Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

STORM

Icy Autobahn causes spate of crashes across Germany

Stormy weather has been causing major problems in Germany this week. And now slippery conditions on the road network are resulting in more misery.

Published: 12 February 2020 09:10 CET
Icy Autobahn causes spate of crashes across Germany
A police car on the closed Autobahn 45 near Siegen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Photo: DPA

Black ice resulted in several accidents and part of the Autobahn being closed on Tuesday night. Drivers have been urged to drive with caution.

In Baden-Württemberg, three people were seriously injured in a collision involving two cars. One of the cars drove into the opposite lane because of the road conditions, according to police.

In the north-east of Bavaria, several highways (A9, A72, A93) were affected by slippery roads and there were a spate of crashes.  In addition, several vehicles broke down in the hazardous conditions. Nobody was seriously injured.

In North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), part of the Autobahn 45 near Siegen, had to be completely closed for several hours during the early hours of Wednesday.

As the slippery conditions happened so quickly, trucks became stuck on uphill roads, and other vehicles were unable to move forward, police reported. There were also several accidents in NRW although nobody was seriously injured.

In Schleswig-Holstein several accidents occurred on Autobahn 7 and Autobahn 23 north of Hamburg. Most resulted in damage to cars and there were no reports of serious injuries. Police said conditions were made worse due to heavy rain. 

A week of stormy weather

It comes after Germany – and other parts of Europe – was battered by storm Sabine at the start of the week.

READ ALSO:

Insurance broker Aon estimated that damages in Germany would total between €500 to €700 million. On Tuesday many places in Germany remained stormy.

According to Deutsche Bahn, trains are on the whole running again without problems, however there is still some disruption. In Baden-Württemberg some railway lines are still closed and in Bavaria the Werdenfelsbahn remains at a standstill.

The German Weather Service (DWD) expects windy and stormy weather to continue on Wednesday. In addition, more rain, snow and sleet showers are expected. In the evening the wind will likely decrease.

Vocabulary

Black ice – (das) Glatteis

Accident – (der) Unfall

Car body damage/fender bender – (der) Blechschaden

Stormy weather – stürmisches Wetter

We're aiming to help our readers improve their German by translating vocabulary from some of our news stories. Did you find this article useful? Let us know.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

LEARNING GERMAN

How Germans’ English language mistakes can help you learn German

The common mistakes Germans make when speaking English can reveal useful insights about the German language and help you to remember certain rules.

Published: 3 July 2024 11:35 CEST
Updated: 6 July 2024 07:20 CEST
How Germans’ English language mistakes can help you learn German

For many people trying to learn German, one common frustration is that their learning process is hampered by Germans switching to speaking English. But sometimes, this can actually be an advantage.

Here are some frequent errors Germans make when speaking English and what they can teach us about German.

Mistake: I have lived here since five years.

This is one of the most common mistakes because, in German, the word seit is used to mean both “since” and “for.” For example, Ich lebe in Berlin seit fünf Jahren means “I have lived here since five years ago” and “I have lived here for five years.” In English, however, “since” is used for a specific starting point, and “for” is used for a duration.

READ ALSO: 5 of the most cringeworthy mistakes I’ve made in German

Pronunciation of the Letter “W”

One of the biggest giveaways that someone is German is their pronunciation of the letter “W” as “V” when speaking English. For example, they might say, “Could you pass me the vasser?” instead of “water.”

Conversely, many English speakers struggle to correctly pronounce the letter “V” in German, which is more like the English “F.” For instance, the German word Vogel (meaning “bird”) should be pronounced “Fogel.”

Mistake: I make my homework.

In German, the verb machen means both “make” and “do,” which can confuse the poor German speaker when they’re talking in English. For German learners, this mistake can help you to remember that machen covers more ground in German, while English distinguishes between “make” (creating something) and “do” (performing an action). 

A German dictionary. Shelley has learned a new language in her time in Germany.

A German dictionary. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Oliver Berg

Mistake: I go to the party tomorrow.

Germans often use the present tense along with a timeframe to indicate future actions, as in Ich gehe morgen zur Party, which in English would be “I will go to the party tomorrow”. Use this mistake to help you remember that you don’t always need to make things complicated by using the future tense when speaking in German as, often, the present tense works just as well. 

Mistake: Can you borrow me a pen?

The German verb leihen is one of the few examples where English is helpfully more specific. In English, we clearly distinguish between “borrow,” which means to take something temporarily, and “lend,” which means to give something temporarily. In German, leihen can mean both “borrow” and “lend”, making the context of the sentence the key to determining the right meaning. 

Mistake: This is the book from my friend.

Germans often use structures like Das ist das Buch von meinem Freund, which translates directly to “This is the book from my friend.” In English, however, it’s more common to use possessive pronouns, saying “This is my friend’s book” instead. Keep this common mistake in mind next time you’re struggling to talk about ownership in German.

READ ALSO: 10 simple phrases to make your German sound more impressive

Mistake: We need to finish this until Wednesday.

Germans often use “until” when they mean “by” when speaking in English. For example, Wir müssen das bis Mittwoch fertigstellen should translate to “We need to finish this by Wednesday,” not “until Wednesday.” The reason for this common mistake is that the word bis is used to mean both  “until” and “by”. Another example of English being more precise than German!

Mistake: We see us tomorrow.

In German, uns (“us”) is often used in contexts where English would use “each other.” For example, Wir sehen uns morgen translates directly to “We see us tomorrow,” but it should be “We will see each other tomorrow.” 

SHOW COMMENTS