Day 10: Verschlimmbessern: To Make Something Worse By Trying To Fix It. I Think We Can All Relate. I

Omg, y’all. Are you watching Dark on Nexflix?? Like, you all recommended it, but you were not kidding. I’m getting goosebumps like my whole life was planned and leading me to watch this tv show.

May I just say:: come for the German lessons. Stay. For. The. P.L.O.T. I’m on season 3, and this show:

1. Never lightens up, but like in a good way. Like I love a drama, but the Germans are next level. Comic relief suddenly feels very American to me, and I’m here for it and taking notes.

2. Is such a good show. The plot is never ending. If you love Sci-fi, time travel, paradoxes, slow-burn reveals, complex story lines, human psychology, and an unexpected anti-hero, then this show is for you. Grab some popcorn and prepare to get lost in the best of ways. Season 3 of Westworld could never.

3. Is an amazing aid in learning German. As someone who is treading the line between intermediate and advanced fluency, this has been an incredible bridge to help me fill in the gaps. I’m finding that I can listen without watching with subtitles and know what’s going on. I usually watch in German with subtitles (personally I love to read a movie) but there are English subtitles and English dubbing. The language can be complex and really pushes my knowledge, but it is also very poetic at times and I find myself pulled in and really caring about what exactly each character is saying. I feel motivated to look up what I don’t know. German and English don’t always translate directly across, and watching this show gets me interested in understanding the differences between translations. The plot helps me retain what I learned. If you are advanced, intermediate or just want to jump into the deep end and get pulled along, this show is a really great way into entertaining yourself into learning German as a second language. 10/10 would recommend. It is very convoluted and, well, um, Dark, at times. If sci-fi and slow-burn, complex plots leave you cold, I would recommend giving it a shot to see if it’s your speed first.

Kartoffellöffel: potato spoon! Always and forever my favorite word in German. #leadwithlanguages #deutsch #german #bilingual #Languagelearning #linguistics #kartoffellöffel #lieblingswort

The bespectacled necromancer rubbed his hands together in reverent anticipation. His blue beret and scarf indicating his high position within the dark Order. Beneath his button nose and quaint mustache, the pale shadow of stubble appeared, signifying the week of sleepless nights spent in preparation for this event. As the last chime of twelve echoed through the manor, joyfully the man pondered, “The ghosts always come at midnight.” Soon, the scarfed bears would emerge...

Das Curry! Sehr einfach!

The jolly bear grinned, it’s red scarf jauntily wrapped about, shielding the bear’s neck from the bitter cold. “No,” the bear laughed, “I’m a ghost.” His hearty chuckle echoed through the night time wind...

Day 20: die Geige, the violin! What are other good German instruments whose names are vastly different than their English translations?

Day 14: mein Handy!

Day 8: Urtier, primordial beast. This was one of my German professorin’s favorite words. She always translated it as ‘monster’, but other definitions are different. Any fluent speakers have any insights?

My professorin always said, “DeTour, durch Die Tür.” And that is how I will always remember the gender of the door.

Day 13: Ja?! It fits so nicely at the end of a sentence. My favorite expression: Jawohl!