GermanPod101.com Blog

https://www.youtube.com/embed/kIA_3g6dcV4 Germany is a predominantly Christian nation, with over half of its population identifying as Christian. As such, it should come as no surprise that Christian holidays, such as Dreikönigsfest (Epiphany), are widely celebrated here. In this article, you’ll learn all about the Epiphany holiday in Germany. Because this is such a special occasion in the country, exploring its origins and traditions will help you become better acquainted with German culture as a whole.  Let’s get started. 1. What is Epiphany All About? Epiphany is a religious Feiertag (holiday) on which Christians commemorate the three wise men who followed a bright star to find Baby Jesus. This is an... Show more

You might be one of those folks who wishes they knew German. But wanting to know German is different from learning German or wanting to learn German. The people who just long for the day when they know German are usually the ones asking "Is German hard to learn?" But here’s the thing. Every language out there is hard in one way or another, even the ones that are close to your native language. Whether the difficulty comes at the beginning of the journey or in the middle, you’re never going to get off easy. The challenge is the fun of it! And besides, do you really have that much to worry about when it comes to learning German?  Table of Contents Is it Hard to Learn German? The Hardest Parts of German The Easiest Parts... Show more

Make no mistake—people have been complaining about the difficulty of the German language for centuries. Mark Twain did it then, and you’re probably doing it now. It seems like the harder a language is, the more pressure we put on ourselves to get it exactly right. That’s even more true when the locals tend to speak English quite confidently.  But as the Europe of today becomes more and more multicultural, the stigma of "perfect German or bust" is slowly falling away. There’s no need to paralyze yourself with doubt concerning common German mistakes or creating the perfect German sentence, because others in your community are probably dealing with language struggles of their own.  So if you want to improve your German, you can start... Show more

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to tonight’s round of German Questions Extraordinaire!  Does that sound like a quiz show you would watch? It would certainly help out your German! Perhaps you’ve realized that every time you have a German conversation, you’re kind of on a quiz show yourself. Conversations tend to be built around questions and answers—especially the kinds of conversations that you’re likely to have as a foreign student of German. Therefore, practicing the following German questions and answers for beginners will provide you with the tools you need to sail through opening conversations like they’re nothing. In a typical German conversation, questions and answers like the ones we’ll introduce today will... Show more

You asked, so we provided—easy-to-follow instructions on how to set up your electronic devices to write in German! We’ll also give you a few excellent tips on how to use this keyboard, as well as some online and app alternatives if you prefer not to set up a German keyboard. Table of Contents Why it’s Important to Learn to Type in German Setting up Your Computer and Mobile Devices for German How to Activate an Onscreen Keyboard on Your Computer How to Change the Language Settings to German on Your Computer Activating the German Keyboard on Your Mobile Phone and Tablet German Keyboard Typing Tips How to Practice Typing German 1. Why it’s Important to Learn to Type in German Learning a new language is made so much easier... Show more

https://www.youtube.com/embed/VVVllL2avmk Autumn is in the air already…can you believe it? Leaves turning, nippy air, warm drinks, and a cold winter ahead. If you live in the U.S. or U.K., you’re probably looking forward to some great weather and a series of comforting holidays.  In Germany, one such holiday is the Harvest Festival, a holiday very similar to Thanksgiving.  In this article, you’ll learn all about the Harvest Festival in Germany, from what it’s about to how it’s celebrated today. Let’s get started! 1. What is the Harvest Festival? The Harvest Festival in Germany is similar—but not identical—to Thanksgiving in the United States. It’s a holiday to celebrate the autumn Ernte ("harvest"), as... Show more

You know, German treats verbs differently. In contrast to pretty much any other European language, German moves the verb all the way around the sentence quite often. They call it "verb-second" and "verb-final." All that to say, you’re going to need to know your German verbs well if you want to be a good German speaker. Here are one hundred of the best German verbs for beginners to learn—how many do you know already? Table of Contents Regular Tourist Verbs in German Verbs at Home Verbs in the Kitchen Verbs at the University Verbs at Work Verbs for Your Spare Time Verbs at the Gym Verbs on a Date Conclusion 1. Regular Tourist Verbs in German Everybody wants to travel to Germany... Show more

You already know you need to learn about German pronouns. They're a small but absolutely indispensable part of learning a new language. Congratulations - you mostly know them already! German pronouns are almost the same as the English ones, with just a couple more here and there. You know, plural second person, formal address, all that good stuff like in other European languages. The only difficult part is, well, the grammar. Each pronoun has several different forms based on what case it's in. You not only need to know what that means, but you also need to get used to actually making those changes during natural speech. Since cases are the key to really understanding German pronouns, let's start with those. Table of... Show more

Do you remember the moment you fell in love with languages? Do you desire to learn or advance in German quickly and effectively? Then you need a German tutor. A common question that first-time language-learners ask is "Where do I begin?" The answer? Guidance. For native English-speakers who want to learn Asian languages, for example, timelines provided by the U.S. Foreign Service Institute can appear discouraging. However, defeating these odds is not unheard of. If you want to beat the odds yourself, one of the best learning options is a subscription to Premium PLUS from Innovative Language. As an active Premium PLUS member of JapanesePod101.com and KoreanClass101.com myself, I have an enjoyable experience learning at an accelerated... Show more

Did you know that Germans aren't that punctual? They have a reputation for always being on time, sure. But the Deutsche Bahn, the German train system, has more delayed trains than you might imagine. Given that fact, and all the other pressures of modern life, you'll need to be quite aware of the time in Germany. Do you know how to ask for it? Or, perhaps, how to talk about time in general?  This article is more than just a phrasebook for telling time in German. Time touches a lot of facets of everyday life and language, and the phrases you learn here are things that you can carry over into the rest of your German studies. Table of Contents Asking Others for the Time Hours in German Minutes and Seconds ... Show more