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Easy German Essays for Beginners: 8 Examples to Practice Your Language Skills

Are you a beginner in learning German and looking for ways to practice your language skills? One great way to do so is by writing essays in German. Writing essays not only improves your grammar and vocabulary but also helps you express your thoughts and ideas in the target language. In this article, we will provide you with eight easy German essays for Beginners with English translation and vocabulary to help you get started.

• Meine Familie (My family) – Write about your family, including their names, occupations, and hobbies.
• Mein Haus (My house) – Describe your house or apartment, including the number of rooms, furniture, and decorations.
• Meine Hobbys (My hobbies) – Talk about your favorite hobbies, such as playing sports, reading books, or listening to music.
• Meine Schule (My school) – Write about your school, including its location, teachers, and subjects you study.
• Meine Freunde (My friends) – Discuss your friends, including how you met them, their personalities, and what you like to do together.
• Meine Stadt (My city) – Describe your city or town, including its population, tourist attractions, and cultural events.
• Meine Reise (My trip) – Write about a recent trip you took, including the destination, transportation, and activities you did there.
• Meine Lieblingsessen (My favorite food) – Talk about your favorite foods, including traditional German dishes and other international cuisines.

Remember to use simple vocabulary and sentence structures while writing the essays. Good luck with your German learning journey!

Table of Contents

Meine familie (my family).

Ich heiße Maria und ich möchte euch gerne meine Familie vorstellen. Wir sind insgesamt vier Personen in meiner Familie. Mein Vater heißt Klaus und er arbeitet als Ingenieur. Meine Mutter heißt Petra und sie ist Hausfrau. Mein Bruder heißt Jan und er geht noch zur Schule.

(My name is Maria, and I would like to introduce you to my family. We are a family of four. My father’s name is Klaus, and he works as an engineer. My mother’s name is Petra, and she is a homemaker. My brother’s name is Jan, and he still goes to school.)

Vocabulary:

• Ich heiße Maria (My name is Maria)
• insgesamt (altogether)
• vier Personen (four persons)
• der Vater (father)
• arbeiten (to work)
• der Ingenieur (engineer)
• die Mutter (mother)
• Hausfrau (homemaker)
• der Bruder (brother)
• noch zur Schule gehen (still go to school)

Mein Vater arbeitet in einem großen Unternehmen als Ingenieur. Er ist sehr fleißig und verbringt viel Zeit im Büro. In seiner Freizeit geht er gerne joggen oder spielt Golf. Meine Mutter kümmert sich um den Haushalt und verbringt viel Zeit damit, leckere Mahlzeiten zu kochen. Sie liest auch gerne Bücher und geht regelmäßig zum Yoga.

(My father works in a large company as an engineer. He is very hardworking and spends a lot of time in the office. In his free time, he likes to go jogging or play golf. My mother takes care of the household and spends a lot of time cooking delicious meals. She also likes to read books and regularly attends yoga classes.)

• in einem großen Unternehmen (in a large company)
• sehr fleißig (very hardworking)
• viel Zeit (a lot of time)
• im Büro (in the office)
• in seiner Freizeit (in his free time)
• joggen (to go jogging)
• Golf spielen (to play golf)
• sich kümmern um (to take care of)
• der Haushalt (household)
• leckere Mahlzeiten kochen (cook delicious meals)
• gerne lesen (like to read)
• regelmäßig (regularly)
• zum Yoga gehen (go to yoga)

Mein Bruder Jan geht noch zur Schule und ist sehr sportlich. Er spielt Fußball im Verein und geht regelmäßig ins Fitnessstudio. In seiner Freizeit hört er gerne Musik und schaut Filme.

(My brother Jan still goes to school and is very sporty. He plays soccer in a club and regularly goes to the gym. In his free time, he likes to listen to music and watch movies.)

• sehr sportlich (very sporty)
• Fußball spielen (to play soccer)
• im Verein (in a club)
• ins Fitnessstudio gehen (to go to the gym)
• Musik hören (listen to music)
• Filme schauen (watch movies)

Ich studiere im Moment an der Universität und meine Hobbys sind Lesen, Reisen und Yoga. In meiner Freizeit gehe ich gerne in die Natur und genieße die frische Luft.

(I am currently studying at the university, and my hobbies are reading, traveling, and yoga. In my free time, I like to go into nature and enjoy the fresh air.)

• studieren (to study)
• an der Universität (at the university)
• die Hobbys (hobbies)
• Lesen (reading)
• Reisen (traveling)
• Yoga (yoga)
• die Freizeit (free time)
• in die Natur gehen (go into nature)
• genießen (enjoy)
• frische Luft (fresh air)

Das ist meine Familie. Wir haben viele verschiedene Hobbys und Interessen, aber wir verbringen auch gerne gemeinsam Zeit miteinander.

(This is my family. We have many different hobbies and interests, but we also enjoy spending time together.)

• das ist (this is)
• verschiedene Hobbys und Interessen (different hobbies and interests)
• gerne Zeit miteinander verbringen (enjoy spending time together)

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Mein Haus (My House)

Ich lebe in einem Haus mit drei Schlafzimmern und zwei Bädern. Das Haus ist zweistöckig und hat auch einen Keller. Im Erdgeschoss befinden sich das Wohnzimmer, die Küche und ein Esszimmer. Im Wohnzimmer haben wir ein bequemes Sofa und einen großen Fernseher. In der Küche gibt es eine Spülmaschine, einen Herd, einen Backofen und einen Kühlschrank. Das Esszimmer hat einen Esstisch mit sechs Stühlen.

(I live in a house with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The house is two stories and also has a basement. On the ground floor, there is the living room, kitchen, and a dining room. In the living room, we have a comfortable sofa and a large television. In the kitchen, there is a dishwasher, stove, oven, and refrigerator. The dining room has a dining table with six chairs.)

• das Haus (house)
• die Schlafzimmer (bedrooms)
• die Bäder (bathrooms)
• zweistöckig (two-storied)
• der Keller (basement)
• das Erdgeschoss (ground floor)
• das Wohnzimmer (living room)
• die Küche (kitchen)
• das Esszimmer (dining room)
• ein bequemes Sofa (a comfortable sofa)
• ein großer Fernseher (a large television)
• eine Spülmaschine (a dishwasher)
• ein Herd (a stove)
• ein Backofen (an oven)
• ein Kühlschrank (a refrigerator)
• ein Esstisch (a dining table)
• sechs Stühle (six chairs)

Im Obergeschoss befinden sich die Schlafzimmer und die Bäder. Mein Schlafzimmer hat ein großes Bett, einen Schreibtisch und einen Kleiderschrank. Das Badezimmer hat eine Badewanne und eine Dusche. In den anderen Schlafzimmern gibt es auch Betten und Schränke für Kleidung.

(Upstairs, there are the bedrooms and bathrooms. My bedroom has a large bed, a desk, and a closet. The bathroom has a bathtub and a shower. In the other bedrooms, there are also beds and closets for clothes.)

• das Obergeschoss (upper floor)
• das Schlafzimmer (bedroom)
• der Schreibtisch (desk)
• der Kleiderschrank (closet)
• das Badezimmer (bathroom)
• die Badewanne (bathtub)
• die Dusche (shower)
• die anderen Schlafzimmer (the other bedrooms)

Im Keller haben wir eine Waschmaschine und einen Trockner. Wir nutzen den Keller auch als Lager für Dinge, die wir nicht oft brauchen.

(In the basement, we have a washing machine and dryer. We also use the basement as a storage area for things we don’t need often.)

• die Waschmaschine (washing machine)
• der Trockner (dryer)
• als Lager nutzen (use as storage area)
• Dinge (things)

Wir haben auch einige Dekorationen im Haus. Im Wohnzimmer haben wir ein großes Gemälde an der Wand und im Esszimmer steht eine Vase mit Blumen auf dem Tisch.

(We also have some decorations in the house. In the living room, we have a large painting on the wall, and in the dining room, there is a vase of flowers on the table.)

• die Dekorationen (decorations)
• das Gemälde (painting)
• die Wand (wall)
• die Vase (vase)
• die Blumen (flowers)
• der Tisch (table)

Wir haben auch ein paar Teppiche im Haus, um den Boden zu bedecken. Das Wohnzimmer hat einen braunen Teppich, während die Schlafzimmer jeweils einen unterschiedlichen Farbton haben. Mein Schlafzimmer hat einen blauen Teppich, während das andere Schlafzimmer einen roten Teppich hat.

(We also have some carpets in the house to cover the floor. The living room has a brown carpet, while the bedrooms have a different color tone each. My bedroom has a blue carpet, while the other bedroom has a red carpet.)

• der Teppich (carpet)
• den Boden bedecken (to cover the floor)
• unterschiedliche Farbton (different color tone)

Insgesamt bin ich sehr glücklich mit meinem Haus. Es ist gemütlich und hat genug Platz für meine Familie und mich.

(Overall, I am very happy with my house. It is cozy and has enough space for my family and me.)

• insgesamt (overall)
• glücklich (happy)
• gemütlich (cozy)
• genug Platz (enough space)

Difference between ein, eine, einen, and einem in the German Language

Meine hobbys (my hobbies).

Ich habe einige Hobbys, die ich sehr gerne mache. Eines meiner Lieblingshobbys ist es, Sport zu treiben. Insbesondere mag ich es, Basketball zu spielen und Laufen zu gehen. Ich liebe es, im Freien zu sein und Sport zu treiben, weil es mir hilft, mich fit und gesund zu halten.

(I have some hobbies that I really enjoy doing. One of my favorite hobbies is doing sports. In particular, I like to play basketball and go running. I love being outdoors and doing sports because it helps me stay fit and healthy.)

• das Hobby (hobby)
• Sport treiben (to do sports)
• Basketball spielen (to play basketball)
• Laufen gehen (to go running)
• im Freien sein (to be outdoors)
• fit und gesund (fit and healthy)

Ein weiteres Hobby von mir ist das Lesen von Büchern. Ich lese gerne Romane und Sachbücher, besonders über Geschichte und Wissenschaft. Lesen ist für mich eine Möglichkeit, zu lernen und meine Vorstellungskraft zu erweitern.

(Another hobby of mine is reading books. I enjoy reading novels and non-fiction books, especially about history and science. Reading is a way for me to learn and expand my imagination.)

• das Lesen (reading)
• das Buch (book)
• der Roman (novel)
• das Sachbuch (non-fiction book)
• die Geschichte (history)
• die Wissenschaft (science)
• die Vorstellungskraft (imagination)

Außerdem höre ich gerne Musik. Ich mag viele verschiedene Genres wie Pop, Rock und Klassik. Musik kann meine Stimmung beeinflussen und mich entspannen.

(Additionally, I like to listen to music. I enjoy many different genres like pop, rock, and classical. Music can influence my mood and help me relax.)

• die Musik (music)
• das Genre (genre)
• Pop, Rock, Klassik (pop, rock, classical)
• die Stimmung (mood)
• sich entspannen (to relax)

Insgesamt bin ich sehr dankbar für meine Hobbys. Sie helfen mir, meinen Geist und Körper gesund zu halten und mich zu entspannen.

(Overall, I am very grateful for my hobbies. They help me keep my mind and body healthy and help me relax.)

• dankbar (grateful)
• der Geist (mind)
• der Körper (body)

German Essays on My Family: Meine Familie

Meine schule (my school).

Ich besuche eine Schule in der Nähe meines Hauses. Die Schule ist relativ groß und hat viele Schülerinnen und Schüler. Wir haben viele Lehrerinnen und Lehrer, die alle sehr nett und hilfsbereit sind.

(I attend a school near my house. The school is relatively large and has many students. We have many teachers who are all very kind and helpful.)

• besuchen (to attend)
• die Nähe (proximity)
• relativ (relatively)
• die Schülerin (female student)
• der Schüler (male student)
• viele (many)
• die Lehrerin (female teacher)
• der Lehrer (male teacher)
• nett (kind)
• hilfsbereit (helpful)

Die Schule bietet viele verschiedene Fächer an, einschließlich Mathematik, Geschichte, Englisch, Naturwissenschaften und Fremdsprachen. Mein Lieblingsfach ist Englisch, weil ich gerne Geschichten lese und schreibe. Ich denke, dass es wichtig ist, eine gute Ausbildung zu haben, um im Leben erfolgreich zu sein.

(The school offers many different subjects, including mathematics, history, English, science, and foreign languages. My favorite subject is English because I enjoy reading and writing stories. I believe that having a good education is important to be successful in life.)

• das Fach (subject)
• einschließlich (including)
• Mathematik (mathematics)
• Geschichte (history)
• Englisch (English)
• Naturwissenschaften (science)
• Fremdsprachen (foreign languages)
• das Lieblingsfach (favorite subject)
• die Geschichte (story)
• die Ausbildung (education)
• erfolgreich (successful)

Unsere Schule hat auch viele außerschulische Aktivitäten, wie zum Beispiel Sportmannschaften und Musikgruppen. Ich bin Mitglied des Schulfußballteams und wir haben viele Spiele gegen andere Schulen in der Gegend. Es macht mir viel Spaß und ich habe viele Freunde durch das Team kennengelernt.

(Our school also has many extracurricular activities, such as sports teams and music groups. I am a member of the school soccer team and we have many games against other schools in the area. It’s a lot of fun and I have made many friends through the team.)

• außerschulisch (extracurricular)
• die Aktivitäten (activities)
• die Sportmannschaften (sports teams)
• die Musikgruppen (music groups)
• das Mitglied (member)
• das Schulfußballteam (school soccer team)
• das Spiel (game)
• die Gegend (area)
• der Spaß (fun)
• der Freund (friend)

Insgesamt bin ich sehr glücklich auf meiner Schule und ich denke, dass ich hier eine gute Ausbildung bekomme. Ich hoffe, dass ich in Zukunft noch mehr von den vielen Möglichkeiten, die die Schule bietet, profitieren kann.

(Overall, I am very happy at my school and I think that I am getting a good education here. I hope that in the future, I can take advantage of even more of the many opportunities that the school offers.)

• die Möglichkeit (opportunity)
• profitieren (to take advantage of)

List of German adjectives with English meaning

Meine Freunde (My friends)

Ich habe viele Freunde, aber ich möchte über meine drei engsten Freunde sprechen. Wir haben uns alle in der Grundschule kennengelernt und sind seitdem unzertrennlich.

(I have many friends, but I want to talk about my three closest friends. We all met in elementary school and have been inseparable ever since.)

• die Freunde (friends)
• unzertrennlich (inseparable)

Mein erster Freund heißt Max. Er ist sehr sportlich und spielt gerne Fußball und Basketball. Max ist auch sehr lustig und hat immer eine positive Einstellung. Wir lieben es, zusammen Sport zu treiben oder Videospiele zu spielen.

(My first friend is Max. He is very athletic and likes to play soccer and basketball. Max is also very funny and always has a positive attitude. We love to exercise or play video games together.)

• sportlich (athletic)
• Fußball (soccer)
• Basketball (basketball)
• die Einstellung (attitude)
• lustig (funny)
• zusammen (together)
• Videospiele (video games)

Meine Freundin Anna ist sehr künstlerisch und liebt es zu malen und zu zeichnen. Sie hat auch ein großes Herz und ist immer bereit, anderen zu helfen. Anna und ich machen oft zusammen Kunstprojekte oder gehen ins Kino.

(My friend Anna is very artistic and loves to paint and draw. She also has a big heart and is always willing to help others. Anna and I often do art projects together or go to the movies.)

• künstlerisch (artistic)
• malen (to paint)
• zeichnen (to draw)
• das Herz (heart)
• bereit (willing)
• helfen (to help)
• das Kunstprojekt (art project)
• ins Kino gehen (to go to the movies)

Mein Freund Tom ist sehr intelligent und liebt es, neue Dinge zu lernen. Er ist auch sehr abenteuerlustig und geht gerne auf Reisen. Tom und ich haben viele spannende Abenteuer erlebt, wie zum Beispiel Campingausflüge oder Klettertouren.

(My friend Tom is very smart and loves to learn new things. He is also very adventurous and likes to travel. Tom and I have had many exciting adventures, such as camping trips or climbing expeditions.)

• intelligent (smart)
• abenteuerlustig (adventurous)
• die Reise (travel)
• die Abenteuer (adventures)
• der Campingausflug (camping trip)
• die Klettertour (climbing expedition)

Insgesamt bin ich sehr dankbar für meine Freunde und bin froh, dass ich sie habe. Wir haben so viele schöne Erinnerungen zusammen gemacht und ich freue mich auf viele weitere Abenteuer mit ihnen.

(Overall, I am very grateful for my friends and am glad to have them. We have made so many beautiful memories together and I look forward to many more adventures with them.)

• froh (glad)
• die Erinnerungen (memories)

Meine Stadt (My city)

Ich lebe in einer Stadt namens Hamburg in Deutschland. Hamburg ist die zweitgrößte Stadt Deutschlands und hat eine Bevölkerung von etwa 1,8 Millionen Menschen. Es ist eine Hafenstadt und liegt an der Elbe.

(I live in a city called Hamburg in Germany. Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany and has a population of about 1.8 million people. It is a port city and located on the river Elbe.)

• die Bevölkerung (population)
• der Hafen (port)
• die Elbe (river Elbe)

Hamburg ist bekannt für seine vielen Touristenattraktionen. Eines der bekanntesten ist der Hamburger Hafen, der einer der größten Häfen Europas ist. Es gibt auch den Fischmarkt, auf dem man frischen Fisch kaufen und lokale Spezialitäten probieren kann.

(Hamburg is known for its many tourist attractions. One of the most famous is the Port of Hamburg, which is one of the largest ports in Europe. There is also the Fish Market, where you can buy fresh fish and try local specialties.)

• die Touristenattraktionen (tourist attractions)
• bekannt (known)
• der Fischmarkt (fish market)
• frisch (fresh)
• lokale Spezialitäten (local specialties)

Außerdem gibt es viele kulturelle Veranstaltungen in Hamburg. Jedes Jahr findet das Hamburger Domfest statt, das größte Volksfest im Norden Deutschlands. Es gibt auch das Internationale Filmfest Hamburg, bei dem Filme aus der ganzen Welt gezeigt werden.

(Additionally, there are many cultural events in Hamburg. Every year, the Hamburg Dom Festival takes place, which is the largest folk festival in northern Germany. There is also the Hamburg International Film Festival, where films from all over the world are shown.)

• kulturelle Veranstaltungen (cultural events)
• das Domfest (folk festival)
• das Internationale Filmfest (international film festival)
• aus der ganzen Welt (from all over the world)

Insgesamt ist Hamburg eine lebendige und vielfältige Stadt, die für jeden etwas zu bieten hat.

(Overall, Hamburg is a vibrant and diverse city that has something to offer for everyone.)

• lebendig (vibrant)
• vielfältig (diverse)
• etwas zu bieten haben (to have something to offer)

My trip (Meine Reise)

Ich bin vor Kurzem mit meiner Familie nach Paris gereist. Wir sind direkt von unserer Stadt aus geflogen und kamen früh am Morgen in Paris an.

(I recently went on a trip to Paris with my family. We took a direct flight from our city and arrived in Paris early in the morning.)

• Vor Kurzem (recently)
• Die Reise (trip)
• Meine Familie (my family)
• Fliegen (to fly)
• Direkt (direct)
• Unsere Stadt (our city)
• Ankommen (to arrive)
• Früh (early)
• Am Morgen (in the morning)

Wir haben in einem Hotel im Herzen der Stadt gewohnt, in der Nähe vieler beliebter Sehenswürdigkeiten. Unser Hotelzimmer hatte eine tolle Aussicht auf den Eiffelturm, der nur einen kurzen Spaziergang entfernt war.

(We stayed in a hotel in the heart of the city, close to many popular tourist attractions. Our hotel room had a great view of the Eiffel Tower, which was just a short walk away.)

• das Hotel (hotel)
• die Stadt (city)
• die Nähe (proximity, closeness)
• die Sehenswürdigkeiten (tourist attractions)
• das Hotelzimmer (hotel room)
• die Aussicht (view)
• der Eiffelturm (Eiffel Tower)
• der Spaziergang (walk)

Während unseres Aufenthalts haben wir viele berühmte Wahrzeichen der Stadt besucht, darunter das Louvre-Museum und die Kathedrale Notre-Dame. Wir haben auch eine Bootsfahrt auf der Seine gemacht, was eine großartige Möglichkeit war, die Stadt aus einer anderen Perspektive zu sehen.

(During our stay, we visited many of the city’s famous landmarks, including the Louvre Museum and Notre-Dame Cathedral. We also went on a boat tour of the Seine River, which was a great way to see the city from a different perspective.)

• der Aufenthalt (stay)
• berühmte Wahrzeichen (famous landmarks)
• das Louvre-Museum (the Louvre Museum)
• die Kathedrale Notre-Dame (Notre-Dame Cathedral)
• die Bootsfahrt (boat tour)
• die Seine (the Seine River)
• aus einer anderen Perspektive (from a different perspective)

Eines der Highlights unserer Reise war das Probieren der köstlichen französischen Küche. Wir haben in vielen verschiedenen Restaurants und Cafés gegessen und alles von Croissants bis Escargots ausprobiert.

(One of the highlights of our trip was trying the delicious French cuisine. We ate at many different restaurants and cafes, and tried everything from croissants to escargots.)

• das Highlight (the highlight)
• die Reise (the trip)
• das Probieren (the trying/tasting)
• die köstliche französische Küche (the delicious French cuisine)
• das Restaurant (the restaurant)
• das Café (the café)
• alles (everything)
• der Croissant (the croissant)
• die Escargots (the escargots (snails))

Insgesamt war unser Trip nach Paris eine wunderbare Erfahrung. Wir haben die schönen Sehenswürdigkeiten, das leckere Essen und die reiche Kultur der Stadt genossen. Es war eine großartige Gelegenheit, Zeit mit meiner Familie zu verbringen und bleibende Erinnerungen zu schaffen.

(Overall, our trip to Paris was a wonderful experience. We enjoyed the beautiful sights, delicious food, and rich culture of the city. It was a great opportunity to spend time with my family and create lasting memories.)

• Insgesamt (Overall)
• Trip (trip)
• Paris (Paris)
• Eine wunderbare Erfahrung (A wonderful experience)
• Wir haben genossen (We enjoyed)
• Die schönen Sehenswürdigkeiten (The beautiful sights)
• Das leckere Essen (The delicious food)
• Die reiche Kultur der Stadt (The rich culture of the city)
• Eine großartige Gelegenheit (A great opportunity)
• Zeit mit meiner Familie zu verbringen (To spend time with my family)
• Bleibende Erinnerungen zu schaffen (To create lasting memories)

Meine Lieblingsessen (My favorite food)

Ich esse gerne viele verschiedene Arten von Essen und habe viele Lieblingsspeisen. Einige meiner Favoriten sind traditionelle deutsche Gerichte wie Schnitzel und Spätzle, Sauerkraut und Bratwurst.

(I like to eat many different types of food and have many favorite dishes. Some of my favorites are traditional German dishes like Schnitzel and Spätzle, Sauerkraut, and Bratwurst.)

• Lieblingsspeisen (favorite dishes)
• traditionelle deutsche Gerichte (traditional German dishes)
• Schnitzel (breaded and fried meat cutlets)
• Spätzle (soft egg noodles)
• Sauerkraut (fermented cabbage)
• Bratwurst (grilled or fried sausage)

Ich mag auch viele internationale Küchen, wie zum Beispiel italienische Pizza und Pasta, thailändisches Curry, indische Masala und japanisches Sushi.

(I also enjoy many international cuisines, such as Italian pizza and pasta, Thai curry, Indian masala, and Japanese sushi.)

• internationale Küchen (international cuisines)

Ein weiteres meiner Lieblingsessen ist mexikanisches Essen wie Tacos, Quesadillas und Guacamole. Die Kombination aus scharfen Gewürzen und frischen Zutaten macht das Essen zu einer Geschmacksexplosion.

(Another one of my favorite foods is Mexican cuisine like tacos, quesadillas, and guacamole. The combination of spicy seasonings and fresh ingredients makes the food a flavor explosion.)

• scharfe Gewürze (spicy seasonings)
• frische Zutaten (fresh ingredients)
• Geschmacksexplosion (flavor explosion)
• mexikanisches Essen (Mexican cuisine)
• Tacos (filled tortillas)
• Quesadillas (stuffed and grilled tortillas)
• Guacamole (dip made from mashed avocado)

Insgesamt genieße ich es, neue Gerichte und Küchen auszuprobieren und verschiedene Aromen und Texturen zu entdecken. Essen ist eine große Leidenschaft von mir und ich liebe es, zu kochen und neue Rezepte zu kreieren.

(Overall, I enjoy trying new dishes and cuisines and discovering different flavors and textures. Food is a big passion of mine, and I love to cook and create new recipes.)

• Aromen und Texturen (flavors and textures)
• Leidenschaft (passion)
• Rezepte (recipes)
• kochen (to cook)
• kreieren (to create)

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Conclusion:

In conclusion, writing essays in German can be a fun and effective way to improve your language skills. The eight essay examples provided in this article (Easy German Essays for Beginners) offer a range of topics that will help you practice your writing skills, expand your vocabulary, and gain confidence in your ability to express yourself in German. So why not try writing one of these essays today and see how much progress you can make in your German language journey?

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Mark Twain's essay on German

The Awful German Language

A little learning makes the whole world kin. -- Proverbs xxxii, 7.

I went often to look at the collection of curiosities in Heidelberg Castle, and one day I surprised the keeper of it with my German. I spoke entirely in that language. He was greatly interested; and after I had talked a while he said my German was very rare, possibly a "unique"; and wanted to add it to his museum.

Surely there is not another language that is so slipshod and systemless, and so slippery and elusive to the grasp. One is washed about in it, hither and thither, in the most helpless way; and when at last he thinks he has captured a rule which offers firm ground to take a rest on amid the general rage and turmoil of the ten parts of speech, he turns over the page and reads, "Let the pupil make careful note of the following  exceptions ." He runs his eye down and finds that there are more exceptions to the rule than instances of it. So overboard he goes again, to hunt for another Ararat and find another quicksand. Such has been, and continues to be, my experience. Every time I think I have got one of these four confusing "cases" where I am master of it, a seemingly insignificant preposition intrudes itself into my sentence, clothed with an awful and unsuspected power, and crumbles the ground from under me. For instance, my book inquires after a certain bird -- (it is always inquiring after things which are of no sort of consequence to anybody): "Where is the bird?" Now the answer to this question -- according to the book -- is that the bird is waiting in the blacksmith shop on account of the rain. Of course no bird would do that, but then you must stick to the book. Very well, I begin to cipher out the German for that answer. I begin at the wrong end, necessarily, for that is the German idea. I say to myself, " Regen  (rain) is masculine -- or maybe it is feminine -- or possibly neuter -- it is too much trouble to look now. Therefore, it is either  der  (the) Regen, or  die  (the) Regen, or  das  (the) Regen, according to which gender it may turn out to be when I look. In the interest of science, I will cipher it out on the hypothesis that it is masculine. Very well -- then  the  rain is  der  Regen, if it is simply in the quiescent state of being  mentioned , without enlargement or discussion -- Nominative case; but if this rain is lying around, in a kind of a general way on the ground, it is then definitely located, it is  doing something  -- that is,  resting  (which is one of the German grammar's ideas of doing something), and this throws the rain into the Dative case, and makes it  dem  Regen. However, this rain is not resting, but is doing something  actively , -- it is falling -- to interfere with the bird, likely -- and this indicates  movement , which has the effect of sliding it into the Accusative case and changing  dem  Regen into  den  Regen." Having completed the grammatical horoscope of this matter, I answer up confidently and state in German that the bird is staying in the blacksmith shop "wegen (on account of)  den  Regen." Then the teacher lets me softly down with the remark that whenever the word "wegen" drops into a sentence, it  always  throws that subject into the  Genitive  case, regardless of consequences -- and that therefore this bird stayed in the blacksmith shop "wegen  des  Regens."

N. B. -- I was informed, later, by a higher authority, that there was an "exception" which permits one to say "wegen  den  Regen" in certain peculiar and complex circumstances, but that this exception is not extended to anything  but rain.

There are ten parts of speech, and they are all troublesome. An average sentence, in a German newspaper, is a sublime and impressive curiosity; it occupies a quarter of a column; it contains all the ten parts of speech -- not in regular order, but mixed; it is built mainly of compound words constructed by the writer on the spot, and not to be found in any dictionary -- six or seven words compacted into one, without joint or seam -- that is, without hyphens; it treats of fourteen or fifteen different subjects, each inclosed in a parenthesis of its own, with here and there extra parentheses which reinclose three or four of the minor parentheses, making pens within pens: finally, all the parentheses and reparentheses are massed together between a couple of king-parentheses, one of which is placed in the first line of the majestic sentence and the other in the middle of the last line of it --  after which comes the VERB , and you find out for the first time what the man has been talking about; and after the verb -- merely by way of ornament, as far as I can make out -- the writer shovels in " haben sind gewesen gehabt haben geworden sein ," or words to that effect, and the monument is finished. I suppose that this closing hurrah is in the nature of the flourish to a man's signature -- not necessary, but pretty. German books are easy enough to read when you hold them before the looking-glass or stand on your head -- so as to reverse the construction -- but I think that to learn to read and understand a German newspaper is a thing which must always remain an impossibility to a foreigner.

Yet even the German books are not entirely free from attacks of the Parenthesis distemper -- though they are usually so mild as to cover only a few lines, and therefore when you at last get down to the verb it carries some meaning to your mind because you are able to remember a good deal of what has gone before. Now here is a sentence from a popular and excellent German novel -- which a slight parenthesis in it. I will make a perfectly literal translation, and throw in the parenthesis-marks and some hyphens for the assistance of the reader -- though in the original there are no parenthesis-marks or hyphens, and the reader is left to flounder through to the remote verb the best way he can:

"But when he, upon the street, the (in-satin-and-silk-covered-now-very-unconstrained-after-the-newest-fashioned-dressed) government counselor's wife  met ," etc., etc. [1]

1. Wenn er aber auf der Strasse der in Sammt und Seide gehüllten jetzt sehr ungenirt nach der neusten Mode gekleideten Regierungsräthin begegnet.

That is from The Old Mamselle's Secret, by Mrs. Marlitt. And that sentence is constructed upon the most approved German model. You observe how far that verb is from the reader's base of operations; well, in a German newspaper they put their verb away over on the next page; and I have heard that sometimes after stringing along the exciting preliminaries and parentheses for a column or two, they get in a hurry and have to go to press without getting to the verb at all. Of course, then, the reader is left in a very exhausted and ignorant state.

We have the Parenthesis disease in our literature, too; and one may see cases of it every day in our books and newspapers: but with us it is the mark and sign of an unpracticed writer or a cloudy intellect, whereas with the Germans it is doubtless the mark and sign of a practiced pen and of the presence of that sort of luminous intellectual fog which stands for clearness among these people. For surely it is  not  clearness -- it necessarily can't be clearness. Even a jury would have penetration enough to discover that. A writer's ideas must be a good deal confused, a good deal out of line and sequence, when he starts out to say that a man met a counselor's wife in the street, and then right in the midst of this so simple undertaking halts these approaching people and makes them stand still until he jots down an inventory of the woman's dress. That is manifestly absurd. It reminds a person of those dentists who secure your instant and breathless interest in a tooth by taking a grip on it with the forceps, and then stand there and drawl through a tedious anecdote before they give the dreaded jerk. Parentheses in literature and dentistry are in bad taste.

The Germans have another kind of parenthesis, which they make by splitting a verb in two and putting half of it at the beginning of an exciting chapter and the  other half  at the end of it. Can any one conceive of anything more confusing than that? These things are called "separable verbs." The German grammar is blistered all over with separable verbs; and the wider the two portions of one of them are spread apart, the better the author of the crime is pleased with his performance. A favorite one is  reiste ab  -- which means departed. Here is an example which I culled from a novel and reduced to English:

"The trunks being now ready, he  DE-  after kissing his mother and sisters, and once more pressing to his bosom his adored Gretchen, who, dressed in simple white muslin, with a single tuberose in the ample folds of her rich brown hair, had tottered feebly down the stairs, still pale from the terror and excitement of the past evening, but longing to lay her poor aching head yet once again upon the breast of him whom she loved more dearly than life itself,  PARTED ."

However, it is not well to dwell too much on the separable verbs. One is sure to lose his temper early; and if he sticks to the subject, and will not be warned, it will at last either soften his brain or petrify it. Personal pronouns and adjectives are a fruitful nuisance in this language, and should have been left out. For instance, the same sound,  sie , means  you , and it means  she , and it means  her , and it means  it , and it means  they , and it means  them . Think of the ragged poverty of a language which has to make one word do the work of six -- and a poor little weak thing of only three letters at that. But mainly, think of the exasperation of never knowing which of these meanings the speaker is trying to convey. This explains why, whenever a person says  sie  to me, I generally try to kill him, if a stranger.

Now observe the Adjective. Here was a case where simplicity would have been an advantage; therefore, for no other reason, the inventor of this language complicated it all he could. When we wish to speak of our "good friend or friends," in our enlightened tongue, we stick to the one form and have no trouble or hard feeling about it; but with the German tongue it is different. When a German gets his hands on an adjective, he declines it, and keeps on declining it until the common sense is all declined out of it. It is as bad as Latin. He says, for instance:

• Nominative -- Mein gut er  Freund, my good friend.
• Genitive -- Mein es  gut en  Freund es , of my good friend.
• Dative -- Mein em  gut en  Freund, to my good friend.
• Accusative -- Mein en  gut en  Freund, my good friend.
• N. -- Mein e  gut en  Freund e , my good friends.
• G. -- Mein er  gut en  Freund e , of my good friends.
• D. -- Mein en  gut en  Freund en , to my good friends.
• A. -- Mein e  gut en  Freund e , my good friends.

Now let the candidate for the asylum try to memorize those variations, and see how soon he will be elected. One might better go without friends in Germany than take all this trouble about them. I have shown what a bother it is to decline a good (male) friend; well this is only a third of the work, for there is a variety of new distortions of the adjective to be learned when the object is feminine, and still another when the object is neuter. Now there are more adjectives in this language than there are black cats in Switzerland, and they must all be as elaborately declined as the examples above suggested. Difficult? -- troublesome? -- these words cannot describe it. I heard a Californian student in Heidelberg say, in one of his calmest moods, that he would rather decline two drinks than one German adjective.

The inventor of the language seems to have taken pleasure in complicating it in every way he could think of. For instance, if one is casually referring to a house,  Haus , or a horse,  Pferd , or a dog,  Hund , he spells these words as I have indicated; but if he is referring to them in the Dative case, he sticks on a foolish and unnecessary  e  and spells them  Hause ,  Pferde ,  Hunde . So, as an added  e  often signifies the plural, as the  s  does with us, the new student is likely to go on for a month making twins out of a Dative dog before he discovers his mistake; and on the other hand, many a new student who could ill afford loss, has bought and paid for two dogs and only got one of them, because he ignorantly bought that dog in the Dative singular when he really supposed he was talking plural -- which left the law on the seller's side, of course, by the strict rules of grammar, and therefore a suit for recovery could not lie.

In German, all the Nouns begin with a capital letter. Now that is a good idea; and a good idea, in this language, is necessarily conspicuous from its lonesomeness. I consider this capitalizing of nouns a good idea, because by reason of it you are almost always able to tell a noun the minute you see it. You fall into error occasionally, because you mistake the name of a person for the name of a thing, and waste a good deal of time trying to dig a meaning out of it. German names almost always do mean something, and this helps to deceive the student. I translated a passage one day, which said that "the infuriated tigress broke loose and utterly ate up the unfortunate fir forest" ( Tannenwald ). When I was girding up my loins to doubt this, I found out that Tannenwald in this instance was a man's name.

Every noun has a gender, and there is no sense or system in the distribution; so the gender of each must be learned separately and by heart. There is no other way. To do this one has to have a memory like a memorandum-book. In German, a young lady has no sex, while a turnip has. Think what overwrought reverence that shows for the turnip, and what callous disrespect for the girl. See how it looks in print -- I translate this from a conversation in one of the best of the German Sunday-school books:

To continue with the German genders: a tree is male, its buds are female, its leaves are neuter; horses are sexless, dogs are male, cats are female -- tomcats included, of course; a person's mouth, neck, bosom, elbows, fingers, nails, feet, and body are of the male sex, and his head is male or neuter according to the word selected to signify it, and  not  according to the sex of the individual who wears it -- for in Germany all the women either male heads or sexless ones; a person's nose, lips, shoulders, breast, hands, and toes are of the female sex; and his hair, ears, eyes, chin, legs, knees, heart, and conscience haven't any sex at all. The inventor of the language probably got what he knew about a conscience from hearsay.

Now, by the above dissection, the reader will see that in Germany a man may  think  he is a man, but when he comes to look into the matter closely, he is bound to have his doubts; he finds that in sober truth he is a most ridiculous mixture; and if he ends by trying to comfort himself with the thought that he can at least depend on a third of this mess as being manly and masculine, the humiliating second thought will quickly remind him that in this respect he is no better off than any woman or cow in the land.

In the German it is true that by some oversight of the inventor of the language, a Woman is a female; but a Wife ( Weib ) is not -- which is unfortunate. A Wife, here, has no sex; she is neuter; so, according to the grammar, a fish is he , his scales are  she , but a fishwife is neither. To describe a wife as sexless may be called under-description; that is bad enough, but over-description is surely worse. A German speaks of an Englishman as the  Engländer ; to change the sex, he adds  inn , and that stands for Englishwoman --  Engländerinn . That seems descriptive enough, but still it is not exact enough for a German; so he precedes the word with that article which indicates that the creature to follow is feminine, and writes it down thus: " die  Engländer inn ," -- which means "the  she-Englishwoman ." I consider that that person is over-described.

Well, after the student has learned the sex of a great number of nouns, he is still in a difficulty, because he finds it impossible to persuade his tongue to refer to things as " he " and " she ," and " him " and " her ," which it has been always accustomed to refer to it as " it ." When he even frames a German sentence in his mind, with the hims and hers in the right places, and then works up his courage to the utterance-point, it is no use -- the moment he begins to speak his tongue flies the track and all those labored males and females come out as " it s." And even when he is reading German to himself, he always calls those things " it ," where as he ought to read in this way:

The Tale of the fishwife and its sad fate

2. I capitalize the nouns, in the German (and ancient English) fashion.

It is a bleak Day. Hear the Rain, how he pours, and the Hail, how he rattles; and see the Snow, how he drifts along, and of the Mud, how deep he is! Ah the poor Fishwife, it is stuck fast in the Mire; it has dropped its Basket of Fishes; and its Hands have been cut by the Scales as it seized some of the falling Creatures; and one Scale has even got into its Eye, and it cannot get her out. It opens its Mouth to cry for Help; but if any Sound comes out of him, alas he is drowned by the raging of the Storm. And now a Tomcat has got one of the Fishes and she will surely escape with him. No, she bites off a Fin, she holds her in her Mouth -- will she swallow her? No, the Fishwife's brave Mother-dog deserts his Puppies and rescues the Fin -- which he eats, himself, as his Reward. O, horror, the Lightning has struck the Fish-basket; he sets him on Fire; see the Flame, how she licks the doomed Utensil with her red and angry Tongue; now she attacks the helpless Fishwife's Foot -- she burns him up, all but the big Toe, and even  she  is partly consumed; and still she spreads, still she waves her fiery Tongues; she attacks the Fishwife's Leg and destroys  it ; she attacks its Hand and destroys  her  also; she attacks the Fishwife's Leg and destroys  her  also; she attacks its Body and consumes  him ; she wreathes herself about its Heart and  it  is consumed; next about its Breast, and in a Moment  she  is a Cinder; now she reaches its Neck --  he  goes; now its Chin --  it  goes; now its Nose --  she  goes. In another Moment, except Help come, the Fishwife will be no more. Time presses -- is there none to succor and save? Yes! Joy, joy, with flying Feet the she-Englishwoman comes! But alas, the generous she-Female is too late: where now is the fated Fishwife? It has ceased from its Sufferings, it has gone to a better Land; all that is left of it for its loved Ones to lament over, is this poor smoldering Ash-heap. Ah, woeful, woeful Ash-heap! Let us take him up tenderly, reverently, upon the lowly Shovel, and bear him to his long Rest, with the Prayer that when he rises again it will be a Realm where he will have one good square responsible Sex, and have it all to himself, instead of having a mangy lot of assorted Sexes scattered all over him in Spots.

There, now, the reader can see for himself that this pronoun business is a very awkward thing for the unaccustomed tongue. I suppose that in all languages the similarities of look and sound between words which have no similarity in meaning are a fruitful source of perplexity to the foreigner. It is so in our tongue, and it is notably the case in the German. Now there is that troublesome word  vermählt : to me it has so close a resemblance -- either real or fancied -- to three or four other words, that I never know whether it means despised, painted, suspected, or married; until I look in the dictionary, and then I find it means the latter. There are lots of such words and they are a great torment. To increase the difficulty there are words which  seem  to resemble each other, and yet do not; but they make just as much trouble as if they did. For instance, there is the word  vermiethen  (to let, to lease, to hire); and the word  verheirathen  (another way of saying to marry). I heard of an Englishman who knocked at a man's door in Heidelberg and proposed, in the best German he could command, to "verheirathen" that house. Then there are some words which mean one thing when you emphasize the first syllable, but mean something very different if you throw the emphasis on the last syllable. For instance, there is a word which means a runaway, or the act of glancing through a book, according to the placing of the emphasis; and another word which signifies to  associate  with a man, or to  avoid  him, according to where you put the emphasis -- and you can generally depend on putting it in the wrong place and getting into trouble.

There are some exceedingly useful words in this language.  Schlag , for example; and  Zug . There are three-quarters of a column of  Schlag s in the dictionary, and a column and a half of  Zug s. The word  Schlag  means Blow, Stroke, Dash, Hit, Shock, Clap, Slap, Time, Bar, Coin, Stamp, Kind, Sort, Manner, Way, Apoplexy, Wood-cutting, Enclosure, Field, Forest-clearing. This is its simple and  exact  meaning -- that is to say, its restricted, its fettered meaning; but there are ways by which you can set it free, so that it can soar away, as on the wings of the morning, and never be at rest. You can hang any word you please to its tail, and make it mean anything you want to. You can begin with  Schlag-ader , which means artery, and you can hang on the whole dictionary, word by word, clear through the alphabet to  Schlag-wasser , which means bilge-water -- and including  Schlag-mutter , which means mother-in-law.

Just the same with  Zug . Strictly speaking,  Zug  means Pull, Tug, Draught, Procession, March, Progress, Flight, Direction, Expedition, Train, Caravan, Passage, Stroke, Touch, Line, Flourish, Trait of Character, Feature, Lineament, Chess-move, Organ-stop, Team, Whiff, Bias, Drawer, Propensity, Inhalation, Disposition: but that thing which it does  not  mean -- when all its legitimate pennants have been hung on, has not been discovered yet.

One cannot overestimate the usefulness of  Schlag  and  Zug . Armed just with these two, and the word  also , what cannot the foreigner on German soil accomplish? The German word  also  is the equivalent of the English phrase "You know," and does not mean anything at all -- in  talk , though it sometimes does in print. Every time a German opens his mouth an  also  falls out; and every time he shuts it he bites one in two that was trying to  get  out.

Now, the foreigner, equipped with these three noble words, is master of the situation. Let him talk right along, fearlessly; let him pour his indifferent German forth, and when he lacks for a word, let him heave a  Schlag  into the vacuum; all the chances are that it fits it like a plug, but if it doesn't let him promptly heave a  Zug  after it; the two together can hardly fail to bung the hole; but if, by a miracle, they  should  fail, let him simply say  also ! and this will give him a moment's chance to think of the needful word. In Germany, when you load your conversational gun it is always best to throw in a  Schlag  or two and a  Zug  or two, because it doesn't make any difference how much the rest of the charge may scatter, you are bound to bag something with  them . Then you blandly say  also , and load up again. Nothing gives such an air of grace and elegance and unconstraint to a German or an English conversation as to scatter it full of "Also's" or "You knows."

In my note-book I find this entry:

July 1 . -- In the hospital yesterday, a word of thirteen syllables was successfully removed from a patient -- a North German from near Hamburg; but as most unfortunately the surgeons had opened him in the wrong place, under the impression that he contained a panorama, he died. The sad event has cast a gloom over the whole community.

That paragraph furnishes a text for a few remarks about one of the most curious and notable features of my subject -- the length of German words. Some German words are so long that they have a perspective. Observe these examples:

• Freundschaftsbezeigungen.
• Dilettantenaufdringlichkeiten.
• Stadtverordnetenversammlungen.

These things are not words, they are alphabetical processions. And they are not rare; one can open a German newspaper at any time and see them marching majestically across the page -- and if he has any imagination he can see the banners and hear the music, too. They impart a martial thrill to the meekest subject. I take a great interest in these curiosities. Whenever I come across a good one, I stuff it and put it in my museum. In this way I have made quite a valuable collection. When I get duplicates, I exchange with other collectors, and thus increase the variety of my stock. Here are some specimens which I lately bought at an auction sale of the effects of a bankrupt bric-a-brac hunter:

• Generalstaatsverordnetenversammlungen.
• Alterthumswissenschaften.
• Kinderbewahrungsanstalten.
• Unabhaengigkeitserklaerungen.
• Wiedererstellungbestrebungen.
• Waffenstillstandsunterhandlungen.

Of course when one of these grand mountain ranges goes stretching across the printed page, it adorns and ennobles that literary landscape -- but at the same time it is a great distress to the new student, for it blocks up his way; he cannot crawl under it, or climb over it, or tunnel through it. So he resorts to the dictionary for help, but there is no help there. The dictionary must draw the line somewhere -- so it leaves this sort of words out. And it is right, because these long things are hardly legitimate words, but are rather combinations of words, and the inventor of them ought to have been killed. They are compound words with the hyphens left out. The various words used in building them are in the dictionary, but in a very scattered condition; so you can hunt the materials out, one by one, and get at the meaning at last, but it is a tedious and harassing business. I have tried this process upon some of the above examples. " Freundschaftsbezeigungen " seems to be "Friendship demonstrations," which is only a foolish and clumsy way of saying "demonstrations of friendship." " Unabhaengigkeitserklaerungen " seems to be "Independencedeclarations," which is no improvement upon "Declarations of Independence," so far as I can see. " Generalstaatsverordnetenversammlungen " seems to be "General-statesrepresentativesmeetings," as nearly as I can get at it -- a mere rhythmical, gushy euphuism for "meetings of the legislature," I judge. We used to have a good deal of this sort of crime in our literature, but it has gone out now. We used to speak of a things as a "never-to-be-forgotten" circumstance, instead of cramping it into the simple and sufficient word "memorable" and then going calmly about our business as if nothing had happened. In those days we were not content to embalm the thing and bury it decently, we wanted to build a monument over it.

But in our newspapers the compounding-disease lingers a little to the present day, but with the hyphens left out, in the German fashion. This is the shape it takes: instead of saying "Mr. Simmons, clerk of the county and district courts, was in town yesterday," the new form put it thus: "Clerk of the County and District Courts Simmons was in town yesterday." This saves neither time nor ink, and has an awkward sound besides. One often sees a remark like this in our papers: " Mrs.  Assistant District Attorney Johnson returned to her city residence yesterday for the season." That is a case of really unjustifiable compounding; because it not only saves no time or trouble, but confers a title on Mrs. Johnson which she has no right to. But these little instances are trifles indeed, contrasted with the ponderous and dismal German system of piling jumbled compounds together. I wish to submit the following local item, from a Mannheim journal, by way of illustration:

"In the daybeforeyesterdayshortlyaftereleveno'clock Night, the inthistownstandingtavern called `The Wagoner' was downburnt. When the fire to the onthedownburninghouseresting Stork's Nest reached, flew the parent Storks away. But when the bytheraging, firesurrounded Nest  itself  caught Fire, straightway plunged the quickreturning Mother-stork into the Flames and died, her Wings over her young ones outspread."

Even the cumbersome German construction is not able to take the pathos out of that picture -- indeed, it somehow seems to strengthen it. This item is dated away back yonder months ago. I could have used it sooner, but I was waiting to hear from the Father-stork. I am still waiting.

" Also !" If I had not shown that the German is a difficult language, I have at least intended to do so. I have heard of an American student who was asked how he was getting along with his German, and who answered promptly: "I am not getting along at all. I have worked at it hard for three level months, and all I have got to show for it is one solitary German phrase -- ` Zwei Glas '" (two glasses of beer). He paused for a moment, reflectively; then added with feeling: "But I've got that  solid !"

And if I have not also shown that German is a harassing and infuriating study, my execution has been at fault, and not my intent. I heard lately of a worn and sorely tried American student who used to fly to a certain German word for relief when he could bear up under his aggravations no longer -- the only word whose sound was sweet and precious to his ear and healing to his lacerated spirit. This was the word  Damit . It was only the  sound  that helped him, not the meaning; [3] and so, at last, when he learned that the emphasis was not on the first syllable, his only stay and support was gone, and he faded away and died.

3. It merely means, in its general sense, "herewith."

I think that a description of any loud, stirring, tumultuous episode must be tamer in German than in English. Our descriptive words of this character have such a deep, strong, resonant sound, while their German equivalents do seem so thin and mild and energyless. Boom, burst, crash, roar, storm, bellow, blow, thunder, explosion; howl, cry, shout, yell, groan; battle, hell. These are magnificent words; the have a force and magnitude of sound befitting the things which they describe. But their German equivalents would be ever so nice to sing the children to sleep with, or else my awe-inspiring ears were made for display and not for superior usefulness in analyzing sounds. Would any man want to die in a battle which was called by so tame a term as a  Schlacht ? Or would not a consumptive feel too much bundled up, who was about to go out, in a shirt-collar and a seal-ring, into a storm which the bird-song word Gewitter  was employed to describe? And observe the strongest of the several German equivalents for explosion --  Ausbruch . Our word Toothbrush is more powerful than that. It seems to me that the Germans could do worse than import it into their language to describe particularly tremendous explosions with. The German word for hell -- Hölle -- sounds more like  helly  than anything else; therefore, how necessary chipper, frivolous, and unimpressive it is. If a man were told in German to go there, could he really rise to thee dignity of feeling insulted?

Having pointed out, in detail, the several vices of this language, I now come to the brief and pleasant task of pointing out its virtues. The capitalizing of the nouns I have already mentioned. But far before this virtue stands another -- that of spelling a word according to the sound of it. After one short lesson in the alphabet, the student can tell how any German word is pronounced without having to ask; whereas in our language if a student should inquire of us, "What does B, O, W, spell?" we should be obliged to reply, "Nobody can tell what it spells when you set if off by itself; you can only tell by referring to the context and finding out what it signifies -- whether it is a thing to shoot arrows with, or a nod of one's head, or the forward end of a boat."

There are some German words which are singularly and powerfully effective. For instance, those which describe lowly, peaceful, and affectionate home life; those which deal with love, in any and all forms, from mere kindly feeling and honest good will toward the passing stranger, clear up to courtship; those which deal with outdoor Nature, in its softest and loveliest aspects -- with meadows and forests, and birds and flowers, the fragrance and sunshine of summer, and the moonlight of peaceful winter nights; in a word, those which deal with any and all forms of rest, repose, and peace; those also which deal with the creatures and marvels of fairyland; and lastly and chiefly, in those words which express pathos, is the language surpassingly rich and affective. There are German songs which can make a stranger to the language cry. That shows that the  sound  of the words is correct -- it interprets the meanings with truth and with exactness; and so the ear is informed, and through the ear, the heart.

The Germans do not seem to be afraid to repeat a word when it is the right one. they repeat it several times, if they choose. That is wise. But in English, when we have used a word a couple of times in a paragraph, we imagine we are growing tautological, and so we are weak enough to exchange it for some other word which only approximates exactness, to escape what we wrongly fancy is a greater blemish. Repetition may be bad, but surely inexactness is worse.

There are people in the world who will take a great deal of trouble to point out the faults in a religion or a language, and then go blandly about their business without suggesting any remedy. I am not that kind of person. I have shown that the German language needs reforming. Very well, I am ready to reform it. At least I am ready to make the proper suggestions. Such a course as this might be immodest in another; but I have devoted upward of nine full weeks, first and last, to a careful and critical study of this tongue, and thus have acquired a confidence in my ability to reform it which no mere superficial culture could have conferred upon me.

In the first place, I would leave out the Dative case. It confuses the plurals; and, besides, nobody ever knows when he is in the Dative case, except he discover it by accident -- and then he does not know when or where it was that he got into it, or how long he has been in it, or how he is going to get out of it again. The Dative case is but an ornamental folly -- it is better to discard it.

In the next place, I would move the Verb further up to the front. You may load up with ever so good a Verb, but I notice that you never really bring down a subject with it at the present German range -- you only cripple it. So I insist that this important part of speech should be brought forward to a position where it may be easily seen with the naked eye.

Thirdly, I would import some strong words from the English tongue -- to swear with, and also to use in describing all sorts of vigorous things in a vigorous ways.

4. "Verdammt," and its variations and enlargements, are words which have plenty of meaning, but the  sounds  are so mild and ineffectual that German ladies can use them without sin. German ladies who could not be induced to commit a sin by any persuasion or compulsion, promptly rip out one of these harmless little words when they tear their dresses or don't like the soup. It sounds about as wicked as our "My gracious." German ladies are constantly saying, "Ach! Gott!" "Mein Gott!" "Gott in Himmel!" "Herr Gott" "Der Herr Jesus!" etc. They think our ladies have the same custom, perhaps; for I once heard a gentle and lovely old German lady say to a sweet young American girl: "The two languages are so alike -- how pleasant that is; we say `Ach! Gott!' you say `Goddamn.'"

Fourthly, I would reorganize the sexes, and distribute them accordingly to the will of the creator. This as a tribute of respect, if nothing else.

Fifthly, I would do away with those great long compounded words; or require the speaker to deliver them in sections, with intermissions for refreshments. To wholly do away with them would be best, for ideas are more easily received and digested when they come one at a time than when they come in bulk. Intellectual food is like any other; it is pleasanter and more beneficial to take it with a spoon than with a shovel.

Sixthly, I would require a speaker to stop when he is done, and not hang a string of those useless " haben sind gewesen gehabt haben geworden sein s" to the end of his oration. This sort of gewgaws undignify a speech, instead of adding a grace. They are, therefore, an offense, and should be discarded.

Seventhly, I would discard the Parenthesis. Also the reparenthesis, the re-reparenthesis, and the re-re-re-re-re-reparentheses, and likewise the final wide-reaching all-inclosing king-parenthesis. I would require every individual, be he high or low, to unfold a plain straightforward tale, or else coil it and sit on it and hold his peace. Infractions of this law should be punishable with death.

And eighthly, and last, I would retain  Zug  and  Schlag , with their pendants, and discard the rest of the vocabulary. This would simplify the language.

I have now named what I regard as the most necessary and important changes. These are perhaps all I could be expected to name for nothing; but there are other suggestions which I can and will make in case my proposed application shall result in my being formally employed by the government in the work of reforming the language.

My philological studies have satisfied me that a gifted person ought to learn English (barring spelling and pronouncing) in thirty hours, French in thirty days, and German in thirty years. It seems manifest, then, that the latter tongue ought to be trimmed down and repaired. If it is to remain as it is, it ought to be gently and reverently set aside among the dead languages, for only the dead have time to learn it.

A Fourth of July Oration in the German Tongue, Delivered at a Banquet of the Anglo-American Club of Students by the Author of This Book

Gentlemen: Since I arrived, a month ago, in this old wonderland, this vast garden of Germany, my English tongue has so often proved a useless piece of baggage to me, and so troublesome to carry around, in a country where they haven't the checking system for luggage, that I finally set to work, and learned the German language. Also! Es freut mich dass dies so ist, denn es muss, in ein hauptsächlich degree, höflich sein, dass man auf ein occasion like this, sein Rede in die Sprache des Landes worin he boards, aussprechen soll. Dafür habe ich, aus reinische Verlegenheit -- no, Vergangenheit -- no, I mean Höflichkeit -- aus reinische Höflichkeit habe ich resolved to tackle this business in the German language, um Gottes willen! Also! Sie müssen so freundlich sein, und verzeih mich die interlarding von ein oder zwei Englischer Worte, hie und da, denn ich finde dass die deutsche is not a very copious language, and so when you've really got anything to say, you've got to draw on a language that can stand the strain.

Wenn haber man kann nicht meinem Rede Verstehen, so werde ich ihm später dasselbe übersetz, wenn er solche Dienst verlangen wollen haben werden sollen sein hätte. (I don't know what "wollen haben werden sollen sein hätte" means, but I notice they always put it at the end of a German sentence -- merely for general literary gorgeousness, I suppose.)

This is a great and justly honored day -- a day which is worthy of the veneration in which it is held by the true patriots of all climes and nationalities -- a day which offers a fruitful theme for thought and speech; und meinem Freunde -- no, mein en  Freund en  -- mein es  Freund es  -- well, take your choice, they're all the same price; I don't know which one is right -- also! ich habe gehabt haben worden gewesen sein, as Goethe says in his Paradise Lost -- ich -- ich -- that is to say -- ich -- but let us change cars.

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50 Useful German Essay Words and Phrases

by  fredo21  

January 9, 2019

2  Comments

Essay-writing is in itself already a difficult endeavor. Now writing an essay in a foreign language like German ---that’s on a different plane of difficulty.  

To make it easier for you, here in this article, we’ve compiled the most useful German essay phrases. Feel free to use these to add a dash of pizzazz into your essays. It will add just the right amount of flourish into your writing---enough to impress whoever comes across your work!

You can also download these phrases in PDF format by clicking the button below.

Now here’s your list!

What other German vocabulary list would you like to see featured here? Please feel free to leave a message in the comment section and we’ll try our best to accommodate your requests soon!

Once again, you can download your copy of the PDF by subscribing using the button below!

For an easier way to learn German vocabulary, check out German short stories for beginners!

A FUN AND EFFECTIVE WAY TO LEARN GERMAN

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• Practice reading and listening with 90+ minutes of audio 
• Learn 1,000+ new German vocabulary effortlessly!

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Thank you for the good writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it. Look advanced to far added agreeable from you! By the way, how can we communicate?

Asking questions are genuinely good thing if you are not understanding anything completely, except this piece of writing provides nice understanding yet.

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Essential German Essay Phrases to Elevate Your Writing

Writing an essay in German can be a daunting task, especially if you’re not familiar with the language’s unique expressions and structures. To help you navigate the intricacies of German essay writing and add sophistication to your compositions, we have compiled a list of 24 essential phrases. These phrases will not only enhance the clarity and coherence of your writing but also showcase your command over the German language .

Einleitende Sätze (Introductory Phrases):

a. Zunächst einmal… – Firstly…

b. Es ist allgemein bekannt, dass… – It is generally known that…

c. In der heutigen Gesellschaft… – In today’s society…

d. Es lässt sich nicht leugnen, dass… – It cannot be denied that…

Beispielgebende Phrasen (Exemplifying Phrases):

a. Ein gutes Beispiel hierfür ist… – A good example of this is…

b. Zum Beispiel… – For example…

c. Dies wird deutlich, wenn man… – This becomes clear when one…

d. Als Veranschaulichung kann man… – As an illustration, one can…

Verbindende Wörter (Connecting Words):

a. Darüber hinaus… – Furthermore…

b. In Bezug auf… – With regard to…

c. Im Vergleich zu… – In comparison to…

d. Einerseits… andererseits… – On the one hand… on the other hand…

Zusammenfassende Phrasen (Summarizing Phrases):

a. Abschließend lässt sich sagen… – In conclusion, it can be said…

b. Alles in allem… – All in all…

c. Zusammenfassend kann man feststellen… – In summary, one can determine…

d. Im Großen und Ganzen… – By and large…

Hervorhebende Phrasen (Emphasizing Phrases):

a. Es ist besonders wichtig zu betonen… – It is particularly important to emphasize…

b. Es steht außer Frage, dass… – There is no question that…

c. Es lässt sich nicht bestreiten… – It cannot be denied…

d. Es ist unerlässlich, dass… – It is essential that…

Kontrastierende Phrasen (Contrasting Phrases):

a. Im Gegensatz dazu… – In contrast to that…

b. Trotzdem… – Nevertheless…

c. Während… – While…

d. Allerdings… – However…

Abschließende Sätze (Concluding Sentences):

a. Zusammenfassend lässt sich festhalten… – To summarize, it can be stated…

b. Abschließend kann man sagen… – In conclusion, one can say…

c. Letztendlich… – Ultimately…

d. Abschließend bleibt zu sagen… – In conclusion, it remains to be said…

Conclusion : By incorporating these 24 essential phrases into your German essays, you will elevate your writing and demonstrate a strong command of the language. Remember to practice using these phrases in context to ensure a natural flow in your compositions. With time and practice, your German essay writing skills will flourish, allowing you to express your ideas with clarity, coherence, and sophistication. Viel Erfolg! (Good luck!)

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Essay on the German language

• by Deutsch mit Leo
• 4 minute read

German is a fascinating, intricate language with a significant historical and cultural background. We shall examine the beginnings, development, distinctive qualities, and aspects of German in this essay. We will also explore the role that the German language plays in culture and society, both domestically and abroad. I hope that this essay will give you a better knowledge and respect for everything German, whether you are studying the German language and culture or are just curious to learn more about this interesting and influential language.

Deutsch spricht man in Deutschland, Österreich, in der Schweiz, Fürstentum Liechtenstein und in Großherzogtum Luxemburg.

Es gibt auch in anderen Länder viele Menschen, die Deutsch als ihre Mittelsprache sprechen.

In Europa gibt es deutschsprachige Menschen in Frankreich, Belgien, Dänemark, Italien, Polen, Ungarn.

Es gibt auch deutschsprachige Bevölkerungsgruppen in Kanada, in den USA und in Afrika.

Insgesamt 100 Millionen Menschen sprechen Deutsch.

Deutsch spricht man in der Bundesrepublik, in Österreich, in der Schweiz und in Liechtenstein.

Diese Länder benutzen die gleiche Schriftsprache, aber es gibt große Dialektunterschiede.

Manchmal ist der Unterschied in der Aussprache so groß, dass sich zwei “Muttersprachler” nicht verstehen können.

Deutschsprachige Gebiete gibt es auch in Luxemburg, Belgien, Frankreich (Elsass) und in Italien (Südtirol).

In der Schweiz gibt es vier offizielle Sprachen: Deutsch, Französisch, Italienisch und Rätoromanisch.

Französisch spricht man im Westen des Landes. Italienisch spricht man im Süden, im Kanton Tessin.

Rätoromanisch sprechen nicht viele Menschen, nur in einem Teil des Kantons Graubünden.

Deutsch spricht man im Norden und Osten der Schweiz, es heißt «Schwyzerdütsch» und ist Umgangssprache für alle,

Im Großherzogtum Luxemburg spricht man Deutsch neben Französisch und Luxemburgisch.

Die offizielle Sprache in Deutschland und Österreich ist Deutsch. In Österreich gibt es auch viele Dialekte.

Sie sind mit dem bayerischen Dialekt in Deutschland verwandt.

In der Tschechischen Republik und in Polen ist die deutsche Bevölkerung als Minderheit anerkannt.

Die Leute sprechen, lesen in Büchern oder hören im Radio ein Standard-Deutsch.

Bis ins Mittelalter gab es keine einheitliche deutsche Sprache.

Die verschiedenen Stämme im deutschen Sprachraum hatten ihre eigenen Dialekte und Latein war lange Zeit die einzige Schriftsprache.

Die Standardsprache bildeten allmählich die süddeutschen und mitteldeutschen Mundarten.

Die deutsche Gemeinsprache hat um 1800 (achtzehnhundert) nur in Gestalt der schriftlichen Formen relative Einheitlichkeit erreicht.

Die politische Zersplitterung Deutschlands hat die sprachliche Einigung erschwert.

Im XIX (neunzehnten) Jahrhundert bildet sich im deutschen Theater eine gewisse einheitliche Aussprache aus.

Sie wird als Mustersprache angesehen.

Man hat versucht, die deutsche Aussprache zu regeln. Eine Beratung der Bühnenvertreter und Hochschullehrer fand statt. Man besprach eine einheitliche Aussprachenorm.

Heute nennt man die normgerechte Aussprache “Standardaussprache”.

Sie ist die Form der Lautung in der Literatursprache der Belletristik, im Fernsehen und im Radio.

Aber im Gespräch, Freunden und Bekannten sprechen viele Dialekt.

Natürlich sind Dialekte nicht überall gleich.

Im Norden klingt Dialekt anders als im Süden. Im Westen sprechen die Leute

anders als im Osten. Im Standard-Deutsch sagt man zum Beispiel, «Kartoffeln», im Dialekt sagt man aber “Töffel”, “Erdapfel”. Im Standard-Deutsch sagt man “Guten Tag”, in südlichen Dialekten sagt man “Grüß Gott”.

So ist es nicht leicht, einander zu verstehen, wenn die Leute ihren Dialekt sprechen.

Aber Standarddeutsch oder, wie man sagt, auch Hochdeutsch, verstehen alle.

German is spoken in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Principality of Liechtenstein and Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

There are also many people in other countries who speak German as their middle language.

In Europe there are German speakers in France, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Poland, Hungary.

There are also German-speaking populations in Canada, the United States, and Africa.

A total of 100 million people speak German.

German is spoken in the Federal Republic, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

These countries use the same written language, but there are major dialect differences.

Sometimes the difference in pronunciation is so great that two “native speakers” cannot understand each other.

German-speaking areas also exist in Luxembourg, Belgium, France (Alsace) and in Italy (South Tyrol).

In Switzerland, there are four official languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh.

French is spoken in the west of the country. Italian is spoken in the south, in the canton of Ticino.

Romansh is not spoken by many people, only in part of the canton of Graubünden.

German is spoken in the north and east of Switzerland, it is called “Schwyzerdütsch” and is the colloquial language for everyone,

In the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, German is spoken alongside French and Luxembourgish.

The official language in Germany and Austria is German. In Austria there are also many dialects.

They are related to the Bavarian dialect in Germany.

In the Czech Republic and Poland, the German population is recognized as a minority.

People speak, read in books or listen on the radio a standard German.

Until the Middle Ages, there was no single German language.

The different tribes in the German-speaking area had their own dialects and Latin was the only written language for a long time.

The standard language was gradually formed by the southern German and central German dialects.

The German common language achieved relative uniformity around 1800 (eighteen hundred) only in the form of written forms.

The political fragmentation of Germany made linguistic unification difficult.

In the XIX (nineteenth) century a certain uniform pronunciation is formed in the German theater.

It is considered a model language.

Attempts were made to regulate the German pronunciation. A consultation of stage representatives and university teachers took place. A uniform pronunciation norm was discussed.

Today, the standard pronunciation is called “standard pronunciation”.

It is the form of pronunciation in the literary language of fiction, on television and on the radio.

But in conversation, friends and acquaintances many speak dialect.

Of course, dialects are not the same everywhere.

In the north, dialect sounds different than in the south. In the West people speak

differently than in the East. For example, in standard German you say, “Kartoffeln”, but in dialect you say “Töffel”, “Erdapfel”. In standard German you say “Guten Tag”, in southern dialects you say “Grüß Gott”.

So it is not easy to understand each other when people speak their dialect.

But standard German or, as they say, High German, everyone understands.

Deutsch mit Leo

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An essay on pets in German

Useful German Essay Words and Phrases

Essay writing in German is in itself already a difficult endeavor. Now writing an essay in a foreign language like German —that’s on a different plane of difficulty.

To make it easier for you, here in this article, we’ve compiled the most useful German essay phrases. Feel free to use these to add a dash of pizzazz into your essays. It will add just the right amount of flourish into your writing—enough to impress whoever comes across your work!

German essay words

These words are very useful to start writing essays in German in academic way.

Tips for writing an essay in German

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Why Learn German? 14 Good Reasons To Learn the Language of Poets and Thinkers

German, although it sometimes gets a bad rap, is one of the world’s great languages. 

90 million people speak German as their first language. It’s also spoken as a second language by an additional 10 to 25 million people and as a foreign language by 75 to 100 million people.

It’s an official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein—seven of Europe’s most dynamic and interesting countries. Hello Alps, autobahn, Berlin, Vienna, Beethoven, bratwurst and Swiss fondue.

To get you motivated on your German learning path, we’ve compiled 14 compelling reasons to start (or continue) learning German today .

1. German Is Easy to Learn

2. it’s the language of inventors, innovators and engineers, 3. german is important in academia, 4. germany is an economic powerhouse, 5. it’s the most widely spoken native language in europe, 6. germans are everywhere, 7. german culture is part of our global heritage, 8. the german-speaking countries have a grand artistic legacy, 9. germany is a world leader in environmentalism and renewable energy, 10. germany has a long and storied musical history, 11. german literature is some of the world’s best, 12. german will make your travels easier , 13. german is the language of philosophy, 14. german food and drink is delicious.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Let’s start off by debunking the myth that German is especially hard. Despite all the jokes that are being made about it being an impossible language, if you are an English speaker, you are actually already quite advantaged.

This is because German and English share the same Germanic root. Consequently, there are many thousands of words which are closely related, known as “cognates.” For example, the English chin is Kinn in German. Water becomes Wasser and father turns into Vater . Not so hard after all, is it?

Furthermore, unlike Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, or Arabic, there is no new alphabet to learn, only a few letters to add. If you already know Latin script, the only new arrivals will be the umlauts ä , ö and ü as well as the eszett ( ß), which is a character that sometimes replaces the double s in German .

It is said that Germany is the country of poets and thinkers — Das Land der Dichter und Denker . There is definitely no denying the second part. A large percentage of the world’s most impressive achievements were first conceived of in German.

Over 100 Nobel Prizes have gone to brilliant Germans for accomplishments in physics, medicine, chemistry, literature and other areas. That is not even counting the prizes awarded to people from the other two major German-speaking countries, Austria and Switzerland. Plus, many of the recipients from other nations received their training at German universities. And don’t forget innovative German products like BMW and Mercedes-Benz cars and the invention of aspirin. Thanks, Bayer!

With so many award-winning scientists from the German-speaking countries, it might not come as a surprise that the German language is very important in the academic community. In fact, it ranks second as the most commonly used scientific language.

One of the reasons for this is that the German book market is the third largest in the world, right after the Chinese and English publishing industries. Since the percentage of these books that are being translated into other languages is fairly limited, only a knowledge of German will give you access to them.

German is not only an interesting option for academics, but also those in the business world should consider brushing up on their Deutsch . Germany is the biggest economy within the European Union and the fourth largest worldwide. It is home to numerous international corporations and on the front line of new technologies.

Meanwhile, the German capital Berlin is turning into a hub for innovative startups. Some go so far as to dub it “the Silicon Valley of Europe.” As a consequence, knowing German has the potential to greatly enhance your career opportunities.

English, French and German are the three official working languages of the European Union. In absolute numbers, German is the second most-spoken language on the continent of Europe. However, when it comes to native speakers, German is number one.

For centuries the language served as a lingua franca (a common language which unifies different peoples) in large parts of the European continent. It continues to serve this purpose as an important second language in central and Eastern Europe.

In the English-speaking world, German is also the third most taught foreign language. In addition to that it comes in at tenth place as one of the major languages of the world. That’s not too shabby for a relatively small country.

Even if you are not planning on going to a German-speaking country or are reluctant to stalk German speakers on the internet, don’t worry: they will find you. If you have traveled abroad, you have likely witnessed this phenomenon firsthand. Germany’s citizens are some of the world’s most voracious travelers. With almost six weeks of annual leave and plenty of disposable income, you can run into them all over the globe.

In fact, German people are record holders when it comes to money spent on international travel. For years, they invested more in globetrotting than anyone else. It is only lately that they had to cede the pole position to tourists from China. However, that did not keep them from spending an impressive 84 billion dollars on traveling in 2012!

Though Germans have a reputation for being left-brained, analytical and in love with logic, the German-speaking world has also produced some of the greatest literary, musical , artistic and philosophical minds in human history. It is the language of the famous written works of Goethe, Kafka, Brecht and Mann. Revolutionary philosophy poured onto the pages in German when pens were first lifted by Kant, Hegel, Nietzsche, and Heidegger.

Learning German gives you the opportunity to appreciate the masterpieces of these artists in their original form. It lets you tap into parts of the world’s cultural heritage in a direct and unfiltered manner. Goethe’s “Faust” alone, which is written completely in rhyme form, is well worth the effort. Wouldn’t it be cool to pick up some of your favorite works in German and discover the true meaning of the original text for yourself?

Germany’s artistic legacy is huge and includes the very first European depiction of a rhinoceros. From the Renaissance masterpieces of Albrecht Dürer to the Expressionist movement led by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Germany is often at the forefront of cutting-edge art and this continues to the modern era.

In the 1960s, German artists again expanded the definition of what art could be. Artist Joseph Beuys, who was one of the founding members of the Fluxus movement, incorporated unconventional performance art into his work. He also turned everyday objects—like a ceramic urinal—into museum pieces.

Today, Berlin continues this legacy as one of the global contemporary art capitals.

German holds a key role in the field of environmentalism and renewable energy, serving as a cornerstone language in discussions surrounding sustainability and green technologies. Germany’s dedication to environmental protection and innovation in renewable energy has positioned it as a global leader in the transition towards a more sustainable future.

Through influential policies such as the Energiewende (energy transition) and groundbreaking research in renewable energy technologies, Germany exemplifies the potential for linguistic and technological advancements to address urgent environmental challenges.

It only takes one roadtrip in Germany to see just how committed the country is to a clean energy future—and much of this future will be told in German.

You don’t need much more than the following names to realize how huge Germany’s influence on the world’s music has been: Bach, Händel, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Schumann, Wagner and Mozart.

Quite simply put, most of classical music was written in the German-speaking parts of Europe.

Today, German music has lost some influence, but there are still some more recent hits like Nena’s “99 Luftballons” and the world-famous metal band Rammstein, formed in Berlin in 1994. For a taste of today’s pop culture, check out Milky Chance and Xavier Naidoo.

German literature’s grandfather, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, wrote, for the first time, about human nature, the human psyche and about the complexities of human emotion. He also wrote the first coming-of-age novel.

Germany also has the Brothers Grimm, who pioneered the fairy tale, with dark tales that are still told today.

And the way that those works of literature reached a worldwide audience was because of German technology: the Gutenberg printing press. This allowed books to be reproduced mechanically for the first time, so many thousands of copies could be printed in the time it used to take one scribe to make one handwritten copy.

And don’t forget the German philosophers. The literature of Immanuel Kant, Friedrich Nietzsche and Martin Heidegger have had an enormous impact on world philosophy, forming the basis of many more recent theories and influencing everyone from Sigmund Freud to Slavoj Žižek.

Speaking German is useful when traveling to Germany, Austria and Switzerland, but it’s also helpful in the border regions of Belgium and France, tiny Luxembourg and Liechtenstein and even in northern Italy, where some villages speak German.

It’s also useful as a second language when visiting many other countries, where not everyone speaks English as a second language. Because of historical ties to East Germany, many people speak German as their second language, especially in Poland, the former Soviet republics (Georgia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, etc.) and the Balkans (Serbia, North Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina and Montenegro).

You’d be surprised how far German can get you in much of the globe.

German holds a pivotal role in the realm of philosophy, standing as a language that has profoundly influenced philosophical discourse from its starts. From the profound musings of Kant and Hegel to the existential inquiries of Nietzsche and the critical theory of the Frankfurt School, German has been instrumental in shaping philosophical thought.

The precision and depth of the German language have provided philosophers with a nuanced toolset to articulate complex ideas, leading to seminal works that have left an indelible mark on the global philosophical landscape. 

Simply put, if you’re interested in studying and reading philosophy in its original language, German is basically required.

German cuisine is, quite simply, super delicious and totally unpretentious at the same time. It’s comfort food and sausage, schnitzel and potatoes—the kind of hearty food you want when a salad just won’t satisfy.

Though the country is famous for its rich dishes and pork products, there are also many vegetarians in Germany. In fact, the country has one of the world’s highest vegetarian rates, with 10% of the population not eating meat.

And there’s also plenty of beer. The country has over 5,000 independent breweries, some dating back almost 1000 years. What many people don’t realize is that the country also produces some world-class wine, especially crisp, clean whites that pair super well with German dishes.

So whether you are still on the fence about giving German a try, or if you are already a student of German and looking for reassurance that you are not wasting your time, I hope this post has shown you why German is well worth learning!

If you’re curious about German, you can try out an immersion app like FluentU .

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Essays in German Language: Use Simple Phrases and Our Free Tips

Although German and English are similar in some ways, many students face numerous difficulties when learning German.

Probably, you can read and speak quite well, but writing is a bit different. This is why completing an essay in German language might cause you some troubles.

Still, it is not a reason to panic. With our simple but effective strategies, you will cope with the essay in German language.

Strategy #1

Before you start writing your essay in German language, make sure you have a dictionary and a kind of phrase book with some common expressions. It might be helpful.

By the way, do not rely only on electronic dictionaries when preparing your essay in German language.

Strategy #2

Be careful with spelling when writing your essay in German language. This language is tricky. Do not forget to proofread your essay when it is ready.

Strategy #3

Do not choose complicated topics for your essay in German language. Let it be something like essays on alien or “All about Me” essays. In your essay in German language about yourself, you will just provide some basic facts. You will not have problems with that.

In the essay in German language about aliens, you can use descriptions. Though try to avoid sophisticated descriptions. Simply describe colors, shapes, sounds, etc. It seems to be quite easy as well.

Strategy #4

Finally, do not forget that your essay in German language should first be done in English. Thus, you will logically organize your ideas and will not miss something important.

Then, using dictionary and your class notes translate it into German.

So, good luck!

The Awful German Language

From a tramp abroad.

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

I stopped apologising for my poor German, and something wonderful happened

After a decade in Germany, I was still anxious talking to native speakers – then I realised my language skills weren’t the problem

I have prefaced every conversation with, “ Entschuldigung, mein Deutsch ist noch nicht so gut ” (“I’m sorry, my German is still not very good”) since I moved to Hermsdorf, a little village in east Germany in 2015. Its purpose was to act as a disclaimer upfront so that the German person I was talking to wouldn’t expect me to articulate complicated ideas or respond promptly and accurately to everything that was said. But mostly, my opening line was a plea for mercy, a signal that I was still learning the language and would greatly appreciate it if they spoke more slowly and clearly. They would always graciously reply: “ Ja, Deutsch ist eine schwere Sprache. ” German is a difficult language, they all agreed. And for the longest time, that was true.

Growing up in Kuala Lumpur as Malaysian Chinese, I speak English almost natively, given that Malaysia was once a British colony. I also speak Malay, Malaysia’s official language, and Mandarin and Cantonese because I needed to communicate with my grandparents. Before moving to Germany, I already spoke Italian after working on board cruise ships for years alongside Italian officers, and conversational French after dating a Frenchman. Then, I met the man who would later become my husband in a bar on the 63rd floor of a building in Singapore and a thought occurred to me: “Wouldn’t it be funny if I have to learn German this time?”

Learning and speaking German was anything but funny. It wasn’t funny when I started learning the language from scratch and it still wasn’t funny when I finished C1, a level that allows me to study at a German university if I want to. When I was learning Italian or French, the words would somehow roll off my tongue, but in German the convoluted grammar made me choke. Even if I could technically write academic essays in German, the thought of calling a clinic to make an appointment would still induce debilitating anxiety. I would stammer during small talk with a mother I had never met before, while dressing my one-year-old at kindergarten; hide if I saw my neighbour take out the trash; or get my husband to call the ophthalmologist for an appointment. “Why don’t you do it yourself?” my husband would grumble. “How about you try picking up Malay and Mandarin?” I would always retort.

This went on for almost a decade until a month ago: I was home, telling my husband about a meeting I’d had at the Federal Employment Agency. As usual, I had started the meeting by apologising for my mediocre German skills. The lady behind the desk had looked at me somewhat perplexed: “But your German is great.” I cackled and rolled my eyes at my husband. As if. “She’s right, you know,” he said. “I don’t know why you still think you speak bad German. OK, it is not perfect, but who cares?” Who cares indeed.

When I was still learning elementary German, I remember being in awe of a Chilean woman in my class who, despite her poor grasp of German grammar, spoke confidently. While I was meek and often squeaked out my words, she commanded attention – all 4ft 9in of her. I asked her how I could be more like her. “After 10 years of living in Germany, I no longer care. I’m not trying to be Goethe,” she said.

I’ve been living in Germany for close to a decade now, so why do I still care so much? Was it my perfectionist tendencies that made me impose unrealistic goals on myself? Was it only me, not the Germans, who found my mediocre language skills appalling – the fact that in English I could be charming, convincing and persuasive, but was reduced to a mumbling mouse in German?

I have given birth twice here, have been to all doctors’ appointments on my own, and I have held two German-speaking jobs – were those not moments of triumph? Most Germans were nothing but encouraging and supportive at my efforts to speak their language, so why did I judge myself so harshly? Did I really need constant reassurance that I was being a good immigrant and that my German was actually quite decent? I finally saw the light. It was my fragile ego that I was trying to placate. I was getting nowhere by shrinking myself and letting myself feel inferior to native German speakers. I was only going to wear myself out.

Recently, when I found myself sitting across from a blond-haired woman who might be my future boss and I was waiting for the dreaded “Tell me about yourself” question to surface, the temptation to reach for my default opening line was strong. I was nervous and badly wanted to work for this startup. Apologising for my not-so-perfect German would have afforded me some leeway, but I did not. There were times where I fumbled in my responses, but I trudged on. That very afternoon, I was called back to meet the CEO, and still, when we shook hands, I didn’t mention anything about my less than perfect German skills. I didn’t have to: I was hired, crappy German and all.

Ying Reinhardt is a Malaysian writer living in Germany

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