German Words Explained will soon be offering transcripts of the podcasts in a new download store. For us to notify you when the store is online, please enter your e-mail address in the field below. To give you some idea of what the transcripts will...

The word Finanzkrise has been used in the past months to describe the state of the World economy. But generally it is used to refer to any form of crisis in the finance markets.  It is, for example, used to describe the inflation of 1929 but also the...

The Germans have a word for it, they call it „Zahlungsmoral“. Literally translated it means „payment morals” but a better way of saying it would be “payment culture”. People use it when they are talking about how willing people are to pay...

In the past few weeks I’ve noticed an increase in the amount of cold calls that we have been receiving. It strikes me a strange, as since a change to the law in Germany a few months ago the call centres now risk a fine if they do not transmit their...

The word Herdprämie is a term that is often used in the media to refer to a scheme planned by the German Government to reward parents who stay at home to look after their children. There have been several versions on this plan, with most of the ideas...