Discussion forum overview
Yep, as said above - so obvious that it just had to be seen.
In this case, müssen is used as an intensifier. The sentence would not be wrong if you wrote " ich kam nach Hause und sah, daß..." but it sounds very matter-of-fact, there's no emotion or emphasis in it. "ich musste sehen, dass" puts…
Since I have no idea of what sort of resources are available in Wales, I looked it up and ended up at the Welsh Women's Aid web site. They have a hotline which is not only for battered women, but also available for family and friends who suspect someone is being abused. Perhaps you should give them a call and find out…
I have just finished my Master of Music at the HfMDK Mannheim. In my personal experience it is not easy to get a place at a music school here in Germany. The auditions are extremely competitive with students from all around the world auditioning. It is not uncommon to see 50-100 (depending on the school and instrument)…
Thanks for this post - I switched from UK employment to DE employment contract this month and had to get myself my Bescheinigung fur den Lohnsteuerabzug 2012 to get paid without emergency tax. Even though I live in Hamburg, I just followed this post instructions and all worked out perfectly. The only thing to add is to…
Twenty years ago, when I was young and much more foolish, I was driving from my parents place in Toronto to my home in Northern Ontario. For those who know the area, it was Highway 60. For those who don’t, imagine trees, two lanes and towns few and far between, no streetlights, windy roads, the odd rock face, and signs…
wot
Counselling for not wanting to answer the door?
That's a lot of work I have to catch up on, then. As westvan said, you're under no obligation, socially, culturally, emotionally or otherwise, to open your door to anybody you don't feel like. If I'm not waiting on a package and am not expecting any visitors,…
I think the article is a huge exaggeration at the least, and perhaps even a work of fiction. According to this article in Focus, which is the only independent major source I could find, von der Leyen plans to introduce some kind of mandatory old-age savings plan for freelancers. It doesn't say anything about making…
Public university tuition is determined at the state level. IIRC, only Bavaria will have tuition from 2012 on- but confirm that.
No public university teaches entirely in English, and most of the programs taught in English are at the graduate level.
The better your German, the easier the time you will have studying here,…
I once had a nutter friend who was pissed off at a particular real estate agency. Just to waste their time he called to view a house near a school, and while the agent was talking, he wandered off to a window with a view of the playground. He pulled a rifle scope out of his pocket and watched the playground through it.…
No, as an Existenzgründer (= start-up self-employed) you have to explicitly apply for not paying into the state pension system.
If you apply within 3 months of starting up, then you will be exempted from the compulsory contributions into the German state pension system from the very start (over 400€ a month if you…

For the first time, a German court has ruled that the Solidarity Supplemental Tax (Solidaritätszuschlag) is unconstitutional. The Financial Court of Lower Saxony has forwarded a claim to the Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe for a final decision. Originally, the tax was introduced in 1991 as a temporary measure to finance…
Me too! I tentatively mentioned to my boss the day before she left for her christmas break this year that I would like to have a three-week holiday next year in order to visit my little sis in Oz - and that I was thinking of taking those three weeks in December followed by the christmas break. For three weeks and two…
The first thing you need to do is reject the Mahnbescheid within the required period (within two weeks). If you dont do this, your debt becomes "official" and can be enforced - If you do this they will have to take you to court and you will at least win some time.
On the actual debt situation however, Im not…
Greetings, GiusiM! Well, that´s a lot of information you´re after! Fair enough. You´re new so here´s a little tip: go top right to the Search button and type in a few phrases such as " Americans moving to Germany ", " Cost of living in Germany " etc and you´ll find loads of relevant threads…

I finally mastered making chocolate chip cookies!!! Many thanks to Irenee, Smith, and to everyone else who posted and gave advice.
As I live in Munich I didn't have access to Wurzener Kuchen Mehl. Therefore, I used the EDEKA 'professional' 405 flour and a bag of their regular 550 flour instead (just…

So, this is the fair in question? Looks almost like the Cannstatter Wasen. I think I'd go with Jahrmarkt.Ein Jahrmarkt(andernorts auch Messe oder Kirmes) ist seit dem Mittelalter ein mehrtägiger Markt, der in einer Stadt einmal jährlich stattfindet und besondere Beachtung genießt. Heute wird die Bezeichnung auch…
I am assuming that HR/Payroll have told you that must make a decision stats because they need to feed your information (i.e. the applicable insurance costs) into the software to compute and pay-out your salary...right?
Now, the decision about health insurance is not one you should do in haste - their a re a lot of issues…
What, as Al Chockycino, übermod of a major European social web forum?
Big oversized thrones are a mistake,mate. It even makes a pro like Scarface look a bit small in that still shot.
Congrats, btw, on getting to stage 2.
This goal planning stuff has been continually growing in use around the hiring world since…

The great thing about beards and beard fashions is that while they distinguish one community from another, they also transcend barriers built by religion, caste and class.
After all, only a man who sports one himself can truly appreciate another man’s beard!
ze dudes…
I totally agree with Cincy. When my wife and I were still in the States she was applying and stating that we wanted to move overseas, or we planned on moving. When she changed it to say that we will be overseas it completely changed the number and types of response. All of a sudden potential…
Wolf32, just in case you're wondering, here's a few more measurements in Germany.
1 million microphones = 1 megaphone
1 million bicycles = 2 megacycles
2000 mockingbirds = 2 kilomockingbirds
10 cards = 1 decacards (or is it 52 cards = 1 deck-a-cards?)
1/2 lavatory = 1 demijohn
1…
Well, found a very wet and barely moving bumble bee (now named Burt) on my balcony and took him inside to dry off. Gave him some agavedicksaft, which kept him very happy for about an hour. Burt dried off, regained his strength and we let you go. Flew in two big circles and then up over…
I saw the same at a wedding reception once: husband ignoring wife but talking to and dancing with other women. She spent most of the time sitting with other guests she had not met before. You'd think he'd be worried she'd leave him eventually. If his only attraction is money,…
For those of you who missed it, the Abendzeitung ran an article showing how to optimize your use of days of vacation so as to maximize the length of time off (together).
There is also a PDF of the proposed calendar showing the suggested dates on which to use vacation to make the long…

They're ALL full of preservative, artifical everything, loaded with steriods and high fructose corn syrup. What doesn't make one fat, gives one cancer or makes one stupid. very true.. but some people just cant live without them it seems... I go sometimes on bases in the south of…

The DGW came and went. Viva la Deutsch extend their lead at the top and remain firm favourites.
Big Shout-Outs to the following teams that all joined the Ton Club (minus hits) this DGW36:
119 - Green Bananas United
113 - The Bohs
109 - Frohlicham Forest
105 - Westpark United
102 - Viva…

On 28.May.1987 a 19 year old German guy called Mathias Rust made headlines around the world when he illegally flew his Cessna light aircraft from Hamburg to Moscow and landed in Red Square.
The Soviets arrested him on landing and he was sentenced to four years hard labour.
Rust said…
I have a shop, I work 6 days a week minimum and it takes over your life. My advice would be sell online first then you know if you have something people actually want before going into bricks and mortar. It sounds like fun but its like having a child, it is a physical tie that dictates…