Your Weekly Dose of Deutsch

Volume IV | January 7 2018

New Year, New Newsletter

Your Weekly Dose of Deutsch is back and ready to roll in 2018. In the spirit of the New Year, I'm introducing a new section to the newsletter - Germany's Trending Tracks. This section will feature songs that are hot in Germany, so you can stay up to date with the "Popkultur" (pop culture). Since we took a break last week, I owe you a quick refresher: in the last volume of 2017 we covered the 7 most common German dialects, followed by a holiday-themed vocab list. This volume, we'll start off with 3 tracks trending in Germany, an intriguing word of the week, an analysis of 2 German verbs with the same translation but different meanings, and a vocab list that's all about LIFE .

Here's to a great 2018! Let's dive in!

Germany's Trending Tracks:

Ofenbach, Bausa, LEA

Was Du Liebe Nennst - "What You Call Love"

Bausa

Leiser - "Softer"

LEA

Katchi

Ofenbach vs. Nick Waterhouse

Word of the Week:

Lebensmüde

"Life tired" - well, there's the literal translation. In other words, "tired of life." While it can be used in a serious context to describe someone who is supremely fed-up or mired in a mid-life crisis, it's everyday use is a bit more lighthearted. It's intended to put a smile on your face actually. When you do something risky or edgy - or perhaps something out of character - to spice up your life, you are acting out of lebensmüde . Lacking an English equivalent, this word is incredibly relatable and reassuring. Rather than feel like you're "losing a part of yourself" when you make a risky or out-of-character decision, understand that you're being driven by lebensmüde... By a burning desire to shake things up a bit and keep life as interesting as possible at all times!

Wohnen (to live) vs. Leben (to live)

Wohnen : closely tied to the word Wohnung (the apartment) , so think residency . In broad strokes, "wohnen" describes where you live - a house, an apartment, a city.

Wo wohnst du? = Where do you live?
Wohnst du mit Eltern, Freunden, allein? = Do you live with family, friends, alone?
Wohnst du in der Stadt oder außerhalb? = Do you live in the city or outside of it?

Leben : closely tied to the word Leben (the life) , so think lifestyle . Generally speaking, "leben" describes how you live - well, healthily, poorly, happily.

Ich lebe gesund. = I live a healthy life.
Sie lebt in den Tag hinein = She lives for the moment.
Du lebst noch. = You are still alive.

Another way to differentiate these 2 verbs:

Wohnen is short-term , Leben is long-term :

Ich wohne mit Familie in Deutschland diesen Sommer. = I am living with family in Germany this summer.
Ich lebe mit meiner Frau außerhalb Berlin. = I live with my wife outside of Berlin.
The 1st example has a short-term intention, while the 2nd example shows a long-term intention.