German words - same, easy, difficult, confusing

Where can you learn and practise speaking German? 

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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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Variety Stores & Bargains and Corner Shops Worldwide

UK

In the UK, look for Tesco express and the rack there and in any supermarket with reduced prices. They might fill up the section only after 6 pm, or throughout the day, or after 6 pm with increasing bargains as the evening wears on.

Cheap sandwiches are in Tesco, Boots, Morrisons and other supermarkets, often near the entrance or the checkout. If searching, save time and beat other shoppers, ask.

In Morrisons you might find reductions on the cooked chicken and cooked meat counter at the back of the store, already packaged and labelled on the top of the counter for you to grab. 

Don't wait until the last minute. They might be clearing up half an hour before closing tf one ime.

I noticed that Waitrose in Harrow, NW London, had a section on the far right by the entrance for one person quick snacks, ideal for lunch time, because of the small size, low cost, and not taking up all your lunch hour to run around the supermarket. 

SINGAPORE

In Singapore you find branches of 7-11 on the MRT (underground and overground railway system). If you want a quick bite to eat, look for 7-11, McDonalds, and food courts, often the basement or top floor or Supermarkets. 

Fairprice in Singapore

I looked for a piece of cooked salmon, ready to eat, or ready to cook. All the pieces were large and identical prices. In London there's a whole range of prices. You can get one tiny piece for one person. Or add one piece to your packet for two to make three pieces for three persons. I don't know how they get two dozen packets of fish identical sizes and weights. I suppose it is done by machine, which saves them time. But disappointing for me as a customer. I did not buy.

I ran all over the shop looking for couscous. They don't stock it. Three assistants did not undertand the word. Even after I spelled it. Finally, an assistant said that they don't stock it. Any way to tell them?

At dinner time after 7 pm in Fairprice I was disappointed to not find an obvious small size counter. I was shopping for a one person snack to eat. I considered stopping at a fast food outlet, ruining my diet by eating cheesecake. I ended up in the ladies toilet, hunting through my shopping bag for something to keep me going. First I ate a couple of small carrots. Then a banana.

Everything seems designed for a family of four to eight persons. No economy of scale when I am buying for one instead of two.

Variety store chains in Asia[edit]

• In China: Miniso
• In India: US Dollar Store
• In Japan: Daiso, Daiei, Seria
• In Pakistan: Ghazali's HomeStore

Names for variety stores in Asia[edit]

• 100 fils Shop in Kuwait
• 2 riyal Shop in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries
• 100-yen shop or one coin shop in Japan
• 10-dollar shop (US$1.28), 8-dollar shop, etc. in Hong Kong
• 1000 Won shop in South Korea
• 88 or 99 Peso store in Philippines
• 49 & 99 shop in India
• Hakol Bedollar (everything for a Dollar) in Israel
• Ghazali's HomeStore in Pakistan
• Всё по 100 рублей (English: Everything at 100 rubles) in Russia
• 10 or 20 Baht shop in Thailand
• 2-ringgit stores in Malaysia

Europe[edit]

The interior of a one-euro shop in Amsterdam, Netherlands

• In Belgium, chains include Action, HEMA, and Zeeman.
• In Denmark: føtex, Tiger, a pun on the word for the Danish ten-krone coin, opened in the mid-nineties in Copenhagen and has since spread to other countries
• In France: Action, HEMA, Monoprix, Uniprix, M. 1-2-3. Zeeman
• In Germany, there are ToBi (German: Total Billig, "Totally Inexpensive") stores where most items cost one or two Euro or less. Other chains include Action, EuroShop, HEMA, Mäc-Geiz (240 stores), Pfennigland, Pfennigpfeiffer (110 stores), TEDi (1400 stores across Europe), Thomas Philipps (200 stores), and Zeeman
• In Greece: 300 (300 drachmas, €0.90)
• In Hungary there are 100 forintos bolt ("100 forints store") stores, but they do not form a single chain, instead of being operated by small, independent companies.
• In Ireland: EuroGiant, Dealz
• In Italy: UPIM
• In Luxembourg: HEMA, Zeeman
• In Malta: Tal-Lira
• In the Netherlands: HEMA chain started in the Netherlands, sold goods using standard prices of 10, 25 or 50 cents, and later also 75 and 100 cents. After World War II, this model could not be sustained and the standard pricing system was abandoned.^[10] HEMA is the abbreviation of Hollandish standardized prices company (Dutch: Hollandse Eenheidsprijzen Maatschappij). The HEMA had some 500 Dutch stores in 2011 and also operates in Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and France. Since 2016 the chain is expanding in to other European countries such as Spain and the United Kingdom. Other chains include Action, Big Bazar, Euroland, and Zeeman.
• In Portugal there were Trezentos shops (300 escudos, €1.50), but with the introduction of the Euro currency, this designation is not used nowadays and the terms 'bazar' or 'euro store' are preferred. Chains include Eupoupo - Tudo a €0,99 ou €1,49
• In Russia: Fixprice (50 rubles)
• Spain there are Todo a 100 shops ("everything for 100 pesetas" (€0.60)), although due to the introduction of the euro and inflation, most products cost a multiple of €0.60 or €1. Most of these shops maintain their name in pesetas, and most of them have been renamed as Casi todo a 100 ("almost everything for 100 [pesetas]"), Todo a 100, 300, 500 y más ("everything for 100, 300, 500 or more") or Todo a un euro. Colloquially, the expression todo a 100 implies that something is either cheap, kitsch or low quality.^{[citation needed]}
• In Sweden: Bubbeltian, called by some Tian, a colloquialism for ten kronor, US$1.20. Another chain that has been spreading in Sweden during the last seven years is Dollarstore, a chain where everything costs either 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and steps of 50 up to 500 kr.
• In United Kingdom: B & M, Boyes, HEMA, Home Bargains, Poundland, Poundstretcher, Poundwise

Names for variety stores in Europe[edit]

• 100 forintos bolt in Hungary
• 3,8 RON shop in Romania
• Всичко по 1 лев in Bulgaria
• Euro store, €2 store, etc. in the Eurozone
• Euroland (formerly known as knaakland) in the Netherlands
• Euroshop or 1-Euro-Shop in Germany
• Loja dos 300 in Portugal 300 escudos = 1.5 Eur
• Magasin à prix unique (English: one price store) in France
• Max20 (kroner) in Norway
• Pound shop, 99p shop, etc. in the United Kingdom
• Sve po 8/10/12 kuna in Croatia
• Sve za 79/99/100 dinara (Everything for 79/99/100 dinars) in Serbia
• Tal-Lira in Malta (Lira was Malta's old currency before transitioning to Euro)
• Todo a 100, 20 duros and SuperCien in Spain (former cien = 100 pesetas = €0.60)
• Wszystko za 5 złotych in Poland

South America[edit]

In Argentina, variety stores are called todo por dos pesos (everything for 2 pesos).

Brazilians sometimes use the expression um e noventa e nove (R$ 1,99) to refer to cheap, low quality things or even people.

In Chile, they are called todo a mil (referring to the one thousand Chilean pesos banknote). They are commonly located in middle-class neighbourhoods where big retail stores don't usually venture and in small commercial districts like the ones in Santiago.

In South America, variety stores may be known as:

• Dolarazo (US$1.00) and Cincuentazo (US$0.50) in Ecuador
• Loja de 1,99 (R$ 1,99 = US$1.07) in Brazil
• Todo por 23 pesos in Uruguay (23 pesos = US$1)
• Todo por dos Pesos in Argentina (1 peso = US$0.32)

Africa[edit]

• In Egypt, a variety store may be called a 2.5 LE shop

 

What is the latest on Singapore Airlines? Are they still the best?

Heathrow airport, London, luggage trolley. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

 I flew from Heathrow airport in London, England, to Changi airport in Singapore. As usual I was taking care of luaggage. I always photograph it. Then if it goes missing I can describe it. Living in the Covid era, travellers now have to check on extra paperwork and allow extra time. 

The check-in staff at Heathrow were very good, but do allow extra time for the check-in part. They checked our vaccination certificates before we  joined the short queue to the check-in area.

The security staff were also extra helpful. They told us we could empty our water bottles and refill them later from water dispensers. Yes, indeed. But then we waited behind a family of two adults and three children who were re-filling all their water bottles.

The Singapore Airlines Lounge Breakfast

By the time we reached the lounge, we had barely enough time to order food. You can help yourself to croissants and smoothies. But there is no help yourself hot food any more. You have to order it. When our flight was called, I ran to ask if they could chase up the kitchen.

The food then appeared. My husband has the shellfish concoction. I am allergic to shellfish and had the English breakfast. 

Singapore Airlines Flight

As we boarded the flight we were offered a bottle of water. Very good. No plastic cup. 

I was seated in Economy. I had an aisle seat with an empty seat between me and another passenger. 

A good thing I had saved a little food from the breakfast. On the flight, the dinner was two courses, no starter.

I was hungry. I went to ask for snacks. The protein sandwiches or rolls with a processed meat or cheese filling were not supplied. Just Kit-kats, or crisps (which Americans call potato chips), or a packet of dried fruit, cranberries. 

No service of orange juice. I wish I had asked for extra with my meal. I should also have kept hold of my plastic beaker for the water.

Breakfast was served in the middle of the night. Apparently the cabin manager, or chief steward, decides on the timing. 

The aircraft still had a pack of playing cards on request for your entertainment. And white pads. And a pen. The pen I was give was completely dry, out of ink, had to be thrown away.

Everybody was asked to wear a mask except when eating. I had an aisle seat. The person in the window seat started coughing after eating and before putting on a mask. That worried me. However, by the time a member of staff walked past, the mask was on.

Entertainment

The best part of the flight? The films and the music. The choice is reduced. I could not find learning languages which used to be an option. I found two compilations of country music. 

I watched two good films. One was a murder mystery, with a double plot, and a twist end. On a lighter note, I watched The Chef. Humorous story of a chef in a restaurant and his battle with a critic who puts him our of business. Reconciliation and happy end.

Music

I looked through all the music offerings. I found some Amy Winehouse. But no Pavarotti or light opera, operetta, comic opera.

I finished with a few Country music songs, which inspired me to write one of my own. I saved the best songs by clicking on a star and hoped that meant those songs were saved to my playlist for the next flight.

Is Singapore Airlines still the best? Not as good as they once were. But good enough.

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About the Author 

About the Author

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books including  Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time on bha.learncool.sg  

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.