Sandra Köktas

Sandra lives in Istanbul, together with her kids, cat and dog. As a historian she thrives exploring this ancient city with her two- and four-legged loved ones. Together, they also love to go on adventures through all of Turkey and its neighboring countries. The perfect opportunity to put all the language learning into practice. If she’s not on the road, Sandra is busy putting her experiences into writing as a freelance copywriter for the travel industry and everything related to language, culture and family. Her particular interest lies in providing information on animal welfare with her website contentrundumstier.de

Latest posts by Sandra Köktaş

Woman in a bathing suit sitting in a whirlpool in a German spa town

Dec 11, 2023

The 6 best German spa towns

German spa towns are more than simply places to unwind for a long weekend. The best spa towns in Germany...

Red house in Sweden with a Swedish flag as a presentation of Swedish vs. German language

Dec 11, 2023

German vs. Swedish: How close are they

If you speak German, you can probably understand a few words of Swedish. Perhaps you can even roughly guess the...

Young African woman looking at her watching learning the times of day in German

Dec 11, 2023

Mastering the times of the day in German

Throughout a typical 24-hour cycle in Germany, you will find consistent cause to refer to different times of the day...

Couple with baby enjoying parental leave in Germany

Dec 07, 2023

Parental leave in Germany: Your questions answered

Balancing a career and family in Germany is more manageable thanks to Germany’s relatively generous parental leave policies. Elternzeit (parental...

Young student learning the infinitive with zu in German

Dec 07, 2023

Mastering the infinitive with ‘zu’ in German

The zu infinitive clause in German is a dependent infinitive clause with no explicit subject and no conjugated verb. This...

People celebrating Witches' night in Germany

Dec 06, 2023

Witches’ Night in Germany: An enchanting experience

Walpurgisnacht, also called Hexennacht or Hexensabbat, is a holiday celebrated on April 30 in parts of Germany. Inspired by folkloric...

Smiling woman looking at her laptop studying the German plurals

Nov 23, 2023

German plurals: Mastering the rules and exceptions

The plural is one of the first noun categories you will have to master in German. After all, some things...

Afro-American woman typing on a calculator studying the German ordinal numbers

Oct 20, 2023

How to form and use German ordinal numbers

Ordinal numbers are among the first and most important vocabulary to learn in German. These numbers — which describe the...

Two smiling people in a job interview discussing if they want to go with

Oct 20, 2023

‘Du’ or ‘Sie’? A guide to formal vs. informal ‘you’ in German

In your very first conversation with a German, you will need to decide whether to address them with du or...

young woman sitting on a couch reading funny German last names on her phone

Oct 12, 2023

A guide to the funniest and most common German surnames

 Most Germans have surnames with roots in common occupations (think: Müller) that date back to the early Middle Ages. Others...

People clingin beer glasses and saying

Oct 06, 2023

4 ways to say “cheers” in German

Whether you’re meeting friends at a Biergarten or raising a glass of Riesling to celebrate a special moment, there’s always...

A girl holding a cup of coffee and her smartphone reading how to use zu in German

Oct 06, 2023

How to use “zu” in German

Zu is one of the most versatile words in German. The little word may consist of only two letters, but...