German Newsletters Subscribe
to a free newsletter! [http://www.german.about.com]
German Chat
OUR GERMAN
FORUMS Recent Discussions a VERY easy fun word game Ich suche einen Brieffreund Wer war was? Quiz
=================================== Germany Today - Facts 1 OF 2
From Hyde Flippo, Your
Guide to German Language. FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now! Deutschland heute - Tatsachen Germany After Reunification
We have many articles devoted to Germany's history,
but here we want
to provide a concise summary of
information and
facts about contemporary Germany, its
people, and its
recent history since reunification, when
Germany's eastern
and western halves were rejoined
in 1990.
First a short introduction:
Geography and History
Today Germany is
the European Union's most
populous nation
[and richest, too!]. But Germany as a unified nation is
much newer than
most of its European neighbors.
Germany was created
in 1871 under the leadership of
chancellor Otto
von Bismarck after Prussia (Preußen)
had conquered most
of German-speaking Europe.
Prior to that, "Germany"
had been a loose association
of 39 German states
known as the German League
(der Deutsche Bund).
The German Empire
(das Kaiserreich, das deutsche
Reich) reached its
zenith under Kaiser Wilhelm II just
prior to the start
of World War I (der Erste Weltkrieg) in
1914.
After the "War
to end all wars" Germany attempted to
become a democratic
republic, but the Weimar
Republic proved
to be only a short-lived prelude to the
rise of Hitler and
the dictatorial "Third Reich" of the
Nazis. Following the Second World War,
one man gets most
of the credit for
creating today's democratic Federal
Republic of Germany.
In 1949 Konrad Adenauer
became the new Germany's
first chancellor, the
"George Washington"
of West Germany. That same
year also saw the
birth of communist East Germany
(die Deutsche Demokratische
Republik) in the former
Soviet Occupation
Zone. For the next forty years,
Germany's people
and its history would be divided
into an eastern
and a western part.
But it was not until
August 1961 that a wall physically
split the two Germanys.
The Berlin Wall (die Mauer)
and the barbed wire
fence that lined the entire border
between East and
West Germany became a major
symbol of the Cold
War. By the time the Wall fell in
November 1989, Germans
had lived two separate
national lives for four decades.
Most
Germans underestimated the difficulties of
reunifying people
who had been divided and living
under very different
conditions for 40 years. Even
today, more than
a decade after the Wall's collapse,
true unification
is still a goal. But once the barrier of the
Wall was gone, Germans
had no real choice other
than reunification
(die Wiedervereinigung).
So what does today's
Germany look like? What about
its people, its
government, and its influences on the
world today? Here
are some facts and figures.
Die BRD --2 OF 2
The Federal Republic
of Germany (die
Bundesrepublik Deutschland)
is Europe's dominant
country, both in
economic power and population.
Located approximately
in the center of Europe,
Germany is about
the size of the U.S. state of Montana. Population: 82,800,000 (2000 est.)
particles. Note
the subtle differences in meaning that
particles can sometimes
convey. Example: Wir fahren
um sechs. (We're
leaving at six.) vs. Wir fahren doch
um sechs. (We're
leaving at six, you know.) -
However, the translation
of expressions with particles
is often subject
to various interpretations. It involves a
bit of Sprachgefühl,
or a feeling for the language that
comes with experience.
Particles
in German
ABER Deutsch English Aber ja! But of course! Das hat aber geschmeckt! That was really tasty! Es ist aber ziemlich
spät. It is really quite late. Da kannst du aber staunen. You'll be quite amazed. Das ist aber herrlich! That is really
magnificent!
AUCH
Deutsch English Sie ist sehr schön. - Ja, das ist sie auch. She's
beautiful. - Yeah,
that she is. Das wird dir auch nichts nützen. That won't do you
any good either.
DENN
Deutsch English Wie sieht er denn aus? So how does he look? Was wollen Sie denn? So what is it you want?
Was ist denn los? Whatever can be the matter?
DOCH Deutsch English Kommen Sie doch mit! Why don't you come along? Wir fahren doch um sechs. We're leaving at six,
you
know.
HALT
Deutsch English Es ist halt so. That's just the way it is. Sie ist halt eine Gans. She's just a ninny (and
that's
that). Note:
halt as a particle tends to be used more in
Austria
and southern Germany.
JA
Deutsch English Du bleibst doch eine Weile, ja? You are staying for a
while, aren't you?
Das ist ja unerhört! That's outrageous! Sie mag ja Recht haben. She may well be right. Sag das ja nicht weiter!
Don't you dare pass that on!
MAL Deutsch
English Könntest du mir mal helfen? Could you just give me a
hand? Es wird
nun mal lange dauern. It's just gonna take
some
time.
NUR Deutsch English Kommt nur nicht zu spät! Just don't come too late! Sie sollen nur kommen! Just let them come!
SCHON Deutsch English Gehen Sie schon! Get going! Schon gut! Okay! / That'll do. Schon am nächsten Tag starb er.
The very next day
he died.
Other Particles:
EBEN, EIGENTLICH, ERST, ETWA,
RUHIG, ÜBERHAUPT, WOHL
Doch! …and Other Tricky German Words
Part 2: Doch! Really!
Doch! 1 > Doch! 2 > Particle Examples
The German word
doch is so versatile that it can also
be dangerous. But
knowing how to use this word
properly can make
you sound like a true German (or
Austrian or German
Swiss)!
Let's start with
the basics: ja, nein …and doch! Of
course, two of the
first words you ever learned in
German were ja and
nein. You probably knew those
two words before
you began studying German! But
they aren't enough.
You also need to know doch.
The use of doch
to answer a question is not actually a
particle function,
but it is important. (We'll get back to
doch as a particle
in a moment.) English may have the
largest vocabulary
of any world language, but it
doesn't have a single
word for doch as an answer.
When you answer
a question negatively or positively,
you use nein/no
or ja/yes, whether in Deutsch or
English. But German
adds a third one-word option,
doch (“on
the contrary”), that English does not have.
For instance, someone
asks you in English, “Don't
you have any money?”
You actually do, so you
answer, “Yes,
I do.” While you might also add, “On
the contrary...“
only two responses are possible in
English: “No,
I don't.” (agreeing with the negative
question) or “Yes,
I do.” (disagreeing with the negative
question).
German, however,
offers a third alternative, which in
some cases is required
instead of ja or nein. The
same money question
in German would be: Hast du
kein Geld? If you
answer with ja, the questioner may
think you are agreeing
to the negative, that yes, you
do not have any
money. But by answering with doch,
you are making it
clear: “On the contrary, yes, I do
have money.”
This also applies
to statements that you want to
contradict. If someone
says, “That's not right,” but it is,
the German statement
Das stimmt nicht would be
contradicted with:
Doch! Das stimmt. (“On the contrary,
it is right.”)
In this case, a response with ja (es stimmt)
would sound wrong
to German ears. A doch
response clearly
means you disagree with the
statement.
Doch
has many other uses as well. As an adverb, it
can mean “after
all” or “all the same.” Ich habe sie
doch erkannt! “I
recognized her after all!” or “I did
recognize her!”
It is often used this way as an
intensifier: Das
hat sie doch gesagt. = “She did say
that (after all).”
In
commands, doch is more than a mere particle. It is
used to soften an
order, to turn it into more of a
suggestion: Gehen
Sie doch vorbei!, “Why don't you
go by?“ rather
than the harsher “(You will) go by!”
As a particle, doch
can intensify (as above), express
surprise (Das war
doch Maria! = That was actually
Maria!), show doubt
(Du hast doch meine Email
bekommen? = You
did get my email, didn't you?),
question (Wie war
doch sein Name? = Just what was
his name?) or be
used in many idiomatic ways: Sollen
Sie doch! = Then
just go ahead (and do it)! With a little
attention and effort,
you'll begin to notice the many
ways that doch is
used in German. Understanding the
uses of doch and
the other particles in German will
A r/e Abgeordnete
representative, member of parliament
r Absturz
crash, disaster r Flugzeugabsturz plane crash
abstürzen
to crash, fall abgestürzt crashed
die Achse des Bösen
the axis of evil
On January 29, 2002
in his State of the Union address,
President George
W. Bush labeled Iran (der Iran), Iraq
(der Irak), and
North Korea (Nordkorea) an "axis of
evil." e Angaben
(pl) information, data (from a source) nach Angaben der Polizei according to the police nach
offiziellen Angaben according to official
sources
e Arbeitslosigkeit
unemployment
e Arbeitsplätze
(pl.) (number of) jobs
e Armee army
e Bundeswehr German army r Soldat soldier
e Atomkraft
atomic power (electricity generated by a
nuclear reactor) e
Atommacht atomic power (state with atomic
weapons)
auf Konfrontationskurs
gehen to head for a
confrontation, go
on the offensive
r Aufstand
insurgency, rebellion, uprising
Aufständische
pl. insurgents, rebels der/die Aufständische m./f. the insurgent, rebel
(masc./fem.)
ein Aufständischer m. an insurgent, a rebel (masc.) eine Aufständische f. an insurgent, a rebel (fem.)
aufständisch adj. insurgent, rebellious
r Ausländer, e Ausländerin
foreigner sie sind Ausländer they are foreigners
e Ausländerfeindlichkeit
xenophobia, anti-foreigner
sentiment
r Außenminister,
e Außenministerin foreign
secretary/minister,
secretary of state
e Außenpolitik foreign
policy deutsche Außenpolitik German foreign policy
B
r Banküberfall
bank robbery
r Beamte/e Beamtin
civil servant, government worker,
official (n.)
Becker gegen Becker
“Becker versus Becker” e Scheidung divorce (n.) sich scheiden lassen
get a divorce
Germany's most famous
2001 divorce case: Former
German tennis champ
Boris Becker was in a very
messy divorce case
with his American wife Barbara
Becker. bedrohen
threaten (v.)
e Bedrohung
threat (n.)
s Benzin gasoline,
petrol die Benzinpreise gas prices (pl.)
A German ecology
tax (die Ökosteuer) on the price of
gasoline was introduced
on Jan. 1, 2001. The tax was
scheduled to raise
incrementally over the following
years. bergen (barg/hat
geborgen) to recover,
salvage, rescue
man hat die Triebwerke geborgen the (aircraft)
engines have been
recovered
e Bergung
recovery, salvaging
e Bildung
education
s Blitzlicht
flashbulb, (camera) flash unit
s Blitzlichtgewitter
lit., "flashbulb lightning storm" unter Blitzlichtgewitter under a hail of flashing
cameras
e Botschaft
embassy
r Botschafter
ambassador
die Bovine Spongiforme
Enzephalopathie (BSE)
bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE)
e BRD (Bundesrepublik
Deutschland) FRG, Fed.
Republic of Germany
e BSE, r Rinderwahn
BSE, “mad cow” disease e BSE-Krise the BSE crisis
Bundes- federal,
of the BRD (prefix in many German
words; see below)
e Bundesbank (e
Buba) German central bank
r Bundeskanzler
federal chancellor e Bundeskanzlerin federal chancellor (f.)
The current federal
chancellor of Germany is Angela
Merkel (CDU, Christian
Democratic Union). The
previous chancellor
was Gerhard Schröder (SPD,
Social Democratic
Party). See: "Tax Song" Lampoons
Schröder r Bundesrat
German parliament (upper
house) e Bundesrepublik
(e BRD) Fed. Republic of Germany
(FRG) r Bundestag
German parliament (lower house)
e Bundeswehr
German army e Armee army r Soldat soldier
Beginning in 2001,
women were allowed for the first
time to serve in
Germany's Bundeswehr as combat
soldiers, Soldatinnen.
Also see: English-German Terrorism Glossary C
CDU/CSU CDU/CSU,
the Christian Democratic Union
(political party) CSU
CSU, the Christian Socialists (political party) Both partners are referred to as die Union. > See the
Political Parties Glossary
D
e DDR GDR
(East Germany)
E
einschränken
to restrict, limit (v.)
e Einschränkung
(-en) restrictions, limits (n.)
r Einwanderer (-)
immigrant e Einwanderung immigration e Einwanderungsbehörde immigration authorities,
INS
e Entscheidung (-en)
decision eine Entscheidung treffen to make a decision
s Erdbeben
earthquake r Erdbebenmesser seismograph s Erdbebenmessgerät seismograph
e Erderwärmung
global warming
r Erdrutsch
landslide
erhalten to
receive
die EU European
Union (see more below) in der EU in the EU
r Euro
euro, the common currency (Währung) of 11
EU nations
Europäische Union
(die EU) European Union (EU)
Germany and Austria
are both members of the
15-nation EU. Switzerland
is not. e Euthanasie
euthanasia
F
FDP (die)
FDP, the Free Democrats (German political
party)
See the Political Parties Glossary
e Flaute recession,
slowdown (econ.), doldrums aus der Flaute herauskommen to recover
(economically),
come out of a slowdown
e Flut (-en)
flood(s); high tide e Flutkatastrophe (-n) disastrous flood e Flutwelle (-n) tsunami(s), "tidal wave"
e Jahrhundertflut flood of the century, 100-year flood
Germany experienced
die Jahrhundertflut an der Elbe
in August 2002,
when massive flooding caused
devastation all
along the Elbe river, particularly in
Dresden.
Also see our Date
and Time Glossary G
gefrierender Regen
freezing rain
s Gehirn brain r
Gehirntod, Hirntod brain death gehirntot, hirntot brain-dead
s Gesetz
law neue Gesetze new laws
e Gewalt violence
rechte Gewalt rightwing (skinhead) violence
e Gewerkschaft(en)
(labor) union(s)
s Gewitter
thunderstorm, lightning storm
die Grünen (pl.)
Green Party, the Greens rot-grün red-green (coalition of the "red" SPD and
the Greens)
H
e Haft custody,
arrest, detention in Haft nehmen put under arrest, put in detention verhaften to arrest
r Haftbefehl
warrant (for arrest)
Hartz IV (Hartz
vier) German pension-reform legislation
(2004) named for
its chief architect, Dr. Peter Hartz
e Heuchelei
hypocrisy
e Hinrichtung
execution hinrichten execute (kill)
hirnamputiert
brain-damaged (hum.) hirngeschädigt brain-damaged (med.) r Hirntod/Gehirntod brain death hirntot/gehirntot
brain-dead
e Hochschule(n)
college(s), university (-ties), higher
education
s Hochwasser
flood, flooding
I
r ICE Intercity
Express (high-speed train)
K
r Kanzler
chancellor (see Bundeskanzler above)
kassieren
to collect, receive (taxes)
r Klon clone
(n.) klonen (v.) to clone s Klonen cloning (n.)
königlich
royal (adj.)
s Königreich
kingdom
e Konfrontation
confrontation auf Konfrontationskurs
gehen to head
for a confrontation, go on the offensive
KPD KPD, the
Communist Party of Germany (political
party)
L
e Lawine avalanche
e Schlammlawine mudslide
s Leben life
ums Leben kommen to lose your life, to die viele Menschen kamen ums Leben many people
died/lost their
lives s Lebenserhaltungssystem life-support system
Got a new word?
Can't find a word? Email me about news-related vocabulary.
