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German Christmas Markets

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Visiting a German Christmas Market is a true feast for the senses. It may forever change your expectations of the holiday season.

In this episode you'll learn about:

  • the main point of the Weihnachtsmarkt

  • who to go with

  • the various beverages available

  • what you can eat there

  • what you can shop for there

I might not be able to bring you a Weihnachtsmarkt, but I can bring you an Adventskaffee (an Advent coffee hour) plus a booklet of holiday-themed puzzles for German le…

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7 Holiday Greetings in German, from Hanukkah through Christmas and into the New Year

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Holidays mean greetings.

In Germany that means many holiday greetings. For different people.

When do you say what to whom?

Learn in this episode of the GermanWithNicole.com Podcast:

  • How to wish someone a nice Advent in German

  • How to say Happy Hannukah in German

  • How to say Good Yule in German

  • How to say Happy Holidays in German

  • How to say Merry Christmas in German

  • How to say Happy New Year in German

  • and a couple more.

AND you'll learn when to say which g…

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Frau Warner reads aloud: "der Kobold in der Mühle" from the Brothers Grimm

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It's a 'scary' time of year and to go along with it, here is your Brothers Grimm fairy tale in a video.

You might not know Der Kobold in der Mühle, however it's every bit as eery as the other fairy tales.

What does Kobold mean?

A Kobold is a "house spirit," a German folk being who takes care of household tasks and sometimes causes mischief.

Britannica.com has a fantastic description of a Kobold that includes this important information:

"...mischievous household spirit who usually helps wi…

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What is the German National Anthem?

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The German National Anthem is known as the Nationalhymne or Das Lied der Deutschen, "The Song of the Germans."

In today's episode of the podcast for German learners you'll hear:

  • the current national anthem

  • a bit of its history

  • the German National Anthem sung in German (by yours truly!)

It's really important to note the specifics of this Anthem because there is a strong connection to German history, one that is to be remembered and respected.

Besides, wouldn't you like to im…

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arbeiten versus funktioneren

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When should you use 'arbeiten' and when should you use 'funktionieren'?

All the answers are in this episode!

You'll learn these two verbs in the context of wine harvest, too, because it's wine harvest time.

Learning to differentiate synonyms in German works really well when you use context.

This way you can easily build a picture in your mind that will help you for all of your German learning.

If it helps, you can even draw yourself a little sketch of a scene you'll hear in this episode.

A…

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How to Pronounce and Use hätte in German

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Knowing how to pronounce hätte correctly in German is one thing. Using it correctly is another.

In today's German lesson you'll learn both how to say hätte correctly and how to use it in a few specific phrases.

Imagine how confident you'll feel knowing exactly what to say and pronouncing everything correctly. This will be a step up for your German.

Plus you'll learn how to say "shoulda, woulda, coulda" in German, which uses hätte, and will surely impress your German friends the next time they…

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How do you pronounce "Ferien" and "feiern" in German?

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Summer vacation (or summer holidays) are drawing to a close for loads of people in the northern hemisphere.

So what are these called in German?

Das sind die Ferien.

And why is that word so frequently confused with "feiern"?

Because they are so similar.

In this episode of the GermanWithNicole.com podcast you'll learn how to pronounce these two words, which article you should use with Ferien (it's simpler than you might think), and a couple of example sentences so you can remember which word …

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What is A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2 in German learning?

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In this 5th episode of the GermanWithNicole.com Podcast you'll learn what these designations mean for German learning.

You've surely seen this alphabet-number combination on German learning materials and maybe you've seen or taken a German language assessment test and received one of these combinations as a result. “You can take a class at the A2 level.”

But what does it mean?! And why should you care?!

Hint: Understanding these combinations will make your German learning life sooooo much eas…

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When should I read Harry Potter in German?

When should I read Harry Potter in German

In this episode of the GermanWithNicole.com Podcast you'll discover when a good time is to start reading Harry Potter in German.

You'll also hear why that's a good time to start it.

We'll break down only the first two sentences of the book, both in English and in the German translation, to support this, and we'll have some fun along the way.

Think of this episode like a special map for German learning. ;-)

Giving credit where credit is due:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Page 5 © …

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How (Not) to Learn German Part 2 of 2

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In Part 1, we explored the three most problematic approaches to learning German.

In Part 2 here today, we'll explore solutions to those three problematic approaches. They're all easier than you think, easily actionable, and will get you further in German than you might have thought possible.

If you're frustrated with German, if you haven't made progress like you wanted, and you just don't know what to do differently, this episode is for you.



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