Any english speaking mum´s in Germany

[chrissi1]

I live in the Wiebaden/ Mainz Area and like to meet up with english speaking mum´s.My son´s 4 1/2

Yes - I am in germany but I think along way from you - Berlin area. How have you maged with the two languages? Was your son born in Germany?

Hi
My husband and I are both German.
I speak English while my husband is not arround,( wich is most of the day)but that since he´s been a baby.
Yes Berlin is a bit far. I like the Berlin area.Lucky you!

My son hardly does´nt speak English though He understands it and if he is not sure he asks.Sometimes he answers me back in english ,then he realizes what he did and speaks German again. As if it annoyed him that he spoke English.He sometimes says I do this or that only if you speak German with me. But no chance.
I think he´s a bit lazy.He does´nt realy need to speak because I understand German.
If people tell him they think it´s great that he understands English he looks at them in disbelive.On the other hand he makes no difference with engl. or german DVD´s or books .I fact some of his most loved DVD`s are in engl. Anyway I hope he´ll get better

So you are both German? Why are you speaking English to your son? You just would like him to learn a second language from a very young age?

Do not worry, you can carry on as you are, he will also learn english at school. When he starts having english lessons, he will probably take to all the dvdy and things.

Good Question
I had an English boyfriend for a couple of years and had to relearn english.I spoke only school engl. and you could forget that.
I learned in one year more than in 3 years school,simply because I had to.
I also was affraid to speak.
I like it to be different for my son.
It´s easyer to learn a language actively, while you do things.
I read mostly english books ,watch engl. films.....
Think it´s wasted knowledge if I´m not teaching him what I know.
Yes maybe I´m selfish.
I have my doubts sometimes. What if he does´nt speak in engl. lessons.
I think there are not many no native speakers arround.
Thank you you gave me hope

What I meant is that he likes to watch his engl. DVD`S.
He´s not refusing them only because they´re english.Have to go and pick up the little one,as he´s ill and stays at his granny´s place

Hi Chrissi1 - is Mainz near Cologne? I am coming there in the summer. I really envy your ds, I would love to be bilingual. I have been learning German for as long as I can emember, and every time I think i am gtting there, I realise that I know nothing.........

Oh how sad you´re comming to Colone and not a bit closer.
I have to drive two hours to Colone but we could mail and visit from time to time.
You could write German .I´m sure it´s not that bad.German is not easy so don´t give yourself a hard time. Where are you from?
What are you doing in Colone?

Ups Colone cologne sorry got a headache.

I saw you visited the German corner.
So you stay for a week.
How funny I plan to go to England for about week,maybe a bit more, in summer.
Why do you learn German?

Do you know what I did to learn english ?
I looked for a book I wanted to read.I got my Collins Dictionary and started to look in it maybe every third word.
Believe me after some time you get the hang of it.In the end you´re so fed up to look all those words up that you memorise them.Try it.
Or try reading children books
Hast Du Kinder?

Ich wohne 30 Minuten von Frankfurt entfernt und 15 Minuten von Mainz und Wiesbaden.

Whereabouts do you live

Hi Chrissi sorry to mislead you - I am coming to cologne for 1 week holiday in july, with family. DS1 is learning german in school but I really think there must be an easier way - like staying in the country for 6 months or so. Unfortunatley if we did manage to upstakes and move for 6 months, I wuld still be talking to the dc in english!
I did buy a 'parallel text' book te other day, in both english and german, but it is soooooooooooo difficult, even the english is quite 'high' english IYKWIM - long words, different meanings. I also try to pick up STERN if I can, as I can read that better - easier to pick up the meanings when it's gossip!

Ich habe 3 kinder - alle junge. ich habe nach gefarht, letzen jahre, im sommer mit meine freunde, sie is Czechische aber sie spracht eine bisschen duetsche auch.

Is that right?- I have 3 boys and came to frankfurt last year with my czech friend who also speaks a bitof german? Writing it is worse than speaking it!

nach FRANKFURT gefarht - ooops

Hi
You did´nt mislead me .Just said you´re comming to cologne.
If you would be in Germany for a while then I would still speak english with my kids but they would pick up German quite fast(surroundings,school)And so would you(shopping,phonecalls,)
That´s the way I learned it.
It´s embarrassing to do mistakes,that´s the way I felt at the beginn but people will tell you.Like You ask for Karottes.I´m sure they say Ah Karotten!You won´t forget that.

I tell you what,Most of my words I learned I can still remember when or in what situation I learned it.
Like colander.I stood in the kitchen trying to say what I wanted and they came up with all sorts of things.Until I was fed up and looked in the Dic.

I better don´t tell you how I found out what Virgin meant...

Ok your text.good you realised it yourself
Ich bin,letztes Jahr im Sommer mit meiner Freundin gefahren.Sie ist Tschechin aber spricht auch ein bischen deutsch.

It was not bad .I under stood it all.
Grammar is very hard.
All your mistakes are Grammar.

What I meant is read a novel, crimestory perhaps,something you like to read ,something gripping to find out who the murder is or so.
Nothing too interlectual.
This way you can learn Grammar too.

There it would say der Junge ,3 Jungen.
If you use a mixed German English book you´ll risk a look on the other page.At least that´s what I would have done.

My english is not perfect and I have to admitt if I read a book( i mainly read english) I don´t look up every word anymore even if I don´t know but I´ll find out in the context( hope context is right ,see there you go)

I spent some time in Wembley but that is ages ago.
Get a fair bit Homesick from time to time.
Then I get my packet of Tetley´s out and watch a Crackerfilm.

Wie alt sind Deine Jungs?
Owen wird 5 im Juli!

Sie hast ein Owen? Ich auch! Mein Owen war 9 jahre alt, Februar 11. Er ist die jungsten, (?) die anderen jungen sind 15 und 11. Die eltsten,(?) Luke, ist jetzt skiing in Osterreich mit ihren Vater,- er ist ein fantastische (?) skier, viele besser als uns! Er hatte gern ski-ing.

I do love coming to Germany to practise my german, but I find that if i start to ask for stuff in the shops/railway staions/airports - they will talk back to me in english! I think they like to practise their english as much as I like to speak german. it's funny taking my czech friend as they don't know what to talk to her - they know she's not english!

Chrissi1 - sorry I posted that as sparkybabe - it's me, Captainmummy.

wow we´ve got both Owen´s.
Owen says Hello!
I thought You wrote undercover.
Could be true,I´m always happy to speak engl. Maybe you use a stange accent.
Ok at the airport they might answer back in english.But not where I live.I .e. small town.

Du hast auch einen Owen..
Mein Owen Ist 9 yr.
Er ist Der jüngste
Der aelteste,Luke...
Fantastischer

Wer ist der Kaepten??Mammi?Owen ist hier ein sehr ungewoehnlicher name.
Die Leute sagen manchmal Ofen ( means oven)
Nice !

Wenn du sagst Du sprichst besse als Du schreibst, dann musst Du gut sprechen.
wie lange lernst Du schon?

Hello chrissi - I had problems with my computer yesterday (lost the wireless connection totally, so I'm back now on a modem)
Owen is a welsh name, from Wales, I am quite surprised that you called your son Ofen! I have a german friend here who also called her son Owen.
Ja ich bin die Kapitan (was ist Kaepten?) - Owen hat gesagt 'Aye Aye CaptainMummy' immer wann ich frag ihn etwas zu tun (I know that's not correct!?) und Sparkybabe ist auch mich. Sparkybabe ist mir, und captainmummy ist nur die mummy!
Ich hab Deutsch fur viele Jahren gelernt, mein Vater war Army (?) und wir war in Celle, Hannover, Bielefeld, Munich gewohnen, aber Ich was klein.
That is the most german I have written in years! I'm amazed you can understand it.

Hi
wrote something very long but seems that it vanished.
Wow I´m amazed at your German.
Who told you it´s not understandable?
Ok the grammar but it´s not bad.
Only minor mistakes,like
Immer WENN ich ihn BITTE etwas zu tun.

Ich bin Sparkybaby

Ich bin der Kapitän ( Captain)
Käpten-Kaepten-Kapitän is all the same.
It´s only that you don´t have Ä,ä.

No I don´t call my son ofen,some people in Germany do,like the older Generation,i.e. my father in law.Because if you read Owen the German way it´s pronounced ofen.
I know that Owen means little lamb in welch,they also say it might come from a celtic word I can´t remember.
My husband went shopping one day and someone else called for a Owen,and this Owen said Ja Mamma?
Owen is a very unusual name hear so my hubby was surprised to hear this name.
I always wanted a english name.
I chose a few,like Sean ,Ryan,Finlay,Laurie,Ewan ,Owen,Ian and Matthew.
In the end we called him Owen Matthew.
Thank god we have a international last name,Martin.Not like a funny German name like Knittweis.

oops hear, here?!
Maybe it´s because I need something to eat.
Burned two rolls in the oven while writing this.Forgott all about it.

about Ich bin Sparkybaby

Man sagt:

I am tall- Ich bin gross
I am hungry- Ich bin hungrig
I am tired - Ich bin muede (müde)

I hope it´s ok that I corrected/correct you.
If not tell me.
you realy made me think about Grammar yesterday

The correct translation of
Sparkybaby ist auch ich, is
Sparkybaby BIN auch ich.
Not so bad don´t you think.

Sprichst Du deutsch mit deiner deutschen Freundin?
Dein Vater war bei der Armee.Dann bist Du weit gereist.
Ich mag den Norden Deutschlands lieber.
Ich bin hier nur geblieben weil ich hier Krankenschwester gelernt habe und meinen Mann hier kennengelernt habe.
wir haben hier viele Touristen.Von zuhause sind es nur 30 min.bis zum Rhein.Rüdesheim ist 15 min. entfernt.
Es ist lustig, die meisten Ausländer kennen Mainz nicht aber Rüdesheim( ist sehr kleiner Ort).
Have to go to a buissness call, back to work for an hour, now.
til later

Welch?? Welsh of course.
I showed my hubby the names and he chose Owen .

Names are really important - m ydh wanted us to cal our ds Fabian or Florian bith totally respectable and commonly used names in germany but can you imagine the summers in the UK - I know his oldest cousin would roll over laughing at Florian! We chose one that goes in both countries in the end. My dd has a Y in her name and I didn't know when I chose it that Germans pronounce it differently so now she often says why did you not give me a name without a Y! (You can spell her name with i in place of the Y but as I say I didn't know it would make a difference)

bith=both sorry

What´s her name .
I know,sometimes Germans strongly refuse to speak english names the engl. way
I remember in my teens I had a friend who was called Steven but some called him Steeven.With a long german e.
That mand us mad.
I know of someone who was called Sean.we were all in awe for the name as it was soooo unusual. besides I grew up in east Germany and I still wonderd how they got the name registerd .
I east germany,back then, you had a lot of names with y like cindy Mandy sandy .
I know someone called Randy.Surely I would´t chose that name.
But then these were not words you would learn in school.
I personally hate my name Christiane.
Thanks to my ex boyfriend ,who could´nt say it I´m called Chris.
I know it´s a boys name but what.

Myriam instead of miriam and Germans say muuriam to her, she hates it.

hi chrissi - you made me laugh when you said you wanted english names - and then said Sean ,Ryan,Finlay,Laurie,Ewan ,Owen,Ian and Matthew! Sean is Irish as is Ryan I think, Finlay and Laurie are Scottish, Ewan and Owen (and possibly Ian) are Welsh. All lovely names, but not English! I hope you don't mind me correcting you -I certainly don't mind you correcting my german, I'm very happy to learn.
Nein Ich sprache keine deutsche mit die deutsche frau hier - sie ist eine freundin from die Schule, so wir sprachen nur english. Sie ist von HAmburg, aber sie ist nicht so Freundliche - ich hab sie nicht so viele kennengelernt. Meine Tschechin freundin spracht ein bisschen, so wir sprache bei uns ein bisschen Deutsche, aber es ist so schwerig, und wir sprache english sofort. Sie hat fur 2 jahre in Nuremburg gewoehnt, aber sie sind jetzt in England fur 11 jahre. Sie ist meine bester freundin und wie hat viele Reise gemacht zusammen (I know that's wrong!