questions

[silent plover]

Yeah
It's weird
I can understand some German but complex i find it hard
Like I can talk to people about (somewhat) complex stuff
But then I would find it hard to understand the replies

I would say I understand at most 50% of German
Which is pretty a generous estimate

[empty vale]

That’s fair it just takes time and being uncomfortable and not understanding everything

With time you will understand so much more

And also with effort

[frigid tinsel]

So the false beginner is someone who (feels like they have to) join a beginner level class because they are missing a few fundamentals. (But otherwise have a lot of random vocab / stuff from higher levels) Alternatively, you can crunch through a beginner level course book in a short time and be in good shape in just a month or two.

[silent plover]

But its also hard to find people who would actually want to speak

It's easier now that I'm here

But it was so hard back then because I knew like 2 German people on discord
And I didn't really know well enough to actually try to go ahead and initiate that sort of thing

And the other person just absolutely doesn't want me using even one German word

[empty vale]

Yeah you can just practice with people on your level here

[silent plover]

Since well.. I guess it's because he speaks english so he doesn't want me to try to speak German

So I just had to go onto video game German servers and chat there

[empty vale]

Or interact with an “empathetic native”

Someone who will adapt to your learning needs

[silent plover]

I also did use chat gpt but it can be kinda hard to trust
Since I don't know whats real or false

[empty vale]

Those are always the best but hard to come across, but that shouldn’t stop you from learning. Especially when you get to a higher level it’ll be a lot easier to find people.

[frigid tinsel]

Beginner level grammar books are shorter than you might expect.

[empty vale]

See it being trustable or not is a super shallow question. Language models can be good but are tricky if you don’t know the language well.

[frigid tinsel]

I personally read through one Grammar Book in just a single sitting. It didn't all stick, but I now have an overall idea of most grammar concepts lol.

[empty vale]

Especially because it’s all regurgitated information, it has bias and can derive information from not so reliable sources

[frigid tinsel]

Like 200 page grammar book is a thing you really can just crunch through in a weekend, if you just need the overview. You'll need to go back and spend lots of time on the exercises. But at least gaining an overview will give you ideas of what to study next.

[empty vale]

You just have to be literate with AI when using it. It can be helpful, but I can’t really recommend it if you can’t differentiate language aspects very well

For me I usually have it correct some writing, but I always go over it to make sure it didn’t mess with the tone or overall language.

[silent plover]

Yeah, probably a good idea

Library near me so I can just get one tomorrow

[silent plover]

Ai conversation is so funny because half of it is just me saying
"Was ist [blank] auf Deutsch"
Or
"Was ist [blank] auf englisch"

[empty vale]

That’s such a waste of energy

Please use Google for such inquiries

[frigid tinsel]

Have you tried Wiktionary?

[empty vale]

I understand if it’s explanations or more in-depth stuff to a degree but something that is just a definition can be easily searched for online

leo.org is very beginner friendly

[frigid tinsel]

https://de.wiktionary.org/wiki/wrong

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mögen#German

[empty vale]

wordreference.com

[silent plover]

The sad part is I think a lot of definitions I wouldn't even need to search for because I literally written them down in my notes

I checked my notes and I noticed that so many words I have asked the meaning for
They're like all on the first and second page of my notes

[silent plover]

I like how it just says "wrong"

[silent plover]

After that I said

I really need to study these
That can't keep happening

And its working at least

I'm memorizing more words than before even if it's slow

[sick burrow]

Are you writing the nouns with the definite article and plural? That helps ALOT.
(I say this because I need to start doing that)

Also working in chunking would prolly help too. Like learning words via whole sentences so you know how to use them.

[warm cairn]

does anyone have a guide to memorising the genders of nouns? thanks

[jovial remnant]

write a lot

[winter kayak]

you just have to learn it with the word, there's not a great shortcut except for some patterns (mainly suffixes)

[gritty fulcrum]

der die das
Der is masculine
Die is feminine

[jovial remnant]

and das?

[warped heart]

Das is for neutral objects

[winter kayak]

Hopefully it is clear to both you and @gritty fulcrum that the gender of a noun has nothing to do with the object itself.

case in point:
Der Löffel (the spoon, masculine)
Die Gabel (the fork, feminine)
Das Messer (the knife, neutral)

[gritty fulcrum]

Oh

😭.

[sleek pebble]

this is good and fine up until the point where you ask for a löffel and by being so excluding, blow your chances with the hot curvy löffelin…

[hollow pasture]

die See und der See. this is because seas are more feminine than lakes.

[winter kayak]

This message brought to you by Kate Chopin

[proven iron]

There are patterns to it though. Nouns that end in -ung or -keit for instance are always feminine. Nouns from the infinitive form of verbs (zB das Leben) are neutral. Nouns that look like a weird conjugation of a verb are usually masculine (zB verkaufen -> der Verkauf)

[edgy needle]

interestingly enough there is a certain logic to that, no rules, but there are definitely certain semantic patterns which can help to understand the "why" behind it, even if it seems its arbitrary

Das Messer belongs to the same abstract category of objects such as "das Metall, das Schwert,

Die Gabel belongs to the same category of (mostly) dainty, pointy, sharp objects such as die Nadel, die Schere, die Forke,

Der Löffel is masculine because shoveling food inside your mouth with one is definitely not as elegant as using a fork :D

There are some cases where it doesn't make sense (why die Schaufel) but that's usually where the ending/form of the noun takes precedence

(the mostly feminine -el ending)

Der Löffel is a prime case where the meaning overrides the ending

There's a plethora of examples to support my case

Phallic objects such as the arrow (der Pfeil), the post (der Pfahl), the column (der Pfeiler)

der Pfosten

der Mast

der Stock der Stab der Stamm etc

Die Säule is a case where the ending takes precedence

Making it feminine

[edgy needle]

die Zange, die Klaue, Kralle, also fits in the abovementioned feminine category

[winter kayak]

I'm not a linguist, but I don't find those sorts of exercises productive as a learner. Just as quickly as one finds a "plethora" of examples, one finds a plethora of counter-examples. Whatever "abstract category" includes a knife, metal and sword but excludes a blade (die Klinge), a dagger (der Dolch), etc. isn't really reliable.

And I really couldn't recommend someone attempt to learn whether a word is masculine or not by how phallic it may or may not be.

[edgy needle]

Klinge has the feminine -e ending and can also be put in the same category as the pointy and sharp objects

But yea I was just pointing out that there is some logic to it if youre willing to dig a bit deeper

As a fun fact to the learners and as a potential Eselsbrücke

Dolch can be seen both as masculine phallic object and it also has the same ending as a couple other masculine nouns

Molch and Lolch (lol)

What I was trying to say is that the counter examples which you mention aren't always some arbitrary oddballs

If you look at the -eil ending, most nouns in it (Seil Beil Teil) are neutral, a notable exception is the masculine Keil

Self explanatory as to why

In my case, grouping the words that follow a similar pattern as well as looking into the exceptions definitely helped the learning process

I seldom make article errors

[pallid light]

Role

[edgy needle]

Mostly with loanwords

[stiff kraken]

the rules once used to be really clear, actually

i find it interesting that the grammatical generds assigned to each word usually didn't change despite the words alone did

feminine words ending with usual masculine/neutral endings (el, er) once had -a at the end

"gabela"

according to old rules that's clearly a feminine noun

[edgy needle]

true

[stiff kraken]

the "a" was then dropped but the gender stayed

[edgy needle]

wasnt like that with every feminine noun but yea

a lot just dropped the e or a ending

[stiff kraken]

yeah ofc there were teens of other changes

but just shows that genders aren't random

[edgy needle]

yep

[stiff kraken]

still a very interesting language evolution process

[edgy needle]

I recommend a great book on the topic of german grammatical gender if you would be inclined

Der Die Das: The Secrets of German Gender

its in a ton of languages

including english and german

[stiff kraken]

oh thanks

ill check that out

[limber heron]

Der Pfeil as well. Also self explanatory :D
And there is also Der Teil

[edgy needle]

ah true

[hollow umbra]

Die Zeil, biggest shopping street in Frankfurt (ok, now I'm trolling a little bit)

[latent mulch]

Der Papa holt das Werkzeug, für(um) die Waschmaschine zu reparieren.
Daddy is getting his tools in order to repair the washing machine

how often do you see für in the place of "um" ?

[hollow umbra]

Für is wrong here

Um is correct

But you can say "für die Reparatur der Waschmaschine"

So für is with a noun (Reparatur) and um zu with a verb

[sleek pebble]

never

[nova wedge]

Is there a word for like something is cool 😎 in German

[hollow umbra]

Of course, plenty! Lässig, entspannt, toll, turbogenial, u.v.m.

[spiral axle]

what about krass

[astral yoke]

Schick, genial, even cool

[nova wedge]

Do yall say cool the same?

Or is it pronounced different?

[winter kayak]

With a German “accent”

Coo-uhl instead of one syllable

[hollow umbra]

Krass can be anything, like surprising, terrible, astounding... Could be negative as well

[hollow umbra]

What? Two syllables? For me, the English pronunciation is totally fine, only in German the U is a bit different

[fickle wedge]

How much words should a a1 know

Apart from grammar

[jovial remnant]

A1 is a beginner level

[jovial remnant]

https://www.goethe.de/pro/relaunch/prf/de/A1_SD1_Wortliste_02.pdf

[fickle wedge]

Appreciate it buddy

[fickle wedge]

So am i ,a beginenr 😭✌️

[narrow patio]

you need help?

[jovial remnant]

Wie läuft die Arbeit

Im Moment ist es ruhig.
Mittlerweile ist es ruhig.

what is the difference between the two?

[dusty salmon]

"In the moment" vs "meanwhile"

"In the meantime"

Mittlerweile is used to mention a new situation that has developed, usually somewhere else, like "Meanwhile..." in English

Literally it's like "in the middle of that", "during that time..."

[pine quest]

Mittlerweile implies that it has been really busy lately, but now its not.

[plush locust]

Ja, ich denke, es ist nicht identisch mit "meanwhile" (esp. because "meanwhile" is often used in English to show "while X happens, Y transpires elsewhere", which you don't really do in German)

[thin pollen]

does "alles unter einen Hut bringen" require success or is trying enough?

[plush locust]

success. If you are trying, its "Du versuchst, alles unter einen Hut zu bringen."

And I don't think the phrase is actually usable outside of the attempt

(because: how?)

[thin pollen]

oh right

ty

[calm steeple]

Hi ev

Everyone

Why here it's "kein Parkplatz" and not "nicht ein Parkplatz" ?

[scenic obsidian]

"kein" = "nicht ein"

think of the "k" as meaning "nicht"

Also, any time you want to write "nicht ein", you almost certainly are supposed to write "kein"

[calm steeple]

Aaah okay
Thank you Argus!

[frigid tinsel]

Weird way of thinking of it, but maybe it works lol.

I think of nicht as an adverb

But kein definitely applies to the noun.

[empty vale]

Kein ist kein Adverb

Sondern Artikel

[scenic obsidian]

<@&305455824174710787>

[tiny kraken]

hallo! ich wollte etwas fragen

würde man mich verstehen wenn ich die falsche artikeln verwende

zb "das porsche" anstatt "der porsche"?

[hollow umbra]

You're right! Sometimes you can say "nicht ein" for special emphasis, like "nicht ein einziges Mal", but "kein einziges Mal" works just as well.
Exception: when the "ein" is a detached verb prefix. "Wir tüten das nicht ein." (Sorry, silly example)

[frigid tinsel]

I remember a sentence in class where I'm struggling to form...

and it ended up being something like "Dass das stellt hier her".

There's defintely some silly examples that pop up now and then....

[open ingot]

When is German "ch" prounced like English "sh" and when like Welsh "ch"?

[hollow umbra]

Roughly depends on the vowel before. After aou it's Welsh ch, after eiäöü it's sh

[open ingot]

Ahh danke

[jovial remnant]

I want to say "I keep getting these weird videos about the police on Instagram" as in algorithms are showing

how would you express this naturally?

Ich sehe/bekomme sounds like I am intentionally watching those type of videos.

I asked chatgpt and it suggested
Ich bekomme diese komische Polizeivideos auf Instagram angezeigt.

I am not too familiar with this form. Can somebody confirm?

[hollow umbra]

After consonants also sh (Mönch, Arche, welcher)

[astral yoke]

Let's look what you wrote in your first sentence and rephrase that a bit
The algorithm of Instagram shows me always those weird police videos
Do you think you could translate that?

[hollow umbra]

German is heavy on adverbs. Definitely add "dauernd" to your sentence.

"Keep getting" otoh is a verbal construction

[jovial remnant]

ich bekomme dauernd diese komischen Polizeivideos auf Instagram angezeigt?

I guess you also confirm this is how you would put it

[jovial remnant]

Well, I imagined asking a friend if he was also getting those weird videos. "The algorithm of Instagram shows me always those weird police videos". Although this is the safest bet, I prefer learning other structures

[open ingot]

Ok vielen dank (:

[indigo bear]

Bernie was giving you a hint of how to write it naturally in German.

That's what you requested.

Did you want something different?

[winter kayak]

bekommen + partizip II is a special form which replaces the passive sometimes. So at least grammatically, it's valid.

[hollow umbra]

Ich krieg(e) dauernd diese komischen Polizeivideos auf Instagram. Auf Instagram kommen immer diese komischen Polizeivideos.

[jovial remnant]

wonderful thank you 🙂

[true remnant]

Hellloo

how can i join a VC

[livid steeple]

@true remnant, please read the Roles section in #getting-started for info on how to join VC and more.

[true remnant]

I am not able to understand

there are so many channel but alll re shown as full

[nova wedge]

Die Fledermaus ist in der Höhle mit einem Kuscheltier, weil sie so weich ist.
Im learning einer und einem

Ich füttere das Baby mit einer Banane.

[winter kayak]

what does 'sie' reference in the second clause?

[hollow umbra]

Probably the cave, not the bat. The softness is given as a reason to bring a plushie, so if the cave is soft and comfy, a plushie will fit perfectly

[nova wedge]

Stuffed animal yeah I don’t know how you specify the difference other than just saying das Kuscheltier

I’m used to having two words that are different genders

Die Fledermaus ist in der Höhle mit einem Kuscheltier, weil das Kuscheltier so weich ist.

What’s a good A1 and A2 book to get?

I also was thinking I getting an English to German dictionary

[vernal estuary]

you can check out the resources channel there's a lot of good stuff there, but for a dictionary you dont need to buy one. There are a lot of free websites for that, the one I use is Linguee just cause it's an app and it's super accessible for me to quickly look up translations

[frigid tinsel]

"Grammatik aktiv" is A1 to B1 grammar.

[frigid tinsel]

Wiktionary and dict.cc are good and free websites.

I don't know of any proper course books. Most people around here seem to just use Nicos Weg as their course.

[glacial crag]

https://www.woerter.net/verbs/?w=Teilchen
https://dict.leo.org/englisch-deutsch/verletzten
these are good bilingual dictionaries

https://www.dwds.de/wb/ehemalig
this is a great monolingual one (I recommend using an online dictionary instead ^^)

there's definitely more out there but these are the ones I stick to

tho I've been using dwds much more often recently since some words are getting a bit tedious to translate 😅

[vernal estuary]

dwds is great but I wouldn't scare them with a monolingual dictionary yet! It took me until at least B1 to be able to use it

[glacial crag]

yeah that's very fair. Just wanted to give them the option of using it incase they'll be ready for it eventually or get curious about it :)

[jovial remnant]

I use dict.cc + duden + dwds together

[vernal estuary]

yeah you're all good, totally understood just wanted to call it out cause I was stressed back then when others suggested it 🙏

[jovial remnant]

wiktionary looks overwhelming but it's also an option

[glacial crag]

oof, yeah that makes sense 🥲
it's hard to use even at b1, so we can all imagine what it'd look like for someone starting out

[glacial crag]

lowkey a solid way to go about it tbh

[winter kayak]

Weil es so weich ist. (The es refers back to the neutral noun “das Kuscheltier”. Sie would have to refer to the cave or the Fledermaus)

[nova wedge]

Oh some reason I was thought it is sie when talking about something

[hidden pendant]

What is the grundwort for " Notenbanker" ? I keep getting different answers

[zinc sapphire]

vielleicht der Banker

[frigid tinsel]

I can't read all of dwds, but I'm finding the example sentences very useful even at A2.

IMO, use DWDS as soon as you can. Even before you understand everything.

But maybe as a secondary source. Its hard to use it as a primary source if the writing is still too difficult to fluently understand.

[vernal estuary]

yeah I agree, the example sentences are helpful. But I also use a bilingual dictionary alongside cause I sometimes need a perfectly clear definition from english to grasp the nuance of a word if it's not a concrete thing / a complex topic / a synonym for a very similar word. And I can understand most written stuff unless it's prose but for definitions I still want to 100% understand a word when I learn it

[hollow pasture]

i dont even use a monolingual dictionary for my native language

[glacial crag]

what's your native language?

[hollow pasture]

das hindi

[glacial crag]

ooh, Is it the reading that challenges you most?

[hollow pasture]

yeah i cant read

[glacial crag]

how about speaking?

[hollow pasture]

well im native

[glacial crag]

fair response ;p

[hollow pasture]

i get the reason people recommend monolingual dictionaries but bilingual dictionaries are also fine for people who didnt have 13 years of schooling in a target language

a german-german-english dictionary would solve having to pick one

wiktionary is the best source for most languages, even has conjugation tables and all

[glacial crag]

surprisingly, that's a source I've never used before. Not sure if I'll ever use it fully but I'll definitely check it out in the near future

[hollow pasture]

its a wiki so it always has wide coverage, and very good notes from natives that clarify usages you dont see in many academic dictionaries

the best feature is if you type in a declined or conjugated form of a word, it will tell you what form that is and take you to the main word page also

[glacial crag]

pretty useful feature tbh

[hollow pasture]

yeah usually also has audio pronunciation, or at least IPA

dont know why people dont recommend it, its the primary dictionary i use for most languages

best part is if you see any mistakes you can just, like, correct them

[jovial remnant]

What is the question about

[frigid tinsel]

The monolingual dictionaries are bigger and more complete

In theory, Wiktionary (German -> English or English -> German) could be as good or even better, but that's not how it works in practice. There's always more native speakers than bilingual speakers.

[frigid tinsel]

Dwds and dict.cc are also community run projects btw.

[hollow pasture]

didnt know that

[hollow pasture]

the point at which this would matter for a learner is like, very far in

theres also de.wiktionary.org fwiw

[rain hollow]

Is using meta Rayban sunglass for German telc/goethe prüfung allowed?

[sleek pebble]

?

even if it were (which it is likely not), why do you want to lie to yourself and pretend you are capable of soemthing you’re not?

all you should need is your head and a pencil

[hidden pendant]

We had to take words from text and name the grundwort of it. But I got a few wrong

Different types of ai telling me Different things and my teacher too so im confused💀

[hollow umbra]

Note + Bank. Note as in Banknote 💶

[final forum]

Quick question: when you make flashcards for vocab, do you also spend a lot of time finding good example sentences, translating them, and making sure they actually fit your level?
That part is what slows me down the most when learning German. Curious if others deal with the same thing or if I’m overcomplicating it.

[grizzled hinge]

I’ll just tell you here it’s too chaotic in general 💀

I started using Anki recently to build my own stuff, but only for Russian since I know German a lot better. But if you do start building word sets it shouldn’t be all you do. When you’re starting a language you should focus on listening and reading, but both are good for vocab building

[final forum]

Thanks for the help , I appreciate it 😊 .
Out of curiosity, how long did it take you before you felt comfortable speaking German?

[grizzled hinge]

I learnt in school, it’s not the best metric unfortunately

But also my speaking is definitely my weakest skill, but I think the best tactic beyond learning words and grammar is speaking with unwavering confidence as if everything you say is right so you don’t second guess yourself in the moment

[thin pollen]

Yes this slows me down the most too but I think at the end you get better results

[final forum]

Honestly, that’s great advice. I’ve been at this for two years and keep hitting a wall at B1, mostly because I’m on-and-off with it. I think I need to stop obsessing over being perfect and just start listening more and talking through random topics on my own, even if it sounds messy

[pliant cypress]

I basically do that, but I don't do the "making sure they fit your level" part. For the most part, I learn things as I encounter them. If I find myself coming into contact with words that might be above my level often enough, I'll just learn them. Don't know if that would much affect the time it takes though

[grizzled hinge]

Yeah, if you want correction on your output you should write more, but the most practical real-world practice is speaking, whether you hop in VC or just talk into your phone (I’m a hypocrite I don’t do either)

https://tenor.com/view/disappointed-so-gif-18681605

[final forum]

At least you're a self-aware hypocrite, that's like half the battle 😂

[frigid tinsel]

If you have a coursebook, there should be ready examples in your practice problems / exercises already.

If you are self learning / self studying, then yeah its harder. The frequency list book example sentences seem to be workable as I'm approaching A2.

https://www.routledge.com/A-Frequency-Dictionary-of-German-Core-Vocabulary-for-Learners/Tschirner-Mohring/p/book/9781138659780

This list has example sentences that feel B1ish at the worst, I'm mostly comrehending them as an A2-ish

I prefer studying vocabs from my songs or graded readers though, which also have example sentences.

[tame idol]

Hi , I'm currently preparing for the B1 exam , what amount of active/passive listening should I incorporate on a daily basis? My listening is the weakest link.

And another thing , is saying "so" in the language a very natural and frequent thing in day to day speech? I've been finding myself saying it almost every 2nd or 3rd sentence.

[pure harbor]

dm

[cobalt aurora]

@indigo bear did you delete the other 2/2 voice channels? I'm seeing only one 2/2 here

[indigo bear]

For moderation issues, please ping the Moderator roles rather than individual mods. No, I didn't delete them. When they're empty, they get automatically removed and more get added when they fill up.

[indigo bear]

For listening I would personally suggest as much active listening as possible.

Passive listening won't really work until you're at a point where you can understand what's being said without thinking about it.

[solemn swan]

Do we really pronounce the First letter P in Psychologie?

[winter kayak]

Yes

[solemn swan]

Thanks

[glacial crag]

-weil viele Leute auf einmal versuchen zu sprechen
-weil viele Leute auf einmal zu sprechen versuchen

Are both of these valid? This is something I've been guessing for a while .-.

I've always used the 2nd zu placement but I've seen the first one sometimes in some convos

[hollow umbra]

Yes, both are fine

I'm now wondering whether there is a subtle difference in meaning, but I think there isn't. What do the other native speakers think?

[edgy needle]

I think zu sprechen versuchen is a little bit old fashioned/more common in literature

[hollow umbra]

Hmm could be, but I don't think anybody will take you for a time traveller if you say this 🧐

[opaque schooner]

Hey guys

Which free ai is the best for learning language

past months i have been using chat gpt but is there any AI outthere better in Grammatik and such

[forest stirrup]

ex ai

[livid steeple]

**AI-generated text**

This FAQ explains rules and advice for using text AI tools such as ChatGPT.

🔹 **Server rules regarding this topic:**

• Do not answer any questions by using AI-generated text.
• Do not ask for AI-generated text to be corrected.

🔹 **Problems with using AI for answers and corrections**

• No fact-checking: Tools like ChatGPT are very good at writing texts and often provide answers that sound good, but they are not capable of fact-checking their own answers.

• Fake information: It’s very common for these programs to make up fake or incomplete information, which is explained convincingly but is mostly wrong.

• Non-deterministic: The information is also partially randomly generated, meaning that if you ask the same question multiple times, you will usually end up with different answers.

• No language knowledge: It shouldn't be used for grammar or vocabulary questions, as it doesn't understand linguistics, nuance, or how a native speaker might actually use a given word or grammar point.

• Missing context: When correcting texts it needs to understand what the writer was trying to express. As such it may miss mistakes or correct things that don't need to be corrected.

🔹 **Reasons NOT to use generative AI for learning**

• It delays the development of important skills in language learning.
  Relying too much on AI generated texts or solutions may get in the way of learning the necessary skills of language acquisition, such as how to look up words or phrases in a dictionary, using critical thinking, or actually applying learned concepts.

• AI is not designed to guide learners.
  If you ask an AI a question, it will provide you with information, whereas if you ask a human, they will ideally ask you to show your understanding and offer advice on how to find the answer.

• AI output requires scrutiny
  AI output must be verified, but beginners to German or to language learning often lack the knowledge or experience to do so.

🔹 **Good uses of AI-generated text**

• Ask ChatGPT to come up with some story ideas that you can write about.

[opaque schooner]

thanks

[stoic belfry]

is it normal my mouth and throut get tired trying speak german for first time?

[pure harbor]

why do not many ppl speak Deutsch (german) in games?

[glacial crag]

yep, you're practicing foreign mouth movements and pronunciation so it's totally fine.

[frigid tinsel]

Yes. I don't think my tongue got the right "German Muscles" until I spoke for a few months. And I don't think my accent is particularly good yet either.

I'd say it was a few weeks of my mouth being "physically tired", and then a few weeks after that where it felt like my muscles were weak (no longer tired, but my mouth still physically doesn't like making the shapes needed to pronounce many German words correctly).

[astral yoke]

I'd say it heavily depends on the game you play, the server and region you're logged in. If you're specifically looking for German speaking players you could join some large guild/clan/group that has e.g. German and English 'subgroups'.

[solemn swan]

what are the difference between "Gerade" and "Jetzt" Please?

[frigid tinsel]

A lot. Gerade basically means straight or equally, maybe evenly.

Jetzt is one of the many words that means "now".

I guess both can be used for "now", but they aren't really interchangeable

[glacial crag]

gerade can also mean now, but I can't explain the nuanace. I just learned gerade as „right now“ and jetzt as „now“

together with one of it's other meanings, straight ;p

[frigid tinsel]

eben, jetzt, gerade.... There are differences...

[vernal estuary]

the way I think of it is gerade is the act of doing something in the moment or implies something is done right now. whereas jetzt refers to the time period of right now. At least that's how I see the difference

[frigid tinsel]

Wait till you see the combos.

[glacial crag]

i guess this is a good summary of it. These are some of the words I learned without a monolingual dict ;c

[frigid tinsel]

gerade jetzt, eben jetzt

immer jetzt

Yeah, I guess it is a good question lol.

[vernal estuary]

yeah funny thing is I never learned those per se (besides the first lookup when I was A1) I just picked up the nuance through listening/ reading. That's kinda what you have to do for words with tons of different meanings like that

[glacial crag]

my current plan for learning some modal particles c:

[glacial crag]

reminds me of the time I learned da oben and nach unten xd

[idle sable]

what's that

[vernal estuary]

yeah truuue modal particles are a nightmare! I used the „ja“ particle slightly wrong yesterday and it came off as sarcasm?? (to a native speaker). And I didn't even mean it, I thought it meant something entirely different in that specific context 🙁

[knotty python]

Hallo

[idle sable]

not exactly the place for "hi"s and "hello"s

[sleek pebble]

what did you say

[vernal estuary]

It was in the context of talking about how we are busy with school. I said ,,Wir sind alle ja so beschäftigt". I meant to express how everyone is usually busy and how that is mutually relatable thing, so I used ,,ja". Now I'm thinking it means something more subtle here

[hollow pasture]

spricht man „steigen“ und „steigern“ gleich aus?

[sleek pebble]

oh yeah that’s unambiguously sarcasm

[sleek pebble]

nein

[vernal estuary]

ohhh ok noted, I had no idea I'm glad I was corrected though before I used it in the wrong setting! I'll be more careful with ,,ja"

[frigid tinsel]

Hmmm, I dunno. I'm searching online for an example and I just don't see it. I must have misremembered a phrase....

[coarse bison]

how can i acess the study groups ?

[stiff kraken]

/ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡən/ und /ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡɐn/

[hollow umbra]

It's really difficult to explain why, but that sounds indeed sarcastic. Perhaps it's in connection with "so". But:
https://youtu.be/17MGwS64HOI
Almost the same thing, "ja heut' so", but not sarcastic.

[cinder pier]

What is “you’re welcome” in German? I wanted to make sure I am not misinformed.

[livid tartan]

you can use (kein problem)

or (nicht der rede wert)

[indigo bear]

Bitte.

[cinder pier]

Danke!

[sharp bolt]

what?

[fringe fox]

Does anyone have any advice regarding study plans?

I'm carefully lost in how to schedule them and what my daily practise or learning should look like

i have a basic grasp of the grammar due to learning the language in high school

should i start at the basics? should i start memorizing words?

[indigo bear]

Yeah, we have a recording of a session about it with a lot of info on exactly that topic. #1063772702617370724 message

[indigo bear]

faq beginner

[livid steeple]

How to get started

The simplest way to learn German is to find topics you don’t understand yet and search for explanations of them. This list provides you with a guide for which topics to learn if you are completely new to German. Type the topic into Google (or YouTube) and start learning!

Introduction

1: Alphabet (especially ä, ü, ö and ß)
2: Basic greetings (hello, goodbye, etc.)

Part 1 - Simple Sentence

1: Noun gender & plurals
2: Nominative case (What are cases?)
3: Nominative pronouns (I, you, he, she, etc.)
4: Verbs in present tense
5: Definite/indefinite articles
6: Accusative case (for nouns)
7: Accusative pronouns
8: Word order of simple sentences
9: How to ask questions

See Part 2 on the next page.

Tips

• Always learn the gender of a noun when you learn a new noun
• Learn to use a translation dictionary (e.g. dict.cc, leo.org)
• Use >faq resources to see our list of German learning resources
• For listening and pronunciation practice, try watching movies or videos (incl. YouTube)
• You can listen to pronunciation for words on websites like dict.cc, forvo.com, and others
• Practice writing sentences every day (and asking people to correct them)
• Ask as many questions as possible
• Don’t be scared to make mistakes!!!! If you don’t let yourself make mistakes, you will never be able to learn German

Page 1/2

[fringe fox]

tysm

[indigo bear]

Learn this + some vocab at the same time.

[fringe fox]

and i assume try to listen to german media as much as possible

[indigo bear]

German media is good but usually not very accessible for beginners so don't feel pressured to do that right away. Or do it but have small goals to start with.

Like for example, you won't be able to listen to German audio and understand it, but your first goal can just be to hear a few words.

[fringe fox]

i used to be somewhat able to but that has completely vanished after a few years

it was strange

[indigo bear]

Yeah, that can happen without enough practice.

But if you learned it before, it will usually be faster to relearn.

So it's not totally wasted.

[fringe fox]

i hope so

thank you for the help

[indigo bear]

No problem. Feel free to ask here any time you get stuck.

[fringe fox]

hopefully i can get to a2 again

[frigid tinsel]

False Beginner is a tough spot to be. You will learn faster, but you should also try to cover the full course of A1 -> A2 (etc. etc. ) if you can.

[fringe fox]

yeah

its suprisingly more difficult then being a complete beginner

because you end up being annoyed in going through resources teaching you things you already somewhat know so you don't feel like you are learning anything, but you end up learning that those reminders are just as important

[frigid tinsel]

I'd suggest Grammatik aktiv

[fringe fox]

ty

[frigid tinsel]

85 lessons, A1 through B1.

[fringe fox]

got it

[frigid tinsel]

However, its a grammar book. Its very, very light on vocabulary

And its 100% in German (which helps vocab but... you really need a lot more vocab pra ctice). A full course covers that.

[fringe fox]

that's actually very helpful

since i have a system for memorizing vocab

[frigid tinsel]

The "full course" would be something like Nicos Weg

[fringe fox]

oh yeah i got recommended that

[frigid tinsel]

https://learngerman.dw.com/de/nicos-weg/c-36519687

There are three Nicos Weg courses: A1, A2, and B1

[fringe fox]

ty

[frigid tinsel]

You should reach A2 no problem, as long as you study each day with steady progress.

[fringe fox]

i hope so

i just hope i can avoid falling into the trap of burnout

[frigid tinsel]

Do you like children-songs?

[fringe fox]

whatever helps me learn i suppose

[frigid tinsel]

Some people don't like em. I do.

Use whatever works for ya.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC18LyHbQns

I consider this an A1 "boss" of a kid's song... so to speak.

[fringe fox]

that's honestly a great idea

the crocodile song lol

[frigid tinsel]

I honestly think that anyone who can understand the lyrics is past A1.

[fringe fox]

i intend to avoid perfekt for a long time

[frigid tinsel]

But even among kids songs, many are really A2 or maybe even B1.

So yeah, just be careful when browsing native level songs (even kid songs). Its good listening practice and more fun IMO. Something to mix things up as you learn.

There are a lot of kid songs though that can be 100% understood at the A1 level.

[indigo bear]

Why?

[fringe fox]

oh

uh

i was making a pun

like perfect

sorry pfft

[indigo bear]

[native hemlock]

How do you pronouce Immergrün?

[hollow umbra]

Search for the word in YouTube, and you find examples of how people pronounce it. Like this gem: https://youtu.be/ljJXDtCclb4

[indigo bear]

@native hemlock You can just look up words on dict.cc or forvo to hear the pronunciation. https://www.dict.cc/?s=immergrün

Click the speaker button.

[sturdy yoke]

Oh nice, I really need a source for my brain to work like a German

The word's really hard to pronounce LOL

[thin pollen]

Is there a difference between trauen and vertrauen?

[thin pollen]

pflegen and betreuen too?

[hallow marlin]

sich trauen is mostly used in a context where you trust yourself in smthn like jupping into a pool or smthn like that vetrauen is almost always du trust someone

[hollow umbra]

Yes, but they overlap, e.g. in "Kannst du ihm (ver)trauen?" both are fine

But @hallow marlin is right, the reflexive is only without "ver"

Otherwise, it takes the dative. Trauen with accusative is to marry a couple

[hollow umbra]

Pflegen is medical or for a handicapped person. Betreuen can be for a group of young people, e.g. in a boy scout camp or so

[tawny minnow]

what is the actual use and meaning of "mist"

[thin pollen]

alr ty

[hollow umbra]

It's the catchphrase of "Bernd das Brot"

[thin pollen]

Are parts of compound words interchangable with their Synonyms?

"der Schachverein, der Schachclub, der Schachklub"

"der Sommerurlaub, die Sommerferien" and so on?

[sturdy yoke]

Hi guys, do you have a tips for me to understand when speaking with a native "without substitle/text"? Bc I heard there's so many accent in german

[astral yoke]

You're right with the many accents in German, but most ppl that have one, try and speak standard German once they realise, you don't understand them. I travelled the whole country for over 30 years (as a native speaker), but believe me, there are accents an average German wouldn't have a chance to understand as well.
And many Germans talk English as well. If they do: be patient with them as they are now going out of their way to help you out. 😉 Speak slow and with simple expression yourself. And maybe use English only to clarify things you don't understand. ⁉️
@sturdy yoke

[scenic obsidian]

betreuen = supervise, then?

[scenic obsidian]

Welche Akzente? Hast du ein Video mit einem Beispiel davon?

[hollow umbra]

Supervise is rather beaufsichtigen... Betreuen is more the supportive than the responsible part

[scenic obsidian]

Explain more

if I am an employee at the camp and must watch over the children, betreue ich die Kinder, oder beaufsichtige ich sie?

[hollow umbra]

It's more to help them and not to look out they don't misbehave

[scenic obsidian]

so like the parents helping out?

[hollow umbra]

"watch over" = "sehen auf" literal translation, thus Aufsicht 😄

[scenic obsidian]

so who is betreue'ing the kids at a camp, then?

[hollow umbra]

These are different. Ferien is the time when school is closed. Urlaub is leaving home to go to the hotel by the beach

[scenic obsidian]

"Die Kinder haben Sommerferien, wir Erwachsene mit Jobs haben lediglich Sommerurlaub"

like so?

[hollow umbra]

No... You can spend the Ferien at home, but if you want to leave for an Urlaub with the children, it must be during the Ferien

[scenic obsidian]

right, so the kids have a much longer period of time out of school, whereas the adults only have a shorter time when they have specifically asked for time off?

[hollow umbra]

Yes, the children have six weeks off in summer, and the parents rarely can take six weeks off as well, unless they're self-employed

[hollow umbra]

"Ich betreue die Kinder im Sommerlager, ich bastele Windräder mit ihnen, übe Knoten und Reiten" (Not sure what precisely they do, I wasn't a boy scout)

[scenic obsidian]

who is saying this?

a camp employee?

[hollow umbra]

There is also "Hausaufgabenbetreuung" where children do their homework

[scenic obsidian]

I thought you said camp employees beaufsichtige the Kinder rather than betreue them

I'm still confused as to the difference

[hollow umbra]

They kind of do both, don't they?

[scenic obsidian]

The way you explained it before, it sounded like "beaufsichtigen" = both take care of the kids, as well as punish for misbehavior, but "betreuen" = just take care of the kids, don't punish for misbehavior.

Is that it?

[hollow umbra]

Hmm no, the two roles overlap of course, but I'd rather say Aufsicht is only supervise without care, whereas Betreuer cares for them but also needs to watch they behave.
I just asked my son, because his girlfriend used to go to the North Sea with a group of children, what her role was called, his first idea was "Begleiterin", but when I proposed Betreuerin he said yes, that's it, and "Aufseherin" is "Quatsch"

[scenic obsidian]

Didn't you say the opposite before?

You said betreuen = More to help them and not to look out that they don't misbehave

[frigid tinsel]

This is helpful to me too. I learned both as vacation, and never noticed the subtle difference.

I guess freien is more of a celebration, but Sommerferien vs Sommerurlaub like the original question.

[hollow umbra]

"Freien" is something completely different (probably autocorrect interfering) 😊
Celebration, do you mean "Feiertag"?

[heady path]

Question to Germans: is piracy taboo in Germany? As in, socially taboo

Like people actively look down on it/think it's morally wrong to partake in it

[indigo bear]

Probably just feiern.

Ferien, freien, feiern.

[frigid tinsel]

That sounds more like a politics question.

Different political parties have different opinions on such matters, and even individuals in a party rarely agree with the whole party's platform.

[frigid tinsel]

Hmm, yeah that was autocorrect. feiern, Feiertag, etc. etc.

[thin pollen]

is it normal for pauses to exist between some words or does it have to flow smoothly?

selbstständig for example

[scenic obsidian]

It depends on how much of a pause you mean by "pause", but yes, there is a glottal stop thingy:

https://youtu.be/Gs0AcEn5TKE?si=5-XkBgH7K5-XwqjX

well, the video is in German, so idk if you'll be able to follow along...but it's a nice video about this.

[scenic obsidian]

idk that "selbstständig" has this, though

then again, I'm not an expert on pronunciation

[hollow umbra]

I hate this selbstständig with double st, the worst abonimation of the new orthography. It used to be selbständig, which is totally logical, and the little pause you're referring to is because the stst is hard to pronounce.
See
https://youtu.be/xwtj97YXZj4
He mentions the selbstständig with double st at 1:38
Really funny song, unfortunately hard to understand for learners, isn't it?

[jovial remnant]

While we are at it, is there a glottal stop at words like Dresden?

Like in the word "important"?

hopefully I am making sense

[thin pollen]

is selbstaending still used though?

[thin pollen]

as shown in the captions here

or did everyone just start using the newer one instead

[hollow umbra]

I think yes it is

By me for example

[scenic obsidian]

There's a glottal stop in the word "important"?

😅

[jovial remnant]

yeah isn't there?

[scenic obsidian]

I wouldn't have said so, but as I mentioned before, I'm no expert on pronunciation

IPA: [ɪmpɔʁˈtant]

the ' symbol, is that a glottal stop?

[jovial remnant]

no this is the stress

or whatever that is called I forgot

let me look it up

[scenic obsidian]

well, then where's the glottal stop?

[jovial remnant]

where is this IPA from?

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/important

[scenic obsidian]

wiktionary

hmmmm

[jovial remnant]

according to this dictionary the stress is on the second one

well you are a native speaker maybe you don't notice

[scenic obsidian]

I think it depends on your English accent as well

[scenic obsidian]

yes, probably, but also, where does the IPA show a glottal stop in your link? the : or . ?

[jovial remnant]

cambridge doesn't care about it

there are some other nuances in the language cambridge IPA won't show

I just now that because impor(t)ant

[scenic obsidian]

wait, are you saying in order for the second syllable to have stress, you need to have a glottal stop between the first and second syllables?

[jovial remnant]

let me rephrase, what you see on cambridge as ' sign, this is the stress, but there are some words like important, you americans pronounce it with a glottal stop

[scenic obsidian]

"you americans"

https://giphy.com/gifs/patriot-X0bnTmo4izNfi

[scenic obsidian]

it's quite possible

[jovial remnant]

mountain

this one as well

[scenic obsidian]

Wo kommst du eigentlich her?

[jovial remnant]

https://forvo.com/word/mountain/#en

mountain pronunciation
Pronunciation by ashgreen (Female from United States)

see this one for example and compare it to the BE

[scenic obsidian]

yeah, I get what you're saying

I guess I just never thought about it

Also, I only learned what a glottal stop was partway into me learning German

[past flame]

Anyone here used Anki alongside Nicos Weg?

Like, the Anki deck for Nicos Weg, where each lesson has its own subdeck of words.

I have a problem with this approach and I am not sure what to do

[glacial crag]

I tried that before, then dropped both nicos weg and the a1 deck made for it and swapped to another a1 deck instead. You can definitely keep following nicos weg if it's beneficial for you, but you don't have to use any decks made from it

you can use any deck as long as it's sentences won't be too overwhelming and the words are high frequency

but yeah mixing anki with nicos weg is a good idea. Decks are personal preference

[past flame]

All right, thanks man. If I can switch to another deck then its good

the deck was simply too much words/lesson

But nicos weg is awesome and I really like it so far

[glacial crag]

no worries. Just remember to double check all words you'll stumble upon in any deck and you'll be good to go 👍

[past flame]

What do u mean by doubld check?

[glacial crag]

that's good, you should keep using it in that case

[glacial crag]

not learning the direct translation of a word from any card in the deck. You need an online dictionary on standby (can be monolingual or bilingual)

[past flame]

Got it, thanks

[glacial crag]

goodness i wrote part of that sentence terribly

but you're welcome

[frigid tinsel]

Anki's default settings are rather strenuous. I've dropped down to FSRS 80% and it's much less work. I've seen arguments to set Anki down to 70%.

[frigid tinsel]

One word definitions from Anki decks don't capture the whole subtly of the words. Also, a lot of the A1 decks from Ankiweb have mistakes in my experience.

But even if the free Anki decks were correct, the additional lookups in the dictionaries help with learning, pronunciation, alternative meanings, etc. etc.

[hexed forge]

What is the difference between Gebaren and verhalten?

[winter stream]

Gebaren is (much) more formal or literary as a word and i think also less neutral, a bit negative

[hexed forge]

I see, I had a feeling it was more literary, I don't think there is an equivalent in english I feel like all can be used in positive and negative.

Thank you!

[winter stream]

Gebaren implies that its seen as unnecessary, maybe over the top

[hexed forge]

The last line of the first paragraph ,I am having a bit of a hard time understanding the grammar of it. I get the meaning, but the "in dem" Clause, that escapes me

[winter stream]

something inbetween 'conduct' and 'posturing' maybe

[hexed forge]

I see, behaviour would be too nice of a word for this in that case

[winter stream]

oh yes thats a bit unusual in its phrasing. the in dem here is the circumstance, rather than the means by which something happens

thats not the unusual part, to be clear. i find the stuff that phrase is inserted into unexpected. und [ist] als Anstifter des Dauertumults [...] ihre seelische Mitte.

[winter stream]

like, normally you say "[X achieves something], indem [X something does]" but here (where its not written as one word) the in dem just is "in which"

referring to the Tumult that the place is in

[hexed forge]

I feel validated a little, I thought my brain was not working haha

So the sich durch ihm befindet is the institution existing because of his Tumult

Like his anarchy like behaviour is life of the party

[winter stream]

yeah effectively

i find seelische Mitte is an odd phrase there, it sounds like it implies balance and rest but the rest of the sentence implies opposition and interpersonal friction

but sure its otherwise stated that he's supported by the people there

so i guess it makes sense

[scenic obsidian]

Hitzker, 72 years old, is the nuisance of the senior home Benvita and (is) its spiritual center as instigator of the permanent tumult in which the communal institution finds itself.

So because he is instigating the constant arguments/problems, he's the spiritual center of the senior home. But they had "ihre seelische Mitte" at the end to really put emphasis on those words.

[hexed forge]

I feel 'durch ihn' feels redundant, that's what is making the sentence all lopsided in my mind

[scenic obsidian]

"durch" meaning he is the cause, although yeah, it is kind of redundant, I guess it's emphasizing that without him, this wouldn't be happening at all

[hexed forge]

I find it odd too, I get the meaning, but my job is to translate it and it would sound so unnatural in english. But yes I'll figure it out now that I understand the kern of it

[scenic obsidian]

Oh, do you have a class where you're translating the whole text? Fun

I've found that a lot of texts that I thought I understood, once I tried to translate them, I figured out exactly how much I really understood 😅

[hexed forge]

Yes now it makes complete sense to my mind. Spiritual is like very positive but even the chaos is spiritual technically

[scenic obsidian]

spiritual is very positive?

I think they just mean it in the sense of, "The senior home is defined by the constant arguments, it's sort of their identity, their spiritual center"

so a neutral thing

[hexed forge]

Yes! That's why I have decided to understand the text through and through first, it's been a while since I had taken a break, my head feels weird but it is also very fun at the same time

[hexed forge]

Aah I seee, so the chaos is the spirit of the place. I'm from India, the word spiritual leads me to somewhere else automatically haha

I'll continue dealing with text now, it's fun since it's literary, I'll keep the task of translation for later

[elder turtle]

SCAM! ‼️

[jovial remnant]

<@&305455824174710787>

[fierce ether]

Hallo

[hollow umbra]

<@&305455824174710787>

[orchid estuary]

Can someone suggest me some good language learny apps that aren’t duolingo? And that have free or at least affordable plans?

[tired shadow]

Seedlang is pretty good

[frigid tinsel]

https://learngerman.dw.com/en/nicos-weg/c-36519789

There is also A2 and B1 level of Nicos Weg

[vocal zinc]

Can u say überall hat geschlossen

In the sense of everywhere is closed (meaning shops cafes etc)

[sturdy yoke]

I see, thanks for the tips, bc honestly english it's not my native but I got a tips from people's that said U just need to think in english and u will understand it, and learn as much vocabulary to familiar ur brain, and in my opinion british accent it's difficult to understand if I encounter in the road, so that's concerned me about german accent 😆 bc the word is really hard tbh LOL

[astral yoke]

No, you CAN say
Der Laden hat geschlossen or Der Laden ist geschlossen
BUT if you want to use haben with überall it must be:
Überall haben sie (die Läden) geschlossen.
Why don't use: überall ist geschlossen though? 🤔

[vocal zinc]

Can u say überall ist geschlossen like everywhere is closed then

I never said überall in my life

[plush locust]

"Alles ist/hat zu." does work in context.

Aber das ist sehr auf eine bestimmte Situation zugeschnitten.

[heady path]

How so? I'm asking about the opinion of regular people not about the law

[scenic obsidian]

This channel is for questions about the language, not just all questions you have for Germans

[heady path]

Ah ok

[scenic obsidian]

Also: Opinions about the legality of something is a political opinion.

[heady path]

I'm not asking about legality I'm asking about if it's socially acceptable or not regardless of the law

[karmic crown]

My A1 Mock exam to advance in A2 is on April 10 already. XD. Any helpful website or easy tips to ace it?

Danke schön!🙏

[plush locust]

you have a mock exam? O_o

so is that basically an A1 exam just without paying money? 😄

if it is copying, for example, Goethe's model, it's possible to give tips

[karmic crown]

Yess. They will copy the Goethe and Telc😁

[plush locust]

Ah, ja, ok! What's your weaknesses, you think? (speaking, reading, writing, listening)

(and did you do the freely available example tests on Goethe Institute's website?)

[karmic crown]

Hören und Sprechen.

[karmic crown]

Yep. Genau

[pure harbor]

same, and matter of fact I'm only left with my B1 Sprechen module. I've passed the rest 3 of them. Idk how to prepare for Sprechen

I talked to someone who did pass Sprechen and they told me it's easier then it seems but idk

[karmic crown]

Oh mist. I'm only A1. I think I'll focus more on Sprechen with what I read.

U improved your Hören as time goes by?

[pure harbor]

yes I regret not doing that, I mean I used to study a lot but never really did that much speaking.
As you practice, or watch something in German, try to imitate the person in the video and try to sound like them, their accent, match their pace etc .
What that'll do is it'll unlock your tongue helping you talk with ease overtime
Remember what we're aiming for here is to unlocking our tongue, we're working only on speech so even if you don't understand what they're saying it's okay, focus on the speech
that's a little Sprechen tip that I came up with that I think might help

[pure harbor]

yeah, been watching movies and shoes

[pure harbor]

the more you do that the familiar the language gets

[karmic crown]

My goal aside from Studying in Deutsch Land is to translate all the books I wrote in Deutsch as well, so I'm kinda strong with writing. But yeah, my weakest is Hören, then Sprechen

[karmic crown]

Wunderbar

[pure harbor]

I'd say my weakest is sprechen, so I'm always coming up with different ways and experimenting different stuff
what I do at the moment is that I use double subtitles (both Deutsch and English) and watch German news and shows, not for entertainment really lol but everytime I come up with a useful phrase or a word , I just write it down in my notebook. Requires a lot of patience because you're pausing every few seconds but it definitely teaches you a lot

[frigid tinsel]

Are you actually planning on taking the A1 exam? There is always the option of "learn Hören/Sprechen later", lol. A1 is very early and can be accomplished too quickly, faster than your Hören/Sprechen skills can keep up.

It's different if you want to pass A1 and get a certificate though.

At A2, your vocabulary is big enough to actually listen and enjoy a lot of content. Not full understanding, but this allows you to improve Hören easier. A1 is rough, you pretty much can only learn from the course material.

[plush locust]

you want to translate books? D: (so, the mythical "C3" is your goal?)

(or D1 lol)

(D1 works better as a joke because its: "Deutsch 1")

[karmic crown]

Yeah. I want to reach the last level no matter how much it will take. XD

[karmic crown]

Yeah. XD. The mock exam we have for Language school is same as what they do on certification. I'll just need to pass it to enroll on A2 next

[frigid tinsel]

Do you have an idea of what you are finding difficult?

Like numbers, or specific vocab? Or word order?

[karmic crown]

In Hören, I think it is hard because some of the words on the samples I researched online are those I don't know yet. So there's like a gap to what I can understand

In sprechen, my brains buffers and think if I should go with Dativ or Akkusativre before speaking🐒

[karmic crown]

Word order as well when speaking. XD

[frigid tinsel]

Skill issue. A trope but it's what it is. That's only really solved with practice.

I would recommend speaking into your recorder on your phone, playing it back, and then trying again.

[karmic crown]

Yeah. I'll familiarized my self alot more. We have 5 day preparation to go before the exam. Viel Gluck zu mich

[frigid tinsel]

Do you have A1 level audio to listen to? If so, shadow it.

[karmic crown]

I'll do that, Bruder. Danke schön!

[frigid tinsel]

Listen, then copy, then playback AND speak at the same time.

Get both Hören and Sprechen practice at the same time!

[plush locust]

so you have to pass a mock A1? 😮

[frigid tinsel]

Shadowing means copying everything. Same speed, same accent, same everything that you can try.

It's easier than it looks when you have rewind / playback.

Just keep trying until you get it.

[frigid tinsel]

You will also want to practice making a sentence at full speed. I'd recommend the record + playback, with a focus on flow. Confidently make mistakes.

Record a try, analyze your mistakes on playback, then try again.

You have to be comfortable making mistakes, otherwise you won't be able to make any practice at all.

[pure harbor]

but it's goated fr

[karmic crown]

Aye aye. Thanks a lot, GOAT🙏

[plush locust]

if its after a preposition, you shouldn't even think about this (except for that one pesky set...)

[karmic crown]

I'll start now

[plush locust]

Are you studying for A1 or A2?

[fervent stone]

is chatgpt a good way to learn german like saying (can i talk german with you about sports) or something like that

[indigo bear]

Not really.

It's fine to chat with it but don't take anything it says as correct or true.

[fervent stone]

alrighty danke

[stuck glen]

What's the difference between Fertigkeit and Fähigkeit

[hallow marlin]

Fähigkeit ist the ability to do something or the skill to do smthn Fertigkeit is something specific you learn

[thin pollen]

No If you ask it to correct you it will bullshit you even if you say the most perfect sentence to seem as if it's useful

And will start talking about how a sentence that was never said by a native before is more natural

[ancient zodiac]

Hello, I'm trying to study A1 and A2 for exam purposes, is there any good resources available? For free?, and anyone can guide me with it

[thin pollen]

faq Nicos weg

[livid steeple]

Nicos

Nicos Weg is a free online program aimed at helping people learn German. It includes video, audio, text, grammar explanations, notes, vocabulary, and exercises. It also includes very useful cultural and bureaucratic information, such as how to open a bank account, while teaching you the relevant grammar and vocabulary.

It’s fairly popular and well-recommended, but keep in mind that you can’t learn a language with only one resource, even if it’s a good one!

You can find the program here: https://learngerman.dw.com/en/nicos-weg/c-36519789

You can also see various other courses for learners by dw.com here: https://learngerman.dw.com/en/overview/

[lapis jetty]

what do you guys think about learndeutsch.org and DeutschAkademie

[ancient zodiac]

Thank you so much..

[lapis jetty]

are they worth looking into?

[indigo bear]

Never heard of those but the first one looks a bit scammy.

[lapis jetty]

got it thank you, a friend told me about them

[indigo bear]

The 2nd one looks like some typical courses, but from the reviews, it's hit or miss whether the teacher is good.

[lapis jetty]

im using nicos weg rn though

[karmic crown]

Guten Abend, guys! What level of German did you finally got to enjoy watching German movies or Podcast?

[lapis jetty]

yeahh fair

[indigo bear]

It depends a bit on what kind of movie or podcast it is. Usually podcasts are harder because you have no visual info to help you out.

But I'd say B1 would be fine to start enjoying some easier movies, but podcasts are hard to enjoy until C1.

Although there is also content specifically made for learners, which will be available for all levels.

[karmic crown]

Just A1, sir. Finally finished it, and will proceed to A2 soon👌

[karmic crown]

Danke Schön!

[frigid tinsel]

https://open.spotify.com/show/5yZQlynZk18XToT4r5bbZw?si=VEsosZzGSRGWy3J8glJkwA. This short 12 podcast run is doable at A2 level.

[karmic crown]

Hi @frigid tinsel! Guten Tag! Thank you earlier for the tips

[frigid tinsel]

Most stuff really is B1+ though. Even at A2 it's a bit of a struggle to find usable audio practice.

I personally used a lot of children songs to get passive practice in German.

Even then I'd say some children's songs are B1-ish (a lot of children song vocabulary is more specialized than you'd ever do at A2). At least there are huge numbers of A1 and A2 level children songs.

It's funny because regular pop songs use such common vocabulary and feels closer to A2 than some of the Kinderlieder, lol.

I'm A2 right now, and can enjoy a lot of German Media. But I don't understand it all. Ex: I can enjoy a video like: https://youtube.com/shorts/UDKE2dAcU3M?si=aNdRmT8F1we7R5OE

https://learngerman.dw.com/de/kurz-und-leicht/s-69137519

Kurz und Leicht is also a really good A2 level resource of near daily practice.

At A2, I am understanding enough pop songs to pick up on sarcasm and humor of the simpler pop songs. Even if I'm unable to understand the whole meaning of a song.

With study though, I can't just go in and passively understand a pop song. I need to study it word by word for 10+ minutes before I "get it".

https://youtu.be/lRILxQweWIE?si=z8-ZqMQtDPyf3cCR

"Wer ist der Typ" is definitely no harder than A2 level for example, with A1 even probably able to figure out a chunk of it.

[karmic crown]

Thanks, mateee. These are awesome. I Hope you Pass the B1 exam soonest too like I will in A1 exam! Viel Glück

[vernal estuary]

if you're into gaming I would recommend finding let's play videos from your favourite games. It's easy to understand cause they usually narrate what they're doing in game with a casual conversational style that's easier to follow than curated/edited videos like Plankton. I usually watch creators like BastiGHG or KeysJore to name some examples. This type of stuff is what I used when I was at your level cause tbh it is really hard and frustrating to find stuff you can follow/understand when you're at that point

GTA V RP or online content is also probably on the easier side too

...but even then you may have to sift through stuff to find content you can understand. It gets easier when you understand more, trust 🙏

[analog fjord]

hi guys , is it better to learn german academeclly or from a website like duolingoo or Busuu

[karmic crown]

Speaking of. What level is Stardew Valley? Is it A2?

[karmic crown]

I don't recommend Duolinggo

They do not teach grammar rules

[analog fjord]

really ?

so what can I use than ?

[frigid tinsel]

I've never played Stardew in German. But Pokemon is kicking my ass. I'm feeling like Pokemon is B1+ or even B2.

The different characters have different speaking styles. It's nice that Pokemon is all conversational but it's a lot of characters who speak differently.

[karmic crown]

If you have extra money, go academically. It is worth it, then just review 30 mins after the lesson they have taught to retain the kmowledge. Alternatively, you can learn in Youtube. There are plenty of channels there that can teach you. But you will be needing to go overboard for listening and Speaking. That's mostly the hardest parts

[winter kayak]

Games do not have CEFR levels

[frigid tinsel]

https://learngerman.dw.com/en/nicos-weg/c-36519789

Free website, Nicos Weg courses cover A1, A2 and B1.

I linked the A1 course.

[analog fjord]

danke shöne

[frigid tinsel]

Native is native, even if they were designed for kids.... A 10 year old has like 8 years of near daily language training lol.

[analog fjord]

guys what companies of Cybersec have an ausbildung in germany

[frigid tinsel]

Actually, there are very easy ways to answer this question: https://de.stardewvalleywiki.com/Anfangen

Just look at German wikis.

Get a feel of the language level.

[indigo bear]

Wikis don't reflect the language style of the game itself.

Dialogue and menu/UI text are completely different in style from a wiki page.

[frigid tinsel]

Well no, but wikis contain screenshots.

And those screenshots should accurately give a preview of the language level.

[indigo bear]

It's not A2 but an A2 person can play it. If I remember correctly, the game is paused while dialogue is on screen, so you can take your time to understand it with a dictionary.

Almost any game where time is paused while you read is suitable for beginners to play, as long as you're comfortable that you might not understand everything.

[frigid tinsel]

@karmic crown hmm, that is a point. So basically, I'm able to make progress in Pokemon and understand everything as long as I look up like 20%+ of the words, maybe closer to 50%+ lookups if it's from a Pokemon Character with an unfamiliar speaking style. But I could ignore all that and just play the game without understanding the story.

I've also spent ~ 2 hours in Pokemon, then compared it to ~1 or 2 hours of my graded A2 level reader, and I'm clearly learning more from the A2 reader. (Or even my A2-B1 reader).

It's not so much that I can't play Pokemon. More like doing stuff at my level is clearly more effective for learning.

[thin pollen]

Is it true that some fluent speakers of a different language like German are still not able to make the new sounds introduced through the language??

Is it true that the muscles or the parts responsible for making these sounds end up as being "fixed" as you grow up or do people just give up on trying or not put in enough work ?

[frigid tinsel]

I don't believe it's fixed, as much as kid brains are more plastic and more easily adapt.

I'm 38, well past the age of plasticity.

It will be harder for me to learn sounds than the kids. But I'll work at it

[glacial crag]

well, you end up pronouncing a certain sound effortlessly with more practice, but it doesn't mean that it's the only sound you'll ever be able to pronounce, it just means that it's gonna be harder to learn a new sound because of what's already ingrained in you

I can't answer the first question but for the second one, they aren't really „fixed“ in the sense that they'll make it impossible to learn a new sound

regardless of age, lots of people have managed to become indistinguishable from native speakers through sheer hard work. Lots of natives that weren't pronouncing a certain sound correctly at first have done the same

[gentle venture]

what does this mean? what are the new sounds?

are you just asking if it's true that people who learn a foreign language as an adult have a non native accent?

[thin pollen]

Sounds that aren't in the English language

R, Ch, umlauts

[thin pollen]

Idk if sounds also count as an accent but yeah

wasn't talking about accents though

[vernal estuary]

kinda late to answer and I think others got to it first, but I don't think games correspond to CEFR levels, cause they're made for natives. But a gaming video where someone plays that game will probably be easy enough for A2 to understand.

[gentle venture]

there is no single sound which it is impossible for a non-native speaker to learn

[glacial crag]

„Vielleicht ist der größte Vorteil dass ich mich seitdem ich laufe auch viel gesünder ernähre“

Extracted this part from a text, can we really merge multiple subordinate clauses like this?

What I'd normally write:
Er hat gesagt dass er essen möchte nachdem er gelaufen ist

What I'm assuming is correct too:
Er hat gesagt dass er nachdem er gelaufen ist essen möchte

(thanks John, just saw your checkmark)

[upper osprey]

is happygerman good? I am doing the free trial

[craggy gale]

Is the suffix "-artig" /aka "like" commonly used, or nah?

[upper osprey]

lol

[sly sail]

hello

How do I utilize time with a study partner ?

we tried choosing a topic and talking about it but we keep repeating same sentences structures/vocabulary with very little progress

is there more effective way

[celest hill]

I think it's just the line numbers

[glacial crag]

game together, debate each other about anything from time to time

i guess it's also worth mentioning that practicing all your other skills is necessary. Reading / Listening helps with learning a lot of different words / sentence structures you could use in your conversations

[thin pollen]

Are you both on the same level?

[sly sail]

the issue isnt the topic the issue is not making progress lol

[thin pollen]

Also don't forget that study partners are humans too if you two don't have enough chemistry it will prob be like that most of the time

Or that's how it works for me atleast

The convos are fixed and boring if there's no chemistry

Make sure you two share things in common

[thin pollen]

^

[glacial crag]

It also depends on your consistency and quality spent time. *The progress you're longing for can't be made in the blink of an eye

[sly sail]

it went like this :
we picked up topic to talk about : vegetarian food - travel
we ended up repeating comfortable structures-vocabulary
we try to make new sentences structures - vocabulary but nothing comes to mind
we look online for such things and we find new structures
we end up just doing multiple sentences for each structure but using same old vocabulary
then we found flashcard for new vocabulary and we made new sentences for each one but using mostly old structures and few times of the new ones

idk if that would builds towards good progress in end or not much lol

[thin pollen]

Unless you two are total beginners I would say y'all just aren't a good match tbh

[sly sail]

we are b1.2 level

idk maybe we need to focus more on passive learning and then active speaking becomes practisable later one?

[thin pollen]

Tbh when I was looking for language partners at first I made sure that we have to become friends before we are language partners because

[sly sail]

and like 90% we just think of sentence in english then translate it lol

[thin pollen]

You could drop focussing on having a convo in German for a while

And get to know them better

Idk see what suits you best

That's what my opinion is on language partners tho

[glacial crag]

the vocab part is understandable. That's just something you guys will have to be patient with.

It can build towards good progress, but only if you guys are learning in a comfortable way. You just need to be patient with the process since this type of growth doesn't happen overnight

[sly sail]

I thought about doing a role play and finding bunch of sentences about a particular scenario (like supermarkert or giving directions) and then just practising the sentences then changing scenario

[glacial crag]

no it's good that you're practicing your active skillsets as early as now. Solidifying them early is ideal

[sly sail]

would it be good idea or not count as active speaking

[glacial crag]

It's a good idea to roleplay, but only if you do it without initially looking up sentences

forming these sentences on your own is what's needed for building both your active Wortschatz and getting more comfortable with speaking in general

you're more than capable of doing it since you have the vocab. If you notice yourself stuttering during speaking, good! That type of discomfort is needed for growth

[orchid estuary]

Thanks x

[orchid estuary]

Thanks x

[sly sail]

ty for all advice

[frigid tinsel]

The way my class worked was a template format, ex: Rolle A. Sie ist ein Angesteller bei den Computerhersteller. Ein Kunde/ Eine Kundin ruft Sie an. Er/sie fragt für das billigest Computer.

Rolle B. Sie rufen einen Computerhersteller. Sie fragt, was für das billigest Computer.

Bad grammar because I'm making it up. But the overall script has been laid out, with a bit of room for us to improvise.

Then when speaking, translating from 2nd person or 3rd person into 1st person is still a good exercise.

[astral yoke]

Rolle A: Sie sind eine Angestellte/ ein Angestellter bei einem PC-Händler. Ein(e) Kund(e/in) ruft an und fragt nach dem *günstigsten *Rechner.

Rolle B: Sie rufen einen PC-Händler an und fragen nach dem günstigsten Computer.

^^ there you go!

[frigid tinsel]

Hmmm. I always screw up bei / für in this case. Eventually I'll remember.

We didn't learn günstig vs billig. I remember my teacher saying that billig was kinda sorta the wrong word though, but chalked it up to the limited vocab at A2 level. I'll have to go through my notes to see which word he thought was better (maybe it was günstig?)

I also mixed up two different exercises. The hersteller exercise was importieren aus vs exportieren nach and a bit of country practice.

But yeah, there was a sales example some other day where billig vs (mystery word) did show up.

[astral yoke]

Billig is lowest price (and quality)
Günstig is best fitting for my needs maybe even a sale

For example: the cheapest PC could be abt 300 € BUT would NOT meet my needs so it would be a total waste of money 💸 to buy it.
AAAnd let's exaggerate here:
the best fitting PC could be abt 4k€ 💰 💰 💰 💰 but a cheaper one wouldn't be able to do the job! (e.g. rendering or AI infused tools) 🤷‍♂️

[remote bridge]

Is there any reason for white (weiß) to be the same for the verb know? (wissen, oder weiß in this context)

[frigid tinsel]

homonyms yo. They keep happening...

In this case, it's unlikely to ever be confused. One is a verb and the other is an adjective.

[indigo bear]

@spiral fjord I deleted your message because advertising is not allowed.

This channel is for asking questions about the language such as grammar or vocab questions.

[hollow pasture]

die Lehrveranstaltung
is this different from an Unterricht or Vorlesung

[winter kayak]

an Unterricht usually happens at a Schule. A Vorlesung at a Uni. At the Uni, Lehrveranstaltung is a general term for all sorts of things including lectures (Vorlesung), seminars, tutorials, etc.

[hollow pasture]

ahh okay

ty

[glacial crag]

Wer hier sitzt, der stellt die erste Frage
Wer sitzt hier, der stellt die erste Frage

Are both of these orders natrual? Idk if I'm only allowed to use the first one or if I can use both

I normally opt for the first one when the der isn't there, idk if i should do the same in this case

[valid jolt]

Like u wanna ask a question or make a statement

[glacial crag]

statement

[valid jolt]

Well in that case the first one would make more sense cause the second sentence is more like asking who is sitting here

[glacial crag]

ohh

okay that makes sense, tysm!

[rotund estuary]

Am i able to use the voice channels?

[glacial crag]

faq vc

[livid steeple]

How to join Voice Chat

Please read the [Roles section](#getting-started message) in #getting-started for info on how to join VC and more!

[valid jolt]

Ofc

[digital pagoda]

How do i know i truly mastered or at least "finished" a language level? besides taking an official exam, is there a way to check? like online exam or some sort of a testing criteria?

how do i go about finishing an actual level? i am A2 currently and sometimes i forget some stuff from A1 so im worried im overestimating myself. ty in advance.

[sleek pebble]

i don't think it's that accurately quantifiable

i also don't think there's any reason to think of it that way

[glacial crag]

can't give you any websites but... I do want to let you know that it's okay to forget certain structures once in a while

Forgetting words / how to build certain structures is also part of learning. They'll stick better as time goes by

[digital pagoda]

Okay thanks. It's hard to test my language because my German isn't conversationl level. Besides maybe a small talk

[indigo bear]

faq cefr

[livid steeple]

CEFR levels

If you see something like A1, B2 or C1, these represent the proficiency of a speaker in a language they're not native in, and are called CEFR levels. They are valid for any language, not only German!
Roughly speaking, A levels are beginners and C levels are experts. Remember that CEFR level are self-assessed and indicative!
You can see more specific names and descriptions on the Wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_European_Framework_of_Reference_for_Languages

🗨 How do I know what level I am?
If the table on Wikipedia is too generic for you, you can try using this one here:
https://rm.coe.int/168045bb52
Just check each column one at a time: if you can do all it describes, move to the next column. Your level is the highest where you can do the most things.

Alternatively, you can use this questionnaire to estimate your level more accurately:
https://rm.coe.int/self-assessment-checklists-from-the-swiss-version-of-the-european-lang/1680492f8e

[frigid tinsel]

Achieving A1 or A2 doesn't mean you mastered all the subjects within. It just means you know enough that you can continue to the next level of study.

You should be decent at all of the concepts because ex: B1 builds up on top of all of them. But there's always an element of forgetting / review / relearning.

[digital pagoda]

I understand it now. Thanks

[frigid tinsel]

If you are part of a language course, they always have a placement test to help ensure you are at the correct level.

[frigid tinsel]

Here is a free placement test from Deutche Welle. https://learngerman.dw.com/en/placement-test/c-36519788

It only tests input though (reading/listening). Not a lot of output (no speaking at all, and only a few spelling questions for writing).

[digital pagoda]

I'm taking a YouTube course while also supplementing it with self study on the side and revisions

[frigid tinsel]

There IS a substantial "skill" element of language.

[spiral fjord]

Bro when did I advertise? I am gonna migrate to germany for higher studies by the end of this year, so I wanted some guidance, I was ready to pay for it, is this advertisement to u?

[frigid tinsel]

Where it becomes necessary to just "drill", in order to improve your speed and keep up with everyone else. I found that DWs placement test was rather rigorous on "skill" (I feel like they talk a bit fast for the A1 listening portion).

[indigo bear]

Yes. If you have any questions about it, please use #report-issue to discuss it with mods.

[spiral fjord]

Alr ty

[digital pagoda]

So dw placements is as close as online tests get to the real deal or?

[frigid tinsel]

I found it to be harder.

[digital pagoda]

That's actually a good thing

[frigid tinsel]

At least, DW A1 felt harder than my A1 placement test for an actual course I took.

[digital pagoda]

It's better to be harder and more prepared than overestimating yourself

[frigid tinsel]

I didn't get an A1 cert, just a placement test within a language program.

[digital pagoda]

Knowing the language should be the goal not just getting a cert

From what ik talking to people who are ahead of me. Certifications are not indicative of how good you are at it in the real world

[valid jolt]

I mean it sure it’s nice to have that certificated but in the end nobody really cares as long as u can speak the language yk

[digital pagoda]

Ye exactly my point

[frigid tinsel]

DW placement tests have like 60% is a passing grade.

So you really don't need mastery to pass it... even if all the questions are A1 level.

Maybe 70% I forget.

And it's substantially multiple choice, so you have like 25% or 33% alone from random guessing. (Depending on choose-from-4 vs choose-from-3 questions).

[indigo bear]

Some people do care. Such as universities when applying to study there.

[valid jolt]

That’s true but even if u apply for a workplace idk if they would care that much if u got the certificate. And im just saying people shouldn’t care as much about these things and just learn the language as much as they could and enjoy it not with the pressure of the exam

[frigid tinsel]

Hmm, most of the people making rapid progress here on the server seem to be aiming for university studies or work programs.

Ideally we all could just study for fun and self improvement. But life does often demand more from us.

[hollow pasture]

hobbyist language learning doesnt provide the same amount of drive and determination required to spend hours a day learning a language

(as a hobbyist language learner)

and if youre not actually actively using your TL, for a hobby the results start to diminish after the initial fun part

[stiff kraken]

hört sich die wendung "ich würde mal was sagen" natürlich an

hauptsächlich gehts mir darum ob da dieses "mal" passt oder eher ne

[sleek pebble]

in welchem kontext

[valid jolt]

yea it would sound more natural if u said Ich würde mal was sagen wollen

[stiff kraken]

bsw "ich hätte dazu mal was gesagt aber musste schon los" idk

[stiff kraken]

joa aber ändert das den sinn nicht?

[valid jolt]

was is der sinn dahinter mal grundsätzlich?

[astral yoke]

Ich hätte dazu schon (noch) was gesagt, aber ich musste leider los... 🤔

[sleek pebble]

klingt nicht richtig

[stiff kraken]

mmm

jo ich bin auf ne situation gestoßen dabei ich etwas ähnliches gesagt habe ich erinnere mich nicht was genau aber der sinn war ähnlich diesem und anyway ich hatte das gefühl dass "mal" da halt passen würde

als füllwort oder sowas

idk das sprachgefühl funktioniert mir noch nicht ausreichend

danki jedenfalls*

[muted notch]

hiii um is there anyone who could help me with understanding nominativ and akkusativ cases 😭 ?

[sleek pebble]

trotzdem oder „danke jedenfalls“

[astral yoke]

faq cases

[livid steeple]

Cases

Cases
German has four grammatical cases (der Fall or der Kasus in German): nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive. A case alters a noun, pronoun, adjective, etc., in some way to mark its grammatical function in a phrase, clause, or sentence. For example, the main function of the nominative (der Nominativ) case is to mark the subject in a sentence:

Ich liebe die deutsche Sprache!

In this sentence, the pronoun ich represents the first person subject and is in the nominative case. Every noun, pronoun, adjective, etc. has form in every case and it is very important to learn all of them. For example, the accusative form of ich is mich:

Die deutsche Sprache liebt mich!

See >explain adjective declension to get started on that. Don't get discouraged by how much there is, it takes some time master.

To see an explanation of the usages of every case, see their individual articles:
>explain nominative
>explain accusative
>explain dative
>explain genitive

[sleek pebble]

„mal“ hat eine ziemlich überschaubare bedeutung. neben der üblichen bedeutung, etwas einmalig oder (irgendwann) mal zu machen, gibt es noch ein paar andere, von denen die häufigsten anderen zwei ziemlich schwierig zu übersetzen sind

es kann eine frage oder bitte etwas dämpfen, wie zum beispiel „Kannst du mir mal bitte die Butter geben?“

schwer zu erklären, was genau „mal“ da macht, außer die bitte etwas weniger entschlossen oder ernst klingen zu lassen

dann gibt es noch die hier, wo mir die beschreibung auf wiktionary eigentlich nicht gefällt, zumindest klingt sie irgendwie falsch

ist schwer zu erklären, vielleicht hat wer anders eine bessere erläuterung

[muted notch]

thank you !!

[hollow pasture]

wie sagt man „to pace oneself“ auf Deutsch?

[hexed forge]

Is there a native speaker here or someone with native proficiency? I am translating a german short story and I am a bit confused about the sentence structure. What I have translated looks fine to me but at the same time I am a bit paranoid that I may have been letting the german word order into the English one. It is hard dealing with two similar languages at once.

One that is throwing me off is this line in yellow

This is how I translated this

Can someone tell if it sounds natural or I'm unknowingly letting the german seep into english

[hollow pasture]

to be clear are you asking for feedback on the english or german

[hexed forge]

English, the original is in german and I am translating it in english

I am reading so much german that I feel like my English sounds like german too, I hope this is not happening here

[jovial remnant]

Sagt man "Stockwerk minus eins"? Oder wie sollte ich erklären, dass ich im ersten Untergeschoss bin. Ich habe wirklich große Problemen mit Lieferungen. "Das erste Untergeschoss" hat bei mir nicht geklappt. Die Lieferanten gehen immer die Treppe hinauf. Die allermeisten Lieferanten benutzen Übersetzer, auch wenn sie Perfekt Deutsch sprechen können.

Ich schreibe im Details, dass ich "-1 Stockwerk (minus eins Stockwerk" bin. Wie drücke ich das ordentlich aus?

Ich wollte auch dabei überprüfen, alles in Ordnung von meiner Seite ist.

[wary jungle]

Whats the difference between "mitnehmen" und "mitbringen"?

[winter stream]

hm well nehmen is away from somewhere, bringen is to(wards) somewhere
in many situations you can say either with very little difference of what the focus is

[wary jungle]

Ah thankss

That makes it a bit easier to remember

[winter stream]

since the focus of mitnehmen/mitbringen is that you bring/take it along with you, it often doesnt matter very much i guess

[frigid tinsel]

That's a long and awkward sentence for English. As an English native (but beginner level German), I'm confused at the concept of lowering blood pressure.

In English, when we get angry, we call it raising our blood pressure.

Or maybe make our blood boil in anger.

If you want a "sinking" metaphor, maybe it is "whose hearts have sunk".

I can't fully understand the nuance of the original German, so I'm taking random guesses at what you mean here.

Reading the other paragraphs you've written.... I'm leaning towards "whose hearts have sunk at the filthy performance" (a popular metaphor people who are discouraged)

[hexed forge]

@frigid tinsel I think they are not really angry but shocked. There is also "people who have weak nerves" in the original but I skipped that. But thanks for telling me it seems awkward. I'll think of ways to change it. I'll also change plummet to drop. But just to be sure, it doesn't seem literary? The sentence structure? I mean I see that no one will speak like that in real life but will you not find a sentence like this in a book?

[sullen plinth]

Hey so I have a question. Can one change such a sentence into "um Bucher zu kaufen, gehe ich in die ortliche Buchhandlung" or somehow like that orrr is German strict with it's sentence arrangement?

[glacial crag]

yeah that works

Ich gehe joggen um gesund zu bleiben
um gesund zu bleiben gehe ich joggen

same meaning, different emphasis

[hexed forge]

@frigid tinsel this is what I finally wrote. I also think I should post the whole thing after translating to see if it works as a stand alone text for you guys.

[sullen plinth]

Hell yeah, dankeschön

[hexed forge]

At the end of the paragraph there's this word talabtrieb

Is it a typo? I looked it up and all I can find is Almabtrieb

[tough palm]

hello why i can not oppen the voice chanell ????

waht just happed ?

[frigid tinsel]

Overly long and verbose sentences like that are common in older English (1900s or 1800s). Today's style is much shorter sentences.

[astral yoke]

Just imagine, the ppl almost faint, bC it's so shocking what they got to see (they went pale).

[oblique snow]

faq limited permissions

[livid steeple]

How to join Voice Chat

Please read the [Roles section](#getting-started message) in #getting-started for info on how to join VC and more!

[frigid tinsel]

As an FYI, my concern was "blood pressure plummet" (doesn't feel like standard English) vs "Hearts plummeted" (probably how we in USA would discuss the feeling).

"Hearts sank" might be the most canonical form of the phrase.

[hexed forge]

yes i found that odd as well, although never heard the hearts plummeted phrase, nice to know about it

[hexed forge]

yes this i have heard, but the meaning would be different from the meaning in the story

[frigid tinsel]

Hmmmm. Good luck as a translator lol

Idioms are among the hardest to translate ...

[hexed forge]

i guess i have a creative decision to make

[hexed forge]

it is for class, it's definitely hard

[frigid tinsel]

I've heard this in the story podcast today: and I'm not 100% sure if I'm hearing correctly.

Ich muss das es wissen.

Is it das or dass? Tim is thinking to himself that his team forgot to call him about the results of a Füßball game.

So before Tim calls the team, he says to himself (something I cannot hear 100% accurately). I'm hoping it's "Ich muss das (or dass?) es wissen."

Does that make sense to anyone else?

[astral yoke]

It's definitely not like that:
Ich muss das wissen
is a NORMAL German sentence , no **dass **no es

[frigid tinsel]

Hmmm. Okay, slowmo listen time....

Lulz Spotify has the transcript.

[frigid tinsel]

"Ich muss das jetzt wissen"

Uggghhhhh.

Okay, well more listening practice needed

[astral yoke]

YK, asking here got your brain involved! 👍

[astral yoke]

Sich freuen conjugated:
Ich freue mich
Du freust dich
er/sie/es freut sich
wir freuen uns
ihr freut euch
sie/Sie{formal} freuen sich
and then the question vanished 🤯

[pearl horizon]

wie kann man sagen „foreign exchange student“

[sleek pebble]

austauschschüler

[frosty carbon]

how to get role please !

@indigo bear

[vocal zinc]

does that mean its for free

[trail girder]

Does this seem correct?

[vocal zinc]

Yeah

[indigo bear]

The sentences, yes. The explanation, a bit questionable.

[frigid tinsel]

Thumbalina tanzt auf dem Tisch.

Well, I dunno the German name of Thumbalina, but I'm like 90% sure she would dance "auf dem Tisch". Movement is allowed in Dativ, as long as the movement is fully constrained in the described zone.

Or maybe "Eine Biene tanzt auf dem Tisch".

[simple gyro]

i keep hearing that german dude ohnePixel say this word that i think its like a swear or something

Seye shuh?

[sleek pebble]

maybe if you had an example

[winter kayak]

Scheiße?

[stiff kraken]

ay scheiße

[dusk umbra]

"Die Mutter gibt dem Opa Wasser" Which noun is in dative here and which is in Acccusative? Is it perhaps Opa (dative) and Wasser(Accusative)?

[glacial crag]

yes ur right
wasser- akkusativ
opa- dativ

[dusk umbra]

thank you, and also do we always use plural when using the noun "Geld" in German? Because I know for a fact that in English, "money" is always in plural.

and can I have some examples if used with both? I wanna see which contexts I have to use singular form and which contexts plural

[glacial crag]

not sure about that tbh. I don't use this noun in it's plural form but there might some contexts where the plural form can fit

[maiden condor]

There is no plural form of Geld

Well, there is but it's used in another way

Die Oma gibt dem Enkel Geld.

[dusk umbra]

so if I use it always in singular form then it's okay?

[maiden condor]

Die Gelder vom Staat müssen ordentlich verteilt werden.

[maiden condor]

If you're not in like political discussions, you should be okay with the singular form.

[dusk umbra]

Alrighty, thank you

[frigid tinsel]

IIRC, there's no plural form of "Geld" per se, but isn't there "Trinkgelder" ?? (tips?), using the root word for geld / gelder ?

[maiden condor]

Yes, Trinkgelder is a correct word

And I said above that "Gelder" exists, but in another context

[pastel merlin]

laufen - (transitive or intransitive) to walk; to jog; to run (to move on foot; either at a normal or an increased speed)

why is it both transitive and intransitive

[pastel merlin]

@indigo bear

[indigo bear]

That may refer to phrases such as Ski laufen.

Or you could also have like... Marathon laufen.

[pastel merlin]

ok

[urban iron]

Is there any channel for acountability messages or buddies?

[idle sable]

how is "money" always plural in english?

[indigo bear]

For study partners you can use #1489214184020250664 .

[edgy needle]

ever heard of a money

me neither

[placid imp]

Quick question- if he hadn’t made so many mistakes, he wouldn’t have failed the exam

Wenn er nicht so viele Fehler gemacht hätte, wäre er die Prüfung nicht durchgefallen

Chatgpt is telling me that it would be wäre er nicht durch die Prüfung gefallen

I know durchfallen is a seperable verb but can anyone explain why it is seperated here for the past participle?

[idle sable]

that doesn't make it plural

"money is" and not "money are"

uncountable nouns are grammatically singular

[edgy needle]

yea uncountable noun whatever

Know jackshit about english grammar anyways

[idle sable]

yea, german grammar also same in this regard

[edgy needle]

Didn't ever have to get into the nitty gritty side of things with english

[idle sable]

geld functions the same

[edgy needle]

Except there's also Gelder in some cases

[idle sable]

monies too in english tbh

[edgy needle]

damn

[idle sable]

water - waters
wasser - wässer

[edgy needle]

you're right

Thought it was without the umlaut

In that case

waters I am assuming as in "international waters"

Think german uses "Gewässer" for that

But for large bodies of water in plural it's just "die Wasser"

[shadow granite]

Any easy way to learn where each article is used (yes ik it's via gender but idk genders in German)
Do I just memorize it?

[idle sable]

just checked in dwds korpus, die wasser much more common than die wässer

sometimes it's just about different types of water

mineral, tap, river, salt etc

[sleek pebble]

it’s because that construction is not made up of the compounded verb „durchfallen“ but the single verb „fallen“ and the preposition „durch“
„durchfallen“ is intransitive, it cannot take a direct object.
in colloquial speech people sometimes say things like „durch die prüfung durchgefallen,“ but i think that too shouldn’t be analyzed as using „durchfallen,“ but also just „fallen“ and „durch“ twice (sounds illogical, but doubling „durch,“ for some reason, is colloquially often done — like in directions for example, people might say „durch den tunnel (hin-)durch“ — if there is a difference in meaning, it would be stressing the complete traversal of the tunnel, completing the action)

the correct construction with „durchfallen“ that takes a preposition like „bei“ or „in“ is possible, but less common than „fallen“ + „durch,“ i.e. „Ich bin durch die Prüfung gefallen“

this is a bit confusing, but i hope you understand

[dusk umbra]

because as you said it's an uncountable noun, it can never be in singular form just like with salt

unless we're talking about for example two packets of salt, then wouldn’t we say “the salts?”

[edgy needle]

There are salts in chemistry

[sleek pebble]

salt by the nature of it being granulated is not countable in pieced, but in weight and packaging units, therefore you the packets are what gets counted and put in plural, „Salze“ and „salts“ exist, but they mean different types of salt

[dusk umbra]

Does the same happen with money in german?

[sleek pebble]

money is an abstract concept and is counted in units like bank notes and coins, but isn’t otherwise cuantifiable, it doesn’t make it multiple moneys

[civic dove]

Halo

[idle sable]

not countable =/ plural
the category plural doesn't apply to it, neither does singular, but grammatically treated singular as visible through verb conjugation

[dusk umbra]

Ohhh right that’s what I wanted to know

[sleek pebble]

just in case: money itself as a concept is not quantifiable, the unit of measurement (the currency), is

so 500 dollars still make one money

[dusk umbra]

Also, if we were to say “The glasses” in German, would it be in plural? I mean glasses which are worn by the way.

[sleek pebble]

same in german

[idle sable]

die Brille, singular

[sleek pebble]

if you were to use the word „glas“ then yes, but the standard word is brille, which describes the entire object as a unit

[dusk umbra]

Okay, makes sense

[astral yoke]

Die Brille is singular as in referring to one (pair of glasses), but you can have multiple glasses like:
SonnenBrille, Lesebrille, Gleitsichtbrille > 3 Brillen

[dusk umbra]

Right okay

Die Brills is the same as Die Brille?

[sleek pebble]

typo

[dusk umbra]

Oh alright!

I appreciate the help

[maiden condor]

Die Brille/ die Brillen

[chrome ibex]

guys is the Morsbach in Nordrhein Westfalen gut? ich mache eine Ausbildung dort ab 1/6/2026

[placid imp]

Wow thank you so much!!!

That makes so much more sense I didn’t realise fallen used durch as a preposition 😵‍💫😵‍💫

[maiden condor]

I don't have a clue about the grammar stuff, but apart from durchfallen, there also is hinfallen

[past flame]

How feasible will it be to reach a level where I can consume German media, like tv shows and books like Harry Potter till mid August?

[astral yoke]

@placid imp ^^
auffallen
verfallen
umfallen
anfallen
abfallen
ausfallen and 50 more -> Wortbildung
https://www.dwds.de/wb/fallen

[past flame]

Assuming I do around 1 hour a day

[astral yoke]

the question would be from where do you start today?

[past flame]

About nothing. I am about two weeks into Nicos Weg

[lunar lynx]

not feasable at all

[maiden condor]

Ah, danke, mir sind gerade keine anderen Wörter mehr eingefallen 😂

[past flame]

ig it makes sense. I will drop down to 20 new cards a day

Then another question, maybe it will help me decide:
If after mid august I wont be able to study everyday, only on the weekends for about 3 months, is it even worth to study? Like, wont I forget most of it?

[lunar lynx]

something will stick in your brain

But what does it mean you wont be able to study every day? Not even for like 5-10 minutes to review vocab in for example anki?

[past flame]

Then will this be enough? I am pretty sure this I can do