20 December 2025
What does grass widow mean in German?
A Strohwitwe (male: Strohwitwer) is a person whose partner is temporarily away; today the word is mostly used jokingly.
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The German learning blog.
Advice, explanations and ideas for learning German, from Stephan.
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20 December 2025
How to surrender in German
'Sich ergeben' means to surrender to an opponent; 'aufgeben' means to give up or quit (and also to assign homework or check in luggage).
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20 December 2025
How do you speak about luck in German?
Glück means luck; Glück haben means to be lucky. Glücklich can mean happy or fortunate, depending on context. A lucky person is a Glückspilz; Pech is bad luck.
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5 November 2025
Thinking About Buying a Farm Near Berlin? Here’s Everything I Learned the Hard Way
It was a few weeks into the pandemic lockdown - spring 2020 - when I decided to finally pull the trigger and buy a property outside of Berlin. I didn’t care about the state it was in, as long as it had open sky, nature close by, and a space where I could grill without […]
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3 November 2025
Focus on Learning German When Your Brain Just Won’t Cooperate
There’s a particular kind of frustration that hits in your thirties, forties, or fifties: you’re not lazy, you’re not unmotivated, and yet your brain refuses to focus on the things you know would improve your life. You buy the books. You download the apps. You watch a few promising YouTube lessons. You even convince yourself […]
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3 November 2025
The Hidden Problem Nobody Talks About in German Classes
If you’ve ever taken German classes in Germany, you’ve probably sensed something off. The lessons seem polite, the teachers well-meaning, and the exercises straightforward - yet everything moves at the pace of wet cement. You sit through dialogues about mailing letters or buying stamps, wondering when you’ll finally learn something useful. You aren’t imagining it. The system […]
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23 July 2025
How to Learn German Words Effectively (for English Speakers)
I’ve been a language teacher for almost 20 years and I’m going to admit something I’m not proud of: I dread the question of how students should learn German vocabulary on their own. It would be amazing if I could just give students their daily dose of German words, send them home, and hope that […]
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21 July 2025
10 Benefits of Learning German Through English
Why most courses are teaching you the hard way - and why learning German through English actually works. I’ll never forget something our English teacher told us back in high school.(I went to a bilingual German-American school, for context.) “It’s so silly that we’re forbidden from using a language we already know to our advantage when learning […]
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3 July 2025
How to Say Suitcase in German: der Koffer (with Examples)
'Suitcase' is der Koffer (plural: die Koffer). Kofferraum = car trunk; Aktenkoffer = briefcase.
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22 June 2025
Is the Goethe Institut worth it?
(This article was written 100% by a human. There are no affiliate links on this page. The author of this article is the owner of a business that might be considered to be competing with the reviewed product - see author bio below. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s find out if the […]
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9 June 2025
The Word for Colleague in German Can Be Misleading
'Colleague' is der Kollege / die Kollegin. Casually, 'der Kollege' can also mean 'that guy'.
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9 June 2025
How to Say Coal in German - Watch Out for This Twist
'Coal' is die Kohle; in casual German, Kohle also means money ('Er verdient viel Kohle').
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9 June 2025
Commander in German: Kommandant or Kommandeur?
Kommandant commonly means a ship, fortress or garrison commander; Kommandeur commands a larger military unit. Austrian and Swiss usage also allows Kommandant for Kommandeur.
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9 June 2025
King in German? Easy Word, Rich History
'King' is der König (plural: die Könige). 'Der Kunde ist König' = the customer is king.
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9 June 2025
Command in German: das Kommando (and Who’s in Charge)
'Command' is das Kommando; 'das Kommando übernehmen' = to take charge; 'Kommando zurück!' = scratch that!
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9 June 2025
How to Say Account in German - And Get It Right
'Account' is das Konto (plural: die Konten). A checking account is a Girokonto; 'ein Konto eröffnen' = to open an account.
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9 June 2025
Don’t Get Tricked by This German Word for Control
'Kontrolle' means control but often check or inspection (Passkontrolle); 'kontrollieren' usually means 'to check'.
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9 June 2025
How Germans Say Headache - It’s Pretty Literal
'Headache' is usually plural in German: Ich habe Kopfschmerzen. At the pharmacy: 'Haben Sie etwas gegen Kopfschmerzen?'
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