Did you know that the first word after “Dear” is always capitalised in English, but in German, it’s lowercase? 

But why?

1. English Loves a Fresh Start
   In English, we love starting things with a bang—or at least with a capital letter. So, when we say “Dear Reader,” it’s as if we’re starting a brand new sentence. That means the next word gets the VIP treatment and is capitalised.
   For example:

    

   “Dear Reader, Thank you for visiting my blog today.”
   

   It’s like giving your sentence a fancy haircut before it walks out the door. No messy lowercase letters at the start, please.

2. But What About German?
   In German, the word after the salutation isn’t capitalised. So, you’d write:

    

   “Lieber Leser, vielen Dank, dass Sie heute meinen Blog besuchen.”
   

   Why? Well, in German, they treat the salutation as if it’s part of the same sentence. So, no need to give that first-word special treatment. It’s like a nice, orderly German line where everything is in its place—no need for extra capital letters causing chaos.

3. Which One Is Better?
   Honestly? Neither is better or worse—they’re just different ways of doing things. English likes to make the salutation its own thing, like a little mini-introduction. German likes to keep things connected and tidy.

So, dear reader, now you know why English capitalises after the salutation and German doesn’t.

Next time you’re writing an email or letter, you can impress your colleagues with your knowledge of this small but mighty grammar rule.

Are you stressing over grammar rules? 

Well, take a deep breath and relax. 

Let’s chat about why you shouldn’t lose sleep over perfect grammar.

Communication is the Big Winner

Imagine you’re ordering a pizza.

What’s more important: saying “I want pizza, please” or worrying if you used the correct tense? Of course: It’s the pizza! 🍕

The goal is to get your message across, not to win a grammar contest.

Context is King (or Queen)

You might know all the grammar rules in the world, but if you don’t know when to use “What’s up?” instead of “How do you do?“, you might sound like a time traveller from the 1800s. Awkward! 😅

Even Natives Mess Up

News flash: Native speakers make mistakes too. They mix up “their,” “there,” and “they’re” all the time. But guess what? They still understand each other. It’s magic! ✨

Confidence is Your Secret Weapon

Speaking a new language can feel like walking on a tightrope. But here’s a secret: Act confidently, and people will think you’re a pro.

Fake it ’til you make it. That’s the idea.😎

Practice Makes… Better

You know how you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice. The same goes for languages.

Talk to people, talk to yourself, watch movies, sing in the shower. Just use the language.

Wrapping It Up

So, here’s the deal: Grammar is like the cherry on top of a sundae. Nice to have, but not the whole dessert. 

Focus on talking, having fun, and not being afraid to make mistakes. That’s the real recipe for language learning success.

Remember: Learning a language is like riding a bike. You’ll fall a few times, but soon you’ll be zooming around like a pro. 

Enjoy the ride! 🚴‍♂️

PS Spice up your English learning experience in my ‘ChiliPepper Your English‘ Community.

Why are we sometimes so nervous when speaking a language that is not our own?

Perhaps you have thoughts like:

• “What if I sound silly?” 🙊 Guess what? Even native speakers say silly things.
• “Oh no, was that the right word?” 🤔 It’s like a buffet—sometimes you pick the wrong dish, but that’s okay.
• “Everyone’s staring at me!” 👀 Plot twist: They’re probably admiring your courage to speak up.
• “Last time I spoke, I messed up…” 😖 Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself. Mistakes are a natural part of the learning process.

So, how can you tackle these worries?

• Practice makes progress (not perfect—that’s boring).
• Embrace your mistakes—they’re steps towards fluency.
• Remember, every English speaker starts as a beginner.

So, next time you feel those butterflies, just imagine them saying, “You’ve got this!” to you. 🦋

I’d love to hear about your funniest English-speaking story.😄

PS And if you want to practise with others who feel the same way, join one of my Speed Networking sessions. I’d love to see you there.

 

Mannomann, heute hab ich mich wieder mal so richtig zum Affen gemacht. 🙈

Also, pass auf: Franz und ich hatten unsere wöchentliche Online-Stunde mit Christine, unserer English Conversation Coach. Alles lief super smooth (ups, schon wieder Denglisch, Christine würde mich jetzt belustigt angucken), also ich meine, alles lief richtig gut.

Wir quatschten über dies und das, und ich fühle mich mega selbstbewusst. Dachte echt, ich hätte den Dreh langsam raus. Aber dann kam’s dicke.

Ich wollte von meinem chaotischen Nachbarn erzählen und sagte voller Überzeugung: “My neighbour is a real messie.”

Du hättest Christines Gesicht sehen sollen. Die guckte, als hätte ich gerade behauptet, Lionel Messi würde nebenan wohnen.

Dann hat sie’s mir erklärt: “Messie” ist mal wieder so’n typisches Denglisch-Ding. Die Engländer und Amis kennen das gar nicht. Die sagen “hoarder” dazu. Oder wenn’s ganz schlimm ist, “compulsive hoarder“.

Klingt irgendwie nach ‘ner fiesen Krankheit, oder? “Compulsive hoarder” – als ob mein Nachbar nix dafür kann, dass er in seinem eigenen Müll versinkt. 🤷‍♀️

Aber mal ehrlich, wer zum Teufel denkt sich solche Wörter aus? “Compulsive hoarder” – da brichst du dir ja die Zunge. Da ist mir unser “Messie” fast lieber. Klingt wenigstens niedlich, so wie ein kleines, chaotisches Kuscheltier oder so.

Franz fand’s natürlich wieder zum Brüllen. Der Typ lacht sich jedes Mal schlapp, wenn ich mich verquatsche. Manchmal könnte ich ihm echt eine knallen. Aber dann seh ich, wie seine Augen so schelmisch blitzen, und… ach, was soll’s. Ich liebe den Kerl einfach, auch wenn er manchmal ein echter Blödmann ist.

Christine meinte, ich soll mir das nicht so zu Herzen nehmen. Es sei doch total normal, dass man solche Fehler macht. Aber ich schwöre dir, nächstes Mal pass ich auf. Kein “Messie” mehr von mir, nur noch schöne, komplizierte englische Wörter.

Wobei… vielleicht sollte ich beim nächsten Mal einfach sagen “My neighbour’s place looks like a dump“. Das versteht jeder, und ich muss mir nicht die Zunge verknoten mit “compulsive” dies und “hoarder” das.

Ach du liebe Güte, dieses Englisch wird echt noch mein Untergang. Aber weißt du was? Ich geb nicht auf. Irgendwann werd ich so gut Englisch sprechen, dass selbst Franz neidisch wird. Ha! Das wär’s doch, oder?

Bis zum nächsten Fettnäpfchen.

Deine Greta

Ever struggled to squeeze your car into a tiny parking space? 

You’re not alone. 

It turns out our cars are getting a serious case of “autobesity*.”

Believe it or not, most car parks were designed when cars were as small and cute as beetles. But these days, our cars are more like rhinos—big, bulky, and hungry for space. 

This “autobesity” epidemic is causing all sorts of problems. Not only is it a pain to park, but it’s also making our roads more dangerous and our air quality worse.

It’s time for car manufacturers to hit the gym and design some slimmer vehicles. And maybe we should all think twice about needing that extra-large SUV. 

Our planet (and our parking spaces) will thank us!

What do you think? Is it time for a car diet, or should we be redesigning our parking spaces? Let’s start a conversation!

*Autobesity is a made-up word that describes the problem of cars getting bigger and bigger over time. It’s as if cars are gaining weight.