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GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

Austrian German word of the day: Jause

Austrian German offers up plenty of its own linguistic treats not used in standard German. Here’s an easy one for a popular, everyday topic — food.

Austrian German word of the day: Jause

What does it mean?

A Jause is used by speakers of Austrian German to describe a little something they’ll have to eat in between meals — sometimes mid-morning but often mid-afternoon. That’s right, a Jause is wonderful Austrian German word for “snack.”

How do you use it or where might you see it?

Using Jause can give you a little more informal Austria street cred, since it’s specifically an Austrian word that even native German speakers who are not from Austria might not recognize. It can help you show that you’re down with Austrian lingo and willing to go a little further than someone who simply relies on standard German all the time.

Unlike certain Austrian German words, like Baba for “hello,” you’re not restricted to using Jause just in informal situations, as with many other words in Austrian German or other German dialects.

Jause is also versatile and can describe any kind of snack – both sweet and savoury, so you’ll need to be specific about what kind of Jause you want. You can also use it as the verb “to snack,” by saying jausen. You can also engage in some fun wordplay when going on a “snack break” – or Jausepause.

READ ALSO: The best words in Austrian German

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GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Blockade

If something's getting in the way - either literally or metaphorically - you may well reach for this German word.

German word of the day: Blockade

Why do I need to know Blockade?

As well as being a useful word in general, die Blockade is also one that is highly topical, whether you’re reading about protests on the street or deadlock and inaction in the political sphere.

What does it mean?

As you might have guessed, die Blockade is similar to the word blockade in English, though in German it tends to be used more broadly. 

You can use the word Blockade to talk about actions that prevent something else from happening, whether it’s an opposition party in the Bundestag blocking a controversial bill from passing or an artist’s lack of inspiration that prevents them working on a new project.

In a more literal sense, you’ll probably hear or read the word Blockade when it comes to street protests – most commonly climate activists blocking lanes on the motorway, for example. 

On a grander scale, eine Blockade can refer to the cordoning off of sections of sea, air or land in a specific region, such as Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip that has stymied the free movement of people and goods in and out of the area for 17 years, or the Soviet Union’s blockade to limit gas and electricity in West Berlin from 1948 to 1949. 

A word of warning: despite the similarities in spelling, the German word is pronounced very differently from its English counterpart, so be sure to use the German pronunciation whenever you’re using the word in German. 

Use it like this:

Dank des Protestaktions, drohen Blockaden auf Straßen. 

Thanks to the protests, there could be road blockades.

Diese Politikern regieren nicht, sondern nur Blockaden aufstellen. 

These politicians don’t govern – they just put up blockades. 

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