learning german

On this month's edition Ciaran is joined by actor, director and award winning writer for stage and screen, Stefanie Preissner. Stefanie was born in Germany but moved to Ireland as a child, and grew up in County Cork.

Stefanie chats with Ciaran about feeling German, reminisces about the scharfes S β and gets quite possessive about Ritter Sport Schokolade.

Stefanie was diagnosed with autism as an adult and she explains why girls and women are harder to diagnose. She chats about visiting Germany and how the German way of life makes her feel comfortable.

The Irish relationship with alcohol comes under scrutiny and Stefanie explains how she explores this relationship in her hit TV show Can't Cope, Won't Cope.

Stefanie talks about the differences between writing for TV and stage, and tells us some of her experiences in German theatres, including durational theatre. Check out her podcast Basically which seeks to explain complex things in a simple way!

Dana Newman from the Wanted Adventure YouTube channel joins me to discuss her book, "You go me on the cookie!". The book (written in German) describes Dana's adventures (and misadventures) learning German, and also highlights the quirks and beauty of the German language. It was written for German native speakers, but it is definitely relatable for anyone who has learnt German at any level. So I got Dana on the podcast to discuss her book, the German language, and her YouTube channel.

To see the postcard that Dana refers to in the interview about how German is not orderly, click here.

"You go me on the cookie!" is available in bookstores in Germany as well as online (also on Amazon) - as paperback and Ebook: https://www.randomhouse.de/Taschenbuch/You-go-me-on-the-cookie/Dana-Newman/Goldmann-TB/e536279.rhd 

 Wanted Adventure YouTube channel:  https://youtube.com/wantedadventure 

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/wantedadventure/ 

Website:  https://www.dananewman.de/

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Official podcast website: https://thegermanyexperience.de
YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/c/thegermanyexperience
Contact me: info@thegermanyexperience.de

Podcast Intro Music by: Adrian Bran

You're leveling up in courses, going from A2 to C1 quickly...but stalling in real life. What gives? This week's podcast covers a question from Maria, a talented language learner who has found herself stuck after moving to Germany. She says: I am fluent in English, or at least my Cambridge Certificate says so, I've been studying to a certain level Spanish and Turkish, but I cannot achieve the desirable level in German language. I've moved to Germany a bit over two years ago after marrying my German husband and I quickly jumped from the A2 course to B1 to C1, got my Test DaF Certificate with maximum points and I even have some professional situations where I speak German but I am not fluent What can Maria do to start feeling more comfortable with German? Listen to the show to hear my discussion, including tips for Learning a partner's language within a couple Getting extensive input from the right places Finding your language avatar Having your own langauge retreat when you're an expat Click or tap here to join Patreon and read the extended show notes for this episode (http://www.fluent.show/patreon) Thank you to Gabriela for this episode introduction. Thank you for listening to the Fluent Show! If you enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting the show by leaving a review in your podcast app or becoming a member of our Patreon community

There are a lot of people—expats and Germans alike—who are not pleased about the e-scooter situation in big cities since it became legal for them to share bicycle paths and roads. E-scooter riders are apparently fast, reckless, and they just leave them parked anywhere and everywhere. But surely it can't be that bad? I decided to ask around in forums to get a feeling for the zeitgeist at the moment, and it turns out most people are, in fact, annoyed. Very annoyed.

I also discuss how communicating in German with Germans can leave you feeling like they're not experiencing the real "you" (as well as maybe a little stupid). 

Plus: I announce the winners of the copies of "From the Bürgeramt to the Bedroom" books I was giving away.

Visit the episode blog: https://expatlifegermany.de/10

Support the show

Instagram: the.germany.experience
Official podcast website: https://thegermanyexperience.de
YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/c/thegermanyexperience
Contact me: info@thegermanyexperience.de

Podcast Intro Music by: Adrian Bran

When learning a new language, it takes a long time before you're able to express yourself and articulate your thoughts, and so it's easy to feel like you're coming across as dumb. This is just one of the topics that Natalie, a stay-at-home mum from Australia, discusses about her time in Germany.

She also discusses her approach to her toddler's language learning, who is a child with an Australian mother and an Italian/German father, and who is growing up in German culture. Plus, Natalie has always needed to be creative, and that's something she needs to align with being a parent and living as an expat in a country where it might not be that easy to move into a creative career.

Visit the official podcast page: expatlifegermany.de

And listen to the show next week when the winners of the "From the Bürgeramt to the Bedroom" book will be announced! 

Support the show

Instagram: the.germany.experience
Official podcast website: https://thegermanyexperience.de
YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/c/thegermanyexperience
Contact me: info@thegermanyexperience.de

Podcast Intro Music by: Adrian Bran

Lori from USA has been teaching English in Germany for almost 40 years, so it’s not surprising that she has a thing or two to say about learning new languages. In fact, her language pedigree goes back to even before she moved to Germany, when she was a German high school teacher in the States. 

In this interview, Lori’s wisdom and wit shine through as she discusses how she got started teaching in Germany at a Volkshochschule, how speaking a language doesn’t necessarily mean you understand the culture, the importance of good pronunciation when learning a second language, and raising children in a bilingual household. 

I’d love to have Lori back on a future episode, so if you have questions related to language or culture, we can try benefit from Lori’s wisdom! Send them here: expatlifegermany@gmail.com

Want to discuss this episode? Join the Facebook group and give us your opinion: Expat Life Germany Facebook Group

If you’d like to be on the show yourself: https://expatlifegermany.de/be-on-the-show

Support the show

Instagram: the.germany.experience
Official podcast website: https://thegermanyexperience.de
YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/c/thegermanyexperience
Contact me: info@thegermanyexperience.de

Podcast Intro Music by: Adrian Bran