One of the first phrases you learned in German was likely similar to the following: 

Hallo, mein Name ist Julia und ich komme aus Düsseldorf.

Hello, my name is Julia and I'm from Dusseldorf.

Caption 1, Die Wohngemeinschaft: Besuch

 Play Caption

Several German prepositions can be translated as "from," but when talking about the permanent fact of your country of origin or hometown, you will always use aus. 

There are instances, however, where von is used with the verb kommen to reference location. One is when you are talking about getting from place to place: 

Aber wie komme ich von Deutschland nach England oder Schottland?

But how do I get from Germany to England or Scotland?

Caption 16, Jenny: Reiseziele

 Play Caption

Wie komme ich von Stuttgart zum Europapark?

How do I get from Stuttgart to Europapark?

Caption 12, Reiseplanung: Anruf bei einem Reisebüro

 Play Caption

Kannst du mir bitte den Weg erklären, wie ich von hier aus am besten zur Stadthalle komme?

Can you please explain to me the way to get to City Hall most easily from here?

Captions 31-32, Melanie und Thomas: treffen sich

 Play Caption

In these sentences, von is paired with the appropriate preposition for the place that follows. 

Another instance in which the preposition von is used is when a person has just been somewhere and expresses that they have come directly from that location. 

Ich komme gerade von der Agentur für Arbeit.

I have just come from the employment agency.

Caption 19, Nicos Weg: Weiterbildung

 Play Caption

One thing to be aware of is that there are also two separable verbs, davonkommen and auskommen, which have distinct meanings. In this case, what looks like a preposition is actually part of the verb. 

Ich weiß gar nicht, wie die Menschen früher ohne Kreditkarte ausgekommen sind.

I have no idea how people got by before without credit cards.

Caption 18, Kein Kredit: im Land der Klone

 Play Caption

Das heißt, so ein Verleumder kommt einfach ungeschoren davon?

That means such a slanderer easily comes away unscathed?

Caption 22, Die Pfefferkörner: Gerüchteküche

 Play Caption

Further Learning
After looking at these examples from Yabla German, create your own sentences or questions (one of each type!) to practice saying out loud. 

Some days, everything seems like a pain. But then sometimes, things really are not working as they should and can sour even the best of moods. For instance, today I tried to update the payment method on the Berlin subway (BVG) app called Fahrinfo ("ride information") and got the spinning wheel of nothing happening every time. Eventually I wound up downloading another BVG app, and it accepted my payment method the first time. I have to admit that the inconvenience–it was a good half hour of messing about–got me quite annoyed!

So breathe in, breathe out, take a chill pill. Let's take a look today at some common German expressions for English terms like "inconvenient" and "unsuitable."

Also, umständlicher geht's nun wirklich nicht.

Well, more inconvenient is really not possible.

Caption 65, Pastewka: Hochzeit mit Hindernissen

 Play Caption

... Armbrustpfeile aber nur zwei, weil das zu umständlich war.

... but crossbow arrows only two, because it was too cumbersome.

Caption 47, Die Armbrust: im Mittelalter

 Play Caption

So while the adjective/adverb umständlich may be translated into English as "inconvenient," depending upon the context, it could also be translated as "cumbersome" or simply "awkward."

Entschuldigen Sie die Umstände.

Please excuse the inconvenience.

Caption 18, Nicos Weg: Im Hotel

 Play Caption

Doch trotz der Unannehmlichkeiten zeigen sich die Eltern solidarisch.

But despite the inconvenience, the parents show themselves solidly united.

Caption 7, Rheinmain im Blick: Eltern unterstützen streikende Erzieherinnen

 Play Caption

If you look at translations of the English noun "inconvenience," you'll note that it's usually in plural form in German as die Umstände or die Unannehmlichkeiten. In other cases, die Umstände may be translated as "the circumstances" or "the conditions." A more casual translation of die Unannehmlichkeiten could be simply "the hassle."

... indem man ungeeignet erscheinende Wahlmöglichkeiten einfach ausschließt-

... by simply excluding choices that appear unsuitable.

Caption 8, Jenny: Reiseziele

 Play Caption

The adjective/adverb ungeeignet may also be translated as "inadequate" or "improper." Alternately, "unsuitable" may be translated as unpassend or unangemessen, depending upon the context.

Last but not least, "annoying" has a wide choice of German words available: ärgerlich, nervig, lästig, störend, unangenehm, nervend, belästigend, nervtötend, leidig, unerfreulich, and verdrießlich, for example. Any one of these qualifies as a description for my recent experience with the Berlin subway Fahrinfo app!

Further Learning
Look up the "annoying" words above on your favorite online dictionary to discover the subtle nuances that differentiate their meanings. Then look for some of them on Yabla German to see them used in a real-world context.

Many parts of Europe, including Germany, are experiencing a heat wave of unprecedented scale this summer. The United Kingdom experienced temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time in recorded history! Let's talk today about the heat wave and other aspects of hot weather — hopefully with some nice, cool air conditioning running!

Die Folgen sind schon jetzt in allen Teilen der Welt sichtbar. Es gibt verheerende Waldbrände wie im Mittelmeerraum und im Westen der USA, Überschwemmungen wie in der Region Ahr und Erft im Juli 2021 und Hitzewellen wie in Sibirien.

The consequences are already visible in all parts of the world. There are devastating forest fires, such as in the Mediterranean region and in the western United States, floods, such as in the Ahr and Erft region in July 2021, and heat waves, such as in Siberia.

Captions 20-24, Klimaschutz: Es geht um das Überleben der Menschheit

 Play Caption

 

The noun for "heat wave" (or "heatwave" in British English) is die Hitzewelle. The caption above was referring to 2021, and though there aren't any comparable major floods in Germany so far in 2022, the wildfires in the western US and southern Europe are continuing this year.

banner PLACEHOLDER

Ja, was uns bleibt, ist auf jeden Fall das heiße Wetter.

Yes, what remains for us, is certainly the hot weather.

Caption 13, Umfragen: Nach der WM

 Play Caption

Unfortunately, for many of us in many parts of the world, this remains the case.

Du hast bestimmt noch nicht sehr viel Erfahrung mit Hitze.
You certainly don't have much experience with heat yet.

One problem with such hot weather (die Hitze) in Germany is that the infrastructure has not been designed to withstand these record high temperatures. Most homes and many shops, offices, and schools have no central air conditioning. It's hard enough sitting all day at work or in school when it's sunny outside, but imagine doing so drenched in sweat!

Man musste den Ventilator anstellen...

You had to turn on the fan...

Caption 30, Kinder lernen: wie aus Wind Strom gemacht wird

 Play Caption

Living on the upper floor of an apartment building (often in Europe with no elevator) is also excruciatingly hot. From personal experience, the only means of getting to sleep at night is often to turn on a fan (der Ventilator). Noisy, but less hot!

In Griechenland ist es im Sommer sehr heiß. Ich mag zwar Wärme, aber keine Hitze. Also dann... Schweden vielleicht?

In Greece, it is very hot in the summer. I like the warmth indeed, but not the heat. So then... Sweden perhaps?

Captions 37-39, Jenny: Reiseziele

 Play Caption

Warm weather, or "the warmth" (die Wärme), is indeed preferable to the heat. Jenny is right about Sweden, where I just spent a week in mid-July. It was pleasant mid-60s to mid-70s Fahrenheit temperatures, but I could have done without the constant rainstorms. Apparently, the high pressure from the Central and Southern European heat wave is causing more rain in Northern Europe. Depending on where you live, it seems there's either too much or too little summer this year!

Further Learning
Go to Yabla German and search for terms like "heat" and "weather" to find more videos relating to hot weather. If you're experiencing intense sunny weather where you live, be sure and read our previous German Lesson Safe Fun in the Sun.

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.

banner PLACEHOLDER

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.

It has truly been a year of ups and downs, to the extent that it takes a pretty advanced vocabulary to describe what we're feeling sometimes. This week, we'd like to provide a list of some adjectives that are used to express both positive and negative emotions. 

The adjective aufgeregt in German describes a mixture of "excited" and "nervous," like before you do a presentation or go on a roller coaster. On the other hand, gespannt is used to describe a type of excitement more linked to curiosity or looking forward to something. Besorgt could be translated as "worried" or "concerned."

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Gleich geht's los, ein bisschen aufgeregt bin ich schon.

It will start momentarily, I am certainly a little bit nervous.

Caption 3, Deutsche Welle - Hin und weg - Best of Europa-Park!

 Play Caption

Ich bin mal gespannt, wie es klappt. Ich hoffe, es gefällt euch.

I am excited to see how it will go. I hope you like it.

Caption 41, Eva Croissant - Interview

 Play Caption

Ich bin ein bisschen besorgt, ob ich es zu der Wohnung von den beiden schaffe.

I'm a little bit worried as to whether I'll be able to make it to their apartment.

Caption 21, Die Wohngemeinschaft - Besuch

 Play Caption

When something turns out well, your reaction may range from zufrieden ("pleased," "satisfied") to erstaunt ("astonished"), depending on whether the outcome was expected or not. 

Ich bin sehr zufrieden. Für diese gute Leistung geb ich dir eine Eins.

I'm very satisfied. I'll give you a "one" for this good performance.

Caption 51, Bundesländer und ihre Rezepte - Bayern

 Play Caption

Eine Freundin von mir war schon einmal in der Hauptstadt Oslo und sie war begeistert.

A friend of mine was already in the capital, Oslo, once and she was thrilled.

Caption 11, Jenny - Reiseziele

 Play Caption

Die Menschen waren erstaunt über das, was sie sahen.

The people were astonished at what they saw.

Caption 63, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Des Kaisers neue Kleider

 Play Caption

Of course, many of us have had our share of difficult experiences this year and had to face their corresponding emotions:

Ich war total gestresst, weil mein Chef im Büro mich so genervt hat.

I was totally stressed out because my boss was really getting on my nerves at the office.

Caption 19, Konjugation - Das Verb „brauchen“

 Play Caption

Müde und erschöpft stand er schließlich vor ihrer Tür.

Tired and exhausted, he finally stood in front of their door.

Caption 20, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Die Büchse der Pandora

 Play Caption

Die Leute wären genauso enttäuscht und genauso deprimiert.

People would be just as disappointed and depressed.

Caption 55, Böhmermann - Wie geht man als Satiriker mit Rechtspopulismus um?

 Play Caption

Na ja, also, der Junge ist einfach schlichtweg überfordert mit dem Projekt.

Well... well, the boy is just completely overwhelmed by the project.

Caption 8, Mama arbeitet wieder - Die Trennung

 Play Caption

Völlig überwältigt stellt sie sich den vielen Fernsehkameras.

Completely overwhelmed, she faced the many television cameras.

Caption 41, Miss Germany 2011 - Auf High Heels zur Krone

 Play Caption

The hope is, of course, that we can generally find a balance and remain optimistic as the year comes to an end.

Ich versuche, optimistisch zu bleiben,

I am trying to stay optimistic,

aber ich habe das Gefühl, dass ich die Stelle nicht bekommen habe.

but I have the feeling that I didn't get the job.

Captions 4-5, Berufsleben - das Vorstellungsgespräch

 Play Caption

Wart ihr sehr aufgeregt oder wart ihr ganz entspannt?

Were you very nervous or were you totally relaxed?

Caption 37, Modedesignerin Nina Hollein - Floria Prinzessin von Hessen

 Play Caption

Further Learning
There are many more adjectives you can look up on Yabla German, of course. You can start with erleichtert, froh, verärgert, verzweifelt, wütend, verängstigt, and zuversichtlich. Since adjectives and adverbs can often be identical in German, do not be surprised if you encounter these words being used as adverbs as well — it's a 2 for 1 deal! 

The three words above make a nice tongue twister or Zungenbrecher — literally "tongue breaker" in German — though certainly not as difficult as the classic Fischers Fritz fischt frische Fische, frische Fische fischt Fischers Fritz. Best try the latter only if you have a first aid kit around! But I doubt all of us are completely clear on the meanings of the aforementioned "B" words. Let's start with the easiest ones.

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Bleibe is the first person singular present tense of the verb bleiben:

Also, "ich bleibe", das ist Präsens, ja.

Well, "I am staying", that is present tense, yes.

Caption 5, Deutschkurs in Tübingen - Vorbereitung auf den Test

 Play Caption

Ich bleibe einfach hier in Deutschland und werde eine Fahrradtour machen.

I will just stay here in Germany and will do a bike tour.

Caption 50, Jenny - Reiseziele

 Play Caption

Nein, ich komme nicht mit. Ich bleibe hier in Deutschland.

No, I'm not coming with you. I'm staying here in Germany.

Caption 6, Nicos Weg - A2 Folge 17: Unterwegs

 Play Caption

The verb bleiben is very appropriate this summer, as most of us will be doing our best to enjoy staycations. 

The adjective beliebt — most often written as beliebte with the suffix -e when following a definite article in the nominative case — can be translated as "beloved," "favored," or "popular," depending upon the context:

Saint-Tropez am Baggersee,

Saint-Tropez on the artificial lake,

so besangen schon die Rodgau Monotones

as the Rodgau Monotones already sang

vor über 30 Jahren das beliebte

over 30 years ago about the beloved

Badeparadies der Stadt Rodgau.

swimming paradise of the city of Rodgau.

Captions 2-4, Rhein-Main-TV - Badesee Rodgau

 Play Caption

Besonders beliebt ist bei den Berlinern der Wannsee.

The Wannsee is especially popular with the residents of Berlin.

Caption 3, Berlin - Wannsee

 Play Caption

Lastly, we come to the least commonly used of the three B words: beileibe. This adverb is similar in meaning to bestimmt ("definitely") or wirklich ("really"), but is used almost exclusively in the negation beileibe nicht. 

Das wird vielleicht was kosten,

It may cost something,

aber beileibe nicht so viel wie der Verlust des gesamten Projekts.

but by no means as much as the loss of the whole project.

Captions 45-46, Marga Engel schlägt zurück - Rache

 Play Caption

Depending upon the context, beileibe nicht can also be translated as "on no account" or "certainly not."

Further Learning
Search for variations of the above three words on Yabla German and practice writing some sentences of your own in German that include these words. For some learning fun, go to the Zungenbrecher page on Wikipedia and, after translating a couple, see how fast you can say them without breaking your tongue! 

This past week, temperatures in Germany rose to 102° F / 39° C, even in Berlin and the northern Bundesländer. For a place where air conditioning is the exception rather than the norm, this is extreme!

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

In German, the noun for "heat" or "hot temperatures" is die Hitze. 

Ich mag zwar Wärme, aber keine Hitze.

I like the warmth indeed, but not the heat.

Caption 38, Jenny - Reiseziele

 Play Caption

Die Hitze war so groß,

The heat was so great

dass schon bald die Farben seiner Soldatenuniform verblassten.

that the colors of his soldier's uniform soon faded.

Captions 79-80, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Der standhafte Zinnsoldat

 Play Caption

Die Mischung aus Staub und Sonnenstrahlen

The mixture of dust and sunbeams

ließ das gleißende Licht entstehen,

gave rise to the glistening light,

das die tödliche Hitze im Film so glaubhaft macht.

that makes the deadly heat in the film so believable.

Captions 28-30, Hell - Science-Fiction-Kinotipp

 Play Caption

Just as we say "heat wave" in English, Germany combines die Hitze and die Welle into a compound noun:

Eine Hitzewelle rollt an.

A heatwave is coming through.

Caption 6, Unterwegs mit Cettina - Sommer am Baggersee

 Play Caption

Sometimes when a heat wave is too intense and no air conditioning is available (which is the case in many offices and classrooms), cancellations may even occur. There is a special phrase in German for getting the day off due to a heat wave: hitzefrei haben.

Die Müllmänner ham [haben] hitzefrei

The garbage men have time off due to the heat

Caption 4, Culcha Candela - Sommer im Kiez

 Play Caption

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Further Learning
Search for more examples of the word die Hitze on Yabla German and see our past newsletter on summer living. You can also read a short text in German about the Berlin government's stance on school cancellations here.

A "xenonym" is an external name for a geographical place, the people who live there or the language spoken there. For example, English speakers say "Germany" rather than Deutschland and "Munich" rather than München. The names of many countries in German are very similar to the English xenonyms. However, even if they sound almost the same, the spelling is often different. For example, we see in many names that a C converts to K (Canada is Kanada, Cameroon is Kamerun),  a Z to an S (Zimbabwe is Simbabwe, Zambia is Sambia) or a V to a W (Slovakia is die Slowakei). Of course, this may not be the only difference.

Jetzt ist deine Münze in der Slowakei.

Your coin is now in Slovakia.

Caption 23, Sparefroh-TV - Warum sehen die Euromünzen in jedem Land anders aus?

 Play Caption

Der Kea-Papagei stammt ursprünglich aus Neuseeland.

The Kea parrot comes originally from New Zealand.

Caption 19, Wettlauf gegen den Verfall - Beruf Präparator

 Play Caption

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Another common pattern is an -ien ending. You can likely guess which countries Spanien, Italien, Serbien, Rümänien, Slowenien, Australien, Saudi-Arabien, Tunesien, and Kroatien are!
 

Hier haben wir zum Beispiel, äh, Rohkaffee aus Kolumbien.

Here we have, for example, uh, raw coffee from Colombia.

Caption 8, Kaffee - Noch von Hand gemacht

 Play Caption

Dabei haben die deutschen Titelverteidiger diese Woche eins zu zwei gegen Tschechien verloren.

And the German title holders lost one to two against the Czech Republic this week.

Captions 6-7, Fußball - U21-Nationalmannschaft

 Play Caption

There is also a small group of countries with names ending in -land in German, which don't necessarily match up with those that have this ending in English. 

Hm, in Griechenland ist es im Sommer sehr heiß.

Hm, in Greece it is very hot in the summer.

Caption 37, Jenny - Reiseziele

 Play Caption

Diese da ist aus Russland und diese hier ist eine alte Polaroid-Kamera.

This one here is from Russia and this one is an old Polaroid camera.

Caption 23, Drei Leute - beim Kofferpacken

 Play Caption

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Further Learning
Check out this very thorough list of country names and get memorizing! Concentrate on the country names that sound less like the English versions or are easily confusable. On Yabla German you can see which require a definite article (such as die Slowakei above), as detailed in our previous newsletter, or which require one in English but not in German (such as Tschechien).