Sprachbar is a podcast from the Deutsche Welle for advanced German learners; it helps you understand the latest and greatest in idioms and headlines in German news. 

Take for example the podcast "Staumeldung," or traffic news; this podcast clarifies actual Stau (a traffic jam) and the figurative use of Stau in German politics as well as in daily life.

In the Sprachbar related vocabulary is italicized, e.g. Staumeldung, zähfließendem Verkehr, Autoschlange, stehenbleiben, auflösen, Totalschäden. The meaning is perhaps clear at first glance, and then comes the idiomatic meaning.

Sprachbar offers well-written articles with audio (in MP3 and WMA formats), a transcript, questions to check your understanding, and finally a task to complete. In this case it's a half-page statement regarding the advantages and disadvantages of cars and the traffic jams that result from too many cars being on the road at the same time.

Harald Schmidt, who has since given up his late night spot on German television, is to Germany was Letterman and Leno are to the US. He's also a Schwab, he's an incredible mimic and can reproduce pretty much any German dialect.

Here his Sprachkurs (Crashkurs) Schwäbisch.

Einfach herrlich!

Germany is really what I consider to be my second home and there is a special place for it in my heart; there are so many reasons to visit Germany and here are 7 things for you to know when visit Germany and enjoy much of it, no matter what your level of German.

1. Country Size & Travel Basics:

Germany is about the size of the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin together and they have a population of 80 million people—we have about 300 million on a huge plot of land, so obviously Germany is much more densely populated. Germany is actually a bit diverse, although that varies from region to region.

Most Germans, in particular in big cities like Hamburg, Bremen, Stuttgart, Munich, and Berlin speak some amount of English. And as the Germans say themselves, you can do a lot by gesturing "with your hands and your feet." You shouldn’t have too many problems.

You could contact the Office of Tourism in places you would like to visit and have them send you some maps and other information before you go. There are lots of opportunities to have city tours in English, too. If you want to get some basics down before you go, take 10 or 12 lessons to get some basics down, if not a whole year’s worth of classes. It will enrich your life and bring you more authentic experiences on your trip!

It's easy to see why the German Grammar (Quickstudy: Academic) is the "World's #1 Academic Outline," as it is a very good resource for German learners.

Here is what I think after my first few months of working with this guide, a few Vorteile (advantages) and Nachteile (disadvantages).

Vorteile:

1. The "Nouns" section gives guidelines for the groupings of nouns by suffix, topic (seasons, months, days of the week, etc.)
2. The clear layout makes each section easy to read and for their length, each section is surprisingly in-depth. I find this a sign of quality. Descriptions are concise and effective.
3. It's 4 full pages of help in understanding German grammar, laminated and pre-hole-punched for a 3-ring binder. It will last!

Nachteile:

1. While all the information is there, it could be even better if the section "Declension of Adjectives" used only one row (not two) for each case. It's a bit hard to read, but it is a small font size.

Karneval is known as "die fünfte Jahreszeit" --the 5th season. It's known as Karneval, Fastnacht, or Fasching in many places in southern Germany.

Karneval is a big deal, as witnessed by this picture of Heidi Klum and Seal as they attended Karneval several years ago:

Their costumes are pretty fantastic, one of Heidi Klum's favorite things, and their costumes are no exception at the parade on Rosenmontag. But let's back up a few days and a few months to give you the best idea of Karneval.

In Wisconsin, natürlich!

The Deutscher Sprach- und Schulverein (or German Language and School Society of Wisconsin, Inc.) is a state-wide Society that provides an annual German test and an essay contest for high school students in the state of Wisconsin.

To participate you must be currently enrolled in a German language course at a public or a private high school in the State of Wisconsin. How long you've been in that course determines what you are eligible to participate in.

2nd through 4th year high school students may take the National German Language Exam (from the American Association of Teachers of German).

3rd and 4th year high school students may participate in the DSSV Essay Contest;