If you ever watch or listen to news reports in German, whether it be on Yabla or a complementary resource such as Deutsche Welle's Langsam gesprochene Nachrichten, you will encounter a whole set of vocabulary for talking about the climate crisis. In this lesson, we'll look at some words that describe some of the threats our planet is facing.
Um etwas gegen die Klimaerwärmung zu tun, müssen wir in Deutschland aus der Braunkohle aussteigen.
In order to do something against global warming, we have to phase out brown coal in Germany.
Caption 36, WWF Deutschland Klimawandel hautnah - Was sind die Auswirkungen?
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Wir starten immer mit einem Modul zum Klimawandel.
We always start with a module on climate change.
Caption 21, Schüler lernen Nachhaltigkeit - Bildungsinitiative gestartet
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When we talk about the impact humans have on the environment, the greenhouse effect and greenhouse gases are often mentioned:
Ein Passagierflugzeug, das von New York nach Kalifornien und zurück fliegt,
A passenger plane that flies from New York to California and back
stößt eine Menge Treibhausgase aus,
emits a lot of greenhouse gases:
ungefähr so viel wie ein Auto in einem ganzen Jahr.
about as much as a car in a whole year.
Captions 28-30, Die Welt in der Zukunft - Flugzeuge im Jahr 2050
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Bei dem Song, der „Mutter Erde“ heißt,
With the song, which is called "Mother Earth,"
versuchen wir halt auch, das Thema Umweltschutz irgendwie zu vermitteln...
we also try to somehow impart the theme of environment protection...
wie der Treibhauseffekt zum Beispiel geschieht.
how the greenhouse effect happens, for example.
Captions 57-59, Rapucation - Lernen durch Rapmusik
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Awareness and regulations related to CO2 have been on the rise in an attempt to improve a very dire situation. "Carbon dioxide" is das Kohlendioxid in German, but, like in English, the chemical formula is used quite often:
Die Anreise mit Flugzeug oder Auto sorgt für
Traveling by plane or car creates
eine schlechte CO2-Bilanz.
an unfavorable carbon footprint.
Caption 3, WissensWerte - Tourismus und Nachhaltigkeit
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Punkt für die Bahn
Point for the train
mit grade mal zweiundzwanzig Komma fünf Kilogramm
with just twenty-two point five kilogram
an CO2-Ausstoß pro Person.
of CO2 emissions per person.
Captions 62-63, Galileo - Zug vs. Flugzeug: Von München nach Berlin
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Und ein federführendes Projekt ist die
And a leading project is the
CO2-zwei-neutrale Landesverwaltung,
CO2-neutral state government
die beispielhaft in Deutschland ist.
that is exemplary in Germany.
Captions 42-43, Rheinmain im Blick - Nachhaltigkeit
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Further Learning
We will be back with more words related to climate change and how individuals can do their part. In the meantime, you can go to Yabla German and select the category "Environment" or "News" to hear a German perspective on current issues and learn more about people and organizations dedicated to protecting the environment and fighting climate change.
We have "to see," "to watch," and "to look" in English, but there are even more verbs in German, and the meanings are often prefix-dependent. In German, the three verbs/verb roots are sehen, schauen, and gucken / kucken. Gucken or (more commonplace) kucken is slang and is more popular in northern Germany, whereas schauen is slang in southern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. To gain an understanding of how these verbs are used, it's best to look at various examples and see how added prefixes affect the meaning.
Below, you can see examples of these three verbs without any prefixes.
Die anderen Tiere sind im Winter leider nicht draußen zu sehen.
The other animals are unfortunately not to be seen outside in the winter.
Caption 20, Berlin - Domäne Dahlem
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Wo sehen Sie sich selbst in zehn Jahren?
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Caption 55, Berufsleben - das Vorstellungsgespräch
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Hast du schon im Schrank geschaut? -Ja.
Have you already looked in the closet? -Yes.
Caption 4, Nicos Weg - Vorm Fahrradladen
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Ich bin runter und habe geguckt, war aber nichts.
I went down and looked, but there was nothing.
Caption 28, Rheinmain im Blick - Erdbeben in Südhessen
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Based on these examples, you might come to the conclusion that sehen is always translated as "to see" and schauen and kucken are translated as "to look." However, this is simply not the case. It is instead the prefixes that reliably determine the translations. As you see below, sich etwas anschauen and sich etwas ansehen both mean "to (take/have a) look at something," as does sich etwas ankucken.
Und einen Brauch wollen wir uns heute ansehen.
And we want to take a look at one of these customs today.
Caption 6, Eva erklärt - den Adventskalender
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Zuerst schauen wir uns einige Farben an.
First, we will look at some colors.
Caption 6, Eva erklärt - Farben
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Der Arzt schaut sich den Fuß jetzt erst mal an.
First, the doctor will take a look at your foot.
Caption 5, Nicos Weg - Beim Arzt
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Kuckt euch diese alte Kamera an.
Look at this old camera.
Caption 21, Drei Leute - beim Kofferpacken
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The phrases mal sehen, mal schauen, and mal kucken are essentially synonyms and can mean either "let's have a look at" or "let's see," depending on the context.
Mal schauen, wie weit die Cannelloni sind.
Let's see how far along the cannelloni are.
Caption 41, Cannelloni - mit Jenny
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Mal kucken, was die anderen Jugendlichen hier im Jugendforum so treiben.
Let's see what the other young people here in the Youth Forum are up to.
Caption 10, Rheinman in Blick - Nachhaltigkeit
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Aussehen and ausschauen both refer to a person's appearance. Note: It is not possible to say auskucken in this context!
Du siehst gut aus.
You look good.
Caption 3, Weihnachtsmann gesucht - Bist du verliebt?
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Also, er hat mich gefragt: „Wie möchtest denn...
Well, he asked me: "How would you then like...
Herr Otto, wie möchtest denn ausschauen?“
Mr. Otto, how would you like to look then?"
Caption 9, Otto Waalkes - Friseur
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The verb "to watch" is most often translated as zusehen or zuschauen.
Auf den Besuchertribünen kann jeder den Abgeordneten bei der Arbeit zusehen.
On the visitors' stands, everyone can watch the representatives at work.
Caption 23, Berlin - Hauptstadt des vereinten Deutschland
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Vielen Dank fürs Zuschauen.
Thank you for watching.
Caption 27, Eva - zeigt uns Kleidungsstücke
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When it comes to watching television or a film, there are various expressions involving all three verbs.
Am Freitag sehe ich fern.
On Friday, I will watch television.
Caption 17, Nicos Weg - Am Sonntag koche ich
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Wir haben viel zusammen gekocht und Filme gekuckt.
We often cooked together and watched films.
Caption 32, Fine - sucht eine Wohnung
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Wenn du den Fernseher anmachst, was schaust du?
When you turn on the television, what do you watch?
Caption 36, Peyman Amin - Der Modelmacher
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Further Learning
There are many, many examples of these verbs (sehen, sich etwas ansehen, zusehen, aussehen, and the slang versions) used in context on Yabla German. When you notice an incongruity between the two languages or an exception, make sure to take note of it.
One of the most common mistakes that native German speakers make when translating the preposition seit to English is to always render it as "since," but in contexts where the English word is meant to be used to indicate the passing of a period of time, it should usually be translated as "for." The mistake seems to be common with Europeans speaking English, as I hear it regularly on the streets and in cafés and restaurants in Berlin, where so many Europeans are speaking English as a lingua franca.
Yes, I have been going there since (correct: for) many years.
We've been wanting to visit Paris since (correct: for) at least a decade.
I have lived in Berlin since (correct: for) 16 years.
It's easy to see how this mistake is made, as the German sentence uses the word seit and as it's actually correct to use "since" if a specific year is used in the same sentences:
Yes, I have been going there since 2018.
We've been wanting to visit Paris since at least 2012.
I have lived in Berlin since 2006.
Here are some examples of seit used on Yabla German with the correct English translations "for" and "since." Note the way that the context of each sentence changes which English word is used.
„Mir ist so“, maulte Piggeldy, „als tue ich das schon seit Tagen!“
"For me it's like," muttered Piggeldy, "as if I have already been doing this for days!"
Caption 11, Piggeldy und Frederick - Wanderdüne
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Seit Montag wird das Lied im Radio gespielt.
The song has been playing on the radio since Monday.
Caption 33, Liza - Ein Lied für Opel
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Sie schreibt ihr Referat, an dem sie schon seit zwei Wochen arbeitet.
She is writing her paper that she has been working on for two weeks.
Caption 15, Deutschkurs in Blaubeuren - Relativsätze mit Präpositionen
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Seit vergangener Woche hat die Kranich-Airline nun ihren ersten gebrandeten A dreihundertachtzig in Betrieb.
Since last week, the crane airline has now had its first branded A three hundred and eighty at work.
Caption 9, Rund um den Flughafen - Der neue Airbus A-380
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Na ja, ich krieg' ja seit Monaten keine Wochenendzeitungen mehr.
Oh well, I haven't been getting a weekend newspaper for months.
Caption 8, Großstadtrevier - Von Monstern und Mördern
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OK, ihr seid jetzt seit April in Deutschland, ja?
OK, you have been in Germany now since April, right?
Caption 1, Deutschkurs in Blaubeuren - Relativsätze mit Präpositionen
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Ich spiel' jetzt schon seit zehn Jahren Handball.
I've been playing handball for ten years now.
Caption 7, Jenny und Alena - Handball
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Also, die Nachhaltigkeitsstrategie gibt es seit dem Jahr zweitausend-und-acht.
Well, the sustainability strategy has been there since the year two thousand eight.
Caption 37, Rheinmain im Blick - Nachhaltigkeit
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A general rule of thumb is to translate seit as "since" if it refers to a specific date such as a year, month, or day of the week. If it is referring to a length of time, such as "many years," then seit is usually translated as "for."
Further Learning
Compare other contexts in which seit is used on Yabla German and study some other uses of the word in which the preposition seit can also be translated as "because."
There is no single standard form for making German nouns plural, but most nouns follow one of ten general patterns. You will instinctively recognize many of them, but others just have to be learned. One thing, at least, is easier: the definite article for German plurals is always die, regardless of the noun's gender.
(1) Add -e:
„Ich fahre nach Stuttgart, weil ich meine Freunde treffen will".
"I drive to Stuttgart because I want to meet my friends".
Caption 61, Deutschkurs in Tübingen - Warum, weil - Erklärungen
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Der Freund, plural die Freunde.
(2) Add -n or -en:
Und all diese Fragen…
And all these questions…
Wir sind ja schon immer als Studenten nach Frankfurt gepilgert.
We have indeed always, as students, gone to Frankfurt.
Caption 14, Museum - für Moderne Kunst
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Die Frage, plural die Fragen; der Student, plural die Studenten.
(3) Add -e and umlaut:
Wer würde ihren Haferbrei essen und ihre Stühle zerbrechen?
Who would eat their oat porridge and break their chairs?
Caption 55, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Goldlöckchen und die drei Bären
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Der Stuhl, plural die Stühle.
(4) Add -er, or umlaut and -er:
Allein unter seiner Herrschaft waren es weit über hundert...
Alone under his rule, it was far above a hundred...
Männer, Frauen, Kinder...
men, women, children...
Caption 22, Geschichte - Hexenverbrennung im Odenwald
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Das Kind, plural die Kinder; der Mann, plural die Männer.
(5) Change the main vowel to its umlaut equivalent, but make no change to the noun's ending:
Die drei Brüder waren entsetzt.
The three brothers were horrified.
Caption 32, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Die drei Brüder
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Der Bruder, plural die Brüder. This rule applies especially to family members such as der Vater, plural die Väter; die Mutter, plural die Mütter; die Tochter, plural die Töchter.
(6) Add -s:
Das sind wirklich die schlimmsten Autos, die jemals hergestellt wurden.
These are really the worst cars that were ever made.
Caption 36, Der Trabi - Das Kultauto aus dem Osten
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Das Auto, plural die Autos.
(7) Nouns ending in -in, which denote that the person in question is a woman, are always pluralized with -nen:
Emmi und Johanna sind Freundinnen.
Emmi and Johanna are friends.
Caption 3, Fußball und die Frauenwelt - Der Manndecker
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Die Freundin, plural die Freundinnen.
(8) Add -ien:
Man muss die Materialien kennen.
One must know the materials.
Caption 29, Trendberuf Restauratorin - Eine Lebensaufgabe
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Das Material, plural die Materialien.
(9) Nouns ending in -nis are pluralized by adding -se:
Die Ergebnisse des Tages sollen natürlich auch Früchte tragen.
The results of the day should, of course, also bear fruit.
Caption 26, Rheinmain im Blick - Nachhaltigkeit
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Das Ergebnis, plural die Erebnisse.
(10) No change at all: plurals are only distinguished by context or in the case of non-feminine nouns, the use of the definite article die:
Die Zimmer sind besondere Hinkucker [Hingucker, Umgangssprache].
The rooms are special eye-catchers [attractions].
Caption 5, Das Ostel - Über Nacht zurück in der DDR
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Das Zimmer, plural die Zimmer.
Last of all, there are the irregular plurals, which consist of nouns that each have their own unique rules for pluralization. These, of course, must be learned individually. A few examples are der Saal (plural die Säle), das Datum (plural die Daten), das Klima (plural die Klimate), der Bus (plural die Busse).
Further Learning
Read this article about German irregular plurals and look here for an in depth overview of German plurals. Find examples of plurals used in a real world scenario on Yabla German.
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