23. Do you have any questions? [142-143]

23.  Do You have any Questions  (See Quiztests 142-143)

Now that we have seen how to manipulate verbs in the present tense in German, we can very simply learn how to turn these verbs around (literally!!!) & make a question. Let's look at how this works...

Klaus singt gut  =   Klaus sings well, is singing well, does sing well. It is important here to understand that English has 3 forms of the present tense but German has only one form. English speakers learn along the way how to use each of these forms and a brief explanation for this is ..

Klaus sings well =  the plain form, is used in a general statement - he is not necessarily singing now.

Klaus is singing well  =  the continuous  or immediate form, action is happening right now.

Klaus does sing well  =  the emphatic form .... can be used to correct a statement 'he doesn't sing well.'

When making a question in English, we reverse the statement and use 2 of the forms above  ....

Does Klaus sing well? (general - notice how verb & subject split) or Is Klaus singing well? (right now)

The plain form in English is rarely used with the exception of the verbs to be & have ( are you sick, have you any wool?)

So in German, to make a question all we do is reverse the verb and subject to make a question ..

   

Klaus singt gut ...   Singt Klaus gut?   =  Does Klaus sing well  or  Is Klaus singing well?

Sacha lernt Mathe ...   Lernt Sacha Mathe?   Erika schwimmt oft  ....  Schwimmt Erika oft?

Also we often make questions using  how, when, where, why, what & who(m) ....

German has the equivalents  wie (how), wann (when), wo (where), warum (why), was (what) and wer (who). These are called interrogative adverbs and they start the question followed by the verb ...

Wie kommst du zur Schule (to school)?   Wann kommst du nach Hause? (home) Wo schwimmst du normalerweise? (normally)  Warum weint ihr? (cry - whine) Was ist das?  Wer kommt zur Party?

Next time we need to revise these verbs and their respective questions and we will do an exercise on them ...  bis bald!  ( see you soon)

Remarkable Sydney University Cricket Club Sleeveless in KDW Berlin - 300 + euros!

22. Plural Pronouns plus verbs [140-141]

22.  Plural Pronouns plus Verbs  (See Quiztests 140-141)

Having now seen the pronouns in their singular form, we should now look at the pronouns in the plural. They also are categorised into 1st, 2nd and 3rd person. They are as follows:

1.   wir       =     we  (speaker is involved like ich)
2.    ihr       =     you (plural of du and used with family, friends, children - familiar form)
2.    Sie      =     you (both singular and plural - used with adults, strangers - polite form)
3.    sie      =      they ( plural of er, sie and es)

The plural verb forms in the present tense are different to the singular forms and are mostly the same as the infinitive, with an en ending. Only the  ihr form is different. They work like this:

wir   kommen   =   we come, we do come, we are coming
ihr    kommt      =   you come, you do come, you are coming
Sie   kommen   =    you come, you do come, you are coming
sie    kommen   =    they come, they do come, they are coming

So now we are able to look at all of the pronouns and corresponding verb forms. I hasten to add here that we are only looking at verbs that are regular in the present tense.

Sing:       1.   ich  singe
               2.   du singst
               3.   er, sie, es singt

Plur:        1.   wir singen
                2    ihr singt
                2    Sie singen
                3    sie singen

If you are using people's names, the verb used will correspond to the appropriate pronoun.
e.g. Heinrich (er form) singt gut = Heinrich sings well; Hanna (sie form) singt auch gut.
Hanna und Heinrich (sie form) singen sehr gut = Hanna and Heinrich sing very well.

More Views from Fernsehturm Berlin

21. More on Pronouns [138-139]

21. More on Pronouns  (See Quiztests 138-139)

I said in the last post that German pronouns are a bit tricky for the English speaker and I should explain why. Let's construct a simple dialogue and show how this might be...

Johanna: Ich komme aus Deutschland [ ich kommer   ow ss   doy tch lunt]. Und du? [ooh nt  dooh].
Thomas:   Ich komme aus Australien [ow strah lee en]. Und Monika und Alex?
Johanna:   Monika? Sie kommt aus Österreich [ur stir  rye ch = Austria]. Alex, er kommt aus Kanada [cun ah dar].

When Johanna and Thomas talk about themselves they use the 1st person pronoun ich but when they address someone else they use the 2nd person pronoun du. When talking about people who are not there (Monika and Alex), they use the 3rd person pronouns er and sie. These two pronouns create problems for the English speaker and it relates to the nature of German nouns.

I mentioned previously that German nouns have gender. It is easy to understand that der Mann will use er as its pronoun but ANY WORD with der including objects such as der Computer will also use er.  So if I say the computer is fantastic. It is really good, I would say: der Computer ist phantastisch. Er ist wirklich gut [veerk lich gooht]. 

Feminine words, besides the obvious female words such as die Dame, will always use sie. Therefore we also have to use sie for an object such as die Lampe [dee lum per]. 

Equally many objects in German are neuter (das words) but at the same time so are some people. One such example is the word for the girl, das Mädchen. Technically, and I have seen it written in texts, the correct pronoun for the girl (she) is es. This is hard to understand from an English speaker's point of view where people are people and objects are objects. In conversation, it is very easy for the English speaker to slip up and refer to an object as 'es' when it is a der word or a die word. 

Another View from Top of Fernsehturm Berlin

20. Pronouns & Verbs [136-137]

20.  Pronouns & Verbs  (See Quiztests 136-137)

Pronouns replace nouns and in so doing make language faster. Using the noun over and over again becomes repetitive and slower so pronouns are more efficient. In English, for example, we would replace the lady with she,  the man with he, and  the book with it. Today we will look at the singular pronouns only and how they work with German verbs. These pronouns involve one person only.

Basically pronouns are categorised into 1st person ( I ), 2nd person ( you ) and 3rd person ( he, she or it ). They are usually presented  in table form in text books and look like this:

1    ich                =      I

2    du                 =      you

3    er   sie   es     =      he   she   it

We have seen what we call the infinitive of German verbs before ( See Post 16). Here we saw how German infinitives ( 'to' form of verb or sometimes called the 'dictionary' form) end in either en or n 

(trinken, kommen, flüstern = whisper etc). The first part of the verb minus the ending: -  trink,  komm,  flüster is known as the stem.  For each different pronoun, there are 3 different endings attached to the stem & these are:

1    ich   trink e     =     I drink,   do drink,  am drinking  (German has only the ONE form of the verb)

2    du   trink  st     =     you drink,  do drink,  are drinking

3    er    trink  t       =     he drinks,    does drink,  is drinking
      sie   trink  t       =     she drinks,  does drink,  is drinking
      es    trink  t       =     it drinks,     does drink,  is drinking

Das Schaf  trinkt  Wasser  =  the sheep drinks, does drink or is drinking water is replaced by ...........  Es  trinkt  Wasser  =  It drinks,  does drink,  is drinking ( English has 3 forms of Present Tense)
Die Dame trinkt Wein = the lady drinks, does drink, is drinking wine .. replaced by
Sie trinkt Wein = she drinks wine,  does drink wine,  is drinking wine
Der Mann trinkt Bier = the man drinks,  does drink,  is drinking beer ... replaced by
Er trinkt Bier = He drinks, does drink, is drinking beer

More next time …

View from top of Fernsehturm Berlin

19. Die Autobahn …. [134-135]

19. Die Autobahn  (See Quiztests 134-135)

The German transport system is excellent in general. Trains, buses, trams to and within most cities are well planned and run very efficiently. The freeway system network criss-crossing the country can provide you with an interesting experience to say the least.

The quickest and most direct road system involves a freeway known as an Autobahn (lit. car track). Most have 3 lanes on either side of the road and are usually separated from traffic coming in the opposite direction.

For an Australian driver, the first occasion on the Autobahn is a little mind blowing. I was driving a recently purchased second hand Volkswagen Kombi fitted out for camping with no side windows and a curtain across the back. Two big side mirrors were the only real assistance I had to see what was coming up from behind me given that pushing the rear curtain aside was almost next to useless.

Picture the scene ... first time driving in a foreign country, driving on the right hand side of the road, gear stick on the right not left but thankfully the pedals were the same! Lane one, nearest the edge of the road is for the slower vehicles and international transport trucks are often restricted to this lane only. That was definitely me at the start but this lane usually has a minimum speed of 100 kph.

The second lane is where most cars travel and usually about 130 -140kph. If you are used to rolling along at 100 -110 kph as in my country, this is a bit of a shock to the system. Funny thing though, before too long, it is amazing how you soon get used to rolling along at 130 kph yourself.

The third lane ... now we are talking! Unless you have purchased for yourself the latest supercharged Mercedes, BMW or Porsche, I suggest you avoid this lane unless you are absolutely certain that nobody is racing up behind you from at least a kilometre or two. I did say racing and I meant it! Speeds (well) in excess of 200 kph are not uncommon in certain areas. Although it is supposed to be illegal, cars will spot you from a long way back and flash their lights and blast their horns telling you to move over. The general belief here is that the roads are top class and German cars are capable of doing these speeds safely but in event of an accident, drivers have to be able to justify their actions.

One other word of caution. Be very careful on the Autobahn in bad weather. I am talking here not just about rain but also in snow and ice especially if there is the possibility of black ice [Glatteis]. This phenomenon usually occurs after a brief rain shower. Freezing temperatures can occur if the clouds clear and black ice can form on the road surface making skidding a real possibility. You don't see the ice, just the black of the road. Multiple car pile-ups are not unusual with tragic consequences.

German Hire Car with 'HH'  (Hansestadt Hamburg) Number Plate

18. Answers to Guesses [132-133]

18.  Answers to Guesses  (See Quiztests 132-133)

Answers to the last 'test' were ....

reif   =   ripe;    Sieb   =   sieve;    taub   =   deaf;   Taube   =   dove;   Liebe   =   love;

Tropfen   =   drop;   Topf   =   pot;   Schaf   =   sheep;   Huf   =   hoof  (note Eng. plu. = hooves)

Kohle   =   coal;   kalt   =   cold   kommen   =   come;   kann   =   can;   Kissen   =  cushion;

Kuss    =   kiss  (not all change!);   Klub    =   club;   Kloster   =   monastery (cloister);   Klinik  =  clinic
Klasse   =   class

danken   =  thank;  Dieb   =  thief;   Pfad   =   path;  Tod   =  death;   trinken   =   drink;

Trieb   =   drive;   Traum   =   dream;   Tag   =   day;   tragen   =   wear ('drag'), carry;

lustig   =   happy (lusty);   frisch   =   fresh;   schlau   =   sly, cunning;   freundlich   =   friendly;

sportlich   =   sporty;   optimistisch   =   optimistic;   romantisch   =   romantic;   lachen   =   laugh;

acht   =   eight;   brechen   =   break;   suchen   =   seek, look for;   Buch   =   book;

Dach    =  roof  ('thatch');   riechen   =   smell (reek);   machen   =   make, do

setzen   =  (to) set, place, seat;   sitzen   =   sit;   kratzen   =   scratch;   Hitze   =   heat;

heizen  =  (to) heat;    schmelzen   =   melt (smelt);    Witz   =  joke (wit);   Katze   =   cat

One of the other notable features about German is that like English, there are many words in the language that have come from other languages. French plays a big part here ... e.g. Cafe, Restaurant. In Austria particularly you will find French even more popular where in some cases the introduced word replaces the good old German variety:  Portemonnaie (Geldbeutel) = purse,  Trottoir  (Gehsteig) = footpath. 

Berlin Fernsehturm - Television Tower - Best View in Town!

17. Time to guess a few meanings [132-133]

17.  Time to Guess a few Meanings  (See Quiztests 132-133)

Following on from the last post, I thought you might like to try your hand at guessing the English meaning from their German equivalents but before I give these, I would like to recommend a wonderful resource that will help you enormously in finding the meanings of German and English words. If you go to the following site:

dict.leo.org-English.German Dictionary

you will be able to look up words in either German or English and discover their translations. Another fantastic feature of this site is the small megaphone alongside each word. If you click on the megaphone, it will give you the pronunciation. Give it a try - it is a brilliant site!

OK ... guessing time ... I will give you the answers next time but if you become a little impatient to see if you have had some success, you can try out your 'leo'. Remember, you may well have to go through the vowels to make the correct change.

I have also added another couple of changes as well here which will help you to guess meanings.

b, p, f, v:  reif;  Sieb; taub (t - d also); Taube; Liebe; Tropfen; Topf; Schaf; Huf (note Eng. pl.)

k - c:        Kohle; kalt; kommen; Kamm; kann; Kissen; Kuss; Klub; Kloster; Klinik; Klasse

d, t, th:     danken, Dieb; Pfad; Tod; trinken; Trieb; triefen; treiben; Traum; Tag; tragen.

ig- (e)y; sch - sh / isch - ic:  lustig; frisch; schlau; freundlich; sportlich; optimistisch; romantisch

ch - gh - k:    lachen;  acht; brechen; suchen; Buch; Dach (old Eng.!); riechen; machen. 

tz - z - tch - t:      setzen; sitzen; kratzen; Hitze; heizen; schmelzen; Witz; Katze.

I must confess here, you will need to really use your imagination in some cases with the words above, however, they are all connected in some way. If you ever find a new word in German, it is worth trying the above changes and you just might guess its meaning.

Berlin Street Sculpture

16. Quiz Answers plus more helpful hints [130-131]

16.  Quiz Answers plus More Helpful Hints  (See Quiztests 130-131)

Answers to the Verb Quiz are ..

3   schwimmen   =  [ l ]  =  (to) swim
4   reiten             =  [ n]  =   ride
5   denken          =   [ i ]  =   think
6   kommen        =   [ j ]  =   come
7   angeln           =   [ g ] =   fish, angle
8   bringen          =   [ e ]  =   bring
9   finden            =   [ m ] =   find
10 machen          =   [ k ]  =   make, do
11 sehen             =   [ c ]   =  see
12 hören             =   [ o ]   =  hear
13 singen            =   [ d ]   = sing
14 sprechen        =    [ f ]   = speak
15 planen           =    [ h ]   = plan

Because the Anglo Saxons brought their own Germanic language with them when they overran England, many many words from German came into the language we know as English today. The other two major languages that influenced English were Latin (the Roman occupation) and French (after William the Conqueror's invasion). Therefore, with a few clues you can unravel many words from German and discover their similar English equivalents.

* Remember here, however, that vowels may need to change to discover the similarity. This happens across our very own English speaking world and our easiest example to understand this is the difference between English tomato [toh mar toe] and American [toh may toe]. Spellings may vary too but pronunciations may well be similar.

b, p, f, v   ....  are often interchangeable  [bevor = before; leben = live, life; 
German  'k' = English 'c'  ....  [Katze = cat;  kühl = cool]
d, t, th ... often interchangeable [Bad = bath; Ding = thing]
German 'ig' = English 'y',  'ey' [Honig = honey; sonnig = sunny]
German 'sch' = English 'sh'  [Schule = school;  frisch = fresh]
German 'tz' = English 't'  [Netz = net; sitzen = sit]
German 'z' often English 't'  [zehn = ten; zu = to(o)

Ku-damm Street Sculpture Berlin

15. Deutsche Verben [128-129]

15.  Deutsche Verben  (See Quiztests 128-129)

German verbs are a little more complicated than their English counterparts. Nevertheless, there are many many German words incl. verbs that are very similar to English. I am going to put you to your first test in this post to show you how they often match up but first I will give you a few hints .....

The basic German verb form (called the Infinitive or Dictionary form) will end in either 'en' or 'n'
e.g.  trinken = (to) drink.  Note that the infinitive of the verb is that part of the verb put with 'to' (zu).

sch  =  sh  in English;    k  =  c     d, t, th are all often interchangeable .... Ding = thing

By changing the vowel of a German word, you can often guess the English ... fühlen  =  feel

So let's go .... Match up the German words with the English words in the column on the right.
Ich wünsche viel Glück  [ ich voo n sher  feel gloo  k ] = I wish (you) lots of luck.

Beispiel [by shpeel]] = Example

1   sagen     (   b   )          a    fly
2   fliegen    (  a   )          b    say
.............................................................
3   schwimmen   (    )      c    see
4   reiten             (    )      d    sing
5   denken          (    )      e    bring
6   kommen        (    )      f    speak
7   angeln           (    )      g    fish
8   bringen          (    )      h    plan
9   finden            (    )      i     think
10 machen          (    )      j     come
11 sehen             (    )      k    make / do
12 hören             (    )      l     swim
13 singen            (    )      m   find
14 sprechen        (    )      n    ride (horse)
15 planen            (    )      o    hear

Street Sculpture on Kurfürstendamm Berlin

14. "I'd like …." [126-127]

14.  "I'd like"  (See Quiztests 126-127)

Your experience of travelling in any country can be greatly enhanced if you can say at least a few of the basic phrases, order a meal or buy a ticket on the bus or train. Sometimes a little knowledge, however, can get you into trouble especially if a local rattles back at you assuming that you can speak quite fluently. That's when you will need the phrase Sprechen Sie Englisch? [sh prair ch en zee  eng lish] = Do you speak English? Nonetheless, that can be all part of the fun and I thought in this post we should look at some of the basics phrases of German.

The two most obvious phrases you might like to know are please & thank you ....

bitte  [bitter] = please   &   danke [dunker] = thanks. These two expressions are contractions of ich bitte  and  ich danke = I bid/ask (you)  &  I thank (you).

These two phrases work together. If you offer something to someone, you will say bitte (schön) and your partner most likely will reply  danke (schön) ....  schön [shern] = nice, beautiful and basically it just increases the niceness of the statement.

If you say danke schön to somebody who has lent you something, (s)he will most likely reply bitte schön. 

Another common expression of thanks is vielen Dank [feelin' dunk] = many thanks. I haven't mentioned it yet but you might have noticed that ALL nouns in German are written with a capital letter. For the grammatically challenged, a noun is the name of a person or thing … if you can put 'the' in front of  a word and it makes sense .... the book, the cat etc.  but not the is. (verb), you have a noun.

The title for this post "I'd like" is rendered in German as  ich möchte [i ch  mur  ch ter]. I have offered this up as a title because this phrase is such a handy expression in all manner of situations ...

e.g  Ich möchte ein Bier bitte  [ ich  mur ch ter    eye n   beer   bitter] = I'd like a beer please

Bitte, ich möchte das Steak [ duss   sh take] I'd like the steak please ( Note 'bitte' often comes first)

Ich möchte die rote Bluse [dee roh ter  blooh zer] = I'd like the red blouse

Wir möchten zwei Karten für die Oper [tsveye carten  fue r  dee Ohper] = we'd like 2 tickets for the opera - note the ending change on the verb when you use wir. 

We will  look at how German verbs work in the near future.

More Brandenburg Gate Berlin

13. Beautiful Berchtesgaden [124-125]

13.  Beautiful Berchtesgaden  (See Quiztests 124-125)

Berchtesgaden [bear ch tess garden] lies at the eastern foot of the German Alps and is one of the most panoramic towns in Germany. I was fortunate to spend 6 months there in 1975-76 and have revisited the town twice since. Little has changed over the years.

Berchtesgaden itself lies in the heart of the Berchtesgadener Land and has a population of approximately 7800 people. There are many scenic villages lying on the outskirts of the town and the main ones are Schönau, Unterau, Oberau, Markt Schellenberg, Ramsau and Maria Gern.

Perhaps the most striking geographic aspect of the area is the majestic Watzmann Mountain towering over the town at 2713 metres and as such, is Germany's third highest mountain peak. The town is in effect squeezed between numerous mountain tops which all add to its beauty. The Obersalzberg [oh ber zults bear k  ... lit. upper salt mountain], once the site of numerous Nazi chiefs' holiday retreats including Hitler's as well, looms over the town. In these mountains further to the east on the road to nearby Salzburg is the famous Kehlsteinhaus (referred to as the Eagles Nest) which may be visited in summer months. From here the tourist gets a dramatic view over the town with the Watzmann in the background. At the foot of the Obersalzberg is the old salt mine which is open to tourists. This is certainly worth a trip that takes you down into the mine on a railway track, across a salt lake on a barge and at one point down a large and steep wooden slippery slide, all the while dressed in your miners' clothing. Photos are taken at the bottom of the slide and testify to the thrill of the ride.

Skiing attracts numerous tourists to the region (try a trip from the Rossfeld down through farms to Unterau and catch the Postbus back up to the ski field or the more challenging Jenner), but without doubt the most important tourist attraction is the Königssee [kern ich zay = king's lake]. From the village wharf on this incredibly beautiful lake at the foot of the Watzmann, the tourist can take a boat ride (electric powered only) across the lake to the Sankt Bartholomä church. If you are lucky, one of the local musicians will play the Königssee Echo for you on his trumpet providing you with an unforgettable memory. The Rodelbahn [roh dell barn]  (bobsled track) lies not too far from the village where many German winter Olympians train. The lake freezes over in winter as do many of the lakes in the area. The lake is about 320 mts. at its deepest point.

One of the highlights for me is the Christmas / New Year festivity. The township is decked out in traditional white lights and the local shooting clubs 'hold a meeting' on both occasions that a friend once described as 'World war Three". The Weihnachtsschützen [vie nar chts sh ooh teen] = christmas shooters trot out their Böller (guns loaded with powder only) and fire off numerous rounds in patterns determined by their leader. All through the afternoon well into the night, the hills are alive with the sounds of the guns from many different vantage points assumed by the clubs.

One last memory ... I never thought I would spend midnight in a cemetery. In the heart of the town, the cemetery lies right next to the local church and the graves are bedecked with candles and all manner Christmas decorations. Spending midnight in a cemetery in a light snowfall left an indelible mark in my mind. The local Oktoberfest had a different but also memorable effect. Give Berchtesgaden a try some time - you will thank me for it. My wife at the start of a month long trip didn't want to leave!

Pension overlooking Berchtesgaden & Alps

12. You, you and you! [122-123]

12.   You, You & You  (See Quiztests 122-123)

It may come as a surprise to you but German has 3 basic words for 'you'. It is not uncommon to find multiple words for 'you' in a language. English is just a whole lot simpler.

In German, basically, a distinction is made between an informal word du [dooh]and a polite word Sie [zee].

Du , first of all, is always singular and used to address relatives, friends, children, students & sometimes work colleagues. The latter came as quite a surprise to me when a much older colleague said to me on my first day at work: Graham [grar hum!],  sag mir 'du' ( say 'du' to me).

Sie, on the other hand, is the polite form of 'you'. So, primarily when meeting adult strangers,  Sie will be the appropriate form of address. It is important to know as well that Sie can be both singular and plural.

The third word for 'you' is ihr [ear] which is simply the plural of 'du'. So when addressing a group of relatives or friends etc.,  ihr will be the right word to use.

So....there are several questions here of a cultural nature.

1.   When does a child become an adult?  At about 16 when young German teenagers go into a shop, for example, they might notice salespeople start using 'Sie' to them. This is a sure sign that they are fast approaching adult status. Children will still use 'du' to older relatives and vice versa.

2.  What happens when young man meets young woman? Given that students at school or college will use the informal 'du' to each other, this can be a tricky situation in a more or less formal situation. The basic answer is the young lady gets to initiate the 'du' and not the young man if he is polite. A 25 year old female friend of mine returning to Hamburg from Australia some time back became most irate when a young man of similar age addressed her on the train with 'du'. Elke quickly put him in his place.

An interesting cultural and linguistic point here is German has a special verb meaning 'to use du' The word is 'duzen'. Equally the word 'siezen' exists meaning to use 'Sie'.

3.  What happens in senior school in Germany? Apparently, I am told, teachers, by law, are supposed to ask new senior students if he /she should now start using 'Sie' to them or continue to use 'du' as has previously been the practice in their junior classes. Often 'du' is still the preferred choice.

4. How is using the informal 'du' regarded when used in the wrong social context? If in doubt, stick with 'Sie! People who do not know you are a foreigner, may think you rude. I upset an old Bavarian on a bus once when I used the 'du' form' accidentally by way of greeting. I was wearing Lederhosen at the time and he thought I was a local and should not have used the greeting commonly used at work.

Tourist Segway Tour near Brandenburg Gate Berlin

11. 'G'day' in German and more [120-121]

11.  'G'day' in German and More  (See Quiztests 120-121)

Given that there are numerous dialects in German, the first greeting of the day is used all over the German speaking word. Not so with the other greetings ...

guten Morgen [gooh ten  morgan] =  good morning (used only upto 10:00 a.m.)

guten Tag [gooh ten tark] = good day  (used in the north of Germany but not in the south)

grüß Gott [grew ss  got]  = hello (general greeting in Sth Germany & Austria) (lit. may God greet you)

Servus [sair voohs] = hello (also used in Sth Germany and Austria) (lit. at your service)

grüezi (wohl) [grew tsee] = hello (Switzerland)

Moin  [moy n] = hello  (North Germany)

As you can see there are variations of how to say hello but it all depends where you are. I got a very filthy look from a saleslady in a dept. store once when I said guten Tag after crossing over into South Germany. I received a very curt grüß Gott in reply. In the very south I also frequently heard a very courteous (ich) habe die Ehre (hoh ber dee air ee - Bavarian pronunciation here). It is used as another greeting for hello and means (I) have the honour (of seeing you). 

guten Abend [gooh ten ar bent]  = good evening (used everywhere from about 4:00 p.m.)

gute Nacht [gooh ter  nar ch t]  = good night (used when going to bed or at end of an evening)

auf Wiedersehen [ow f  vee der zay en] = good bye (lit. until seeing you again)

Tschüss [chew ss] =  bye (informal)  &  mach's gut [mar ch ss  gooht] (informal also)

In terms of greeting people in German speaking countries, you will probably shake hands more frequently than you do in the English speaking world, even after seeing a colleague again after leaving work. Also, where an Australian will say (colloquially) how are you going, the German wie geht es dir / Ihnen  equivalent is not used anywhere near so often unless you have not seen each other for some time. 

Brandenburg Gate - Berlin

10. More South Germany, Austria and Switzerland [118-119]

10.  More South Germany, Austria and Switzerland (See Quiztests 118-119)

Baden-Württemberg is the other state in the south and has many truly beautiful areas of Germany especially along the Rhine and Danube river valleys. The largest city is Stuttgart, and including its surrounding area, is indeed the 7th largest in Germany. Stuttgart has a proud cultural heritage based on its music, theatres and festivals. It is also the home of Mercedes and Porsche and the two car manufacturers' museums are very popular with tourists. Other important cities in the state include Ulm (birthplace of Albert Einstein), Heidelberg, Mannheim, Karlsruhe, Tübingen, Lindau and Freiburg.

Freiburg is effectively the 'capital' of the Schwarzwald (Black Forest), home of the Kuckucksuhr (cuckoo clock) and Scharzwälderkirschtorte (Black Forest cherry cake). The forest itself lives upto its name. A walk though its magnificent conifers and pine needle carpet is a 'dark' affair but at the same time a very serene and exhilarating experience. The 'mountainous' area is not very high by comparison with the Alps and the Feldberg summit at approx. 1500 metres is the highest peak in the area. If you get a chance to go to Titisee not far away, especially in winter, try 'bowling' a chunk of ice across the lake and find out just how far the 'frictionless' ice can travel - quite remarkable!

Austria and Switzerland probably demand a blog in themselves and to do them some sort of rough justice I could devote many pages to them individually but that is not my purpose here. I want to move onto the language itself fairly soon, so travellers can get a handle on the basics of communication in German speaking countries, so if that is your wish, you won't have long to wait.

It is fair to say that I love both Austria and Switzerland and each provides its own brand of touristic attractions. Austria has a wealth of relatively cheap and challenging skiing areas, my favourites being Wagrain/Flachau, Filzmoos, Kirchberg, Saalbach, Gaststein and Kaprun (Zell am See). There are many many ski resorts in Austria, far too many for me to have sampled in my time there but if you get the chance to spend time in the charming little villages of Kirchberg and Filzmoos, you will never regret it.

Switzerland, on the other hand, tends to be more expensive generally but nonetheless it is a remarkable country. The majesty of the mountains in Switzerland has to be seen to be believed. The trip by train from Visp to Zermatt (home of the Matterhorn) is quite overpowering. The Matterhorn itself is incredible. The peak rises up above the slopes around it like a giant snow capped pyramid standing sentinel over the town below where you cannot drive your car. You will find very few vehicles in the town and these are basically service cars. Horse drawn carriages are the order of the day for most of the tourists. My short time in Zermatt has been one of the highlights of my time 'on the road'.

A quick note about the language here. Switzerland has 4 main languages, German, French, Italian and Räto-Romanisch (derived form old spoken Latin). Swiss German is a very musical language and has a very special charm all its own. Austrian-German is generally much more like Bavarian than Hochdeutsch.

View from Salzburg Austria Castle over City

9. Bavaria [116-117]

9. Bavaria (See Quiztests 116-117)

Bavaria (Bayern) is without question the most popular state in Germany as well as the largest. It is the most popular because it is the home of Lederhosen (leather pants - usually short) and the Dirndl, the Schuhplattler (slap dance) and a myriad of different regional costumes and customs.

The capital of Bavaria is Munich (München). As well as being an industrial centre including the home of the BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke = Bavarian Motor Works), it also has a distinctly country feel about it. Its location approximately one hour north of the Alps by car provides spectacular views of the panorama from many of the taller buildings in the city centre (Stadtmitte). It also the centre of the  famous Bavarian beer producing industry and numerous beer halls where all manner of the local product can be consumed along with a hearty meal. Löwenbräu (lion brew) is probably the best known beer in Munich and the Hofbräuhaus, the most recognised of the beer halls. In late September every year Munich stages its world renowned Oktoberfest (October festival) on the Theresienwiese (fair ground). King Ludwig the First introduced a festival to the world that has lasted over a hundred years and which ushers in the start of winter. For this reason, Oktoberfest curiously starts in September to avoid the early onset of freezing temperatures.

In many of the restaurants of Bavaria, and indeed in many parts of the German speaking world, guests are frequently entertained by appropriately dressed local musicians and dancers performing a wide variety of dances. The most spectacular of these, for me at least, is the Holzhacker (wood chopper) dance where performers hack away into a decent sized log while still dancing and send chips flying all over the restaurant. The music and lyrics are a style of their own and sung in Bavarian dialect (Bayerisch / boarisch or bairisch according to the locals). While mentioning this dialect, I must confess it took me about 6 months to start grasping most of what the locals were saying when they spoke Bavarian. When I bought my VW Kombi (VW Bus) from a student in Munich, I had the vehicle checked for roadworthiness. The local mechanic was almost totally incomprehensible. Finally I was reduced to asking him: Ist das Auto gut oder nicht gut, ja oder nein? (Is the car good or not good, yes or no?) The mechanic (der Mechaniker) didn't even say the traditional German 'ja'. Instead he gave me the Bavarian 'jo'. Despite my minimal understanding, I bought the car and if we don't count a clutch and handbrake cable, my Käfer (beetle) did the lap of western Europe without too many mechanical incidents.

South of Munich, there are many incredibly beautiful towns, lakes, ski resorts, churches, museums and souvenir shops. There are numerous festivals you might encounter along the way as well. Fasching / Karneval (in other parts of Germany) is the most celebrated. Locals take every opportunity to dress up in sometimes very expensive costumes, dance, sing, drink and eat till late in the night. Give it a try some time if you get the chance - you might end up upside down in a garbage truck like I did after attempting to take a happy snap of the local garbage collectors.

Watzmann Mountain at sunset - Bavaria's 3rd highest peak at just under 3000 metres

8. More on the German speaking Countries [114-115]

8. More on the German Speaking Countries (See Quiztests 114-115)

The central regions of Germany are a little more 'hilly' than the northern parts of the country and there are many many cities, towns and villages. One of the things that strikes an Australian tourist is the short distance between the next township/village/city. Far greater distances between towns is the norm in our country. On this point, the visitor to the German speaking countries will notice that many of the towns' names end in Stadt (city), Dorf (village), Heim (home), Berg (mountain), Burg (castle / fortress), or Hafen (harbour). Many of their names also start with Bad (spa / spring).

One of the other features of the central region is the great number of 'large' cities with over a million people. This is especially so in the Ruhrgebiet (Ruhr River area) where much of Germany's heavy industry is concentrated around the Ruhr and Rhine Rivers. Nonetheless, there are many beautiful towns and villages scattered throughout with their own unique architectural styles. Towns such as Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Dinkelsbühl, Celle, Goslar, Trier, Heidelberg are meccas for tourists. The Black Forest (Schwarzwald), the Romantische Strasse (Romantic Road) and the Moselle & Rhine River Valleys also offer the tourist much to enjoy by way of romantic and scenic value. In truth, there are far too many places to mention here but suffice it to say, Germany is exceptionally popular with tourists from all over the world and Central Germany makes a great contribution here.

Further south we come to the alpine region. Die Alpen stretch almost right across the southern border areas of the country and divide German from Austria and Switzerland. The highest mountain in Germany is the Zugspitze which is just under 3000 metres. The Alps are particularly well known for their scenic beauty, along with the fabulous lakes and skiing areas. If you get a chance to take the cable car to the top of the Zugspitze and its weather station, you will get an incredible view of the snow covered mountain chain that goes on 'forever' into the distance. The major cities / towns in the area are Munich (München), Berchtesgaden (more of that later!), Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Oberammergau, and Lindau on the shores of Lake Constance (Bodensee). These locations can be found in Germany's largest state of Bavaria (Bayern) and Baden-Württemberg. Both of these areas are deserving of special mention in the near future.

Berlin - Trabi World Car Rental

7. German speaking countries [112 -113]

7.  German Speaking Countries (See Quiztests 112-113)

Having given you some insight into the sound system of German, we should now turn to the German speaking countries and try and give you an overview of the countries where the language is spoken. Indeed German is spoken in many little corners of the earth and in Greece, for example, I saw a number of signs in shopfront windows saying: Hier spricht man Deutsch (German is spoken here). Many Greek car mechanics had learnt their trade in Germany, especially in places like Wolfsburg, the home of VW and had returned to their homelands to start up a restaurant or souvenir business. Primarily, however, German is spoken in 3 major countries - Germany itself, Austria and Switzerland.

The German land mass is basically divided into 3 parts, the lowlands of the North (die Norddeutsche Tiefebene = the North German Plain), the more hilly central parts and in the south the alpine country where a great mountain range separates Germany from Austria. These mountains are known as die Alpen = the Alps. 

Germany joins onto Denmark, Holland and Poland in the north and the typically flat lands found here were carved out by the glaciers of the Ice Age. Bike riding is therefore a very common and popular means of transport, especially in the summer season but somewhat more dangerous in the winter snow and ice. The North Sea (die Nordsee) to the north-west and the Baltic Sea [die Ostsee] to the north east form the northern coastline for much of the country. The major cities of the north are Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Kiel and Hannover. These are all very beautiful cities with their own distinctive styles of architecture quite different from buildings in the south. Berlin is of course the capital, a title it reclaimed after East Germany and West Germany were reunited. It is the largest city by far and besides its political and historical background, is famous for its parks, lakes and shopping. Hamburg is the next biggest city and its harbour and twin lakes of the Alster, reminded me much of Sydney Australia. Hamburg was completely destroyed in WW2 and had a make-over once life resumed some normality. It too is a major metropolis and very beautiful. One interesting point about Hannover is that the 'purest' form of German is supposed to be spoken by its citizens here. I ran into a number of dialects around Germany, Austria and Switzerland and struggled with the German spoken there but must say it was a welcome relief to speak to the the Hannoveraner as their German seemed to match my visitor's status best.

Checkpoint Charlie Sign Berlin

6. More and More Sounds

6.  More and More Sounds (See Quiztests 110-111)

Having had a look at the vowel sounds of  German, we should now move onto the consonants. Before doing that, I should point out that the vowel sounds heard throughout the German speaking word tend to vary somewhat depending on where you are in the German speaking world. The German in the north of the country is very different from the German in the south of the country as well as in Austria and Switzerland. Largely speaking, the variety of vowel sounds is responsible for that. One quick example of that is the difference between the a sound in North Germany [ah] and that of its Bavarian counterpart [more like oh] ..... haben = have [har ben]  and [hoh ben / hom].

b   At start of word, same as English, but at the end, [p] ... Bar = bar [bar], gib = give [gip]
c   [k] Clique = group [kleeker], [sh] Charme = charm [sharm], [ts] Celsius [tselsee oohs], [ch] Cello [chello]
ch  [ch] sound already discussed but at start of word also often [k]  Christus = Christ [krist oohs]
d   At start of word [d]  danke = thanks [dunker]; at end usually [t]  Bad = bath [bart]
f    Always same as English ... faul = lazy [fowl],  Chef = boss / chief [shef]
g   At start [g] Geld = money [gelt] but at end [ch] Honig = honey [hoh nich], & [k] Steg = footpath [shtayk]
h   At start same as English  Hand = hand [hunt] but at end usually silent  Stroh = straw [sht roh]
j    Only used at start, mostly [y] ja = yes [yar] but French words [szjer] Jalousie = blind [szjar looh zee]
k   Always [k]  Kohle = coal [koh ler],  Koch = cook [ko ch],  also with 'ck' = [k]  Stock = stick [sh tok]
l    Always [l]  Licht = light [li cht],  lang = long [lung],  Stil = style [sh teel]
m  Always [m]  Mond = moon [mont],  Scham = shame [sharm]
n   Always [n]   nein = no [nine],  nicht = not  [ni cht],  Hahn = rooster [harn]
p   Always [p]  Pein = pain [pine], schlapp = worn out [shlup], Papier = paper [pup ear]
q   Usually with 'u' but pronounced [kv]  Qual = agony [kvarl]  except  die Queen = Queen Elizabeth
r   Same as English  reif = ripe [rife],  Herr = Mr [hair],  hart = hard [hart]
s   At start used as [z]  Sohn = son [zohn],  and as [s] at end  Bus = bus [booh ss]
st  In Hochdeutsch [sht] but in Berlin, more like English  Stahl = steel [starl], stark = strong [shtark]
sp   Like 'st' has [shp]  Spiel = game [shpeel],  Sport = sport [shport]
sch Has [sh] sound but is never written 'sh'  Schule = school [sh ooh ler],  scharf = sharp [sharf]
t   Same as English trinken = drink [trink en], Hut = hat [hooh t], Vater = father [fah ter]
v  Mostly pronounced [f]  vier = four [fear], exceptions French words ... Chauvi = chauvinist [shoh vee]
w Always pronounced as [v]  wenn = when / if [ven],  Wein =  wine [vine]
x  Same as English usually  fix = fixed [fix] but at start as [ks]  xenophob = xenophobic [ksenoh fohb]
y  This is  a difficult sound for English speakers - if you round your lips as if whistling and try to
    say [ee], you will come close to the sound that we don't have in English. Along with the ch sound,    
    these have to be the hardest sounds for speakers of English to say.
z  [ts]  Zunge = tongue [tsoohnger]

Recent Snow near Zell am See Austria

5. More Sounds like German

5. More Sounds like German (See Quiztests 108-109)

As promised, this time I want to give you some idea how German pronunciation works as it is quite different from English so I will show you some German words and attempt to write an approximate pronunciation alongside. I will also give you the meaning of each word and in square brackets written in italics how we might say each word in English. e.g.  Bank = bank [bunk]. Remember, though, once you learn these basic pronunciations, German is very consistent in its spelling and much much better than English.

First I need to tell you also that with the vowels in German, they can be both long and short. By that I mean that the vowel can have a shorter or longer sound just like in English, e.g.  beg (short) or be (long). Short vowels are often followed by a double letter in German, e.g. Bett = bed [bet]

Let's get the vowels out of the way first as they are very important and their diphthongs (combined vowels) as well. Also I will use the ch  sound mentioned in the last blog and written as ch.

a   (u / ah)  Katze = cat [kutser - short], Bach= stream [bar ch - long]... (Johann Sebastian Pond ???)
ä   (air)      Bär = bear [same as English),  Männer = men [menner], Pläne = plans [plairner]
au  (ow)    Sau = sow / fem. pig [zow],  faul = lazy [fowl],  Maus = mouse [mow ss]
äu  (oy)     Läufer = runner [loy fer], Allgäu = region Sth Germany [ull goy]

e   (e / ee)  nett = nice [net], Reh = deer [ray],  segeln = sail [zay geln], Tee = tea [tay]
eu  (oy)     Heu = hay [hoy],  Deutsch = German [doy tch],  neun = nine [noyn]
ei   (eye)    Ei = egg [eye],  fein = fine [fine],  nein = no [nine]

i   ( i / ee )  Zinn = tin [tsinn], Lid = (eye)lid [leet], Biss = bite [bis],  Schi = ski [she]
ie  (ee)       sie = she [zee],  vier = four [fear]

o   (o/oh )  Koch = cook [ko ch],  Sohn = son [zoh n]
ö   (ur)      Mörder = murderer [murder],  böse = evil bur zer]

u   (ooh)   Buch = book [booh ch],  Schuh = shoe [shooh]
ü   (ue)     kühl = cool

OK, more sounds later. You will have noticed lots of words I have used above are very similar to their English equivalents. These are called cognates. Reason is .... the Anglo Saxons brought German to England and settled there. There were 3 major influences on the original English, these being Latin, German and French. All three languages gave us many many words we know today.

Berlin - Checkpoint Charlie