Author Archives: Lev

Last entry in English

One of the things that I’ve always found most difficult in German is remembering the different prepositions and relative pronouns and using them correctly. However, thanks to last week’s lessons (which unfortunately I did not have much time to comment on) I feel that I am slowly starting to get it. I am currently working on a written assignment for class in which I aim to apply my new knowledge and hope that I have learned something after all. Either way, with my confidence regained, I believe that now I have all of the sufficient tools to be able to write a decent German blog entry (hopefully by Thursday!).

Wish me luck!

Peace,

Lev

Basic German Vocabulary Builder

vokbig.jpg

Today I’d like to go over a nifty little product called „Basic German Vocabulary Builder“. While testing it, I found that it’s a great tool for the beginning German student who wants to learn basic phrases and useful words (as well as how to pronounce them perfectly). The vocabulary is conveniently divided into different everyday topics in the form of MP3s delivered in a very pleasant and articulate voice. Therefore, you can use it while commuting, jogging, driving your car, etc. The only downside is that due to it being a „Basic“ vocabulary builder, it might not be suitable for more advanced German students who might find themselves fast-forwarding through most of the examples (but that’s self explanatory). Nonetheless, I believe that beginner German students can really benefit from this product and should definitely check it out.

If you’d like to know more about „Basic German Vocabulary Builder“ (and similar products) or are interested in purchasing it, you may find it here:  www.deutschakademie.de/E-Books/

Peace!

First day in DeutschAkademie

So today was my first DA lesson in about 4 months. Of course, it was difficult to get used to the language again since my German got a little rusty. However, I am positive that things will pick up quite fast. The group members comprised a very culturally diverse environment which made me bring my German up to date (what other choice did I have?) and the German teacher was very helpful and patient with my occasional grammar mistakes. Overall it was a good experience and I am looking forward to my next lesson.

It’s about time :)

So it is about time I’ve decided to write my second DA blog series about my experiences in Deutsch Akademie, Vienna, and Austria in general. I know it took me a long time, but a lot has changed since my last blog series in May which kept me very busy till now. As promised, this time only half of my entries will be written in English whereas the other half will be written in a „Slightly“ broken German! Hope you all have a good (and educational) time in DA, enjoy Vienna, and tune in for my next entry!Peace!

Last Entry

dsc01547.JPGToday was my last day in Deutsch Akademie. After the exam, we all went to the Aida coffee shop just around the corner to celebrate and enjoy some coffee and cake, while talking about our plans and ways to keep in touch with each other in the future. I will definitely miss my colleagues and I thank them for making my experience in DA even better! Hopefully we will all keep in touch and perhaps even meet again someday in DA…who knows? Although I am planning to take a short break from DA due to my studies, I will be back again in August.Till then, auf Wiedersehen!

Prufung!!!

dsc01548.JPGSo…today I’ve had my first and last real test in DA! Although I was worried at first that I would not be able to pass it successfully (I’ve had very little time to study), I have managed to recall most of the material and found it surprisingly easy. If anything, I believe that it is a proof for the effectiveness of the program and and the high teaching standards.My grade is 31/36. However, had I been more careful with my writing I would have fully aced the exam.

Favorite Place

Although I have more than a few favorite „insiders places“ in Vienna, I still hold a soft spot for Reigen Bar, located near the Hietzing U-bahn station. It is a very cozy place with reasonably priced drinks, and some great live music performed by British, American and Austrian musicians. My first introduction to Reigen was about a year ago at a live rock concert by one of my favorite artists, Richie Kotzen. Ever since then, I’ve made it a custom to go there at least once a week. It might not be the most touristy place, or a „must see“ locale, but I would definitely recommend it!

Favorite Exercise

 img_0796.jpgMy favorite exercises in DA are the exercises that involve building sentences or putting them in the right order. So far my experience in DA was very positive and I am looking forward to starting the next level in the near future.

Evening Locations

Being a musician, I tend to enjoy evening locations with live music. Some of my favorite places include Jazzland, Davis Live Music Club, Szene, and Gasometer. Occasionally I also like to visit Rock Pub Weston, and Bockthorn Irish Pub because of their lively and welcoming atmosphere. Although I cannot comment on the best restaurant or coffee in Vienna, I can definitely say that Salm Brau has some of the best beer I have ever had!

What have I learned so far?

So far I have learned a lot of vocabulary from the book Themen Aktuell 2 and strengthened my grammar. The topics covered were prapositionen, genetiv, reziprok pronommen, indirekte frage, um-zu, weil/da/denn and many others.  One of the topics that the teacher explained exceptionally well was Pronominaladverbien, which I have always had problems with…but not anymore! The most helpful exercise, however, involved building full coherent sentences from a few words. I believe that this type of exercise played an important role in improving my German.

Sightseeing in Wien

Some of my favorite sights, which I would also recommend to others are as follows (in no particular order): 1. The Parliament building 2. Hofburg and its exhibitions 3. Schonbrunn (best during summer!) 4. the Viennese Opera 5. Kunsthistorische/Naturhistorische Museum and MuseumsQuartier 6. The Rathaus