Stichwörter (Keywords):
- Details
- Category: Speaking German
der Stammtisch
der Stammtisch – an inadequate translation is “group of regulars.”
der Stammtisch
Today you'll learn:
- what a Stammtisch is in Germany and how it differs in the US,
- what you need to know before you go,
- how often to expect to attend a Stammtisch,
- where they take place,
- and something called Einmal ist keinmal.
Sind Sie bereit? Los geht's!
- Hits: 1889
- Details
- Category: Reading German
Of course, there are many more than 5 reasons, however here are 5 of those reasons to read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
I read it several years ago, and several of my clients have read it, and they keep recommending it to their spouses and friends.
I'll leave this post and the podcast episode up after the discussion (March 2023), because I sincerely hope that you will take the time to read this outstanding novel. If you care to, feel free to leave a comment below on what you think of the book and how it moved you.
AUDIO
N.B. While the GermanWithNicole.com Podcast no longer exists, you can still hear all of the audios here on the blog. The audios are available on the blog posts published between August 1, 2021 and October 1, 2024. Viel Spaß beim Hören!
- Hits: 409
- Details
- Category: Reading German
Die Uhr means "the watch."
Die Schweiz means Switzerland.
Coincidence?
I think not.
In seriousness, though, I grew up with the preconception that all Swiss watches were extraordinarily expensive. Sehr teuer.
Then I discovered this Swiss watch company and discovered that you CAN buy a high quality, Swiss watch for under $500.
Ausgezeichnet.
insert audio
N.B. While the GermanWithNicole.com Podcast no longer exists, you can still hear all of the audios here on the blog. The audios are available on the blog posts published between August 1, 2021 and October 1, 2024. Viel Spaß beim Hören!
Jowissa is a Swiss watchmaking company
Jowissa is also an independent, family-owned business in its third generation. I grew up in a family-owned business, and I support such businesses wherever possible, from my mechanic to my shoes, so I am really happy to have created this business relationship with them.
Disclosure: This blog post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click through these links and purchase anything, you will anonymously support GermanWithNicole.com at the same time as you support the other business(es). (You'll see the words "Affiliate link" where there is such a link.) Danke!
Affiliate link
Der Uhrenhersteller ~ The Watch Maker
Jowissa was founded in 1951 by Josef Wyss. He used a combination of his first and last names to create the company name and Jowissa is now in its third generation as an independent, family business.
Jowissa is located in Bettlach, Switzerland, in the Kanton of Solothurn. Bettlach is in northwest Switzerland and is south of the Dreiländereck, where France, Germany, and Switzerland meet.
Save $25 on orders $250+ with code GET25OFF
Affiliate link
Die Uhren ~ The Watches
The watches are made in Switzerland. The "Swiss Made" mark on the watch is what makes it officially Swiss. That mark indicates a set of standards that an item must meet in order for it to be labeled as "Swiss Made".
An Important Note:
"Air quotes" don't translate. The quotation marks used are odd for us North American English speakers - we expect that to mean how we do "air quotes" to indicate sarcasm or irony. However for "Swiss Made" it actually means that the item was Made in Switzerland. "Swiss Made" is a marker, determined by the Swiss Federal Act on the Protection of Trade Marks and Indications of Source. For a product such as a Jowissa watch, the mark "Swiss Made" means that at least 60% of it was made in Switzerland.
Jowissa watches are obviously fashionable and gorgeous an offer that kind of refined presence that says "I'm here and I'm stylish" without hitting other people over the head with it.
You easily search on the site for size, color, functions, or by style.
And recently they started offering matching jewelry, which I've never seen anybody else make, so your necklace can match your watch, which is really cool.
Leave it to the Swiss to think of coordinating your jewelry with your watch! It looks so classy.
To get you started on your Jowissa shopping adventure, check out these watches.
(And don't worry about the shipping, as Jowissa offers free green shipping AND they plant a tree for every 20 USD spent in your order. Sustainability is die Nachhaltigkeit.)
Affiliate link
If you're considering purchasing one of these watches, then you're probably already thinking ahead for Christmas or for someone's birthday.
And well, if you're reading this post (or listening to the podcast episode), you probably like to plan ahead anyway.
Save $25 on orders $250+ with code GET25OFF
Affiliate link
Affiliate link
- Hits: 1493
- Details
- Category: German culture and food
Giving a tip in German is ein Trinkgeld geben or simply Trinkgeld geben.
It's different from the US, and in this episode you'll learn:
- how much to tip for a coffee
- how much to tip for an inexpensive, sit-down lunch
- how much to tip for a nicer dinner out
And you'll learn what to say when you give the tip.
INSERT AUDIO
N.B. While the GermanWithNicole.com Podcast no longer exists, you can still hear all of the audios here on the blog. The audios are available on the blog posts published between August 1, 2021 and October 1, 2024. Viel Spaß beim Hören!
A lot of people ask me this question, and if they have an idea of the answer, it's usually a vague "You round up, right?"
That's actually pretty close!
How to tip for coffee:
Let's suppose you want to have a coffee in a café in Germany. You sit down and a friendly server comes and takes your order, and then brings you a beautiful, hot cup of coffee, and then checks in with you at an appropriate moment) and it costs EUR 3,60.
In this case, you could simply round up to EUR 4,00.
You could also take the change, and then hand your server a 50-cent piece.
That would work, too.
OR if you have a coffee from a server who simply brings it to you and there isn't anything particularly friendly about it, you drink it quickly and then pay, and it's definitely a transactional experience, if you don't leave a tip, it's not a big deal.
And yes, you should do all of this in cash.
How to tip for an inexpensive, sit-down meal:
If you take a friend out for lunch and it's a regular, priced, sit-down meal, and the server provided good service, simply add a couple of Euros. So if it's, say, EUR 38,00, you could leave 2-5 Euros depending on how attentive the server was.
How to tip for a nice dinner out:
If you're taking your special someone out for a nice dinner and the bill reaches the range of EUR 100 or more, then that's definitely the time to start adding anywhere from 5-10% to the bill.
And the more advice your server has given you about which wine, the food, and added to your overall dining experience, the more you might like to tip.
Tip when you pay the bill.
Unlike in the US, the time to tip is when you pay the bill, directly to the server (with cash, that is, which is still pretty often.) You'll need to say something like "Machen Sie es bitte EUR 40,00." (Please make it 40 Euros.) Or if you hand that server in the café EUR 4,00 and she should keep the change, then you say "Stimmt so!"
Don't leave the tip on the table, tip the server directly.
In German giving a tip is called ein Trinkgeld geben or simply Trinkgeld geben.
It's a small, but important point of Germanic culture, and culture is something you learn about a lot here.
Your homework for this week:
Your homework for this week is to write yourself a note or to set yourself a reminder to have cash on hand for smaller purchases in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. You can also practice the phrases to say to the server from this episode. Feel free to repeat it until you've got it down pat!
- Hits: 1522
- Details
- Category: German vocabulary
This month clients in the group classes and private lessons are learning about Austria. They have access to an online lesson with typical Austrian phrases and expressions and we also had a Konversationskurs, a Conversation Class, all about Austria.
Here you get to learn some of what my clients have learned about Austria this month, including how to pronounce Österreich.
INSERT AUDIO
N.B. While the GermanWithNicole.com Podcast no longer exists, you can still hear all of the audios here on the blog. The audios are available on the blog posts published between August 1, 2021 and October 1, 2024. Viel Spaß beim Hören!
Links:
Die Krimmler Wasserfälle (The Health Secret!) https://www.austria.info/en/wellbeing-nature/lakes-mountains/krimml-waterfalls-health-secret
Vokabeln:
Österreich = Austria
das Bundesland, die Bundesländer = states
Austria's states: Vorarlberg, Tirol, Salzburg, Oberösterreich, Niederösterreich, Wien, Burgenland, Steiermark, Kärnten
Bordering countries: Liechtenstein, Deutschland, Tschechien, die Slowakei, Ungarn, Slowenien, Italien, die Schweiz
das Wiener Riesenrad = Vienna's Gigantic Ferris Wheel
die Krimmler Wasserfälle = the Krimmler Waterfalls
der Schneekugel = snowglobe
der Walzer = the waltz
die Zeitlupe = slow-motion (film)
der Nationaltag = Austria's National Day is October 26th.
Liebe Österreicher, alles Gute zum Nationaltag! = Dear Austrians, best wishes on your National Day!
- Hits: 3097