The relationship people have with work evolves throughout their lives, and our relationship with work as a society is also currently seeing some changes.
First of all, there is the type of employment: full-time or part-time? Employed, self-employed, or freelance?
Die meisten Leute, die bei einem Arbeitgeber angestellt sind, werden für diese Arbeit am Ende des Monats bezahlt.
Most people who are employed by an employer are paid for this work at the end of the month.
Captions 4-5, Eva erklärt: Bankkonten
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Und bin selbstständig und habe also diese Probleme nicht mehr.
And I'm self-employed and don't have these problems anymore.
Caption 43, TUDYKA: Interview mit Uschi
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Für die Wirtschaft, die großen Unternehmen genau wie die kleinen Betriebe, für Geschäfte, Restaurants, Freiberufler . . .
For the economy, for large companies as well as small businesses, for shops, restaurants, freelancers ...
Captions 44-45, Coronavirus: Fernsehansprache von Angela Merkel
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Wollen Sie Teilzeit oder Vollzeit arbeiten?
Do you want to work part-time or full-time?
Caption 20, Nicos Weg: Bewerbungsgespräch
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People work in offices, factories, institutions, businesses, and any number of other places. And of course, we can't forget working from home, the word for which has been adopted into the German language.
Nun, wenn Sie morgen früh um neun Uhr ins Büro kommen könnten, können wir Sie direkt einarbeiten.
So, if you come to the office tomorrow at nine a.m., we can train you right away.
Captions 29-30, Berufsleben: das Vorstellungsgespräch
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Ich arbeite fünfzehn Stunden in der Woche und, äh, habe auch ein Homeoffice.
I work fifteen hours a week and, uh, have a home office too.
Caption 13, Finanzassistentin: Sarah interviewt Cettina
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In German, you can talk about der Job, die Arbeit, die Stelle, der Beruf, or die Karriere. These words may reflect different levels of dedication and permanence.
Mein eigentlicher Beruf ist Buchhändlerin, aber seit ich in Berlin lebe, arbeite ich als Kellnerin und Barista in Cafés.
My actual occupation is book dealer, but since I've lived in Berlin, I've worked as a waitress and barista in cafés.
Captions 15-16, Berlin: Judith und die „Brezel Bar“
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Further Learning
How would you describe your job or the career of someone you know? Find the right words in examples from Yabla German and then write up a few sentences of your own.
It's hard to break old habits of speech when you are learning to pronounce words in German that you already knew before, such as many place names. It can take a while to change the pronunciation that you learned a long time ago in your native language. Such may be the case with the capital city of Germany, Berlin.
In English, "Berlin" is pronounced bur-LIN. The first part sounds like "brr," when you are cold, and it's certainly a cold enough place in winter. The second part rhymes with "win" and is the stressed syllable. You probably pronounce it this way already, though if you happen to come from Berlin, Connecticut or Berlin, New Hampshire, you might naturally put slightly more emphasis on the first syllable. Don't do that if you are talking about bur-LIN, Germany!
Ironically, a number of Germans I know, when they are speaking English, mispronounce the English pronunciation of Berlin as BURR-lin. Maybe they're trying to sound more American with the heavy emphasis on the R, but I usually don't have the heart to correct them. In the following video, a male American student says "Berlin" with the American pronunciation, followed by his female native German teacher saying "Berlin" with a proper German pronunciation:
„Wenn ich Urlaub habe, gehe ich nach Berlin... -nach Berlin." Gut.
"When I am on vacation I go to Berlin... -to Berlin." Good.
„Nach Berlin." -„Gehe ich nach Berlin", ja.
"To Berlin." -"I go to Berlin," yes.
Captions 64-65, Deutschkurs in Tübingen - Nebensätze als Satzanfang
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In German, of course, "Berlin" is pronounced very differently. The first syllable sounds like "bear" and the second syllable like "lean": bear-LEAN. Of course, the bear (der Bär) is the symbol of Berlin! The German teacher above is in Southern Germany, but in Northern Germany and especially in Berlin, people tend to emphasize the "i," sounding more like bur-LEEEN :
Aber seit ich in Berlin lebe,
But since I've lived in Berlin,
arbeite ich als Kellnerin und Barista in Cafés.
I've worked as a waitress and barista in cafés.
Caption 16, Berlin - Judith und die „Brezel Bar“
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Das ist tatsächlich ein Hotel in Berlin mit einem ganz verrückten Konzept.
This is, in fact, a hotel in Berlin with a completely crazy concept.
Caption 2, Berlin - Indoor-Camping im „Hüttenpalast“
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Kommst du auch aus Hamburg?
Do you also come from Hamburg?
Nee, aus Berlin.
No, from Berlin.
Captions 33-34, Großstadtrevier - Nicht mit mir - Part 4
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Du kommst gar nicht aus Berlin.
You're not from Berlin at all.
Caption 24, Großstadtrevier - Nicht mit mir - Part 5
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Further Learning
Go to Yabla German and search for videos about Berlin. You can also watch the music video of the song "Berlin" by the 1980s German punk band Ideal. The chorus repeats Ich steh auf Berlin, which means "I like Berlin." It shows a lot of street scenes and demonstrations from the early 1980s West Berlin, when the city was much rougher than it is today!
The noun der Beleg, the verb belegen and the adjective belegt have related roots, but are used differently in a variety of contexts. Let's start with the noun der Beleg.
Du brauchst einen Ort, an dem deine Belege sicher sind.
You need a place where your documents are safe.
Caption 7, Reposito - in 60 Sekunden
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Der Beleg is often translated as "evidence," "proof," "document," "documentation," "voucher," or "receipt." In everyday life in Germany, I probably hear it most often when leaving the cash register at the supermarket after having paid: Möchten Sie den Beleg haben?
Now onto the verb belegen:
Nun muss ich meinen Teig nur noch mit den Apfelstücken belegen.
Now I just have to cover the batter with the apple pieces.
Caption 29, Apfelkuchen - mit Eva
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Unfallstudien belegen sogar, dass Autos mit hoher passiver Fußgängersicherheit
Accident studies even prove that cars with a higher passive [automatic] protection for pedestrians
für den Unfallschutz von Radfahrern kaum helfen.
barely help in the protection of cyclists from accidents.
Captions 12-13, Crashtest - Fahrradfahrer profitieren kaum vom Fußgängerschutz am Auto
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Wie man hier sieht, haben wir auch frisches Gemüse
As you see here, we also have fresh vegetables
wie Tomaten, Gurken,
like tomatoes and cucumbers
da wir frisch, äh, Sandwiches und Brötchen belegen.
since we make fresh sandwiches and rolls.
Captions 21-23, Berlin - Judith und die „Brezel Bar“
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In most cases, belegen is usually translated as to "to cover," "to prove," or "to document." In the last example, however, an open-faced sandwich is a belegtes Brot in German. Thus when you literally "cover" sandwiches and bread rolls, you are in fact "making" them. Again, understanding properly all depends upon the context!
The verb belegen can also be translated as "to occupy" or "to take," at least in the sense that you "occupy" a position in a race or "take" a university course:
Nürnberg belegt jetzt Platz fünfzehn...
Nuremberg is now in fifteenth place...
Caption 46, FC Bayern München - in einer eigenen Liga
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Na ja, in der Justizvollzugsanstalt Fuhlsbüttel kannst du ja einen Kursus belegen als Alleinunterhalter.
Well, at Fuhlsbüttel Penitentiary you can take a class to become a solo entertainer.
Caption 66, Großstadtrevier - St. Pauli rettet HSV
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Last but not least, let's take a look at belegt as an adjective:
Die besten Plätze sind schnell belegt.
The best places are quickly occupied.
Caption 43, Abenteuer Nordsee - Unter Riesenhaien und Tintenfischen
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Drei Damen vom Grill, die eine belegte Schrippe mit 'ner Bulette gefüllt haben [Inhaber]
Three ladies from the grill who have filled an open-faced roll with a meatball [owner]
und das Hamburger genannt haben.
and called that a hamburger.
Captions 14-15, Berlin - Die beste Auswahl an Hamburgern
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Further Learning
See if you can find other examples of der Beleg, belegen, and belegt on Yabla German and find a tandem partner to take turns making up and checking your own sentences using these words.
In German, two verbs can be translated as "to live." Generally, students of German are taught that wohnen relates to more temporary living situations, and leben to more permanent living situations. This may seem highly subjective, and it is! Although there are sentences where only one option is correct, there are certainly sentences in which the speaker chooses a verb dependent on their perspective on the situation.
For example, if we look at the following two sentences from the video
Berlin: Judith und die „Brezel Bar“, we see that Judith uses both words to describe her living situation.
Ich selbst wohne auch in Kreuzberg, hier um die Ecke.
I myself also live in Kreuzberg, here around the corner.
Caption 12, Berlin - Judith und die „Brezel Bar“
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Mein eigentlicher Beruf ist Buchhändlerin, aber seit ich in Berlin lebe, arbeite ich als Kellnerin und Barista in Cafés.
My actual occupation is book dealer, but since I've lived in Berlin, I've worked as a waitress and barista in cafés.
Captions 15-16, Berlin - Judith und die „Brezel Bar“
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We notice here that Judith talks about her apartment being in Kreuzberg with the verb wohnen and her life in Berlin with the verb leben. Wohnen is often used to talk about domesticity, such as inhabiting an apartment or a house. German philosopher Martin Heidegger is well-known for his text Bauen, Wohnen, Denken, which is translated as "Building, dwelling, thinking" in English. Ikea in Germany has for many years had the slogan Wohnst du noch oder lebst du schon? which highlights that occupying or sleeping in a space does not necessarily mean that you are really at home there. In German, the phrase Hast du dich eingelebt? means "Have you settled in?" also reflecting that leben has a deeper sense of permanence than simply dwelling or residing.
In this sentence, Brigitta uses wohnen to express that she is staying with friends, which is obviously a temporary situation:
Vielen, vielen Dank, dass ich hier bei euch wohnen kann.
Many, many thanks for allowing me to stay here with you.
Caption 13, Die Wohngemeinschaft - Besuch - Part 2
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In this next sentence, it would be possible to say Ich wohne allein, but this would highlight the domestic aspect of living by oneself in an apartment or house, rather than describing a way of life. A person might also say Ich lebe gesund, for example.
Ich lebe allein, ich bin unabhängig und ich liebe meine Arbeit.
I live alone, I am independent and I love my work.
Caption 48, Malerei - Impressionistinnen
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And of course, not to be forgotten, leben is also the verb for "to be alive" itself!
Schneewittchen lebt, bei den sieben Zwergen im Wald.
Snow White is alive, with the seven dwarfs in the forest.
Caption 54, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Schneewittchen
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Further Learning
There are many examples of leben and wohnen on Yabla German. Think about your own life and which verb you would use to describe various places you have lived, or your current life and lifestyle.
You are likely already very familiar with the verb kaufen and its antonym verkaufen:
Die Leute gehen in den Supermarkt, kaufen etwas und wissen gar nicht, woher es kommt.
People go to the supermarket, buy something and don't even know where it comes from.
Captions 12-13, Bundesregierung - Der Tomatenfisch
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Wir verkaufen Brezeln mit Schokolade.
We sell pretzels with chocolate.
Caption 20, Berlin - Judith und die „Brezel Bar“
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You probably know the verb einkaufen as well:
Fritzle geht mit seiner Oma einkaufen.
Little Fritz goes shopping with his grandma.
Caption 2, Ivana erzählt Witze - Fritzle und die Oma
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You may, however, be less familiar with the separable verb ankaufen. It is very similar to kaufen ("to buy"), but has a very specific context related to a person or a company that offers to buy items on a regular basis:
Der Juwelier kauft Gold an.
The jeweler buys gold.
Der Autohändler kauft Gebrauchtwagen an.
The car dealer buys used cars.
The separable verb aufkaufen can be used to mean "to buy up" or to buy in large quantities:
Ursprünglich hat er alte Anzüge aufgekauft, so aus den Zwanzigern und so.
Originally, he bought up old suits from the twenties and such.
Caption 6, Jonathan Johnson - Herr von Eden
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The verb aufkaufen is also used when a company takes over or acquires another company:
Facebook und Amazon wurden von Google aufgekauft.
Facebook and Amazon were acquired by Google.
Please note that the above statement is purely hypothetical and is in no way intended to represent the intention of any companies, real or imagined!
Further Learning
Read this excellent article on the four verbs above, and see this list of words that use the root kaufen. You may then go to Yabla German and find examples of the words used in a real world context.
The German accusative preposition für is often translated to the English preposition "for":
Hier gibt es viele verschiedene Sachen
Here there are many different things
für die Familie und für die Kinder zu sehen.
for the family and for the children to see.
Caption 8, Berlin - Domäne Dahlem
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However, the English preposition "for" may also be translated to German as aus:
Aber aus irgendeinem Grund wollte Pandora im Haus bleiben.
But for some reason Pandora wanted to stay in the house.
Captions 33-34, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Die Büchse der Pandora
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Or as zum:
Fast jedes Ei, das zum Verkauf in Supermärkten gedacht ist,
Almost every egg that is intended for sale in supermarkets
muss mit einem Zahlencode gekennzeichnet sein.
must be marked with a number code.
[Kennzeichnung von Hühnereiern]
[Identification of chicken eggs]
Captions 9-10, Bioeier - Wie funktioniert der Erzeugercode?
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Or as seit:
Und seit wie lange schon? -Seit sechzehn Jahren.
And for how long already? -For sixteen years.
Caption 6, Frisbee - Karlsruher Weihnachtsturnier
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Remember too that foreign words in general may be translated differently according to context. Just because "for" translates to seit in the above example does not mean that seit always translates back to "for":
Aber seit ich in Berlin lebe, arbeite ich als Kellnerin und Barista in Cafés.
But since I've lived in Berlin, I've worked as a waitress and barista in cafés.
Caption 16, Berlin - Judith und die „Brezel Bar“
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Further Learning
Search on Yabla German for the English word "for" to see examples of how this preposition can be translated to German in different contexts.
The English preposition "for" and the German accusative preposition für are not only similarly spelled, but are often interchangeable too — the problem arises in cases where they are not. Let's first take a look at some examples where "for" can be directly translated as für. If something is intended for someone:
Was kann ich für dich tun?
What can I do for you?
Caption 2, Berlin - Judith und die „Brezel Bar“
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When indicating quantity or money:
Für Geld machen Sie alles?
For money you'll do anything?
Caption 62, Klebt, schmeckt, macht dick - Die Süßigkeitenmesse
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For stating a length or period of time:
Stattdessen wird sie in einen tiefen Schlaf fallen für viele Jahre.
Instead, she will fall into a deep sleep for many years.
Caption 30, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Dornröschen
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Some English expressions with "for" also use für when translated to German: für nichts or für umsonst (for nothing); für immer (for always or forever); für nächstes Mal (for next time).
On the other hand, the English "for" may also be translated as aus, seit, or zu, with expressions like "for some reason" (aus irgendeinem Grund), "for a long time" (seit langem), and "for sale" (zum Verkauf):
Aber aus irgendeinem Grund wollte Pandora im Haus bleiben.
But for some reason Pandora wanted to stay in the house.
Captions 33-34, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Die Büchse der Pandora
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Er ist Ungar und spielt schon seit langem mit uns zusammen.
He is Hungarian and plays with us for a long time already.
Captions 24-25, Deutsche Bands - Cabanossi
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Fast jedes Ei, das zum Verkauf in Supermärkten gedacht ist...
Almost every egg that is intended for sale in supermarkets...
Caption 9, Bioeier - Wie funktioniert der Erzeugercode?
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It's important to remember that prepositions are not always directly translatable; just because "for" is translated as zu in one case does not mean that zu is always translated into English as "for."
Further Learning:
Imagine a typical use of the word "for" in an English sentence, then translate it into German and search Yabla German for a similar expression to see how it is translated there. Did you get it right?
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