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What I Learned in German Today (but really in the past few weeks) Part 6

It's been some time since I've updated. I haven't had all that much motivation to post and life has occupied me. I went to Berlin for the first time last week. It was utterly unreal. I'm so thrilled to be able to go back relatively soon. Despite people speaking English to me at restaurants when I tried to order in German (I think it is just how things are in Berlin, many employees aren't native German speakers) I felt a renewed interest in grinding German again. Such grinding is necessary because my C1 exam is coming up and I'm not 100% sure I will be able to pass it. Thus, I have to lock in harder than I ever have before. It's hard because the Japanese language tempts me and I can spend hours just immersed in that. I need to practice writing in German more but reading is just so simple to do as practice and requires less brain power so I've been doing lots of that as well as watching documentaries on YouTube entirely in German. I've also begun reading Natsume Soseki's "Kokoro" in German. I found it for free online in English and I'm using a translator to translate the webpage into German so I can read it in my target language. Now for today's list. I've learned so many new words in the past few weeks that it is hard to choose which ones to include but I'll try my best to keep it interesting and obscure. 

Plantschen — To splash around (in water) 

Gleichkommen — To be equal to/match/be comparable to 

Abwehren — To fend off/ward off 

der Widerschein — Reflection/Reflected light 

Da liegt der Hund begraben (There lies the dog buried) — Therein lies the crux of the issue 

Gebieten — To command/demand 

Atemberaubend — Breathtaking/Jaw-dropping 

die Auffassung — Perception/Conception 

Vorzüglich — Top-tier/Excellent 

der Ruhestand — Retirement 

Abweichen — To deviate/vary/differ 

Das war's schon! Bis zum nächsten Mal! 

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What I learned in German today (Part 5)

I have a very short list today because honestly I didn't encounter that many new words or phrases. I tried to read more One Piece in German but I cannot find chapter 4 anywhere in German online! I'm actually really devastated about this because One Piece was going to become the next manga I grind to learn more German. Well, I'm going to have to find something else to supplement my reading in the meantime. Okay here are the words for today: 

Schnippeln — To chop/hack/snip...typically used for vegetables 

Bis auf die Tatsache, dass (Until on the fact that) — Except for the fact that 

Zügig — Brisk/Swift/Fast

Abnagen — To nibble off/to gnaw off 

Schnitzen — To carve/whittle/engrave...used typically in regards to wood 

That's all for today. Most of the words come from me wondering to myself...okay how do I say this (insert English word/phrase) auf Deutsch? And then I simply looked them up and made flashcards for them. 

Bis zum Nächsten Mal! 

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Presenting the Word: Lebensmüde

In German they have a word for when you just can't anymore; when everything feels too heavy, like it's all too much. This word is "lebensmüde" which literally translates to "weary of life"

It can also be used in contexts in which you want to express that someone is reckless and makes poor decisions because they cannot be bothered to care about their life anymore.

"Bist du lebensmüde?" (Are you weary of life?)

"Ja, Alter ich hab' einfach kein Bock mehr" (Yeah dude I just can't anymore)

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What I learned in German Today (Part 4)

Technically this is for yesterday but we are just going to go with it. I have been mostly spending my time learning Japanese so I haven't given too much time to German, however, I am still surrounded by it every day so I have constant practice even without being intentional about it. The batch of words I'm going to share come mostly from reading One Piece (yet again) in German. So they are perhaps a little shounenisch if that can even be said but as I previously stated, we are just going to go with it. I quite love finding more obscure words anyways. At this point in my learning I don't really have any more rudimentary words to learn so I got to mine deep (oftentimes into really old texts a.k.a Schiller lol) in order to find new vocabulary. Reading One Piece has been really engaging and there's always something to pick up from it, specifically in terms of phrases.

die Zuversicht — Optimism/Hope/Enthusiasm

der Strudel — Whirlpool

Anschwemmen — To wash up/drift ashore/wash ashore

Hintergehen — To betray/decieve/go against

der Kopfgeldjäger — Bounty hunter (literally head-money-hunter I love it!)

Ergattern — To get hold of/obtain/grab/acquire

Petzen — To snitch/tell about/tattle

Sich feinmachen — To doll oneself up/freshen up

Schnüren — To lace/tie up/fasten

Höhnen — To mock/sneer at

Was spricht gegen etw. (What speaks against...?) — What are the arguments against (insert thing)

Okay that's all! Bis zum nächsten Mal!

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What I learned in German Today (Part 3)

Took a short break because I have been too tired to gather up all the latest words I've learned. Every day I learn new things. I am constantly hearing new words in my surroundings. The amount of new words I encounter on a daily basis even tri-daily basis is so large that I have to pick and choose which words get turned into flashcards that will then be eventually committed to memory. It's unfortunate but I don't have the time to be able to memorize literally everything I come into contact with. I do have a generally rule for myself which is that if I encounter a word 3 times then I am forced to make a flashcard for it. I have found that associating the word with a specific memory, even something small like bringing it up in conversation, helps me remember it infinitely better than just hoping it will stick or even making a flashcard. Language learning is truly a memory game. At its core it is just memorizing things. Which, of course, is hard for humans. We are prone to forgetting. I mean it makes sense, the brain only wants to supplement the neurons that get routinely used. We have to drill things in, work hard, and repeat. Repeat. Repeat. And repeat even more. It's actually pretty wild how we slowly put a whole other language into our brain. It's like we slowly are downloading new DLC. Languages are so vast and dynamic. Thus language learning is a never-ending task. But it's so rewarding. Okay enough with that, time for the words I've learned lately. 

Gehemmt — Reserved/Self-inhibited/Self-conscious 

Dekodieren — To decode/decrypt 

Aufheben — To do away with/abolish/repeal...this word is often used in legal/political contexts it seems

Widersinnig — Irrational

Missbrauchen — To misuse/to abuse

Verunehren — To dishonor/disgrace 

and of course...the inverse...

Verehren — To honor/revere/admire/worship 

Haftbarkeit — Liability/Responsibility...specifically used to describe legal responsibility 

Anhäufen — To accumulate

die Ansammlung — Accumulation 

die Bezichtigung — Accusation/Charge (against someone) yet again another legal word 

Futsch — Gone/Lost/Broken

In der Falle sitzen (To sit in the trap) — To be trapped 

den Bach runter gehen (to go down the stream) — To go downhill (get worse)/Get ruined 

Linsen — To peek/Sneak a glance at 

Nötigen — To obligate/necessitate/compel/force 

Verschlüsseln — To code/encrypt/use coded language 

Missfallen — To displease/dissatisfy/arouse displeasure

Belasten — To burden with/to afflict 

Wankelmütig — Capricious 

Verfechten — To champion for/Advocate for/Stand up for 

Okay this was a relatively long list but as I said, I'm always learning and there is just so much to know, especially when we are discussing that of an entire language. Thank's for reading! 

Bis zum nächsten Mal! 

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What I learned in German today (Part 2)

Today was another day at school with a focus on vocabulary picking up. I had two classes today in English so there was fewer in German to learn. Nevertheless I had my German class which is always the best opportunity for me to grind out grammar and vocabulary. Here's some of what I learned today. 

der Schwärmer — A dreamer/Enthusiast 

Zottig — Unkempt/Hairy/Shaggy 

Replizieren — To replicate

Nachbilden — To replicate/recreate/clone/

Zänkisch — Quarrelsome 

Streitsüchtig — Quarrelsome/Always seeking out fights (süchtig means addicted and streit comes from Streiten which means to fight or argue ;)  

Diskussionsfreudig — Argumentative/Always seeking to debate 

Ehrgeizig — Ambitious 

der Speichellecker — Bootlicker (Warning this is a very insulting word) 

Auszehren — To emaciate/weaken 

As you can see, lots of words related to fighting. I was playing a synonym game with myself which caused me to learn lots of words that relate to the same thing. 

Bis morgen! (wenn den nächsten Post herauskommt) 

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What I learned in German Today

Here's what I learned today as someone who is a B2-C1 learner (Mostly learning C1-C2 content at this point) 

( I did lots of Anki, went to school today so naturally had quite a bit of engagement with the language today, and read One Piece Chapter 1 in German as well Flying Witch Chapter 40 in German. Then I made flashcards for the vocabulary I learned. Here are some of the words and expressions! 

den Geist aufgeben (To give up the ghost/spirit) — To give out/Malfunction...oftentimes used for technology or machines that stop working. 

In Verruf bringen (To bring into disreputability) — To give a bad name to...essentially to make someone look bad. Another way to say this is to use the verb "anschwärzen" which literally means to "darken/blacken" 

Verwelken — To wilt/wither/shrivel up...this is typically used to describe the behavior of plants 

Flink — Agile/Quick/Nimble 

Zermahlen — Pulverise/Crush/Grind up...This word is used to describe the action oftentimes in regards to food to fulfil certain recipes 

Einstufen — To categorize/categorize as/classify as 

Unversehrt — Intact/Undamaged 

auf etwas pfeifen (to whistle on something) — To not care about/To not give a damn about

auf der Stelle (on the place) — On the spot/Immediately/Right away/Extemporaneously 

die Teilzeitkraft — Part-time employee 

die Alraune — Mandrake...yes the plant

Umherhuschen — To scurry about

Streuen — To disperse/sprinkle/scatter Collapse

Austoben — To let of steam/Let loose/Run wild...think of it as challenging someone to a fight but you want to act nonchalant. This word is perfect for such a situation 

Putzig — Cute/Endearing/Amusing/Charming 

Hinterhältig — Deceitful/Doesn't play by the rules/Devious 

Auf's Spiel setzen (To set on the game) — To risk something...for example "Er setzt sein Leben auf's Spiel" (He's putting his life at risk) 

That's all for today! Lots of words that aren't so oftenly used but nevertheless are important if you want to read lots of literature.