A Spark a day.
One idea. Every weekday. Under a minute.SPARKS OF ENGLISH
Notes from the real world of English at work. The mistakes, breakthroughs and surprising moments that happen when English leaves the textbook and enters the meeting room.
You already speak the language. But under pressure, it does not always feel that way. That’s when overthinking and second-guessing tend to appear.
The Sparks are short prompts for exactly those moments – and now and then, something you can try out straight away.
Designed specifically for German-speaking professionals who want to speak clearly without checking every sentence before they say it.
After a few weeks, many readers notice they:
- Keep talking, even when the perfect word is missing.
- Respond faster when a conversation shifts unexpectedly.
- Stop losing precision in the moments that count.
_________
✦ Your welcome gift: “50 Quick Fixes for Clearer English”. So small details don’t slow you down.
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❝Einer der ganz wenigen Newsletter, auf die ich mich an jedem (!) Werktag aufs Neue freue.❞
Barbara Gölz
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A client wrote to me last week: “I have free on Friday.” Clear in German. Unusual in English.
"Ich habe frei" translates word for word as "I have free". In English, that sentence needs one more piece: a day off. You can say "I have a day off...
He wanted to be pregnant.
A senior executive told me, very earnestly, that he wanted to be pregnant. He meant "prägnant": concise, punchy and to the point. In German, a...
Your British colleague is “on holiday”. Your American client is “on vacation”. Same beach.
German has one word for this: "Urlaub". English has two, and which one people use depends on the English they learnt. British English: holiday =...
Every accent tells a story. Yours tells yours.
Most professionals I work with carry a quiet wish: to sound less German, less foreign, more "neutral." They apologise before they speak, lower their...
I gave thirteen Business English learner types a name. Yours is probably in there.
After years of coaching, I started noticing patterns. The person who freezes mid-sentence. The one who obsesses over grammar while the meeting...
“I have done this yesterday.” You’ve probably said it. Here’s why it feels right and why it isn’t.
In German, "Ich habe das gestern gemacht" is correct. You use haben + past participle even when you mention a specific time. English works...
In English meetings, she always had something to say. She just never spoke.
She was a senior executive. Experienced, sharp, respected in her field. But in English, she compared herself to everyone else in the room and always...
Then or than — the one‑letter difference that changes your meaning
Most grammar details don’t matter. This one does. A client sent me a report last month. Seven times she wrote 'then' when she meant 'than'. She...
Better English than last year. That’s the whole goal.
Most professionals I work with set a different one. Perfect grammar, no mistakes, native fluency. Seth Godin put it well recently: "The search for...
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