Flummoxed

The slang word means to be bewildered or to be perplexed.

Sample Sentence:

She became flummoxed and speechless after what she had heard.”

 

It may look like you are bird-watching,

so you will need to “Bone up” on the names of your feathered friends!

 

NOTE: Business English etc.

can be found below the translation exercises.

Translate the Text: Übersetzen:

Susann, Faten, Rico, Heike, Simone and Frank.

Mein Hund isst seinen Salat nicht.

Die Wand.

Ein Tisch.

Das Licht.

Der Balkon.

Der Keller.

Das Schlafzimmer.

Das ist das Sofa.

Ich habe keine Lampe.

Wir brauchen einen Teppich.

Euer Wohnzimmer ist klein.

Siehst du das Licht?

Die Wohnung. Die Apartment.

Das licht ist aus.

Die Wohnung ist schön.

Hast du ein Tisch?

Das Haus hat keine Steckdosen.

Sie sieht den Tisch.

Der Tisch ist hoch.

Wir haben ein Wohnzimmer.

Ich mag keine Sofas. (Settees).

Nein, die Lampe mag ich nicht.

Ich habe ein Sofa.

Das Haus hat eine Treppe.

Die Küche ist fertig.

Die Decke ist schmutzig.

Hast du ein Ladegerät?

Hat die Wohnung einen Balkon?

Ist das der Balkon?

Haben wir genug Ladegerät?

Der Schrank ist teuer.

Die Decken sind sauber.

Unser Schlaf zimmer ist groß.

Ich laufe die Treppe hoch.

Das Kind öffnet den Apfelsaft.

Diese Treppe ist groß.

Der Balkon ist klein.

Ich öffne den Saft.

Er mag die Treppe nicht.

Dein Haus hat einen Keller.

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“And outside of her head, another person is saying, “Eat the chocolate or I will.

 

Business English Word of the Week:

Geschäftsenglisch Wort der Woche:

In your best interest

If something is done in your best interest, that something will be an advantage or benefit to you.

Sample Sentence:

“We think it would be in your company’s best interest to find a reliable supplier with a good delivery record.”

 

Law English Word of the Week:

Gesetz Englisches Wort der Woche:

Fine print

The words are written in small lettering or font on either the side or end of a contract. The fine print usually includes additional information, usually about limitations, that’s not important enough (but still relevant) for inclusion in the main body of the contract.

Definition of fine print: something thoroughly and often deliberately obscure especially: a part of an agreement or document spelling out restrictions and limitations often in small type or obscure language.

Sample Sentence:

“Since she didn’t read the fine print, she didn’t realize that her Tiger wasn’t allowed in her new flat.”

 

Vocabulary for Contracts:

Wortschatz für Verträge:

Standard form contract

A standard form contract, sometimes called a standardized contract, is a contract that contains common or pre-set terms. Businesses within certain industries often use such a contract with small changes to suit their specific purposes.

Sample Sentence:

“I’m sure you’ve noticed many mobile phone, hotel and car rental contracts look similar and that’s because they use standard form contracts.”

 

Vocabulary for Negotiations:

Wortschatz für Verhandlungen:

Bargaining power

The influence one party has over another in a negotiation. Having more bargaining power puts you in a better position to win a deal.

Sample Sentence:

You have more years of experience in sales than her so you should have more bargaining power when negotiating your pay package.

*****************************************************************************

Word of the day: Wort des Tages:

adjective informalBritish adjective: British English slang = gobsmacked; adjective: gob-smacked.

The British English slang meaning utterly astonished; astounded. This is a truly British expression. “Gobsmacked” means to be utterly shocked or surprised beyond belief. The slang word = “Gob” is a British expression for “mouth”. We even have some sweets called, “Gobstoppers“.

Picture of a pack of Gobstoppers.

Example of Gobstoppers.

Sample Sentence:

“The local people were gobsmacked when the Queen unexpectedly dropped in on them on an unofficial visit!”

Today, this example would use King Charles.

 

Phrase of the day: Satz des Tages:

To don your clothing. Don means to put on or dress in clothing. The word Don is a title for men in Spanish and don is a term for the head of a mafia family. Don has a few other senses as a noun. When used as a verb, don means to put on clothing as I have written before and this is, for me, the main use of to don something = to put on clothing.

Sample Sentence:

“I went into my hotel room to don my wedding suit.”

Idiom of the day: Redewendung des Tages:

Cutting corners = Doing something poorly in order to save time or money.

Sample Sentence:

“If we cut a few corners on this job, like only painting the wall with one coat of paint instead of three, we can save ourselves a few quid!”

 

British English (B.E.) / American English (A.E.) Vocabulary:

Britisches Englisch / Amerikanisches Englisch Wortschatz:

British English (B.E.) = put through

American English / (A.E.) = connect

Sample Sentence:

 “Yes, caller I’m just putting you through to Mr Shakespeare.” B.E.

 “Yes, caller I’m just connecting you to Mr Shakespeare.” A.E.

 

Special Grammar tip of the week:

Spezieller Grammatik-Tipp der Woche:

English is an Anglo-Saxon language which developed from various influences including Scandinavian, Latin and French (just like in German, there are many French words in the English language and I think even more so than in German). Like any language, it has changed and evolved over the centuries both in style, pronunciation and grammar. It is probably for this reason that English has some rather unique characteristics.

The auxiliary verb ‘Do

English is one of the very few languages in the world that adds a word to ask questions. As someone who is learning the language, this can be quite hard to remember but it’s noticeable if you forget to add it. So try to practice this as much as you can so it becomes natural. Remember that we use dofor questions in the present simple anddidin the past simple with all verbs, except for the verbto be.

Sample Sentences:

“Do you like music?”

“Where do you live?”

“Did you go out last night?”

We also use ‘do’ to create negatives by adding it tonot.

Sample Sentences:

“We don’t have a garden.”

“They don’t work here.”

 

Pronunciation tip: Aussprachetipp:

Six sticky skeletons.

Try saying this quickly X 10.

Versuchen Sie, diesen Satz zehnmal schnell und fehlerfrei zu sagen.

 

False Friends Tip of the Week:

Falsche Freunde Tipp der Woche:

German                  Translation                      False Friend (F.F.)          Meaning of F.F.

(sich) blamieren  to make a fool of oneself         to blame                     die Schuld zuweisen

 

Wit, Wit, Wit Business examples:

Witz, Witz, Witz Geschäftsbeispiele:

“Meetings are indispensable when you don’t want to do anything.”

Quote by J.K. Galbraith.

 

Slang word of the day:

Slangwort des Tages:

Bevvy

This English slang is short for the word “beverages,” usually alcoholic, most often beer. The word “beverages,” is often found on restaurant menus and this is where you will find the list of drinks – hot/cold non-alcoholic and alcoholic.

Sample Sentence:

“Where have I been darling? Well, the lads and I had a few Bevvies down at The Crown and Anchor.”

 

Colloquial / Colloquialisms:

Umgangssprache / Umgangssprache:

adjective: flummoxed means to be bewildered or perplexed.

Sample Sentence:

“She became flummoxed and speechless!”

 

Cockney rhyming slang: Cockney Reimender Slang:

Artful Dodger means the lodgerthe Artful Dodger, is a character in Charles Dickens‘ 1838 novel Oliver Twist.

 

Quote of the week: Zitat der Woche:

I used to think that the worst thing in life was to end up alone. It’s not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel alone.

Robin Williams

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