This letter was originally sent to MyA5Letter’s 3-2-1 Deutschlernen subscribers on Sunday, August 16, 2026.
I’m a little nostalgic: a year ago, I posted this reel about crossing the halfway mark of the 30-Day Language Journal Challenge (Season 1).
And from there, it got started and it got … out of control (in the best possible way).
August 2025 was a wild month and yet I somehow kept up a German diary entry every single day, all while packing up my life for my moving from Augsburg to Stuttgart.
I still can’t quite believe a year has passed and in the past year of the Language Journal content, I have got a lot of love and support and also made a lot of developments for how to language journal series.
This August, I’m planning something just as fun and just as challenging: I’m launching something new this August 2026. Read on to find out more what it is. 👀
3-2-1 DEUTSCHLERNEN
3 Mistakes I made (so you don’t have to):
die Gelegenheit vs. die Angelegenheit:
Just like “die Erkennung vs. die Anerkennung” from another 3-2-1 newsletter’s issue, tacking “an-” onto a word here creates a completely different meaning:
- die Gelegenheit = opportunity, occasion, chance
- die Angelegenheit = matter, affair, something to deal with
Das ist eine tolle Gelegenheit, Deutsch zu üben.(This is a great opportunity to practice German.)
Das ist eine ganz andere Angelegenheit. (That’s a completely different matter.)
der Schal vs. die Schale (a silly funny mistake):
- der Schal = the scarf 👉 plural: die Schals
- die Schale = the bowl 👉 plural: die Schalen
I once mixed up the plural form of “the scarves” and my winter fashion took an odd turn:
Im Winter trage ich gerne Schalen. (In winter, I like wearing… bowls?!)
While what I meant to say is: Im Winter trage ich gerne Schals. (In winter I like wearing scarves.)
Confused the two different ways to form a plural noun in German and suddenly you’re accessorizing with kitchenware 🫣.
verfügbar vs. vorhanden:
Both translate to “available” in English, but they’re not interchangeable:
- verfügbar = ready-to-use or accessible right now
- vorhanden = simply present, in existence
Der Kundendienst ist von 9 bis 17 Uhr verfügbar. (Customer service is available from 9 to 5.)
In der Küche sind alle Zutaten vorhanden. (All the ingredients are available in the kitchen.)
TIP: Something can be “vorhanden” without being “verfügbar”, as it is sitting right there, just not accessible to you yet. OR: Someone can be “verfügbar” but never “vorhanden”.
Now try it yourself:
Make a sentence (or three) with today’s words — a nice little Deutschlernen habit for the week. Speak it out loud, jot it in your Notes app, or your bullet journal. Doesn’t matter how, just get them out of your head.
2 Recommendations:
As I spoiled in my last weekend’s 3-2-1 newsletter, I cannot not put Koblenz and Cochem on my recommendation list as a weekend trip!
A weekend trip to the Middle Rhein Valley Region:
As you are learning German, you should probably hear about the Rhein Romanticism.
It was a movement from the late 18th and early 19th centuries that celebrated the Rhine’s castles, legends, forests, and dramatic landscapes.
It flourished especially along the Middle Rhine around Koblenz, inspiring poets, painters, and musicians.
Its most famous highlight is probably the Lorelei, the legendary rock near Koblenz that inspired Heinrich Heine’s famous poem.
Plus, Cochem and the Moselle River is an easy, gorgeous detour from Koblenz and well worth adding to the same trip.
Puzzle 3 & 4 Free Download completing Chapter 1
Did you have fun solving Puzzle 1 and 2? Now come two more to crack and finish off the full Chapter 1.
These puzzles are a fun little quiz to review related vocabulary and grammar structures one must know on the theme of “Introduce Yourself in German Like A Pro”, which is also the FREEBIE chapter 1 of Dear Deutsch E-Book.
If you finished this chapter, then the puzzles are not cracking you, but the other way around 😉
You will have until next Sunday to find the Keyword solutions for both puzzles. Feel free to hit “Reply” and let me know your guesses before that.
1 Idea:
An inspiring quote for language learners this week:
If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head.
If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.
— often attributed to Nelson Mandela
OH AND DON’T MISS OUT ON THE LAUNCH OF:
Dear Deutsch Crossword Puzzle Book
This book will make your German learning so much more fun and effective (I hope you you can tell that already from the four free Chapter 1’s puzzles). It’s like a little study break that still helps you get better at memorizing German words and applying them in sentences.
What I can tell you for now is:
- The book will be launched on August 30th ✨
- Owners of Dear Deutsch E-Book will receive the full Crossword Puzzle Book for FREE this August. So grab the Dear Deutsch guidebook NOW, start learning German with me and get the complimentary gift coming your way this summer!
See you next Sunday.
Till then,
Suani with 💕
P/S: If you want to receive this newsletter straight into your inbox every Sunday, subscribe below and tick on “Special: Weekly 3-2-1 Deutschlernen” checkbox 😉