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"Jein" is definitely one of the best words in the German language.

It's one word for both yes and no.

ja + nein = jein

Knowing the word "jein" in German opens up a whole new world for German learners and their eyes get really big and their ears perk the first time they hear the word.

"Jein" also has several uses; for starters, "jein" allows you to give two simultaneous answers to one question: ja und nein - yes and no.

This is perfect for difficult answers.

When it's impossible to give a s…

The difference between "zu Hause" vs. "nach Hause" easily trips up German learners, but it doesn't have to trip you up if you use the tips below.

1. "zu Hause" = (at) home

"zu" is usually used as a preposition, so it would stand by itself and you might think that "zu Hause" means "to home."

This is an exception.

When you say "zu Hause," you're really using it as one block of language.

Think of the sentence "Ich bin zu Hause" and picture it like three wooden blocks:

[Ich]    [bin]    [zu Ha…

Erfolg hat drei Buchstaben: t u n ![1]

~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Success has two letters: do!

To be successful at speaking German, you need to speak, and trying to speak without any form or specific goal makes it more difficult. It’s important to give yourself a specific task or framework for speaking.

Most people simply try to talk about everything all the time. That won't help you. Why? Because you know a TON of English/whatever your native language is, however in a foreign language …

Der Frühlingsputz ist ein Muss.

Spring cleaning is a 'must.'

It's not always a lot of fun, however it could be more interesting if you learn the German words for what you do.

Here are 7 words and phrases (including 6 verbs!) to help you learn German as you do your Frühlingsputz.

You can download the vocabulary card and print it out.

You could even use it as a checklist for your Spring cleaning.

Warum nicht?

If you like to do parts of your Spring cleaning over a couple of weekends, you cou…

Germanize your Spring Cleaning!

Es ist an die Zeit für den Frühlingsputz!

It's time for Spring cleaning!

A thorough Spring clean is much nicer when your cleaning products are high quality, biodegradable, and even smell nice!

This week you'll find out what my three favorite German cleaning products are.

Next week you'll be able to download a new, 4x6 card with Spring Cleaning vocabulary on it.

Because what better way is there to make your Spring Clean more enjoyable than to do it auf Deutsc…

Christian Holidays are often public holidays in Germany, so these are good words to know whether you're non-religious, atheist, agnostic, or religious.

The schedule carries over into school and school breaks, too. One of my clients is currently on Osterferien, Easter Holidays, and doesn't have school this week or next.

This week is Karwoche, or Holy Week, and in a non-pandemic year there would be much singing of the Bach Passions: the Matthäus-Passion (St. Matthew Passion), the Johannes-Passio…

The Plusquamperfekt is a form of the past tense in German.

It's generally reserved for high intermediate and advanced learners at levels B2 and C1.

If you're not there yet, I recommend you save this blog post for later.

The remainder of this blog post is in German, as is the explanation video.

Das Plusquamperfekt ist sehr hilfreich, wenn Sie über zwei verschiedene Ereignisse reden wollen, und beide bereits passiert sind.

Es kann viel Spaß machen, wenn Sie das Plusquamperfekt bilden und au…

Almost all of the people who sign up for private German lessons have already run into German verbs and their conjugations.

When we get to the Perfekt (the present perfect or spoken past tense), it's always interesting to hear what they think of it so far.

Here are a few of the top questions people have asked me about learning the Perfekt:

1. Are these regular or irregular verbs?

2. What's the difference between them?

3. What's the pattern for these verbs? And for these verbs? And f…

When you first learn German - or first start learning German - you say everything in the present tense. You learn only a little bit of the past tense, mainly the two verbs here, and then later you learn the Perfekt, or the spoken past tense (Ich bin gefahren. Wir haben ein Buch gelesen.).

This is the order you would ideally learn everything in:

Present tense --> these two verbs --> a bunch of the Perfekt

If you learn the past tense in any other order than that, it is out of order.

No excepti…

Here is a short exercise for you to practice two separable verbs in German: einatmen and ausatmen.

You may have noticed these two verbs in a blog post earlier this month, and to help you learn them even better, you'll use them in this exercise.

This may be the most relaxing German separable verbs exercise you'll find on the interwebs.

Here are the instructions in German. Scroll down to the flower to read the instructions in English.

Hier ist ein kurzes Audio für Sie.

Zuerst hören Sie «Ich…