This letter was originally sent to MyA5Letter’s 3-2-1 Deutschlernen subscribers on Sunday, August 09, 2026.
Guess where I’m sending this week’s Deutschlernen 3-2-1 letter from? By the time this lands in your inbox, I’m probably climbing around Cochem Castle (der Reichsburg Cochem) with a couple of friends, looking over to the peaceful winding Moselle River, far away from my apartment in Stuttgart.
(This magical place might make the Suggestion list next week — but I won’t spoil that just yet 👀.)
THIS WEEK’S 3-2-1 DEUTSCHLERNEN
3 Mistakes I made (so you don’t have to):
auf Dauer vs. dauernd:
Both talk about lasting time but:
- auf Dauer = in the long run, over time
- dauernd = constantly, all the time (usually about something happening annoyingly often)
Das kann ich auf Dauer nicht machen. (I can’t keep this up long-term.) VS.
Er nervt mich dauernd. (He’s constantly getting on my nerves.)
umstritten vs. unbestritten:
They don’t look like a matching pair at first glance, but in everyday German, they do function as direct opposites and share easy-to-mix-up looks:
- umstritten = controversial/disputed (from the verb “streiten” = to argue)
- unbestritten = undisputed/undeniable (from the verb “bestreiten” = to dispute)
Der Plan ist umstritten. (The plan is controversial.) VS.
Seine Fähigkeiten sind unbestritten. (His skills are undisputed.)
einen Blick auf etwas werfen:
Literally “to throw a glance at something”, this is a great line to open a presentation or essay.
Werfen wir einen Blick auf die Ergebnisse. (Let’s take a look at the results.)
I caught a colleague using this phrase to kick off a training session at work the other day. This is a more elevated and formal way than to say Schauen wir uns die Ergebnisse an.
Now try it yourself:
Make a sentence (or three) with today’s words — either you improvise and speak out loud, or write in your Notes app, your bullet journal. Doesn’t matter how, just get them out of your head.
2 Recommendations:
🎧Practice listening with Slow German podcast by Annik Rubens (A1–B1 level)
As I was navigating A2-B1 levels, this was my go-to podcast.
They are calm, daily-life-story-driven episodes, and slowly narrated 👉 perfect for practicing without pressure.
📖 Read this little poem Die Lorelei from Heinrich Heine (B2+ learners and poem lovers, English translation available)
As I’m travelling to the beautiful region where the rivers Rhein and Mosel intersect in Koblenz, I can’t help recalling about the famous legend of Lorelei, a beautiful maiden with long golden hair, sitting on a rock and enchanting sailors of the river Rhein with her song.
“Die schönste Jungfrau sitzet
Dort oben wunderbar,
Ihr goldnes Geschmeide blitzet,
Sie kämmt ihr goldenes Haar”
The enchanted sailors were distracted and crashed their boats against the rocks at one of the most dangerous bends of the Rhein. Read this tragic story in the poem and look up Lorelei statue (on the Internet or even better, when you visit the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany)
1 Idea:
Play this August German Word Hunt now!
Train your eyes (and brain) at spotting German words and their spelling, while manifesting your August vibes.
There are 15 words in total (revealed in the caption), but what will be your first 3 to be found?
OH AND DON’T FORGET:
Check the solutions for Crossword Puzzles 1 & 2 from last week — did you crack the Bonus Words too? You can still grab the puzzles from the same blog post, if you haven’t tried them yet.
See you next Sunday for more puzzles to crack and more German to learn together.
If you would love this 3-2-1 Deutschlernen newsletter directly sent in your inbox, sign up for MyA5Letter now.
Auf Wiedersehen from the Mosel!
Till then,
Suani with 💕