News

Introducing: The Bookshop Redesign

It’s the year 2018. We still don’t have flying cars, but Wikipedia lists more than 30 different ebook file formats. As much as I love to read (and create) ebooks, there are so many different competing formats and platforms out there that it can sometimes get a bit confusing. What’s the difference between PDF and ebook formats?…

German

Debunked: Myths Involving the German Language

Every language has myths surrounding it, and German is no exception. Some of the more popular myths being German is hard, unpredictable, and angry, everyone speaks English in Germany anyways, or some are as silly as to claim that Germans cannot pronounce the word “Squirrel”. We are going to go over these myths and talk…

German

Tips & Strategies For Learning German With Stories

Learning German with stories can be a great way to expand your vocabulary, boost your passive grammar skills and get a general feel for the language, all while enjoying a (hopefully) entertaining yarn. But how to do it the best way? Preparing vocabulary first? Or just dive right in? Today I’d like to share a few…

German

Why Creative Berlin Is An Inspiration To Artists: From 1970s To NOW!

Germany has a long and exceptional artistic history – from Goethe to the Bauhaus movement and far beyond – it’s inspired both Germans and countless artists around the world. Berlin is one of Germany’s most inspirational cities for artists, and not without good reason. Below I’ve explained why Berlin is such an inspiration, covering the…

German

How Easy is the German Language to Learn?

If you are an English speaker to learn German in fact is not that difficult. Translating German into other languages isn’t that difficult either as long as the translator has the fluency and knowledge of the source and target languages and is experienced with the subject of the translation required. How quickly you learn German…

German

6 Famous German Beer Styles & Brands You Have To Taste For Yourself

German beer is inarguably one of the most famous staples of German culture, way up there with Sauerkraut, cakes, automotive engineering and wearing socks and sandals. (Sorry for that.) But have you ever asked yourself how many German beers there are? According to some sources, there are more than 7800 (!) different beers from more…

Guest Posts

15 Everyday German Words You Won’t Learn From A Textbook

Every language is a fascinating tapestry of words that don’t always have a direct translation to English. Learning a language through a textbook often means you miss out on these words, leaving you with a correct if uninspiring vocabulary. German, in particular, has some great phrases and words that you simply can’t learn from an…

German

These 5 German Cakes Will Make Your Mouth Water

One of the most rewarding aspects of learning a new language is getting to know a whole new culture and cuisine! We have a saying in German: “Liebe geht durch den Magen.” – “The way to a (wo)man’s heart is through her/his stomach.” And the same probably goes for languages, too! Today we’ll take a…

German

Global German: Meet Monte Joffee from New York City

After talking to the German learning group from Sioux Falls, I’m happy to share with you another interview today. Meet Monte! In the late 60s he took some introductory courses in college, fell in love with the language, but through the course of a busy career and family life his skills gradually declined. Being a true…

German

11 Yiddish Words in German And Their Ancient Hebrew Origins

Did you know that some of the funniest, most expressive words in German aren’t actually German but Yiddish? They’ve become such an integral part of our language that even native speakers aren’t always aware of their origins. Interestingly, while American English also embraced many Yiddish expressions, these aren’t always the same ones that made it…

German

Learn German With Radio Plays: Free Audio Dramas For Listening & Learning

Listening to a gripping story as an audio book can be a great way to immerse yourself in narrative German, pick up on on speech patterns, prosody and pronunciation. But you know what’s even more immersive? Radio plays! The difference between an audio book and a radio play is that the former is usually narrated…