Learn to talk about special events
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| Hello and welcome to German Survival Phrases brought to you by germanpod101.com, this course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Germany. |
| You will be surprised at how far a little German will go. |
| Now before we jump in, remember to stop by germanpod101.com and there you will find the accompanying PDF and additional info in the post. |
| If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment. |
| German Survival Phrases. Lesson 60, German for Special Events. |
| Today we are going to introduce you to some phrases ideal for special occasions that you can use with German speakers anywhere in the world. |
| So whether you are sending an email across the globe or saying it in person, the following phrases for celebratory events will allow you to express yours sentiments in German. |
| In Germany, the custom of exchanging regards and good wishes is very important. |
| Usually Germans shake each other’s hands. |
| In German, congratulations is [Gratulation] This word literally means congratulations and it’s used in many special occasions like a career move, after passing an exam to a wedding and so on. |
| Let’s break it down by syllable and hear it one more time [Gratulation] but the most famous phrase and even the one more often used is [Herzlichen Glückwunsch] This phrase literally means sincere wish and can be used in every kind of occasion and event. |
| You can say [Herzlichen Glückwunsch] for a birthday at Christmas, Easter, for a birth et cetera. |
| Let’s break this phrase down by syllable [Herzlichen Glückwunsch] Now let’s see it once again [Herzlichen Glückwunsch] Happy birthday in German is [Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag] The first word [Herzlichen] means sincere. |
| Let’s break this word down by syllable and hear it once again [Herzlichen] This is followed by [Glückwunsch] which in English is wish [Glückwunsch] Then we have [zum] to the, a composition of preposition [zu] to and the article [den] the. |
| Let’s hear this word once again [zum] and finally we have [Geburtstag] which in English is birthday [Geburtstag] altogether we have [Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag] Literally this means sincere wish to the birthday but now let’s go and see what you say specifically in some other events. |
| This is going to be very straightforward. |
| Happy New Year in German is [Frohes Neues Jahr] The first word is [Frohes] and it means merry [Frohes] The second word of this phrase is [Neues] and it means new. |
| Let’s break down this word and hear it one more time [Neues] Then we have [Jahr] year [Jahr] So altogether we have [Frohes Neues Jahr] Literally this means Merry New Year. |
| Let’s try this now with Merry Christmas which in German is [Frohe Weihnachten] So as you can see, the first word is always [Frohe] Merry but changing the gender depending on the following noun phrase. |
| In this case, it’s [Frohe] because it’s matched with a feminine noun [Weihnachten] Christmas. |
| So it’s a feminine adjective. |
| Let’s break down the noun again and listen to it one more time [Weihnachten] So altogether we have [Frohe Weihnachten] Happy Easter is [Frohe Ostern] So this time we have [Frohe] merry followed by [Ostern] which means Easter. |
| So altogether we have [Frohe Ostern] |
| Okay to close our today’s lesson, we would like you to practice what you’ve just learned. |
| I will provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you are responsible for shouting it out aloud. |
| You have a few seconds before I give you the answer. |
| So [Viel Glück] which means good luck in German. |
| Congratulations [Gratulation] Congratulations [Herzlichen Glückwunsch] Happy birthday [Herzlichen Glückwunsch] Happy New Year [Frohes Neues Jahr] Merry Christmas [Frohe Weihnachten] Happy Easter [Frohe Ostern] |
| That’s going to do it for today. |
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HideGratulation listeners!
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19/12/12
the audio in the section "Expansion with Audio" doesn't work!