Even with our smartphones and GPS, we sometimes need to ask a local for directions or where we can find a certain type of establishment. Let's look at some important verbs and phrases you need to know. 

Wie komme ich von hier zum Hauptbahnhof?

"How do I get from here to the main train station?

Caption 66, Deutsch mit Eylin: Öffentliche Verkehrsmittel in Hamburg

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In addition to this structure, you should know the words der/die/das nächste and der/die/das nächstgelegene (singular), as well as in der Nähe.

Wo ist die nächste / die nächstgelegene Tankstelle?
Where is the nearest gas station? 

Gibt es einen Geldeautomaten in der Nähe?
Is there an ATM nearby?

Das ist im Zentrum, in der Nähe vom Arbeitsamt.

That's in the city center near the employment office.

Caption 13, Nicos Weg: An der Ampel links

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Wenn ich mich nun plötzlich für Mantras interessiere, gehe ich in die nächste Buchhandlung

If I'm suddenly interested in mantras, I go to the nearest bookstore

Captions 51-52, Deutsch mit Eylin: Informationsfülle

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Das nächstgelegene Krankenhaus wird angeflogen.

[They're] flying to the nearest hospital.

Caption 12, Rettungsflieger: Im Einsatz

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When giving directions, the word for straight is geradeaus, and this can be combined with gehen or fahren. For turning, you can say abbiegen, but also fahren for someone who's in a car or on a bike. 

Am Zoo musst du ungefähr noch mal hundert Meter geradeaus.

At the zoo you have to go straight again about a hundred meters.

Caption 43, Melanie und Thomas: treffen sich

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Also, geradeaus, dann rechts, dann links, und dann wieder geradeaus, ja? 

So, straight ahead, then right, then left, and then straight again, yes?

Captions 19-21, Mein Weg nach Deutschland: Unterwegs auf der Straße

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To cross a street or plaza, you can use the verb überqueren or simply gehen with the preposition über. 

Da muss man aufpassen, wenn man die Straße überqueren will.

You have to be careful when you want to cross the street.

Caption 22, Shuah: Auf der Straße in Berlin

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Dann geht ihr über den Grafenplatz und kommt in die Krugstraße.

Then you cross Grafenplatz and get on to Krugstrasse.

Caption 19, Nicos Weg A1 Folge 42: An der Ampel links

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Giving directions can quickly get quite complicated! Here's an example with other important vocabulary, such as the separable verbs entlanggehen and vorbeigehen. 

Geht die Krugstraße entlang, überquert die große Kreuzung, dann geht ihr am Theater vorbei und an der nächsten Ampel rechts. Weißt du, wo?

Go along Krugstrasse, cross the big intersection, then you go past the theater and turn right at the next traffic light. Do you know where it is?

Captions 22-25, Nicos Weg A1 Folge 42: An der Ampel links

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Further Learning
Pick four locations in your neighborhood and practice describing how to travel between them. Then describe where the nearest ATM, pharmacy, or gas station can be found, consulting the examples on Yabla German if you need more guidance.

One of the first phrases you learned in German was likely similar to the following: 

Hallo, mein Name ist Julia und ich komme aus Düsseldorf.

Hello, my name is Julia and I'm from Dusseldorf.

Caption 1, Die Wohngemeinschaft: Besuch

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Several German prepositions can be translated as "from," but when talking about the permanent fact of your country of origin or hometown, you will always use aus. 

There are instances, however, where von is used with the verb kommen to reference location. One is when you are talking about getting from place to place: 

Aber wie komme ich von Deutschland nach England oder Schottland?

But how do I get from Germany to England or Scotland?

Caption 16, Jenny: Reiseziele

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Wie komme ich von Stuttgart zum Europapark?

How do I get from Stuttgart to Europapark?

Caption 12, Reiseplanung: Anruf bei einem Reisebüro

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Kannst du mir bitte den Weg erklären, wie ich von hier aus am besten zur Stadthalle komme?

Can you please explain to me the way to get to City Hall most easily from here?

Captions 31-32, Melanie und Thomas: treffen sich

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In these sentences, von is paired with the appropriate preposition for the place that follows. 

Another instance in which the preposition von is used is when a person has just been somewhere and expresses that they have come directly from that location. 

Ich komme gerade von der Agentur für Arbeit.

I have just come from the employment agency.

Caption 19, Nicos Weg: Weiterbildung

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One thing to be aware of is that there are also two separable verbs, davonkommen and auskommen, which have distinct meanings. In this case, what looks like a preposition is actually part of the verb. 

Ich weiß gar nicht, wie die Menschen früher ohne Kreditkarte ausgekommen sind.

I have no idea how people got by before without credit cards.

Caption 18, Kein Kredit: im Land der Klone

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Das heißt, so ein Verleumder kommt einfach ungeschoren davon?

That means such a slanderer easily comes away unscathed?

Caption 22, Die Pfefferkörner: Gerüchteküche

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Further Learning
After looking at these examples from Yabla German, create your own sentences or questions (one of each type!) to practice saying out loud. 

A few lessons ago, we discussed the names of classical music instruments in German. Let's take a look today at the German names of some of the most common musical instruments used in pop music.

We already discussed the piano in the classical instruments lesson, but there are also a number of other kinds of keyboard instruments (das Tasteninstrument) that are used in pop music. They are also called das Keyboard, plural die Keyboards. A person who plays keyboards is der Keyboarder / die Keyboarderin.

The Hammond organ is a popular vintage organ that is still much-loved in pop and jazz music. Although Hammond is actually a brand name, it is listed in the German dictionary as a proper German word: die Hammondorgel. Other popular electronic organs from the 1960s, which were produced cheaply by companies such as Farfisa in Italy and Vox in the UK, are often referred to casually—or deprecatingly—as die Schweineorgel, which translates literally to "pig organ"!

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Another popular Tasteninstrument that began to be widely used in the 1970s is the synthesizer (der Synthesizer). It's often referred to casually as der Synthi.

Diese ganzen analogen Synthesizer?

All those analog synthesizers?

Caption 115, LOTTE & Max Giesinger: Interview

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Probably the most important instrument in rock music, especially in heavy metal and punk rock music, is the electric guitar, called die elektrische Gitarre (or die Elektrogitarre), or die E-Gitarre for short. Generally, a person who plays guitar is called der Gitarrist / die Gitarristin. A common slang word for the electric guitar, especially among musicians, is die Klampfe. A very old-fashioned term for the guitar is die Zupfgeige, which translates literally to "pluck violin"!

So gibt es hier die elektrische Gitarre für den abgebrühten Rockstar.

Thus there is the electric guitar here for the jaded rock star.

Caption 2, Rheinmain im Blick: Musikmesse in Frankfurt

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On the bottom end of the harmonic spectrum, we find the electric bass and upright bass, called die Bassgitarre (or der E-Bass) and der Kontrabass respectively. A person who plays bass is der Bassist / die Bassistin.

Sie schafft Platz zu Hause und erfreut die Fans, die bald Burger unter der Bassgitarre futtern können.

She makes room at home and pleases the fans, who will soon be able to scarf down burgers under the bass guitar.

Captions 8-9, Christina Stürmer: ist reif fürs Museum

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Let's look now at the beat, an intrinsic element of most forms of pop music, with the drums at the forefront: das Schlagzeug, or the English-based derivative, die Drums. A person who plays the drums is der Schlagzeuger / die Schlagzeugerin or, perhaps somewhat old-fashioned, der Trommler / die Trommlerin. Again, the English derivative is also available: der Drummer / die Drummerin.

Geige ist mir zu langweilig, ich will gleich Schlagzeug spielen.

Violin is too boring for me, I want to play drums right away.

Caption 36, Sons of Sounds: Interview

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Of course, brass instruments have always played a role in pop music, but the most common horn in pop music is probably the saxophone: das Saxofon. A foreign-influenced spelling, das Saxophon, is also acceptable, though the Duden dictionary has das Saxofon as the preferred spelling. A person who plays the saxophone is der Saxofonist / die Saxofonistin, and here too the foreign-influenced spelling is allowed.

Ich bin Musiker. Ich spiele Saxofon.

I'm a musician. I play saxophone.

Caption 14, Melanie und Thomas: treffen sich

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Let's not neglect a major aspect of pop music, the one item that makes it possible to play so loudly: the amplifier, in German der Verstärker. A guitar amplifier is der Gitarrenverstärker, a bass amplifier der Bassverstärker, and a keyboard amplifier is der Keyboardverstärker. Vocals, horns, and other acoustic instruments are usually amplified through a microphone: das Mikrofon, or its foreign-influenced spelling variant das Mikrophon—or just das Mikro for short. All of these instruments are usually amplified on larger stages through a PA system. The proper German dictionary word is die Beschallungsanlage, but as Wikipedia will attest, in common parlance, it's most commonly called die PA-Anlage.

Further Learning
Go to Yabla German and watch the videos above relating to musical instruments. You can also search for the names of the instruments and find other videos. Find a tandem partner in your class and make up some sentences in German using these musical instrument words, then compare what you both came up with.

Did you know that the Beatles, owing in part to the time they spent in Hamburg at the start of their career, released a version of "She Loves You” in German? Its title is „Sie liebt dich“.

The German noun and verb for love (Liebe, lieben) are used with more variety of meaning than “love” in English. So, liebe (dear) Yabla subscribers, let’s see all of the different ways we can make love work for us in German!

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As illustrated above, the adjective liebe/lieber (dear) is used as an informal form of address. We see this usage in the following Yabla video, starting at the very top: with God.

Du lieber Gott, welchen Weg müssten die denn abends zurücklegen,

Dear God, which way would they have to travel in the evening,

wenn Köln Gulu wäre?

if Cologne were Gulu [a city in Uganda]?

Caption 47, World Vision - Wolfgang Niedecken

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Working our way down from God to tattoo exhibitions, we find: 

Liebe Zuschauer, es fand eine Tattoo-Ausstellung in Frankfurt im Hotel "Roomers" statt.

Dear viewers, a tattoo exhibition took place in Frankfurt at the Hotel Roomers.

Caption 1, Tätowierungen - Tattoo-Ausstellung

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If you would prefer your Liebe to mean more than merely "dear," listen to how Thomas uses a variation of the root word (lieb) to mean “rather” or “preferably”:

Aber ich glaube, ich nehm' mir lieber ein Taxi.

But I believe I'd rather take a taxi.

Caption 49, Melanie und Thomas - treffen sich

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This can work to express superlative preferences as well: 

Am liebsten vermutlich eine Sendung...

Most preferably, presumably, a broadcast...

Caption 54, Frauenfußball-WM - Der Bundespräsident am Ball

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If you prefer popularity to love, add the be- prefix for a refreshing change of meaning:

Orangensaft ist sehr beliebt in Deutschland.

Orange juice is very popular in Germany.

Caption 12, Jenny beim Frühstück - Teil 1

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Add -haber to lieb to stir up some enthusiasm:

Machst du ja auch Auftragswerke für Kunden oder für Interessent'... äh, Kunstliebhaber?

You also indeed do commissions for customers or for those interested... uh, art enthusiasts?

Caption 2, Lokalhelden - Art House

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Liebhaber can also mean “lover” in the more intimate sense:

Tristan und Isolde waren Liebhaber.

Tristan and Isolda were lovers.

And in the end, it is best to make love, even while preparing for war:

In zwei Sekunden Frieden stiften, Liebe machen und Feind vergiften...

In two seconds make peace, make love, and poison the enemy...

Caption 3, Andreas Bourani - Alles nur in meinem Kopf

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So you see that in German, the word for “love” (Liebe) is the basis for a number of different expressions ranging from “dear” to “preferably” to “enthusiast” to the actual object of one’s desire.