At GermanFest this summer I hosted a short German lesson on this year’s theme: Forestry to Industry. The lesson is called “Der Wald in Deutschland” and it was a great lesson! People would meander on by to read it, kids doing the Kulturpass (a passport for the Culture area of GermanFest) would check out the photos, and it was a great way to start a conversation with people. My lovely volunteers handed out a vocabulary list for people to use as a reference and to take home with them.

Here are seven of the vocabulary words from that lesson, which you can learn here today, plus you’ll also find out how to download that same vocabulary list and take this short, free German lesson on “Der Wald in Deutschland.” Here at GermanWithNicole.com we're also celebrating this year's Tag der deutschen Sprache with this lesson!

Here are seven vocabulary words on the forest in Germany:

1. der Wald, die Wälder = forest

This is the most obvious one, however check out the plural form: you add an Umlaut and an -er ending.

2. die Fläche = surface area

It’s impossible to talk about the forest in Germany without talking about the surface area. Die Fläche is very similar to flach (flat), if that helps.

3. das Gift = poison

The word “Gift” in German is what we call a false friend, because poison is definitely not a gift in English! In the lesson Der Wald in Deutschland there is something to learn about a poisonous animal.

4. der Rotfuchs = red fox

Interestingly, the red fox is the only fox in Germany. Its genus and species is Vulpes vulpes. Der Rotfuchs also features in this lesson on the forest in Germany. Did you know they weigh about 6 kg?

5. die Schnecke = snail

Die Schnecke is also the name of a baked good found in Germany’s bakeries, however that's simply a cute name.

6. die Forstwirtschaft = Forestry/Sylviculture

This is the name of the area of study for people who want to work in a forest. You can study at a Universty, a Hochschule, or you can do an apprenticeship. There are multiple pathways.

7. sorgen für + A = to look after something (as in to care for something)

In German this combination of a verb + preposition + a specific case, here the Akkusativ, is called a feste Verbindung. It’s a set phrase which must occur in a sentence in this combination, there is 0% flexibility with it. This feste Verbindung is very useful for talking about the work of foresters!

If these vocabulary words have whetted your appetite for more, then you’re invited to head on over to this page to sign up for the free lesson Der Wald in Deutschland:

https://germanwithnicole.com/forest

When you sign up for this free lesson, you’ll receive:

• the full vocabulary list and the text of the lesson (in a PDF) emailed directly to you,
  • along with Frau Warner's E-Post, so you can learn even more German,
• full access to the lesson for as long as it exists,
• and the possibility to write a comment and/or ask Frau Warner questions, which she will answer personally. (The comments are reviewed by Frau Warner before they get published, so it’s very calm and peaceful commenting.)

Here’s the link again: https://germanwithnicole.com/forest .

Viel Spaß beim Lernen!

Tag der deutschen Sprache is the second Saturday in September every year, thanks to the Verein Deutsche Sprache e.V.! (https://vds-ev.de/tds/)