Volume XIX | April 29 2018
Berlin, Deutschland
Your Weekly Dose of Deutsch
Nette Menschen! Es ist Zeit, unsere Wochen auf dem richtigen Weg anzufangen!
Lovely people! It is time to start off our weeks on the right foot!

Here's what we'll be covering in this post :  Our word of the week  beautifully articulates a deep sense of intuition that we all strive for.  Our "Trending Tracks" section  features hit songs released earlier this month. My favorite song of the 3 is "Je ne parle pas français," which is sung in both German and French. Warning: it's a very addicting song that you will listen to more than once in a row... Next,  Our grammar section  spotlights the separable and inseparable prefix verbs. In addition to listing all the prefixes and their meanings, we'll go over many real-life, practical sentences to help you remember these prefixed verbs! Finally,  Our vocabulary list  will build on last week's list: "die Arbeitswelt - the world of work." It is titled "der Arbeitsplatz - the workplace," and it focuses on helpful phrases to shine in the German workplace!

Lehnt Zurück, Entspannt, und Genießt!
Lean Back, Relax, and Enjoy!
Germany's Trending Tracks:
Namika, Weiss, Capital Bra
Je ne parle pas français
"I do not speak French"
Namika
An Wunder
"In Miracles"
Wincent Weiss
Neymar
Capital Bra
Word of the Week:
Fingerspitzengefühl
(Finguh-shpits-en-ge-fewl)
Scenario 1: A diplomat is in a high-stakes conference session, where fellow global leaders are threatening to halt trade relations with one another because of a foreign relations disagreement. This diplomat takes detailed notes, prepares a case, and interjects. He presents an idea that satisfies all the parties involved and leads them to a happy compromise.

Scenario 2: A business owner is operating their shop on just another normal day. An angry customer busts into the front door and starts shouting at the owner, "You messed up my order. I'm going to sue you." The owner listens calmly, gives a heartfelt, deep apology, and offers the customer 2 free orders to make up for the mistake. The customer cools down quickly and leaves the store feeling content.

Scenario 3: A husband and wife are having dinner at their home, when all of a sudden, a burglar breaks into the front door. The burglar holds a gun up to the homeowner's heads and violently requests to take all their valuable possessions. Instead of panicking and begging for mercy, the husband smiles lightly and asks the burglar, "Would you like to join us for dinner and drinks?" The burglar is surprised, as he has never been treated with such kindness; he puts his weapon down and accepts the polite offer.

What do the diplomat, business owner, and man in these 3 scenarios have in common?

Fingerspitzengefühl

Literally, "finger-tip feeling" this term refers to an extraordinary situational awareness and instinctual ability to respond tactfully in tense situations. It is the perfect combination of empathy, sound judgment, and diplomacy.
Separable & Inseparable
Prefix Verbs
Separable Prefix Verbs :   many German verbs are created by adding prefixes to plain verbs; the meanings of these prefixes greatly influence the meaning of the prefixed verb

The Prefixes

Ab- (away from)
An-  (on, towards)
Auf-  (up, on)
Aus-  (out, complete)
Durch-  (through)
Los-  (away, of; un-)
Mit-  (along, with)
Bei-  (along, with)
Ein-  (in, into)
Frei-  (free, clear)
Her-  (movement toward speaker)
Hin-  (movement away from speaker)
Nach-  (follow after, repeat, reduce / lessen)

Word Order : as you will see in all the following examples, when conjugated, the separable prefix goes to the end of its clause

Example Verbs & Sentences for Each Prefix :

Ab- (away from )
  • Abnehmen - to remove, take away
  • Ich nehme den Deckel vom Topf ab. - I take the lid off the pot.
  • Abbrechen - to break off
  • Er bricht ein Stück Pizza ab. - I break off a piece of the pizza.
An-  (on, towards)
  • Ankommen - to arrive
  • Sie kommen gerade um 19 Uhr an. - I will arrive exactly at 7pm.
  • Anschauen - to look at
  • Wir schauen die Nachrichten täglich an. - I watch the news daily.
Auf-  (up, on)
  • Aufstehen - to get up
  • Ich stehe fast jeden Morgen um 7 Uhr auf. - I get up at 7am nearly everyday.
  • Aufbauen - to build up
  • Der Manager baut eine starke Beziehung mit seinen Teammitglieder auf. - The manager builds a strong relationship with his team members.
Aus-  (out, complete)
  • Aussteigen - to get out of (car / train / bus)
  • Ihr steigt in 3 Haltestellen aus. - You will get out in 3 more stops.
  • Ausfüllen - to fill out (a form / application)
  • Ich fülle das Antragsformular für die neue Rolle aus. - I fill out the application form for the new role.
Durch-  (through)
  • Durchbrechen - to break through
  • Die Familie bricht den Teufelskreis der Armut durch, wann sie die Lotterie gewonnen haben. - The family broke the cycle of poverty by winning the lottery.
  • Durchhalten - to endure
  • Die starke Frau hält 2 Krankenheiten gleichzeitig durch. - The strong woman endures 2 illnesses at the same time.
Los-   (away, of; un-)
  • Loslassen - to let go of
  • Das Kind lässt den Drachen aus Versehen los. - The child accidentally lets go of the kite.
  • Losgehen - to commence, kick off
  • Die Veranstaltung geht in ein paar Stunden los. - The event kicks off in a few hours.
Mit-  (along, with)
  • Mitbringen - to bring along
  • Wir bringen eine Flasche Wein zur Party mit. - We will bring a bottle of wine with us to the party.
  • Mitteilen - to inform, share with
  • Sie teilen ihre Entscheidung uns mit. - They inform us of their decision.
Bei-  (along, with)
  • Beitragen - to contribute to
  • Er trägt viel zum Erfolg des Unternehmens bei. - He contributes greatly to the success of the company.
  • Beitreten - to join
  • Ich trete 3 Studentenorganisationen dieses Semester bei. - I am joining 3 student organizations this semester.
Ein-  (in, into)
  • Einladen - to invite
  • Sie laden uns zur Konferenz ein. - They invite us to the conference.
  • Einfallen - to collapse
  • Das Gebäude fällt wegen des Erdbebens ein. - The building falls because of the earthquake.
Frei-  (free, clear)
  • Freigeben - to release (inmate, prisoner)
  • Der Präsident gibt den letzten politischen Häftling frei. - The president releases the last political prisoner.
  • Freihalten - to keep clear
  • Sie hält diese 3 Stunden für ihren Freunden frei. - She keeps these 3 hours clear for her boyfriend.
Her-   (movement toward speaker)
  • Herführen - to bring / lead here
  • Die Flüssen führen an diesen Punkt her. - The rivers lead to this point.
  • Herbestellen - to summon
  • Er bestellt den Elektriker zu seinem Haus her. - He asks the electrician to come to his house.
Hin-  (movement away from speaker)
  • Hinbewegen - to move toward
  • Unser Land bewegt sich auf ein fairer Steuersystem hin. - Our country is moving toward a fairer tax system.
  • Hinlegen - to lay down
  • Ich lege meine saubere Kleidung auf das Bett hin. - I lay down my clean clothes on the bed.
Nach-  (follow after, repeat, reduce / lessen)
  • Nachahmen - to mimic, imitate
  • Papageien ahmen ihren Besitzer nach. - Parrots mimic their owners.
  • Nachfolgen - to follow, succeed
  • Sie folgt dem gestorbenen Chef nach. - She will succeed the deceased boss.


Inseparable Prefix Verbs :   similar to their separable counterpart, the meanings of these prefixes greatly influence the meaning of the prefixed verb

The Prefixes

Er- (completed action)
Miss-  (going wrong)
Zer-   (break into pieces)
Ent- (separate, remove)
Emp-   (no clear meaning)
Ge-  (no clear meaning)
Wider-  (against, back)
Ver-  (worsen, reverse a process)
Be-  (many meanings; but all have direct objects)

Word Order : as you will see in all the following examples, when conjugated, the inseparable prefix stays attached to the verb; it does not move to the end

Example Verbs & Sentences for Each Prefix :

Er- (completed action)
  • Erreichen - to reach, get to
  • Wir erreichen unser Ziel zusammen. - We will reach our goal together.
  • Erzwingen - to compel, force
  • Die Eltern erzwingen ihren Sohn, Arzt zu werden. - The parents compel their sohn to become a doctor.
Miss-  (going wrong)
  • Missverstehen - to misiunderstand
  • Ihr habt uns total missverstanden. - You totally misunderstood us.
  • Misslingen - to fail at
  • Es ist möglich, dass unser Team misslingt. - It is possible that our team fails.
Zer-   (break into pieces)
  • Zerstören - to destroy
  • Die Armee zerstört drei kleine Dörfer während des Kriegs. - The army destroys three small villages during the war.
  • Zerbrechen - to shatter
  • Die Teller fallen vom hoch und zerbrechen auf dem Boden - The plates fall from up high and shatter on the floor.
Ent- (separate, remove)
  • Entkommen - to escape from
  • Die Flüchtlinge entkommen ihrer Heimat. - The refugees escape from their homeland.
  • Entfernen - to remove
  • Der Chirurg entfernt das Glas vom Gesicht seines Patients. - The surgeon removes the glass from the face of his patient.
Emp-   (no clear meaning)
  • Empfehlen - to recommend
  • Könnt ihr uns ein paar Restaurants empfehlen? - Can you recommend us a few restaurants?
  • Empfangen - to receive
  • Ich kann keine E-mails mehr empfangen, weil meine Posteingang zu voll ist. I cannot receive anymore emails, because my inbox is too full.
Ge-  (no clear meaning)
  • Gehören - to belong to
  • Dieses Auto gehört dem reichen Mann. - This car belongs to the rich man.
  • Geschehen - to happen
  • Was ist hier geschehen? - What happened here?
Wider-  (against, back)
  • Widerrufen - to withdraw, retract
  • Ich widerrufe meine schmerzhaften Bemerkungen. - I retract my hurtful comments.
  • Widerlegen - to refute, disprove
  • Der Anwalt widerlegt die Ansprüche seines Gegners. - The lawyer disproves the claims of his opponent.
Ver-  (worsen, reverse a process)
  • Verletzen - to injure
  • Das Mädchen verletzt sich auf dem Spielplatz. - The girl hurts herself on the playground.
  • Verkaufen - to sell
  • Das Unternehmen verkauft Software und Hardware-Produkte. - The company sells software and hardware products.
Be-  (many meanings; but all have direct objects)
  • Bedeuten - to mean, signify
  • Was bedeutet dir diese Nachricht? - What does this message mean to you?
  • Besprechen - to discuss
  • Die Klasse bespricht die neu beschlossenen Statuten. - The class discusses the newly passed statutes.
Vocabulary:
Der Arbeitsplatz ( The Workplace)
der Arbeitsplatz
workplace

das Büro, Amt
office

die Niederlassung, Branche
branch

die Hauptquartier
headquarters

die Belegschaft, Arbeitskräfte
workforce

der Arbeitstag
workday

die Arbeitsschichten
work shifts

die Mittagspause
lunch break

die Kantine
cafeteria

der Feierabend
closing time, end of workday

die Tagesordnung
agenda

die Vorbereitung
preparation

der Termin
meeting

Telko (Telefonkonferenz)
conference call

die Teilnehmer
attendees

das Datum
date

die Zeit
time

der Ort
place

der Terminkalender
meeting calendar

der Verkauf
sales

das Marketing
marketing

die Finanzabteilung
finance

die Buchhaltung
accounting

die Personalabteilung
human resources (HR)

die Forschungs- und Entwicklungsabteilung
research and development

die technische Unterstützung
technical support

die Quereinsteiger
lateral entrants (aka, employees who switch to another field / line of business)

der Betriebsrat
works council

Na?
Alright, cool?

Alles fresh?
How's it going?

Das ist ____. Mit wem spreche ich? ( on the phone )
This is ____. With whom am I speaking?

Ich möchte mit ____ sprechen. ( on the phone)
I would like to speak to ____.

Wenn möglich, können Sie das wiederholen / buchstabieren? ( on the phone )
If it's possible, can you repeat / spell that?

Ich schreibe bezüglich... ( per email)
I am writing in regards to,,,

Ich möchte ein Treffen vereinbaren. Wann wird am besten für dich / Sie?
I would like to arrange a meeting. When works best for you?

Sollen wir "duzen" oder "Siezen"?
Should we address one another informally with "du" or formally with "Sie"?

Wie kann ich zum Drucker verbinden?
How can I connect to the printer?

Wann fängt der Termin an? Wie lange dauert es?
When does the meeting start? How long is it?

Der Termin fängt um ____ Uhr an. Es dauert (nur) eine halbe Stunde.
The meeting begins at ____. It will last for (only) 30 minutes.

Soll ich am Termin / an der Besprechung teilnehmen?
Should I attend the meeting / conference?

Kann ich einen Füller und Notizblock borgen?
Can I borrow a pen and notepad?

Darf ich mal kurz unterbrechen?
May I interrupt briefly?

Kannst du / Können Sie mir bitte eine Mail schreiben?
Can you please send me an email?

Ich kann es dir / Ihnen weiterleiten.
I can forward it to you.

Kümmerst du dich / Kümmern Sie sich darum, bitte?
Would you mind taking that on, please?

Ich habe es (schon) im Griff.
I am (already) working on it.

Da warte ich auf Feedback.
I am waiting for Feedback.

Ich setze das auf meine To-Do-Liste.
I will put that on my to do list.

Lass uns einen Kaffee trinken gehen.
Let's go grab a coffee.

Möchtest du / Möchten Sie einen Kaffee oder einen Tee?
Would you like a coffee or a tea?

Gibt es offene Stellen in anderen Abteilungen?
Are there open positions in other departments?

Wie kann ich mich für diese Stellen bewerben?
How can I apply to these positions?

*Einige von diesen Fragen kamen aus: Artikel 1, Artikel 2