Posts by Nathalie

Das Sandmännchen

Posted by Nathalie
Mar
31
2009

Guten abend!

What is your nightly bedtime ritual? Schauen Sie gerne Fern? Oder vielleicht lesen Sie ein bisschen. If you were a child in Germany, you would watch “Das Sandmännchen” (the Sandman) Als kind, freute ich mich immer auf diese Sendung. I used to watch it with my little Schwester, it was part of our nightly bedtime routine. Jeden abend, at 7 o’clock sharp, we would sit down in front of the TV and anxiously await the return of our little Freund. Since we only had three channels, this was about as exciting as it was going to get!

I hope you enjoy the Sandman and his story as much as I did as a child — actually, I still do. Of course, I might add that the melodie ist unvergesslich and is forever embedded in my brain. Just don’t blame me if you can’t get it out of yours!

Note: There are (or there used to be) two Sandmen: a West Sandmännchen (the one I grew up with and that I am sharing with you) and an Ost Sandmännchen. Ich bin mir nicht ganz sicher, aber ich glaube that, after Germany reunited, the Ost Sandmännchen became more popular, and so eventually it was decided, in 1991, that the West Sandmännchen would be retired (such a shame, I miss my Jugendfreund) I guess there was just not enough room for the both of them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wmLDtn-544

Vokabel:

  • Schauen Sie gerne Fern? - Do you like watching TV?
  • Oder vielleicht lesen Sie ein bisschen - Or maybe, you like to read a little.
  • Als kind, freute ich mich immer auf diese Sendung - As a child, I always looked forward to this program.
  • Schwester - Sister
  • Jeden abend - Each evening.
  • unvergesslich - Unforgettable
  • Ich bin mir nicht ganz sicher, aber ich glaube… - I am not sure, but I believe…
  • Jugendfreund - Childhood friend.

Tschuss, und alles Gute!

Nathalie

 
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Some Interesting Facts

Posted by Nathalie
Mar
23
2009

Hallo,

Do you know how many neighbors Germany has? Or maybe you’d like to know the name of its highest mountain. Look no further because I have put this short list of facts together for you; hopefully you’ll find them just as interesting as I did!

  1. Bevölkerung (population) - about 82.3 millions Einwohner (inhabitants); the largest population in Europe
  2. 16 Bundesländer (federal states)
  3. Nationalfeiertag (State holiday) - October 3 (day of German Unity)
  4. Deutsch (German) is the Muttersprache (mother tongue) of over 100 million people
  5. Größte Städte (largest cities):
    • Berlin - 3.4 million inhabitants
    • Hamburg - 1.8 million
    • München (Munich) - 1.3 million
    • Köln (Cologne) - 1 million
    • Frankfurt am Main - 662,000
  6. Höchster Berg (highest mountain) - The Zugspitze 2963 m (9,718 ft)
  7. Längste Flüsse (longest rivers):
    • Rhein - 865 km (537 miles)
    • Elbe - 700 km (435 miles)
    • Donau 647 km (402 miles)
  8. Germany is located in the heart of Europe and has 9 Nachbarstaaten (neighbors):
    • Frankreich (France)
    • Österreich (Austria)
    • Belgien (Belgium)
    • Tschechien (Czech Republic)
    • Dänemark (Denmark)
    • Luxemburg (Luxembourg)
    • Polen (Poland)
    • Niederlande (The Netherlands)
    • Schweiz (Switzerland)
  9. There are around 300 theaters, 130 Berufsorchester (professional orchestras), and 500 Kunstmuseen (art museums)
  10. Every tenth book that is published worldwide is written in German!

If you want more interesting facts about Germany, check out this website: http://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/en/

Tschüss,

Nathalie

 
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Alaaf?

Posted by Nathalie
Feb
28
2009

Grüß Gott,

The end of Februar also marks the end of Carnival season, a worldwide celebration that differs depending on regional traditions. Before we step into März, allow me to share some Karneval facts about Germany. Did you know that the biggest Carnival celebration of all of Europe is held in Köln (Cologne), one of Germany’s oldest cities? It’s true! Not only is it the largest Carnival, but it is also one of the oldest; written records have been traced back to the year 1341.

The word Karneval means, “Farewell to meat” it is thought to date back to Roman and Egyptian religious celebrations. It is also believed that at some point, people paraded the streets by wearing scary masks and making lots of noise to scare away the darkness of Winter. During the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church began to assimilate these celebrations into the Christian calendar by making it der letzte Festival before Lent. Traditionally, the culmination of Karneval ends with various festivities (Time of celebration depends on region) that take place sieben Wochen before Easter. During this joyful time, many people celebrate by dressing up and having a good time.

Carnival season is officially declared on November 11th at 11:11 O’Clock. But because of the Advent and Christmas season, preparations truly begin after the new year. November 11th marks the beginning of the fifth season, it is on that day that Karneval clubs all over Germany choose ein Prinz und eine Prinzessin. It is also the day when city halls are being overtaken by jesters demanding the symbolic keys to the city. 

From that point on, Carnival festivities gain in strength, with conventions and parades i.e., Rosenmontagzüge (Shrove Monday parades) and Weiberfastnacht (Fat Tuesday), this includes the tasting of delicious Fastnachtkrapfen (a kind of donut). On Fat Tuesday, all the nominated princes and princesses move into city halls and govern until the clock strikes midnight — When the whole event comes to a halt … that is … until the next time.

In Köln, throughout the celebrations you will hear people shout “Kölle Alaaf!” and even though you might think that this expression relates to the Karneval season, it really does not. In reality, it means ” Cologne above all!”

This short clip dates back to 2007, but it will give you a kleinen Überblick of the Carnival parade in Cologne.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSjDofLjzlU

 

Every region celebrates this season according to local traditions. Known as, “Die fünfte Jahreszeit“ the name for Carnival varies depending on the region, or dialect.

For example:

  • In the Rhineland area: “Karneval”
  • In Köln: “Fasteleer” or “Fstelofvend”
  • In Northern Bavaria: “Fosnat”
  • In Swabia (South-west): “Fasnet”
  • In and around the city of Mainz (not to far from Frankfurt): “Fastnacht”
  • In München and Austria: “Fashing”

There is a lot of information on this particular topic, but it is my hope that you now have a better understanding of how most Germans celebrate this very special season–The fifth season!

Auf Wiedersehen,

Nathalie

Falls Sie mehr über den Karneval erfahren möchten, checkout these websites:

http://www.koelnerkarneval.de/fastelovend-op-englisch.html

http://www.karnevaldeutschland.de/Fachausschuesse.htm

Picture retrieved from http://de.Wikipedia.org

 
Posted under History, Language, Traditions 1 Comment | Post a Comment

Zungenbrecher anyone?

Posted by Nathalie
Feb
26
2009

Hallo! Wie geht es Ihnen? How are you? Es ist schon eine ganze Weile her das ich nicht mehr geschrieben habe. It’s been a while since I’ve written something. Die Zeit geht ja viel zu schnell vorbei! Time goes by way too fast!

Would you like to try some tongue twisters? Zungenbrecher (which literally means tongue-breaker) are a great way to practice pronunciation.

Here are some of my favorites:

In Ulm, um Ulm, um Ulm herum.
In Ulm, around Ulm, all around Ulm.

Fischers Fritz isst frische Fische, frische Fische isst Fischers Fritz.
Fischer’s Fritz eats fresh fish, fresh fish eats Fischer’s Fritz.

Bäcker Braun bäckt braune Brezeln. Braune Brezeln bäckt Bäcker Braun.
Baker Brown bakes brown pretzels. Brown pretzels bakes baker Brown.

Der dicke Dachdecker deckte das dicke Dach. Dann trug der dicke Dachdecker, die dicke Dame durch den dicken Dreck. Dann dankte die dicke Dame dem dicken Dachdecker, dass der dicke Dachdecker die dicke Dame durch den dicken Dreck trug.

The fat roofer roofed the thick roof. Then the fat roofer carried the fat lady through the thick mud. Then the fat lady thanked the fat roofer for carrying the fat lady through the thick mud.

Now tell me was Sie von diesem type denken! The clip is about 5 minutes long. Here is quick overview:

Doktor Georg Winter has one minute to recite, from memory, several different Zungenbrecher. He is on a popular German TV show called “Wetten dass?” (”You wanna bet?”) Unglaublich! Unbelievable! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8Io0SOkvsY

Alles Gute und bis bald!

Nathalie

 
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Haben Sie die Sendung gesehen?

Posted by Nathalie
Feb
11
2009

Hallo! Wie geht’s?

Did you have the opportunity to watch “Otto und das Reich?” (Otto and the kingdom.)Ich habe die Sendung gesehen und es war einfach hervorragend (outstanding). I have a much better understanding of how the Germans came to be. Of course this was only episode 1, so I hope you‘ll join me when we are ready to move on to episode 2.  

When I ask you to view a movie in German, I have 2 goals in mind:

  1. Erstens (first), as you listen to German, you learn to distinguish among different sounds, and short sequences of sounds that correspond to words, or parts of words. Was soll das heißen? It means that the more German you expose yourself to, the easier it will become. Don’t worry if you don’t understand everything, you don’t need too. Take small steps, but be consistent.
  2. Zweitens (second), writing down 5-10 words, and looking up the definitions will build your vocabulary. Would you like to share some of them?

Lass uns ein bisschen über die Sendung sprechen (let’s talk about the movie.) Now that you’ve seen it, I’d like you to go back and watch the first 10 minutes. As you follow along, listen for the sentences I’ve transcribed for you. Practice reading them aloud first, then listen for them in the movie. If you are up for it, press rewind and practice repeating them, one at the time. If the sentences below are too overwhelming for you, just focus on your 5-10 words by keeping count every time you hear them.

Otto und das Reich (first 10 minutes):

  • Wer sind wir? - Who are we?
  • Woher kommen wir? - Where do we come from?
  • Lasst sie kommen! - Let them come!
  • Habt Mut! - Be brave!
  • Da sieh, sieh… - There look, look…
  • Welche Freude…das du gekommen bist - What a joy…that you came
  • Ich warne dich… - I am warning you…
  • Vergiss das nie! - Don’t ever forget!
  • Deine Freunde sind meine Freunde… - Your friends are my friends…
  • Deine Feinde sind meine Feinde - …Your enemies are my enemies
  • Wenn euch diese Wahl gefallt, erhebt die rechte Hand zum Himmel - If you agree with this choice, raise your right hand towards heaven
  • Und niemals möge dein Haut ohne das Öl der Barmherzichkeit sein - Your skin may never be without the Oil of Mercy
  • Was hat er vor? - What does he think he‘s doing?
  • Das ist der Thron eines Kaisers, nicht eines Königs! - This is the throne of an Emperor, not a King! 

http://www.zdf.de/ZDFmediathek/content/615824?inPopup=true

Viel Spaß und bis bald,

Nathalie

 
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