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You are learning a foreign language but you never talk to natives. You work only with apps. Does this make sense?

I am fluent in 4 foreign languages. I learnt them in courses at school or at the university.

Then I had the opportunity to practice almost all of them in the countries and regions of my multicultural country (Switzerland) where these languages are spoken, and I keep on doing so, because learning a foreign language is a process that never ends.

Since I am almost 50 years old, I grew up back then when internet didn’t even exist. TV has always been of great help, as well as surrounding myself with native speakers, making friends among them.

As a German teacher, I am often confronted with the question: “How can I improve my spoken German?”

My answer is: Stop learning exclusively with apps! They are not human! Languages were developed to communicate with other people! So come on, leave your comfort zone and start talking to native speakers of your target language! Make new friends among them!

I offer you German Tutoring with Main Focus Speaking on Zoom, Skype or Cisco Webex at prices of your country. I have more than 25 years’ teaching experience and I have also experience as a student, since I am learning 3 new languages this way.

Find more information here: https://owzh.ch/tutoring2/ or contact me directly using WhatsApp +41794801527.

Starting November 1st 2020, I will charge for 1 German Course or German Tutoring Session of 45 minutes the minimum hourly wage of your country.

If you live in Switzerland for example, you will pay 20 CHF (Swiss francs). If you live in the Bahamas you will pay 5.25 US$ (dollars), in the Philippines 2 US$ (dollars) and in the UK 9 £ (pounds) per session. Payment method is PayPal.

Start learning German now from your home office!

The current situation in the world has changed my way of thinking and will change my way of working. Subscribe to my blog and you will realize how easy and affordable it will be for you to start learning German soon.

What are Helvetisms?

Helvetia is the Latin name for Switzerland. You can find this name on Swiss Franc coins and stamps. This is why the internet country domain of Switzerland is .ch (Confoederatio Helvetica).

Helvetisms are features distinctive of the German spoken in Switzerland, called Swiss Standard German. They distinguish it from the German spoken in Germany. The most frequent Helvetisms are in vocabulary and pronunciation, but there are also some distinctive features within syntax and orthography.

Swiss Standard German (GER: Schweizer Standarddeutsch), or Swiss High German is referred to by the Swiss as Schriftdeutsch (Written German), or Hochdeutsch (High German, i.e., the German spoken in Germany). The German-speaking Swiss (65% of the country’s population) learn to read and write in Swiss Standard German.

Remember: Swiss Standard German does not refer to the Swiss German Dialect (GER: Schweizerdeutsch, Dialect: Schwiizertüütsch), but to a variety of the Standard German spoken in Germany, i.e., the one taught at schools or institutes like the Goethe-Institut worldwide. 

Most Helvetisms are NOT dialectal

The definitive work for German orthography, the Duden, explicitly declares a number of helvetisms as correct Standard German – albeit with the [schweiz.] annotation, denoting that the usage of the word is limited to Switzerland. However, not all words may be considered part of the “Swiss standard language”/”Swiss standard German” category, because frequency of usage must be evaluated as well; if this does not apply, or if a word’s use is known to span only one or more specific dialectal regions, the word must be categorized “dialectal” (German: mundartlich, often abbreviated mdal.).

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helvetism, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland#Languages

Helvetism # 12

The letter ß (Eszett) is never used in Switzerland and is replaced by double ss.

For example: In Switzerland the word for street is written die Strasse  [ˈʃtʁasə], in Germany die Straße.

Helvetism # 11

In Switzerland, a goalkeeper is called der Goalie [ˈɡoːli].

In Germany they call him der Torhüter [ˈtoːɐ̯ˌhyːtɐ] or der Torwart [ˈtoːɐ̯ˌvaʁt].

Hallo, Leute!

I care about your privacy.

WhatsApp is one of the most popular instant messaging services in the world, but with the broadcast of it’s latest security breach I decided to abandon this app for Telegram.

With the acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook – people are becoming increasingly suspicious of the platform’s security capacity. WhatsApp promised end-to-end encryption, but recent reports emerged suggesting that spy malware had been created that could hack into and monitor people’s accounts.

Telegram, on the other hand, is a multi-platform messaging application that allows the user to send encrypted and “self-destructing” messages – meaning a message or photo will disappear after a specified period of time.

Unlike WhatsApp, Telegram users have a public “username” – ensuring that privacy can be protected. It is possible to have conversations on Telegram without requiring a user’s phone. Get Telegram here: https://telegram.download-program.ru/

Tschüss!

I am often asked what someone can do to improve his / her German skills. I hope I can help you out with these tips (PDF file) 

Helvetism # 10

In Switzerland, a glass of champagne is called das Cüpli [ˈkypli].

In Germany they call it das Glas Champagner [ʃamˈpanjɐ].

Hallo! The Free Learning Group on Telegram (formerly on WhatsApp) has reopened. More information:

https://owzh.wordpress.com/en/learninggroup

Auf Wiedersehen!

a. Moises aus Venezuela fragt: “Wie sagt man IT’S NOT LIKE A SUBORDINATE CLAUSE IN THIS CASE auf Deutsch?”

In diesem Fall ist das kein Nebensatz.

b. Fatima aus dem Libanon fragt: “Was bedeutet SELBER auf Englisch?”

Es kann unter anderem “And you?” bedeuten. Beispiel:

A: “Hallo, wie geht es dir?”

B: “Gut, danke. SELBER?”

Weitere Frage: “Wie sagt man SILVER auf Deutsch?”

das Silber

c. Ouedoihou aus Nigeria fragt: “Kannst du mir eine APP empfehlen, um DIE DEUTSCHEN ARTIKEL auswendig zu lernen?”

Siehe: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.db.derdiedas

d. Jay aus Indien fragt: “Wie kann man jemanden richtig nach dem DEUTSCH-NIVEAU fragen?”

1. “Was ist dein Deutsch-Niveau?”

2. “Auf welchem Deutsch-Niveau bist du?”

3. “Auf welchem Niveau lernst du Deutsch?”

4. “Welches Deutsch-Zertifikat hast du?”

e. Aman aus Indien sagt: “Ich brauche ÜBUNGSMATERIALIEN auf das GOETHE-ZERTIFIKAT A2.”

Siehe: 1. https://www.goethe.de

2. https://www.goethe-pruefungen.swiss-exams.ch

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In Switzerland, the word used for “turkey” is “der Truthahn“ [ˈtʁuːtˌhaːn], while in Germany it’s “die Pute“ [ˈpuːtə]

EN Visit the Floodland & Forest called “Wasserschloss” in German, located 33 km from Downtown Zurich.

It is the place where 3 of the biggest rivers of Switzerland join: the Aare, the Reuss and the Limmat (the latter after flowing through the Lake of Zurich and the city). You can find here different species of birds, amphibians and fish. Link (information available only in German): https://aargautourismus.ch/tour_of_aargau/die-kombitipps/wasserschloss-der-schweiz

ES Visita la vega y el bosque llamados “Wasserschloss” en alemán,  localizados a 33 km del centro de la ciudad de Zúrich.

En este lugar confluyen 3 de los mayores ríos de Suiza: el Aare, el Reuss y el Limmat (este último después de atravesar el Lago de Zúrich y la ciudad). Aquí puedes encontrar diferentes especies de aves, anfibios y peces.  Enlace (información disponible sólo en alemán): https://aargautourismus.ch/tour_of_aargau/die-kombitipps/wasserschloss-der-schweiz