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- False Friends Explained – “bekommen vs become”
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- Word of the Day – “schonen”
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In this episode:
A quick look at the meaning of "abgehen" and what stickers have to do with wild parties.
Vocabulary:
no vocab snippet (yet)
alles gut
In this episode:
"Alles gut." is a really common expression in colloquial German. Today, we'll explore all the contexts in which we can use it - with plenty of examples.
Vocabulary:
no vocab snippet (yet)

ankommen
In this episode:
A fun, detailed look at the super useful meanings of "ankommen" and what arriving has to do with depending and Germans say "It depends".
Vocabulary:
ankommen, ankommen auf, die Ankunft

auf - part 2
In this episode:
We'll talk about all the verbs that take "auf" as a preposition and we'll see if there's some logic somewhere. Also: a few really common phrases with "drauf"
Vocabulary:
warten auf, freuen auf, achten auf, drauf, drauf sein, drauf kommen, ...

ausmachen
In this episode:
A fun look at the various meanings of "ausmachen" and what turning something off has to do with agreements, findings and bothering. Also: rausmachen.
Vocabulary:
no vocab snippet (yet)

der Bock
In this episode:
Bock is a male goat. And it's a really useful, super common word in colloquial German. Today, we'll find out why and what "Hast du Bock" and "kein Bock" mean :)
Vocabulary:
der Bock, Bock machen, Bock haben, verbocken, Bockbier, Bock auf Bier

dabei
In this episode:
Dabei is not only a common da-word, it's part of some really cool and useful phrasings like "dabei haben" or "dabei sein". Today, we'll find out all about it.
Vocabulary:
dabei, dabei haben, dabei sein, wobei

Spoken German Bits - "Da-Words Undone"
In this episode:
The da-compounds sure take a while to master. But it doesn't stop there. Because in spoken German, da-words often get split up. Today, we'll learn all about it.
Vocabulary:
no vocab snippet (yet)
eigentlich
In this episode:
A fun look at the meaning and the soul of "eigenlich" - one of the most misused words ever. Because it is actually NOT "actually"
Vocabulary:
no vocab snippet (yet)

erledigen
In this episode:
A fun look at the meaning of "erledigen", how to say "Never mind!" and what all that has to do with body parts, memberships and a certain Goethe.
Vocabulary:
erledigen, das Glied, das Mitglied, gliedern, die Gliederung, ledig, lediglich

fühlen, sich anfühlen
In this episode:
"fühlen" means "to feel". But there's also "sich fühlen" and "sich anfühlen" and all three have distinct meanings. Today, we'll learn how to use them properly.
Vocabulary:
fühlen, sich fühlen, das Gefühl, spüren, sich anfühlen

ganz
In this episode:
A fun look at the meanings of "ganz", its super common use as intensifier, a really random twist. And my toilet paper situation #notgood
Vocabulary:
no vocab snippet (yet)

(sich) gönnen
In this episode:
A fun look at the meaning of "gönnen", its really useful brother "günstig" and a bit of recent German slang :)
Vocabulary:
gönnen, die Gunst, die Missgunst, günstig, ungünstig

der Hammer
In this episode:
A Hammer is a tool. And in German it's an adjective that'll help you ... ahem... nail the slang :). Today, we’ll find out what hammer means and how to use it.
Vocabulary:
hammer-, Schere, Zange, hammergut, hammerteuer

hauen
In this episode:
"hauen" is overlooked by textbooks and course, but if you want to speak colloquial German. Today, we'll learn all about it and its cool prefix versions.
Vocabulary:
hauen, reinhauen, abhauen, umhauen

kacken
In this episode:
A po-etic look at the German word "kacken" and how to harness the full colloquial potential of it and its brothers. With audio examples and visuals.
Vocabulary:
kacken, die Kacke, verkacken, ankacken, abkacken

der Kater
In this episode:
Kater is the German word for a male cat. But it also means hangover. In this article we’ll find out why and how to use it. Also: sore muscles :)
Vocabulary:
der Kater, der Muskelkater, die Katze, verkatert

klappen
In this episode:
"klappen" is a really, really common word in colloquial German. And so is the noun "die Klappe". Today, we'll learn what they mean and how to use them.
Vocabulary:
klappen, die Klappe, zuklappen, aufklappen, Klappstuhl, klatschen

komisch
In this episode:
A quick look at the meaning of "komisch" in German and why something that sounds "komisch" most likely isn't actually funny.
Vocabulary:
no vocab snippet (yet)

mäßig
In this episode:
A fun look at the word "mäßig". It has a meaning on its own, but in colloquial German, it's a really common puzzle piece.
Vocabulary:
mäßig, messen, das Maß, in Maßen, sommermäßig

melden
In this episode:
A fun look at the meaning of "melden" and why it is so common in colloquial daily life. Also: a long awaited foe appears.
Vocabulary:
melden, die Meldung, anmelden, abmelden, Meldebescheinigung

paar
In this episode:
A fun look at the meaning of "paar" and it's brother with a captital P and how to use them as translations for "pair" and "couple". Oh and "few".
Vocabulary:
paar, das Paar, das Pärchen, Pärchenabend

passen
In this episode:
We'll take a thorough look at the meaning of "passen", how to use it and its various cool prefix versions and pass by "passieren". A vocabulary turbo boost :)
Vocabulary:
passen, reinpassen, raufpassen, anpassen, die Anpassung, aufpassen, passieren

ruhig
In this episode:
A fun look at the origin and meaning of "ruhig" and why the sentence "Sei ruhig laut." actually makes sense. Also: die Ruhe and German for "Leave me alone!"
Vocabulary:
ruhig, die Ruhe, still, leise

sauer
In this episode:
A fun look at the meaning of "sauer" and what a lemon has to do with anger.
Vocabulary:
no vocab snippet (yet)

der Spaß
In this episode:
A fun look at the meaning of “der Spaß”, the various idiomatic phrasings like “Spaß machen” or “viel Spaß” and we’ll learn how to say “It was fun.” in German (#notLikeEnglish)
Vocabulary:
der Spaß, Spaß machen, Spaß haben, aus Spaß, Spaß verstehen, bespaßen

stehen auf
In this episode:
"stehen auf" is a pretty common colloquial phrasing in German. Today, we'll learn what it means and how to use it properly to express liking.
Vocabulary:
no vocab snippet (yet)
verpeilen
In this episode:
A quick look at the common colloquial German verb "verpeilen" and what it has to do with targeting and water levels.
Vocabulary:
verpeilen, der Verpeiler, anpeilen, der Pegel

der Vogel
In this episode:
"Der Vogel" means "bird". And German has quite a few idioms and with it. Today, we'll learn the best ones, including one about... sex.
Vocabulary:
der Vogel, einen Vogel haben, einen Vogel zeigen, der Dreckspatz, der Lockvogel, die Schnapsdrossel, der Pechvogel

voll
In this episode:
A quick look at the meaning of "voll" and why "voll leer" actually makes sense in colloquial German.
Vocabulary:
voll, machtvoll, liebevoll, sinnvoll, komplett

von... aus
In this episode:
A quick fun look at the meaning of the combination "von... aus" and the very useful phrase "von mir aus".
Vocabulary:
von mir aus, von da aus, von sich aus

von... her
In this episode:
The combination "von.... her" is super common in everyday German. Today, we'll find out what it means and how to use it. Of course that includes "von daher".
Vocabulary:
von X her, von daher, was X angeht

der Wahnsinn
In this episode:
A quick look at the meaning of "der Wahnsinn" and how to use it and its relatives in conversation. Special mention: erwähnen :)
Vocabulary:
der Wahnsinn, der Wahn, wahnsinnig, der Verfolgungswahn, wähnen, erwähnen

was für
In this episode:
"was... für" is a colloquial German version for "what kind" and it's incredibly common. Time to learn how to use it.
Vocabulary:
no vocab snippet (yet)

wohl
In this episode:
A fun look at the meaning(s) of "wohl", it's various uses in every day German and why they are so freaking random. Seriously, what a mess this word is...
Vocabulary:
wohl, wohlhabend, obwohl, wohl wahr, sehr wohl, wohl kaum, wer wohl, zum Wohl
