This week, we'll look at German verbs, adjectives, and adverbs that relate to taking care and being careful.
You may already know the word vorsichtig. As is normal for German adjectives, it is also an adverb, so it means both "careful" and "carefully."
Seid vorsichtig und macht bloß nichts kaputt.
Be careful and don't break anything.
Caption 47, Playmobil: Skispringen mit Familie Hauser
Play Caption
Fahr vorsichtig, ja?
Drive carefully, OK?
Caption 35, Die Pfefferkörner: Alles auf Anfang
Play Caption
Other words that can mean "careful" are sorgfältig, which implies a thoroughness or accuracy, and behutsam, which implies gentleness and caution.
Hast du die schon mal so sorgfältig bügeln sehen?
Have you ever seen them iron so carefully?
Caption 19, Playmobil: Skispringen mit Familie Hauser
Play Caption
Wir alle sollten unsere Kontakte auch weiter behutsam einschränken.
We should all continue to cautiously restrict our contact.
Caption 57, Wir müssen über Corona reden: Mit Olaf Scholz, Luisa & Dr. Daniel Zickler
Play Caption
Und ich nahm ihn ganz behutsam in die Hand
And I took it very gently in my hand
Caption 5, Nicole: Papillon
Play Caption
Then there is also the word schonend. This relates to the verb schonen, which has a number of possible translations, including "to treat with care," "to protect," "to preserve," and "to rest" or "to go easy on."
Und es wird schonend mit dem Boden umgegangen, damit er viele Jahre Gemüse bringen kann.
And the soil is treated carefully so that it can produce vegetables for many years.
Captions 27-28, Berlin: Domäne Dahlem
Play Caption
Um die Pferde zu schonen, werden die Vierbeiner übrigens selbst auch gedoubelt.
In order to treat the horses with care, by the way, these four-legged actors also have doubles.
Caption 21, Für Tierfreunde: Pferde beim Film
Play Caption
Na ja, Frankfurt ist ja eine Stadt, die sehr früh als Großstadt politische Entscheidungen getroffen hat, Umwelt zu schonen.
Well, yes, Frankfurt is a city that, very early on, as a major city, made political decisions to protect the environment.
Captions 50-51, Erstes Frankfurter „Schuljahr der Nachhaltigkeit“ Abschlussfeier
Play Caption
Other verbs that relate to being careful or watching out are aufpassen and achtgeben, which can both relate to watching out for your own wellbeing or that of others.
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
Play Caption
Kannst du auf die anderen achtgeben?
Can you watch over the others?
Caption 12, Heidi Kann Heidi Peter retten?
Play Caption
Further Learning
You can look up more examples with the words vorsichtig, sorgfältig, and behutsam on Yabla German in order to better understand the slight differences in their meanings.
In Part I and Part II of this series, we went through a lot of odd German animal names, looking at how the names may—or may not—connect directly to descriptions of the animals. Today, let's conclude our exploration of the wild and woolly world of odd German animal names!
Entschuldige, dass ich dich „Seehund“ genannt habe.
Sorry that I called you "sea dog."
Caption 26, Peppa Wutz, Sport
Play Caption
The proper English name of the largest rodent in the world is "capybara," and it's formally das Capybara in German. The informal name of the capybara is "water hog," which is also the direct translation of the informal name in German: das Wasserschwein.
Wer ist das größte Wasserschwein auf dem Planeten?
Who is the biggest water hog on the planet?
Caption 98, heute-show Wasserknappheit: Verkauft eure Aktien und investiert in Wasser!
Play Caption
This is a slang usage of das Wasserschwein, and is not referring to the animal at all! Just as you might tell somebody who is drinking up all of the water to "stop hogging the water," this video is referring to a Swiss company that is exploiting a lot of American water resources as a "water hog."
Schweinswale sollen direkt vor dem Badestrand gesehen worden sein.
Porpoises were reported to have been seen near this swimming beach.
Caption 32, Abenteuer Nordsee: Unter Riesenhaien und Tintenfischen
Play Caption
The German word for "porpoise" is der Schweinswal, which translates directly to "hog whale" or "pig whale." That doesn't seem to make much sense, but the fact that they have a flat snout, unlike dolphins with their pronounced beaks, may have led to a comparison with pigs in German. And dolphins are in fact classified as toothed whales, although their nearest relative, going back 40 million years, is the hippopotamus!
Some other German animal names with -schwein include:
—das Meerschweinchen (Guinea pig, literally "little sea pig")
—das Seeschwein (dugong, literally "sea hog" or "sea pig")
—das Stachelschwein (porcupine, literally "spike pig")
But the winner for the title of the oddest German animal name must be...
„Eichhörnchen jubilieren nicht“, stellte Frederick richtig, „sie knacken Nüsse, Tannenzapfen, Eicheln und so weiter.“
"Squirrels do not rejoice," rectified Frederick, "they crack nuts, pine cones, acorns and such."
Captions 14-15, Piggeldy und Frederick: Tiere im Winter
Play Caption
If you translate das Eichhörnchen literally from die Eiche and das Hörnchen, you wind up with either "little oak horn" or "oak croissant"! In fact, the origins of the word Eichhörnchen are uncertain, but the Eiche part probably goes back to an ancient Indo-Germanic word, aik or aig, that means "restless movement," which is certainly an apt description of the squirrel! German squirrels also have tufted ears that look a bit like little horns...
Further Learning
Go to Yabla German and watch the videos listed above to find out more about these animals in context.
The German adjective fertig is especially interesting because of its slang usages. In standard usage, fertig is usually translated as "finished," "ready," or "done":
Nun brauche ich meinen fertigen Teig nur noch in die Form füllen.
Now I just have to fill my finished batter into the mold.
Caption 27, Apfelkuchen: mit Eva
Play Caption
Die Apfelpfannkuchen sind nun fertig zum Servieren.
The apple pancakes are now ready to serve.
Caption 30, Apfelpfannkuchen: mit Alina und Sabine
Play Caption
So, mein Apfelkuchen ist jetzt fertig.
So, my apple cake is now done.
Caption 37, Apfelkuchen: mit Eva
Play Caption
But in its slang usages, fertig takes on different meanings. The phrase fix und fertig, for example, means to be worn out or exhausted:
Wir sind fix und fertig, hä?
We are worn out, huh?
Caption 4, Deutschkurs in Blaubeuren: Der Relativsatz
Play Caption
Simply saying fertig in certain contexts also has the same meaning:
Also, ich bin so was von fertig.
Well, I am so completely exhausted.
Caption 67, Großstadtrevier: Von Monstern und Mördern
Play Caption
The phrase fertig machen, which until the German language reform of 1996 was the freestanding verb fertigmachen, means “to get ready” or "to prepare" in its standard usage:
Ich muss noch duschen und mich fertig machen.
I still have to take a shower and get ready.
But in its slang usage, fertig machen has a range of meanings, from exhausting oneself all the way to the threat of physical violence:
Das macht mich fertig.
It's getting me down.
Caption 14, Deutsche Welle: Leben zwischen zwei Kulturen in Namibia
Play Caption
Wenn er mit dem Zeug abhauen will, dann mache ich ihn fertig!
If he tries to make off with the stuff, I'll finish him off!
Caption 28, Die Pfefferkörner: Endspurt
Play Caption
Further Learning
The adjective fertig is also a root word in a number of adjectives and adverbs that have very different meanings. Do you know the difference between leichtfertig and schlagfertig, for instance? If you are ready to go deeper into the topic, take a look at this extensive list of German words containing fertig—but be aware that there are a lot of them. Mach dich doch nicht fertig dabei!
This week, we'll look at German nouns related to meetings, appointments, and gatherings, and their particular nuances.
Ja, entschuldige noch mal, dass es gestern mit dem Treffen nicht geklappt hat.
Yes, sorry again that it didn't work out with the meeting yesterday.
Caption 14, Das Lügenbüro: Die Bewerbung
Play Caption
The noun das Treffen may be the most commonly used word for a meeting or a gathering. However, there are circumstances in which die Besprechung (which can also mean "the talk" or "the discussion") or die Sitzung (which is more like "the session") might be more accurate. The noun die Versammlung generally refers to a larger assembly or gathering.
Mein Mann ist noch in einer Besprechung. -Ah ja.
My husband is still in a meeting. -Ah, yes.
Caption 8, Mein Weg nach Deutschland: Auf Wohnungssuche
Play Caption
Die Sitzung ist hiermit geschlossen.
The session is now closed.
Caption 72, Yabla Gerichtshof: Das verzogene Hündchen
Play Caption
Diese Versammlung der Kardinäle beginnt normalerweise fünfzehn bis zwanzig Tage nach dem Tod
This assembly of cardinals normally begins fifteen to twenty days after the death,
Captions 6-7, Papst Benedikt Suche nach einem neuen Kirchoberhaupt
Play Caption
The noun der Termin generally is translated as "the appointment," but can also refer to a deadline (der Abgabetermin). It generally emphasizes a specific date and time. When it comes to a doctor's appointment (also der Arzttermin), you always use der Termin, and not das Treffen.
Und dann könnten wir gleich einen Termin für ein Vorstellungsgespräch machen.
And then we can make an appointment for an interview right away.
Caption 28, Berufsleben: das Vorstellungsgespräch
Play Caption
Nina hat morgen um acht einen Termin beim Arzt.
Nina has a doctor's appointment tomorrow at eight.
Caption 15, Nicos Weg: Emmas Tag
Play Caption
The noun die Verabredung is a bit tricky in German, and doesn't have a precise translation in English — you might find it translated as "date," "appointment," "engagement," or "agreement." It is essentially an agreed-upon meeting between individuals (often just two people), and it can even be a date, but not necessarily.
Es kann zum Beispiel bedeuten, dass jemand eine Verabredung nicht eingehalten hat.
It can mean, for example, that someone has not kept an appointment.
Caption 47, Eva erklärt: Sprichwörter
Play Caption
It is perhaps because of this ambiguity that some Germans will even use the English word and say das Date to specify that there's romance involved. As you can see, it is capitalized in German.
Wir warten. Du hast noch ein Date.
We'll wait. You still have a date.
Caption 56, Die Pfefferkörner: Endspurt
Play Caption
Further Learning
You can find all of these words in many examples on Yabla German, which will help you get a sense of which contexts they are each used in. For der Termin and das Treffen, make sure that you memorize the gender of each word!
This week, we'll augment our series of lessons about animal names with some basic vocabulary related to plants. Yabla has many videos about the natural world, so it's not so hard to get a good overview. It is also most fitting to the season, with everything currently in full bloom in Germany.
Diese setzt sich aus Gras, Früchten, Wurzeln, Zweigen und Rinde zusammen.
This consists of grass, fruits, roots, branches, and bark.
Caption 30, Evolution: An Land
Play Caption
Der perfekt getarnte Hühnervogel ernährt sich von Knospen, Samen, Beeren und Wurzeln.
The perfectly camouflaged landfowl feeds on buds, seeds, berries, and roots.
Captions 13-14, Die letzten Paradiese Schätze der Natur: Südtirol
Play Caption
„Es heißt“, sagte Piggeldy, „Blume, Kopf und Stängel“.
"They are called," said Piggeldy, "flower, head, and stem."
Caption 12, Piggeldy und Frederick: Blume
Play Caption
Like in English, some vocabulary is more specific to trees:
Jetzt bin ich hinter dem Baumstamm.
Now I'm behind the tree trunk.
Caption 12, Diane erklärt: Präpositionen
Play Caption
Doch der Mäusebussard auf dem Ast hat die scheue Katze nur aufgeschreckt.
But the common buzzard on the branch just startled the shy cat.
Caption 22, Alpenseen: Kühle Schönheiten
Play Caption
A leaf, whether it's the leaf of a tree, a plant, or even a leaf of paper, is das Blatt in German. The plural is die Blätter.
Im Oktober fallen die ersten Blätter und der Herbst beginnt.
In October, the first leaves fall and autumn begins.
Caption 30, Deutsch mit Eylin: Wochentage, Monate und Jahreszeiten
Play Caption
Dazu zupfe ich von meinem Basilikumtopf ein paar Blätter ab
For this, I pluck off a few leaves from my basil pot
Caption 30, Cannelloni: mit Jenny
Play Caption
Es macht halt Spaß, und halt nicht vor ein einem Blatt Papier zu stehen, und jede Aufgabe zehn mal abzuschreiben.
It's just fun, and just to not be standing in front of a sheet of paper and copying each task ten times.
Captions 92-93, Nena: Das 1x1 mit den Hits von NENA
Play Caption
Further Learning
If you have plants in your home or nearby, see if you can describe them with the vocabulary above from Yabla German. You can also read our lesson on gardening vocabulary.
In Part I of this series, we went through a lot of animals whose names end with -tier. In Part II, we'll continue to look at the root words of German animal names and see how they may—or may not—relate directly to descriptions of the animals. So let's further explore the wild and woolly world of odd German animal names!
Die Schildkröte steckt noch vollständig im Ölschiefer fest.
The turtle is still entirely stuck in the oil shale.
Caption 51, Ausgrabungen: Auf den Spuren der Dinosaurier
Play Caption
Die Schildkröte combines the noun der Schild with the noun die Kröte, and literally means "shield toad." Imagine seeing a turtle for the first time: Its shell looks like a shield, and its face, with a bit of imagination, might resemble a toad—albeit a very large one!
Normalerweise gelten Waschbären als aggressive Wildtiere.
Normally, raccoons are considered aggressive wild animals.
Caption 2, Die Top Ten: Die unglaublichsten Tiererlebnisse
Play Caption
You probably noticed already that der Waschbär, the German word for "raccoon," breaks down into "wash bear." That seems a pretty far-fetched description of the animal, which is known for washing food, but does not look much like a bear. In fact, it's possible that the raccoon shares ancestors with those of today's bears, although this is just one theory of several. An 18th century Swedish botanist was the first to make this connection, and since then a number of European languages contain the word "bear" as part of the raccoon's name. The French, however, were less kind—and less accurate—in naming the raccoon le raton laveur ("the washing rat")!
Wenn Fledermäuse so schlafen, dann bin ich froh, dass ich keine bin.
If bats sleep like this, then I am glad that I am not one.
Caption 41, Meine Freundin Conni: Conni schläft im Kindergarten
Play Caption
Die Fledermaus seems to consist of the noun fledern ("to hurl something vigorously") and the noun die Maus. Thus you have a sort of "throw mouse" or "hurl mouse." But that's not where the word came from! Rather, it comes from the Old High German term Flattermaus, which is derived from the verb flattern, or "to flutter." Thus our root words search reveals the bat to be a "flutter mouse."
Etwa 20.000 Seehunde haben das Wattenmeer zu ihrer Heimat gemacht.
About 20,000 seals have made the Wadden Sea their home.
Caption 11, Abenteuer Nordsee: Unter Riesenhaien und Tintenfischen
Play Caption
Der Seehund, clearly a "sea dog" by its root words, is of course a seal. Funny that in English, "sea dog" is an old slang term for a sailor! The more proper German name for the seal is die Robbe.
Selbst ausgewachsen werden diese Tintenfische gerade mal 20 Zentimeter groß.
Even fully grown, these squid will only become 20 centimeters long.
Caption 28, Abenteuer Nordsee: Unter Riesenhaien und Tintenfischen
Play Caption
From the German word for "squid" we can derive, from die Tinte and der Fisch, an "ink fish." The term is slightly confusing, since many varieties of octopus also, like squid, are able to release a dark "ink" to help escape from potential predators. Octopus, in German, is der Oktopus, although the more scientific name is der Krake.
Further Learning
In an upcoming lesson, we'll discuss a number of animals whose names derive from das Schwein, but who are not actually related to the pig family. In the meantime, you can go to Yabla German and watch the videos listed above to find out more about these animals in context.
This week, we'll conclude our lessons on travel vocabulary. So, you've decided what kind of trip and mode of travel, and you've booked your accommodation. Now it's time to consider your itinerary and activities. The types of activities you plan on your trip will also depend on your destination, of course. Cities may offer the opportunity to visit museums or famous historical sites, go to markets, or go shopping:
...aber die kleine Stadttour würde ich gerne machen.
...but I would gladly do the small city tour.
Caption 47, Rollendes Vergnügen: Segway-Touren
Play Caption
Jedes Jahr kommen an die 5.000 Besucher ins Museum.
Every year nearly 5000 visitors come to the museum.
Caption 25, Flipperautomaten: Kunstwerke für flinke Kugeln
Play Caption
Das ist eine Sehenswürdigkeit in Köln: der Kölner Dom.
This is an attraction in Cologne: The Cologne Cathedral.
Caption 8, Nicos Weg: Ich war schon in Berlin
Play Caption
Hier findet der Markt nämlich täglich statt.
Because here, the market takes place every day.
Caption 16, Reisen: Ein Tag in Freiburg
Play Caption
Sie hat Bock auf Shopping, also in die Stadt.
She feels like shopping, so it's off to the city.
Caption 23, Cro: Bye Bye
Play Caption
Being in nature, whether on the coast or in the mountains, offers its own program of sports or relaxation. In a recent newsletter, we already had the noun das Sonnenbad, but some people like to be a bit more active.
Dieses Naturreservoir ist zu Fuß in nur gut zwei Stunden zu erreichen.
This nature reserve can be reached by foot in just over two hours.
Caption 6, Die letzten Paradiese Die Schönheit der Alpen
Play Caption
Ich soll wandern gehen, ich soll segeln oder surfen.
I should go hiking, I should go sailing or surfing.
Caption 15, Nicos Weg: Freizeitstress
Play Caption
Aber es ist perfekt, um ans Meer zu fahren und baden zu gehen.
But it's perfect for going to the sea and going for a swim.
Caption 39, Deutsch mit Eylin: Das Wetter
Play Caption
Beach-Volleyball hört sich an wie ein Freizeitvergnügen, ist aber seit 1996 olympisch und ein knallharter Profisport.
Beach volleyball sounds like an enjoyable free-time activity, however, since 1996, it's an Olympic and a tough professional sport.
Captions 3-4, Olympische Spiele: Beachvolleyball
Play Caption
So many options! Now all that's left is to pack. If you're flying, you will need to check whether it's possible to check a bag, or whether you'll have to make do with Handgepäck. The noun das Gepäck is a general word for luggage or baggage, or you can say der Koffer to refer to a suitcase.
Wir packen jetzt unseren Koffer.
Now we'll pack our suitcase.
Caption 9, Deutschkurs in Tübingen: Reisevorbereitung
Play Caption
And if you're flying, there's one more thing you'll need to do...
Um später Zeit zu sparen, checkt Olcay online ein.
To save time later, Olcay checks in online.
Caption 67, Galileo Zug vs. Flugzeug: Von München nach Berlin
Play Caption
Gute Reise!
Further Learning
Check out our travel videos on Yabla German. Do you have an upcoming trip or vacation? Consult all three lessons, and write down five sentences about how you will get to your destination, where you will stay, and what activities you would like to do.
Once you've been speaking a foreign language long enough, you tend to associate the name of something with whatever that name represents, and no longer notice how really strange that name might be. As we know, German tends to string words together to make new words, and many animal names are constructed this way. If we look at the root words of many of these animal names, however, they look pretty odd!
Er spricht das Faultier Sid.
He speaks (the voice-overs for) the sloth Sid.
Caption 6, Rheinmain Szene: Hochheimer Weinfest
Play Caption
If you combine the adjective faul with das Tier, you have a "lazy animal." That's a pretty logical name for the sloth, which is known for its very slow movements.
Ein fremdes Murmeltier ist ins Revier eingedrungen und wird verjagt.
A strange marmot has intruded into the territory and is chased away.
Caption 36, Alpenseen: Kühle Schönheiten
Play Caption
In this case, however, it makes less sense. The verb murmeln means "to mumble," thus leaving us with "the mumbling animal." Marmots are not, however, known for mumbling, nor for speaking clearly, either. The name derives from an Old High German word murmunto, which itself is derived from the Latin word for "mountain mouse." That's one big mouse!
Da haben wir aber wirklich Glück gehabt mit der Köchin. Trampeltier. Aber eine gute Köchin.
We were really lucky with the cook. Clumsy oaf. But a good cook.
Captions 36-38, Marga Engel schlägt zurück: Arbeiten für den Feind
Play Caption
In this case, we are dealing with the slang usage of animal names. Thus the word that is used for a Bactrian (two-humped) camel in formal German is used here to impolitely mean somebody who is clumsy. If you break the word down, the verb trampeln and the noun das Tier are put together to make "trampling animal." But the name actually derives from the dromedary, the one-humped camel, which in Middle High German is tromedar. Say it for a few centuries and eventually it will sound like Trampeltier. Language evolution is grand, isn't it?
Further Learning
Let's conclude the lesson today with the rest of the odd animal names that end with -tier: das Stinktier, das Gürteltier, das Schnabeltier, and das Maultier. Maybe you already know these German animal names, but if you don't, try translating the first half of each word and combining them. Then try and guess what animal is meant! You can also go to Yabla German and watch the videos listed above to find out more about these animals in context.
This week, we'll continue our work on travel vocabulary. The last lesson looked at words related to booking and traveling to a destination, so let's pick up there, and continue with types of accommodation.
When you book a trip, there's the question of both die Hinreise (the outward journey) and die Rückreise (the return journey). Depending on your mode of travel, you may instead talk about die Hinfahrt and die Rückfahrt for bus or train travel, or der Hinflug and der Rückflug for a flight. You can also say die einfache Fahrt for a single ticket, and der Gabelflug for a trip with multiple stops. Most of the time, however, you will be booking a round trip ticket:
Hin- und Rückfahrt kosten fünfzig Euro, und du musst nicht umsteigen.
A round trip costs fifty euros, and you don't have to change trains.
Caption 22, Nicos Weg: Bahnreisen
Play Caption
Part of planning your trip is selecting accommodation (die Unterkunft), which is generally based on your chosen destination and budget:
Mit Hotel, Jugendherberge und Kapelle ist das achthundert Jahre alte Hospiz heute das Tor ins Innergschlöß.
With a hotel, youth hostel, and chapel, the eight-hundred-year-old former hospice is today the gateway to Innergschlöß.
Captions 26-27, Die letzten Paradiese: Die Schönheit der Alpen 2
Play Caption
...und vor allen Dingen mit dem Komfort einer Ferienwohnung.
...and, above all else, with the comfort of a vacation home.
Caption 11, Glamping: Camping mit Stil
Play Caption
Hierzulande hat zwar noch nicht jeder Campingplatz den Glamping-Faktor, aber schon im kommenden Jahr soll es in Deutschland soweit sein.
Here in Germany, admittedly, not every campground has this "glamping" factor, but it should already be available in Germany in the coming year.
Captions 34-35, Glamping: Camping mit Stil
Play Caption
You will have to choose whether you require ein Einzelzimmer, ein Doppelzimmer, or ein Mehrbettzimmer, which is more often found at youth hostels and may involve bunk beds. At some types of accommodation, you can choose between die Halbpension, which includes breakfast and dinner, and die Vollpension, which includes all meals. More common, however, is a simple Übernachtung mit Frühstück.
Für ein Einzelzimmer zahlt man siebzig Euro die Nacht.
For a single room you pay seventy euros a night.
Caption 32, Berlin: Indoor-Camping im „Hüttenpalast“
Play Caption
Inklusive Halbpension, die Ihre Frau selber kocht.
Including half board, which your wife cooks herself.
Caption 54, heute-show Schule, Geschäfte, Urlaub: Leben in Zeiten von Corona
Play Caption
In Germany, you may also find consider die Pension or das Gästehaus, which are generally smaller and less formal than a hotel. Of course, there is at least one mode of travel that eliminates the question of where to stay:
Mit dem Wohnmobil durch Luxemburg zu fahren bedeutet inzwischen, sich entscheiden zu müssen.
Driving through Luxembourg in a motorhome means having to make decisions these days.
Captions 31-32, Reisebericht: Luxemburg
Play Caption
Further Learning
In addition to watching travel videos on Yabla German, go to a German booking website and do a casual search for flights and hotels in order to see the vocabulary above used in context. For an even more advanced exercise, have a look at this article on unusual places to stay in Germany.
Maybe you live in the Southern Hemisphere, where it's currently winter, but in Northern Germany spring has arrived. We're finally starting to get more sunshine! Der Sonnenschein is a noun you probably know already, along with some other standards like die Sonnenbrille ("sunglasses," singular in German, by the way!) and die Sonnenblume ("sunflower"). Let's take a look today at some less familiar compound nouns that use Sonnen- as the root word.
The sun comes up with der Sonnenaufgang:
Wir sind nie vor Sonnenaufgang nach Hause gegangen.
We never went home before sunrise.
Caption 9, Nicos Weg: So feiern wir!
Play Caption
Hopefully it will be another sunny day (der Sonnentag)! Not be confused with the day of the week (Sonntag), as there are plenty of those with bad weather!
Steh gerade, kerzengerade, lache in den Sonnentag.
Stand up straight, straight as a candle, laughing on the sunny day.
Caption 19, DDR-Fernsehen: Die letzten Sendeminuten des DFF
Play Caption
But with sunny days comes the danger of sunburn and long-term cancer risks from the rays of the sun: (der Sonnenstrahl, plural die Sonnenstrahlen):
...als die ersten Sonnenstrahlen durch die Wolken blitzten.
...as the first rays of sunshine flashed through the clouds.
Caption 48, Märchen,Sagenhaft: Der standhafte Zinnsoldat
Play Caption
It's best to protect your skin with die Sonnencreme and der Sonnenschutz and keep under der Sonnenschirm in order to avoid die Sonnenstrahlung:
Aber bitte... benutzen Sie Sonnencreme.
But please... use sun screen.
Caption 52, Unser Universum: Die Sonne
Play Caption
Auf ausreichenden Sonnenschutz achten, denn durch das Wasser ist die Sonneneinstrahlung nochmal stärker als an Land.
Make sure to wear sufficient sun protection, because the water makes the solar radiation even stronger than it is on land.
Captions 78-79, Stand Up Paddling: 5 typische Anfängerfehler
Hier habe ich einen Sonnenschirm
Here I have a parasol.
Caption 21, Deutschkurs in Tübingen Präpositionen und Artikel
Play Caption
And then you can go sunbathing—usually expressed in German as ein Sonnenbad nehmen, but here they are "enjoying" sunbathing:
Eine Kolonie kalifornischer Seelöwen hat sich auf ihrem Felsen versammelt, um ein entspanntes Sonnenbad zu genießen.
A colony of California sea lions has gathered on their rock to enjoy a relaxing sunbath.
Captions 18-19, Evolution: Die Küsten
Play Caption
And at long last, after a nice day enjoying the sunshine, comes der Sonnenuntergang:
Bei mir muss der Held am Schluss in den Sonnenuntergang reiten.
For me, the hero has to ride off into the sunset at the end.
Caption 57, Rheinmain Szene Unheilig: „Der Graf“
Play Caption
Further Learning
Go to Yabla German and search for other words using Sonnen- as the root word. You can also go to the DWDS Dictionary and find a long list of words starting with Sonnen-. See if you can guess their meanings before you look them up!
While many people in Germany have just come back from their Osterferien, people in the United States and elsewhere may already be thinking about trips they might take during summer vacation (der Sommerurlaub or die Sommerferien). This month, we'll devote a few lessons to looking at essential travel vocabulary in German.
You may remember how much trouble Jenny had deciding what kind of vacation to take. In German, a trip to a city is called die Städtereise, but many people like to keep things a bit more low key:
Ah, klar, ich könnte eine Kreuzfahrt mit dem Schiff machen.
Ah, right, I could take a cruise with a ship.
Caption 32, Jenny: Reiseziele
Play Caption
Strandurlaub bei Windstärke sechs...
Beach vacation with a wind velocity of six...
Caption 42, Traumberuf: Windsurfer
Play Caption
Once decided, you'll have to plan your trip and make the necessary reservations:
Ich möchte gerne eine Reise zum Europapark buchen.
I would like to book a trip to Europapark.
Caption 4, Reiseplanung: Anruf bei einem Reisebüro
Play Caption
In der Hauptsaison empfiehlt es sich zu reservieren.
In high season, it is recommended to make a reservation.
Caption 37, Reisebericht Luxemburg
Play Caption
Part of the planning is figuring out how you are going to get to your destination.
Stattdessen mit Bus und Bahn zum Reiseziel fahren.
Instead, travel by bus and train to your destination.
Caption 44, WissensWerte: Tourismus und Nachhaltigkeit
Play Caption
Also mit dem Auto würde ich heute nicht fahren.
So, I wouldn't go by car today.
Caption 45, Deutsch mit Eylin Das Wetter
Play Caption
Von dort können Sie ein Auto mieten oder mit dem Bus fahren.
From there you can rent a car or travel by bus.
Caption 13, Reiseplanung: Anruf bei einem Reisebüro
Play Caption
Damit höre ich manchmal Musik, wenn ich im Zug oder im Flugzeug sitze.
Sometimes I listen to music with them when I'm on the train or on a plane.
Captions 23-24, Deutsch mit Eylin: Denk schnell!
Play Caption
Auf dem Schiff haben fünfhundertsechzehn Gäste Platz, richtig viel Platz.
There is room on the ship for five hundred and sixteen guests, really a lot of space.
Caption 10, Kreuzfahrtschiff: An Bord der Europa 2
Play Caption
Hallo, liebe Yabla-Schüler, ich stehe heute hier auf einer Fähre.
Hello dear Yabla students, I am standing here today on a ferry.
Caption 1, Unterwegs mit Cettina: an der Rheinfähre
Play Caption
Further Learning
More travel vocabulary is coming! In the meantime, we have so many fun travel videos on Yabla German. Just do a quick search and you'll quickly find yourself in Heidelberg, Innsbruck, or the Alps! You may want to also check out this video on tourism and sustainability.
You're probably familiar with the saying "But there's a catch..." According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, it means that there is a "concealed difficulty or complication" in a situation. There is a similar saying in German, but instead of the noun for "catch," it uses the German word for the noun "hook": der Haken.
First, let's take a look at the pronunciation. You want to really open your mouth wide with an "ah" sound when pronouncing this word:
Im Wort „Haken“ ist das „A“ lang.
In the word “hook,” the “A” is long.
Caption 32, Deutsch mit Eylin: Das Alphabet
Play Caption
Now let's take a look at how der Haken is used idiomatically in the form einen Haken haben:
Dieses Kompliment seiner Frau ist schön, hat allerdings auch einen Haken.
This compliment by his wife is nice, however, it also has a catch.
Caption 19, Theater: Mörderische Phantasien
Play Caption
Die Sache hat einen Haken.
In this matter, there's a catch.
Caption 24, Küss mich, Frosch: Die Zeiten haben sich geändert
Play Caption
You can also use the form ein Haken an etwas sein:
Ein Haken an der Sache ist der Preis: In der Hauptsaison zahlt eine vierköpfige Familie für die Lodgesuite am Gardasee pro Woche 1.400 Euro.
One catch with the whole thing is the price: During the peak season, a family of four pays 1,400 euros per week for the lodge suite on Lake Garda.
Captions 36-38, Glamping: Camping mit Stil
Play Caption
Of course, ein Haken is also used in the literal sense to mean "a hook":
Unten am Fluss hängte er zuerst einen Wurm an den Haken und dann die Angel ins Wasser.
Down by the river, he first hung a worm on the hook and then cast the line into the water.
Captions 14-15, Janoschs Traumstunde: Post für den Tiger
Play Caption
Ein solcher Fall ereignete sich, als sich ein Delfin in den Gewässern von Kona, Hawaii, einem Taucher näherte, weil ein Haken an seiner Flosse hing.
One such case occurred when a dolphin approached a diver in the waters of Kona, Hawaii, because a hook was attached to its fin.
Captions 14-16, Die 12 freundlichsten Meerestiere der Welt
Play Caption
Der Delfin positionierte sich so vor dem Taucher, dass dieser den Haken entfernen konnte.
The dolphin positioned itself in front of the diver so that he could remove the hook.
Captions 17-18, Die 12 freundlichsten Meerestiere der Welt
Play Caption
You'll note that "hook" is related to fishing. One easy way to remember this idiom is that "catch" is related to catching fish, which can be done with a hook. And that, dear Yabla readers, is der Haken!
Further Learning
Go to Yabla German and see the above examples in context. You can also make up some sentences of the saying using the forms einen Haken haben and ein Haken an etwas sein and have your teacher check them.
We've covered expressing opinions in German, but what about when you believe something to be true, but aren't completely sure? There are many different verbs for expressing what you assume or suspect to be the case.
The verbs vermuten and ahnen are rather neutral ways of suspecting something, whereas the verb verdächtigen is used primarily in the context of crime or wrongdoing.
Man vermutet, hier ist irgendwas in der Lüftung vom Willy-Brandt-Haus.
One suspects there is something in the ventilation here in the Willy-Brandt-Haus.
Caption 75, heute-show: Die männliche Merkel hat Erinnerungslücken
Play Caption
Von all dem ahnt man oben nichts, denn die vielfältigen Geheimnisse der Alpenseen bleiben meist verborgen.
Of all of this, you would suspect nothing from above, because the diverse secrets of the Alpine lakes stay mostly hidden.
Captions 31-32, Alpenseen: Kühle Schönheiten
Play Caption
Sie haben den Chip also nur demontiert, damit wir ihn nicht finden und Sie nicht verdächtigen?
You only took the chip out so that we wouldn't find it and wouldn't suspect you?
Caption 23, Großstadtrevier: Neben der Spur
Play Caption
The separable verb annehmen, and the verbs vermuten and mutmaßen can all be translated as "to assume." However, it is especially common to use the phrase davon ausgehen.
Das ist wahrscheinlich sehr viel Arbeit auch, nehm ich an.
That's probably a lot of work too, I assume.
Caption 39, Der Fotograf: Sven Siegrist
Play Caption
Er untersucht die genaue Herkunft von Kunstwerken im Museum Wiesbaden, von denen man annehmen könnte, dass sie während der Zeit der Nationalsozialisten unrechtmäßig und illegal ins Haus gelangten.
He is investigating the exact origin of artworks in the Wiesbaden Museum, that could be assumed to have entered the building unjustly and illegally during the Nazi era.
Captions 19-21, Restituierung von Raubkunst: aus der Nazi-Zeit
Play Caption
Ich gehe mal davon aus, dass wir circa sechzig Prozent internationale Schüler haben werden.
I am assuming that we will have around sixty percent international students.
Caption 85, Strothoff International School: Interview mit dem Rektor
Play Caption
Lange gingen Astronomen davon aus, dass die Asteroiden Überbleibsel einer kosmischen Katastrophe, Bruchstücke eines zerborstenen Planeten irgendwo zwischen Mars und Jupiter seien.
Astronomers long assumed that asteroids were small remnants of a cosmic catastrophe, broken pieces of a planet blown apart somewhere between Mars and Jupiter.
Captions 17-19, Unser Universum: Asteroiden - Gefahr aus dem All?
Play Caption
Further Learning
It being Monday, use the examples above and others on Yabla German to construct a few sentences about your expectations for the week. What do you assume will happen the same way it always does? What do you suspect might be different?
We know you're learning German, but what other subjects have you studied? Even if you're not currently in school, it's always interesting to talk with people about what they studied, and which subjects are still relevant to their lives today.
First, we can start with the natural sciences and the applied sciences, respectively called die Naturwissenschaften and die angewandten Wissenschaften in German.
Jan hat heute seine Physikarbeit zurückbekommen.
Jan got his physics paper back today.
Caption 2, The Simple Physics: Schrödingers Katze
Play Caption
Ja, das ist Mathematik oder Mathe.
Yes, this is mathematics or math.
Caption 8, Deutsch mit Eylin: Denk schnell!
Play Caption
...das heißt wir gewinnen zusätzlich noch in dem Bereich Biologie auch eine gewisse Kapazität.
...which means we also gain a certain capacity in the field of biology.
Caption 40, Für Tierfreunde: Przewalski-Wildpferde
Play Caption
Ich habe schnell gemerkt, dass mich Elektrotechnik sehr interessiert
I quickly noticed that electrical engineering really interests me.
Caption 10, Deutsche Welle: Lieber Ausbildung als Studium
Play Caption
In these next captions, you will find some fields that relate to the social sciences, or die Sozialwissenschaften, and the world of business.
Ja? Das wäre so eine Geschichte, ähm, mit interdisziplinärem Input aus der Sportwissenschaft, der Sportmedizin, der Psychologie und der Soziologie.
Yes? That would be something, um, with interdisciplinary input from sport sciences, sports medicine, psychology, and sociology.
Captions 65-66, TEDx: Lebenslange Fitness
Play Caption
Ich hab schon in Spanien zwei Semester Jura studiert.
I already studied law in Spain for two semesters.
Caption 7, Nicos Weg: Am Bankautomaten
Play Caption
Ich studiere Wirtschaft und arbeite in einem Café.
I study economics and work in a café.
Caption 27, Magie: Die Zaubershow
Play Caption
The humanities, or die Geisteswissenschaften, include history, languages, literature, philosophy, and often the arts as well. For more on the arts, you can refer to two recent lessons, one which covered the visual arts, and the other on the performing arts.
Kunstgeschichte wird ja von Kunsthistorikern gemacht. Da haben Sie recht, das waren immer Männer.
Art history is written by art historians. You are right about that, those were always men.
Caption 25, Malerei: Impressionistinnen
Play Caption
Interessierst du dich für Literatur?
Are you interested in literature?
Caption 9, Nicos Weg: Das macht mir Spaß!
Play Caption
Further Learning
Based on what you read above and have found on Yabla German, see if you can figure out the meanings of the following: die Politikwissenschaft, die Kulturwissenschaft, die Religionswissenschaft. Some disciplines, like die Philosophie, die Geografie, die Geologie, die Anthropologie, or die Medizin, have similar names to their English counterparts and may be easy to identify. And then, of course, some subjects have simply adopted the English term, such as das Marketing and das Management.
In a previous Yabla lesson, we discussed Easter traditions in Germany. Today, let's talk about the German names of the main Easter holidays. Easter, a Christian commemoration of the resurrection of Christ, is called Ostern in German. It's a neuter noun, but is usually written and spoken without a definite or indefinite article, in the same way that we don't usually say "the Easter" or "an Easter" in English.
Easter is a week-long religious celebration with major and minor days of celebration. This week is called Karwoche ("Holy Week"). The term has nothing to do with automobiles, but stems rather from the now-obsolete 17th-century German word kara, which means "grief, sorrow, or lamentation." The first major day of celebration is Palm Sunday:
Am Palmsonntag steht eine große Messe auf dem Programm.
On Palm Sunday, a large mass is on the schedule.
Captions 9-10, Papst Franziskus: Der neue Papst hat viel zu tun
Play Caption
The next four Easter days are not celebrated and not official holidays in Germany: Ostermontag, Osterdienstag, and Ostermittwoch (Easter Monday, Easter Tuesday, and Easter Wednesday). Maundy Thursday, also commonly called Holy Thursday, commemorates the Last Supper of Christ: Gründonnerstag, literally "Green Thursday." This day is not an official holiday in Germany, so Cettina and Sabine can still go out dancing without fear of Tanzverbot:
Da wir heute erst Gründonnerstag haben, gehen wir jetzt eine Runde tanzen und verabschieden uns von euch.
Since it's only Holy Thursday, we'll now go dance a bit and say goodbye to you.
Captions 71-72, Cettina und Sabine: Ostern
Play Caption
The next Easter day is an official holiday in Germany, Karfreitag or Good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion of Christ.
Der Karfreitag ist ein Fasten- und Abstinenztag.
Good Friday is a day of fasting and abstinence.
Caption 65, Cettina und Sabine: Ostern
Play Caption
The next day, Holy Saturday, is called Karsamstag in German, and is meant in Christian theology to mark the descent of Christ into Hell. It is not an official holiday in Germany either.
The last day of Easter is the most important: Easter Sunday, called Ostersonntag or simply Ostern. This is when, according to Christian belief, Christ was resurrected from the dead. It's surprisingly not an official holiday in Germany (except for Brandenburg), because most shops are closed and most people don't go to work on Sundays anyway. Official work-free holidays are decided in Germany on the state rather than national level.
Der Ostersonntag gehört zu den Höhepunkten der Osterfeierlichkeiten bei den Katholiken.
Easter Sunday is one of the highlights of Easter celebrations among Catholics.
Captions 16-17, Papst Franziskus: Der neue Papst hat viel zu tun
Play Caption
The day after Easter is an official holiday in Germany and is commonly called Ostermontag, although the religious Easter Monday took place the week before.
Further Learning
Go to Yabla German and watch Cettina und Sabine: Ostern and Ostern mit Eva to get a full overview of the Easter holidays in Germany. Happy holidays from Yabla!
German, like many languages, uses a lot of idioms referring to animals. You've probably heard some similar English expressions like "I'm in the dog house," or "to let the cat out of the bag." Let's take a look today at some more German animal expressions, as continued from Part I.
Mann, du schläfst ja wie ein Bär!
Man, you sleep like a bear!
Caption 21, Meine Freundin Conni: Conni schläft im Kindergarten
Play Caption
You occasionally see the idiom "to sleep like a bear" in English, but the far more common phrase is "to sleep like a log." Bears hibernate much of the winter, thus it means to sleep very deeply. Logs don't sleep at all, of course, but it suggests a person is sleeping so deeply and heavily that they resemble a log.
Sie will wissen, wie der Hase läuft.
She wants to be more experienced.
The literal translation is "to know how the hare runs." The expression has nothing to do with speed (hares being fast runners), but rather with the knowledge of knowing how they run so quickly. Thus the idiom means to have experience, knowledge, or wisdom. This is related to the next expression:
Du bist ein alter Hase.
You are very experienced.
Caption 33, Oskar: Gehen, wenn es am schönsten ist
Play Caption
"To be an old hare" means you have a lot of experience, and is similar to the English expression "an old hand."
Judith hat doch hier mit ihrem Projekt fabulös die Kuh vom Eis geholt.
After all, Judith has, with her project here, saved the situation fabulously.
Captions 27-28, Lerchenberg: Sascha hautnah
Play Caption
The literal translation is "to fetch the cow from the ice," meaning to have saved a precarious situation from disaster. Cows, as we saw in the previous lesson, are widely considered to be stupid animals, so it's no surprise that such sayings have them wandering out onto thin ice!
Ich bin tierisch reich.
I'm very rich.
Caption 15, Die Prinzen_ Alles nur geklaut
Play Caption
Victorian English, at least judging from period films, made common use of the term "beastly" as an idiom meaning "very." So you'll have an Arctic explorer on the verge of freezing to death saying something like "I say, old chap, it's beastly cold up here!" The word sounds strange to modern ears, however, and is best translated with the simple "very."
Further Learning
Go to Yabla German and watch the above videos to get a better idea of the contexts in which they have been used. You can also search the Redensarten-Index for more animal expressions. It's a good site to bookmark if you come across a German idiom whose meaning isn't clear!
At one point, we wrote a lesson on the difference between eröffnen and öffnen. The verb öffnen is basically what it sounds like, while the verb eröffnen can also be used with non-physical entities that can be "opened," as well as something that is established or instituted.
When it comes to closing something, you probably know the word schließen. And just as aufmachen can substitute for öffnen, zumachen is another verb used to talk about closing something.
Jetzt schließe ich meinen Koffer.
Now, I'll close my suitcase.
Caption 22, Christiane: fährt in den Urlaub
Play Caption
Die Polizei sagt, er solle seinen Kofferraum aufmachen.
The police officer says he should open his trunk.
Caption 4, Sabine erzählt Witze: Die Pinguine
Play Caption
Wenn keine Tür da ist, kann man sie auch nicht zumachen.
If there is no door, you can't close it either.
Caption 26, Piggeldy und Frederick: Haus
Play Caption
That is all relatively simple, but when it comes to locking and unlocking something like a door, there are many more verbs you can use, such as aufschließen, zuschließen, verschließen, and abschließen. The first two are similar to aufmachen and zumachen, but would refer to something that is shut very securely or locked. You may know the verb abschließen as "to finish" or "to conclude," but it can also mean "to lock up." Interestingly, aufgeschlossen is also an adjective used to describe a person being "open" or "receptive."
Frankreich plant nachzuziehen und auch London will aufschließen.
France plans to follow suit and London wants to open [its financial markets] up as well.
Caption 41, Frankfurt wird Handelszentrum für die chinesische Währung Yuan
Play Caption
Die Schachtel ist total sicher verschlossen.
The box is completely and securely shut.
Caption 58, The Simple Physics: Schrödingers Katze
Play Caption
Also, die Leute sind sehr aufgeschlossen.
Well, the people are very receptive.
Caption 7, Eva Croissant: Interview
Play Caption
It then gets even more specific, with verbs like entriegeln and entsperren, which could also mean "unlatch" or "unbolt."
Maik gibt den vierstelligen Code ein und entriegelt das Schloss.
Maik enters the four-digit code and unlocks the lock.
Caption 28, Fußballspieler Maik Franz: "Call a Bike"
Play Caption
Further Learning
You can find many examples of these verbs on Yabla German, which is the best way to understand the nuances in their meaning. You can also look up the list of possible translations for each verb with an online dictionary like leo.org to get a sense of this as well. While you're at it, consider aufsperren and zusperren, two additional verbs more often used in Southern Germany. Based on the other verbs you have learned, what do you think these mean?
German, like many languages, uses a lot of idioms referring to animals. You've probably heard the English expression "I'm hungry as a horse" or the term "snail mail." What these expressions have in common in all languages is that they refer to some quality that is associated in that culture with a specific animal: Horses eat a lot of food and snails move very slowly—always compared to humans, of course. Let's take a look today at some German animal expressions.
Wohl aufs falsche Pferd gesetzt, hm?
Probably bet on the wrong horse, hm?
Caption 19, Marga Engel schlägt zurück Der Engel von Leipzig
Play Caption
This one is easy, because English has the same saying with the same meaning: "to make a wrong decision," or "to support something that failed." It comes from racetrack betting or investing in a racehorse.
Wisst ihr, was ich der blöden Kuh gesagt habe?
Do you know what I said to the stupid cow?
Caption 28, Weihnachtsfilm Ein Sack voll Geld
Play Caption
Cows are always being accused of being stupid, but since it's usually male humans who call women "stupid cows," perhaps it's really such men who are stupidly sexist. Thankfully, this awful expression in English is mostly confined to Britain, an island just outside of Europe. Sadly, the Germans seem to have adopted it—though perhaps it was the Germanic Saxons who first introduced it to Britain after all!
Sind die dummen Esel die Menschen und die richtigen Esel die Tiere?
Are the dumb donkeys the people and the real donkeys the animals?
Caption 15, Piggeldy und Frederick Der Esel
Play Caption
If you call somebody an Esel in German, it means you think they are stupid or stubborn, similar to the English phrase "as stubborn as a mule." Mules are half donkey and half horse, of course. Piggeldy is making the point that perhaps it's humans who are dumb, and not donkeys. But of course Piggeldy is only a cartoon pig. Speaking of which...
„Wir haben ganz schön Schwein gehabt", sagte Frederick,
"We were very lucky," said Frederick,
Caption 33, Piggeldy und Frederick Reise nach Schweinebrück
Play Caption
The literal translation of Schwein haben is "to have a swine" (or "pig"), but it means "to be very lucky." The saying apparently comes from old German festivals of marksmanship, where the worst shot was given a piglet as a consolation prize. So despite Schwein being a common German insult, the pig was considered a valuable possession in earlier times and thus meant business income and luck.
„Gibt es viele arme Schweine?“, fragte Piggeldy.
"Are there lots of poor swine?" Piggeldy asked.
Caption 21, Piggeldy und Frederick Arm
Play Caption
Piggeldy, a cartoon pig, is literally asking if there are a lot of "poor swine" in the world. The joke intended here is that armes Schwein, figuratively spoken, means a person who is worthy of sympathy, as something bad has happened to them. Thus, Piggeldy is also asking if there are a lot of unfortunate people. It's similar to the English expressions "poor bastard," "poor wretch," or "poor devil."
Further Learning
Go to Yabla German and watch the above videos to get a better idea of the contexts in which they have been used. And remember, it's rude to call somebody a blöde Kuh, but it can show sympathy if you call somebody an armes Schwein. Funny isn’t it, how in German, calling somebody a pig can be a nice thing!
Spanish
French
Italian
Chinese
English
English 
Español
Français
Italiano
Português
Deutsch