Posts in April 2009

Reading Practice

Posted by Yohann
Apr
30
2009

Here are some excerpts in the German news. See if you can figure out what is being said. Try not to peek at the English translations of the excerpts. The English translations are not literal. If I translated them literally they would not make sense, so they are approximations. The purpose of this exercise is to get the general gist of the excerpt. If you want to read the entire article, go to the link to read the original article in German. Hopefully this will peak your interest in reading the news in German!

“In Deutschland besteht nach Ansicht des Robert-Koch-Instituts in Berlin weiterhin “kein Risiko für die Allgemeinbevölkerung” durch die sogenannte Schweinegrippe”

Link: http://www.n-tv.de/1146381.html

“In Germany in the opinion of the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin “no risks exist for the general population” by the so called swine flu

“”Es ist nicht die Frage, ob Menschen sterben werden, sondern wie viele”, sagte der EU-Generaldirektor für Gesundheit, Robert Madelin,…”.

“It’s not a question of whether people will die, but how many” said the European Union General manager for health Robert Madelin…”

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,4215958,00.html

“Die Polizei wollte sich zur Ursache des Zwischenfalls und den Opferzahlen zunächst nicht äußern.”

“The police did not want to express the cause of the accident and the number of victims.”

http://de.news.yahoo.com/1/20090430/twl-tote-bei-unfall-am-kniginnentag-in-d-1be00ca.html

“Der italienische Autobauer Fiat und der US-Konzern Chrysler haben einem Zeitungsbericht zufolge ihre Allianz endgültig besiegelt.”

“The Italian car maker Fiat and the US group Chrysler finally sealed their alliance, according to a newspaper report”

http://de.news.yahoo.com/2/20090430/tde-fiat-und-chrysler-besiegeln-angeblic-a4484c6.html

“Warum es in Berlin keine “sozialen Unruhen” gibt…”

“Why there are no “social unrests” in Berlin…”

http://www.morgenpost.de/berlin/article1083936/Warum_es_in_Berlin_keine_sozialen_Unruhen_gibt.html

“Das People-Magazin hat die 100 schönsten Menschen der Welt gewählt.”

“People Magazine selected the 100 most beautiful people of the world”

http://www.express.de/nachrichten/news/promis/dumpfbacke-ist-die-schoenste-der-schoenen_artikel_1235811593713.html

 

 

 
Posted under Current Events
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Bundes… Words

Posted by Yohann
Apr
29
2009

We’re gonna take a look at some German words that begin with Bundes-. A lot of words have to do with politics and government. See if you can guess what they are in English without looking them up. You can post the answers in the comment section.

der Bundeskanzler : also known as the head of government. The current head of government is Angela Merkel. Since she’s a female, it might be better to call her die Bundeskanzlerin. She has executive powers.

der Bundespräsident : is the head of state. The current head of state is Horst Köhler. He has representative powers. He also has some extensive experience as an economist and has spent his entire childhood as a Polish refugee fleeing from the Germans.

die Bundesversammlung : is a special convention that elects the der Bundespräsident. This particular body convenes every May 23rd, which is the day considered to be the founding of the republic of Germany.

der Bundestag : the current president is Norbet Lammert. This body is a legislative body. The members are elected directly by German citizens.

der Bundesrat : is like the Senate in the U.S. This governing body can vote on particular bills, but its sphere of influence is limited. Der Bundestag has more legislative power.

Alright, I’ll be waiting for the answers in the comments section

 
Posted under Culture
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Valkyrie

Posted by Yohann
Apr
28
2009

I got the Valkyrie movie on DVD and on the one hand it wasn’t so bad, and on the other hand it was disappointing. Let me just set up the movie without giving away the ending; although since it’s based on historical reality, you may already know what happens. The backdrop is set around the 1940s, in Nazi Germany. Tom Cruise plays the lead role of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg.

This is why the movie is a bummer (at least for me): I was hoping to hear the movie in German. You know, authenticity… Why not have the actors speak German and have the English subtitles on the bottom? Another reason why the movie was so-so is that Tom Cruise is playing the lead. I was hoping for a German actor who could speak German play the role. Maybe I’m expecting too much from a Hollywood produced movie…

To be fair, there were moments where I was on the edge of my seat thinking, don’t get caught, don’t get caught! In terms of character similarity, Cruise looks like the Colonel. However, a little makeup and an eye patch could probably do the same for other actors as well. Maybe I’m being harsh, the title of the movie is Valkyrie, not Colonel von Stauffen, so of course there isn’t going to be an in depth analysis of the guy’s character. I guess I’m one of those documentary type people.

Anyway, I’m curious to know what some of you thought about the movie. Leave a comment in the comment section. Did you love it, hate it, don’t care?

 
Posted under History
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German Fairy Tales

Posted by Yohann
Apr
27
2009

One of the best ways to get a hold of the German language is to read fairy tales in German. You know what’s going to happen, so I’ll give you some idea of whether you’re comprehension in German is on the right track. Here are some fairy tales in German:

(Rumpelstilzchen) : Rumpelstiltskin

(Schneewittchen) : Snow White

(Aschenputtel) : Cinderella

(Hänsel und Gretel) : Hansel and Gretel

(Rotkäppchen) : Red Riding Hood

(Dornröschen) : Sleeping Beauty

Now here is a list of German fairy tales that you might not be familar with. These may pose challenges to your comprehension because you have no idea how the story ends.

(Der goldene Schlüssel) : The Golden Key

(Der Meisterdieb) : The Master Thief

(Die zertanzten Schuhe) : The Shoes that were Danced to Pieces

(Die kluge Bauerntochter) : The Peasant’s Wise Daughter

(Der König vom goldenen Berg) : The King of the Gold Mountain

(Die zwölf Jäger) : The Tweleve Huntsmen

(Erstes Märchen) : The Elves and the Shoemaker

(Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten) : The Town Musicians of Breman

 
Posted under Culture
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German Greetings

Posted by Yohann
Apr
26
2009

We’re going to learn Grüße und Nettigkeiten or greetings and courtesies. These greetings are a great way to start a conversation in German

Chances are you’ve probably heard this before, countless times: (Guten Tag) hello

(Grüß Gott) also means hello, but it’s more common in southern Germany

(Grüß dich) Hello in an informal way.

One thing to note is that Germans are very respectful and they tend to be more formal than Americans. My parents have lived next to the same people for thirty years and they still do not use the informal hello with this particular neighbor.

(Guten Morgen) good morning

(Guten Abend) good evening

(Gute Nacht) good night

(Auf Wiedersehen) good bye

(Tschüs) bye in casual form

(Danke schön) thank you

(Bitte schön) You’re welcome

(Wie geht es Ihnen?) How are you? formal

(Wie geht’s?) How are you? informal

(Sehr gut) very good

(Nicht so gut) not so good

Despite the stereotype that Germans are reserved, Germans are actually very vocal about their feelings. If you ask a German how he/she is, he/she will tell you exactly what he/she is feeling, whether they suffer from any aches and pains and they may even get into a political discussion about what needs to be done in German society/politics. Germans are honest and direct people, and this may be misunderstood as complaining or grumbling. Just remember that this is just in general, and that there are exceptions to every rule.

 
Posted under Language
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