Deutsch. Deutsch you want me.

well, the time has finally come -- molly and i are buckling down and going back to school, sort of. we enrolled in a night school german class (Volkschule) and this, along with rosetta stone, will surely make us fluent by the summer. 

 

last night was our first class and it was really fun (super!) the class is small (kleine) -- maybe 11 (elf) people (Leute), which actually reduced the cost of the course (they pro-rate the cost based on the number of students. originally, when they thought there were going to be 8 students, it was 81 euros; with 11 it's only 69.) 

far cry from classes in the USA (ooh ess ah). but i guess it makes good german sense. say this in your best german accent and you will understand: "why would you pay the same amount if you are getting less individual attention? that does not make sense."

 

so don't try to call us Montag und Mittwoch (Mon & Wed) from 6-7:30 p.m. central european time, we'll be getting our learn-on. 

 

in that short session yesterday, though, we learned enough to have some meaningful conversations with a local national co-worker and the paper delivery guy today. 

 

here's how it went down:

 

jeremy: wo wohnen kommen sie? (severe butchering of "where do you live") 

local national co-worker: was? (what?)

molly: jeremy sprechen ein bischen deutsch (jeremy speaks an embarrassingly small amount of german)

local national co-worker: (laughs)

 

see?! 

 

here's the second encounter:

jeremy: ist robert sein bruder (is robert (the publisher) your brother)?

delivery guy: ja (yes)

jeremy: ich heisse jeremy (my name is jeremy -- extend hand to shake)

delivery guy: (a lot of german i couldn't understand then) ... bernard. 

jeremy: wie heissen sie? (what is your name?)

delivery guy: (a bit agitated) bernard (then returns to what he was doing as if i wasn't there)

jeremy: freut mich (nice to meet you)

 

that's right folks, only one lesson.

 

i now leave you with my five favorite german expressions thus far – “the fab fünf” -- their pronunciations and meanings:  

 

ich liebe dich (eek lee-ba deek) -- i love you

in der schlange (in dare schlong-eh) -- in the line

sie wacht der mann auf (zee vackt dare man off) -- she wakes the man up

ja, er schlaft (ya air schleft) -- yes, he sleeps

das ist meine bruder (dahs ist mine brooder) -- that's my brother

 

(honorable mention: sieben babys (zee-ben babies -- 7 babies)

 

until next time -- tschüss!