A close-up and personal look at Switzerland
Speaking in German is like talking in picture books. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Everything you say somehow brings up visuals. The animal kingdom is well represented in many languages. I’ve noticed a lot of idioms,… Read moreIdioms and Animals in German (Horses, Donkeys)
German uses more commas than English. Okay, I don’t know that for a fact, but it makes sense to me. When I correct things my husband writes in English I usually throw out more commas than I put in. Punctuation… Read morePunctuation Matters – Commas and Periods
It happens all the time. When you are learning a new language you are constantly trying to figure out what all the new words mean. Combining the known with the unknown. Maybe the new word is a diminutive or a… Read moreNames and the Perfect Mix-up
You’ve just got to love idioms and metaphors. You say one thing and mean something completely different. Literally translating them are lots of fun, too. Understanding them can sometimes be like mental gymnastics. How to do the Impossible German: Wie… Read moreIdioms and Metaphors
Sometimes it tickles me when I hear the Swiss pronunciation of words that I thought were American. Often the words mean the same in both languages and just sound funny. Other times they can mean something completely different. Different Pronunciation Different Meanings… Read moreWhose Pronunciation is Correct?
My post today is going to subject you to yet another English quirk; heteronyms with a touch of intonation. Firstly, what in the world is a heteronym? Heter means different or other than usual and onym means word. Well, you’re… Read moreHeteronyms and Intonation
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
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
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
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
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