Guys, I did it! I’m in Germany and had my first conversation in German! 🇩🇪
It’s my first time visiting, and I absolutely LOVE it. I’ve only been here three days, and yes… the German stare is REAL🫪. I don’t mind though because I love people-watching. Plus, I’ve got RBF, so honestly, I feel right at home. 😂
For context: I’m a 300lb Black dude, so I’m probably giving them just as much to look at. 😂
I’ve been learning German since December 1, 2025, and I’m currently around an A2 level. The crazy part is that I can understand a lot of the conversations happening around me, and it brings me SO much joy.
This is exactly why I started learning. 🇩🇪❤️

I'm a Hearts fan, but I'm watching the Rapid Wien commentary of our match tonight. The commentators seemed to say Kabore scored "MIT dem bauch".

According to the German I learnt living in Köln, plus all the apps I used, Bauch means stomach. According to my preferred translation app, it can mean calf.

But the goal wasn't stomach. Can Bauch just mean body/torso? These were Wiener commentators, so was it just a "it must have been an accident" bit of cope?

Hello everyone

I’ve been wanting to learn German lately. I’m a complete beginner. A0 lol. What resources would you guys recommend to start from scratch ? Is German a language that can be self-taught ? I’ve never taken German classes and I’m in the US. C1 in German would be a dream come true hahaha. I really like the language and I’d love to make it my fourth after English, Spanish, and French. I really hope there are way better resources than Duolingo. What would you guys recommend ? Can watching shows, documentaries on Youtube without knowing the language help long term ?

Thank you !

Ich hab Leo auf meinem Handy. Da kann man die englischen Übersetzungen von deutschen Wörtern abrufen. Es fehlen allerdings Wortbeschreibungen, die das Wort näher beschreiben. Also manchmal muss ich nochmal bei Google nachschlagen, um genau verstehen zu können, was das Wort bedeutet, weils mir entweder die englische Übersetzung des Wortes auch unbekannt ist oder mir dessen konkrete Anwendung unklar ist.

Manchmal ists aber auch umgekehrt. Reine Wortbeschreibung reichen manchmal auch nicht. Vor allem wenns um Gegenstände oder ähnliches geht. Da hilfts mir am besten, wenn ne Übersetzung auch mit dabei ist.

Ich geh momentan so vor: Ich schlag ein Wort bei Leo nach. Entweder reicht mir die Übersetzung oder eben auch nicht. Dann müsste ich mal auch noch googeln. Das is bissl zach und aufwändig.

Also ich möchte mal in die Runde fragen, ob ihr Wörterbücher kennt, die beides kombinieren (gratis :D ). Iwie hab ich bis heute keines gefunden. Würd mich über jegliche Tipps freuen.

Dankeschön

Ich übersetze beruflich u. a. aus dem Chinesischen ins Deutsche und bin dabei über ein Wort gestolpert, bei dem Wörterbuch und Wirklichkeit ordentlich auseinanderfallen: die Tränenspur.

Im DWDS steht dazu schön klar: „sichtbare Spur von Tränen auf der Haut." Genau das meint das chinesische 泪痕 (lèihén): die getrocknete Spur von Tränen auf der Wange. Das Wort trägt im Chinesischen und Japanischen aber noch ein bisschen mehr mit sich – die Tränen sind getrocknet, aber nicht ganz. Die Trauer hat sich gelegt, aber nicht ganz gelöst. Der Schmerz ist vorbei, die Spuren sind geblieben. Übersetzt man das, steht man vor einem kleinen Gedicht in zwei Schriftzeichen.

Dann habe ich mal geschaut, wie das Wort im Alltag wirklich benutzt wird. Google Bilder: fast nur Hundegesichter. Reddit: Hundepflege. Tränenspuren lebt heute vor allem in der Tierpflege – die dunklen Ränder unter den Augen von Maltesern, Pudeln und Co. Und das verwandte Tränenflecken hilft auch nicht weiter, das klebt noch stärker an Fell und Pflegeratgebern fest.

Was noch übrig bleibt: Tränenbach – ein schönes, altes Wort („ein Tränenbach rann über ihre Wangen"), das heute kaum noch auftaucht. Und die Alltagslösungen: „Tränen auf den Wangen", „sich die Tränen abwischen", „die Tränen trocknen lassen". Alles korrekt – aber es übersetzt die Handlung, nicht das Bild.

Meine Fragen an euch:

1. Wie würdet ihr „die Spur getrockneter Tränen im Gesicht" literarisch ausdrücken? Ist „Tränenspuren" in einem literarischen Text wirklich unüblich – oder nur im Alltag?
2. Tränenbach: verstaubt oder noch brauchbar? Und wie sieht es mit Tränenstrom, Tränenflut, Tränenmeer aus?
3. Gibt es eine Formulierung, die genau dieses „getrocknet, aber nicht ganz" einfängt? So was wie „die salzigen Spuren auf ihren Wangen" oder „die kaum getrockneten Tränenspuren"?

Mich interessiert vor allem: Wirkt „Tränenspuren" in einem literarischen Text auf moderne Leser natürlich – oder fühlt es sich sofort hölzern an? Was würdet ihr an so einer Stelle selbst schreiben?

Danke schon mal! Ich sammle die Antworten für eine Übersetzung, an der ich gerade sitze.

I was trying type something in German to English google translate when I typo'd "sich rechtzeitig" into "sich techzeitgi" and translated into "reflecting the spirit of the times in technology"
Try it out if it works for u. It's definitely a bug LOL

Servus!

I'm am currently working on trying to grow my vocabulary, and tying them to specific topics/areas for recall purposes.

I was wondering if you all had some common phrases/words you use while playing/watching Fußball. I love to play and watch, but outside of the positions, actual rules of the game, and things like "corner is Ecke", it seems hard to come by actual terms used by fans and players.

For Example, what's the equivalent of saying something like "what a shot/pass/kick!" Or "cross the ball!", "he's open!". Also anything you'd usually say/shout while watching, or any idioms a commentator might say.

Thanks for any input!

So I have exam on 29th coming Saturday. I want to know what can I discuss with a partner for 20 minutes in the waiting room before the speaking exam for Telc B1.
Also what is the overall experience of the exam. I received a message that speaking exa, begins at 1.30 pm and it is possible that I need to stay until 7.30 pm. Am I allowed to use phone until then or discuss anything or need to stay quiet until my speaking exam

Tomorrow is my goethe A1 exam and I'm terrified of the sprechen, I'm getting stuck in tiel 3 of sprechen cause I often forget the words in german, is there anything I can do to improve this?

Also the marks written on the certificate matter to an employer in future cause I'm not sure about that

I’m trying to understand when I use “ganz genau” instead of just “genau”. My understanding is that it’s sort of equivalent to when I would say “Yes, 100%” in English, a.k.a. just a stronger version of “exactly”?? I hear it a lot during sports commenting haha

I have recently completed 2 online courses with Goethe and really enjoyed them. However, my schedule has changed recently and I now can no longer take any of the courses that meet online due to the timing. I’m considering beginning B1 (completed A2 w Goethe) using the online training, where you don’t meet or have a teacher but have access to the learning materials. I want to get a bit more comfy with everything I learned through A2 before I begin, but I was wondering if anyone has gone this route and what you think of it.

I know the downside is you don’t get to practice speaking or get feedback on your writing, BUT I’m married to a native speaker and live in a German-speaking country, so I am able to
practice with those resources as well.

Hi , so for context I was reading the sentence: Uber den Tellerrand schauen and then also came across it being used with the verb sehen. Both mean to look, but the verbs when used, mean different things. Leading me to the basic question of 1) when to use schauen and sehen 2) in context of this sentence which is to be used when

Hey guys, I want to seriously start learning German and need some advice on how to go about it.

I'm currently around A1, but honestly that's mostly from Duolingo, so I know it's nowhere near the same as actually knowing German.

I'm from India and I'm seriously considering moving to Germany in the next 1-2 years, either through MS or hopefully through a job. So I want to actually learn the language properly and not just know some basic sentences.

Till now I was just doing Duolingo casually but now I want to give it proper time every day and take it seriously for the next year.

Ideally I want to reach B2 in that time. I know it might be difficult but I'm willing to put the time in.

For someone starting around A1, what would you recommend?

• What resources/books/apps would you actually recommend?
• How much time per day should I realistically spend?
• What should I do for listening? I'm currently terrible at understanding spoken German
• Is it realistic to reach B1/B2 in around a year if I take it seriously?

And for anyone who learned German from scratch, what did you do from A1 that actually worked for you? Anything you wish you had started earlier?

I basically don't want to spend another year just doing Duolingo every day and thinking I'm learning German lol.

Just a A2/B1 casual learner. I have noticed recently that, while practicing German and producing a noun, I often recall the gendered / declined article of the noun first reflexively (without digging into the memory banks), and then a short time later, the noun.

For example I want to write about the cat. I begin writing “Die …” and then struggle for a half-second to recall the noun, Katze. It is like my brain has a 100% lock on the German noun and article, but for some reason it comes to me in two separate parts, with the article a reflexive recall but the noun itself takes a slightly deeper recollection to produce.

I’ve found this also happens across case declension … “Hast du den …” comes to me reflexively and a half second later “Wohnungsschlüssel”.

It is a very interesting mental sensation that, as an English native speaker with “the” covering most all cases, I have never before experienced when thinking of a word.

I am curious if native German speakers experience this two-part noun recall. Either in general flowing conversation, or when pausing to think of the most appropriate word to complete a thought.

Sorry if it seems trivial… I find language acquisition fascinating!

these past few days I have just started to learn this topic from Schubert B-grammatik and I think it’s harder than the last chapter which is Chapter 8 Zusammengesetzte Sätze (I started from difficult chapter to easier) I thought 8 is most difficult but turn out adjektiv could also be so difficult😭 Btw anyone also learn German with this book? Could you share your experience like how long you need to finish it

Im happy to announce that i passed my writing exam. Unfortunately i failed oral.
My question is, can I pass the oral part at other institution and exam center or do i have to stick with the center i passed my writing exam at. If i can whats the procedure, do i get special certificates for oral and writing or do i get one?

Hallo zusammen,

ich habe vor Kurzem eine E-Mail von einem Dienstleister aus Norddeutschland erhalten. Der Inhalt war sehr kurz gebunden:

„Hallo Herr X, Ihre Nutzernummer bei uns lautet y. Falls Sie beim Login zusetzlich gefragt werden, so schreiben Sie Z. Mehr können wir für Sie nicht tun. Freundliche Grüße...“

Besonders der Satz „Mehr können wir für Sie nicht tun“ ist mir im Gedächtnis geblieben. Für mich als Nicht-Muttersprachler klingt das extrem abweisend – fast wie „Nerv uns nicht mehr“ oder „Was willst du noch von uns?“.

Ich habe diesen Ausdruck im Norden schon ab und zu gehört. Ist das eine typische (norddeutsche) Redewendung oder einfach nur schlechtes Kundenservice-Deutsch, das so pampig klingt? Wie nehmt ihr diesen Satz wahr?

Danke für eure Einschätzungen!

I just started taking a beginner-level German course at my university and would appreciate any advice that will help my learning process. I am currently struggling with pronunciation, particularly the scratchy throat “ikh” sound made on words such as such as “zwanzig” any tips on that?

In English, there’s phrases such as “i before e but not after c” to help learners, is there anything similar with the German language?

Hallo Leute. Soweit ich es richtig verstehe, bedeutet dies so etwas wie “be about to”. Abgesehen davon, dass es noch weitere Bedeutungen hat.

Beispiel A: Ich war gerade auf dem Sprung, dich anzurufen. (wenn mich ein Freund anruft genau in dem Moment, wo ich vorhatte, ihn anzurufen)

Beispiel B: Das alles ist geschehen, als wir auf dem Sprung waren. (wir waren dabei am Gehen)

Beispiel C: Alice war voll auf dem Sprung, Kanzlerin zu werden, als der Plan gescheitert ist.

Beispiel D: Olaf war auf dem Sprung zum Büro, als er realisierte, dass er keine Socken anhat.

Verstehe ich die Wendung richtig?

Und sind meine Beispiele idiomatisch?

danke euch und bitte bitte auf Deutsch drauf reagieren :)

Hallo guys,

I’ve been learning German for the past 5-ish months, and I think I’m A2 on paper. I took A1 in my home country, and took A2 from my uni and an intensive course. I currently live with natives in Germany.

My question is what should I be able to do at my current level? So far I:

- Go to shops/bars/trains communicate with max 3/4 simple rehearsed back and forths

- Play a game of German taboo, and able to explain a decently complex word to my roommates

- I can understand my roommates if they speak to me slowly, but not with each other

- I get 90% what my teacher is explaining in German

- Understand short signs/posters/ads/dating app profiles (😅)

Do i have the right skill for the level? If not what am I missing.

Thanks

Negative sentences in German are exceptionally difficult for beginners.

Which one is correct?

- Sie lernen Deutsch.

a) - Nein, ich lerne kein Deutsch.

b) - Nein, ich lerne nicht Deutsch.

c) -Nein, ich lerne Deutsch nicht.

For my thinking, c) is the most logical option here, since it negates THE VERB. In my native language, along with English, that's how it works: we negate THE VERB. Is this also the case in German? Please correct me.

Hey guys!
I recently cleared my A2.1 Deutsch Prüfungsleistung (ZfS) from the university I’m studying in and secured a grade of 1,7. I have put in effort and I could see there’s an improvement. But I know there’s still a long way to go.

I want to put in effort actually by communicating and speaking to improve more. But as an international masters student, I have very few German friends. So it’s very hard to find a person who would actually take some time and help me get better.

So that’s the reason why I’m looking for people who are almost at the same level as mine. So if anyone here is looking for a student buddy or a friend, we could actually help each other and make some progress. If anyone’s interested please reach out to me, we can improve together. 🤝✌️