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GermanyinUSA is the home of the monthly newsletter “Germany for Americans”, produced by the German Embassy in Washington, DC. For the embassy’s official website, visit Germany.info.

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Tag: German language

  • Word of the Week: Plattenbau

    If you’ve ever visited East Germany during the Cold War, you probably saw a lot of grey, cheaply-built apartment buildings that might have made you feel depressed. This sort of…

  • Word of the Week: Bratkartoffelverhältnis

    A Bratkartoffelverhältnis,  which literally means “fried potato relationship,” is not about how much Germans love fried potatoes, but it is about finding a meal ticket, or at the very least…

  • Word of the Week: Sonnenwendfeier

    Many Germans – like the Scandinavians – celebrate the Sonnendwendfeier, an annual midsummer festival marking the summer solstice, or longest day of the year (on June 20 this year). The…

  • Word of the Week: Sommerloch

    Although it may at first sound like a reference to a refreshing riverside swimming hole, a Sommerloch (“summer hole”) actually refers to something entirely different – the dearth of “real…

  • Word of the Week: Hüftgold

    Many of us may be  carrying a few extra pounds around the middle, and in German there’s a nice word it: Hüftgold! Directly translated, Hüftgold means “hip gold”, and it…

  • Word of the Week: Bierernst

    If you’re trying to express how serious you are about something, what word would you use? In German, you would say you are bierernst (“beer serious”). No joke! Or is…

  • Word of the Week: Eiertanz

    Have you ever wondered what to do with any leftover colored Easter eggs you don’t plan on keeping for next year or are unable to eat anytime soon? How about…

  • Word of the Week: Tortenheber

    What do you use to lift up a piece of pie and place it on a plate? A Tortenheber, of course! It seems that Germans have a word for everything,…

  • Word of the Week: Verdauungsspaziergang

    What do you do when you ate too much? You go on a Verdauungsspaziergang, of course! A Verdauungsspaziergang is a walk that you take to get you moving and help…

  • Word of the Week: Sehnsucht

    The German language is filled with words that do not exist in English. One such word is Sehnsucht, which is difficult to translate accurately. Sehnsucht is a deep emotional state; it…