Sprachenatelier Berlin

  Christmas time has officially started here in Berlin! It's Germany's favorite time of the year and the Christmas fever is unavoidable and intoxicating, so to any Scrooges or Grinches reading this right now – sorry this article isn't for you. The Christmas market is one of Germany's favorite traditions and every German city has at least one, Berlin alone boasts between 50 to sometimes 100 markets! We're all aware that the holidays are supposed to be about giving, bringing people together and spending quality time with your family, but I think it's also about mulled wine, twinkly lights and those roasted peanuts that come overpriced in a paper bag. But where do I find all those wonderful things? I hear you cry, well keep reading to find out because I'm here to give you all the info you need on Berlin's best Weihnachtsmärkte (that's Christmas markets in German), the majority of which opened on Monday 21 st of November. ...

I always knew about German's love for soccer, since Germany is not only one of the leading countries in the international football scene but has also numerous different clubs that enjoy a huge fanbase. What I did not know was that besides the pure love for the game, there is also a huge rivalry in Berlin between the fans of the two clubs everybody living or staying in Berlin should know about (dramatic drumroll please!): Hertha BSC and 1.FC Union . While I thought there is enough space in Berlin for both clubs, every old-established soccer fan in Berlin told me passionately that there is definitely not. Being in Berlin and wanting to be part of the fan community of soccer, you have to choose wheter you are a so-called 'Herthaner' or a 'Unioner'. While today there is a huge rivalry between the fandoms of the two clubs, this was not always the case. In fact (here come some 'Fußball-Fun-Facts'), in the times of the GDR Hertha fans, ...

Berlin, what a nice place to be during summer. The weather is (usually) very nice, there's always something to do and finally your friends are not in hibernation mode anymore and want to go out of their caves. The sunlight shines over the green grass in the parks, which start to be so crowded as if they were a football stadium. But what can you do to enjoy this season even more? Here are some tips for those of you who want get the best out of the summer time!  1. Ride your bike. With the warmer temperatures and the sun shining over your head, riding a bike is very enjoyable during summer. But don't rush! Try to take some time to enjoy the landscape while riding, take different routes and, if you have the time, make short stops to relax and enjoy the glorious summer vibes. 2. Drink your coffee outside. Yes, we all know that the cafés in Berlin are pretty good looking, but why seat inside? I mean, in winter you will have to anyway, so go out and enjoy the bree...

Sprachenatelier has been situated in the beautiful building on Frankfurter Allee for 13 years now, but the building has been around for over 100. Designed by architect Hans Liepe, the building was built between 1906-1907 by Oscar Garbe . In 1907, more buildings of a similar style popped up along Frankfurter Allee, which was a main transport link and a prestigious shopping street. It is, in fact, one of the oldest streets in Berlin. The building is a plastered build covering five floors, with balconies situated on the front side. There are two exits which lead to the two stair towers at the back. The most obvious thing about the building is the roof (which was sadly damaged in the recent fire: see the last blog post for details). The roof is what is known as a “hipped“ roof meaning that all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. At the back there is a square courtyard between this building and another five-story building behind it. Right ...

Taking a quick break from the language tips and advice to report on this week's news! You may or may not have heard that there was a fire in our beautiful old building late on Sunday night (10.04). At the top of the building above our three floors, there are shared flats. It was here where the fire started, and was later found to be caused by a cable. The fire took almost 2 hours to be put out, and the emergency services were still there on Monday morning, blocking off the area and managing the damage. Two people who live in the top floor were evacuated and, luckily, nobody was hurt in the accident. Sadly, the beautiful tiled roof was seriously damaged and will need some repairing, but the school only suffered from a little water damage coming down from the top floor. The school was closed on Monday 11 th April to ensure the safety of the building for teaching. As of Tuesday, classes were running in the school again and now of cou...

  Photo by Renato Silva , Sprachenatelier A few weeks ago, we posted about the common mi stakes that English speakers make when learning German. Well, this week, it's time to look at things the other way around. Having spent five months in Austria teaching school children and working with Austrian people, and now living in Berlin, I think I am fairly qualified and experienced to talk about the mistakes that German speakers make when learning English. Often the mistakes they make can be understood when you look at the German equivalent, because a lot of people are still in the DANGER ZONE (see last post) and are translating literally. So, scroll down and have a read. If you are a German speaker, maybe you can learn something, and if you're an English speaker, maybe you recognise some of these mistakes from your own experiences in Germany. Let's get going! But first... 1) “ L et me make a selfie!“ Remember the world...

Back when I first started to learn German, there were a few things which I just couldn't get my head around, and that my teachers and a dictionary just couldn't explain. Little words like “schon“ , “doch“ , “eher“ , “erst“ ... Sure I understood the meaning, but I just never felt comfortable knowing when and how to use them. Luckily, one day I stumbled upon “German is Easy“ : a blog post for everyone who wants to learn German. It explains loads of useful words and grammar concepts, and how to use them, and provides some listening and writing/grammar exercises. There's always something interesting to read and plenty to learn and practise. It is without a doubt one of the best language blogs I have come across, and I really enjoy checking in every week to see what is new. Emanuel is the writer, and has this way of explaining things which is totally different to textbooks and teachers, and that is exactly why his blog is so good. His posts are brilliantly and humo...

  Zum englisch e Version , klicken Sie hier ! Letzte Woche entschied ich mich gemütlich einen Kaffee trinken zu gehen. Mein Buch zu nehmen und einfach ein paar Stunden in einem der kleinen süßen Cafés von Berlin zu entspannen. Ich bestellte mir etwas zu trinken, machte es mir in einem großen Sessel direkt am Fenster gemütlich und war gerade dabei, in Begleitung der angenehmen Hintergrundmusik anzufangen zu lesen, als mir nach einen paar Zeilen etwas auffiel. Ich konnte mich einfach nicht auf das Buch konzentrieren. Stattdessen konnte ich nicht anders, als den Unterhaltungen um mich herum zu lauschen (etwas, das mir mit meinem holprigen Deutsch nicht sehr häufig passiert). Ein Pärchen lernte sich gerade bei ihrem ersten Date kennen, ein paar Mädchen hingen quatschend und tratschend vor einem Laptop, und die ziemlich angespannten Versuche einer Frau mit ihrem Verlobten und ihrem Vater am Tisch eine Unterhaltung zu führen. Hier saß ich nun, in einer netten, ruhigen Nachbarsc...

 For the German version, click here ! Last weekend, I decided to go for a coffee. Take my book. Spend a couple of hours in a cute little café chilling out. I ordered my drink, got myself cosied into the big armchair that sat in the window, and was just about to start reading my book against the gentle background hum of music and conversation when after five minutes I realised something. I couldn't concentrate on my book at all. Instead I found myself totally engrossed in the conversations around me (something that doesn't happen too often here with my level of German). A couple revealing their life stories as they introduced themselves on a first date, some girls gossiping around a laptop, and the painfully awkward exchanges between husband and father-in-law, as the wife sat politely trying to make conversation. There I was, sitting in a quiet little neighbourhood of Berlin, and the only conversation I could hear was in English. Of course, we all k...

Zum englische Version klicken Sie hier     Ein kurzes Portrait: Carla Chan Ho-Choi Carla Chan Ho-Choi (1989) ist eine junge Künstlerin aus Berlin und Hong Kong. Sie hat ihren Bachelor an der Schule für kreative Medien, City University in Hong Kong gemacht und ist seither international unterwegs. Ihre Werke wurden für verschiedene Ausstellungen in Europa, Amerika und Asien ausgewählt. Carla arbeitet mit unterschiedlichen Mitteln, wie zum Beispiel Video, Fotografie und andere interaktive Medien, um minimale Werke zu erstellen, die zwischen Realität und Illusion spielen. Die Ausstellung: To Outland Dies ist Carlas erste Ausstellung in Berlin und handelt von verdrehender Textur, Maßstab und Bewegung der Landschaft. Von einer Reise durch ein außerirdisches Land. Ich glaube, dass der Titel den Charakter der Ausstellung hervorragend widerspiegelt. Nur ein Schritt in die Galerie und schon fühlt man sich in eine andere Dimension hineinversetzt. Di...

Zum englische Version klicken Sie hier  Damit du weißt wer wir sind und was wir machen, hier eine kleine Einleitung: Wir sind das Sprachenatelier Berlin, Institut für Sprachen, Kunst und Kultur. Wir befinden uns im beliebten Bezirk Friedrichshain, im Zentrum von Berlin. Dort sitzen wir in einem Altbaugebäude aus dem 20. Jahrhundert, direkt an der Frankfurter Allee, einer der ältesten Straßen Berlins. Das Sprachenatelier wurde 2003 als Sprachenschule und Atelier gegründet. Im Atelier ist bis heute die damalige Raumgestaltung erhalten und noch heute werden in ihm Ausstellungen, Lesungen und Konzerte veranstaltet. Auch nach 13 Jahren halten wir an unseren Zielen und Visionen fest, Sprachen mit Kunst und Kultur zu verbinden und einen Ort der Kreativität, der Vielfalt und Weltoffenheit zu erschaffen. Unser Angebot an Deutschkursen, welches auf alle möglichen Level der Deutschkenntnisse ausgerichtet ist, bildet den Kern unseres Sprachangebots. Eg...