Stichwörter (Keywords):
Would you like to learn more German?
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In this post you'll learn a handful of German vocabulary words for typewriter parts, as well as a bit of the history of how I came to own...5...typewriters, including the beauty in the video above, a brother deluxe 220 from 1977 with a German keyboard, which I affectionately refer to as My Little Green, German Machine (it sounds better with a German accent, which you can hear in the video, above).
First German, then English.
Vokabeln:
die Schreibmaschine, die Schreibmaschinen = typewriter
etwas mit der Schreibmaschine schreiben = to type something (on a typewriter) (mit + Dativ)
klappern = one of the verbs you can use to express the sound of typing on a machine, e.g. "clackety-clack"
ratschen = a verb you can use to express the "ratchet" sound of using the carriage return lever
klingeln = (here) to ding, the most satisfying sound you hear when you reach the end of one line on a typewriter. In German: «PING!»
The Typosphere: The digital existence of bloggers and their blogs, typists and fans of typewriters, which fuels real human connections regarding to and because of their typewriters and the very human need to connect.
die Geschichte:
In 2017 habe ich eine Folge des Nerdette Podcasts gehört und zu Gast war Tom Hanks. Er hat die ganze Zeit über Schreibmaschinen gesprochen und es hatte mich fasziniert. Etwas später habe ich eine Schreibmaschine in einem Antiquariat eine Schreibmaschine gesehen und fast gekauft, aber ich mochte das Gefühl der Tasten nicht. Sie war nicht die richtige Schreibmaschine für mich.
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How can we use an 'Adventskalender' for German learning?
Using an Adventskalender is great for German learning because it forms a meaningful practice, just as joyful anticipation can for those who use an Adventskalender as a religious practice. You have 24 or 25 short exercises and you get to focus on one thing all month long.
And if you're not religious, then it's simply "25 days of ______." And that works really well, too, to see how you do with trying something for 25 days. Ask my clients--they do this every year, whether they are religious or not, whether they celebrate Christmas or not.
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- Category: Writing German
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An Elfchen is a German poem that contains only 11 words. The form is 1-2-3-4-1. Because if its simplicity, it's a fantastic way to practice your vocabulary.
Or, if you're sick and can't seem to shake off the crud of the decade, it makes a very succinct blog post.
Krank sein: ein Elfchen
schnupfen
hatte Halsschmerzen
mehr Tee trinken
bitte wieder gesund werden!
*husten*
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Discussions begin, lawyers are called, and lawsuits are filed. All of it is about a comma. (See what I did there?)
The Oxford comma is so important to people that spouses actually have discussions about it. They've talked about everything like where to live, how to manage their finances, and how many kids to have, but years later they find out only one of them uses the Oxford comma. [Cut dramatic music.] It's like now the real stuff of marriage has come to the forefront:
to use the Oxford comma or not?
In English class I was taught the following: when you write a list of three or more items and the list needs differentiation, or might sound confusing, then you insert the comma before "and." Ergo:
Maria asked Bartholomäus, her teacher, and husband if she should use the Oxford comma.
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