Today we're going to take a look at some standard expressions and idioms relating to the noun der Fuß ("the foot").

Ich gehe lieber zu Fuß, statt mit dem Fahrrad zu fahren.

I prefer to walk instead of riding my bike.

Caption 32, Deutsch mit Eylin: Das Wetter

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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 1

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The phrase zu Fuß gehen means "to walk," but the more literal translation "to go by foot" also works interchangeably. I've occasionally hear German friends jokingly use the Latin term per pedes to mean zu Fuß, and the phrase is common enough that it appears in the Duden dictionary!

Es schüttet wie aus Eimern Klitschnass von Kopf bis Fuß.

It's raining buckets Drenched from head to toe.

Captions 16-17, Die Toten Hosen: Unter den Wolken

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The phrase von Kopf bis Fuß translates best to the English idiom "from head to toe." Normally one says the verb regnen for "to rain," but in the above caption, the slang usage of the verb schütten is used, which means "to pour." Incidentally, both klitschnass and pitschnass are slang words for "very wet."

Diese Pyramide ist zweihundertfünfzig Fuß hoch.

This pyramid is two hundred and fifty feet high.

Caption 18, Es war einmal: Entdecker und Erfinder Archimedes

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The noun der Fuß is also used for the English measurement "foot." Note that unlike the plural of the anatomical foot (die Füße), when used to mean measurement, die Fuß is the proper plural of the noun.
 

Auch das ist ein Vorurteil ohne Hand und Fuß.

Even this is a prejudice without rhyme or reason.

Caption 41, Flüchtlingskrise: 10 Vorurteile, die nicht stimmen

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Of course, the literal translation of the idiom ohne Hand und Fuß is "without head and foot," but it means "makes no sense" and translates best to the above English idiom.

... dass meine Kernaufgabe nicht die ist, im Fernsehen irgendwie Fuß zu fassen.

... that it is not my main task to somehow gain a foothold in television.

Caption 5, Peyman Amin: Der Modelmacher

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The phrase Fuß zu fassen is a practical one to learn. It can also be alternately translated into English as "to find a foothold" or "to establish a foothold."

Further Learning
I think it's fair to say that we've established a foothold in our understanding of some uses of the noun der Fuß! Read some of our other lessons relating to feet: Get off on the right foot and Von Kopf bis Fuß Part I and Part II. You can also search for other examples of der Fuß on Yabla German.

As you have likely learned, German verbs often use prefixes that change their meaning compared to their original root words. Usually, the prefixed verbs have a related meaning, however. For example, sagen ("to say") is related to besagen ("to state") by the fact that both words are related to speaking.

But in some cases, the relation of a prefixed verb to its root word is not so clear. For instance, untersagen means "to forbid," which in most usages refers to a law or rule rather than a verbal order. Its adverb strays even further from the root word: Es ist untersagt, den Raum zu betreten ("It is forbidden to enter the room").

Many such prefixed verbs are centuries old and stem from Middle German. They may have started off with a strong relation to their root words, but as time went on, the meanings of the words may have changed. Perhaps untersagen came from the days when a Saxon chieftain ruled the tribe by verbal command rather than by written laws?

Wir freuen uns immer, wenn Ausländer Deutsch sprechen.

We're always glad when foreigners speak German.

Caption 32, Anna: Am Strand in Mexiko

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Und auch die Tierstudien widersprechen sich.

And even the animal studies contradict each other.

Caption 17, Terra X: Anti-Aging durch Fasten?

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Sie müssen einen Kunstkörper herstellen für Präparate, die dem Original entsprechen.

They must make a plastic body for mountings that correspond to the original.

Captions 25-26, Wettlauf gegen den Verfall: Beruf Präparator

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The verb sprechen is the root word of many prefixed verbs that have at least a tentative relation to speaking: absprechen ("to agree"), durchsprechen ("to talk over"), or weitersprechen ("to continue speaking"), for example. But while people can contradict each other verbally, you see above that widersprechen can also be used in contexts far beyond those containing speech. And the verb entsprechen goes even further away from its root word sprechen.

Er läuft Runden im Park, bis die Beine versagen.

He runs laps in the park until his legs fail.

Caption 21, Maxim: Meine Soldaten

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The primary meaning of the verb versagen is "to fail," and is pretty far removed from its root word sagen. However, the secondary meaning is "to deny (something)," which has stronger correlations to the root word: Es war uns versagt, den Raum zu betreten. ("We were denied access to the room.")

Die Hochzeit würde also stattfinden.

The wedding would indeed take place.

Caption 45, Märchen - Sagenhaft: Hans mein Igel

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It's difficult to reconcile stattfinden ("to take place") with finden ("to find"). The noun die Statt is an old-fashioned word meaning "place," but it's unclear how "to find" is related to the meaning.

Es gibt keinerlei Hinweise dafür, dass Flüchtlinge öfter Straftaten begehen als andere Menschen.

There is no proof whatsoever that refugees commit crimes more often than other people.

Captions 42-43, Flüchtlingskrise: 10 Vorurteile, die nicht stimmen

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Eine Straftat begehen means "to commit a crime," and einen Fehler begehen means "to make a mistake." On the surface, there is little correlation with gehen ("to go").

The Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache (DWDS for short) has a good section on the etymology or historical origin of German words, but in most cases, they too have difficulties making tentative connections with a lot of the words above.

Further Learning
Read this blog about how German prefixes alter the meanings of words. You can also search the Lessons on Yabla German for various conjugations of the verbs listed above to see them used in different contexts.

My experiences with having roommates in the United States varied a lot. Sometimes the landlord just didn't care, or at most just asked to be informed. Sometimes they wanted to check the potential roommate's credit rating, or even go so far as adding them to the lease or rental contract.

Laws regarding renter's rights vary in different places in Germany, but in the city-state of Berlin, there are a number of peculiar aspects to what should be a fairly simple process: getting a roommate.

You are required by Berlin law to have the landlord's permission to sublet (untermieten) before your roommate, the subletter (der Untermieter, die Untermieterin), moves in.

Na ja, Sie sind doch der Vermieter hier.

Well, you're the landlord here.

Caption 8, Nicos Weg: Nachbarschaft

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Bis sie eine Erlaubnis bekommen...

Until they receive permission...

Caption 36, Flüchtlingskrise: 10 Vorurteile, die nicht stimmen

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Hast du Mitbewohner? Ja, ich habe eine Mitbewohnerin. Ihr Name ist Sarah.

Do you have roommates? Yes, I have a roommate. Her name is Sarah.

Captions 5-6, Drei Leute: beim Kofferpacken

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The genders of the above are der Vermieter or die Vermieterin; der Mitbewohner or die Mitbewohnerin; die Erlaubnis.

If you don't ask the landlord's permission first, and either the landlord or somebody from the property management (die Hausverwaltung) notices a new name on the doorbell or mailbox, you could have a serious problem. If the landlord can prove you are subletting without permission—which is actually quite difficult without your roommate openly admitting it—you and your roommate could be evicted (zwangsgeräumt) from your apartment.

On a more positive note, however, if you have valid reasons, such as not wanting to live alone and/or wanting to save money on your costs of living, the landlord is required by law to grant you permission. First, you write them a letter asking permission to have a subletter and giving the personal details about your roommate such as their full name (der Vollname), date of birth (das Geburtsdatum), place of birth (der Geburtsort), and their last residential address (die letzte Wohnanschrift), and give valid reasons for wanting a roommate. The only legal reasons they might have for refusing are if your roommate has a bad rental history record or if there is less than 12.5 square meters (about 135 square feet) per person in the flat.

If the landlord fails to answer you within the period you asked them to, usually two weeks, you can get a lawyer to file against them and have the court order the landlord to give you permission. There are a number of renter's rights organizations in Berlin that, for a yearly fee of around 100 euros, offer free legal help, from advice all the way to the courtroom. It's smart to belong to one of these organizations!

Ich will Jura studieren und Rechtsanwältin werden.

I want to study law and become a lawyer.

Caption 42, Küss mich, Frosch: Für immer Frosch?

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Ihrer Klage sehen wir gelassen entgegen.

We are calmly looking forward to your lawsuit.

Caption 21, Marga Engel schlägt zurück: Betrug

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The gender variants for "lawyer" are der Rechtsanwalt and die Rechtsanwältin.

Unless you are subletting your entire flat, the landlord is not allowed to stipulate any conditions in their permission to sublet, such as a limited time period or based upon a yearly verification of your income. Even if you agreed to such conditions originally, they can be invalidated in court because the landlord was not allowed to stipulate them in the first place.

Once you get permission for your roommate to live with you, you should have them sign a sublet contract (der Untermietvertrag) and then fill out—and this is a real mouthful–eine Wohnungsgeberbescheinigung, which can be translated as "a housing provider certificate." Your roommate needs one of these so that they can get a residential registration (die Meldebestätigung) at your address. Without a valid residential registration, they will have a lot problems with things such as getting a library card, a bank account, or a residence permit!

Thankfully, renters have a lot of rights in Berlin, but you may sometimes find yourself in the position of having to fight for those rights. Joining a renter's rights association is a good option and gives you full access to advice from experienced lawyers.

Further Learning
If you are in the mood to get into some advanced German, read this article about a decision of the Landgericht Berlin about subletting rights by the Berliner Mietergemeinschaft. You can also go to Yabla German and find other videos with some of the German vocabulary words mentioned above!

You know how to count in German, and perhaps you've read our lesson on large numbers. But what about fractions and numbers with decimals? Let's first have a look at some fractions, called die Brüche or die Bruchzahlen in German. If you know how to tell time in German, some of these will be familiar.

Ein Pfund, das sind fünfhundert Gramm, also ein halbes Kilo.

A pound, that's five hundred grams, so half a kilo.

Caption 24, Nicos Weg: Mengen und Preise

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Etwa auf der Hälfte des deutschen Autobahnnetzes gilt kein allgemeines Tempolimit.

There is no general speed limit on about half of the German autobahn network.

Caption 3, AutoMotoTV: Schnell fahren auf der Autobahn

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In the two examples above, we can see that halb means "half" in German, and die Hälfte is correct in certain contexts as well. 

Außerdem können sich laut einer Umfrage über zwei Drittel der Deutschen, also die Mehrheit, vorstellen, durch ehrenamtliche Hilfe Flüchtlinge zu unterstützen.

In addition, according to a survey, over two-thirds of all Germans, that is, the majority, could imagine supporting refugees through voluntary aid.

Captions 28-29, Flüchtlingskrise: 10 Vorurteile, die nicht stimmen

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Drei Viertel aller großen Metropolen der Erde mit Einwohnerzahlen über zehn Millionen befinden sich in Küstengebieten.

Three-quarters of all major metropolises on Earth with populations of over ten million are located in coastal areas.

Captions 63-64, Evolution: Die Küsten

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After ein Drittel ("one-third") and ein Viertel ("one-fourth"), there is ein Fünftel, ein Sechstel, ein Siebtel, ein Achtel, ein Neuntel, ein Zehntel... continuing up to ein Hunderstel and ein Tausendstel.

In anderthalb Jahren macht er seine Prüfung und ist dann Elektroniker.

In one and a half years, he'll take his test and then he'll be an electronics technician.

Caption 61, Deutsche Welle: Lieber Ausbildung als Studium

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Hier gilt ein Drohnenflugverbot im Umkreis von eineinhalb Kilometern zum Flughafen.

A drone flight ban within a radius of one and a half kilometers from the airport applies here.

Caption 18, Rhein-Main-TV Strengere Regeln: Lohnt sich eine Drohne überhaupt noch?

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As you can see, there are two ways to express "one and a half" in German. Numbers containing "one half" are always written as a single word: dreieinhalb is "three and a half." Now consider the following numbers and note what is capitalized: ein drei Viertel (one and three-quarters), zwei vier Fünftel (two and four-fifths), fünf sieben Achtel (five and seven-eighths). 

When it comes to numbers with decimals (die Dezimalbrüche), you may have noticed that Germans use a comma instead of a decimal point. So in English, we say "one point five" (written 1.5), while in German you would say eins Komma zwei (written 1,5). However, there are instances in both languages where the comma or decimal point won't be expressed verbally. Take a look:

In der Stadt leben rund drei Komma sieben Millionen Menschen.

Around three point seven million people live in the city.

Caption 11, Bundesländer und ihre Rezepte: Bundesland Berlin

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Achtunddreißig Komma sechs, das ist leichtes Fieber.

Thirty-eight point six, that's a slight fever.

Caption 25, Mein Weg nach Deutschland: Beim Arzt

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Er ist circa eins fünfzig groß, blonde, halblange Haare.

He's about one fifty tall [one hundred and fifty centimeters], blonde, medium-length hair.

Caption 53, Großstadtrevier: Nicht mit mir

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Further Learning
You can watch this video on Yabla German for a good overview. When you see a statistic that includes a decimal point in the news or elsewhere, see if you can quickly translate the number mentioned into German!

It's good to get familiar with the phrase je nach (and je nachdem), which is usually translated as "according to" or "depending on." Here are some examples.

Ähm, wir haben natürlich je nach Film junge Pärchen da.

Um, we have, of course, depending on the film, young couples here.

Wir haben, ähm, die Actionfans da.

We have, um, the action fans here.

Caption 22, Autokino - Gravenbruch

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BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Wenn die fünfhundert Gramm Mehl abgewogen sind,

When the five hundred grams of flour are measured out,

kann man je nach Belieben noch eine Prise Salz hinzugeben.

you can also, according to taste, add a pinch of salt.

Captions 7-8, Bayrische Spätzle - mit Christiane

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Je nach der Branche, in der man arbeiten möchte,

Depending on the field that you would like to work in,

kann man auch Arbeitsproben oder die Referenzen der letzten Arbeitgeber hinzufügen.

you can also add work samples or the references from the previous employers.

Captions 30-31, Eva erklärt - Bewerbungen

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Stimmt nicht! Flüchtlinge bekommen je nach Situation eine Bleibe und Versorgung

Not true! Refugees receive, according to their situation, shelter and provisions

im Wert von zweihundertsiebenundachtzig bis dreihundertneunundfünfzig Euro pro Monat.

at a value of two hundred eighty-seven to three hundred fifty-nine euros per month.

Captions 7-8, Flüchtlingskrise - 10 Vorurteile, die nicht stimmen

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Darin enthalten sind allerdings noch nicht die Kosten für das Autogramm,

However, this still does not include the cost of the autograph,

so werden je nach Bekanntheitsgrad des Schauspielers

so depending on the level of fame of the actor,

schnell bis zu zweihundert Euro für die Fan-Erinnerung fällig.

up to two hundred euros can be soon owed for the fan memento.

Captions 12-14, Star Wars - Treffen der Fangemeinde

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Historisch hatten die entweder Leder

Historically, they had either leather

oder halt, äh, Turban, und gewickelt,

or just, uh, a turban and wrapped it around,

je nachdem, wo sie beim Militär waren.

according to where they served in the military.

Captions 17-19, Mit Schwert und Schild - Gladiatorenschule in Trier

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Je nachdem is correct when it is followed by a subordinate clause as is the above case, whereas je nach dem is only correct when followed by a masculine or neuter noun – and only when the definite article is mentioned, which is usually not the case (for example, you would never say je nach dem Belieben; only je nach Belieben is correct). Je nach dem is, for example, correct in je nach dem zugrunde liegenden Gedanken.

Further Learning
Write down some example sentences in English using "according to" and "depending on" and translate them into German. You can ask your teacher or a classmate to check your work for you. You can also go to Yabla German and find some other examples of sentences using je nach.

The German language does not have an equivalent to the rather odd phrase above, which originated in the proverb that the proof of the flavor of a pudding is in the eating of it. The phrase means that the end result is the mark of the success or failure of one’s efforts or planning. The most common words used as "proof," or "evidence," or "to prove" in German are the noun der Beweis and the verb beweisen. Here are some examples of the noun:

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Den Beweis tritt die hübsche Münchnerin ausgerechnet in der alpinen Bergwelt Österreichs an.

The pretty Munich resident produces the evidence, of all places, in the alpine mountain world of Austria.

Captions 5-6, Im Höhenflug - Ariadne (die Ex von Lothar Matthäus)

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Endlich ein Beweis dafür, dass ich nicht im Baum sitze und was auf dich schmeiße.

Finally, evidence that I'm not sitting in the tree throwing something at you.

Caption 32, Piggeldy und Frederick - Streiten

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The phrase unter Beweis stellen, however, which is literally "to place under proof," is usually best translated to English with a verb:

Und ich freue mich sehr, meine Fähigkeiten, die ich an der Universität erworben habe, im realen Leben unter Beweis zu stellen.

And I am very excited to demonstrate the skills that I acquired in university in real life.

Captions 16-18, Berufsleben - das Vorstellungsgespräch - Part 2

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Here are some examples of the verb beweisen:

So beweist NIKI, dass sich Wirtschaftlichkeit und guter Service miteinander verbinden lassen.

That's how NIKI proves that economy and good service can be connected with one another.

Captions 34-35, Fluglinien - Niki Air

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Doch wir sind hier nicht etwa beim Seniorenturnen, wie uns Daniela Katzenberger eindrucksvoll beweist, sondern bei einer Benefizveranstaltung.

But we are not here at some sort of senior gymnastics event, as Daniela Katzenberger impressively proves to us, but rather at a benefit event.

Captions 14-16, Rhein-Main-TV aktuell - Kick für Kids

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Im Video zur ersten Single muss Clueso dann auch gleich beweisen, dass er noch fit ist.

In the video of the first single, Clueso must also then immediately prove that he is still fit.

Captions 6-7, Clueso - ist endlich erwachsen

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Die Person muss beweisen, dass sie wegen ihrer politischen Überzeugung, Religionszugehörigkeit, ihrer Rasse, Nationalität verfolgt wird.

The person must prove that because of their political convictions, religious affiliation, or their race or nationality, they are being persecuted.

Captions 20-21, Flüchtlingskrise - 10 Vorurteile, die nicht stimmen

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Further Learning
Go to Yabla German and see the various forms of der Beweis and beweisen used in a real-world context. If you want to go deeper, read this German Wikipedia article about the legal differences between der Hauptbeweis, der Gegenbeweis, and der Beweis des Gegenteils.

The words in the above headline all mean "at least," but it can be confusing as to which context is correct for the right word. Note too that "at least" is a prepositional phrase in English, whereas in German the expression is usually a simple adverb. The adverb mindestens is probably the most common: 

In Deutschland ist es so:

In Germany, it's like this:

Asylbewerber müssen mindestens drei Monate warten.

Asylum applicants must wait at least three months.

Caption 35, Flüchtlingskrise - 10 Vorurteile, die nicht stimmen

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BANNER PLACEHOLDER

The adverb mindestens usually, as in the first case above, refers to a length of time or an amount of something:

Heutiger Hochwasserstand: wieder mindestens zehn Zentimeter.

Today's flood water level: at least ten centimeters again.

Caption 44, Die Klasse - Berlin '61

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It's used somewhat less often to refer to circumstances: 

Zwar haben die Zuwanderer in der Regel eine hohe

Indeed, the immigrants normally have a high

oder auch mittlere Qualifikation,

or also mid-level qualification

die also mindestens einem deutschen, äh, Abschluss.

that is at least on par with a German, uh, degree.

Captions 35-36, Rhein-Main-TV aktuell - Mehr Beschäftigung in Rhein-Main

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The related adverb zumindest, on the other hand, is used much more commonly for situations rather than lengths of time or amounts: 

Nun, zumindest habe ich meinen ersten Anruf hinter mir.

So, at least I have my first call behind me.

Caption 69, Berufsleben - das Vorstellungsgespräch

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Be careful not to jumble mindestens and zumindest into one (incorrect) word, something that even native German speakers occasionally do!

Eislaufen ist leicht,

Ice skating is easy,

zumindestens [sic, zumindest] leichter als auf Vanessas Party eingeladen zu werden.

at least easier than getting invited to Vanessa's party.

Captions 82-83, Küss mich, Frosch - Leb wohl, kleiner Prinz

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So remember that mindestens and zumindest are real words, either of which would have been correct in the above sentence, but "zumindestens" is not a proper word at all!

Even less common, but making things even more complex, is the adjective min­des­te / min­des­ter / min­des­tes. This adjective can also be nominalized, or turned into a noun, such as das Mindeste (the least thing), or zum Mindesten (at least). 

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Further Learning
Go to Yabla German and find examples of the above adverbs and adjectives to see how they are used in a real-world conversational context. To go even deeper into the adjectival usage, read the Duden page for min­des­te / min­des­ter / min­des­tes.  

Thank you for reading this newsletter and keep up the good work! If you have any good ideas for lesson topics, please email them to us at newsletter@yabla.com, and you can tweet us @yabla.