Oktoberfest

Happy Oktoberfest!

We just learned the months (Monat), so we know we've made it to Oktober.

But did you know Oktoberfest actually begins in September?

Oktoberfest is a 16-day beer festival held in Munich, Germany with over 6 million visitors annually. That makes it the largest beer festival in the world with 7.7 million liters of beer consumed just this year!

The tradition began in 1810 as a wedding celebration for (then, soon-to-be) King Ludwig I and Princess Therese. In fact, the locals refer to Oktoberfest as "Wiesn" after Theresienwiese (Therese's meadow), the field where the festivities are held.

I attended our own local Oktoberfest and got to partake in some of the games, traditional German food, and of course, Bier!

Waffle fries topped with beer cheese and beef should never have been introduced to me. It was so good! That with my giant bratwurst and I have to wonder if any German food is considered healthy. I'll have to research some German dishes for future posts...

All in all it was a great time and fun way to catch up with some friends. Although now I really want a Dirndl. Fingers crossed I can attend Germany's famous Oktoberfest one day!

Prost!

Have you ever been to Oktoberfest? Let me know @KaitlinMoose using the hashtag #LearnGermanWithMe!

Months of the Year in German

Time flies by! Especially when you're trying to learn German in one year! It's now Oktober and my trip is in Juli! So much work to be done!

Keep track of your months with this calendar:

Monat - month
Jahr - year
Januar - January
Februar - February
März - March
April - April
Mai - May
Juni - June (pronounced yoo-nee)
Juli - July (pronounced yoo-lee)
August - August
September - September (pronounced zep-tem-behr)
Oktober - October
November - November
Dezember - December

In which month is your birthday? Let me know @KaitlinMoose using the hashtag #LearnGermanWithMe!

The Days of the Week in German

"Eight days a week, I lo-oh-ah-oh-ove you!"

Ok, Beatles, there are only seven days a week. But there are two ways I've learned so far to say Saturday...so that's kind of like eight, right? 

Tag - day

Woch - week

Montag - Monday

Dienstag - Tuesday

Mittwoch - Wednesday (mid-week)

Donnerstag - Thursday

Freitag - Friday

Samstag - Saturday

Sonnabend - Saturday (sun + evening)

Sonntag - Sunday 

heute - today

heute ist Mittwoch - today is Wednesday

morgen - tomorrow

morgen ist Donnerstag - tomorrow is Thursday

What day did you read this? Let me know @KaitlinMoose using the hashtag #LearnGermanWithMe!

How to Introduce Yourself in German

The first thing someone might ask you: "What's your name?"

Now you have three great responses to choose from!

Wie heißen Sie? - What is your name? (How are you called?) (you = formal)
Wie heißst du? - What is your name? (How are you called?) (you = familiar)
Ich heiße - I am called
Ich bin - I am
Mein Name ist - my name is
Name - name
Vorname - first name
Nachname - last name

So what's your name? Wie heißen Sie? Let me know @KaitlinMoose using the hashtag #LearnGermanWithMe!

Basic German Greetings: Guten Tag!

A different way to say "hey," depending on the time of day:

guten Morgen - good morning
guten Tag - good day
guten Abend - good afternoon
gute Nacht - good night

Say "hey" my way @KaitlinMoose using the hashtag #LearnGermanWithMe!

Why, Hello There!

What better way to get started than by saying hello?

hallo - hello
guten Tag - good day
tschüss - bye
auf Wiedersehen - goodbye
bis bald - see you soon

Say "Hallo!" to me (@KaitlinMoose) using the hashtag #LearnGermanWithMe!

German Challenge: Learn German in One Year

I'm on a mission. A self-imposed mission, at that. Which is why this blog should act as my accountability partner.

Because I am learning German in one year.

It's something I've been interested in for a half decade or so, but now I finally have the proper motivation: I'm traveling to Germany in July of 2016.

I can't wait! And there's nothing like a lofty (some might say unrealistic) goal to get me going!

This journal will not only hold me accountable but also keep track of my progress to help identify the pace needed to reach my goal on time and to document how far I've come.

I'm excited to have a record of all the knowledge and most effective learning methods I acquire.

And I'd love to have you join me!

While my blog and videos are for my learning process and a way to keep me going, I hope they may benefit you as well.

In addition to all the vocabulary, phrases, grammar, and culture I learn, I will be keeping a list of German learning resources that you may find useful.

I'd love to hear from you about your language learning experience and any ideas or resources you could share. You may contact me here or on Twitter @KaitlinMoose using the hashtag #LearnGermanWithMe.

Danke! And good luck (to both of us)!