Category Archives: Geschichten

Guessing Game – Konjunktiv II

Thursday in class we did a fun little game, which I have to tell you about. Our teacher wrapped up something small and invited us to feel it in our hands, and pass it from one person to the other. We all had post-its, on which we could write what we think it is, using Konjunktiv II, for expressing wishes and unreal things. It was a very fun way of putting the grammar into practice!

Passing it along from hand to hand, it finally got to me and it took me a minute to try and make out the shape of the object. We were also given a tip: it has something to do with the theme we were about to begin (Fit für die Prüfung).

This is what I wrote on my postit:

Other guesses were a variety of sweets, and the winner, meaning the person who guessed it right said: Glückschwein. As I learned, it is a New Year symbol here in Austria, gifted from one person to another, in order to wish them Good luck in the upcoming year.

Tips for learning – the post-it method

A few weeks ago, during a class at DeutschAkademie, our teacher gave us a tip for learning new words. This is a pretty interactive and fun way to do it, and I thought I’d share it with all of you.

I think it’s also called the Sherlock Holmes Method. Here it goes: you write the new words on post-its, and then, like a major detective, you start spreading out through the classroom (or house, works just as well at home).

You try to make associations, either with the meaning of the word and the nearby objects, or just to locate it within the room and to make yourself a mind-map with which word goes where. At start, I’d recommend you start with a few words, maybe five, but as you progress, you can up the number and have your room eventually covered in post-its. Ok, kidding, but you got the jest.

So, for example, the word ‘Strom’ could go next to the electrical outlet, or ‘Umweltproblem’ could go next to a map of the globe. I put up ‚Verkehr‘ next to a squibbly painting, because that’s how I associated it in my mind. Does it make sense to you? Give it a try the next time you have a long list of vocabulary words to learn, which you can break down in manageable bits and go through them 5-10 at a time. Good luck!