Don’t understand an English phrase? Ask!
It happens to native speakers too. A few weeks ago I was on the playground with my daughter. I was speaking with another parent who was also from an English-speaking country. He used an English phrase I hadn’t heard before and I had no idea what he meant. My solution was to say: “I’m sorry, …
Reaching your English training goal
Setting a goal for your English training is the easy part. Finding and setting up the system that will help your reach your English training goal is another question. Sound familiar? The idea of a “system” is from the book Atomic Habits (in German Die 1% Methode) by James Clear. What could “system” mean in …
Writing an out of office English email
Finally time for your summer holiday? Before you leave the office, write a clear out of office English email so your business partners have the information they need while you’re gone. Here are some steps to help: By following these steps, you can be sure that your out of office English email will keep your …
Learn English phrasal verbs with “get”
Phrasal verbs are very important in English, particularly in spoken conversation. They are often used by native speakers and are a great way to build your vocabulary and improve your fluency. What are phrasal verbs? Phrasal verbs have a verb and an additional adverb or preposition. Here’s an example of a common phrasal verb used …
English books for summer reading
Ready for your summer holiday? Remember to pack some English books to help keep your English in shape, B1 and B2 learners can check lists on “beach reads” or “beach reading” for native speakers. Have a look at Reader’s Digest 32 Best Beach Reads for their suggestions. Give it a try – books that are …
Improve your English vocabulary with collocations
Collocations are pairs of words or short phrases that often appear together, such as a verb and a noun, an adjective and a noun, or a verb and a preposition. Let’s have a look at the following two adjective + noun collocations: strong coffee, a powerful computer Strong and powerful have very similar meanings and …
Dresden in the BBC Spotlight
In my classes, learners sometimes ask how Germany is shown in the international press. Here’s a great chance to find out. The BBC’s Business Daily podcast chose Dresden as the location for the last episode in its “Cost of living” series. In the week-long series, they looked at different issues connected to the rising costs of living. …
Christmas songs in English
Tis the season to enjoy some Christmas music in English! The Guardian (UK) and Reader’s Digest (US edition) have both put together lists of the greatest Christmas songs. We’ve created Spotify playlists with the top hits from each publication. To access them, follow the links below. The top 20 Christmas songs from The Guardian The …
Improve your English pronunciation
Would you like to improve your English pronunciation? We have an important tip for you: Pay attention to how you say consonants at the end of English words. Standard German has something called final devoicing (Auslautverhärtung) which means that voiced (stimmhaft) consonants at the end of words such as -d, -g and -b are devoiced …