I am looking at an old brochure of Maritim Hotels prorate Hotel Berlin. I feel I should clear out the clutter about places I have not visited, or places I have already visited, or last year's brochures to make space for the new ones with up to date phone numbers.
However the collector and souvenir guardian in my mind says, just read it once before letting it go. At the very least you might learn some German.
Reading the English and then the German, I hope I will gradually absorb German vocabulary and when trying to speak or read German to start to think in German sentence construction.
Some words are obvious because they are almost identical with slight changes in spelling. Here are some examples:
Herzlich willkommen im - welcome to the (their translation)
herz - heart (can be a surname, so Mrs Herz or Frau Herz is Mrs Hart /Heart)
herzlich - hearty
willkommen - welcome
kommen - come
im - to/in
Auf einen Blick - At a glance (memory aid: in / at one blink)
Moderne - modern
Architektur - architecture
harmonisches - harmonious
Design - design
Kunst - art
Ambiente - ambience
Tag - day
Tageslicht - daylight
licht - light
Skulpturen - sculptures
lassen - let / allow
Hallenschwimmbad - (indoor) hall swimming - meaning indoor swimming pool
hallen - hall
schwimm - swim
Dampfsauna - Turkish or steam bath - literally damp sauna
Fitnessraum - fitness room
raum - room
nächsten - next (think next one)
Wenn - when
Kongresse - congress / conference
Zentrum -centre
Personen - people / persons
perfeckte - perfect
lassen - leave
und - and
ein - one
einen - one / an / a
Zimmer - room (s)
nicht - not / non
raucher - smoking - (memory aid - there will be a row if you smoke / somebody smokes)
Nichtraucherzimmer - non smoking room
Telefone - telephone
Faxanschluss - fax connection
Satelliten - satellite
Appartements - apartments
Suiten - suites
Bader - bathroom
Carrara-marmor - Carrara marble - Marble from Carrara (in Italy)
Granit - granite
Friseur - hairdresser (my memory aid - sorts out frizzy hair / frizzy hair sorter)
Ticketagentur - ticket agency
haben - have
sie - you
bitte - please (memory aid - please don't be bitter - please be a bit helpful, take a bite - please)
danke - thanks
That's 50 words on one leaflet. (Admittedly including 4 or 5 basics which you and I already knew.)
I never learned German at school but I can make myself understood in a hotel. For example,
Bitte, haben sie ein Friseur? - (Excuse me,) please, do you have a hairdresser? (literally have you a hairdresser)
answer:
wir haben - we have
ein - one
keine - none
klein - small
eine kleine Nachtmusik - a little night music
nacht - night
nicht - not
musik - music
French, German, Spanish, Italian - all so easy if English is your first or working language.
Angela Lansbury BA Hons, author, is a travel writer and photographer.
However the collector and souvenir guardian in my mind says, just read it once before letting it go. At the very least you might learn some German.
Reading the English and then the German, I hope I will gradually absorb German vocabulary and when trying to speak or read German to start to think in German sentence construction.
Some words are obvious because they are almost identical with slight changes in spelling. Here are some examples:
Herzlich willkommen im - welcome to the (their translation)
herz - heart (can be a surname, so Mrs Herz or Frau Herz is Mrs Hart /Heart)
herzlich - hearty
willkommen - welcome
kommen - come
im - to/in
Auf einen Blick - At a glance (memory aid: in / at one blink)
Moderne - modern
Architektur - architecture
harmonisches - harmonious
Design - design
Kunst - art
Ambiente - ambience
Tag - day
Tageslicht - daylight
licht - light
Skulpturen - sculptures
lassen - let / allow
Hallenschwimmbad - (indoor) hall swimming - meaning indoor swimming pool
hallen - hall
schwimm - swim
Dampfsauna - Turkish or steam bath - literally damp sauna
Fitnessraum - fitness room
raum - room
nächsten - next (think next one)
Wenn - when
Kongresse - congress / conference
Zentrum -centre
Personen - people / persons
perfeckte - perfect
lassen - leave
und - and
ein - one
einen - one / an / a
Zimmer - room (s)
nicht - not / non
raucher - smoking - (memory aid - there will be a row if you smoke / somebody smokes)
Nichtraucherzimmer - non smoking room
Telefone - telephone
Faxanschluss - fax connection
Satelliten - satellite
Appartements - apartments
Suiten - suites
Bader - bathroom
Carrara-marmor - Carrara marble - Marble from Carrara (in Italy)
Granit - granite
Friseur - hairdresser (my memory aid - sorts out frizzy hair / frizzy hair sorter)
Ticketagentur - ticket agency
haben - have
sie - you
bitte - please (memory aid - please don't be bitter - please be a bit helpful, take a bite - please)
danke - thanks
That's 50 words on one leaflet. (Admittedly including 4 or 5 basics which you and I already knew.)
I never learned German at school but I can make myself understood in a hotel. For example,
Bitte, haben sie ein Friseur? - (Excuse me,) please, do you have a hairdresser? (literally have you a hairdresser)
answer:
wir haben - we have
ein - one
keine - none
klein - small
eine kleine Nachtmusik - a little night music
nacht - night
nicht - not
musik - music
French, German, Spanish, Italian - all so easy if English is your first or working language.
Angela Lansbury BA Hons, author, is a travel writer and photographer.
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