Questions tagged [phrase-request]
Suche geläufige Wendung - Questions on finding a phrase that fits a meaning.
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Paraphrasen gesucht: Jemandem die Sorgen nehmen
Ich suche nach Paraphrasen für folgenden Ausdruck:
Sie haben mir die Sorgen genommen
Gibt es hierfür vielleicht sogar ein einziges Wort, das "Sorgen nehmen" in diesem Anwendungsfall vollständig ...
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What can I send a German widow as a mark of respect?
It's nearly a year since my Gastvater died - what can I send his widow as a mark of respect? I was thinking of an engraved pebble with the phrase gone but never forgotten or German equivalent. I'd ...
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What's the translation of "Youth Leadership Development Foundation"? [closed]
I need a translation of this title "Youth Leadership Development Foundation" but I'm not sure if any of these titles is correct?
Especially I am struggling with a German term for Youth Leadership.
...
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Can someone tell me a sentence that sounds really angry involving cake [closed]
I want to angrily call one of my friends a cake in a German sentence, but I don’t know German.
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German equivalent of the phrase "poetic licence"
In English there is a phrase, "poetic licence". This means that the author's statement is not strictly true, but has been exaggerated or embroidered a little for the sake of dramatic effect. A similar ...
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German equivalent to "I rest my case"
Is there a German equivalent to "I rest my case, your honor". It is something typically said by the defense or prosecution in court when they are ready with questioning a witness.
user27258
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Is a literal, figurative, or idiomatic translation for "I only have eyes for you" most appropriate?
Some years ago, I tried to translate into German an English line:
I only have eyes for you.
My first attempt was a fairly literal one:
Meine Augen sind nur für dich.
Then I decided that a ...
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How to say 'test out of' as in skip a level in German?
When trying to talk about 'testing out of' a university course or a level in DuoLingo, for example, I cannot find a suitable dictionary translation. All the dictionaries I'm familiar with only ...
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Älter als Autos
Wenn man auf Englisch eine Figur in einem Roman sagen lässt: "I am older than cars", dann entsteht beim Leser die Vorstellung eines Wesens, das schon existiert hat, bevor es Autos gab. Wenn man ...
user33621
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How to express “getting caught up on” in german
I was wondering if somebody could help me with the following translation:
“I didn’t expect him to like the entire plan. But the first step was the first thing he got caught up on.”
That is, “get ...
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Is there a German equivalent for "self defeating"?
How would you express "self defeating" in German?
Specifically, to express that someone is taking a perspective or actions that are actually leading him or her away from their goal instead of ...
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How to express the following phrase "I don't like to do something"?
I have found several choices to express this phrase like "ungern etw machen", "nicht gern etw machen", "es nicht mögen, etw zu tun".
Which choice of these sounds the most ...
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Can you remind me again?
In English one often says things like
What was that movie you were telling me about again?
or
Could you tell me your name again?
The word "again" is a polite courtesy to tell the listener that ...
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English idiom for "Schluss mit Lustig"? [closed]
I was wondering how to best translate the German idiom "Schluss mit Lustig" which means something like "now it's serious, I'm not fooling around anymore".
I read on some wiki that "the party's over" ...
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How to express the beautifulness for the view of sunset behind the sea?
Does this express the meaning:
Besonders schön war der Anblick beim Sonnenuntergang Hinter dem Meer, als ob es das Paradies war.
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How do I express compassion in the case of sickness?
My question is as mentioned in the title. My try is
Es tut mir leid, dass du krank bist.
Are there other more typical sentences?
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How do you say "He was looking for you" in German?
I have a colleague X, and another person from the office named Y came looking for him but X was not on his seat. When X comes back, how do I tell him "Y came looking for you"?
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German equivalents of the English idiom “Don't come crawling/running back to me!”
In conversation with my friend, I said jokingly:
Aber komm nur nicht heulend bei mir angekrochen, wenn du ...
to express the idea of:
Don't come crawling/running back to me when you ...
Don't come ...
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Wie bezeichnet man irreführende Begriffe wie “Landfleischerei”?
Besonders beim Einkaufen trifft man all zu oft auf Bezeichnungen wie das Wort “Landfleischerei”, das wohl eine ländliche Idylle suggerieren soll, aber inhaltlich (glaube ich) genau dasselbe wie “...
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2
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German phrase to excuse unnecessary question
I am looking for a German phrase similar to the expression
Sorry for the noise.
used in English speaking forums.
I'd like to excuse an inquiry made in business correspondence that turned out to ...
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German equivalent of the Japanese expression 黄色い声援, “let out a yellow cheer”
In Japanese, we use the expression 黄色い声援, "(let out) a yellow cheer" to describe a collective ecstatic exclamation that extremely enthusiastic female fans utter at the sight of a famous actor or the ...
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2
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To catch someone‘s eye [closed]
Wie übersetzt man die Redewendung
to catch someone‘s eye
oft mit Bedienung bzw. Kellner benützt?
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"Laugh to myself" German equivalent
"Laughing to myself" is explained here: https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/laugh-to-myself.1707033/
Imagine a situation where you find something very amusing but it would
not be appropriate ...
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Expression for “flossing the cat”
In English, we sometimes say “I’m flossing the cat”. It’s slang and it is supposed to convey that you are busy while you actually aren’t. For example:
I would love to watch Twilight with you but I’...
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German equivalent for Tina Fey's quote, "Bitches get stuff done."
I am looking for a German expression of Tina Fey's quote “Bitches get stuff done.” So far, I have come up with:
Hündinnen machen Sachen erledigt
Miststücke machen Sachen erledigt
I have also ...
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Looking for a trauerspruch
I am looking for a phrase/saying/quote in German that has a special meaning to a relative who is terminally ill. I don't have much to go on, here is what I know:
My relative thinks he (most probably) ...
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1
answer
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Stil ist es erst dann, wenn man selbst keinen mehr hat
Lang ist’s her, aber ich schwöre Stein und Bein: Irgendjemand in der Kunstgeschichte sagte zu mir:
Stil ist es erst dann, wenn man selbst keinen mehr hat.
In der Bedeutung: Einen ...
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Translation of "run for food" (charity event)
In English, Run for Food is used as a title for charity events. Food (for others) is a reward for running, nobody is actually physically running to retrieve food.
How would that translate to German ...
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What is the German way of saying "potato, potato"?
The phrase is used in English with different pronunciation (po-tay-to, po-tah-to), as an example for two different ways of saying the same thing.
Is there a German phrase that can be used in the same ...
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Äquivalente Redewendung zum norwegischen »går det tretten av på dusinet« (»gibt es zu dreizehn im Dutzend«)
Gestern las ich in einem norwegischen Zeitungsartikel den folgenden Satz:
Selvtitulerte digitaliseringseksperter som skråsikkert forteller om
hvordan samfunnet vil utvikle seg går det tretten av ...
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"Auf Wiederschreiben" als Abschiedsgruß?
Am Ende eines Treffens kann man Auf Wiedersehen als Abschiedsgruß benutzen. Am Ende eines Telefongesprächs kann man Auf Wiederhören sagen.
Kann man am Ende eines Briefs oder einer E-Mail Auf ...
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Looking for a German quote about politics and opinions
I am searching for a German quote I read some time time ago.
Here is what I remember:
It is about politics
The general meaning was something like this: Don't adopt the opinion/beliefs of the public....
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3
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How would you translate Enchanté?
The French word Enchanté means "Nice to meet you" or "Delighted". What is the most idiomatic way to say this in German? Google Translate gives verzauberte but I doubt this is idiomatic.
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How do you say happy birthday?
I'm really surprised this question has not been asked. I would like to know, how do you say "Happy birthday!" in German? I plugged this into Google Translate, and got the following.
Alles Gute zum ...
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Expressing "getting into something" in German
I'm having trouble expressing "getting into something" in German.
I mean this in the following sense:
At first I didn't like the book, but then I began to get into it (started to enjoy it).
I could ...
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German equivalent for "look and feel"
I’m drafting a ‘handwritten’letter to a good friend who has been studying German for the past three years. I’m using my computer to ‘write’ the letter, using the “Mistral” font in 16 point size. The ...
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German phrase or idiom for "Stay put!"
I'm looking for the German phrase most likely to be used in a tense, dangerous situation (in which a sudden move could get one shot) to warn people to stay put.
To be more precise, the warning is ...
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How to say “by the way” (BTW) in German?
How can I write a by the way shortly in German?
For example:
BTW, that is my mobile number → _____, das ist meine Handynummer.
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What is a good German idiom for "straight and narrow?"
I’m referring to the tendency of some people to follow a straight, unbranched path, with no deviations. For instance, waiting for a stoplight to change to green even at midnight even though there are ...
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Signing Yearbooks
I don't know if you guys do this in Germany, but in America we sign yearbooks right before summer vacation. We normally say stuff like "Have a great summer!" or "Let's keep in touch." or "It's been a ...
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How to order chicken at the supermarket?
If I'm at the supermarket and want to order a piece of chicken breast, do I say
Ich möchte ein stück Hähnchen bitte.
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What’s the German equivalent of the Latin phrase: “Non ducor, duco”?
What’s the German equivalent of the following Latin phrase:
Non ducor, duco. – I am not led; I lead.
Conditions:
It does not have to carry the same literal meaning.
It should carry the same ...
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What is the German equivalent of "make a difference"?
I am looking for the German equivalent of the phrase "make a difference", like in the sentence "In my job, I want to do something that really makes a difference".
Would "etwas zu bewegen" be a good ...
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How to politely tell someone I'd rather speak English with him than German
I am waiting a call from a German native speaker and I'd like to tell him, that even though I can speak German relatively okay, I'd rather speak English as it's easier.
Ich bevorzuge Englisch ...
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How could I say "I am a green hand"?
I am a new hand. Literally it is "Ich bin eine neue Hand" in German.
I am a green hand. Correspond to "Ich bin eine grüne Hand".
I don't know if the translations above are correct or not. What is the ...
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What is an idiomatic German equivalent of the Japanese expression: “… makes even a 100-year-old love turn cold”?
百年の恋も冷める
= (Something trivial) makes even a 100-year-old love turn cold/sour (in an instant).
In Japan, people commonly use this expression in a jocular and sarcastic manner to refer to the short-...
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Atheistisches Äquivalent von »Gott bewahre«?
Gott bewahre wird als ein Nebensatz verwendet, wenn der Sprechende hofft, dass das Genannte nicht auftritt:
Und wenn er, Gott bewahre, tatsächlich krank wird ...
Gibt es dafür ein sprachlich ...
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How to say "Not even a year has gone by!" but with irony?
In Russian, if one says
Не прошло и года!
(literally Not even a year has gone by!)
it can, depending on the context, be meant and understood with irony.
E.g. one expected a certain event to ...
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German equivalent of “a few tens”
How would you render an order of magnitude of a few tens in German?
I could think of:
zweistellig (two digits), but that could go up to 99 which is over 9 tens and doesn't really feel like a few
...
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Alternative for ‘gute Besserung’?
Can gute Besserung be said for someone who’s fighting cancer? Or is it just for illnesses that are not life-threatening such as flu?
Does an acceptable alternative to gute Besserung exist for life-...
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