The German language is (in)famously known for being very productive when it comes to inventing new words by simply stringing two or more existing ones together. For example, in German a vacuum cleaner is simply called “dust sucker” (Staubsauger), a kettle is a “water cooker” (Wasserkocher) and the place where our teeth are anchored is…
Articles by André Klein
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German
8 Free German Textbooks For Beginners
Deutsch im Blick A Foundation Course in Reading German FSI German Basic Course Essential German Tom’s Deutschseite Wolkenkratzer Kursbuch & Arbeitsbuch German 101 Easy German Like most textbooks, German textbooks can be quite pricey. Especially for students with a low-budget or those just looking for a good way to get started without breaking the bank,…
German
17 Hilarious German Insults That Are More Funny Than Offensive
Looking for new funny German insults to use with friends? One of the peculiarities of the German language is that you can very easily string nouns together to create new words which very quickly leads to monstrosities like Donaudampfschifffahrtskapitänkajütentürknauf” (door handle of a Danube captain’s cabin). Unsurprisingly, some of the best German insults are compound nouns….
German
11 German Idioms About Summer & Sun
German idioms are a great way to learn new words as part of short phrases and expressions that you can immediately apply in everyday life. Today, I’ve collected 11 German idioms around the theme of summer, holiday, heat and sun. Ready? Los geht’s! This German idioms literally means “to go bathing” but does not necessarily…
German
The Strange German Food Quiz
Germany has a lot of culinary weirdness to offer. Not only are some of our regional specialties very peculiar in nature, they often also come with names which are rather silly. Can you decipher the titles and find out what these dishes are made of? Caution: Some of these are not for the faint of…
Discover Dino lernt Deutsch: the German story series for beginners that will help you learn German in no time.
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10 Online Games To Boost Your German Learning (Text, Strategy, Adventures)
Playing video games can be a fun way to learn German (or any language, for that matter), but the problem is that most games designed specifically for learners are utterly boring, so learners will often be better off to just play games designed for native German speakers. I’ve already written about how to use classic adventure games or your…
German
Learn German On Reddit With These 22 German Subreddits
Reddit, aka “the front page of the internet” is one of the biggest social networks and entertainment websites in the world. Reddit is a lot of things, both good and bad, but the way it works is that users submit links, images or text and then its 234 million users vote on these submissions, making them climb…
German
How To Do A German Accent In 4 Simple Steps And Become the Next Supervillain
Do you sometimes wish you didn’t have a foreign accent while speaking German? Perhaps then for once German natives would stop switching to English and finally honor your painstakingly constructed utterances! Well, it takes time to develop a good command of a foreign language, especially when it comes to accent-free speaking. The muscles in our throat,…
German
How To Use A German Keyboard On Your iPhone, Android, Mac or Windows PC
Have you ever struggled with German spelling? Even for native Germans the many rules and reforms can quickly turn correct spelling into a guessing game. But as with everything, practice makes perfect, or as we say in German: “Übung macht den Meister.“ And it’s never too early to start! This is why, in the following…
German
Free German Worksheets & Exercises for Beginners and Intermediate Learners
Want to learn German but can’t afford expensive textbooks and courses? Just looking for some German worksheets to download and print for practicing your grammar? There are many excellent free resources for German learners (and teachers) out there, but it’s not always easy to find them. In this post I’ve collected some of the resources…
