German dictionaries online & gender help

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Still looking for a good German online dictionary? Many students ask me about this, so here are some recommendations for online dictionaries, not only for German-English/English-German: 1. dict.cc Find almost any word there, at least in the german-english dictionary. But dict.cc also translates into many other languages. 2. PONS online dictionary  Many languages available, listening function, useful short phrases for … Read More

German abbreviations you’ll never find in a textbook

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In German, you can abbreviate everything. Even not so long words. And Germans are really crazy about shortening words, even though a lot of Germans also find this really annoying ;) But neverthless, you will hear a lot of these strange words when you spend some time in Germany or speak with Germans…so here are some common abbreviations, most of … Read More

Goethe Zertifikat A1 – oral exam – speaking part

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Are you preparing to take the Goethe Zertifikat A1 or Start Deutsch 1 test? Here is a video that shows you the procedure of the oral exam. Could you answer all the questions? :) PS: I have successfully trained many people from all over the world for their German exams with online german language courses. If you need help, feel … Read More

A German Intensive course..online?

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The past week, I taught my first intensive German course online, with a private C1-level student from Switzerland. The student took 12 hours of German lessons in 5 days. We split the 2-3 hours a day between grammar (such delightful topics as Partizipalkonstruktionen, Passivsätze, etc.), speaking and working on his writing. It was great teamwork and the outcomes at the … Read More

Langsam gesprochene Nachrichten (Deutsche Welle)

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Slowly spoken news in German – listen and read along. The slow speaking is a little funny, but many of my students say that the “Langsam gesprochene Nachrichten” by Deutsche Welle help them a lot with listening comprehension and pronunciation. Find it here: (click on the link or the image) http://www.dw.de/langsam-gesprochene-nachrichten-learning-german/a-2925601

5 German expressions with “Film”

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1. in einen Film gehen: go to a movie 2. einen Filmriss haben: to go blank, have a mental blackout 3. im falschen Film sein: to be in the wrong movie (= feel like you’re in the wrong place) 4. einen Film drehen: to shoot a film 5. der Filmemacher: (the) movie maker  

Learn German with dialogues #3

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Schule A: „Na, wie war der erste Schultag?“ B: „Einfach nur ätzend.“ A: „Warum das denn? War es nicht cool, alle Freunde wiederzusehen?“ B: „Ja, das schon, aber wir haben einen echt blöden Stundenplan. Ich muss jeden Tag bis sonstwann bleiben. Darauf hab‘ ich keinen Bock.“ A: „Naja, das ist so, in den höheren Klassen, Hast du wengistens gute Lehrer … Read More

Song to learn German cases

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German cases, esp. Accusative and Dative, are a grammar topic that a lot of German learners struggle with..but with this song it’s easier to remember when to use which case.. give it a try :) Tipp: Wohin? = Akkusativ   Wo? Dativ