Here is my confession: When I started learning English, I wasn’t a good student at all. I would say I am probably still not a good student. Vocabulary lists make me fall asleep and I have a hard time memorizing grammatical structures and tenses. Yet, I discovered a way that made learning fun for me. […]
How to write Umlaut ä, ü, ö, ß without a German keyboard
To write German on a PC or a phone correctly you will make use of Umlauts (the letters with the dots above them). ß (scharfes S) is technically not an Umlaut, but is included here for completeness. On a Mac: For the casual German learner If you are on a Mac, you only need to […]
Anfangen vs. beginnen vs. starten
There are three different words you can use when you want to describe the start or beginning of something. When you translate them to English, the translation is the same for all of them. Often the words can be used interchangeably but there are some differences between them. This overview gives you a description of typical uses […]
How the German High School System Works
Germany does not only have on high school but three different high school (or secondary school) pupils attend. After primary school teachers give a recommendation which school is most suitable. The schools differ in difficulty. Students who are good in learning will attend a more challenging school, while students who are slower in learning will […]
The Meaning of Modal Particles – ja, doch, wohl, aber auch, schon
In spoken German native speakers frequently make use of modal particles. Modal particles express what the speaker thinks of what he is talking about. They are words like ja, doch, wohl, aber auch, schon. It is difficult to understand these words as there is not one translation for them but many. The meaning of a […]
German Plusquamperfekt – Past Perfect Tense
The plusquamperfekt (past perfect) is used when you are describing an action that has been completed in the past or has taken place before a certain point in the past. When to use Plusquamperfekt? The plusquamperfekt (past perfect) is used when you are describing an action that has been completed in the past or has […]