Although daylight saving time has already begun this year in countries such as the United States and Canada, all of the European Union, including Germany, will change their clocks this coming Sunday. Of course, there are many countries in which this practice is not observed at all, and two years ago, the EU did actually vote to do away with it. This was expected to start this year, but there is still no consensus regarding whether to adhere to standard time or daylight saving time permanently.
For now, Germans will continue to turn their clocks back an hour, or "fall back," in the fall, and skip forward an hour, or "spring forward," in the spring, always wondering if it could be the last time. This is referred to as die Zeitumstellung, which makes sense as Zeit means "time" and die Umstellung can be translated as "the adjustment" or "the re-setting." The related verb is umstellen and the participle is umgestellt.
In German, the word die Sommerzeit is used to refer to daylight saving time:
Ist vielleicht wegen der Sommerzeit.
Maybe it's because of daylight saving time.
Ist das eine Stunde vor oder eine Stunde zurück?
Is it one hour ahead or one hour back?
Caption 29, Die Pfefferkörner - Cybermobbing
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Ich glaube, die Sommerzeit ist eine Stunde vor.
I think daylight saving time is one hour ahead.
Caption 33, Die Pfefferkörner - Cybermobbing
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You might right away wonder about the meaning of the word die Sommerzeit. Like in English, it does also simply mean "summertime."
Sommerzeit ist in Deutschland gleichzeitig Grillzeit.
Summertime is simultaneously barbecue time in Germany.
Caption 1, Grillzeit - Grill anzünden und los geht's
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Du grünst nicht nur zur Sommerzeit...
You not only flourish in the summertime...
Caption 5, Frohe Weihnachten - der Christbaum
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As you might guess, standard time is referred to as die Winterzeit in German. So, in order to be more specific about the time change, you can talk about either die Zeitumstellung von Winterzeit auf Sommerzeit (which will happen on Sunday) or die Zeitumstellung von Sommerzeit auf Winterzeit.
Further Learning
In addition to checking out the conversation in the Pfefferkörner episode above on Yabla German, see if you can follow this basic description of die Zeitumstellung in Germany. If you're an advanced learner, have a look at this overview.
Advent is the time of year in Western Christian practice that starts on a Sunday at the end of November or first week of December and ends on December 24th, though it is popularly celebrated starting on December 1st. Let's take a look today at some German customs of the Advent season.
Der Advent, das ist die Zeit vor Weihnachten.
Advent, that is the time before Christmas.
Und an den Adventstagen ist es ein beliebter Zeitvertreib,
And during the days of Advent it is a favorite pastime
über den Weihnachtsmarkt zu spazieren.
to take a walk through the Christmas market.
Captions 3-5, Weihnachtsmärkte - mit Eva
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Christmas markets (Weihnachtsmärkte) are going to be very limited this year due to the Corona pandemic. There are, however, plans to allow limited access by selling tickets with specific entry times. Some cities have even introduced drive-through Christmas markets so that people can shop from the relative safety of their cars!
Am Sonntag haben wir den ersten Advent.
On Sunday we'll have the first Advent.
Und dann machen wir natürlich das erste Lichtlein hier an dem Adventskranz an.
And then we'll, of course, put on the first little candle here on the Advent wreath.
Am zweiten Advent kommt dann das zweite Licht, am dritten Advent das dritte Licht,
On the second Advent comes then the second candle, on the third Advent the third candle,
und am vierten Advent ist Weihnachten.
and on the fourth Advent is Christmas.
Captions 58-61, Unterwegs mit Cettina - auf dem Bruchsaler Weihnachtsmarkt
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Advent wreaths with candles originated in the mid-19th century in Hamburg, Germany, but they were not commonly allowed in German churches until after the Second World War.
In der Adventszeit oder eben in der Vorweihnachtszeit gibt es viele verschiedene Bräuche.
In the Advent season or in the run-up to Christmastime, there are many different customs.
Caption 5, Eva erklärt - den Adventskalender
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One of these customs is the Advent calendar:
Der Adventskalender hat 24 Türen, und auf jeder steht eine Zahl.
The Advent calendar has 24 doors, and each one has a number on it.
Caption 11, Eva erklärt - den Adventskalender
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The Advent calendar also originated in 19th century Germany, but of course the best-known Christmas tradition with roots in German culture is der Weihnachtsbaum, also called der Tannenbaum or der Christbaum.
Heute wollen wir einen Weihnachtsbaum aufstellen.
Today we want to set up a Christmas tree.
Caption 8, Frohe Weihnachten - der Christbaum
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Further Learning
Watch all of the videos above in their entirety to get a feel for some German Christmas customs and search for more holiday-related videos on Yabla German. Wishing you all a happy and safe holiday season from us at Yabla!
For the last weeks, many Germans have been visiting Christmas markets, opening the windows of their advent calendars, and celebrating Nikolaus. Tomorrow night is Christmas Eve, which is called der Heiligabend or der Heilige Abend in German. Let's look at some vocabulary associated with Christmas Eve traditions.
Many families in Germany will have gotten a Christmas tree and decorated it in time for Christmas Eve. A Christmas tree can be referred to as der Tannenbaum (which is simply "the fir tree"), der Weihnachtsbaum, or der Christbaum.
Jetzt schmücken wir den Baum noch mit ein paar goldenen Kugeln.
Now we'll decorate the tree with a few golden balls.
Caption 57, Frohe Weihnachten - der Christbaum
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In Germany, it is traditional to exchange gifts on Christmas Eve rather than the next morning. The exchange of gifts is known as die Bescherung.
Wie machen Sie das mit der Bescherung?
How do you do your gift exchange?
Caption 7, Weihnachtsinterviews - Diane in Karlsruhe
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Families may go to mass as part of their Christmas Eve tradition:
Meistens gehen wir auch vorher... vorher noch in die Kirche.
Usually we also still go beforehand... to church beforehand.
Caption 37, Weihnachtsinterviews - Cettina in Linkenheim
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A traditional Christmas Eve meal in Germany is rather simple, consisting of either fish, or sausages with potato salad. The large Christmas feast is generally eaten on Christmas day. Throughout these days, there are also many sweets that are typically consumed. For more information on these, we would suggest watching the following video by Eva:
Nachdem ich euch ein typisches deutsches Weihnachtsessen gezeigt habe,
After I've shown you a typical German Christmas meal,
kommen wir nun zum Wichtigsten, nämlich den Weihnachtsnaschereien.
we now come to the most important [thing], namely, the Christmas goodies.
Captions 9-10, Weihnachtsessen - mit Eva
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Further Learning
For more holiday vocabulary, check out our recent blog post. There are a number of individual videos on Yabla German that will certainly get you into the Christmas spirit. Listen to a traditional Christmas song, see Krampus parade around at the Christmas market in Munich, and watch some Germans decorate a Christmas tree under water. Or watch one of our feature films, such as Ein Sack voll Gold or Weihnachtsmann gesucht, starring a young Christoph Waltz!
German has many French loan words or Gallicisms. Since an estimated 45% of English comes from French or Latin language sources, if you can learn to recognize words in your native English as having a French origin, there is a fair chance that these words are used in German.
In a previous lesson, we took a look at some more French-derived words in German that have the same or similar words in English. This week, let's discuss some German words that originated from the French but have different meanings than their similar English equivalents.
Die Frau bekommt ein Kind und ihr Chef weiß das.
The woman is going to have a child and her boss knows it.
Caption 9, Bundesrepublik Deutschland - Einbürgerungstest - Part 4
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In this case, the German der Chef and French chef can be a bit of a false friend of the English word "chef," since in English it means "the head cook" and not the more general term "the boss."
Bald waren sie bei einer Fabrik, bei einer Farbenfabrik.
Soon they were at a factory, at a paint factory.
Caption 6, Piggeldy und Frederick - Malen
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The German die Fabrik comes from the French fabrique, the -que ending having been Germanized to -ik. The pronunciation is nearly the same in both languages, with the emphasis on the second syllable.
Ich denke, er ist einfach eine komplexe Figur.
I think he is simply a complex character.
Caption 9, Dreharbeiten - zum Film „Playoff“
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The German die Figur comes from the French figure—like the English "figure"—and has similar meanings, but in most contexts the German is translated to "character" in English, making this a sort of false friend in most cases. Die Figur could, however, be translated to the English "figure" if you were discussing a geometric figure.
Bevor ihr einen Weihnachtsbaum aufstellt, geht am besten mal zum Friseur.
Before you set up a Christmas tree it's best that you go to the hairdresser.
Captions 17-18, Frohe Weihnachten - der Christbaum
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The German der Friseur / die Friseurin, from the French friseur, is rarely used in English anymore, and even the French tend to prefer to use the term coiffeur instead. The German also uses the term die Friseuse, but it is a pejorative. There is a secondary German spelling Frisör, but the German Duden dictionary recommends the -eur spelling!
Hast du die Gage?
Do you have the fee?
Caption 48, Verstehen Sie Spaß? - Sascha Grammel - Part 2
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The German die Gage and the French gage both pronounce the first G as a hard G and the second as a soft G. It might be incorrectly confused with the English "gauge."
Wenn du so viel Engagement in Mathematik aufbringst wie im Lösen von Kriminalfällen...
If you put as much effort into mathematics as into solving criminal cases...
Caption 36, Die Pfefferkörner - Gerüchteküche - Part 6
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Das Engagement, from the French engagement, has nothing to do with the English "engagement," which in German is usually translated as die Verlobung.
Further Learning
As a general rule, French words found in German are spelled the same, or nearly the same, as the French words found in English, but are pronounced in a German manner and written according to German grammatical rules—with nouns capitalized, for example. Take a look at this list of Gallicisms in German and go to Yabla German to find other real-world examples of the words used in videos.
Ich hoffe, euch hat's Spaß gemacht,
I hope it's been fun
und wünsche euch frohe Weihnachten!
and I wish you a merry Christmas!
Captions 71-72, Frohe Weihnachten - der Christbaum
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Beyond "merry Christmas" there are a number of other ways to give season's greetings as well, for instance your Christmas could be schön:
Dann wünsch' ich euch schöne Weihnachten.
In which case I wish you [plural] a wonderful Christmas.
Caption 84, Weihnachtsinterviews - Cettina in Linkenheim
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Let's not neglect the period before Christmas, which in German is the same word as in English:
Der Advent, das ist die Zeit vor Weihnachten.
Advent, that is the time before Christmas.
Caption 3, Weihnachtsmärkte - mit Eva
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And if we're going to make it through all the Christmas shopping, we'd better have some Stollen to see us through:
Das ist der Christstollen.
This is the Christstollen.
Der wird auch Weihnachtsstollen genannt.
It is also called Christmas stollen [fruit cake].
Captions 22-23, Weihnachtsessen - mit Eva
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If you don't have your Christmas tree yet, you might have to go diving for one!
Nasse Weihnachten:
Wet Christmas:
Der Tannenbaum steht fast vier Meter tief unter Wasser.
The Christmas tree stands nearly four meters deep under water.
Caption 1, Weihnachten geht baden - Tannenbaum unter Wasser
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Further Learning:
Do a search on Yabla German for typical Christmas words and get into the Christmas spirit while improving your German at the same time. Happy holidays!
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