It’s all Greek to me!

When someone says you can’t do it,

do it twice and take pictures.

NOTE: Business English etc.
can be found below the translation exercises.

Translate the Text: Übersetzen:

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

Ich habe Elf Katzen und Zwölf Hunde

Ich sehe Zahlen.

Sie hat sechs Brüder und Zwei Schwestern

Zwölf sind ein Dutzend.

Ihre Telefonnummer

Sechs, drei, sieben, fünf

Sie zählt die Orangen

Die Telefonnummer

Du hast die hälfte

ist es Zwölf

Die Zahl ist hoch.

Zwei vier sechs

Meals In Germany What are the English names of meals and what is typical to be eaten?

For:

Frühstück, most Germans have bread with an assortment of spreads, cheeses and sliced meats.

Das Mittagessen is the largest meal of the day, and usually the only hot meal of the day.

Das Abendessen is typically served cold and is smaller than lunch. Germans typically have bread, cold cuts, cheeses, and vegetables.

On some Sundays or for special occasions, Germans enjoy a late afternoon

Kaffee und Kuchen! Zwiebel, zwei, Zwilling ts immediately followed by v.

Knopf, Knoblauch, knapp k is not silent.

Nüsse, Frühstück, Müsli as in “see“, but with puckered lips.

Ihre Kuchen sind lecker.

Das Müsli.

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

Business English Word of the Week:

Geschäftsenglisch Wort der Woche:

Shift work (Schichtarbeit) – late, night and an early shift.

Law English word of the Week:

Gesetz Englisches Wort der Woche:

Obey (Gehorchen / befolgen) – to obey the law. – dem Gesetz gehorchen.

Vocabulary for Contracts: Wortschatz für Verträge:

Purchase order form – BestellformularA pre-printed form is used to enter into an agreement with a supplier and usually includes the buyer’s terms and conditions.

Vocabulary for Negotiations: Wortschatz für Verhandlungen:

Agent = a person or a company that acts for another and provides a specific service.

Note: This does not refer to a secret agent like James Bond. You can also have a travel agent.

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

Word of the day: Wort des Tages:

Remedy/cure/treatment

a medicine or treatment for a disease or injury.

Sample Sentence:

“Herbal remedies for aches and pains.” There is a song with the title of ‘Remedy‘ by The Black Crowes.

Phrase of the day: Satz des Tages:

A running commentary

a verbal description of events, given as they occur.

Sample Sentence:

“At the crowning of King Charles, the Third, experts provided the crowd with a running commentary of the action.”

Idiom of the day: Redewendung des Tages:

**“It’s Greek to me” or “It’s all Greek to me”** is an English idiom meaning “I don’t understand it.” That could apply to videos or texts or lectures full of jargon, science, technology, complicated diagrams, dialect, or anything difficult to understand.

**“It’s Greek to me”** was an idiom, even in Shakespeare’s time, used by ordinary Elizabethans. Shakespeare used the idiom in Julius Caesar (1599). In using the phrase in a play Shakespeare, was using an everyday expression that his audience would have related to.

Sample Sentence:

“Well! Julius baby it’s all Greek to me!” said Mark Anthony when reporting on his visit to Eygpt and Cleopatra’s Palace.

“It’s all Spanish to me!” “das kommt mir spanisch vor.” (That seems Spanish to me.)

Die Redewendung “Das kommt mir spanisch vor” bedeutet, dass etwas unheimlich oder einfach seltsam ist1. Der Ursprung dieser Redensart liegt bei Kaiser Karl V. höchstpersönlich, der im 16. Jahrhundert trotz seiner spanischen Herkunft zum deutschen Kaiser gekrönt wurde123. In Spanien war die Königsgesellschaft und vor allem die Sitten sehr anders als in Deutschland, und Karl V. führte in Deutschland Sitten und Gewohnheiten ein, die hier nicht bekannt, ungewohnt und vielen unverständlich waren.

He was already King of Spain, so he brought his entire court with him from there. This seemed strange to the German princes – what customs they had, how they talked to each other, what they did together! – So they said: “That seems Spanish to me.”

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

Britisches Englisch / Amerikanisches Englisch Wortschatz:

British English (B.E.) = suspender belt – suspenders

American English (A.E.) = garter belt – garters.

Sample Sentence:

The problem here is that we use the same words for the same things which are different things at the same time. The picture on the left is a pair of braces for holding up your trousers (pants in American) or if you come from Bavaria your Lederhosen, while on the right are women’s garters.

The word Brace or Braces has several other meanings in English – for teeth and in construction, for example.

Pronunciation tip: Aussprachetipp:

Babbling baby boys blurted boldly.

Try and say this sentence ten times quickly without a mistake.

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.

Etikett label, price tag etiquette Etikette

Wit, Wit, Wit Business examples:

Witz, Witz, Witz Geschäftsbeispiele:

“I think ‘immoral’ is probably the wrong word to use in relation to insider trading. I prefer the word ‘unethical’.”

Quote by Ivan Boesky.

Slang word of the day: Slangwort des Tages:

A Bird.

A word used to describe a woman.

Sample Sentence:

In the 1966 film ‘ALFIE‘ which starred Sir Michael Caine; his character repeatedly referred to women as ‘birds’.

“I pulled a good bird the other night, cor blimey mate she was a looker!”

Colloquial / Colloquialisms: Umgangssprache / Umgangssprache:

(My next 5 examples, watch for the next five in my next blog; can you think of any more?)

A very little ant = Infant.
Ant that has a gun = Militant.
Ant that is fat = Abundant.
A proud ant = Arrogant.
Ant that is a specialist = Consultant.

Cockney rhyming slang: Cockney Reimender Slang:

Dicky = dicky dirt = shirt

Sample Sentence:

**“‘Ere, I’ve just spilt red wine all over me brand new Dicky; Cor Blimey! What’s the Missus goin’ to say?“**

Quote of the week: Zitat der Woche:

**“I like it when a task is too hard to do, because I can quickly decide to give up on it.”**

Mark Brislin (2015 – 2016).

Delivering professional Business English teaching in person or via video conferencing in Dresden, Chemnitz, ***Meißen,* Lichtenberg, Brand-Erbisdorf, Freiberg, *Halsbrücke, and all over the state of Sachsen for over 20 years!***

Fortgeschrittene, Anfänger, Geschäftsenglisch, Firmenkurse, Gruppenunterricht, In-house Englisch, Sprachschule Englisch, Telefonkonferenz Englisch persönlich oder per Videokonferenz; in Dresden, Chemnitz, Brand-Erbisdorf, Freiberg, Halsbrücke, Lichtenberg, Meißen, und überall in Sachsen.

It’s all Greek to me!

It’s all Greek to me!

When someone says you can’t do it,

do it twice and take pictures.

NOTE: Business English etc. can be found below the translation exercises.

Translate the Text: Übersetzen:

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

Ich habe Elf Katzen und Zwölf Hunde

Ich sehe Zahlen.

Sie hat sechs Brüder und Zwei Schwestern

Zwölf sind ein Dutzend.

Ihre Telefonnummer

Sechs, drei, sieben, fünf

Sie zählt die Orangen

Die Telefonnummer

Du hast die hälfte

ist es Zwölf

Die Zahl ist hoch.

Zwei vier sechs

Meals In Germany What are the English names of meals and what is typical to be eaten?

For:

Frühstück, most Germans have bread with an assortment of spreads, cheeses and sliced meats.

Das Mittagessen is the largest meal of the day, and usually the only hot meal of the day.

Das Abendessen is typically served cold and is smaller than lunch. Germans typically have bread, cold cuts, cheeses, and vegetables.

On some Sundays or for special occasions, Germans enjoy a late afternoon

Kaffee und Kuchen! Zwiebel, zwei, Zwilling ts immediately followed by v.

Knopf, Knoblauch, knapp k is not silent.

Nüsse, Frühstück, Müsli as in “see“, but with puckered lips.

Ihre Kuchen sind lecker.

Das Müsli.

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

Business English Word of the Week:

Geschäftsenglisch Wort der Woche:

Shift work (Schichtarbeit) – late, night and an early shift.

Law English word of the Week:

Gesetz Englisches Wort der Woche:

Obey (Gehorchen / befolgen) – to obey the law. – dem Gesetz gehorchen.

Vocabulary for Contracts: Wortschatz für Verträge:

Purchase order form – BestellformularA pre-printed form is used to enter into an agreement with a supplier and usually includes the buyer’s terms and conditions.

Vocabulary for Negotiations: Wortschatz für Verhandlungen:

Agent = a person or a company that acts for another and provides a specific service.

Note: This does not refer to a secret agent like James Bond. You can also have a travel agent.

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

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

Word of the day: Wort des Tages:

Remedy/cure/treatment

a medicine or treatment for a disease or injury.

Sample Sentence:

“Herbal remedies for aches and pains.” There is a song with the title of ‘Remedy‘ by The Black Crowes.

Phrase of the day: Satz des Tages:

A running commentary

a verbal description of events, given as they occur.

Sample Sentence:

“At the crowning of King Charles, the Third, experts provided the crowd with a running commentary of the action.”

Idiom of the day: Redewendung des Tages:

“It’s Greek to me” or “It’s all Greek to me” is an English idiom meaning “I don’t understand it.” That could apply to videos or texts or lectures full of jargon, science, technology, complicated diagrams, dialect, or anything difficult to understand.

“It’s Greek to me” was an idiom, even in Shakespeare’s time, used by ordinary Elizabethans. Shakespeare used the idiom in Julius Caesar (1599). In using the phrase in a play Shakespeare, was using an everyday expression that his audience would have related to.

Sample Sentence:

“Well! Julius baby it’s all Greek to me!” said Mark Anthony when reporting on his visit to Eygpt and Cleopatra’s Palace.

“It’s all Spanish to me!” “das kommt mir spanisch vor.” (That seems Spanish to me.)

He was already King of Spain, so he brought his entire court with him from there. This seemed strange to the German princes – what customs they had, how they talked to each other, what they did together! – So they said: “That seems Spanish to me.”

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

Britisches Englisch / Amerikanisches Englisch Wortschatz:

British English (B.E.) = suspender belt – suspenders

American English (A.E.) = garter belt – garters.

Sample Sentence:

The problem here is that we use the same words for the same things which are different things at the same time. The picture on the left is a pair of braces for holding up your trousers (pants in American) or if you come from Bavaria your Lederhosen, while on the right are women’s garters.

The word Brace or Braces has several other meanings in English – for teeth and in construction, for example.

Pronunciation tip: Aussprachetipp:

Babbling baby boys blurted boldly.

Try and say this sentence ten times quickly without a mistake.

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.

Etikett label, price tag etiquette Etikette

Wit, Wit, Wit Business examples:

Witz, Witz, Witz Geschäftsbeispiele:

“I think ‘immoral’ is probably the wrong word to use in relation to insider trading. I prefer the word ‘unethical’.”

Quote by Ivan Boesky.

NOTE: Business English etc.
can be found below the translation exercises.

**“It’s Greek to me” or “It’s all Greek to me”** is an English idiom meaning “I don’t understand it.” That could apply to videos or texts or lectures full of jargon, science, technology, complicated diagrams, dialect, or anything difficult to understand.

**“It’s Greek to me”** was an idiom, even in Shakespeare’s time, used by ordinary Elizabethans. Shakespeare used the idiom in Julius Caesar (1599). In using the phrase in a play Shakespeare, was using an everyday expression that his audience would have related to.

**“‘Ere, I’ve just spilt red wine all over me brand new Dicky; Cor Blimey! What’s the Missus goin’ to say?“**

**“I like it when a task is too hard to do, because I can quickly decide to give up on it.”**

Delivering professional Business English teaching in person or via video conferencing in Dresden, Chemnitz, ***Meißen,* Lichtenberg, Brand-Erbisdorf, Freiberg, *Halsbrücke, and all over the state of Sachsen for over 20 years!***