We know you're learning German, but what other subjects have you studied? Even if you're not currently in school, it's always interesting to talk with people about what they studied, and which subjects are still relevant to their lives today.
First, we can start with the natural sciences and the applied sciences, respectively called die Naturwissenschaften and die angewandten Wissenschaften in German.
Jan hat heute seine Physikarbeit zurückbekommen.
Jan got his physics paper back today.
Caption 2, The Simple Physics: Schrödingers Katze
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Ja, das ist Mathematik oder Mathe.
Yes, this is mathematics or math.
Caption 8, Deutsch mit Eylin: Denk schnell!
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...das heißt wir gewinnen zusätzlich noch in dem Bereich Biologie auch eine gewisse Kapazität.
...which means we also gain a certain capacity in the field of biology.
Caption 40, Für Tierfreunde: Przewalski-Wildpferde
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Ich habe schnell gemerkt, dass mich Elektrotechnik sehr interessiert
I quickly noticed that electrical engineering really interests me.
Caption 10, Deutsche Welle: Lieber Ausbildung als Studium
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In these next captions, you will find some fields that relate to the social sciences, or die Sozialwissenschaften, and the world of business.
Ja? Das wäre so eine Geschichte, ähm, mit interdisziplinärem Input aus der Sportwissenschaft, der Sportmedizin, der Psychologie und der Soziologie.
Yes? That would be something, um, with interdisciplinary input from sport sciences, sports medicine, psychology, and sociology.
Captions 65-66, TEDx: Lebenslange Fitness
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Ich hab schon in Spanien zwei Semester Jura studiert.
I already studied law in Spain for two semesters.
Caption 7, Nicos Weg: Am Bankautomaten
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Ich studiere Wirtschaft und arbeite in einem Café.
I study economics and work in a café.
Caption 27, Magie: Die Zaubershow
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The humanities, or die Geisteswissenschaften, include history, languages, literature, philosophy, and often the arts as well. For more on the arts, you can refer to two recent lessons, one which covered the visual arts, and the other on the performing arts.
Kunstgeschichte wird ja von Kunsthistorikern gemacht. Da haben Sie recht, das waren immer Männer.
Art history is written by art historians. You are right about that, those were always men.
Caption 25, Malerei: Impressionistinnen
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Interessierst du dich für Literatur?
Are you interested in literature?
Caption 9, Nicos Weg: Das macht mir Spaß!
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Further Learning
Based on what you read above and have found on Yabla German, see if you can figure out the meanings of the following: die Politikwissenschaft, die Kulturwissenschaft, die Religionswissenschaft. Some disciplines, like die Philosophie, die Geografie, die Geologie, die Anthropologie, or die Medizin, have similar names to their English counterparts and may be easy to identify. And then, of course, some subjects have simply adopted the English term, such as das Marketing and das Management.
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!
Whether you visit Germany in the future and bump into someone in a train station, or accidentally interrupt someone in an online class or meeting, it's important to know how to excuse yourself or apologize in German to an appropriate degree.
First, you need to know (and learn to pronounce!) the word Entschuldigung and the verb sich entschuldigen. As you can see in the following two examples from Nicos Weg, our series for beginners, Entschuldigung can mean either "excuse me" or "sorry" depending on the context.
Entschuldigung, wen suchen Sie? -Lisa Brunner.
Excuse me, who are you looking for? -Lisa Brunner.
Caption 4, Nicos Weg - A1 Folge 39: Wo ist der Aufzug?
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Ach, Nico, Entschuldigung, ich komme viel zu spät.
Oh, Nico, sorry, I'm much too late.
Caption 27, Nicos Weg - A1 Folge 35: Wann spielen wir?
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Occasionally, you may hear the word Verzeihung used to apologize. This is a bit more formal.
„Oh, Verzeihung, mein Herr!", sagte Frederick.
"Oh, excuse me, sir!" said Frederick.
Caption 37, Piggeldy und Frederick - Der Esel
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To apologize for something more serious than just being late or interrupting someone, the phrase Es tut mir leid is used to say "I'm sorry." It can also be used to express sympathy.
Es tut mir wirklich leid, das zu hören, Frau Hoffmann,
Ms. Hoffmann, I'm very sorry to hear
dass es Ihren Kindern nicht gut ging.
that your children aren't doing well.
Captions 48-49, Berufsleben - Probleme mit Mitarbeitern
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The phrase Mein herzliches Beileid is used to express sympathy in the face of loss. Be careful not to get it mixed up in any way with the verb beleidigen, which means "to insult."
Herzliches Beileid, Lilly.
Heartfelt condolences, Lilly.
Caption 4, Lilly unter den Linden - Kapitel 1: Im Krankenhaus
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Wenn man etwas durch die Blume sagt, dann bedeutet das,
If you say something through the flower, then it means
dass man sein Gegenüber nicht beleidigen möchte.
that you don't want to insult the other person.
Captions 7-8, Eva erklärt - Sprichwörter
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If you have unintentionally insulted someone or made a decision that affected someone adversely, you can also express regret with the verbs bereuen and bedauern.
Bereut er den Entschluss, sein Studium abgebrochen zu haben?
Does he regret the decision to have broken off his university studies?
Caption 62, Deutsche Welle - Lieber Ausbildung als Studium
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Doch, doch! Obwohl ich noch immer bedauere, dass
Yes, yes! Although I still regret that
er damals nicht zu mir in die Firma gekommen ist.
that he didn't join me in the company back then.
Captions 20-21, Die Pfefferkörner - Endspurt
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Further Learning
Search for Entschuldigung, the verb sich entschuldigen, and the imperatives Entschuldigen Sie (formal) and Entschuldige (informal) on Yabla German to hear all of these options used in context. You can also look up the verb verzeihen. This is the best way to get an understanding of which expression is right for a particular kind of situation.
In English, the prefixes "in-" and "un-" and the suffix "-less" are used to suggest a lack or negation when they are added to an adjective. In German, you will see un- and -los for negative adjectives (and adverbs!). Sometimes the resulting adjective will look similar to its English equivalent:
Allein bin ich hilflos, ein Vogel im Wind.
Alone I am helpless, a bird in the wind.
Caption 19, Nicole - Ein bisschen Frieden
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Und keinen Schreck kriegen, das fühlt sich erst mal völlig unbequem an.
And don't be scared, at first it feels completely uncomfortable.
Caption 50, Die Schmerzspezialisten - Diese Schlafposition solltest du unbedingt vermeiden!
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Also ich finde Dramen wirklich unnötig und versuche ich auch zu vermeiden.
Well, I find drama really unnecessary and I also try to avoid it.
Caption 20, 2raumwohnung - Liebe mit Musik am Laufen halten
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Drei Lehrstellen blieben in diesem Jahr unbesetzt, es gab einfach zu wenig Bewerber.
Three apprenticeship positions were left unfilled this year, there were simply too few applicants.
Caption 13, Deutsche Welle - Lieber Ausbildung als Studium
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At the same time, you will need to be careful and learn the words individually, as there are plenty of adjectives that don't translate so clearly. Sometimes, a different suffix or prefix is used in the other language, and other times the real translation is a word that looks completely different. There are also plenty of false friends lurking about!
Es sind so wenig Menschen arbeitslos wie seit zwanzig Jahren nicht.
There haven't been so few unemployed people in twenty years.
Caption 43, Angela Merkel - Neujahrsansprache - Part 1
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Fast lautlos schwebt das größte Passagierflugzeug der Welt über den Rhein-Main-Airport.
The largest passenger plane in the world hovers almost silently above the Rhein-Main-Airport.
Caption 5, Rund um den Flughafen - Der neue Airbus A-380
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Also, ich bin komplett fassungslos, weil ich hab nie gedacht [sic], dass ich ge'... gewinnen werde und, ja...
Well, I am completely stunned because I never thought that I would wi'... win and, yes...
Caption 4, Wintersport - 7. Austrian Freeski Open - Part 3
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Further Learning
Do you know what the following adjectives/adverbs mean? Take a guess, and then see if you are right using a German to English dictionary. Mackellos, zeitlos, gehörlos, hoffnungslos, gnadenlos, erfolglos, beispiellos, drahtlos, unverschämt, unfähig, unabhängig, unabsehbar, unerträglich, unfassbar, unflexibel, unverbindlich.
Ich fahr' heut' in Urlaub und zeig' euch, was ich alles mitnehmen werde.
I'm going on vacation today and I'll show you everything that I'm taking with me.
Caption 2, Christiane - fährt in den Urlaub
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Did you know that the summer vacation for some federal states in Germany is only beginning now? In many states, it doesn't start until mid-July. This break is called die Sommerferien. This is an exciting time because many people plan their Urlaub. Der Urlaub also means vacation, but implies travel. Look at the last example of this newsletter for clarification on the difference between der Urlaub and die Ferien.
Of course, in order to take a vacation, you have to have time off work. In German, the expression for this is frei haben.
Timo Uetz hat frei und verdient schon sein eigenes Geld.
Timo Uetz is off work and is already earning his own money.
Caption 72, Deutsche Welle - Lieber Ausbildung als Studium
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Sobald ich mal frei habe,
As soon as I have a free day
könnten wir vielleicht alle zusammen essen gehen. -OK.
we could all go out to eat together. -OK.
Captions 30-31, Eva erklärt - temporale Konnektoren
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Some people don't get time off, and have to make do with taking short breaks at work. The phrase for this is eine Pause machen.
Na gut. Wir können ja 'ne kurze Pause machen.
Well, OK. We can indeed take a short break.
Caption 17, JoNaLu - Ein Tag am Meer
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When the evenings are long and the weather is nice, der Feierabend is particularly enjoyable. This word has no direct equivalent in English, but it basically describes the leisure time after the work day is over.
Hast du wieder 'nen Zahnarzttermin?
Do you have another dentist appointment?
-Ich mach' Feierabend.
-I'm stopping work for the day.
Caption 21, Mama arbeitet wieder - Kapitel 3: Papa ist weg
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Timo Uetz hat endlich Feierabend.
For Timo Uetz, it's finally the end of the work day.
Caption 60, Deutsche Welle - Lieber Ausbildung als Studium
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Further Learning
Make sure you have memorized the gender of der Urlaub and die Ferien, and look for more implementations of the expressions frei haben, Pause machen, Feierabend machen and Feierabend haben on Yabla German.
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