Did you know that every minute of the day, one billion tons of rain falls on the earth? Hard to believe, considering the climate crisis! Of course, all that rain is not equally shared across the planet. So, would you mention this fascinating fact to your new acquaintance? Well, small talk about local weather is actually a great conversation-starter. Everyone cares about the weather and you’re sure to hear a few interesting opinions! Seasons can be quite unpredictable these days and nobody knows the peculiarities of a region better than the locals. GermanPod101 will equip you with all the weather vocabulary you need to plan your next adventure. The weather can even be an important discussion that influences your adventure plans. After... Show more

Ever felt a little lost for words when speaking German? Chances are, you were missing an adjective. You can’t get very far when describing something if you’re limited to only a handful of adjectives, at most. "He’s a tall, muscular, bald guy…okay, I can say he’s tall…how about ‘bald?’" That sentence can’t even get off the ground. But here, with the information in this article, you’ll be able to learn German adjectives and confidently describe pretty much anything you need to, without breaking a sweat. Because 100 German adjectives is a lot! In our German adjectives lesson, before our list, you’ll find the following information on how to use German adjectives: German adjectives rules German adjectives word order German... Show more

Do you want to speak good German? You’ve got to live it. As long as you stick to your self-study books and your classes, you’ll make consistent progress—at a snail’s pace. You need to really fuel your German learning with something else. You need immersion. Basically, the more German you see and hear throughout the day, the more your mind is going to stay in German-acquisition mode and keep making new connections. And when you’re constantly seeing new German around you, you have limitless opportunities to review what you covered during your actual study time. One of the best ways to keep the German faucet flowing is by getting really sucked into a great movie or TV show. And since we’re writing this article in 2019, the biggest... Show more

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about German people? You’ve probably heard things like "German people are always on time," and "They’re direct and have good manners." Well, I would say this is almost always the case. But now the question is: What are these so-called good manners and what does German etiquette look like? Almost every nation defines this a little bit different. Let’s just take some Asian countries, such as China, for example. While in most European countries, you can’t burp, smack, or slurp at the table, in most Asian cultures this is called good etiquette. This means that the food was tasty and that you’re satisfied. But when doing this at the table of a German family, this would be... Show more

Have you ever heard about the German bureaucracy? Well, if you haven’t heard about it yet, we can tell you that Germany is a true king when it comes to bureaucracy. This includes filling out forms, and what else? You will have to confirm a lot of deadlines! This is one of the reasons you should learn the days of the week in German, and have a good grasp of the calendar dates in German. You’ll get instructions either from a German office authority or when you receive letters. But in every case, there will be some kind of instructions on a deadline that you need to fulfill. From sending information back to bringing documents to German officials, you’ll be given plenty of dates both verbally or in writing. To make sure that you understand... Show more

Imagine that you’re traveling to good old Germany, and you want the real experience (not just staying in a hotel or hostel like everyone else). Well, this is fair enough, and we definitely encourage going for the full Germany experience. But first, you’ll need to know some basic family terms, like how to say "father" in German. Why is it so important to know the words for family members in German? Imagine the following situation: --- You arrive at your freshly booked Airbnb, and your host welcomes you with a nice dinner. But there’s one hitch: you find yourself eating with his parents, some friends, his cousin, and his grandmother, too. Your host starts to introduce everyone, pointing to each person as he states their name: Ich möchte... Show more

The First Sunday of Advent in Germany marks the beginning of a four-week-long celebration before Christmas. During Advent, Christians await the Second Coming of Christ with additional fervor and hope, and Germany’s more secular population enjoys the festivities and traditions leading up to Christmas. In this article, you’ll learn about modern Advent traditions in Germany, what date it falls on, a little bit about the holiday’s origins, and other facts about Advent in Germany. At GermanPod101.com, we aim to make every aspect of your language-learning journey both fun and informative! What better way than by showing you one of the warmest and most significant holidays of the year? 1. What is Advent in Germany? The word... Show more

When you’re traveling outside of your home country, there’s a very good chance that you won’t speak the language of that country. For that reason, it can be really helpful to learn some basic German travel phrases before going to Germany, Austria, or even parts of Switzerland, Belgium, and Luxemburg. In this article, we’ll provide you with German phrases for tourists that will help you survive basic daily situations. For instance, when traveling to the center of Europe, you’ll probably have to take a train at some point. (And if you don’t have to take one, we suggest you take one anyway. This experience is part of traveling to Germany.) Once you’ve bought your ticket at Deutsche Bahn (the German railway company) and you’re ready to... Show more

It’s the language of Einstein, of Euler, of some of the most brilliant minds in history. And with the reputation German has of being a difficult language, you’d think that the numbering system would be formidable. Not so! It’s really just as approachable as most other languages—more complex than a few, but not nearly as complicated as others. And numbers in German language-learning really are too essential to skip over. Since you’re able to read this article in English, you’ve got a great advantage already. It’s easy to map German numbers onto English ones, which you’ll soon find out with our handy German number guide here on GermanPod101.com! With our German numbers lists and useful information on how to use them, your numbers in... Show more

You're learning to speak German, and it's going well. Your confidence is growing! So much so that you feel ready to share your experiences on social media—in German. At Learn German, we make this easy for you to get it right the first time. Post like a boss with these phrases and guidelines, and get to practice your German in the process. 1. Talking about Your Restaurant Visit in German Eating out is fun, and often an experience you'd like to share. Take a pic, and start a conversation on social media in German. Your friend will be amazed by your language skills...and perhaps your taste in restaurants! Tom eats at a restaurant with his friends, posts an image of the group, and leaves this comment: POST Let's break down Tom 's... Show more