Volume XI | February 25 2018
Your Weekly Dose of Deutsch
All NEW Instagram page is up and running!  Catch some cool, quick videos here, alongside other visuals to help guide your learning process. With March right around the corner, it's time to spring into action and double down on our language learning efforts.

In Volume XI, our featured word of the week shows just how disconnected our intention can be from the outcome -- "intent vs. impact," at its finest. Then we'll hop over into German's weekly trending tracks - "Magisch" would have to be the winner for me, this time around! Super catchy instrumental and great lyrics. Following this, get ready to learn the 6 key question words, alongside common uses of each. We'll finish out with our final vocab list in our "Tour of the Home" installation: Das Schlafzimmer - The Bedroom.

But 1st! A short joke to start us off:

Patient: "Doktor, wie lange habe ich noch zu leben?"
Patient: "Doctor, how much longer do I have to live?"
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Doktor: "Zehn."
Doctor: "Ten."
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Patient: "Wie zehn? Zehn Monate, Wochen, Tage?"
Patient: "Ten what? Ten months, weeks, days?"
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Doktor: "Neun..."
Doctor: "Nine..."
Click the video thumbnail for my NEW Instagram page!
The latest video I shot is on "telling the time"... in 60 seconds! The key phrases to remember:
  • Es ist ___ Uhr = it is ___ o'clock
  • Viertel nach __ =quarter past __
  • Halb __ = half to __
  • Viertel vor __ = quarter to __

This page also features tons of helpful infographics on grammar, vocabulary, and more!

You won't want to miss out :)
Germany's Trending Tracks:
Olexesh, Ufo361, Bonez MC
Magisch - "Magical"
Olexesh (ft. Edin)
Beverly Hills
Ufo361
Ohne mein Team -
"Without my Team"
Bonez MC & RAF Camora
Word of the Week: Verschlimmbessern
(Fer-shlim-bess-ehrn)
"3" "0" "Start." Just 30 more minutes and your cookies will be ready. Piping hot, gooey, and sweet. You simply cannot wait, so you decide to take a quick nap in the interim.

You wash your face, slip into pajamas, and crawl into bed. Just as you're laying your head on the pillow, you smell something. But it's not the cookies...

Uh oh. Something is on fire!

You spring out of bed and rush to the oven, only to confirm your suspicion. You accidentally placed the cookies on regular paper rather than parchment paper.

As you pop the oven open, the flames seep out and the temperature in the room skyrockets.

Mindlessly and in a panic, you get out a bucket and start filling it with water. Once it's halfway full, you position the bucket near the fire and toss the water onto it.

Yes, you guessed what happens next. Since it's an oil fire, the water causes the flames to multiply, rather than subside.

What you just did, my friend, is something the Germans like to call:

Verschlimmbessern. Literally "to better worsen," this oxymoron refers to the act of making something worse in an effort to improve it.

Fast-forward to the end. Your brain turns back on, you locate the fire extinguisher under your sink, and successfully douse the fire before any real damage is done.

Just make sure to think twice next time - intending to make something better, and actually making it better are 2 very different things.
Who, What, When, Where, Why, How?
Who = Wer (vehr)
What = Was (vahs)
When = Wann (vaan)
Where = Wo (vo)
Why = Warum (va-room)
How = Wie (vee)

Knowing these 6 question words in German will get you a very long way! Let's go through some common questions you would ask or hear around each of the above question words:

Who = Wer
  • Wer sind einige von deinen / Ihren Vorbilder? - Who are some of your role models?
  • Wer sind deinen besten Freunden der Welt? - Who are your best friends on Earth?
  • Wer bist du? Wer bin ich? Das ist die Frage. - Who are you? Who am I? That is the question.

What = Was
  • Was isst du / essen Sie gern? - What do you like to eat?
  • Was trinkst du / trinken Sie gern? - What do you like to drink?
  • Was bedeutet das genau? - What does that mean exactly?
  • Was hältst du / halten Sie davon? - What do you think about that?

When = Wann
  • Wann treffen wir uns? - When are we meeting up?
  • Wann fängt die Klasse an? - When does the class begin?
  • Wann gehst du / gehen Sie ins Bett? - When do you go to bed?
  • Wann wachst du / wachen Sie auf? - When do you wake up?

Where = Wo
  • Wo sind die Toiletten? - Where is the restroom?
  • Wo ist die Hauptbahnhof? - Where is the main train station?
  • Wohin gehen wir jetzt? - To where are we going now?

Why = Warum
  • Warum bist du begeistert / traurig / wütend? - Why are you excited / sad / angry?
  • Warum willst du / wollen Sie nicht? - Why do you not want to?
  • Warum warten wir noch? - Why are we still waiting?

How = Wie
  • Wie heißt du / heißen Sie - What's your name?
  • Wie geht's dir / Ihnen heute? - How are things going today?
  • Wie weißt du / weißen Sie das? - How do you know that?
  • Wie kennst du / kennen Sie ihn? - How do you know him?
Vocabulary: Tour of the Home
Das Schlafzimmer - "Bedroom"
das Bett
bed

das Kissen
pillow

der Bettbezug
duvet cover

die Bettlaken
bed sheets

das Kopfbrett
headboard

die Hausschuhe
slippers

der Nachttisch
nightstand

der Wecker
alarm clock

das Fernsehen
television

die Lampe
lamp

der Teppich
rug

der Tisch
desk

der Stuhl
chair

der Spiegel
mirror

die Kommode
dresser

die Kleidung
clothes

der Kleiderschrank
closet

die Schubladen
drawers

die Regale
shelves

die Kleiderbügel
clothes hangers

die Bilder
pictures


Verbs

Musik hören (ich höre Musik)
to listen to music (I listen to music)

Videospiele spielen (ich spiele Videospiele)
to play video games (I play video games)

schlafen (ich schlafe)
to sleep (I sleep)

sich umziehen (ich ziehe mich um)
to put on clothes (I put on clothes)

sich ausziehen (ich ziehe mich aus)
to take off clothes (I take off clothes)