Tomorrow Brian and I will head to the university to take a placement exam and Tuesday we start our language course. I'm not sure why we're taking a placement test since we're both planning on starting at the first level. Most of Brian's German knowledge comes from music -- "Sprechen Sie Deutsch, baby," from Beck's "Loser" and "Achtung Baby" from U2's early 90s album. I hope Brian doesn't start adding "baby" to everything when he learns German. I used to know a little German, but I've forgotten almost all of it. About the only thing I can remember is a phrase about a horse and a pharmacy. Some of you know what I'm talking about. :)
In light of our upcoming educational odyssey, I thought it would be fun to occasionally write about the German language. Sounds fun, right?
First up, a quiz.
Translate "Schnecke":
a) snail
b) cinnamon roll
c) attractive woman
If you guessed "a", you're correct. If you guessed "b" or "c", you're also correct. I like this word because it has so many meanings. I imagine there are other meanings I haven't learned yet.
They look a little like snails, don't they?But what's even better than Schnecke is the word for slug -- Nacktschnecke, or naked snail. The German language can be quite descriptive. And quite good at the compound word, but more on that later.
4 comments:
Oooh, I love German language posts! ;o) Adding "Schnecke" to the end of every phrase would be even better than "baby." Ha ha. And may I hazard a guess that Lydia is the one who taught you the phrase about the horse and the pharmacy? (I love that one!)
Hey Alisha, just to let you know, I've stuck a few pics into Day One, if you wanna come look at them! :o)
Good luck with your exams and the commencement of classes.
Personally, I think that horse/pharmacy phrase will be all you really need. And it is my fondest wish that Brian will add "baby" to the end of every sentence. My fondest wish.
No one should undertake German language studies without reading Mark Twain's essay, "The Awful German Language." It is probably my favorite essay of his...and he is my favorite author, so that's saying something.
Court - I'm glad someone likes the language posts. I wasn't sure whether it would go over well. I think Seppel or Karen taught me the horse thing, but I don't remember for sure.
Gina - The horse/pharmacy phrase has taken me a long way, but I think it's time to expand my vocabulary. I think I've heard part of "The Awful German Language." I'll check it out.
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