German Word of the Day: Das Sprachgefühl
Aiming for fluency in German? We introduce our new Word of the Day series with the word Sprachgefühl, which will help you describe your language goal.
Why have we chosen the word?
We though it was a fitting word to launch our new series.
So, what does it mean?
Sprachgefühl translates literally as ‘language-feeling’. It is a compound noun combining ‘Sprache’ (language) and ‘Gefühl’ (feeling) which describes when someone has the feel for a language.
It not only describes someone with a good understanding of a language, but someone for whom what is linguistically correct and appropriate for certain situations comes intuitively.
If you have das Sprachgefühl then you subconsciously recognize what is grammatically accurate, just as you would with your native language. It is what we all aim to achieve when aiming for fluency in a foreign language.
Examples:
Ich will mein Sprachgefühl verbessern.
I want to improve my feeling for the language.
Du besitzt ein hervorragendes Sprachgefühl.
You have an outstanding feel for the language.
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Do you have a favourite word you'd like to see us cover? If so, please email our editor Rachel Stern with your suggestion.
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Why have we chosen the word?
We though it was a fitting word to launch our new series.
So, what does it mean?
Sprachgefühl translates literally as ‘language-feeling’. It is a compound noun combining ‘Sprache’ (language) and ‘Gefühl’ (feeling) which describes when someone has the feel for a language.
It not only describes someone with a good understanding of a language, but someone for whom what is linguistically correct and appropriate for certain situations comes intuitively.
If you have das Sprachgefühl then you subconsciously recognize what is grammatically accurate, just as you would with your native language. It is what we all aim to achieve when aiming for fluency in a foreign language.
Examples:
Ich will mein Sprachgefühl verbessern.
I want to improve my feeling for the language.
Du besitzt ein hervorragendes Sprachgefühl.
You have an outstanding feel for the language.
___
Do you have a favourite word you'd like to see us cover? If so, please email our editor Rachel Stern with your suggestion.
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