Das „Ü“ findest du ganz leicht,
You can easily make the "Ü"
wenn du ein übertriebenes „I“ sprichst.
when you say an exaggerated "I."
Caption 26, Deutsch mit Eylin - Umlaute
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Iiiüüü. Iiiüüü. Super!
Iiiüüü. Iiiüüü. Excellent!
So hört sich das „Ü“ im Deutschen an.
This is what the "Ü" sounds like in German.
Captions 29-32, Deutsch mit Eylin - Umlaute
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Next, let's look at the consonant combination "ch" in German. This consonant combination is often used in diminutive forms such as ein bisschen, or das Mädchen. The most commonly spoken word with this "ch" combination is probably when you're talking about yourself: ich. It's pretty normal for beginners to pronounce it too hard like "ick," or too soft like "ish." It's actually closer to the harder "ick" sound, but instead of clicking the "k" sound on the back of the roof of your mouth, you let it more or less extend as a kind of hissing sound from the front of the roof of your mouth.
Listen to captions 49-51 repeatedly in the following video and then practice pronouncing them yourself. The three highlighted words all have the same soft "ch" sounds: weich, durchgekocht, and riecht. Be careful that you don't mispronounce the "ch" as a hard "k" or a soft "sh"!
Ja, die Birnen sind jetzt weich
Yes, the pears are now soft,
und die Bohnen sind durchgekocht
and the beans are cooked through,
und es riecht sehr, sehr lecker.
and it smells really, really delicious.
Captions 49-51, Bundesländer und ihre Rezepte - Hamburg
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Now that you have practiced saying the vowel "ü" and the consonant "ch," it's time for the challenge of pronouncing both of them together with the consonant "n" in between: München, here we come!
Ich komme dich in München besuchen.
I'm coming to visit you in Munich.
Caption 20, Deutsch mit Eylin - Das Futur bilden
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Meine älteste Schwester Anne
My eldest sister Anne
eröffnete in München den ersten Bioladen der Stadt!
opened in Munich the city's first organic food store!
Captions 39-40, Deutsch mit Eylin - Ernährungsformen
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Further Learning
Go to Yabla German and search for videos about München. Now that you have learned to pronounce it correctly, you can learn a bit more about the culture of the city. In a coming lesson, we'll be addressing the pronunciation of "Berlin," a city name that Germans themselves often mispronounce when trying to speak its standard English pronunciation!
In Germany, the time between Christmas and New Year's is often referred to as zwischen den Jahren ("between the years"), which is a dative construction. As you may know, the word zwischen is a two-way preposition, which means it may be followed by either the accusative or dative case. Here you can see how the article (and adjective!) changes depending on whether something is in the process of being put or going between, or is simply stationed between:
Ganze sechs Wochen hat man an dem Rezept getüftelt. Nach amerikanischem Vorbild kommt hier nicht einfach nur Fleisch zwischen die Brötchen.
An entire six weeks were spent tinkering with the recipe. According to the American model, it's not just meat that gets put between the buns.
Captions 7-8, Berlin: Die beste Auswahl an Hamburgern
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Erst neunzehnhundertneunundachtzig wurde die Mauer zwischen den beiden Regionen wieder geöffnet.
It was not until nineteen eighty-nine that the wall between the two regions was reopened.
Captions 19-20, Bundesländer und ihre Rezepte: Bundesland Berlin
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In addition to the preposition zwischen, you may have also seen the words dazwischen and inzwischen. These words are both adverbs. The word dazwischen is often translated as "in between," though there may be instances in which other phrasings are more applicable in English.
Also, entweder gewinnen wir oder wir fahren alle anderen kaputt. Also, dazwischen gibt's nichts.
Well, either we win or we run everyone else off the road. So there is nothing in between.
Caption 6, VW-Käfer-Cup: auf dem Hockenheimring
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Und dazwischen ist eine kleine Biene hin und her geflogen.
And in between them, a little bee flew back and forth.
Caption 22, Piggeldy und Frederick Der Apfel
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Und dazwischen ist immer wieder Zeit für eine kleine Rast und einen kleinen Ratsch.
And along the way, there's always time for a little rest and a bit of conversation.
Caption 33, Die letzten Paradiese: Die Schönheit der Alpen
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The word inzwischen has quite a different meaning, as it refers to time. It means "meanwhile," "in the meantime," or "by now."
Hier in Ulrichstein am Vogelsberg stehen inzwischen sechsundvierzig Windräder.
Here in Ulrichstein, there are meanwhile forty-six windmills.
Caption 4, Energiewende in Hessen: Windräder und Solarparks
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Claudia Schiffer ist inzwischen dreifache Mutter.
Claudia Schiffer is in the meantime mother of three.
Caption 28, Claudia Schiffer: Nach der Babypause
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Und wir haben inzwischen viele Begegnungen gehabt.
And we have had many meetings in the meantime.
Caption 6, Angela Merkel :Gemeinsame Pressekonferenz mit Barack Obama
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Further Learning
You can find many examples with these words on Yabla German. Meanwhile, enjoy your time "between the years," and stay tuned for our first lesson of 2023!
En alemán hay varias formas de expresar si te gustaría tener o hacer algo. Por ello, vamos a revisar los verbos wünschen, möchten y wollen. Este artículo te será de ayuda para luego usarlas correctamente.
Wünschen
En español y en muchos otros idiomas, uno puede desear algo, por ejemplo, un vaso de agua si te gustaría tomarlo. Ahora bien, el verbo alemán wünschen significa "desear", pero debe utilizarse con un contenido diferente.
Se puede decir Ich wünsche dir alles Gute (Te deseo todo lo mejor) o Zum Geburstag wünsche ich mir ein Auto (Deseo un carro para mi cumpleaños). Como se ve, este verbo se utiliza para expresar un deseo, un sentimiento hacia alguien de corazón o para expresar algo que no se puede asegurar que se vaya a conseguir o realizar.
Wir wünschen euch ganz viel Spaß mit Yabla.
Os deseamos mucha diversión con Yabla.
Subtítulo 34, Yabla-Anleitung Lieblingsvideos markieren
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Was wünschst du dir zu Weihnachten?
¿Qué deseas tú para Navidad?
Subtítulo 45, Peppa Wutz Weihnachten - Part 1
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Möchten
Pertenece a la lista de los llamados verbos modales. Möchten es un caso muy especial, y en cierto modo es idiomático en el sentido de que se utiliza como mögen (gustar), verbo del cual proviene, para expresar un deseo. Möchten es una forma cortés y subjuntiva para decir "me gustaría". Hablar con möchten suena más educado que con wollen en alemán. Tenlo en cuenta porque la mayoría de las veces, y especialmente cuando interactúas con otras personas como en un restaurante, debes utilizar möchten porque, de lo contrario, puede sonar hasta grosero.
Hm, hm. -So, was möchtet ihr trinken?
Mm, mm. -Bueno, ¿qué queréis beber?
Subtítulo 7, Nicos Weg A1 Folge 14: Was trinkst du?
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Heute möchte ich mit euch über Hamburg sprechen.
Hoy quiero hablar con vosotros sobre Hamburgo.
Subtítulo 3, Bundesländer und ihre Rezepte Bundesland Hamburg - Part 1
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Wollen
Otro más del sexteto de verbos modales en alemán. Si quieres expresar que quieres hacer algo (como un plan) o que tu estado de ánimo ha cambiado de educado a un poco más enfadado, es el momento de utilizar el verbo wollen en alemán.
Wie wollen wir zusammen leben und denen helfen, die noch am Rande stehen?
¿Cómo queremos vivir juntos y ayudar a aquellos que aún están marginados?
Subtítulo 19-20, Angela Merkel Neujahrsansprache - Part 2
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Was willst du mir sagen?
¿Qué quieres decirme?
Subtítulo 9, Küss mich, Frosch Sei kein Frosch - Part 3
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Aprendizaje adicional.
A menudo, los estudiantes de alemán intentan traducir directamente de sus lenguas. Conocer las diferencias presentes entre estos tres verbos, sin duda, es un insumo de mucha utilidad para tu viaje de aprendizaje. Entonces, corre a ver los videos de la biblioteca de Yabla alemán, a divertirte con sus juegos y recuerda lo que hemos aprendido en esta lección.
If you ever decide to move to Germany, you may be looking for an apartment or house to rent. Let's take a look today at some of the basic terminology related to renting a place of your own!
Hallo, ich bin Fine und heute bin ich auf Wohnungssuche.
Hello, my name is Fine and today I am apartment-hunting.
Caption 2, Fine: sucht eine Wohnung
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The first step, of course, to find an apartment is auf Wohnungssuche gehen ("to go apartment-hunting").
Ich habe das Internet nach Stellenanzeigen durchsucht.
I have searched on the internet for job listings.
Caption 5, Berufsleben: das Vorstellungsgespräch
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In much the same way as you would search for work via job listings on the internet, you can search die Wohnungsanzeigen ("the apartment listings") online on sites such as Immobilienscout.
Ich würde vorschlagen, da machen wir einen Termin am Freitag um zwölf Uhr.
I'd suggest that we make an appointment for Friday at noon.
Caption 26, Mein Weg nach Deutschland: Beim Arzt
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Once you have found an available apartment that meets your requirements for size, price, and neighborhood etc., you can make an appointment to see the apartment.
Hat der keinen Antrag gestellt? Das würd' ich dringend raten!
Didn't he file an application? I would strongly advise that!
Caption 75, Meine fremde Freundin: Was alle denken
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When you find an apartment you like, you will need to then fill out an apartment application (der Wohnungsantrag or die Wohnungsbewerbung). You may also be required to give a credit report, called a Schufa. This syllable word abbreviation is short for Schutzgemeinschaft für allgemeine Kreditsicherung ("Protective Association for General Credit Security"). It's easy to understand why this is commonly abbreviated!
Es gibt jetzt einen Vertrag.
There is now a contract.
Caption 37, Wincent Weiss & Benni Freibott: Musik sein
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Once your rental application and credit report are approved, the next step is for you to sign a rental contract (der Mietvertrag).
Muss man denn Kaution bezahlen?
So do you have to pay a deposit?
Caption 20, Nicos Weg: Auf Wohnungssuche
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The answer to that question is unfortunately "yes." In most cases, you will be required to pay a rental deposit (die Mietkaution), either directly to the landlord or into a shared escrow account. The amount is usually the equivalent of two or three months' rent.
Ich habe Ihnen den Schlüssel im Vertrauen gegeben.
I gave you the key in confidence.
Caption 47, Lerchenberg: Sascha hautnah
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Once you have signed the contract, it is normal for the landlord to hand over the keys to the apartment. German even has a specific noun for the handover of the keys: die Schlüsselübergabe.
Wie ist denn deine neue Wohnung?
What is your new apartment like then?
Caption 5, Lilly unter den Linden: Umzug in die DDR
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It's really nice, hopefully! Herzliche Glückwünsche on getting your first apartment in Germany! In an upcoming lesson early next year we'll discuss the less-expensive option of moving into a Wohngemeinschaft, called WG for short. Do you already know what that is?
Further Learning
Go to Yabla German and watch the full Auf Wohnungssuche videos from the Mein Weg nach Deutchland, Nicos Weg, and Fine series.
For some people, winter in particular is a time of coziness, which may involve indoor activities such as knitting and sewing. Of course, arts and crafts are something you can engage in all year round. We've looked at fine arts before, but today let's look at German words for various creative hobbies.
First of all, we have activities such as knitting, sewing, crochet, and embroidery:
Sie hatte gestrickt und vergessen, ein Mahl zu bereiten.
She had been knitting and had forgotten to prepare a meal.
Caption 14, Janoschs Traumstunde: Der Wettlauf zwischen Hase und Igel
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Er verbrachte seine Tage damit zu nähen.
He spent his days sewing.
Caption 7, Märchen - Sagenhaft: Das tapfere Schneiderlein
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Im Nebenjob sind die Oberkommissare Häkelhelden und häkeln Mützen für den guten Zweck.
In their sideline jobs, the chief commissioners are crochet heroes and crochet caps for a good cause.
Captions 4-5, Häkelhelden: Polizisten im Einsatz
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Sie vertrieben sich die Zeit mit Stickerei, Lesen und Kartenspiel.
They passed the time with embroidery, reading, and card games.
Caption 56, Das Mittelalter im Südwesten: Ritter und Burgen
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Of course, not all creative hobbies involve textiles:
Mittlerweile machen wir eben Schmuck und, äh, es gibt jetzt ein Parfum von Herr von Eden.
In the meantime, we have started making jewellery and, uh, there is now a perfume by Herr von Eden.
Caption 13, Jonathan Johnson: Herr von Eden
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Bauernmalerei, Blaudruckerei, Schmiede, Töpferei, Weberei.
Farm painting, indigo printing, blacksmith's, pottery studio, weaving studio.
Caption 2, Berlin: Domäne Dahlem
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Hier kommen wir nun zum Stand mit der Keramik.
Here we come now to the stand with the ceramics.
Caption 34, Deutsch mit Eylin: Umzug nach Ottensen
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Ach ja, und hier sind natürlich auch noch die Pinsel zum Aquarellkasten.
Oh yes, and here are, of course, the paintbrushes for the watercolor box, too.
Caption 56, Deutsch mit Eylin: Dinge auf meinem Schreibtisch
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The word "hobby" has been adapted into German as das Hobby, though you also might hear people talk about their Lieblingsbeschäftigung. When we speak about crafts in German, we tend to specify with das Kunsthandwerk rather than simply saying die Kunst.
Further Learning
Do you do any handicrafts or have creative hobbies? In addition to looking on Yabla German, you can use an online dictionary like LEO.org to get a translation for your hobbies.
Not that there's any shortage of things to complain about the last few years, but even in better times, Berliners are especially fond of complaining. In winter, it's always too cold outside, and as soon as it gets warm, it's always too hot! And with a recent court decision, which for the first time in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany has rendered the results of last September's Berlin elections null and void, everyone has to go in February 2023 and vote on the identical ballot again. Not only is that something to complain about, but since I recently moved out of Berlin, I won't even be able to take part in the revision election because I no longer meet the residential qualifications to be allowed to vote. So I stood in line for two and half hours to vote last September—only to have my vote rendered null and void. Not that I am complaining or anything!
Let's take a look today at some of the standard and slang German verbs for "to complain."
70 Prozent der Lehrer beschweren sich darüber, dass die sanitären Einrichtungen nicht gut sind.
70 percent of teachers complain about the fact that the sanitary facilities are not good.
Captions 13-14, heute-show: Hazel Brugger will Lehrerin werden
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Aber er wagte es nicht, sich über die harte, langweilige Arbeit zu beschweren.
But he didn't dare complain about the hard, boring work.
Caption 8, Märchen - Sagenhaft: Der Zauberlehrling
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As you see above, one of the most common German proper verbs that means "to complain" is the reflexive verb sich beschweren.
Ja, und die jammern nicht, die klagen nicht...
Yes, and they don't whine, they don't complain...
Caption 23, Umwelt und Natur: Wo sind all die Bienen hin?
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Lerne warten, ohne zu klagen.
Learn to wait without complaining.
Caption 26, Piggeldy und Frederick: Der Esel
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The slang verb jammern is also often translated as "to complain." Be careful with the verb klagen, however, as it can also mean "to sue" or "to file a lawsuit."
Vielleicht reklamiert sie was.
Maybe she's issuing a complaint.
Caption 12, Großstadtrevier: Nicht mit mir
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The verb reklamieren is an official kind of complaint, and means more than just complaining verbally. It can also mean to return a product you have purchased: Ich habe den Fernseher reklamiert means "I returned the television."
Ich beklagte mich beim Kellner über das kalte Essen.
I complained to the waiter about the cold food.
And yet another reflexive verb, sich beklagen, is often translated as "to complain." Let's move on now to some more slang words for "to complain," not forgetting the verb jammern mentioned above.
Von uns Westberlinern wird gesagt, dass wir nur meckern.
People say about us West Berliners that all we do is complain.
Caption 51, heute-show: 30 Jahre Mauerfall
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Und daran gibt es nichts zu meckern.
And there's nothing to complain about there.
Caption 25, Die letzten Paradiese: Die Schönheit der Alpen
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The slang verb meckern can also, depending upon the context, be translated as "to grumble," "to whine," and occasionally "to scold."
Sie gruben und schaufelten, buddelten und hievten, knurrten und murrten, ächzten und stöhnten, aber den Topf voller Geld, den fanden sie nicht.
They dug and shoveled, burrowed and heaved, growled and grumbled, moaned and groaned, but the pot full of money—they didn't find it.
Captions 49-51, Märchen - Sagenhaft: Die drei Brüder
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The verb knurren, often translated as "to growl," and the verb murren, often translated as "to grumble" or "to mumble," are also sometimes translated as "to complain." Only the verb knurren is considered to be slang, however.
Further Learning
Look up the verbs you learned today on Yabla German and see how they are variously translated in different contexts:
(sich) beklagen
(sich) beschweren
jammern
klagen
knurren
meckern
murren
reklamieren
Remember that the word search will sometimes work better if you just search for the verb's root and an asterisk (murr* for murren) because then you can find videos with different tenses.
These days more than ever, our eyes are on the news. Finding reliable sources is so essential for keeping up to date with politics, following the weather and the environment, and learning about society and culture.
As we know from a previous lesson, die Nachricht can mean "the message," but also refers to the news. Note that "the news" is singular in English, but plural in German.
Die Nachrichten über den Krieg in der Ukraine seien schwer zu ertragen.
The news about the war in Ukraine is hard to bear.
Caption 21, Private Hilfe auf dem Bahnsteig: Berliner helfen Ukrainern
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Many people get their news from newspapers, whether in print or online. Some German newspapers include Die Zeit, Frankfurter Allgemeine, and Süddeutsche Zeitung. There are also political magazines like Der Spiegel with articles on current events.
Ich hab Zeitung gelesen und mich in den Artikel vertieft.
I was reading the newspaper, immersing myself in the article.
Caption 8, O du fröhliche: Flashmob in der Straßenbahn
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Du schaust eine Zeitschrift an oder eine Zeitung und dann gibt es Anzeige für ein Auto, Anzeige für ein Parfüm.
You are looking at a magazine or a newspaper and then there is an ad for a car, an ad for a perfume.
Captions 10-11, Deutschkurs in Tübingen: Was braucht der Mensch?
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Ha, traurig, was manche Leute für eine Schlagzeile tun.
Ha, sad what some people do for a headline.
Caption 58, Lerchenberg: Hitlers Hundeführer
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Of course, many people also get their news from television or radio. The word die Sendung can be used to describe either a television show or a radio broadcast. A news show can be referred to as die Nachrichtensendung.
Hallo, hallo. Ich bin der Moderator dieser Sendung.
Hello, hello. I'm the host of this show.
Caption 27, Lerchenberg: Du bist, was du isst
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Whether you read or listen to your news is not as important as making sure the source of the news is reliable:
Das sagte Merkel am Donnerstag. [Quelle]
That's what Merkel said on Thursday. [Source]
Caption 6, Angela Merkel: Solidarität der Generationen in Coronakrise
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Further Learning
Keep an eye on the series Langsam gesprochene Nachrichten and visit Yabla German for an overview of current events.