I want to name my YouTube channel "Girl Pockets". Do I need the definite article "die" or can I just call it Mädchentaschen?
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4First of all, you can name your YouTube channel however you see fit. Next, you probably want to read about the indefinite plural article.– infinitezeroFeb 2 at 21:56
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3'die' is a definite article– planetmakerFeb 2 at 23:03
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As mentioned, you can name it whatever you want. It's the translation of "Girl Pockets" and does not require the definite article in this context. Also could imply that there is multiple "Girl Pockets" or the channel is about a group of people who identify as "Die Mädchentaschen". It really depends on the content but that falls outside the scope of the german language SE.– hakim00Feb 3 at 0:54
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1As a side note: while "Mädchentaschen" certainly is a literal translation of "girl pockets", it IMHO does not convey the same connotations as 'girl' is in my experienced used slightly broader than the German 'Mädchen'... you might want to go for a different translation depending on the actual topic of that channel– planetmakerFeb 3 at 6:57
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1 Answer
You don't need the article in a title.
If you do use the definite article "die" here, you get a different meaning. Much like in English, it would mean that you refer to special, known, definite girl pockets. If you leave it out, it means that you refer to girls pockets in general. "The girl pockets" would mean something different, and so would "Die Mädchentaschen".
Using no article in plural is like using the indefinite article in singular. In German as well as in English, "Girl pockets" is actually the plural of "A girl pocket".
Off topic: If you're talking about pockets in dresses, trousers etc. and not exclusively refering to "girls" in the sense of kids and very young women (< 25y), it might be better to call it "Frauentaschen" or "Mädelstaschen" or something else. "Mädchen" has a more narrow sense in German than "girl" has in English. Especially, it isn't used by women to refer to other women or their female friends ("me and my girls"). "Mädels" is sometimes used in that sense. Also, "Taschen" includes purses, bags, pouches etc. Maybe there are already German speakers in your audience who know the vibe of your channel and have some ideas. If your channel's videos are in English anyway, you could also consider just using the English title for German, too, perhaps adding a German subtitle. German speakers are used to that. For example, film and TV show titles are often just using the English title nowadays ("Two and a half men", "How I met your mother", "The Big Bang theory").
