https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Austria in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Getting to grips with German grammar is not easy - which is why we run this series offering tips and tricks for German learners. This week, we’re looking at one of the first things many English speakers notice when reading German: all those capital letters. https://www.thelocal.at/20260619/german-grammar-tips-why-german-loves-capital-letters Fri, 19 Jun 2026 16:22:31 +0200 german-grammar-tips-why-german-loves-capital-letters If you’ve ever watched a football match and wondered why it didn’t end after exactly 90 minutes, you’ve already met the idea behind die Nachspielzeit. https://www.thelocal.at/20260618/german-word-of-the-day-die-nachspielzeit Thu, 18 Jun 2026 16:46:16 +0200 german-word-of-the-day-die-nachspielzeit Football has plenty of words that also work outside the stadium. Das Eigentor is one of the most useful, especially if you follow news, politics or public debate in German. https://www.thelocal.at/20260617/german-word-of-the-day-das-eigentor Wed, 17 Jun 2026 16:24:00 +0200 german-word-of-the-day-das-eigentor Some football expressions are useful long after the match is over. One of the best examples is am Ball bleiben. https://www.thelocal.at/20260616/german-expression-of-the-day-am-ball-bleiben Tue, 16 Jun 2026 16:29:36 +0200 german-expression-of-the-day-am-ball-bleiben With football on TV, in group chats and on screens in pubs and bars, one German word becomes especially useful: der Anpfiff. https://www.thelocal.at/20260615/german-word-of-the-day-der-anpfiff Mon, 15 Jun 2026 16:20:50 +0200 german-word-of-the-day-der-anpfiff After work, on a sunny weekend or during a few quiet hours by a lake, German has a lovely expression for properly switching off: die Seele baumeln lassen. https://www.thelocal.at/20260611/german-expression-of-the-day-die-seele-baumeln-lassen Thu, 11 Jun 2026 16:33:41 +0200 german-expression-of-the-day-die-seele-baumeln-lassen Some Austrian words are hard to translate because they describe not only a thing, but a whole style of speaking and behaving. Der Schmäh is one of the most Austrian of them. https://www.thelocal.at/20260610/german-word-of-the-day-der-schmah Wed, 10 Jun 2026 16:45:27 +0200 german-word-of-the-day-der-schmah With Father’s Day coming up in Austria, you may start seeing gift ideas, restaurant offers and family plans mentioning der Vatertag. It’s a simple word, but the way it’s marked in Austria can differ from what readers know elsewhere. https://www.thelocal.at/20260609/german-word-of-the-day-der-vatertag Tue, 09 Jun 2026 16:29:17 +0200 german-word-of-the-day-der-vatertag After a long week, a sunny afternoon or a particularly annoying appointment at das Amt, there are moments when a coffee, an ice cream or a quiet evening feels deserved. In German, you can say you’re going to sich etwas gönnen. https://www.thelocal.at/20260608/german-expression-of-the-day-sich-etwas-gonnen Mon, 08 Jun 2026 16:25:58 +0200 german-expression-of-the-day-sich-etwas-gonnen A public holiday can change the rhythm of an entire week in Austria. When there are fewer working days than usual, people often call it die kurze Woche. https://www.thelocal.at/20260603/german-word-of-the-day-die-kurze-woche Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:06:02 +0200 german-word-of-the-day-die-kurze-woche As temperatures rise in Austria, it’s easy enough to ins Schwitzen kommen on a tram, a hiking trail or a sunny walk through town. But this expression is just as useful when the pressure is mental rather than physical. https://www.thelocal.at/20260602/german-expression-of-the-day-ins-schwitzen-kommen Tue, 02 Jun 2026 16:12:08 +0200 german-expression-of-the-day-ins-schwitzen-kommen As June begins in Austria, many people start thinking more about lakes, outdoor pools and weekend swims. The word you’ll often see at this time of year is die Badesaison. https://www.thelocal.at/20260601/german-word-of-the-day-die-badesaison Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:01:49 +0200 german-word-of-the-day-die-badesaison Getting to grips with German grammar is not easy - which is why we run this series offering tips and tricks for German learners. This week, we’re looking at one of the first things that tends to break people’s brains: der, die and das. https://www.thelocal.at/20260529/german-grammar-tips-when-to-use-der-die-or-das Fri, 29 May 2026 16:20:02 +0200 german-grammar-tips-when-to-use-der-die-or-das As the weather warms up in Austria, many people start planning their first proper swim of the season. One word you’ll see and hear a lot is der Badesee. https://www.thelocal.at/20260528/german-word-of-the-day-der-badesee Thu, 28 May 2026 16:37:43 +0200 german-word-of-the-day-der-badesee After a long weekend, a holiday or even a few unusually sunny days, returning to normal life can feel harder than expected. In German, you can say you’re trying to wieder in den Alltag zurückfinden. https://www.thelocal.at/20260527/german-expression-of-the-day-wieder-in-den-alltag-zuruckfinden Wed, 27 May 2026 17:39:19 +0200 german-expression-of-the-day-wieder-in-den-alltag-zuruckfinden After a public holiday in Austria, you’ll often hear people comparing who had to go straight back to work and who managed to stretch the break a little longer. A useful phrase for this is sich freinehmen. https://www.thelocal.at/20260526/german-expression-of-the-day-sich-freinehmen Tue, 26 May 2026 16:35:46 +0200 german-expression-of-the-day-sich-freinehmen Late spring brings one of Austria’s most welcome breaks: Pfingsten. For many people, the religious meaning is only part of it - the long weekend is also a time for family visits, short trips and the first proper taste of early summer. https://www.thelocal.at/20260513/german-word-of-the-day-das-pfingsten Wed, 13 May 2026 16:33:46 +0200 german-word-of-the-day-das-pfingsten German uses man far more often than English uses “one”. It’s a small word, but it plays a big role in everyday speech — especially when people want to sound neutral, polite, or general. https://www.thelocal.at/20260522/german-grammar-tips-when-to-use-man-instead-of-du-or-wir Fri, 22 May 2026 16:51:22 +0200 german-grammar-tips-when-to-use-man-instead-of-du-or-wir As soon as Austria’s evenings get warmer, another familiar part of summer starts to return: the high-pitched sound of mosquitoes near lakes, rivers, gardens and bedrooms. In Austria, the word you’ll often hear for mosquito is die Gelse. https://www.thelocal.at/20260521/german-word-of-the-day-die-gelse Thu, 21 May 2026 16:39:12 +0200 german-word-of-the-day-die-gelse With the football World Cup coming up, plenty of people in world will soon be watching, hoping, judging and nervously waiting for the results. A good German verb for that emotional state is mitfiebern. https://www.thelocal.at/20260520/german-expression-of-the-day-mitfiebern Wed, 20 May 2026 15:18:13 +0200 german-expression-of-the-day-mitfiebern