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Dear email,
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The world is burning – quite literally. In this newsletter, we speak to a wildfire firefighter about what it’s like to face the flames.
It can be hard to think about life’s pleasures when there’s so much wrong with the world. Perhaps that helps explain the so-called “sex recession”: people are having less and less sex. Find out what’s keeping people from it below.
But there’s good news when it comes to love, too. In a small village on Ireland’s west coast, the Lisdoonvarna matchmaking festival is in full swing. Throughout September, singles can spend an entire month there in search of romance, and, thanks to Ireland’s only traditional matchmaker’s lucky book, perhaps even marriage.
My colleague Inez Sharp will be back with another ZEIT für Englisch newsletter in two weeks’ time. For now, practise your English below, listen to our podcast, follow us on social media and subscribe to Spotlight and/or Business Spotlight.
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Rachel Preece
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Editor, Business Spotlight
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literally: im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes | wildfire: Lauffeuer, Flächenbrand | face sth.: sich etw. gegenübersehen | matchmaking: Partnervermittlung | be in full swing: in vollem Gang sein | subscribe to sth.: etw. abonnieren | editor: Redakteur(in)
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Word of the Week
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ghostlighting
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Did you know...? In dating, ghostlighting combines ghosting (disappearing without a trace) with gaslighting (manipulating someone so that they doubt reality). The person disappears, then reappears as if nothing has happened. It’s been described as a toxic dating trend, as defined by Psychology Today.
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disappear: verschwinden | without a trace: spurlos | doubt: zweifeln | reappear: wieder erscheinen
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© Illustration: Georg Lechner
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Anzeige
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Ins Englische eintauchen – mit tollem Programm, freundlichen Native Speakern und erstaunlich viel Spaß
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You understand English – but would like to speak it more freely?
Bei Englischhausen erleben Sie sechs intensive Tage voller Gespräche, gemeinsamer Aktivitäten und Englisch vom Frühstück bis zum Abend.
So entsteht mitten in Deutschland eine kleine englischsprachige Welt – für mehr Sprachgefühl, mehr Sicherheit und flüssigeres Englisch.
Regelmäßige Kurse, Ermäßigungen und Last-Minute-Plätze verfügbar. Alle Altersgruppen und Niveaus sind herzlich willkommen.
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© Image: Englischhausen
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Culture
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Looking for love in Ireland
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When a small Irish village in County Clare starts teeming with singles, it can mean only one thing: the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival is on.
The month-long singles festival, which began in 1857, is the biggest in Europe. Held every September, it offers music and dancing in every bar from noon until late at night.
But the main attraction is Willie Daly, Ireland’s only traditional matchmaker. Interested singles can visit Willie at the Matchmaker Bar. It’s said that if you touch his “lucky book” with both hands, you’ll be married within six months.
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teem with sth.: von etw. nur so wimmeln | matchmaker: Heiratsvermittler(in)
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© Image: Eamon Ward Photography
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Quiz
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Matchmaking
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1. In colonial New England, Ireland and Britain, long distances could make courtship difficult. So what was “bundling”?
A) Potential couples travelled to meet in a town halfway between them.
B) People went on group dates to meet several potential partners at once.
C) Having travelled to meet, a couple shared a bed overnight, separated by a “bundling board” or tucked into a “bundling sack”.
2. In Wales, what is a “llwy garu”?
A) A lovespoon: a wooden spoon, intricately carved and given to someone as a romantic gift
B) An omelette made by a suitor the morning after a couple’s first night together
C) A Valentine’s card
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courtship: Liebeswerben | bundling board: hier: Kennenlernbrett (bundling = Bündelung) | be tucked into sth.: in etw. hineingesteckt sein | bundling sack: hier: Kennenlernsack | intricately: filigran, kunstvoll | carved: geschnitzt | suitor (veraltet): Verehrer
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© Illustration: Georg Lechner
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Society
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The sex recession
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Young people are having less sex, and The New York Times recently published an article with the sub-headline “Is celibacy cool now?”. Technology and a growing focus on platonic relationships are two reasons behind this trend, but is that all that’s going on? Spotlight’s Mae McCreary spoke to Dr Debra Soh, a Canadian sex neuroscientist, to ask her why this is happening.
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© Image: Katie Silvester / Kintzing / Connected Archives
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Profile
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Food for free
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Unhappy at the state of his industry and the actions of the US government, restaurant owner Dylan Alverson made a radical change to his business model in January 2026. He decided to stop charging customers for food. His diner, called the Modern Times, which he has run since 2011, is located in Minneapolis, close to where a 37-year-old mother, Renée Good, was killed by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, in January 2026. Enraged by this event, Alverson organized a meeting with his employees to discuss how they could support the local community, which he felt was disintegrating. “We will function as a free and donation-based restaurant,” he wrote on Instagram. “I am sick of generating money for the soldiers in our streets and for a government that won’t protect us – a government who is actively inflicting daily harm on its citizens.”
After changing the name of the restaurant to the Post Modern Times, Alverson launched a pay-what-you-wish model, and he no longer pays tax on sales. Everyone is welcome – except ICE agents. Instead of getting a bill at the end of their meal, customers are given the opportunity to donate, if they can. “We have a lot of customers that are very used to being discriminated against,” Alverson told The New York Times. “This is a blessed place,” one truck driver said.
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charge sb. for sth.: jmdm. etw. in Rechnung stellen | run sth.: etw. führen, betreiben | US Immigration and Customs Enforcement: US-Einwanderungs- und Zollbehörde | enraged: wütend, aufgebracht | disintegrate: auseinanderfallen | free: hier: kostenlos | donation-based: auf Spendenbasis | be sick of sth.: von etw. die Nase voll haben | inflict sth. on sb.: jmdm. etw. zufügen, antun | harm: (körperlicher) Schaden, Leid | launch sth.: hier: etw. starten, einführen | donate: spenden | blessed: hier: gesegnet
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© Image: CAROLINE YANG / Redux / laif
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Interview
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Managing wildfires
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According to World Resources Institute (WRI) data, extreme wildfire activity has more than doubled globally. Business Spotlight author Melita Cameron-Wood spoke to Dean Ferreira, a firefighter from South Africa and founding member of the International Wildfire Alliance (IWA), about his work.
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wildfire: Lauffeuer, Flächenbrand | founding member: Gründungsmitglied
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© Image: Charl Steenkamp / NCC Environmental Services
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Hefte testen
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Spotlight und Business Spotlight: für 1 € testen!
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Podcast
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Salad days are over!
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The nights are drawing in, and for some of us, it’s a joy. It’s time for crumbles, pies and soups again! Listen to the Spotlight team discuss their favourite comfort food in this episode of English, please!
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draw in: hier: länger werden | comfort food: Wohlfühlessen
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© Image: bernashafo via Canva.com
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Quiz
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Pubs and beer
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There’s nothing better than chatting about world affairs over a cold beer with mates in a pub. See how much you know about pub culture in our fun quiz!
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mate: Kumpel
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© Image: Amie Johnson / Unsplash.com
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Mitarbeit: Dennis Draber, Judith Gilbert, Susanne Krause, Mae McCreary, Richard Mote, Rachel Preece, Inez Sharp, Lorraine Turner Akcakaya.
Sie haben diesen Newsletter zurzeit an die Adresse subs@emailshot.io bestellt. Eine Abmeldung ist jederzeit über Newsletter-Abmeldung möglich. Bitte antworten Sie nicht auf diese E-Mail. Bitte wenden Sie sich an abo@zeit-sprachen.de.
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USt-IdNr.: DE -265 -973 -410 Datenschutz | AGB | Impressum | Kontakt © ZEIT SPRACHEN GmbH 2026
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