You're probably already familiar with using natürlich as an adverb to say "of course." It's also occasionally translated as "naturally" or "obviously," depending upon the context.
The adverb selbstverständlich is also often translated as "of course," especially at the beginning of sentences:
Selbstverständlich, aber nicht so gewaltig.
Of course, but not too terribly much.
Caption 12, Silvester Vorsätze für das neue Jahr: Linkenheim
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Selbstverständlich, however, has more finely nuanced usages than natürlich. Let's take a look at a variety of translation possibilities available in this useful adverb. Something that is selbstverständlich is also "a matter of course":
Für viele von Ihnen ist das Mitmachen ganz selbstverständlich und wichtig.
For many of you, taking part is very much a matter of course and important.
Caption 31, Angela Merkel: Neujahrsansprache
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And may be "taken for granted":
Uns allen fehlen die Begegnungen, die sonst selbstverständlich sind.
We are all missing the interactions that are otherwise taken for granted.
Caption 10, Coronavirus: Fernsehansprache von Angela Merkel
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Selbstverständlich may also "go without saying":
Nun ja, sehen Sie, das ist doch ganz selbstverständlich.
Well, you see, that goes without saying.
Caption 66, Der kleine Nick: Nachmittag bei Adalbert
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Or simply "be a given":
Hier in Deutschland zum Beispiel ist es vielleicht schon selbstverständlich.
Here in Germany, for example, it may already be a given.
Caption 62, Rat für nachhaltige Entwicklung Mode gegen Armut
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And sometimes, it's "anything but self-evident":
Diese Bilder sind alles andere als selbstverständlich.
These pictures are anything but self-evident.
Caption 1, Abenteuer Nordsee: Unter Riesenhaien und Tintenfischen
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Note that the noun version of selbstverständlich, das Selbstverständnis, has a somewhat different meaning: "self-image":
Im Selbstverständnis der Strothoff International School Rhein-Main wird viel Wert auf eine enge Lehrer-Schüler-Beziehung und den respektvollen Umgang miteinander gelegt.
In its self-image, the Strothoff International School Rhein-Main highly values a close teacher-student relationship and a reciprocal respect.
Captions 50-51, Strothoff International School Imagefilm
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Further Learning
Do a search for selbstverständlich on Yabla German to see the adverb used in a variety of different contexts. Its usages are not always so selbstverständlich!
In a Yabla interview filmed at a Christmas market a few years back, one couple describes their ideal Christmas:
Gemütlich, mit gutem Essen, Spielen,
Comfortably, with good food, games...
unsere Kinder sind groß,
Our children are grown up,
die brauchen keine Riesenpakete mehr.
they don't need huge presents anymore.
Captions 16-17, Weihnachtsinterviews - Diane in Karlsruhe
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It's true that Christmas this year in Germany took a bit of getting used to. Due to the continuing social-distancing regulations prohibiting parties and big gatherings, people stayed indoors with their focus firmly set on increased Gemütlichkeit. The word gemütlich means "comfortable" or "cozy" as an adjective and "comfortably" as an adverb.
Ganz zum Schluss werde ich noch den Kerzenständer aufstellen,
At the very end, I'll also set up the candle holders
damit wir es gemütlich haben.
so that it's cozy for us.
Captions 13-14, Tisch decken - mit Eva
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Wie verbringen Sie Silvester? -Ganz gemütlich zu Hause.
How will you spend New Year's Eve? -Very comfortably at home.
Caption 7, Silvester - Vorsätze für das neue Jahr - Linkenheim
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The current restrictions in Germany will continue through New Year's, but many people are making the most of it and simply appreciating getting to spend time at home (zu Hause) with those closest to them.
Wir haben beide gedacht, dass wir zu Hause bleiben müssen.
We both thought that we would have to stay at home.
Caption 14, Konjugation - Das Verb „denken“
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Es war sehr, sehr spannend,
It was very, very exciting
aber jetzt möchte ich lieber zu Hause bleiben, hier bei euch.
but now I'd rather stay at home, here with you.
Captions 100-101, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Der kleine Däumling
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Since restaurants and bars will be closed on New Year's Eve, the festivities will be limited and more focused on coziness and quality time than seeing lots of people. To avoid feeling too cooped up, however, it's important to get outside a bit as well. A nice stroll or hike in the few hours of daylight is always a good idea:
Natürlich kann man auch einfach nur spazieren gehen.
Of course, one can also simply just go for a walk.
Caption 10, Berlin - Eva im Viktoriapark
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Further Learning
If you're spending extra time at home this week, use it as an opportunity to keep up your language skills with Yabla German! Take a look at our latest videos or catch up on recent lessons here.
Wir wünschen Euch einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!
That's a bad idea at the moment, best not to. But it doesn't hurt to remember better times. The late American president Ronald Reagan once told the United Nations General Assembly, "I occasionally think how quickly our differences worldwide would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside of this world." Now that we're facing a threat from within this world, we can only hope that it will help people and nations get along better and create a more caring society.
It's very strange to be watching television — and that's probably the main leisure activity of most of us most of the time in these COVID-19 days — and see people in large gatherings greeting each other with hugs. It's almost as if we're watching a science fiction movie or some historical drama where people behaved completely differently than they are allowed to now.
In the spirit of better times and in the hope that when things return to "normal," it'll be better than before, let's focus this week on the German noun die Party. It's a loanword from English and in this case takes on the sixth definition listed in the Merriam-Webster dictionary: "a social gathering."
Letzte Nacht haben sie mich zu einer Party mitgenommen mit all ihren Freunden.
Last night they took me to a party with all their friends.
Caption 9, Die Wohngemeinschaft - Die Verabredung
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War die Party gut?
Was the party good?
-Sehr gut. Die Party war super.
-Very good. The party was super.
Caption 3, Nicos Weg - A1 Folge 20: Andere Länder
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Viele machen sich's gemütlich zu Hause oder sie gehen auf eine Party.
Many people will make themselves comfortable at home or they will go to a party.
Caption 93, Silvester - Vorsätze für das neue Jahr - Linkenheim
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Die größte Party ist natürlich wie jedes Jahr im Piratenland.
The biggest party is, of course, in Pirate Land as it is every year.
Caption 23, Die Insel Fehmarn - Surffestival
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With eine Party, you have to be careful with the plural. German, unlike English, does not have the rule that "y" becomes "ie" when "s" is added for the plural form of the word. In German, "s" is simply added after the "y." The plural die Partys looks like a misspelling or something from a Shakespeare play, but in German it's quite correct:
Wie hält man so viele Shows und Partys nonstop eine Woche lang durch?
How do you keep up with so many shows and parties non-stop for a whole week?
Caption 45, Modewoche in Berlin - Halbzeit für Fashion-Fans
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Hier gibt es ein Café, eine Sporthalle und viele Partys.
Here there is a café, a gymnasium and many parties.
Caption 17, Universität - Karlsruhe
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Further Learning
Be sure you don't mix die Party up with another noun, die Partei, as the latter means a political party—not the fun kind. Watch the full videos listed above on Yabla German to get into the party spirit and see the word used in a context that we hope will be more like the "real world" soon. You can also read this Zwiebelfisch article about German Partys vs. English "parties." And when you're done, read this article on Psychology Today about the possible positive effects of an alien invasion and see if some of it might apply to our current situation. Staying positive is one of the most important things of all!
You may be familiar with auf as a preposition meaning "on" or "for." However, like the prepositions nach, in, and an, there are times when its meaning is "to" (accusative) and "at" (dative) and you will see it translated as such.
Viele machen sich's gemütlich zu Hause oder sie gehen auf eine Party.
Many people will make themselves comfortable at home or they will go to a party.
Caption 93, Silvester - Vorsätze für das neue Jahr - Linkenheim
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Yes, in German we say auf eine Party gehen ("to go to a party") and also auf eine Hochzeit gehen ("to go to a wedding").
There are certain public places for which auf is used as well. In the sentence below, der Markt refers to the consumer market, but you would also say Ich gehe auf den Markt to tell your friend that you are going to an outdoor farmer's market, and Ich bin auf dem Markt (with dative) once you have arrived there.
Und einige der neuen Fahrzeuge, die jetzt auf den Markt kommen,
And you will see some of the new vehicles that are now coming on to the market
werden Sie erstmals bei dieser IAA sehen.
for the first time at this IAA.
Captions 44-45, Internationale Automobilausstellung - IAA in Frankfurt öffnet die Pforten
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As you might imagine, auf is also used when we will end up on or on top of something. If you remember our previous newsletter on the preposition in, the second example below might be quite confusing. But indeed, we say in die Berge when driving into/towards the mountains and auf den Berg when referring to climbing a single mountain.
Die Aktivisten kletterten über Kräne auf das Dach des Gebäudes.
The activists climbed via cranes onto the roof of the building.
Caption 8, Atomkraft - Streit um AKW-Laufzeiten
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Am besten steigen wir auf den Berg.
It's best if we climb the mountain.
Caption 9, JoNaLu - Ein Tag am Meer
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And finally, auf is also used with islands.
Die Urlauber, die jetzt auf die Insel kommen, lassen sich den Wind um die Nase pusten.
The vacationers who come now to the island let the wind blow over their faces.
Caption 2, Die Insel Fehmarn - Gästeboom
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Further Learning
Other places and nouns that are commonly paired with the preposition auf when they are the destination include der Spielplatz, der Fußballplatz, der Fluss, die Messe, and der Turm. Don't forget that auf is also a two-way preposition, so you will also see it used with the dative on Yabla German to describe location.
On Yabla German, you have probably come across these three words, which are most often all translated as "different." However, they are actually not always synonyms. The following distinction is to be taken with a grain of salt, but may be helpful:
anders = "different," implying "other" or "another"
verschieden = "different," implying "various" or "diverse"
unterschiedlich = "different," implying "dissimilar"
Following this, you would say that these adjectives have unterschiedliche Bedeutungen, but not verschiedene Bedeutungen. What exactly is the correct usage of verschieden then?
Wir haben jetzt viele verschiedene Leute gefragt.
Now we've asked a lot of different people.
Caption 91, Silvester - Vorsätze für das neue Jahr - Linkenheim
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In the sentence above, the use of the adjective verschieden simply implies that a large number of people were asked about their New Year's resolutions in a survey. If the sentence used the phrase viele unterschiedliche Leute, it would emphasize that the people asked were different from each other, perhaps in terms of age or background.
Es gibt ja unterschiedliche Gründe, warum Erwachsene spielen, ne...
There are indeed different reasons that adults play, right...
Caption 1, Gamification - Wie Spielen den Alltag interessanter macht
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In this example, the opposite occurs, and the emphasis is on how dissimilar the reasons are, not the fact that a wide variety exists.
Die Kündigung hat bestimmt andere Gründe.
The layoff probably has other reasons.
Caption 30, Berufsleben - Probleme mit Mitarbeitern
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In this sentence, the use of andere Gründe emphasizes that there are reasons that are different from what has already been considered. Verschiedene Gründe would imply that there are a variety of reasons, while unterschiedliche Gründe would more likely be used if two people got fired for distinct reasons.
Remember that anders can also be used with als for comparisons, which is not the case for the other two adjectives.
Man kann hier natürlich noch andere Sachen tun als nur schwimmen.
You can, of course, do other things here besides just swimming.
Caption 6, Berlin - Wannsee
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Further Learning
There are many examples of these adjectives used on Yabla German. When you see them, ask yourself exactly which meaning is being implied.
You might also want to watch this video, which looks at this tricky topic in more detail.
Frohes neues Jahr from our team here at Yabla German!
Unfortunately, the newsletter is not in time to wish you guten Rutsch this year (see this lesson for more information on that), but we hope you had a lovely Sylvester.
Have you ever wondered how the adjectival endings on phrases such as these are formed? In the examples below, you can see the full versions of these expressions. In the first one, Ich is the subject, das Jahr is the direct object, and Ihnen und Ihren Familien is the indirect object. All adjectives pertaining to das Jahr have the appropriate accusative case ending for a neuter noun, as does the indefinite article ein.
Ich wünsche Ihnen und Ihren Familien
I wish you and your families
ein frohes, gesundes und gesegnetes neues Jahr zweitausendzwölf!
a happy, healthy and blessed New Year two thousand twelve!
Captions 36-37, Angela Merkel - Neujahrsansprache
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Similarly, in the following sentence, der Rutsch is the direct object, and all articles and adjectives (ein, gut) receive the accusative ending for a masculine noun.
Ich wünsch' euch auch einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr.
I also wish you all "a good slide" into the New Year.
Caption 100, Silvester - Vorsätze für das neue Jahr - Linkenheim
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Of course, this is not at all restricted to New Year’s expressions. All of the basic phrases that you already know also follow this rule, for example, Guten Tag and Schönen Tag noch (der Tag), Guten Abend (der Abend), Gute Reise (die Reise), and Gute Nacht (die Nacht). Understanding why these expressions include the adjective endings they do unlocks a very essential aspect of German grammar.
Dann wünsch' ich dir noch einen schönen Tag.
Then I wish you a nice day.
Caption 45, Jenny interviewt - Sabine
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Einen schönen guten Abend aus Karlsruhe.
A pleasant good evening from Karlsruhe.
Caption 1, Architektur - der Stadt Karlsruhe
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Further Learning
We hope that you will take special note of these and other phrases when you see them on Yabla German in the future. If you want some practice with your direct and indirect objects, write some sentences about the presents you gave to various people this year, for example: Ich (subject) habe meiner Mutter (indirect object) einen Schal (direct object) geschenkt.
The custom of making a New Year's resolution, where we promise to try to make improvements in the coming year, is common in many western European countries. A recent newspaper report states that the most popular New Year's resolution for Germans this year is to try to pay more attention to their personal finances, with the specific goal of saving more money.
The German word for "resolution" in the context of a New Year's resolution is der Vorsatz, as in der Vorsatz für das neue Jahr, or less commonly, der Neujahrsvorsatz.
Haben Sie irgendwelche Vorsätze für nächstes Jahr?
Do you have any resolutions for next year?
Caption 8, Silvester - Vorsätze für das neue Jahr - Linkenheim
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Haben Sie Vorsätze?
Do you have resolutions?
-Ja, es wird alles besser!
-Yes, everything will get better!
Captions 30-31, Silvester - Vorsätze für das neue Jahr - Linkenheim
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Haben Sie sich schon gute Vorsätze fürs neue Jahr vorgenommen?
Have you already made good resolutions for the new year?
Caption 8, Silvester - Vorsätze für das neue Jahr - Karlsruhe
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Machen Sie sich Vorsätze fürs neue Jahr?
Do you make resolutions for the new year?
Nein. -Nein, warum nicht? -Weil mer [wir] sie sowieso nicht einhalten.
No. -No, why not? -Because we don't keep them anyway.
Captions 40-41, Silvester - Vorsätze für das neue Jahr - Karlsruhe
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We hope you can be a bit more optimistic about your New Year's resolutions than this last fellow, perhaps it helps if the resolutions are realistic!
Further Learning
Watch both of the Yabla German videos about New Year's resolutions in Linkenheim and in Karlsruhe in their entirety and write some New Year’s resolutions for yourself in German.
We have already devoted a Yabla German lesson to the celebration of New Year's Eve in Germany with an explanation of the phrase Guten Rutsch ("a good slide into the new year"), but let's take a detailed look at the German word for New Year's Eve: der Silvester (or das Silvester, either way is correct).
The term Silvester originates from the Christian feast which takes place on the anniversary of the death of Pope Silvester I on December 31st, and is also used (with language-specific variant spellings) to denote New Year's Eve in many countries, including Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Slovenia.
Was machen wir eigentlich an Silvester?
What are we actually doing on New Year's Eve?
Caption 2, Im Zoo - Der Jahreswechsel für die Tiere
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Wie verbringen Sie Silvester? -Ganz gemütlich zu Hause.
How will you spend New Year's Eve? -Very comfortably at home.
Caption 7, Silvester - Vorsätze für das neue Jahr - Linkenheim
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Wer an Silvester nicht alleine Raketen kucken will...
Those who do not want to watch fireworks by themselves on New Year's Eve...
Caption 42, Leidenszeit für Singles - Online-Dating-Hochsaison
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Wie feiert ihr den Silvesterabend?
How do you celebrate New Year's Eve?
Also, ich feier mit meiner Mama und meinem Papa zu Hause.
Well, I celebrate with my mom and my dad at home.
Captions 17-18, Silvester - Vorsätze für das neue Jahr - Karlsruhe
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As you see in the last example, Silvester can be combined with Abend (evening) to form the compound noun der Silvesterabend.
Further Learning
So regardless of whether you celebrate Silvester at home with family or out with friends, we at Yabla wish you all a happy and safe guten Rutsch into the New Year!
In this week's new video Mama arbeitet wieder, a construction company boss tells his foreman:
Aber bevor wir hier abziehen,
But before we pull out here,
lassen wir's noch mal richtig krachen [umgangssprachlich], was?
we'll make a really big noise [slang, celebrate], right?
Caption 4, Mama arbeitet wieder - Kapitel 2: Kompromisse zu finden ist nicht einfach
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The verb krachen is defined by the Duden dictionary as primarily "einen Krach verursachen, auslösen" or "causing a loud noise." Its slang meanings are "to have a fight with somebody" (Krach haben) or "to suffer a bankruptcy" (Krach erleiden), the latter similar to the "crash" of the stock market in English. The verb combination krachen lassen, however, usually means "to celebrate."
Da wünsch ich euch viel Spaß! Lasst es krachen [Umgangssprache]!
Then I hope you have a lot of fun! Make some noise [celebrate]!
Caption 70, Silvester - Vorsätze für das neue Jahr - Linkenheim
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A variation to the translation "to celebrate" is made in the case where a car really "makes some noise":
Und die lassen es in der brandneuen,
And they'll really, in the brand new
über zweihundert PS starken A-Klasse so richtig krachen.
over two hundred horsepower strong A-Class, make some noise [idiom: "cut loose"].
Captions 16-17, Mercedes Benz - Michael Schumacher und Nico Rosberg bei der Nationalmannschaft
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So the slang term "krachen lassen" is usually used in connection with some kind of celebration, such as a birthday party or New Year's celebration. The New Year may be some time away, but that gives you a chance to get some practice celebrations going in the meantime. Lass es krachen!
Further Learning
Search for more videos on German Yabla that use the verb krachen and watch the entire video to improve your party vocabulary!
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