Today's words · 🍿 Streaming
Binge-watcher's German: 10 streaming words
A2B1B2
Want to learn German from TV series? First you need to know that a “season” isn't Saison.
Saturday night, and a German friend asks, “Hast du die neue Staffel schon geguckt?” You want to say you stayed up till 2 am for one more episode and that your subscriptions cost too much — but the words won't come.
Today's ten words are all about series and streaming. With them you can talk about your favourite show and even cancel a subscription in German. Popcorn ready? 🍿
📋 The ten words at a glance
- die Serie — series; (TV) series
- streamen — to stream
- der Streamingdienst — streaming service
- die Folge — consequence, result; episode (TV)
- die Staffel — season (of a TV series); relay (race)
- das Abo — subscription; season ticket
- abonnieren — to subscribe (to)
- kündigen — to cancel (a contract); to quit (a job); to give notice, to dismiss
- gucken — to look, to watch (colloquial)
- die Bildschirmzeit — screen time
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
die Serie
[ZAY-ree-uh]series; (TV) series(Pl. die Serien)
📌 Ich schaue gerade eine spannende Serie.
→ I'm watching an exciting series at the moment.
💡 Just like English series 📺 Borrowed words ending in -ie are mostly die.
Bonus to binge a series = eine Serie am Stück schauen
streamen
[STREE-men]to stream(streamt – hat gestreamt)
📌 Wir streamen Filme lieber, als ins Kino zu gehen.
→ We prefer streaming films to going to the cinema.
💡 English stream + -en 🌊 The perfect is easy too: hat gestreamt
Bonus The noun: das Streaming
der Streamingdienst
[STREE-ming-deenst]streaming service(Pl. die Streamingdienste)
📌 Für drei Streamingdienste zahlen wir fast 40 Euro im Monat.
→ We pay almost 40 euros a month for three streaming services.
💡 streamen + Dienst (service) 🛎️ Dienst is masculine, so der.
⚠ Plural: die Streamingdienste
die Folge
[FOL-guh]consequence, result; episode (TV)(Pl. die Folgen)
📌 Das hat schlimme Folgen.
→ That has serious consequences.
💡 From folgen (to follow) ➡️ Each episode follows the last.
⚠ It also means consequence: Das hat Folgen.
die Staffel
[SHTAF-el]season (of a TV series); relay (race)(Pl. die Staffeln)
📌 Die neue Staffel der Serie startet im Herbst.
→ The new season of the series starts in the fall.
💡 Originally a step 🪜 Season 1, season 2 — climbing one step at a time!
⚠ A TV season is Staffel, not Saison.
das Abo
[AH-bo]subscription; season ticket(Pl. die Abos)
📌 Ich habe mein Abo für die Zeitung gekündigt.
→ I've cancelled my newspaper subscription.
💡 Short for das Abonnement 📰 Everyone just says Abo.
Bonus A season ticket for public transport is also an Abo.
abonnieren
[ah-bo-NEE-ren]to subscribe (to)(abonniert – hat abonniert)
📌 Ich habe eine Zeitschrift über Fotografie abonniert.
→ I've subscribed to a photography magazine.
💡 The verb behind Abo, from French 🔔 Also used for subscribing to a channel.
⚠ An -ieren verb, so no ge-: hat abonniert
kündigen
[KUEN-di-gen]to cancel (a contract); to quit (a job); to give notice, to dismiss(kündigt – hat gekündigt)
📌 Er hat seine Stelle gekündigt.
→ He quit his job.
💡 It once meant “to announce” ✂️ You announce you're leaving — contract cancelled!
⚠ Also for quitting a job or being fired: Mir wurde gekündigt. = I was let go.
gucken
[GOOK-en]to look, to watch (colloquial)(guckt – hat geguckt)
📌 Wollen wir heute Abend einen Film gucken?
→ Shall we watch a film tonight?
💡 Sounds a bit like “look” with a G 👀 Casual “watch” in the north and centre.
Bonus In the south people usually say schauen: einen Film schauen
die Bildschirmzeit
[BILT-sheerm-tsite]screen time(Sg.)
📌 Eltern sollten die Bildschirmzeit ihrer Kinder begrenzen.
→ Parents should limit their children's screen time.
💡 Bildschirm (screen) + Zeit (time) ⏰ Zeit makes it die.
Bonus to cut down = die Bildschirmzeit reduzieren
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
Most foreign films and series in Germany are dubbed into German. Big Hollywood stars often have their own regular German voice actor, so the voice almost becomes part of the star.
For learning, try rewatching a series you already know with German audio and German subtitles. Since you know the story, your ears can focus on the words.
Also, in Germany many contracts renew automatically unless you actively kündigen. When you sign up for a subscription, check how and by when you can cancel! 📅
✅ Quick quiz
Q. Season 3 of your favourite show starts in autumn. Which sentence is right?
- ① Die dritte Saison startet im Herbst.
- ② Die dritte Staffel startet im Herbst.
- ③ Das dritte Abo startet im Herbst.
Show the answer
② Die dritte Staffel startet im Herbst.
A TV season is a Staffel; Saison is for holidays or sport.
When you watch something tonight, count the Folgen and Staffeln out loud in German. Just one more episode, right? 😉
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 🎵 Music & songs