Aeric Winter, the man who prompted my original Prefixated video, comes over all Miss V as he teaches how to phonetically pronounce his name: “Andreas”. A coup for every Andreas who is sick of having his name mispronounced! addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.miss-verstaendnis.com%2F2008%2F07%2F23%2Fphonetics-again-imitation-brand-miss-v%2F'; addthis_title = 'Phonetics+again%3A+Imitation+Brand+Miss+V%21'; addthis_pub [...]

Someone recently mentioned to me that a key factor in becoming fluent in a foreign language is Sprachgefühl. Now this is one of these wonderful words that simply does not exist in English, but can be translated as a ‘feeling for the language’. If you’re immersed, e.g. living with, working with Germans/ French/Chinese/Japanese/ New Zealandese [...]

<— CLICK HERE AND YOUR LIFE WILL BE AWESOME addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.miss-verstaendnis.com%2F2008%2F07%2F17%2Fich-bin-ein-superblog%2F'; addthis_title = 'Ich+bin+ein+Superblog%3F'; addthis_pub = '';

Monday was Bastille day in France. So, if you watched the right television, or happened to be in Paris, you would have seen the most spectacular display of fireworks over the Champs-Élysées. In fact, Europe does a pretty good run in National Commemoration Days. The Tag der Deutschen Einheit (German Unity Day, [...]

Who needs the land of the free when you have the land of the efficient? Following on from the world’s first automated restaurant, did you know that Real has opened ‘The Future Store’? No, you don’t get to shop on hovercrafts or buy or your meal in convenient pill form (although they do [...]

Although I expected this video to be about learning German, I am happy to learn about how the body works from such a cute wee German Germ. Enjoy! addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.miss-verstaendnis.com%2F2008%2F07%2F09%2Fgermy-the-german-germ%2F'; addthis_title = 'Germy+the+German+Germ%21'; addthis_pub = '';

Hello out there in Verständnis World. I hope you’re all enjoying the rapid onset of my very first European summer. Well, today you have even more reason to celebrate, as it’s my birthday! While I’m not celebrating it in traditional NZ style - with fairy bread and cheerio sausages, and a game [...]

I’ve decided to treat you with double-video action, since ‘Black Sunday’ (aka the day we shall not mention. For those not in Europe, Spain won the UEFA 2008 Cup. Tear.) Since I’ve been travelling, I’ve noticed a couple of things. I thought I’d share them – Miss V-style! Enjoy this journey into the world of [...]

While I prepare the red, yellow and black face paints for Sunday, check out hamburg.de’s coverage of the 2008 Fanfest in Hamburg’s very own Heiligengeistfeld. There was dancing, there was laughter, there were (almost) tears… check out the tense moment at 1:10. Go Deutschland! addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.miss-verstaendnis.com%2F2008%2F06%2F27%2Ffusball-vs-futbol-its-on%2F'; addthis_title = [...]

I’ve just had word that the biggest (or only?) Polyglot Scrabble Tournament in the world is taking place this year in Spain. This is apparently the first event of its kind, where the world’s most cunning linguists can meet and defeat, playing Scrabble in many different languages. And they are promoting it so [...]