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Handeln and um etwas handeln

The basic definition of the noun das Handeln is "the action." As a verb, handeln can mean "to act" or "to take action," but also "to trade," "to deal in," or "to bargain."

 

Wenn sich die eigenen Kinder einen Hund als Haustier wünschen, sollten Eltern nicht gleich voreilig handeln.

If their own children wish to have a dog as a pet, parents shouldn't just act hastily.

Captions 12-13, Haustiere als Geschenk? - Vier Pfoten unterm Weihnachtsbaum

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Und letztendlich hab' ich dann eben versucht, in Währungen zu handeln und in Rohstoffen und so weiter.

And in the end I just tried to deal in currencies and in commodities and so on.

Captions 10-11, Rhein-Main-TV aktuell - Börsen-Gewinnspiel

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However, you may have also seen the construction sich um etwas handeln, which can be translated as  "to be a case of," "to be a matter of," "to be about," "to be dealing with," or "to have to do with." Pay attention to how the order of the words in the phrase is altered to fit into the sentence constructions. 

 

Es handelt sich also um akut verfügbare Maßnahmen

So it is a matter of provisions made immediately available.

Caption 21, Angela Merkel - beim Nachhaltigkeitsrat

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Ich habe gedacht, es kann sich nur um doppelt vergebene Nachnamen handeln.

I thought it could only have to do with duplicately given last names.

Caption 19, Großstadtrevier - Von Monstern und Mördern

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Aber prüfe genau, ob es sich auch wirklich um eine Prinzessin handelt!

But check carefully whether you're really dealing with a princess!

Caption 24, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Die Prinzessin auf der Erbse

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Ja, der Frühling. Der kommt bestimmt bald. Kann sich ja nur noch um Monate handeln.

Yes, spring. Surely it will come soon. It can only be a matter of months now.

Caption 26, Umfragen - Zootiere im Winter

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Further Learning
Look up related words such as die Handlung, die Verhandlung, and verhandeln using  your favorite dictionary and search for examples on Yabla German

Expressions with Weg and Weise

This week we'll look at the German translations for English expressions using the word "way." 

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Both "on my way" (also with "your" or any other possessive adjective) and "on the way" are translated as auf dem Weg in German.

 

Ich bin auf dem Weg und jetzt geh' ich unter das Tor.

I'm on the way and now I'll go under the gate.

Caption 34, Diane erklärt - Präpositionen

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This can also be used figuratively as well, as it is in English: 

 

Dann gibt es nur noch eine kleine Hürde auf dem Weg zu Ihrem Traumjob.

Then there is still only one small hurdle on the way to your dream job.

Caption 16, Bundestagswahl – Stellenanzeige - Bundeskanzler gesucht

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The same goes for something standing or being "in the way":

 

Und dem soll auch vorerst nichts im Wege stehen.

And for now nothing should stand in the way of that.

Caption 15, Rhein-Main-TV aktuell - Der Frühling ist da

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Dann kann der aufsteigenden Künstlerin ja nichts mehr im Wege stehen.

Then, indeed, nothing can stand in the way any longer of this rising artist.

Caption 33, Singer-Songwriterin Elif - Eine Achterbahn der Gefühle

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The expression unterwegs means "on the way," "traveling" / "in transit" or "on the go."

 

„Wann sehen wir endlich die Faulheit?“, fragte Piggeldy unterwegs.

"When will we finally see the laziness?" Piggeldy asked on the way.

Caption 7, Piggeldy und Frederick - Faulheit

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Sie waren den ganzen Tag unterwegs gewesen und es wurde dunkel...

They had been travelling the whole day, and it grew dark...

Caption 36, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten

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Eva Padberg ist als Model viel unterwegs.

Eva Padberg is, as a model, on the go a lot.

Caption 1, Rhein-Main-TV - Eva Padberg beim Weihnachtseinkauf

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When we talk about a way of doing something or the way something happened, we use the words die Art, die Weise, or the expression die Art und Weise.

 

Doch im dritten Viertel wendete sich das Blatt in kaum vorstellbarer Weise.

Indeed, in the third quarter the page [the tables] turned in an almost unimaginable way.

Caption 23, Deutsche Bank Skyliners - Basketball-Bundesliga

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Und das tun die Tiere im Frankfurter Zoo auf ganz unterschiedliche Art und Weise.

And the animals at the Frankfurt Zoo do this in very different ways.

Caption 15, Umfragen - Zootiere im Winter

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There are a couple of different ways to express "either way," such as in beiden Fällen or so oder so. 

 

So oder so, wir werden dann auf alle Fälle mit Ihnen Kontakt aufnehmen.

Either way, we will in any event get in touch with you.

Caption 68, Berufsleben - das Vorstellungsgespräch

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Further Learning
Try integrating these phrases in your daily language practice. If you need more examples, do a search on Yabla German.

Bieten versus Anbieten

I have been speaking German for well over three decades, and although I've only lived in Germany and spoken German on a daily basis for about 15 of those years, I still get confused occasionally by verb prefixes. As I was formulating a freelance job offer the other day, it struck me that I wasn't entirely sure about the difference between bieten and anbieten, both of which are commonly defined as "to offer" in English.

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To confuse matters even further, the Duden dictionary, which sets the standards for the German language, gives the primary definitions as: anbieten: zur Verfügung stellen und seine Bereitschaft dazu erkennen lassen, zeigen and bieten: anbieten, zur Verfügung, in Aussicht stellen. As you see, the meanings seem nearly identical; in fact, the first definition of bieten is anbieten!

 

There is, however, a rule of thumb that can help you remember the main difference between the two: anbieten is the specific process or act of making an offer, whereas bieten is a general state or condition, that is, a standing offer or a feature.

 

To illustrate, here are a few examples of anbieten from Yabla German, first in present tense, then in past tense, then in simple tense as a separable verb:

 

Kann ich Ihnen einen Kaffee anbieten?

Can I offer you a coffee?

Caption 19, George und Donna - Die Milch macht's

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Deutsch wird als zweite Sprache ab Stufe eins angeboten.

German is offered as a second language from the first grade.

Caption 40, Strothoff International School - Imagefilm

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Wir bieten unseren Tieren saisonale Produkte an, wie beispielsweise Weihnachtsbäume.

We offer our animals seasonal products like, for example, Christmas trees.

Caption 48, Umfragen - Zootiere im Winter

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And some examples of bieten from Yabla German, first in present tense, then in past tense:

 

Yabla bietet dir das weltweit fortschrittlichste System.

Yabla offers you the most advanced system worldwide.

Caption 3, German Intro - Jenny

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Und auch dieses Jahr ist wieder allerhand für Jung und Alt geboten.

And this year too, a lot is offered again for young and old.

Caption 5, Das Tollwood-Festival - BAP und Clueso in der Musik-Arena

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Lastly, when someone is bidding in an auction you would always use the word bieten (or steigern), but never anbieten.

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Further Learning
Make up some sentence examples in English using the word "offer" and then translate them into German to see if you understand the principal difference between bieten and anbieten.  Also, do a search on German Yabla for both of the words to find some examples of their usage in a real-world context.

 

Are You Certain?

Has anyone ever had the audacity to doubt you, despite your obvious inborn genius and natural talents? The best response to such outrageous treatment is, of course, to put the disbelievers firmly in their place, and this is best accomplished through modifiers that express certainty, ways of emphasizing that there can simply be no doubt: you are the greatest, and they are just going to have to live with the fact.

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Former German president Christian Wulff may have been forced to resign in a 2012 scandal, but nobody ever doubted his support for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup:

 

Die Unterstützung des Schirmherrn aus dem Schloss Bellevue

The support of the patron from Bellevue Castle

ist also gewiss.

is certain.

Captions 13-14, Frauenfußball-WM - Der Bundespräsident am Ball

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As to life after the resignation, Wulff may be facing difficulties similar to those of an animal shelter in Nied:

 

Die Zeiten werden rauer, so viel steht fest.

The times are getting rougher, that is for sure.

Caption 48, Für Tierfreunde - Tierheim Nied

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Though Wulff's smile is still looking good, there's always room for improvement, as suggested by Diane and Franca:

 

Wenn ich weniger Schokolade essen würde,

If I ate less chocolate,

wäre mein Zahnarzt bestimmt zufriedener mit mir.

my dentist would certainly be happier with me.

Captions 30-31, Konjugation - Das Verb „essen“

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And were Wulff to be accused of smuggling a polar bear into the Frankfurt Zoo, he would surely respond:

 

Doch wie Sie sicherlich wissen,

But as you surely know,

gibt's im Frankfurter Zoo keine Eisbären.

there aren't any polar bears in the Frankfurt Zoo.

Caption 11, Umfragen - Zootiere im Winter

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Further Learning:

Gewiss, feststehen, bestimmt, and sicherlich are just a few examples of the many ways of expressing certainty in German. Go the the aforementioned interview with former German president Christian Wulff on Yabla and see if you can find other examples of Mr. Wulff expressing certainty. As the old saying goes, Hochmut kommt vor dem Fall.

Expressions