Author Archives: gabi

Errungeschaften des Jahres

Das Jahr ist fast am Ende so ist er Zeit zu erwägen das Errungenschaften des Jahres.

Ich denke 2011 war sehr gut. Es hat ein bisschen schlecht angefangen aber das Ende war sehr sehr sehr schön. Ich habe neue Erfahrungen gelebt und viele Leute kennengelernt.

Mein Abenteuer hat in München angefangen. Es war mein erste Zeite in Europe und Ich war sehr Glücklich. Dort Ich habe ein neue Job begonnen, viele Plätze besucht (Nürnberg, Schloß Linderhoff, Ammersee, Berlin…), verschiedene Essen und Getränk versucht und hatte viel Spaß.

Jetzt Ich bin in Italien mit mein Freund Filippo und sein Familie. Ich bin hier zu bringen Weihnachten und  Silvester gekommen. Ich habe viele Essen gegessen und viel Wine getrunken.

Ich wünsche Ihnen viel Spaß und Glück für das neues Jahr!

Gabi

Üben!

Willst du Deutsch schnell lernen? Du musst üben!

Wie?

Du kannst sprechen mit deine Freunden, mit arbeiten Kollegen oder in dem Restaurant mit die Kellnerin zu üben das Sprechen. Du kannst auch Kinder Bücher lesen zu üben das Lesen. Aber, es ist sehr wichtig zu das Grammatik richtig lernen!

Hier sind zwei Website wo man kann nutzen zu Deutsch lernen. Es gibt ein mit viele Übungen wo man kann machen und korrigieren und ein andere wo man kann das verb konjugieren.

https://www.deutschakademie.de/online-deutschkurs/deutschkurs

https://www.verbix.com/languages/german

Ich hoffe Ihnen genießen die Website!

Gabi

False Friends / falsche Freunde

German and English are closely related and have many words in common. And the bad news? German and English are closely related and have many words in common.

Any English-speaker learning German should be aware of this fact. But sometimes things are not what they seem to be. Among the many words the two languages have in common lurk the so-called “false friends.” Linguistic false friends can be just as dangerous as the human variety. These treacherous words pretend to be something they aren’t. They can lead to embarrassment, or if you’re lucky, just laughter.

False friends, more accurately known as “false cognates,” are particularly prevalent in the two Germanic languages English and German. Because the two languages are such close relatives, they have a lot of words that look and sound alike or very similar. The innocent variety includes word pairs such as: begin/beginnen, house/Haus, garden/Garten, brown/braun, father/Vater, and summer/Sommer. There are many of these genuine cognates, and any language learner should use them to advantage.

The genuine cognates can be just as helpful for a German learning English as for an American learning German. But the false ones can also be a hidden danger going both ways. (There are many German books warning of such dangers in learning English.) Whether they are called “confusing words,” “false friends,” “words to watch out for,” or anything else, false cognates are something a language-learner must always be aware of. It’s too easy to fall into the trap.

Some German “False Friends”
DEUTSCH ENGLISH Correct German Term
bald soon bald = kahl
Billion trillion (US) billion = Milliarde
Dom cathedral dome = Kuppel
Gift poison gift, present = Geschenk
konsequent consistent(ly) consequently = folglich
Menü today’s special
(at a restaurant)
menu = Speisekarte
Präservativ condom preservative = Konservierungsmittel
Puff bordello puff = Hauch/Zug
Slip briefs, underwear slip = Unterkleid
slip (of foot) = Fehltritt
winken to wave to wink = blinzern, zwinkern

So, just what are we talking about, actually (aktuell)? Eventually (eventuell), we have to be brave (brav) and face the problem (Problem).

 

You will never be in a place by chance

Let’s take advantage of this Christmas spirit where people are more sensitive, friendly and emotional to philosophy a bit.

Do you believe that you are never in a place by chance? That every little step that you took in your whole life brought you to where you are today and made of you who you are today?

One curious fact is that if you analyze a group of people who works at the sample place for example, you will realize that each single person made different choices in life and follow different ways but that all of these choices took them to the same place. Besides each particular step that was taken all of them converged to the sample place at the end.

What brought people from Brazil, Italy, Mexico, Germany, Peru, Romania and Turkey to the same place at the same time? There was an important decision that we all made in the past that was crucial to decide our future or a lot of facts together brought us to where we are today?

When we are young our parents take some decisions sometimes for us and we get so angry because we don’t agree but at the end we just have to thank them for leading us the right way. I really would like to thank everyone who was part of my story so far and somehow helped me to be who I am today and to reach what I reach until today.

Gabi

Neue Jahr Aberglaube

Each country has its own culture, language, way of living, typical foods, dance and music and way of celebrating the New Year’s Eve. Besides the huge differences between people, there are some things that connect millions and millions of people at the end of the year: The New Year’s superstitions.

During a talk with some friends we realize that many superstitions are common for a lot of countries:

–          If your wish is to travel, run around your house with an empty suitcase.

–          Put some raw lentils in your pocket to bring money for the incoming year.

–          If you are in the beach, jump three waves and make a wish.

–          Eat three grapes for good luck.

–          Use different colors of underwear to bring love (red), peace (white), money (yellow)…

–          Eating peas will bring luck for the incoming year. If you also have cabbage in your plate, you will have even more luck!

–          Change the bed sheet on the first day of the year so you can leave the problems and the bed things in the washing machine.

If your country has any different superstitions share with your colleges!

Gabi

Ways and mannerisms

You never realize that you have a particular way to say some words or that there is a word that you say quite often, if someone doesn`t come to you and start to imitate you.

Everyone has its own characteristics and different ways of speaking and expressing his/herself and this becomes even clear when you live in an international environment. The accent, gestures, face expressions and body language are really different from person to person.

There are some people who say “This is tchuuu mãch for me!” or even “Like Ãnestly”. Others just ask us to do it “Properly and stop bullshiting around (moving the hands in circles-very important!)” and “Vér are ví goiiiing guys? Vér?”. There is also the kind of friend who looks so serious and when you ask him something, he just moves his ears (yes! His ears), his eyebrows and say “Nooooo, it is ok Philly. I don’t miiiind” or when you do something really tricky “Triiiiiiicky giiiiiiiiiiiiiirl”!

The funny thing is that if you see those people everyday somehow you absorb these expressions to your life and when you realize you are speaking just like them and now they can make fun of you as well!

Do you or your friends have a particular way to behave or say something? Share with us!

Gabi

Time to speak German!

Du musst Deustsch sprechen! Du musst Deustsch sprechen!

I decided that the best way to practice German is to dive very deep into the language: listen German radio (z. B antenne Bayern), read die Zeitung in the train, practice with friends, take lessons from your boss/supervisor and even deeper than this! To memorize the prepositions “zwichen, auf, an, hinter, vor, unter, über…” what about sticking in your toilet a poster so you can read while you are in a… what I call ”meditation moment”?!

Gabi

Ice cream afternoon!!!!

If you have nothing to do at 5 PM in a Friday and you are an intern without any supervisors around what can you do but an ICE CREAM AFTERNOON??

It doesn’t matter if the recipe asks for pasteurized fluid milk and you have only skimmed milk powder, or if you need a milk cream with 30% of fat but you have the one with 10% or even if you need to use a glucose syrup but you only have powder dextrose. The best inventions were born like this: put a bit of this, a bit of that let it rest for a couple of days and tchaaaaaanã! That’s how two wonderful things in life were invented: beer and chocolate =)

After putting inside your ice cream all the ingredients that you found in your shelves it is time to invite all your friends and EAT!!!!

Gutten apetit!

Die, das oder der?!

Making a mess everytime that you need to choose one “artikel” for the german substantives?! When is die you say das, when is das you say der and so on…..

Here are some tips that our amazing teacher gave us to help to choose the articles. They are very useful!

  • Feminina

All the substantives ended in keit, heit, in, ung, tät, ion, schaft, ei and ur are ALWAYS feminin. The words ended with “e” are 80% of the times feminin.

  • Maskulina

All the substantives ended in ant, ist, ismus, or and ling are ALWAYS masculin. The substantives ended in “er” are 90% of the times masculin.

  • Neutra

The substantives ended in chen, lein, um and ment.

Gabi

Last class in A 1.1

Today was my last day in A 1.1 group. Next week I am going to face new challenges going to A1.2 level! Oh Gosh!

For me this is the summary of my last class:

  • Ich finde den Sprachkurse shwierig, zu schnell und interessant aber teur.
  • Ich hat Geburstag um 11 September. Mein stehzeichen ist Jungfrau. Eine Jungfrau ist romantikerin, empfindlich, perfektionistin und nicht schüchtern.
  • Ich bin 906 geboren! (Eeeeeewww)
  • I learn how to make a turban!!!!

Bis zum nachsten Monat!

Gabi