Why us?

German

German is the most widely used native language throughout the European Union. It is also the second most popular foreign language in Europe and is taught all over the world, even in Japan and the United States, and is considered the most frequently used “Internet language” after English.

There are genders in the German language – nouns can be either masculine, feminine or neuter. This may cause quite a headache for English speakers, who are not used to difference between the male and female form, not mentioning the neutral one. German is also known for its extensive use of compound words. For example, “kraftfahrzeughaftpflichtversicherung” – a “simple” word that means “automobile liability insurance”.

The English and German languages share 60% of their vocabulary (in comparison to French that shares only 27% with English). However, some words that sound the same may have completely different meanings. For example, the German word ‘gift’ means ‘poison’, nothing like the present it refers to English.

If you ever pick up a German newspaper, you might be confused by texts permeated by long words written in capital letters. That’s because all nouns in German are written with capital letters and it’s not optional.

One of the most unique features of the German language is its knack for creating words that express life more perfectly and precisely than any English word ever could. For example, Schadenfreude refers to the happiness derived from someone’s troubles, misfortune or pain. Torschlusspanik sums up perfectly the fear which creeps in with age and realization that time is slipping away, evoking a sense of urgency to achieve or do something before it’s too late. All that in a single word.