Learning Deutsch ... I hope so !!!!: March 2005

Saturday, March 19, 2005

Berlin und München – Nord und Süd

In Germany there are two cities that call themselves the capital, one of them the official capital, the other the „secret“ one. Everybody knows the official capital, that’s Berlin. But the „secret“ capital has always been Munich. Has Munich really got something special about it that other cities don’t have? People who know Munich will answer „yes“ straightaway. But what is it that’s special about this city?
Southern Germany is a tourist centre. No federal state has as many tourists as Bavaria and Munich, and the numbers are rising all the time. Bavaria is the most popular holiday area among both Germans and tourists from all over the world. Munich, thanks partly to its central location, attracts millions of visitors every day, and they usually leave enthusiastic about the city’s special appeal with the nearby lakes and mountains. And when the „Föhn“ is blowing, a warm southerly wind, the sky is a glorious clear blue and you feel you can almost reach out and touch the mountains, so near do they seem. Then people think of street cafés and an almost southern, Mediterranean atmosphere in the summer.
The castles built by the Bavarian King Ludwig II in the 19 th century are just an hour’s drive from Munich. He was the fairytale king who loved castles and music, especially Wagner, whom he brought to Munich. The fact that the king, towards the end of his life, was a very lonely figure, and that he died rather mysteriously in Lake Starnberg means he is shrouded with a fairytale cloak of magic and mystery.
Munich cast a rather jealous glance at Berlin when it was basking in the limelight as the new capital after reunification. The government decided on Berlin in 1991, after the small city of Bonn had been the provisional capital for about 50 years. By the year 2000, the most important ministeries and the government had moved.
A breathtaking building boom developed, with architects of international renown helping to design the new Berlin. Berliners were almost overwhelmed by the dynamism of change in the first years after reunification, observing what was happening with their typical dry sense of humour. Some initial scepticism was eventually transformed into enthusiasm and a touch of pride – the face of the rejuvinated city was indeed impressive. There are still plenty of problems, especially with money. But everyone is convinced that one day, when the buildings are finished and the parks are laid out, Berlin will be one of the finest metropolises there is.

Guten Tag, Servus, Grüezi and more ...

People greet each other with lots of different expressions, depending on whether they are from (or at present in) Northern Germany or Southern Germany, Austria or Switzerland. Guten Tag is the normal standard German expression, replaced in Austria, Switzerland and Southern Germany by Grüß Gott. A typically Austrian greeting is Servus, but Grüß Gott is being used there more and more. In Switzerland Grüezi or Grüezi mittenand are still the main standard greetings.
If you want to be less formal, there is a wide variety of expressions to choose from. You can opt for Hallo, or in the south Grüß dich. In Switzerland you can say Salü, which of course is French. English Hi is getting more and more popular among teenagers and young people.
When you say goodbye, simply say Auf Wiedersehen, or alternatively Servus in Austria. In Switzerland you can opt for Uf Widerluege, if you find you can pronounce it easily enough. In fact it's not that easy for native speakers of German from other regions either.
Less formal and very common is Tschüs. People also say Ciao, from Italian, or in Bavaria Pfüati, a real tongue-twister. In Switzerland people prefer French Adieu best of all. Whether you say Adieu, Tschüs or Ciao depends on where you are and what your personal preference is.
It's probably better not to use Austrian Baba. That's very familiar and only really sounds convincing when spoken by an Austrian.

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

Vocabulary : Numbers

Zahlen 0 - 1 000 000

0 = null				...
1 = eins	10 zehn	100 = hundert	1000 = tausend	...	1000 000 = eine Million
2 = zwei	20 = zwanzig	200 = zweihundert	2000 = zweitausend
3 = drei	30 = dreißig	300 = dreihundert
4 = vier	40 = vierzig	400 = vierhundert
5 = fünf	50 = fünfzig	500 = fünfhundert
6 = sechs	60 = sechzig	600 = sechshundert
7 = sieben	70 = siebzig	700 = siebenhundert
8 = acht	80 = achtzig	800 = achthundert
9 = neun	90 = neunzig	900 = neunhundert

11 = elf
12 = zwölf
13 = dreizehn
14 = vierzehn
15 = fünfzehn
16 = sechzehn
17 = siebzehn
18 = achtzehn
19 = neunzehn
20 = zwanzig
21 = einundzwanzig
22 = zweiundzwanzig
...
101 = hunderteins
102 = hundertzwei
...

Friday, March 04, 2005

Vocabulary : Personnal Data

Personalien = Personal data
der Name = name
der Vorname = first name
der Geburtsort= place of birth
die Adresse = address
die Straße = street / road
der Ort = place
PLZ = Postleitzahl (die) = postcode / zipcode
das Land = country
die Unterschrift = signature
der Ausweis = identity card
der Pass = passport

Vocabulary

Vocabulary : Asking where someone comes from

Fragen, woher jemand kommt = Asking where someone comes from

Woher sind Sie? = Where are you from? (formal)
Woher bist du? = Where are you from? (informal)
Woher sind Sie? = Where do you come from? (formal)
Woher kommst du? = Where do you come from? (informal)
Ich bin aus ... = I am from ...
Ich komme aus ... = I come from ...
Aus ... = From ...
Sind Sie aus ... ? = Are you from ... ? (formal)
Bist du aus ... ? = Are you from ... ? (informal)
Ja, ich bin aus ... = Yes, I'm from ...
Nein, ich bin aus ... = No, I am from ...
Leben Sie in ... ? = Do you live in ... ?
Wohnen Sie in ... ? = Do you live in ... ?
Ja, ich lebe / wohne in ... = Yes, I live in ...
Nein, ich lebe / wohne in ... = No, I live in ...
Ich bin schon fünf Jahre in ... = I have been in ... five years
Kennen Sie ... ? = Do you know ... ?
Ja, aber nicht gut. = Yes, but not well.