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GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Zwo

This word is essential to know when you're travelling around Germany, especially in transport situations.

German word of the day: Zwo
Photo: Francesco Ungaro / Unsplash + Nicolas Raymond / flickr

Why do I need to know zwo?

Because you will hear it in many scenarios across Germany (especially in the south) including during announcements at train stations – and you don’t want to miss your train.

What does it mean?

Zwei means number two in German, but sometimes zwo is used to make it sound more distinguishable from drei (the number three).

You’ll hear it being used over the phone and in military surroundings. It’s also used in public announcements, such as at train stations, and is often used in this form by the emergency services. The main goal is to help people understand that they’re saying zwei not drei. 

Zwo can also be used as the colloquial term for zwei in everyday conversations. 

Is there any history behind it?

Yes! Originally, zwo was the feminine form of zwei

We found this thread on Reddit that helps explain the origins of zwo.

According to a user who’s an expert in languages, in old Hochdeutsch (high German), “zwei had different forms for case and gender, just like ‘ein’ still does”.

“A couple of those forms are still used today: ‘zweier’ was the genitive neuter, and is still used in genitive constructions: ‘Mutter zweier Kinder’ = ‘mother of two children’.

“The nominative was ‘zween’ for the masculine gender, ‘zwo’ for feminine and ‘zwei’ for neuter.”

An example of this would be: Zwo Frauen, aber zween Männer und zwei Kinder (two women, but two men and two children).

Some dialects, including Bavarian and Swiss German, still use variations of zwo today.

Use it like this:

Dein Zug steht am Gleis zwo. Nicht verpassen!

Your train is at platform two. Don’t miss it!

Meine Telefonnummer lautet: null, drei, null und dann: acht, drei, vier, sieben, drei, zwo

My phone number is: zero, three, zero and then: eight, three, four, seven, three, two

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For members

GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Sommersonnenwende

This German word marks the changing of seasons, and the longest day of the year.

German word of the day: Sommersonnenwende

Die Sommersonnenwende, pronounced like this, is the German term for the summer solstice, which is the day that marks the meteorological beginning of summer in Germany and the northern hemisphere.

Alternative names for the day are Sommer Solstitium, which comes from the Latin term, and Mittsommer.

Like so many great German words, the term for the summer solstice is a compound noun which translates quite literally. It’s made up of three simple words: Sommer (summer), Sonnen (sun) and Wende (turn or turnaround).

So the name for the summer solstice in German is meant to remind you that this is the day that the sun ends its journey northward in the sky, and turns around.

As you can probably guess, the winter solstice is called die Wintersonnenwende.

You might recognise the term Wende from another compound noun that got a fair amount of attention in recent years – Energiewende, which means energy transition, has also been used to describe Germany’s big picture plans to phase out fossil fuel use.

The summer solstice usually falls on June 21st or 22nd. But it fell on June 20th this year, due to 2024 being a leap year.

How is ‘die Sommersonnenwende’ observed in Germany

Humans have taken note of, and celebrated, the summer solstice for thousands of years.

Archaeologists suggest that Stone Age cultures were already able to determine the day. Evidence of this was uncovered in 2004 at the site of a 7000-year-old solar observatory found in Goseck in Saxony-Anhalt.

Among Germanic tribes, the summer solstice was celebrated with pagan folk festivals that often included fire rituals.

After Christianization of the region, the Catholic Church tried to abolish the pagan solstice traditions – eventually designating the day for a memorial day for John the Baptist (June 24th), and adopting the fire as a symbol for Jesus Christ. 

Most of the original solstice traditions have been lost, but some are being reinvigorated for tourism, especially on the Baltic Sea coast.

More broadly, the long daylight hours experienced in the weeks before and after the summer solstice, offer a chance to stay out or do outdoor activities late into the evening. There are also a number of music festivals around Germany at this time of year.

READ ALSO: How to make the most of Germany’s long summer days

Use it like this:

Die Sonne geht so spät unter, es muss die Sommersonnenwende sein.

The sun is setting so late, it must be the summer solstice!

Haben Sie dieses Jahr Pläne, die Sommersonnenwende zu feiern?

Do you have plans to celebrate the summer soltice this year?

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