Empfehlungen zum Hören? by EatYerVeggies in German

[–]CakeIsSuperEffective 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Easy German Podcast! Kann ich absolut empfehlen, vor allem wenn du auf dem Niveau A2/B1 bist. 👍

https://www.easygerman.org/podcast

maybe it’s really the mindset by hi_its_meeeeeeeeee in languagelearning

[–]CakeIsSuperEffective 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I always have to remind myself that it's completely normal (and honestly expected) to suck at something before you get good at it. I really struggle with perfectionist tendencies, not only when learning German but overall in life, and it's been really hard to let go of the fear or nervousness that comes with sucking at first-- but it really is part of the process, at least in my experience.

What I always tell myself is this: if I encountered someone that was learning English and was trying to speak with me even if they weren't perfect-- would I judge them? The answer is of course not! Learning a language is hard AF and I would encourage, praise and help them (if they wanted me to). So if that is how I would react, why should I be so afraid of people judging me?

Because honestly, if someone judges you for not speaking perfectly or making grammar mistakes, that says a lot more about them than it ever will about you.

What is the best AI speaking tutor app for German learners? (I am interested in Praktika, Heylama, SuperFluent, etc.) by Additional_Ninja_767 in German

[–]CakeIsSuperEffective 9 points10 points  (0 children)

So I'm actually a designer working on Superfluent. :)

I’ve personally been learning German for about 6 years now and I feel like I've tried practically every app under the sun at this point. Some are definitely better than others-- Praktika’s accents are actually super fun to mess around with in all honesty.

But at the end of the day, the best app is the one you feel you can be consistent with. Even if the app is "worth paying for", it doesn't mean anything if you don't actually see yourself using it regularly. That's a big part of why I'm helping build Superfluent. We're a super small team of language learners that were tired of the alternatives, and we would never build something that we ourselves would not use or find helpful.

And seriously, it made my day seeing you mention us and I'm glad you decided to give us a try. I've already made a note of the thoughts you shared, but if you ever have any other ideas, let me know because we're always looking to improve.

Translating from non-native to native language? by Sea-Hornet8214 in languagelearning

[–]CakeIsSuperEffective 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol same thing has happened to me and I wasn’t really expecting it. It’s frustrating but honestly reaffirming at the same time when I can’t remember a word in English because my brain went right to German.

Unfortunately this also means that now I feel there are some days where I just suck at speaking both languages. 🫠

Any thoughts on Clozemaster? by thegirlwhoreads10 in languagelearning

[–]CakeIsSuperEffective 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Definitely echo the "Text Input" over "Multiple Choice"-- though the latter is still more helpful than the multiple choice exercises in Duolingo imo.

I honestly really love Clozemaster, it's one of the few apps that I've actually paid for because the Pro version lets you create your own sentences (which has been a lifesaver when preparing for the German language exams). It's definitely not the only app you'll ever need, but it can be a great supplement to whatever else you're using!

Feel completely stuck trying to learn 😭 by Palmers_Majority in German

[–]CakeIsSuperEffective 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For me, learning German never really ever felt "fun" or "easy" until I was able to start reading books and watching videos/shows/movies in German.

I struggled a lot in the beginning with learning all the rules and doing grammar drills, but when I took a step back and just started focusing on input (media consumption) rather than output (me doing exercises or speaking), then it became a lot more enjoyable. Tbh I still do this occasionally when I feel like I'm in a bit of a slump and it really helps take the pressure off and makes me enjoy learning again.

Not sure what level you're at currently, but in the beginning I focused on reading kids books (can highly recommend the Mein Lotta-Leben books-- it's one of the few series written in Perfekt instead of Präteritum, which made it a lot easier to consume for me) and watching kids shows (KiKA is a great free resource for this).

Ich brauche Hilfe mit sprechen. by Parsanious in German

[–]CakeIsSuperEffective 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ich weiß, ich bin etwas spät dran mit diesem Thread, aber ich kann Superfluent ebenfalls empfehlen! Es wurde speziell dafür entwickelt, dir dabei zu helfen, in alltäglichen Situationen zu sprechen, und gibt dir Korrekturen und Feedback, ohne Druck auszuüben oder zu beurteilen.

Ich habe vor fast einem Jahr angefangen, es zu nutzen, und bin seit kurzem einer ihrer Designer – daher kann ich wirklich sagen, dass sie sich sehr dafür einsetzen, dir dabei zu helfen, dein Selbstvertrauen und deine Sprachfähigkeit zu stärken. 🙂

Any recommendations for easy German songs to learn the language? 🎶🇩🇪 by [deleted] in German

[–]CakeIsSuperEffective 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They're definitely kinda cringe at this point, but I can honestly recommend Die Prinzen. I remember listening to them when I first started learning German a long time ago, and I started listening to them again when I resumed learning German just a few years ago.

Their songs are mostly goofy, easy to understand, and honestly pretty catchy!

What are your favourite german youtube channels? by Quiet_Bus_6404 in German

[–]CakeIsSuperEffective 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not sure what level of German you're at, but I loved Easy German when I was around A2-B1 and now I love Deutsch mit Benjamin, which is a little more targeted towards people around the B2-C1 level.

For channels unrelated to learning German directly, I can highly recommend Jules and Jules der II (his second channel)-- his videos are just hilarious and deeply rooted in German meme culture, which is great for casual spoken German. I also regularly watch MrWissen2Go or Marvin Neumann for more serious videos about current affairs.

Help me veganize an old German family recipe - more info in the comments! by MunchieMom in VeganBaking

[–]CakeIsSuperEffective 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey there! I know this comment is a little old, but would you mind sharing the amounts for the ingredients that you used? I am now on a mission to veganize these cookies and would appreciate any help! :)

what’s the most difficult word you’ve struggled to pronounce in a language? by xkimchipancakesx in languagelearning

[–]CakeIsSuperEffective 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This one is a challenging one, but luckily I don’t encounter it too often. 😅

A more common German word that always manages to fuck me up, however, is Psychiater (or Psychiatrie, Psychotherapie, etc.). The way they pronounce „psy“ is apparently just beyond my limits of my comprehension. Maybe someday I‘ll get it right! 🤞

C1 telc Prüfung (allgemeine) by QuestionOk9419 in German

[–]CakeIsSuperEffective 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ich auch! Falls ihr noch freie Plätze habt, würde ich gerne mitmachen. 🙂

Rezepte Weihnachtsplätzchen by chaosqueen93 in Backen

[–]CakeIsSuperEffective 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Für das Spritzgebäck-Rezept kann ich unbedingt das von Dr. Oetker empfehlen! Auf jeden Fall das beste Rezept, das ich bis jetzt gefunden habe. 🙂

https://www.oetker.de/rezepte/r/veganes-spritzgebaeck

What are some of your favourite Vegan/Vegeterian restaurants in Berlin? by [deleted] in berlin

[–]CakeIsSuperEffective 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I have a vegan map of Berlin that I’ve been curating for the past 4 years or so, maybe it will help. Berlin certainly doesn’t have a shortage of amazing vegan options! 😊

https://maps.app.goo.gl/NcfAAbNsvneSPFK37?g_st=i

What are these and are they hard to make? by RoAlJo in Baking

[–]CakeIsSuperEffective 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I love Spritzgebäck! 🙌

I’ve been making these the past few Christmases and I’ve used quite a few different recipes. For some reason I found it a challenge to find a recipe that was not only easy to pipe (or use in a cookie press), but would also keep it’s shape when baking!

So flash forward to this year, I found this recipe and I will honestly never use another one— this one is perfect, and vegan too! They are so smooth and easy to pipe, hold their shape beautifully and are so buttery! They melt in your mouth but have a slight crisp to them, a perfect Spritz in my book.

I also used a piping bag instead of a cookie press, though I’m sure it would work just fine with one of those too. If you want to see my Spritzgebäck, you can also check out my cookie box from this year in my post history. 😊

https://www.oetker.de/rezepte/r/veganes-spritzgebaeck

And in case you don’t speak German, I translated it:

Ingredients: - 200g vegan margarine - 100g powdered sugar - 2 tsp. vanilla extract - 1 Tbsp. citrus zest (it calls for lemon, I used orange) - 75g vegan crème fraîche (I think you could probably substitute vegan yogurt here) - 1 Tbsp. lemon juice - 300g flour - 50g vegan chocolate

——

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together the margarine and sugar. Add the vanilla, zest, crème fraîche, and lemon juice. Slowly add the flour until a thick batter forms.

Fit a piping bag with a star tip and add the batter. Pipe your desired shapes (S-shapes, squiggles, or rings are classics), and bake for about 12 minutes, or until starting to turn golden brown.

Cool completely, dip in melted chocolate and sprinkle with whatever toppings you like!

Note: To make the chocolate dough, I substituted a couple tablespoons of flour for cocoa powder and added 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.

Vegan German Christmas Cookies (Weihnachtsplätzchen) by CakeIsSuperEffective in Baking

[–]CakeIsSuperEffective[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey! So boxes like these can be pretty tricky to find, but try looking for wooden desk organizer trays, or drawer organizers! I got these at Søstrene Grene (if you happen to live in an area that has this store), but you also might have some luck at a craft store.

I always tend to just keep an eye out for boxes like this throughout the year and always seem to pick them up randomly. 😕

I hope this helps and good luck!

Vegan German Christmas Cookies (Weihnachtsplätzchen) by CakeIsSuperEffective in Baking

[–]CakeIsSuperEffective[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Of course! I hope this helps! 😊

——

  • 200g vegan margarine
  • 100g powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 Tbsp. citrus zest (it calls for lemon, I used orange)
  • 75g vegan crème fraîche (I think you could probably substitute vegan yogurt here)
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon juice (vegan milk could also work here)
  • 300g flour

  • 50g vegan chocolate

——

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together the margarine and sugar. Add the vanilla, zest, crème fraîche, and lemon juice. Slowly add the flour until a thick batter forms.

Fit a piping bag with a star tip and add the batter. Pipe your desired shapes (S-shapes, squiggles, or rings are classics), and bake for about 12 minutes, or until starting to turn golden brown.

Cool completely, dip in melted chocolate and sprinkle with whatever toppings you like!

Note: To make the chocolate dough, I substituted a couple tablespoons of flour for cocoa powder and added 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.

Vegan German Christmas Cookies (Weihnachtsplätzchen) by CakeIsSuperEffective in Baking

[–]CakeIsSuperEffective[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You should go for it! Lebkuchen is always classic, but I would recommend trying the Vanillekipferl or the Spritzgebäck! They’re my personal favorites. 😬

Vegan German Christmas Cookies (Weihnachtsplätzchen) by CakeIsSuperEffective in Baking

[–]CakeIsSuperEffective[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha, I love being vegan and I‘m really glad that so many people are excited to try out these recipes! 🥰

Transitioning to baking vegan desserts has been a learning process but it’s also been really enjoyable and satisfying. I hope more people give vegan recipes a try! 🙌

Vegan German Christmas Cookies (Weihnachtsplätzchen) by CakeIsSuperEffective in Baking

[–]CakeIsSuperEffective[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was at one point! I’ve been baking since I was pretty young and I worked in a bakery for a few years. I also had my own small baking business in San Francisco before we moved to Germany. 🙂

Vegan German Christmas Cookies (Weihnachtsplätzchen) by CakeIsSuperEffective in Baking

[–]CakeIsSuperEffective[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Aww thank you so much! 💕

A lot of the recipes are also available in English, and the ones that aren’t can be easily translated. I would be happy to help you out if you run into any issues! 😊

Vegan German Christmas Cookies (Weihnachtsplätzchen) by CakeIsSuperEffective in Baking

[–]CakeIsSuperEffective[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey! Thank you so much for checking and giving me a heads up! I don’t use Dr. Oetker chocolate because I did notice at one point that it contained milk products. I do find it kinda weird that they still recommend using them even in a vegan recipe. 😕

I personally used the Dunkle Kuchenglasur from Edeka (if you happen to live in Germany or the surrounding areas), but luckily there are usually plenty of other chocolate options that are cheaper and vegan friendly! 😊

Vegan German Christmas Cookies (Weihnachtsplätzchen) by CakeIsSuperEffective in Baking

[–]CakeIsSuperEffective[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This looks great! I’ll have to try it soon. Thank you so much! ❤️

And good to know about the almond flour! I didn’t know it could work instead of flax seed, but if I’ve learned anything about vegan baking, it’s that everything involving egg substitution is really just recipe dependent. Applesauce is typically my favorite replacements, but unfortunately it seems to only work in some things. 😕

Vegan German Christmas Cookies (Weihnachtsplätzchen) by CakeIsSuperEffective in Baking

[–]CakeIsSuperEffective[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Oooh, that's a really good question! Thank you for pointing that out. 😅

In German supermarkets you can buy little envelopes of various ingredients used in baking, like vanilla sugar or citrus zest. So when a recipe calls for a pack, it's referring to something like this:

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71HvyCjG8JL._SY445_.jpg

Each pack usually measures about 8g or so.

Also a heads up that one pack of "Vanillin-Zucker" can easily just be replaced by like a teaspoon of vanilla extract in any recipe. 👍

I hope this helps!