The custom of making a New Year's resolution, where we promise to try to make improvements in the coming year, is common in many western European countries. A recent newspaper report states that the most popular New Year's resolution for Germans this year is to try to pay more attention to their personal finances, with the specific goal of saving more money.

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The German word for "resolution" in the context of a New Year's resolution is der Vorsatz, as in der Vorsatz für das neue Jahr, or less commonly, der Neujahrsvorsatz. 

Haben Sie irgendwelche Vorsätze für nächstes Jahr?

Do you have any resolutions for next year?

Caption 8, Silvester - Vorsätze für das neue Jahr - Linkenheim

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Haben Sie Vorsätze?

Do you have resolutions?

-Ja, es wird alles besser!

-Yes, everything will get better!

Captions 30-31, Silvester - Vorsätze für das neue Jahr - Linkenheim

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Haben Sie sich schon gute Vorsätze fürs neue Jahr vorgenommen?

Have you already made good resolutions for the new year?

Caption 8, Silvester - Vorsätze für das neue Jahr - Karlsruhe

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Machen Sie sich Vorsätze fürs neue Jahr?

Do you make resolutions for the new year?

Nein. -Nein, warum nicht? -Weil mer [wir] sie sowieso nicht einhalten.

No. -No, why not? -Because we don't keep them anyway.

Captions 40-41, Silvester - Vorsätze für das neue Jahr - Karlsruhe

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We hope you can be a bit more optimistic about your New Year's resolutions than this last fellow, perhaps it helps if the resolutions are realistic!

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Further Learning
Watch both of the Yabla German videos about New Year's resolutions in Linkenheim and in Karlsruhe in their entirety and write some New Year’s resolutions for yourself in German.