Category Archives: German language
In German, schwarz means black, and der Wald is the forest. Der Schwarzwald, the Black Forest, is now a popular tourist destination in southern Germany. But it has been known by this name since at least the days of the …
The Dark Days
It’s late autumn in the Rheinland-Pfalz, and the days are foggy, frosty, and short. Even the kestrel, the little cinnamon-colored hawk who hunts in the fields next to my house, can’t seem to keep his eyes open, and the fiery …
Last week, while Joe was gone to the States, my friend Heidi called to check up on me. “Getting lots done?” she asked. “Not really,” I said. “I should, but…” “But it’s your innerer Schweinehund,” she finished. “Now, that’s a …
Most German language courses teach their students to say, “Guten Morgen!” “Guten Tag!” or “Guten Abend!” Since these greetings are formal, they will always be appropriate. However, Germans passing on the street may simply say, “Tag!” or one of its …
What exactly does “Auf Wiedersehen!” mean? Auf means at, upon, or on. Sehen means to see, and wieder means again. So “Auf Wiedersehen!” means, “At our seeing each other again!” Or, in other words, “See you later!”
The other night, I was watching a television show on World War II. The number of World War II shows on television here is truly astounding! One of the subject matter experts was discussing naval warfare. After talking about U-boats …
The other night, as I was flipping channels, my television informed me that the title of the next show was Die Gebärdensprache. What kind of Sprache (speech)? I found out that sich gebärden means to behave or act, and die …
One of the interesting things about life in Germany is listening to a German-language sermon each Sunday. Last Sunday was devoted to the Holy Family–Jesus, Mary, and Joseph–and Father spoke at length about what a wonderful Vorbild that family is …