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We are nearing that time of the year where Fahrradfahren ohne Handschuhe das schlimmste ist was dir passieren kann. Würde ja gerne mein Rad abschließen, aber leider haben meine Finger vor ungefähr drei Kilometern die Kündigung eingereicht

Kurzer historischer Fakt zum Montag: Zur Zeit des Dreißigjährigen Krieges waren Fragen der Hierarchie und Etikette verdammt wichtig- weswegen bei den Verhandlungen zum Westfälischen Frieden erstmal ein knappes halbes Jahr dafür draufging, Etikette-Fragen zu klären. Unter anderem dazu, welcher Abgeordnete denn wo sitzen dürfte, wer mit welcher Kutsche vorfahren durfte etc etc. Der Vertreter des Papstes ließ sich ein Baldachin in der Hauptkirche aufbauen, woraufhin erstmal ausdiskutiert wurde inwiefern er das durfte, oder ob der entfernt werden müsste. Der oberste französische Vertreter bestand auf den Titel "Hoheit", und der venezianische Vermittler legte sich mit dem Osnabrücker Bischof an. Das alles, während nebenan ganze Heere aufgerieben und dezimiert wurden. Prioritäten und so.

i feel like i'm going Italian

Getting a little tired of people who move to Germany from abroad and then complain about the "rude customer service"... when it's literally just neutral customer service.

Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of rude customer service here too - but I'm talking about someone in a café who doesn't smile at you, or answers only the question you asked without volunteering more information. That's just... normal, my dudes. That's neutrality.

And the fact that people working in customer service in this country can be neutral - can be real human beings who don't necessarily feel like beaming and fawning all day every day - without having to fear losing their job for it... I think that's pretty great. And that's a big part of the reason I moved here, and the reason I feel more comfortable in this society than in the US.

I studied Germany for years before making the big decision to move here (I literally majored in German Studies in the US), and I visited this country multiple times, for increasing amounts of time, before making the big move. I knew (to a degree) what I was getting myself into, and therefore I've never regretted it.

But I meet multiple people every year - newcomers to Berlin whom I already know won't last - who decided to move here spontaneously, based on very little knowledge of the country or culture (let alone the language). And then they get so shocked and disappointed by Germany being... German... that they soon leave again. WHYYYYYYY

Okay, I've seen this done wrong often now, so a quick guide to the beautiful German language especially regarding nicknames.

It's rather easy in ENglish, because you can use every nickname, like "my love" or "my darling" for every person of every sex. IN Germany, that is unfortunately a bit more complicated, because in Germany we gender everything. The door is feminine, the table masculine, the pig neutral and so on and so on. Because of that we adapt our words, especially possesive pronouns.

Just, a quick example, below is a table with all the different ways to say "my".

In German we change the pronoun or "adapt" it regarding the "genus" (gender), Numerus (number) and "Fall" (cause). There are four cases in the German language, Nominativ, Genitiv, Dativ, Akkusativ.

I won't explain them all, because that would be too difficult. However, this is why it's not enough to put "my" in Google translate. Or just "love". You can't translate things word for word into another language, you need context [btw don't use Google translate. It's really not that good]

EXAMPLE:

"My love" [as in, the feeling I feel]

[My love for him...]

"Meine Liebe"

[Meine Liebe für ihn....]

"My love" (as a nickname)

"Meine Liebe" (addressing someone of the female gender)

"Mein Lieber" (addressing someone of the male gender)

However "Liebe/Lieber" is not necessarily the best way to translate it, because it's more like a "my dear". You can go with "Meine Liebste/Mein Liebster" but that's very old-fashioned, like 19th century kind of old-fashioned.

What I also often find is "Liebchen" (though I've never seen it written correctly". It's alright I guess, but I personally have never heard someone say it.

DON'T JUST TRANSLATE RANDOM PETNAMES FROM ENGLISH TO ANOTHER LANGUAGE

Yes, "Honig" is the german word for "honey" but noone calls their s/o that?! At least I've never heard of it. Just do your research, please

Another important thing when writing about a German character:

Like in many languages, like French for example, there are two ways to directly address one person:

The informal way "Du"

And the formal way "Sie".

Unless your two characters are in a working relationship and suddendly declare their love, don't ever use "Ich liebe Sie." That's like saying "I love you Sir/Madame." If your characters know each other informaly, adress each other with first name etc. it's ALWAYS "Ich liebe dich."

Please, if you write for a character, that speaks a language you don't, translate everything in context, even if you only need one word. Don't use Google Translate. If you can, ask native speakers. I can asure you, most are happy to help.

I am, if anybody has questions regarding translations. It just makes the whole reading expirience more pleasant and makes you look like a better writer.

Does anyone have any fave German listening material for immersion?

I'm aware of EasyGerman on YouTube and various programs aimed at learners, but I'm looking more for TV shows, YouTube series, or streamers. Podcasts are fine too.

Does anyone have any fave German listening material for immersion?

I'm aware of EasyGerman on YouTube and various programs aimed at learners, but I'm looking more for TV shows, YouTube series, or streamers. Podcasts are fine too.

Does anyone have any fave German listening material for immersion?

I'm aware of EasyGerman on YouTube and various programs aimed at learners, but I'm looking more for TV shows, YouTube series, or streamers. Podcasts are fine too.

how do you pronounce Erstbegrüßungsunsicherheit (also google says it's not a real word, lmao)