A close-up and personal look at Switzerland
Back in the days when I was learning German I came across many words that sounded similar to English words. I usually only had to use a word wrong once to learn the German meaning. It’s lots of fun seeing… Read moreSimilar Words with Different Meanings in English and German
I don’t smoke and never have but I do have relatives, loved ones and friends who smoke. For health reasons I would prefer they not. Nonetheless I try to be tolerant of their habit and let them weigh the facts… Read moreSmoking in Switzerland and America
When I came to Switzerland I fell in love with the geraniums on the windowsills. They are epitome of Europe, history and tradition for me. In my mind they are warm, inviting and are always red. Although I think they… Read moreGeraniums in Switzerland
Homophones are two or more words that sound the same but are spelled differently. Homo- is the Greek root for ‘same’, and phon- is the Greek root for ‘sound’, so homophone means ‘same sound’. These are words that can sometimes… Read moreEnglish Homophones
“If that happens then I can call myself ‘von’”. I’ve heard many people make such exclamations. That means that you’d be somebody, somebody important or as they say in Swiss German you’d be “more better”. To be sure, the Bernese… Read moreA Point in Time: 1980 – Madame de Meuron
Gnomes (pronounced ‘nome’). Some people love them, trust them, talk to them and others hate them. Personally, I had never even heard of them until I moved to Switzerland. I found out quickly my mother-in-law was not a gnome-lover. My… Read moreGnomes in Gardens Everywhere
As I’ve mentioned before, German is a descriptive language. Some words just bring up a visual. Here’s my certainly not finite list of descriptive animal names [along with the English direct translation]. I knew the majority of them. But I… Read moreVisual Animal Names in German and English
Spaghetti; long, thin pasta that is fun to eat. Who invented it, China or Italy? Well, China invented pasta and the noodle but Italy invented spaghetti as we know it today. I think it has to do with how it… Read moreSpaghetti in America, Switzerland and Italy
If I say “meat” you think of food, maybe a hamburger or a pork chop. If I say “animal” you might think of a cute little bunny or a white-tailed deer like Bambi. That is the way it is in… Read moreMeat versus Animals in German and English
The concept of parking lots are known in both Switzerland and the States. There are, however, some subtle and not so subtle differences. Numbers I may be hallucinating here, but methinks there are a lot more empty parking spaces in… Read moreParking in America and Switzerland
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