German words which are the same or nearly the same as English

 

GERMAN WORDS WHICH ARE THE SAME Or Almost the same 

Same GERMAN – ENGLISH 

Absolut – absolutely 

Bluse - blouse

Elegant - elegant 

Cousin - cousin 

Laptop - laptop 

Jacke - jacket

Moment - moment 

Museum - museum

oft - often

Radio - radio

Sushi – sushi 

 warm - warm

Same ENGLISH - GERMAN 

absolutely – absolut 

blouse - Bluse

cousin - Cousin 

elegant – elegant 

jacket - Jacke

Laptop - Laptop 

moment – Moment 

museum - Museum 

often - oft

radio - Radio

sushi - Sushi 

warm - warm

German Words For the Weekend

 Where can you learn and practise speaking German? 

Flag of Germany

Flag of Austria

Flag of Switzerland

You can use German in Germany, Austria and German-speaking parts of Switzerland.  Also Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, and parts of Belgium and Italy.

Flag of Luxembourg.

Flag of Liechtenstein.

German - English easy words

Bald - soon (I remember soon you will be bald)

Bank - bank

der Computer - the computer

endlich - finally

der Laptop - the laptop

einen Moment - one moment

Projekt - project

Medizin - medicine

Nachmittag - afternoon

English - German words 

Now copy the words from the above list.

Useful Websites For Learning |German

Useful English-German websites

duolingo.com

https://wikitravel.org/en/German_phrasebook

translate.google.com

-ends-

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German words - same, easy, difficult, confusing

Where can you learn and practise speaking German? 

Flag of Germany

Flag of Austria

Flag of Switzerland

You can use German in Germany, Austria and German-speaking parts of Switzerland.  Also Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, and parts of Belgium and Italy.

Flag of Luxembourg.

Flag of Liechtenstein.

 German - English  the same word

The same words, except that nouns start with a capital letter in German

English - German

laptop - Laptop

party - Party

popcorn - Popcorn

snacks - Snacks

team - Team

German - English easy to remember  similar words

nie - never (letters n to start and e later)

Salzig - salty - the first three letters are the same and the last letter has a tail, also called a loop and a descender

Schokolade - chocolate

sehr - very  (Both words have the letters e and r)

English to German easy words

chocolate - Schokolade (Capital letter at the start for a noun. Three letters changed. Add an s at the start, change c to k in the middle and t to d at the end )

German - English, new and difficult to remember

dort - there

kerzen - candles (The two languages use the sounds of ck and n)

ohne - without (The letters o and h are in both words)

Popmusic - pop music (capital for a noun, and German runs words together)

viele - many

German - English - confusing words

immer - always (not just immediately, right now, but all the time)

Kekse - cookies USA / biscuits UK ( not cakes)

Lust - desire for (noun, not sexual like the English word lust, but could be craving for a food, or to be in the mood to eat something, or to feel like having it)

Kuchen - cake

magst du - do you like (not do you make, I think of do you munch)

Spiele - games (not a long story, which is Yiddish)

toll - great (not tall, nor the noun toll, but think of a great size and a great toll, alt is high)

Useful Websites for learning German

Learning languages including German and many more online for free

duolingo.com

Translate words and sentences

translate google

Useful phrases and sentences for travellers

wikivoyage phrasebook German

Describe parts of a letter

https://bydawnnicole.com/the-anatomy-of-letters/

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Poetry Practise With Author Angela, Teacher, Alison and Writers Weekend Organizers, The Hobbs Family

Angela Lansbury, author, performer of comic poetry, with Alison Chisholm poetry teacher and author, at Fishguard Bay Hotel in Wales. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Angela Lansbury, author and poet, reading three of  her short poems from her laptop. you can see I am looking down when I should be looking at the audience.

Angela Lansbury, author and poet, reciting from memory and improvising a rap poem about being 'Busy as a bee', in Fishguard Bay Hotel, during the annual Writers' Holiday.

Angela Lansbury, author and poetry performer, with another poetry performer, Scottish Fiona. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Fishguard Bay Hotel, Writers' Holiday, family of organizers and a regular speaker. From Left, Gerry Hobbs, his son David who drives us to the station, daughter-in-law and supporter, Speaker and course leader and author Stephen Wade, Gerry's wife Anne Hobbs, who gives the opening night welcome speech. She says: 'They only rule is there are no rules. Actually, there is one rule: Enjoy yourself.'

The next Writers' Holiday is February 2021.

Useful Website

writersholiday.net

About the Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author, speaker, teacher of English and other languages.
Please share links to your favourite posts.

Laptop and Publishing tips and Tricks - snippets

1 Machine won't turn on.
You turn on your machine, your laptop, on, and it's stuck.

Turn it off and on. Don't bother with escape and three keys. Just turn the power off. Count to fifteen slowly. Turn it on again.

I tried it. It worked.

Hints: Your laptop will turn itself off if you leave it unplugged so there is not power. Or if you shut the lid.

Why would you shut the lid?:
To stop it bleeping and keeping you awake in the night in your hotel room.
To stop the light from the screen keeping you awake.

2 Publish An Ebook
Load up a template for ebooks from Lulu.com or Amazon or Smashwords. Use the same title and author name. All you need is a different ISBN number.

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Author of Quick Quotations.
Please share links to your favourite posts.

Orange trees and discussions on red packets containing gifts of money for Chinese New Year

Orange tree at the entrance to the ground floor restaurant at  Sheraton Towers Hotel, near Newton MRT station, Singapore.

I chose red packets as my theme when I was topics master at a Toastmasters International speakers club, Eminent. I forwarded on WhatsApp on my mobile phone several pictures of red packets so that the President could display them. That way and I did not have to travel carrying a heavy laptop or even a thumb drive.

Red packet for Chinese New Year with illustrations of oranges.

The first red packets I chose to display showed red packets with pictures of oranges.

In addition to red packets, people give oranges, at least two, or trees with orange fruit and red ribbons.

I asked everybody: 'What do you know about Chinese New Year And Red Packets? Is there anybody Chinese in the audience?'


Chinese flag

Red Packets And Chinese Families
My friend Mrs Lim immediately volunteered herself. She told us:


Singapore Flag

'Like in China, in Singapore red packets, for Chinese New Year, as well as other festivals, are traditionally given by the married and well-paid, employed elders to their younger children and nephews and nieces, children, friends' children, and younger relatives who are not married and not yet earning money. Some families give red packets to those who are earning a living and not yet married.  And low-paid employees. We used to do this.

'Children are very excited to receive red packets. But our youngsters are well-paid and don't need the money. So we told them, we won't give you any money and we don't expect any from you. We will just give you our good wishes. And our time.

'Everybody was happy with that. But that's just our family, and how we celebrate Chinese New Year, with a get together.'

Oranges and Orange Blossoms
In Singapore my family has on the living room balcony a small 'orange tree' (identified by a local garden centre as a miniature lime tree). Just in time for Chinese New Year 2020, the oranges, I mean limes, started turning orange, and a small white flower came out. We have made orange-lime marmalade. I water and watch our tree daily, and encourage the rest of the family to take turns. Could I rely on my family and the neighbours and visitors to keep the orange tree alive when I am not there. We had one which died in early 2019. This one is thriving - under my constant care. But I worry about whether it will survive when I am away in England. On the screen at the meeting I had red packets showing oranges.

I asked the members of Toastmasters International who were at the meeting, 'What can you tell us about oranges or orange trees and why do you and other people like them?'

'The answer from S... was:
'Flowering trees are beautiful. I was in Melbourne, Australia, in spring and they had flowering trees given by the Japanese people. Wonderful. A carpet of flower petals. A cloud of flowers. A sea of colours. It makes your heart sing. It makes you happy. Orange trees have the same effect. The fruit and the flowers. Spring time, colour and fruit and growing, a time of hope.'

My other questions were about the designs of different red packets:


Red packet for Chinese New Year with fish design.

I asked:
'Who would like a red packet with the design of fish and water?'

Fish and water
Fish is the sign of Pisces, meaning fish, in the Western zodiac. The speaker said:
You see fish a lot in Singapore outside big buildings such as shopping centres, malls, blocks of flats and offices. Fish are thought to be soothing. They bring good luck. Watching fish is very restful.'

A heckler shouted, 'Eating fish is even better!'
'What if you are vegetarian? What would a fish say to that?'
 'Fish would agree with me. Fish like eating fish, too.'

Children And Gifts
I said: 'Children receive red packets with joy. Why would you like a red packet with a picture of children?'
The respondent, P, said: 'I don't have children. Where children are concerned, I have my boundaries.  But I like entertaining my nephews and nieces. They like my visits. So long as there's a finite time.'
Hecklers shouted various time limits, such as:
'Two hours.'
'Two minutes.'

The speaker continued, 'What I like about children is their enthusiasm. And their honesty. They tell the truth. If they don't like something they tell you. If they like something, they show it.'

Useful Websites

singaporeair.com

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Singapore

About the Author
Angela Lansbury is British and a Singapore Permanent Resident. She is a travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Please share links to your favourite posts.
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2020/01/collect-red-packets-for-chinese-new-year.html
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2020/01/more-orange-trees-and-discussions-on.html
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2020/01/what-is-inside-chinese-red-packets.html

How To Connect Your Laptop To A Projector or Screen VDU (video display unit)

When you travel to give a slide or video presentation you need to check that your laptop will connect up. When you are in a one to one meeting you can share screens if you sit side by side. But, in most rooms you want to display your visuals on a large screen.

Why Do You Need Visuals?

• A welcome slide gives the early arrivals something to look at. So they are not wasting time. Nor are they getting stressed, nor annoyed. 
• You look professional and well prepared.
• If you speak quietly or a plane or siren or singing next door interrupts so they can't hear they can still see the message.
• They may forget, but you can re-show your opening slide at the end to reinforce the point and to update laecomers.
• You can list your credentials in an impartial manner.  without sounding boastful, nor leaving out essential information because you feel shy and modest.
• 
  
• You can ensure nothing is forgotten.
• The audience can photograph your slides to take home to their groups, or as a reminder.
• You can be photographed in front of an informative slide, which looks more interesting and professional than just grinning at the camera.
• Those who are hard of hearing can get the essentials from the slide.
• A glossary of essential words and technical terms can be displayed.

You might also need:

• The company motto.
• The company song.
• A motivational song. (Only 8 seconds.)
• A rousing march to put them in a good mood and make them feel energetic.
• A seasonal song such as, We wish you a merry Christmas at Christmas.
• A love song for Valentine's day.
• The words of a song you wish them to sing.
• Or a hymn. 
• Or Auld lang syne (with a translation, such as Old Times' Sake.).
• Or happy birthday. (Or the translation into Spanish or the Japanese language or Tagalog, the language of the Philippines.) 
• The words of a promise or pledge you wish them to make. 
• Or a prayer. 
• Or a vow.

The Technical person or organizer should call all speakers, and in fact the entire audience in case a speaker drops out at the last minute and somebody else takes over.

If you are the meeting or conference organizer, remind your technical person or Sergeant at Arms who sets up the room with flipcharts and video and audio equipment to check with all speakers what they need.

Telling people that the meeting starts at 7 when you want to start at 7 is frequently a recipe for disaster, a third to a half of the people will turn up just before the start. If they arrive early, they go off for coffee, spend extra time combing their hair, or look around the nearby shops or take selfies with themselves and friends in the lobby.

Time Needed
Allow five minutes per speaker. When a speaker arrives, if the techie is busy with the first speaker, he or she has no time to deal with the second and third speakers, which means a delay for their set-up mid-meeting.

Sometimes the cables have to be taken out of a cupboard and plugged in. Sometimes cables have to be collected from the admin office which could be on the ground floor when your meeting room or auditorium is on the fifth floor or higher.

Delays
The chairman, realising that key people, such as the technical expert are missing, might delay the start of the meeting.

For Delays
Why delay? So that the technical person who is being helpful is not punished by missing the opening.
To the missing person does not interrupt the opening speech and welcome.

Against Delays
This infuriates those who have arrived ten minutes or half an hour early. Especially if they are Judgers on the Myers Briggs personality type test.

A screen is called a Video Display Unit or for short, VDU.

Connectors Needed
You might go to one venue where you don't need a connector. A well-organized storage cupboard will have the required cables for all eventualities.

Just because your home club or the one you visit regularly has the cable you require, does not mean that every venue has one.

In a large auditorium, you may have.
Thumb drive - loading it takes time.
Know where your thumb drive is.

This takes another five minutes to
Find the files,
Load them onto the thumb drive,
Get the helpers laptop brought forward,
Load in the correct set of files from the thumbdrive,
Find the first slide.
Adjust the display so the slide is on the screen and not half on the wall, nor too small to read.
Call back the chairperson who has wandered off to socialise or network.
Tell both the chairperson and/or toastmaster of the day that you are ready to start.

Having once or twice come a cropper, I now know:

I need to carry a spare connector at all times.
To co-ordinate in any venue I need:

1 A VGA socket. (Video graphics array. 30 years old but still used.)
2 HDMI (High Definition Media Interface)
3 Display Port

If in doubt, ask the convener to send a photo of the connection at the venue.
If returning to the same venue, take your own photo of the correct connector and socket before leaving.

Packing List
Laptop
Power brick
Mouse
Thumbdrive
Slide show (Powerpoint, the Microsoft program, Keynote on Apple, Mosaic)
VGA socket
HDMI
Display Port

About the Author
Angela Lansbury is a travel writer and photographer. She currently (2020) attends a toastmasters International speakers training club once or twice a day.

What To Wear, Not Wear, And Carry On a Flight

Before you start packing, note the size and weight allowed for check-in and carry-on luggage. If you have multiple legs of your journey, pack for the most restrictive flight, unless you plan to mail items back home half way, or leave your heaviest suitcase with family at your first stopover, and carry on with a lighter bag.

DRESS FOR YOUR DESTINATION
The rule is, dress for your destination. However, you also need to think about your journey to the airport, going through security, and on the plane.

HOT DESTINATIONS
CLOTHES

UK flag. London - hot in summer, cold in winter.

Why dress for your destination? One year I wore heavy knee high boots and a long coat in London. I flew to India.

Indian flag.

India and Asia. Hot countries.

My luggage was delayed 24 hours. So I was left wearing my London clothes for snow in the heat of Delhi.

First, I was far too hot in Delhi. Second I had no spare underclothes. Third, I  looked daft and everybody stared at me.

If you are flying to a hot destination, you need a lightweight outfit either in your carry-on luggage or under your warmer second layer.

NOTE SEASONS
Australia has opposite seasons to the UK and Europe.

Flag of tropical Singapore which is hot all year.


Singapore
Singapore is hot all year.In Singapore, you need light single layer clothes for walking to and from the MRT train stations, or waiting in line outdoors for a taxi. You also need a jacket to wear indoors in the air-conditioned taxi, the restaurants and hotels and office meeting rooms.

Japan has four seasons.




















Korean flag.

Korea can be cold and snowing in winter. Minus fifteen at a ski resort I visited.

Thermals
I always take one thermal vest and a deerstalker hat which covers ears and a pair of gloves. They are light to pack. Even if you are perspiring in the heat at mid-day, if you take a trip on a boat, ferry or cruise ship at night, the sea breeze can be cold.

Vietnam


















Vietnam flag.

Vietnam's weather can change from hot to cold between Xmas and New Year. I arrived in light clothes in Christmas 2018. By Jan 1st 2019 I needed a warm hooded jacket to protect my head and neck from the winds when waiting at bus stops.

LAYERS
However, don't wear too many layers. On a couple of occasions I wore two jackets. This meant lighter packing.

JACKETS
Actually I grabbed the second jacket at the last minute when I opened the front door in London and felt the cold air at dawn. I remembered the dreadful cold draft which hits you as you trundle all your luggage from the place where the taxi to the airport drops you, from the outer building to the inner building.

 I had to remove both jackets at security. Undressing all the layers delayed me so I was well behind my husband, who was impatiently waiting.

On the first occasion, I remembered my second jacket and had to go back to collect it.This should have been a warning.

The second time, I went back and my jacket was gone.

PONCHOS AND SLEEVELESS JACKETS
Alternatives are a poncho or sleeveless jacket. Make sure you can wear your shoulder bag or cross-body bag easily under or over the poncho.

A poncho can double up as a warm cover if the airplane is cold.

LIPSTICKS
No Lipsticks Nor Medicines
On one trip I put my liquid medicine and my lipstick in a  lovely case in the little plastic bag in a separate container. I lost it. the lost property office was miles away.

When I went online, you had to describe your item. No room for three items, you could only list one.

Luckily I had a second lipstick in the same lovely case. But I never travelled with it again. One solution is to pack a lipstick. On board only carry a lipstick which is almost finished, with just less than one centimeter at the base. Use a lipstick brush to apply it.

Or pack your valuable lipstick. Take a cheap, current colour,  and easily replaceable one for the journey.

No Metals
Metals will set off the metal detector which you might need to walk through. This means:

CLOTHES
1 No shoes with metal tips or metal ended laces.
2 No boots nor shoes with metal eyelets for laces.
3 No belts with metal buckles.
4 No all metal belts. Not loose ones threaded through loops on jeans, nor holding up the waist of long dresses so you don't trip. No fixed sewn-on half belts on the back or sides of jackets.

5 No jackets with metal eyelets.
6 No shirts nor blouses with fixed or removable metal collar ends. (Old shirts used to have whalebone strips to keep collars flat. These were replaced by cheaper plastic strips. Then the fashion was fixed tips so the collar lay flat and did not fray. Then metal corners you could clip on became available.)

BAGS
7 No bags with metal chain shoulder straps nor reinforcing triangles where the strap meets the bag, nor stud patterns.

Lightweight bags are less weight on the shoulders as well as keeping within your allowance. 

A sturdier bag might protect a laptop or by pickpocket proof. A reversible bag gives you more colour options. If one side gets dirty, you can reverse it.

I pack a small bag inside a bigger one.

If I have space in my carry-on bag, I can put my heavier shoulder bag inside it and have a hand free at the airport. The smaller neck bag can carry a passport or ticket or boarding pass.

Another handy item is a neck pocket which can carry your spectacles when you are asleep, or your phone or toothbrush when you hop out to the toilet.

ACCESSORIES
8 No pendants or necklaces with heavy metal chains and heavy metal pendants. (You might find a fine gold choker necklace goes through without a problem.)
9 No metal brooches, rings or bracelets.
10 No hats nor baseball caps with metal shields or symbols on the front, nor buckles at the back.

HIGH HEELED SHOES
Don't wear high heeled shoes for longhaul. Or keep them separate to wear at the far end.
1 During those long walks at airports such as Heathrow and same transit airports in the USA, your feet will ache.
2 Also, if you have to evacuate an aircraft, you have to remove high heeled shoes because they would rip the slide fabric as you hurtle down the slide from the plane to the ground.

Small Items
If you do have to remove small items, try to put them inside something else, such as a zip up pocket or bag, so they don't roll out or get forgotten or take up extra trays.

Keep track of how many items you are collecting. Wear brightly coloured items you can identify and which others will not take by mistake.

If you are asked to step aside to open an item for inspection, try to watch out for your other items. Alternatively, list the number of items you need to collect and ask another member of your family or group to keep an  eye out.

Remember that items apparently left behind at security may be whisked away by the staff so that a moment later they have vanished.

Laptops and covers and accessories
You might keep all your accessories together so as not to lose anything and not to have to count, nor to get delayed. However, you might need to remove your laptop from your carry on bag. One solution is to have the laptop already outside the cover. Use the cover to protect one side of the bag.

Use another bag or a light item such as a jumper or neck pillow to cushion the other side of the laptop and its sides. Once you are through the security area, you can  place the laptop back in its secure cover for the rest of the journey.

Leftover Wine
When clearing out your fridge, you might give leftovers to a neighbour, send an email to yur family reminding them which foods are about to reach their expiry date.

Leftover wine in the fridge might be used in cooking or for cleaning, or dyeing clothes. You won't be allowed to take it with you in Platy Preserves. You might be allowed to take on board 100 ml. Stock up with a couple or more 100 ml bottles if that is the maximum allowed on your airline.

If two of you are travelling and your spouse does not drink, you might be able to give them a bottle to take some for you.

Food and drink
Don't take on board items which will get you into trouble.

I was told that I could take cut flowers, but not plants with roots and soil, into Singapore.
Check the latest regulations before you fly, in case rules have been tightened or relaxed.

Apples from your home or hotel breakfast table, into the USA.

No fruit and vegetables into Australia.

Meats are banned in some European and Asian destination.

Knives
Also watch out for knives, scissors, needles. If you have a small, padded envelope addressed to yourself, and stamped, you might be able to post back to your home any item that adults or children are found to be carrying at the airport before you check-in.

Some airports simply throw away confiscated items.That multi-function Swiss army knife with the bottle opener, in your backpack, is an expensive and useful item you might not want to lose, especially if it was a birthday present.

Sometimes airports will store them for you to collect on your return. Ask. Allow time for delays over such items.

Once, my husband had accidentally taken as far as security a banned item he could not afford to lose. to retrieve his carry-on luggage and retreat back to the check in desk. This took half an hour, because they needed a member of staff who was not busy checking in passengers. She had to go to the office on the other side of the terminal to collect a form and bring it back. The form had to be filled in. Then through passport checks and security again.

Don't swear at security or you might get locked  up. Not advisable!

My best journey was travelling light with only a carry-on bag.

Happy travelling.

Useful Websites
https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/sg/travel-info/baggage/baggage-allowance/
https://www.skyscanner.net/news/tips/7-ways-to-beat-ryanair-cabin-baggage-rules
https://topjourneymag.com/15-things-you-should-never-wear-during-a-flight
https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/sg/travel-info/baggage/baggage-restrictions/

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Recycled Ice Cream Lid

On many airlines nowadays you get ice cream as dessert. I often save the lid.

I saved the lid from an ice cream to recycle it. I had no idea what I would do with it. I thought I would just rest it on top of a glass of water.

In Singapore and tropical countries, New York and UK in summer, you need to drink water all the time because you are perspiring all the time.

I was delighted to find it made a perfect fit, clamped tight, which stopped the risk of the water spilling from the glass of water onto my laptop.

Useful Websites
singaporeair.com

Angela Lansbury
Travel writer and photographer, Author and speaker. I have other posts on airlines and ice creams.
Please share links to your favourite posts.

Packing - phone and accessories

Taking a flight? First thing - print you ticket? No need to waste your ink and paper. Nowadays you have e-tickets, or have it to hand on your phone. But which phone, not the one you were going to leave behind!

You want to be sure you have the connector, the charger, and as backup a power block. Make sure that is charged. How do you know that it is charged? Press in the button and you should see blue lights.

Packing Lists
Next, where to keep the packing list?

On your phone, laptop, inside the suitcase lid, on the back of the wardrobe door.
Make sure your phone accessories are in the same bag and on the list:

Charger connection lead (one which uploads and charges - some don't do both), and tripod and case.

On arrival check you have:

In-flight cancel wifi cancelled so you are back on wifi.

Alarms set to wake you at local time.

Inform family friends and colleagues you are home.

Angela Lansbury
Travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
Please save links to your favourite posts.