100. In Conclusion ..... Where to Now? A different Direction!

100. In Conclusion .....  Where to Now?  A different Direction!

In writing this Blog I hope I have given readers an opportunity to look at German, Germany and the German speaking people and their countries. 

In the main, it has hopefully given you, largely speaking, a summary of how the language works. German is a fascinating language which at times, for the learner, can nonetheless be very frustrating. If this has been the case with you, know that you are not alone and you might get some sort of solace reading the famous and very amusing article written by Mark Twain called The Awful German Language. Quite clearly Mark Twain must have had a good understanding of the language to have written this article. 

Also, I can assure you, the German speaking people will embrace your attempts to use their language at any linguistic level (even ein Bier bitte!) and take you to their hearts if you achieve some measure of skill.  My experience has always been that touring around a foreign country is made much easier if you can at least know some of the basic phrases. In Germany this is the case. The German speaking people are among the most helpful and hospitable people I have met in my travels. 

To that end I can tell you from personal experience that knowledge of German will open doors for you. I have been invited for Easter with the family because of this, have been invited to stay longer for dinner and not just afternoon tea and spent a fascinating evening with a war widow in Munich who offered me cheap accommodation after 'picking me up' at the Hauptbahnhof. Among other things she told me how she had managed to survive the severe cold of winter during World War 2  by securing wood for her fire during bombing raids when houses were being destroyed instead of seeking safety in bomb shelters. I couldn't believe my ears when she told me this. The survival instinct can sometimes make unusual choices.

One of my other main reasons for writing this blog has been to offer my colleagues (not just in Australia but around the world) a quick reference point for their students who in these times have instant access to the Internet and can quickly check out on this site how German grammar works. I have decided that a handy resource for my teaching buddies might be to provide them with a quiz on all of the topics that have come so far and from here in will now set up a quick 'test' for students to see what they have or have not comprehended. Please feel free to use them. I truly wish I had had access to the 'web' when I first started teaching. What a wonderful resource!

Auf Wiedersehen! Ich freue mich auf die nächste Phase des Blogs.

Trabi (old east German 'Trabant') World Berlin