For Pete’s sake!

For Pete’s sake!

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

Translate the Text into English: Übersetzen:

Susann, Andreas, Nadine, Heike, Reiner and Simone.

Wie viele Schuhe hast du?

Wie traurig ist er?

Worüber spricht sie?

Welchen Saft trinkt sie?

Was essen sie?

Worüber sprecht ihr?

Meine Elkelin isst einen Apfel.

Ich mag deine Eltern.

Das Mädchen hat einen Großvater.

Er hat Beziehungen.

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Business English Word of the Week:

Geschäftsenglisch Wort der Woche:

A business word/phrase = Construction site – Baustelle. An area where a building or other structure is being constructed or repaired; a building site.

Sample Sentence:

“Union representatives planned to visit the construction site to hear workers’ safety concerns.”

Law English Word of the Week:

Gesetz Englisches Wort der Woche:

A law word/phrase = to be convicted of a crime.

To be convicted of a crime means a court has legally determined you are guilty, either through a guilty plea or a trial verdict (judge/jury), resulting in a criminal record and official penalties like fines, probation, or jail time, signifying the end of the case and a formal finding of guilt, not just an accusation.

Sample Sentence:

“The CEO was convicted of the crime of embezzling company funds.”

NOTE: embezzling = Unterschlagung.

  

Vocabulary for Contracts:

Wortschatz für Verträge:

A word/phrase for contracts = Business assets are valuable resources a company owns or controls, used to generate revenue, run operations, and increase value, including physical things (cash, buildings, inventory, equipment) and non-physical things (brand, patents, goodwill). They are crucial for financial health, recorded on the balance sheet, and fall into categories like current (short-term) and fixed (long-term).

Sample Sentences:

“My company’s assets include valuable patents and significant cash reserves” or “What is crucial for profitability is to manage our fixed assets efficiently.”

 

Vocabulary for Negotiations:

Wortschatz für Verhandlungen:

A word/phrase for negotiations = Demand – Bedarf.

“An extravagant initial demand in negotiation.” An extravagant initial demand in negotiation, known as an ambit claim or high anchor, is an intentionally extreme opening offer designed to set the negotiation’s high point, creating psychological leverage by influencing the counterpart’s perception and pushing final outcomes closer to the demanding party’s favour, especially in competitive deals, though it risks damaging relationships or causing impasses if too unrealistic.

Sample Sentence:

“When the Russians were awarded the honour of hosting the Olympic Games, they had an extravagant initial demand of 200 million dollars for the television rights. The previous Olympics had only been 60 million dollars. After negotiations, the Russians settled for 120 million dollars.”

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I have some friends who live in Norfolk, which is next to Suffolk (where I used to live) and this picture is typical of the countryside of both counties.

Word of the day: Wort des Tages:

Bottleneck – enpass.

Sample Sentence:

“As two motorways ran into each other on a busy Bank Holiday, this meant the build-up of traffic caused a bottleneck at the meeting point of the two motorways.”

 

Phrase of the day: Satz des Tages:

“To get roped into doing something.”

To “get roped into doing something” means to be persuaded or convinced to participate in an activity or task, often reluctantly or involuntarily, even if you didn’t initially want to, similar to how a cowboy ropes an animal. It implies being drawn in, sometimes unexpectedly, and having difficulty saying no.

Key aspects:

• Persuasion: Someone convinces you to join in.

• Reluctance: You usually don’t really want to do it, but you get talked into it.

• Informal: It’s a casual, idiomatic expression.

• Origin: Comes from the idea of using a rope (lasso) to catch something. 

Sample Sentences:

“We all got roped into helping my best friend move this weekend.” (means the person was persuaded).

“They roped us in to help with the charity jumble sale.” (meaning we were recruited).

  

Idiom of the day: Redewendung des Tages:

“To dot the i’s and cross the t’s.” A different idiom meaning to be very thorough with details/to ensure that all details are correct.

Sample Sentence:

“I just have to dot the i’s and cross the t’s on my University dissertation.”

 

British English / American English Vocabulary:

Britisches Englisch / Amerikanisches Englisch Wortschatz:

British English (B.E.) = Number plate / Registration plate

American English (A.E.) = Licence plate.

The English words  Number plate / Registration plate and Licence plate we say them all. Registration plate is often shortened to “What is the Reg of your car?”

In American English Licence plate is probably all they say.

 

Special Grammar Tip of the Week:

Spezieller Grammatik-Tipp der Woche:

To stay overnight in a hotel, etc. Germans will often say that they LIVED in a hotel when they were on holiday.

 

Pronunciation Tip: Aussprachetipp:

Courtyard – (caught- yard) innenhof. The past tense of the verb to CATCH (zu FANGEN) is CAUGHT (gefangen) is pronounced in the same way as COURT.

 

False Friends Tip of the Week:

Falsche Freunde Tipp der Woche:

German                    = Küchenchef/Häuptling

Translation              = chef/chief

False Friend (F.F.)   = Chef

Meaning of F.F.        = boss

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Wit, wit, wit – FOOD:

Witz, Witz, Witz – Ausbildung:

“No request is too much in this restaurant – I shall, of course, be delighted to change your colostomy bag, Ma’am.”

Quote by Jonathan Meades.

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Slang word of the day:

Slangwort des Tages:

Bugger off! – Go away!

Sample Sentence:

“Bugger off! I have no interest in your naughty postcards!”

 

Colloquial / Colloquialisms:

Umgangssprache / Umgangssprache:

Buzzin – excited / to be pumped up.

Sample Sentence:

“Just before the beginning of the rock concert, the hall was really buzzin with excitement.”

 

Cockney Rhyming Slang:

Cockney Reimender Slang:

Mutton = Mutt and Jeff = deaf = named after ‘Mutt and Jeff‘, who were two early 20th-century comic strip characters.

Sample Sentence:

“Can you speak a little louder, as Grandpa is a little Mutt and Jeff!”

 

Quote of the week: Zitat der Woche:

“With every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction.”

Albert Einstein

 

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