How to translate “add” as in “add me on Skype”?

Question

How to translate the "add" when talking about social networks?

Please add me on Skype.

I'll add you on Facebook.

Answer 1

Frankly speaking, the most common word you say is "adden". If you want to be a bit more formal, or try to avoid the English word, I'd go with "hinzufügen".

The alternative is to use the word "einladen" which means "to invite", or to use the substantive "Einladung".

Adde mich doch bitte in Facebook/Skype.

Kann ich dich zu meiner Freundesliste hinzufügen?

Schickst du mir ne Einladung/Freundschaftsanfrage?

Ich lad dich noch heute Abend ein.

Of course, there is indeed one way to avoid the problem:

A: Bist du eigentlich bei Facebook?

B: Ja, klar.

A: Wie finde ich dich denn?

B: Mein vollständiger Name ist ...

A: Super, dann schaue ich nachher mal, ob ich dich finde.

Answer 2

There is no real good translation because the best word "hinzufügen" is transitive in german while "to add" is intransitive in english.

The correct translation of "to add" is either addieren which is only used in context of mathematics: Ich addiere eins zu zwei und erhalte drei (I add one to two and get three), or hinzufügen which is used in all other situations.

The problem is: hinzufügen is a transitive Verb. So when you use "hinzufügen", then you must say to what you are adding something. The english to add is intransitive. There is no need to say to what you are adding something.

example

I add Tom.

This sentence is complete in english, but it contains not enough information to be translated into correct german. You have no information to what Tom is added here.

In german you would say:

Ich füge Tom meinen Kontakten hinzu.

(Watch how hinzufügen is splitted into füge and hinzu).
This sentence translated into english gives:

I add Tom to my contacts.

But to my contacts was missing in the first sentence, and so it could not be translated 1:1.

other examples

Please add me on Skype.
Please add me on Google+.

You say on what platform you want to be added (on Skype or Google+), but you don't tell to what you want to be added (to your friends contacts or circles). So this sentence can not be translated into correct german as it is.

Correct german sentences would be:

Bitte füge mich auf Skype deinen Kontakten hinzu.
Bitte füge mich auf Google+ einem deiner Kreise hinzu.

Which gives in english:

Please add me to your contacts on Skype.
Please add me to one of your circles on Google+.

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To avoid the problem of the missing destination of the adding-process, young digital citicens invented the word adden which can be used the same way as to add in english:

Ich adde Tom.
Bitte adde mich auf Skype.
Bitte adde mich auf Google+.

But adden is only known to young digital citicens. I am 47 years old. It feels strange to me and most other people in my age to use this word. I know this word, but I don't use it. Many people older then 30 don't even know adden.

Answer 3

There is no better word than "adden". People unfamiliar with social networks may not understand the word, but as the alternatives (hinzufügen, aufnehmen, eintragen) are much longer and require a pronoun, it is the best choice.

Answer 4

• füg mich hinzu
• nimm mich auf
• trag mich ein
• inkludiere mich
• mach mich zu Deinem ... bei ...
• setz mich auf Deine Kontaktliste/Freundesliste