5

I recently got a used book that has the following bookmark on it: enter image description here

Transcription: "lesen macht spass... Ganz wirklich ehrlich!" I understand the first part ("reading is fun") but am struggling with the second part. My understanding is this the literal translation is "quite really honestly." I don't understand what this means, though. Is this idiomatic?

Improve this question
3
  • I tried to look up the website for context because this reads as not quite sincere to me, while it being written on a bookmark implies that it is probably meant literally. The site is not reachable. What I found instead is that totoo in some language from the Philippines means "true, factual". Very fitting, although likely a coincidence.
    – Anonyma
    Commented Dec 1 at 8:15
  • In English, you might say "Really and truly!"
    – TonyK
    Commented Dec 1 at 14:44
  • I read the symbol in a red circle between "wirklich" and "ehrlich" as a plus sign, to be read as a simple "and".
    – Peter - Reinstate Monica
    Commented Dec 2 at 17:57

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
8

You seem to have not noticed the "+"-sign in between. This is stands for "und" (and) and the whole is a sort-of pun:

Reading is fun - quite really (and) honestly

What makes it (well, not so much, IMHO) funny is the over-emphasizing. It is possible to use "wirklich" as well as "ehrlich" to emphasize an utterance:

This is so.
This is so, really!
This is so, honestly!

The same in German:

Das ist so.
Das is so, wirklich!
Das is so, ehrlich!

It is even possible (colloquially) to use "ganz ehrlich" in about the meaning "if you ask me, this, in fact is my opinion". Like e.g.

Q: Soll ich das tun?
A: Also, ganz ehrlich, ich tät's nicht.

So, combining all that is what is written there - again, perhaps meant to be facetious (as I have just learned), but I am hard pressed to find the humor.

Improve this answer
4
  • 3
    I'd call it "facetious" rather than funny. I think the upshot is that German speakers, just like everyone else, do occasionally engage in wordplay, and you can't expect every sentence you see to conform to Duden.
    – RDBury
    Commented Nov 30 at 19:53
  • 1
    @RDBury: I bow to your great english vocabulary, but I even fail to see the facetiousness. Nevertheless, I have learned a word and so writing this answer was already my gain. Thank you!
    – bakunin
    Commented Nov 30 at 21:29
  • 1
    Your English is better than my German, so if you add them up I suppose you're still ahead. Anyway, this begs the question, what would be the best German word for this? I'm thinking "scherzhaft" in this context, but I had to look that up so now we've both learned a new word.
    – RDBury
    Commented Dec 1 at 3:36
  • @RDBury: yes, "scherzhaft" is a good choice. It is built from "Scherz" (joke) and the suffix "-haft" ("-like", "-ous").
    – bakunin
    Commented Dec 1 at 7:52
11

I would translate the phrase here as "totally for realz, trust me". This matches the original in two important aspects:

  • It doesn't adhere to formal grammar, but is readily understood by native speakers somewhat familiar with slang.
  • The sarcasm where the expression is so positive that it becomes inherently mistrusted.
Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.