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GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY

German word of the day: Kohle

You'll hear this word often among German friends - but they're not talking about the energy crisis.

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

Why do I need to know Kohle?

Because it’s part of our everyday lives, whether we’re going shopping or out with friends. 

What does it mean?

Die Kohle, which sounds like this, means coal, which you may need if you are lucky enough to have a cosy stove in your home. You could also use this word to talk about energy (yes, that topic is not going anywhere due to the crisis we find ourselves in). But today we also recommend that you start using Kohle to refer to money among your friends and family. 

The correct word for money in German is das Geld, and you wouldn’t be wrong in saying it. Yet as is the case with so many things that dominate our lives, there are many other words for money. Kohle is one of the more informal and common ways to talk about money in Germany, along the lines of “dough”, “dosh” or “cash” in English. 

It makes sense that coal is seen as a valuable commodity, just like money. Over the course of the 19th century, coal became an important part of the economy, and could be used for heating as well as to power steam engines and locomotives.

According to some linguists, the origins of the use of the word date back to the 18th century when the idiom: Der Schornstein muss rauchen – “the chimney has to smoke” surfaced. This means that without money, food or energy, a person can’t live. According to linguist Heinz Küpper, the use of the word in the singular to mean “money” appeared in everyday colloquial vocabulary around the same time. 

Use it like this:

Sorry, Ich kann heute Abend nicht zu der Party kommen. Ich hab’ leider keine Kohle.

Sorry, I can’t come to the party tonight. I don’t have a lot of cash.

Hey Kumpel, kannst du mir etwas Kohle leihen?

Hey dude, can you could lend me some dough?

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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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