The longest German words tie your tongue.
If you find simply learning the German language daunting, try Streichholzshaechtlchen.
How many vowels and consonants do you need to describe a box of matches? As Mark Twain said, "Some German words are so long that they have a perspective.
" As an American executive of the German printing giant, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen, my company provided German language tutoring.
While mastering the umlauts and verb conjugations proved daunting, digesting words like Hoechsgeschwindigkeitsbegrenzung - maximum speed limit, gave me indigestion.
Mark Twain, who made Heidelberg a second home, described his feelings about the longest German words in The Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.
"Whenever the literary German dives into a sentence that is the last you are going to see of him till he emerges on the other side of his Atlantic with his verb in his mouth.
" Germans find new ways of torturing their language through very long tongue twisters like, Es klapperten die Klapperschlangen, bis ihre Klappern schlapper klangen- the rattlesnake rattled until the rattles sounded run down.
My favorite is: Der dicke Dachdecker deckte das dicke Dach.
Dann trug der dicke Dachdecker, die dicke Dame durch den dicken Dreck.
Dann dankte die dicke Dame dem dicken Dachdecker, dass der dicke Dachdecker die dicke Dame durch den dicken Dreck trug.
The fat roofer roofed the thick roof.
Then the fat roofer carried the fat lady through the thick mud.
Then the fat lady thanked the fat roofer for (the fat roofer) carrying the fat lady through the thick mud.
Beware of participating in these twister games over too many steins of pilsner.
A pounding head and lighter purse awaits you in the morning.
The most comforting part of learning the German language was how forgiving the Deutsch people were on how I tortured it.
Germans appreciate Americans attempting to speak it, viewing it as a sign of respect.
After frustrating my tutor for five years, I eventually mastered Ein bier bitte.
Like Mark Twain, "I can understand German as well as the maniac that invented it, but I talk it best through an interpreter.
" The nuns at my parochial elementary school taught the longest English word, Antidisestablishmentarianism, as a lengthy way of calling someone a protestant.
Traditionally, the longest German word is Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän- Danube steamship company captain.
If only it were that simple? Germans never seem satisfied.
The new champion is Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz- beef labeling or beef meat labeling over watch task over giving law.
That is something we all can chew on.
If you find simply learning the German language daunting, try Streichholzshaechtlchen.
How many vowels and consonants do you need to describe a box of matches? As Mark Twain said, "Some German words are so long that they have a perspective.
" As an American executive of the German printing giant, Heidelberger Druckmaschinen, my company provided German language tutoring.
While mastering the umlauts and verb conjugations proved daunting, digesting words like Hoechsgeschwindigkeitsbegrenzung - maximum speed limit, gave me indigestion.
Mark Twain, who made Heidelberg a second home, described his feelings about the longest German words in The Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.
"Whenever the literary German dives into a sentence that is the last you are going to see of him till he emerges on the other side of his Atlantic with his verb in his mouth.
" Germans find new ways of torturing their language through very long tongue twisters like, Es klapperten die Klapperschlangen, bis ihre Klappern schlapper klangen- the rattlesnake rattled until the rattles sounded run down.
My favorite is: Der dicke Dachdecker deckte das dicke Dach.
Dann trug der dicke Dachdecker, die dicke Dame durch den dicken Dreck.
Dann dankte die dicke Dame dem dicken Dachdecker, dass der dicke Dachdecker die dicke Dame durch den dicken Dreck trug.
The fat roofer roofed the thick roof.
Then the fat roofer carried the fat lady through the thick mud.
Then the fat lady thanked the fat roofer for (the fat roofer) carrying the fat lady through the thick mud.
Beware of participating in these twister games over too many steins of pilsner.
A pounding head and lighter purse awaits you in the morning.
The most comforting part of learning the German language was how forgiving the Deutsch people were on how I tortured it.
Germans appreciate Americans attempting to speak it, viewing it as a sign of respect.
After frustrating my tutor for five years, I eventually mastered Ein bier bitte.
Like Mark Twain, "I can understand German as well as the maniac that invented it, but I talk it best through an interpreter.
" The nuns at my parochial elementary school taught the longest English word, Antidisestablishmentarianism, as a lengthy way of calling someone a protestant.
Traditionally, the longest German word is Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän- Danube steamship company captain.
If only it were that simple? Germans never seem satisfied.
The new champion is Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz- beef labeling or beef meat labeling over watch task over giving law.
That is something we all can chew on.
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