Ever wondered how to translate the German word “tragen” into English? 

You might think it’s a no-brainer—”tragen” just means “to wear,” right? 

Wrong! 

In English, there are actually three different ways to translate “tragen”: “to wear,” “to carry,” and “to bear.” 

Which one you use depends on the context and what exactly is being carried.

Complicated? Only at first glance.

Here we go:

1. Clothing & accessories

When you’re wearing something on your body, like clothes, glasses or watches, you use “to wear.”

So, “Ich trage mein neues rotes Kleid heute” becomes “I’m wearing my new red dress today.” 

See? It’s easy! 

2. Transporting objects 👝🎒

“To carry” means to transport something from one place to another.

“Jeden Tag trage ich meine Aktentasche zur Arbeit” becomes “I carry my briefcase to work everyday.”

Easy as pie! 

3. Burdens & feelings

For emotional burdens or heavy physical burdens that one carries, we use “to bear.”

So, “Sie trägt eine schwere Last” becomes “She bears a heavy burden.” 

Got it? 

Now it’s your turn!

Practice makes perfect and who knows? Maybe you’ll be able to impress your friends and colleagues with your newly acquired language skills soon! 

Challenge time! Can you think of any unusual examples for translating “tragen” into English? 

PS If you have a question or need any help, just send me a message. I’m here to support you on your language journey! 

Have you ever felt like a detective trying to crack the code of a mysterious word?

I sure did while talking to my friend and colleague, Lisa, when she casually used the German word ‘eben‘ during our conversation.

Lisa explained that it’s a word often used in German to emphasise a point or confirm something.

At that moment, I had no idea how to translate it into English! It was like facing a linguistic puzzle.

So, I delved into the world of ‘eben‘ to see what secrets it held.

Let’s take a look together!

“Eben” can be translated in different ways depending on the context in which it is used. 

For example, if someone says: Das ist eben so in German, it could be translated as That’s just the way it is or That’s how it goes.

Here are a few more examples:

• Eben das wollte ich sagen. That’s exactly/precisely what I wanted to say.
• Das ist nicht eben billig.That’s not exactly cheap.
• Ich habe es eben erst erfahren. I’ve just found out.
• Er ist eben abgereist. He’s just left.

I like that little word “eben”.

Do you have a favourite little German word that you find difficult to translate into English?

I’m a language coach who loves having real conversations with people, whether in English or German.

Look back at my old school reports and you’ll see phrases like “Christine is rather talkative” or “Christine is too talkative.”

My parents weren’t happy.

Little did they know that talking would turn out to be one of my greatest strengths. 

I always thought I wasn’t good at writing. But over time, I’ve developed a passion for the writing process.

Today, I write my “Sparks of English” blog posts five times a week, and I regularly write on Instagram and LinkedIn.

I’m not trying to be a professional writer; I just enjoy the creative process—and hope that my texts can help others improve their English in some way.

I started writing about two years ago. I began by trying to capture all the different voices in my head, and I followed tips that I picked up along the way. 

Questions like “How can I make my writing more conversational?” and “How can I add some zest to my writing?” have guided my progress.

Some of the guidelines I’ve been trying to follow (the emphasis is on “trying”!):

• Keep sentences short and sweet. Long, rambling sentences can be boring!
• Avoid the passive voice. It’s like trying to talk with a mouthful of marshmallows.
• Use simple, everyday words that everyone will understand. 
• Sprinkle in the personal “you” more often. It feels more intimate.
• Add a question now and then. They keep people interested. Did you know?
• Use contractions—they make writing seem more natural and inviting.
• Add interjections like “Oh! or “Wow!” to add a touch of excitement.
• Sprinkle in filler words like “you know” or “like” to make a text sound more natural. (Sorry, Mark Twain!)
• Elongate those vowels to emphasise important points—it’s fuuuuun!

Now, I’d love to know—do you have any other tips I can add to my list?

Today, I’ll share why conversations are my go-to teaching method.

It all goes back to my not-so-fluent days in French class.

Can you imagine this? Seven years of French at school, followed by two more years of French adventures at college. I was armed with textbooks, grammar rules and vocabulary lists, ready to conquer the language.

But guess what? When it came to actually speaking French, I found myself stuck.

I could conjugate verbs like a pro, and I knew my way around the tricky grammar. But when it came to having a real conversation—nada. My voice dried up. My mind went blank. The struggle was real.

That got me thinking: why was I unable to speak French after years of academic study?

The missing link, I realised, was the lack of conversational practice.

I could write essays, understand André Gide and Maupassant, analyse literature (which I actually loved). But throw me into a casual chat—and I was lost.

Fast forward to when I started helping business professionals with their English.

I made a promise to myself: no client of mine would face the same struggle I had with French. 

And that’s why I decided to teach English through conversations.

I want my clients to feel the language, not just memorise it. I want them to engage playfully, crack jokes and express themselves naturally. (Because learning should be an interactive and enjoyable experience!)

So, if you were wondering why I love talking and playful exchange in my English sessions, now you know. It’s my way of making sure you not only know the language but can hold a conversation like a pro.

Keep chatting, keep learning! (Because who says learning can’t be fun and communicative?)

Curious to see how it works?

Join me at one of my free Speed Networking sessions. I’d love to welcome you there.

Ever read “I don’t want to loose you” instead of “I don’t want to lose you”? Or spotted “I’m trying to loose weight” instead of “I’m trying to lose weight”? It happens a lot, right?

Let’s explore the frequent confusion between “loose” and “lose.” And see why they are spelled differently.

Did you know “loose” (in German: “lose”) is an adjective describing “something that’s not tight”?

Think of little Jimmy’s tooth or the screw on your grandparents’ old garden fence. Both are very “loose.“

On the other hand, “lose“ (in German: “verlieren“) is a verb meaning “to misplace or to fail to win or obtain something.”

So, you might lose your keys, lose hope or lose weight.

See? Simple but significant differences.

It’s easy to make a mistake here, but no worries! Everyone makes mistakes, and that’s okay. The important thing is to learn from them and get better.

Do you know of any other everyday spelling mistakes in English that are often confusing?

Shrinkflation… sounds like a new diet craze, doesn’t it?

I wish it were. But sadly, it has nothing to do with losing weight—at least not around our waistlines.

It’s a phenomenon that affects us all and takes even more money out of our pockets.

Over the years, we’ve seen a rise in costs for many of our favourite products. We accept these price increases because we can see them directly and because inflation is something we understand (More demand than supply = higher prices).

But what about the hidden price increases?

You might have noticed that the package of many products are getting smaller. This is our not-so-friendly pal—shrinkflation. It hides behind ever-shrinking chocolate bars and crisp packages while keeping the price the same.

The sneaky plan behind it is to make us think prices are stable—while in reality, everything is getting more expensive.

Now, if you’re thinking, “Well, having fewer sweets is good for my health,” that’s true in a way. But when we think about it—does this also apply to other daily necessities like laundry detergent, toothpaste or toilet paper?

So how can we fight this sneaky trick?

It starts by becoming aware of the phenomenon of shrinkflation and paying attention. Have the products really become smaller or is that just an illusion?

Even though shrinkflation sounds like a funny word, it’s a serious matter. Because the more we know about these tactics, the better we can respond as consumers.

Which products have you noticed lately where there was a hidden price increase? Let’s uncover the secrets of shrinkflation together!