Today, we talk about the German idiom “sich von jemandem eine Scheibe abschneiden können”. What does “sich von jemandem eine Scheibe abschneiden können” mean?

to be able to learn a lot from someone; literally: to be able to cut a slice off someoneIdiomHyphenationsich von je·man·dem ei·ne Schei·be ab·schnei·den kön·nen

Meaning[1] wanting to take good qualities from another person

Synonym[1] an jemandem ein Beispiel nehmen

Example[1] He’s already driving a Porsche at the age of 20.

"Also, von dem könnte man sich eine Scheibe abschneiden!"

Was meint ein Deutscher, wenn er das sagt? In dieser Episode wirst du es herausfinden!

Es ist eine sehr nützliche Redewendung und zeigt wieder einmal die Bildlichkeit der deutschen Sprache.

Otto Normalverbraucher = Jan Modaal (Dutch) = Average Joe (US)

= Matti Meikäläinen (Finnish)

— Tony De Jonker (@TonyDeJonker) February 25, 2017 Today, we talk about the German word “Otto Normalverbraucher”. What does “Otto Normalverbraucher” mean?

average Joe, John Doe, Joe BlowWord Combination; Nount, mHyphenationOt·to Nor·mal·ver·brau·cher, plural: Ot·to Nor·mal·ver·brau·cher

PronunciationIPA: [ˌɔto nɔʁˈmaːlfɛɐ̯ˌbʀaʊ̯χɐ]

Meaning[1] a person in average living conditions

Originafter a film character with the first name Otto and surname Normalverbraucher, from the feature film Berliner Ballade (1948)

Wer ist Otto Normalverbraucher? ? Dieser Mensch hat einen seltsamen Nachnamen! ?

Höre dir diesen Podcast an, um herauszufinden, was "Otto Normalverbraucher" bedeutet und woher dieser Ausdruck kommt.

IntroThe Self-Revelation of the EpisodeI spent a year at an American high school. Spending a long time abroad gives one the opportunity to try out a new personality. You can be a completely new person, because no one knows you. Thereby you get to know yourself.

Intro music

GreetingHello, dear German learners, fellow pupils and lovers of life. I’m Mark and you are listening to the Authentic German Learning Podcast, Episode 7!

Aller Anfang ist schwer. Deutsches Sprichwort

— Heiko #SavedTheExpanse Siegfanz (@Feuersturmtiger) October 31, 2016 Today, we talk about the German proverb “Aller Anfang ist schwer.”. What does “Aller Anfang ist schwer.” mean?

Every beginning is difficult.ProverbHyphenation:

Al·ler An·fang ist schwer.

Examples:

People use this proverb to express that new situations or challenges can often be difficult at the beginning.

Beispiele:

Every beginning is hard. But after learning the ropes of his new job, it was easier for him.

doch

— Carolina Espinoza (@LoliiEspinoza) February 6, 2017 Today, we talk about the German word “doch”. What does “doch” mean?

however, nevertheless, on the contraryAdverbPronunciationIPA: [dɔχ]

Meanings[1] anyway, nevertheless, however, in the examples. after all, but, yet

Examples[1] Then she came after all.

[1] That was late, but not too late, I hope.

[1] Friendly, yet determined, he refused entry to the group.

Answer ParticleMeanings[1] expresses a contradiction in answering decision-making questions which contain a negation (affirmation of the fact that there is no answer to the question)

IntroThe Thought of the EpisodeToday is a beautiful day, because it is a day in your life!

Intro music

GreetingHello, dear German learners, fellow pupils and lovers of life. I’m Mark and you are listening to the Authentic German Learning Podcast, Episode 4!

Today, we are talking about the fact that you can learn German. Yes, you can learn German! 🙂 Good luck and above all have fun learning German!

Today, we talk about the German idiom “bei jemandem ist der Groschen gefallen”. What does “bei jemandem ist der Groschen gefallen” mean?

someone has finally got the point; literally: the penny dropped for someoneIdiomHyphenation:

bei je·man·dem ist der Gro·schen ge·fal·len

Pronunciation:

IPA: [baɪ̯ ˈjeːmandəm ɪst deːɐ̯ ˈɡʀɔʃn̩ ɡəˈfaln̩]

Meaning:

[1] to finally understand something after a short period of time

Origin:

[1] Groschen (coins), whose value at the times of the Deutsche Mark, taking into account the inflation today (2016) correspond to about 0.

Fingerspitzengefühl

— Tony De Jonker (@TonyDeJonker) March 26, 2017 Today, we talk about the German word “Fingerspitzengefühl”. What does “Fingerspitzengefühl” mean?

tact, knack; literally: finger tips feelingNoun, nHyphenationFin·ger·spit·zen·ge·fühl, kein Plural

PronunciationIPA: [ˈfɪŋɐʃpɪʦn̩ɡəˌfyːl]

Origin:Combination of Fingerspitze (finger tip), -n (for plural) and Gefühl (feeling)

Meanings[1] a fine sense of how something should be done

[2] a fine sense of how to behave towards someone

Synonyms[1] knack

[2] empathy, sensitivity, tact

Examples[1] “This requires a lot of tact and also some experience.