Author Archives: Ivona Costan

German, burgers and Bob’s Burgers

While I’ve seen that some of you enjoy eating a good burger, but also that some of you are taking the German course at the Deutsch Akademie office from Mariahilferstraße, I thought that I can share with you a really nice and recently opened restaurant.

It is very close to the Deutsch Akademie from Mariahilferstraße, and can be a good opportunity of eating a delicious burger and spend some time with your colleagues. Zou can go there right after one course, give to your stomach something great but also practice a little bit your communication skills.

The place I am talking about is called Le Burger and can be found on 114 Mariahilferstraße. And their website is http://www.leburger.at/. They have an interesting burgers variety, but in the same time, some unusual ones like: Californian Surfer, Little Italy or Mediterran.

The position on Mariahilferstraße, make them easy to reach, and in the same time quite full all the time. But, give them a try while you want to rest your feet after a long day shopping on Mariahilferstraße.

Another innovative thing is that they offer two types of services: self-service and table delivery. In this equation, the self-service is a little bit cheaper than the one in which your order is taken and brought to your table.

About Bob’s Burgers… while do you enjoy burgers, maybe you can try an animated sitcom with and about burgers. The series centers on a family who runs a hamburger restaurant. In 2013, Bob’s Burgers was ranked as one of the top 60 Greatest TV Cartoons of All Time by TV Guide. It has been nominated for several awards, and won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program in 2014.

Now, what all this has to do with German? While the Le Burger in very close to Deutsch Akademie from Mariahilferstraße, or is just a good spot to practice your German and spend some quality time with your friends. Bob’s Burgers sitcom can be found in German and is also broadcasted by the German TV cable providers.

So… practice German while eating a burger with Bob’s Burgers!

Mahlzeit!

Birthday wishes in German

At Deutsch Akademie we are not doing only the usual classes. While every day we are trying to learn new words and grammar rules, we are trying to also better assimilate the German culture. In one of the other days, a colleague had her birthday, so we had the best moment to learn how to say happy birthday in German, what to do or not do when is somebody birthday, and so on and so forth.

But before learning how to say „Happy Birthday“ in German though, you need to know about one important cultural point especially among older Germans: wishing a German a happy birthday before their birthday is considered bad luck, so don’t do it. And as for gifts and cards you may want to send, just make sure to state to them that they should open the package on their birthday.

Some birthday expressions that you can use are:

Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag! (Happy Birthday!)
All das Beste zum Geburtstag! (All the best on your birthday!)
Ich gratuliere Ihnen zu Ihrem 20/30/55 etc. ! (Congratulations on your 20/30/55th etc. birthday!)
Alles Gute zum Geburtstag! (Have a good birthday!)
Viel Glück zum Geburtstag! (Best of luck on your birthday.)

Please keep in mind that the following translations are the English equivalents and not the literal translations.

In the end, for my colleague Mariko, Viel Glück zum Geburtstag!

Tipps für das Deutsch lernen: Artikel lernen

Am Anfang scheint Deutsch eine sehr schwer zu lernen, die Sprache zu sein. Sie hat eine Menge neue Wörter, Grammatikregeln und mehr zu lernen… Und, wein in Wien… der Wiener Dialekt.

Heute werde ich über die Nomen Artikel und ihre Bedeutung sprechen. Ich werde auch ein paar Tipps für leichteres Lernen geben.

Im Deutschen gibt es drei Geschlechter (drei Nomen Artikel) und plural: weiblich (die), maskulin (der), neutrum (das) und Plural (die). Von Anfangan ist sehr wichtig die Artikel an zu lernen. Die gesamte deutsche Grammatik muss man den richtigen Artikel für jede Nomen kennen.

Also … mein erster Tipp ist verschiedene Kugelschreiber Farben für jedes Geschlecht zu verwenden. Das Menschen Buch verwendet: Blau für männliche Wörter, rot für die weibliche und grün für neutreum. Auch, beim Schreiben, sollte man für jedes Wort in Klammern den Plural setzen.

Der zweite Tipp ist farbiges Papier zu verwenden, während man das Farbschema von oben respektiert. Meine Lehrerin hat vorgeschlagen jeder neue Wort auf dem richtigen Papier am Ende eines jeden Tages zu schreiben. Diese Woche, jeden Tag hatten wir eine provozierende Übung. Zwei Personen aus der Klasse haben den richtigen Artikel für eine Reihe Wörten gesagt.

Der letzte Tipp ist farbige Aufkleber zu verwenden. Auch hier stellt jede Farbe das Wort Geschlecht. Aber was noch schöner ist, … Sie können Ihre Aufkleber auf jedes Objekt im Haus setzen. Auf diese Weise werden Sie ein farbiges Wort überall sehen und zumindest mit den Haus-Objekten kein Problem haben.

Ich hoffe, dass Sie einige dieser Tipps verwenden, und… nicht vergessen: in Deutsch, sind die Artikel wirklich wichtig!

History of Vienna – Part VI: The dawn of the modern era. Vienna under Emperor Franz Josef

For almost seventy years from 1848 to 1916, Vienna stood under the rule of Emperor Franz Josef. This period witnessed enormous transformations in the city’s appearance, its politics and its daily life. After the removal of the old walls and gates, the old enclosed city was able to expand. During the period of rapid industrial expansion after 1871, the “Ringstraße” was transformed into a magnificent boulevard with representative public buildings such as the State Opera, City Hall, Parliament, the Burghtheather and the palaces of the ambitious financial aristocracy.

Burgtheather

Parliament building

During this period, Vienna grew into a modern metropolis. For decades, the city resembled a giant construction site. Its appearance changes as old building were torn down and new ones sprang up in their air. The creation of new energy grids, as well as Otto Wagner’s design of a new local railway system, helped to modernize the city’s infrastructure. Among the stars to emerge from this epoch were Hans Makart, the “Prince of Painters” and Johann Strauss Jr., the “King of the Waltz”.

History of Vienna – Part V: Vienna around 1800. From the French Wars to the Congress of Vienna

The wars between Napoleonic France and the older monarchies transformed the face of Europe. Among other things, they brought about the disintegration of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1806, Franz II declared the latter dissolved, since 1804 he held the title “Emperor of Austria”. As a result, Vienna gained the status of imperial city of Austria, but it lost its importance as a center of German politics.

In 1805, the French army occupied Vienna for two months, while Napoleon resided in the Schönbrunn Palace. In 1809, the Viennese attempted to repeal another French assault, but after only a few hours, the city stood in flames and they were forced to surrender. It was on the battlefield between Aspern and Essling, today in the northeast of Vienna, where Napoleon suffered his first defeat. However, the French army soon reclaimed its military superiority at the Battle of Wagram. Before their withdrawal, Napoleon’s troops destroyed large sections of the city’s fortifications.

In place of the demolished bastions that had stood before the Imperial Palace, builders then erected the “Neues Burgtor” (Imperial Gate), the “Äußerer Burgplatz” (now Heldenplatz) and the “Burggarten” (Imperial Gardens).

After Napoleon’s defeat, the rulers of Europe gathered at the “Congress of Vienna (1814-1815) to establish a new political order in Europe. Vienna became the centre of the European Restoration, which found its spokesman in the Austrian chancellor Matternich.

History of Vienna – Part IV: Art around 1700. Baroque Vienna

In the decades following the Turkish Wars (1690-1730), Vienna grew into an international center for the arts. During this period of intensive reconstruction, the court, the aristocracy and the church commissioned monumental buildings that still define the face of the city today, such as the Schönbrunn Palace, the Karlskirche and the Upper and Lower Belvedere. Combining architecture, sculpture and painting, such baroque “Gesamtkunstwerke” or total works of art, were meant to reflect both the social position and the intentions of their builders. The most important architects of this period were Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt. Karlskirche in Karsplatz

Artists such as Johann Michael Rottmayr and Daniel Gran produced monumental frescos and painting with religious or mythological themes. At the court of Franz I and Maria Theresia, an artist of Swedish origins, Martin von Meytens, exercised the all-important role of imperial portrait painter. From all over the Europe, artists and design experts flocked to Vienna.

Of particular cultural and political significance was the founding of the Academy of Fine Arts under Karl VI. Although at firs administered privately, the Academy was reorganized as a state-run public institute in 1726 on the initiative of its master, Jacob von Schuppen. Women were not allowed to study or train there.

History of Vienna – Part III: Capital of a Great European Power

In the 18^th century, Vienna grew into the dazzling capital of a great European power. Majestic palaces and churches sprang up both within and beyond the city walls. Alongside the older settlements in the suburbs, members of the nobility built summer residences with large parks, such as the magnificent Belvedere Palace. Belvedere Palace

In 1704, the military administration constructed an outer defensive embankment known as the “Linienwall” which followed the same route as today’s Gürtel road. Between the Linienwall and the zone surrounding the fortifications of the old city, they developed an area of nearly continuous settlement comprising some thirty suburbs. Not until 1850 would the latter join with the inner city to form a single administrative unit.

During the 18^th century, the transformation of Vienna from a court-based feudal society to a bourgeois society can be observed in a number of measures: the reorganization of the guilds, the abolition of torture and the death penalty, the introduction of primary education, the increased tolerance towards Jews and non-Catholic Christians, the founding of social institutions such as the General Hospital and the opening of the Prater recreation area to the general public.

Prater Park

History of Vienna – part II: The emblem of the city St. Stephan’s Cathedral

The original Romanesque building, was consecrated in 1147.

In the early fourteenth century, the Habsburgs began to build the High Gothic chancel. In the mid-century, Duke Rudolf IV worked to elevate his seat of power to a diocese. In supporting the construction of the cathedral he ran into competition with his father-in-law Emperor Charles IV in Prague.

The south spire (Steffl’) begun by Rudolf was finished in 1433 and at 137 meters was the second-highest spire built in the Middle Ages. The vaulting of the Late Gothic nave was completed in the second half of the fifteenth century.

Mary and Child, around 1380-1390. It used to be on the south spire of the Cathedral.

The north spire was meant to be higher than the south tower, but construction work was stopped in 1511. Since then the external appearance of the cathedral has remained extensively unchanged.

Significant restorations took place in the nineteenth century. In the last days of the war in 1945 the cathedral went up in flames and many works of art were destroyed. Reconstruction lasted until 1957.

The building and furnishing of this emblem of the city was supported for centuries by the ruling houses and the citizens of Vienna.

Nowadays, St. Stephan’s Cathedral is one of the most famous sights in Vienna.

Stained Glass from St. Stephan’s Cathedral

Curious about Vienna? History of Vienna – part I

Vienna is a place full of art and history… but how many of us, do really know something about Vienna history?

Are you in vacation, and eager to learn a new language? Then Deutsch Akademie is the place you are looking for. Situated right in the heart of Vienna, before or after the classes, you can visit all the touristic attractions which are very close by.

Or are you staying abroad but you are fascinated of Vienna…Did you knew that Deutsch Akademie offers German classes with accommodation? Well, they are thinking at all those people who are willing to learn German in a German speaking city, but they are not willing to relocate. So, they do all the job with the accommodation. All you have to do, is to attend the classes and Learn German 😀.

But my next posts are not about classes or accommodation, and are not only for the people which are new or just visiting Vienna. It is also for the ones which are leaving here for a couple of days, months or years… Will be about history… How much history of Vienna do you know? Did you knew that St. Stephan’s Cathedral started in 1137, or that Napoleon stayed in Schönbrunn Palace for a short period?

I will make a short history incursion in time, in which I will underline the most important periods of Vienna development from my point of view.

Vienna in the middle ages

Medieval Viennese people lived from trade and wine making. Around 800, Vienna was still a small Carolingian border town. It would gain importance in the twelfth century, however, when the Babenbergs took up residence there (1155) and construction began on St. Stephen’s Cathedral (1137).

The city walls were erected around 1200. At this time, Vienna enjoyed a large degree of autonomy, reflected in the self-government of its citizens, as well as their special municipal and trading rights, which allowed for a trading monopoly in Hungary. The city maintained this independence even during the period of Bohemian rule from 1251 to 1276 and, from 1278 onward, under the Habsburgs. Next to Cologne, Vienna was considered the most important city in the Holy Roman Empire.

In the Late Middle Ages, the Habsburg court became a cultural hub of central Europe, attracting numerous artists. The found of the university in 1365 and Vienna’s elevation to a diocese in 1469 further increased the city’s importance. Outside the city walls, as well, the suburbs were constantly expanding.

In the fifteenth century, political and economic crises – the massacre and expulsion of the Jews in 1421, the Hussite Wars, the shift of the economic centers of Venice and Byzantium to Germany and Flanders – led to a period of stagnation. At the end of the Middle Ages, Vienna fell for a short time under Hungarian rule.

Vienna in 1420

See you tomorrow for the next chapter from History of Vienna! 😀

Deutsch Akademie. One word: Diversity

This is my second month as a blog writer for Deutsch Akademie, but also as a student there :D. And, in order to offer you a little bit more from the student perspective, I decided this month to go at their school from Opernring, but I will make a short comparison between Opernring and Mariahilferstaße in some other post.

Now, I want to tell you about my second course, and the word which describes best (at least from my point of view) the Deutsch Akademie Language School.

Taaaaa-daaaaa…. And the word is DIVERSITY. Well, I am thinking that diversity is the best word for them. But let’s see the definition of this word. According to Cambridge Dictionary (Dictionary.cambridge.org, 2016), diversity is “a. the fact of many different types of things or people being included in something; a range of different things or people; b. the fact that there are many different ideas or opinions about something.

Why and how is this applicable for Deutsch Akademie?

First of all, you will get the possibility to meet people from all around the world. So, maybe at the end of your class you’ll speak not only German but also some words in other languages

You will interact with their cultures and learn some new things about their country, or people behaviors.

Second of all, not only you will meet different people, but if you are doing more than one class with them, you will also have the possibility to have a different teacher. Meaning that you’ll experiment different approaches, ways of teaching, and student-teacher interactions. This is also helpfulJ. Even though I am the person which likes consistency. I think that working with different people, will help me better assimilate the language.

If you like learning in a fast moving environment where diversity is the key for everything happening then here is your place!

Partial photo credits to (ERE Media, 2016)

Last day

Uhh…. Time flies. I don’t think to exist something that passes so easy and sometimes without even knowing, as time.

Is my last day at Deutsch Akademie as an A1.2. student. One month is already gone, and many more are waiting for me until I will master the German language.

This month was an intensive one, as the course is… Intensive. It was a month full of new knowledge, grammar rules, prepositions, verbs (modals, trennbare and regular), articles and new words.

It was a month in which we had the possibility to exercise our communication skills in German (of course), but also to get to know new people from all around the world.

I had the possibility to meet and make new acquaintances from different countries, but most important, to try to communicate with them even though we don’t have a common language. Some of the students don’t speak English, which is good, because you have to make yourself understood by any mean.

Something else that was extraordinary, is our teacher. She is a great women. She finds the patience to explain the same topic over and over again. She comes with different and interesting teaching ideas all the time. It is a challenge to keep people focused for 3 hours. But she managed it.

I totally enjoyed my time in Deutsch Akademie this month and can’t wait for the next one… A new teacher and colleagues are waiting for me :)).

Meanwhile… Learn Germen or Deutsch lernen!

Deutschkurs Blog Wien

DeutschAkademie Studenten Blog