Angela Merkel has often been referred to as 'mutti' - which means mother in German. Where did this nickname come from and who is she really? That's what Sam and Neil talk about, as they teach you related vocabulary.

This week's question
Who was Germany’s first ever chancellor? Was it:
a) Otto von Bismarck
b) Helmut Schmidt
c) Or Franz von Papen

Listen to the programme to find out the answer.

chancellor
person in the highest position in a government or a university

hardline
describes someone with traditional and strict beliefs that can’t be easily changed

put down
insult, used to make someone feel stupid or embarrassed

put in their place
made to feel less important than they are trying to be

cliches
phrases or ideas that have become meaningless because they’ve been overused

deadpan
serious facial expression that shows no emotion

To download the audio and a transcript, go to:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish...

[Cover: Getty Images]

More 6 Minute English episodes:
Going through the menopause
https://youtu.be/z2JsYmGmF8E

'I love my language!'
https://youtu.be/2z6A62BO2zc

Making sense of the census
https://youtu.be/u6GOoQnJicg

How can we make the web a better place?
https://youtu.be/wMQjmpVgor8​​

Learn to talk about broken hearts in 6 minutes!
https://youtu.be/WBLuy_YU-Zw​​

Coronavirus vs other pandemics
https://youtu.be/kjVd228S-yQ​​

#bbclearningenglish #learnenglish #angelamerkel