Funny anecdote, I was talking in German today with a friend, and I wanted to say "I facepalmed myself" (ironically, talking about a mistake talking in German) and without meaning to make a joke I did indeed say "Ich habe mich facegepalmed".

My friend laughed, I laughed too, and we didn't really say anything about it. And now a few hours laters I was thinking about it. I find it kind of hilarious that I added the "ge" in the middle as if it was a separable verb, I truly did it on instinct and came naturally to me. How does that sound to you? Would "Ich hab mich gefacepalmt" be better or is it equally bad?

Edit: also I imagine that just using the English facepalmed would be what natives would reach for, but I'm curious about the specific "Germanizations" and how they sounds.

I have an anki pack/app for Japanese that is phrases, words and grammer tips with movie/anime scenes with that word/phrase in it. I have seen several oages on instagram that use multiple scenes from different movies to teach english phrases.

Im wondering if anyone knows of anything like this for german?

I learn so so much better when i see the language being used in context. I do watch shows and etc in german or with subtitles but having something like this would help a lot

the only way I can freely make sentences and keep my thoughts and speech aligned is by removing all articles or by using “die” for everything.

i thought using articles would become automatic by now but nope, my brain is still I. capable of processing that info at a speed that’s suitable for a normal human conversation. I have to really stop and think to use the accurate ones, and it looks like I’m solving a math problem in my head, which is a very unnatural way to communicate.

does anyone have the same problem?

and I am also curious to hear how much someone not using articles or using the wrong articles bothers native speakers?

Hallo zusammen,

ich bin 33 Jahre alt, lebe seit fast drei Jahren in Deutschland und habe ein B2-Zertifikat. Mittlerweile arbeite ich sogar als Apothekenleiter.

Trotzdem bin ich mit meinem Deutsch überhaupt nicht zufrieden. Obwohl ich jeden Tag auf Deutsch arbeite und mit vielen Menschen spreche, habe ich immer noch große Schwierigkeiten mit der Sprache.

Besonders beim freien Sprechen fehlen mir oft die richtigen Wörter, ich mache Grammatikfehler und brauche manchmal zu lange, um meine Gedanken auszudrücken. Auch beim Hörverstehen habe ich Probleme, vor allem wenn Muttersprachler schnell oder umgangssprachlich sprechen.

Dazu kommt, dass ich mit meiner Aussprache überhaupt nicht zufrieden bin. Das Ganze belastet mich mittlerweile auch psychisch, weil ich das Gefühl habe, dass mein Deutsch für meine berufliche Position eigentlich viel besser sein müsste.

Ich möchte nicht einfach den nächsten klassischen Sprachkurs besuchen, in dem hauptsächlich Grammatik gemacht wird oder man sich auf eine Prüfung vorbereitet. Mir geht es darum, flüssiger, natürlicher und selbstbewusster Deutsch zu sprechen und mein Hörverstehen sowie meine Aussprache zu verbessern.

Deshalb meine Fragen an euch:

• War jemand von euch schon mal in einer ähnlichen Situation? Was hat euch wirklich geholfen?

• Würdet ihr eher Privatunterricht oder einen Konversationskurs empfehlen?

• Wie findet man einen guten Lehrer, der gezielt an Aussprache und flüssigem Sprechen arbeitet?

• Kennt ihr gute Online-Angebote oder Kurse, die ihr aus eigener Erfahrung empfehlen könnt?

Ich wohne in Braunschweig, deshalb wären auch Empfehlungen vor Ort super.

Ich freue mich über eure Erfahrungen und ehrlichen Tipps. Vielen Dank schon mal!

I don’t know that much German, I’m still just starting out and have only been taking classes for a few months. I know watching tv is a good idea to immerse yourself, so I’m trying to do that. I don’t know that much vocab at this point. I watch shows that I have watched multiple times in English, so I know what’s happening.

When I watch tv in German with English subtitles I find that they speak way too fast so I end up just reading instead. I don’t think this is productive. Should I just switch to German with German subtitles or would I just be wasting my time? Will I actually learn anything? My thought process is I can read the German so I can actually understand what words are being said and it can create a better link in my head to the language I actually am trying to learn, not just rely on English.

I know when kids are growing up they learn automatically by listening, is this the same for an adult brain?

Do you know some online resources for learning sentences with damit or um...zu, expecially for "reverse-engineer" the answer and make the question with Wozu/Warum?

For example:

Ich lerne Deutsch, um bessere Gespräch zu unterhalten ---> Wozu/Warum lernst du Deutsch?

I would like to make my German writing skills more precise, and not only pursue the goal of communicating.

Thanks for your future answers 🤝

Hello!

I have never tried to formally learn German prior to this past few months but I have been on Duolingo and currently sit at level 83 (definitely not a substitute for proper learning and engagement with the language but I am just finishing my subscription). I should have engaged with more proper materials and so far I finished the A1.1/1.2 book of Netwerkz Neu and currently work on its A2.1 book. Since I am self studying, I have been having some trouble doing its group activities but despite all that I try to engage with what is being asked for in those sections of the book.

I think the grammatical parts are doable and for now Duolingo supplements my need for new words. I was wondering what advise you can give me to start expressing my thoughts? I am not that confident about forming sentences yet and I want to be able to some extent write some simple sentences that I can string to a single paragraph on some topic like let's say something like recalling my day or expressing my thoughts on something.

Do you guys have any advice on how I can express myself more through writing? I remember back in the days when I was learning English (the country I was from teaches in english but not our main language) that we usually got a theme and we are asked to write a paragraph in English. I am looking for something similar to that kind of activity.

My current tentative solution to this is write it simply in English and then translate to German but I struggle on how to compose sentences.

was trying to write something, looked up endearments for children
ended up here, after remembering the internets full of weird decontextualized or fully made up bs, and i questioned the list id found
i like schnecke, i like that it means snail, the post i found was answered by multiple people saying it was a overly sexual thing to call an adult woman, it also can be used to refer to genitals
and then i like maus/mausi, which was approved of on that post, aaand wiktionary said that ALSO means genitals
in american english pussy means cat, female genitals, and weak, technically you could call someone pussycat as an endearment but it sounds archaic and while its not exactly the same as the previous word there is a weird derogatory or sexual edge to it To Me at least
and kitty, kittycat, kitten, which are seemingly identical, are basically fine, kitty sometimes means genitals but as far as im aware its an uncommon nonsense word female children are given for their privates, an someone might use it to refer to an adults genitals sexually but its very odd

so: is schnecke ONLY a weird gross thing to call a (hopefully) adult woman or refer to genitals directly, that you would NEVER call a child
and IS mausi a normal sweet thing to call someone, a child or an adult, who specifically doesnt have a problem being called mouse

and otherwise, a source for german endearments one for Children exclusively and one for partners exclusively, written by a real human person who speaks german natively and understands how to communicate Context
so i dont use another list thats a scramble of things you call kids, adults youre in an intimate relationship with, and strangers youre trying to pick up in a bar

"...bonzig mit fetter Perlenketten um den Hals."

The definitions I saw were a bit unclear, hope you can clarify this word for me🙏🏻.

The book is about teenagers and written for teenagers, it takes place in Berlin but some of the main characters come originally from Hamburg. The protagonist seems to describe some girls at a new school prior to this sentence.

When I studied abroad in Germany for a year one of the host families I lived with for the final 3 or 4 months had 5 kids with a pretty wide age range. As I started spending time with the kids and getting to know them, I quickly noticed that my 5 year old host brother habitually used the verb mögen in his sentences instead of wollen or möchten whenever there was an activity he wanted to be included in or if there was something he wanted to have.

Ich mag mitkommen!
Ich mag mitspielen!
Ich mag auch ein Eis essen!

Are speech patterns like that common for young native speaker children? Nobody in the family ever corrected him during those moments so I figured there was a reason and I just rolled with it like everyone else. I have always been curious about this but never asked my host-mom about it when I was living with them.

I've been on duolingo for a while now and I've felt like I haven't learnt as much recently as I'd like. I've just started my A-level in German so I'd like to be able to practice quite easily (especially grammar). I'd be willing to pay for a subscription, depending on the price, though I'd prefer a free app. Any suggestions?

What is the HAAARDEST word to pronounce? I think its 555555.

hi! im planning to take A1 classes soon and i am wondering if anyone could give me advice whether it is better to enroll in an online class or onsite? personally, i am comfortable in any learning conditions however, i am also looking for your insights which could help me learn german language better. i hope someone would answer this, thank you!

I sometimes listen to German music in order to improve my knowledge of the language. And with the holidays slowly approaching I also enjoy German Christmas songs.

However, I was struck by two sentences (in two different songs), which gave me some puzzles:

1. In the song "Oh, es riecht gut" ( https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oh,_es_riecht_gut ) the sentence "Helft nur alle Mandeln knacken." appears. Does the "alle" here refer to the "Mandeln" or to the people around (i.e., is it "Help crack all the almonds" or "You all help crack the almonds")?

2. The song "Tausend Sterne sind ein Dom" ( https://www.myheimat.de/hamburg/c-kultur/tausend-sterne-sind-ein-dom_a3438822 ) has the line "Und silbern schwingt der hohe Dom". How should i Understand the word "silbern" in this sentence? Is it the colour of the cathedral?

Ich bin Amerikaner, wenn das nicht sofort offensichtlich ist!

I mean something you understand perfectly but never say yourself, like a polite request to a senior or a way to disagree.

What do you say instead?

Dieses beschissene Wort: willkürlich. Wie kann es zwei Bedeutungen haben, die gegensätzliches bedeuten. Das sorgt so oft für Verwirrung bei mir.

Sie bewegte ihre Arme willkürlich.

Ja was denn nun? Hat sie sie willentlich und bewusst bewegt oder eben zufällig? Oder war es beides? Zwar willkürlich aber auch durchaus willkürlich?

Selbst im Duden steht als Beispiel: etwas ganz willkürlich festlegen.

Meine Dozentin benutzt das Wort sehr häufig. Meistens im Sinne von willentlich. Aber völlig willkürlich benutzt sie auch mal die andere Bedeutung.

Ob dieser Rant jetzt völlig willkürlich oder eben doch willkürlich war überlasse ich euch.

Edit:

Laut Duden kann willkürlich folgendes bedeuten:

1a: auf Willkür beruhend

1b: nicht nach einem System erfolgend, sondern wie es sich zufällig ergibt

2: vom eigenen Willen gesteuert; bewusst erfolgend, gewollt

hey, goethe has a black friday deal on deutschtraining online right now (200€ off with the code, so like 99€). i’m thinking about getting it but not sure if it’s worth it.

has anyone used it? is it actually good or just a bunch of boring exercises? i’m around B1/B2 and doing a B2 course now, so i want extra practice for everything, reading, listening, writing, speaking.

also they added AI speaking practice now. has anyone tried it? is it actually useful, or is it basically the same as just talking to chatgpt or claude?

would be nice to hear honest opinions before i buy it 🙏

Specifically, I'm looking for a word that describes the "space" our lives take up in others' lives. The social volume we displace. That which becomes empty when we go, or maybe even the collective memories of a person.

Thank you

I study for a german class and I'd like to be really good at describing images. I have the following problem:

There is a picture and on it there are two things: a woman and a basket.
Which one is the correct sentence?

Auf dem Bild gibt es eine Frau. Sie hat einen Korb vor sich.
Auf dem Bild gibt es eine Frau. Sie hat einen Korb vor ihr.

Thanks for the help!

Wenn ich in Deutschland studiert und Vorträge gehalten hab hatt ich Schwierigkeiten damit, mich verständlich zu machen (wie oft, kann ich nicht sagen, weil ich ja kein Zuhörer war; aber man hat mir Bescheid gegeben). Die Sätze waren richtig genug gebildet (Artikelfehler und komische Formulierungen sind für mich unvermeidlich, hindern aber andere nicht daran, mich zu verstehen), aber ich konnte die Sätze nicht gut genug artikulieren, einzelne Silben wurden zu undeutlich und die Silben wurden quasi zusammen verschmolzen. Ich erfahre noch diese Schwierigkeit im Gespräch, muss mich manchmal zwingen, langsamer zu sprechen, und ich stolpere iwie bei üblichen Wörtern wie "hauptsächlich." Was kann ich dafür?

Hallo zusammen,

ich hätte eine kurze Frage.

Ich möchte mich sehr gut vorbereiten, um die telc-B2-Prüfung zu bestehen.
Aus diesem Grund wollte ich wissen, welche Bücher ihr mir empfehlen könnt.

Ich habe 8 Monate lang Deutschkurse bis zum Niveau B1.4 besucht und versuche jetzt, mein B2-Niveau selbstständig aufzubauen. Ich lerne mit B2.1 von Klett und möchte danach B2.2 (ebenfalls von Klett) bestellen, aber ich ziehe auch andere Bücher zu Grammatik und Wortschatz in Betracht.

Erst für die Zeit kurz vor der Prüfung habe ich überlegt, ein bestimmtes Buch mit telc-Prüfungssimulationen zu kaufen.

Was haltet ihr davon?
Ich habe 8–9 Monate Zeit zum Lernen, unter Berücksichtigung meiner Vollzeitarbeit.

Ich freue mich auf eure Meinungen!

LG