Language/German/Culture/Movies,-TV-and-Literature

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German Culture → Music and Entertainment → Movies, TV and Literature

As a German language teacher with 20 years of experience, I believe that culture is a major aspect of language learning. In this lesson, we will be exploring popular German movies, TV shows, and literature works. We will also learn how to talk about them in German.

Finish this lesson and explore these related pages: Switzerland Timeline & Popular Musicians and Genres.

German Movies

Germany has a prolific film industry, and many German movies have achieved international acclaim. One of the most famous German directors is Werner Herzog, who is known for his unique style of filmmaking. Some popular German movies include:

German	Pronunciation	English
Das Boot	[das bot]	The Boat
Good Bye, Lenin!	[gʊt biː ˈleːnɪn]	Good Bye, Lenin!
Lola rennt	[ˈloːla ʁɛnt]	Run Lola Run
Der Untergang	[deːɐ̯ ˈʔʊntɐˌɡaŋ]	Downfall

You can watch German movies with subtitles to improve your listening skills and get a sense of German culture.

German TV Shows

There are many popular German TV shows, ranging from comedies to dramas. One of the most popular German TV shows is "Tatort", a crime procedural that has been on the air since 1970. Another popular show is the medical drama "Charité", which is set in a hospital in Berlin. Some more German TV Shows include:

• Dark (Science Fiction)
• Deutschland 83 (Spy Drama)
• Babylon Berlin (Period Drama)
• Ein Fall für zwei (Crime Drama)

Watching German TV shows is a great way to learn conversational German and get a sense of German humor and culture.

German Literature

German literature has a long and rich history, with many famous authors like Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Nietzsche. If you are just starting to learn German, it may be a good idea to start with children's books, as they are often written in simpler language. Some popular German books that are perfect for beginners include:

• Die kleine Raupe Nimmersatt (The Very Hungry Caterpillar)
• Krabat (The Sorcerer's Apprentice)
• Momo (Momo)

If you are looking for something more challenging, try reading some classics like "Die Leiden des jungen Werther" (The Sorrows of Young Werther) by Goethe or "Der Zauberberg" (The Magic Mountain) by Thomas Mann.

Talking about Movies, TV Shows, and Literature

To talk about movies, TV shows, and literature in German, you will need to know some useful vocabulary. Here are some words and phrases to get you started:

• der Film (movie)
• die Serie (TV show)
• die Handlung (plot)
• die Charaktere (characters)
• die Buchbesprechung (book review)
• der Autor (author)
• die Hauptfigur (main character)
• der Schauspieler (actor)
• die Regie (direction)
• das Drehbuch (screenplay)

Here's an example conversation to give you an idea of how to use this vocabulary:

A: Hast du den neuen Film von Werner Herzog gesehen? (Have you seen the new film by Werner Herzog?) B: Ja, ich fand ihn großartig! Besonders die Regie war sehr beeindruckend. (Yes, I thought it was great! The direction was particularly impressive.)

Using vocabulary like this will help you hold conversations in German about your favorite movies, TV shows, and literature works.

Conclusion

In this lesson, we explored popular German movies, TV shows, and literature works. We also learned how to talk about them in German. Trying to immerse yourself in German media and culture is a great way to supplement your language learning. Keep practicing and soon you'll be able to speak German like a native!

Sources

• German Studies (GMAN) < Yale University
• The Cloud: The dystopian book that changed Germany - BBC Culture

Impressive work on finishing this lesson! Explore these additional pages to enhance your understanding: Austria Timeline & Cuisine and Traditions.

Table of Contents - German Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Basic Sentence Structures

• Subject and Verb
• Noun and Gender

  ---

Greetings and Introduction

• Greetings and Goodbyes
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Definite and Indefinite Articles

• Gender and Articles
• Plural Forms
• Cases: Nominative and Accusative

  ---

Numbers, Dates and Time

• Numbers 1-100
• Days of the Week and Months
• Telling Time

  ---

Verbs and Conjugation

• Verb Forms
• Present Tense
• Separable Verbs

  ---

Family and Friends

• Family Members
• Talking About Your Friends

  ---

Prepositions

• Using Prepositions
• Two-Way Prepositions

  ---

Food and Drinks

• Food and Meals
• Drinks and Beverages

  ---

Germany and German-Speaking Countries

• Geography and Landmarks
• Cuisine and Traditions

  ---

Pronouns and Possessives

• Personal Pronouns
• Possessive Pronouns

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Booking a Trip
• Public Transportation

  ---

Modal Verbs

• Expressing Abilities
• Talking About Obligations

  ---

Shopping and Clothes

• Shopping for Clothes
• Buying Groceries

  ---

Music and Entertainment

• Popular Musicians and Genres
• Movies, TV and Literature

  ---

Adjectives

• Descriptive Adjectives
• Comparative and Superlative Forms

  ---

Health and Body

• Talking About Health
• Body Parts

  ---

Time and Temporal Prepositions

• Using Time Expressions
• Temporal Prepositions

Other Lessons

• Popular Musicians and Genres
• Education
• Germany Timeline
• Austria Timeline
• Geography and Landmarks
• Cuisine and Traditions

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