I am same again there

When speaking a foreign language, it's never enough just to know what the words mean. No, that would be too easy.

You also have to know how and when to use the words. That's why one of the best things about having a language partner is her mistakes.

I'm not talking about Schadenfreude, which is, incidentally, the best German word of all time. Well, OK, actually I *do* love to see her suffer. It's really the best revenge for the humiliation she puts me through each week.

But I mean, when she says makes a mistake like saying, "that's in the near of your apartment" or "we meet us at 8 o'clock", it gives me insight into, how do I say this diplomatically, the screwed up an nonsensical way that German is actually spoken.

Like when Anton told me you call it 19:45 o'clock but you would *never* call it a quarter to twenty. What are you, doof? 19:45 o'clock is a quarter to eight.

Anyway, when Claudia says "in the near of", it reminds me that, in German, one says in der Nähe von when one means 'near'. And "we meet us" reminds me that wir treffen uns is how you say 'we'll meet'.

A good example of the difference between knowing what the words mean and knowing how to use them is the phrase ich bin gleich wieder da. Technically, it means "I'll be right back." Literally, it means "i am same again there".

Stay tuned for pics and vids of Rachel's visit!