Greatest Hits

25 votes

6 answers

68k views

List of 1000+ (most common) German nouns with plural form

Has anyone managed to find a list of this kind in a tabular form, possibly with articles? Something like this would be ideal: ---------------------------- das Kind | die Kinder | der Hund | ...

Danilo Radenovic

369

asked Jul 23, 2013 at 10:55

29 votes

6 answers

233k views

Was ist die korrekte Anrede in E-Mails an Personen, die man nicht persönlich kennt?

Was ist die korrekte Anrede in E-Mails an Personen, die man nicht persönlich kennt? Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren oder Sehr geehrte Frau / Herr ... Beides klingt sehr formell, Hallo oder ...

swegi

2,173

asked May 25, 2011 at 9:05

81 votes

17 answers

380k views

What’s the difference between “Ich habe dich lieb” and “Ich liebe dich”?

What’s the difference between Ich habe dich lieb and Ich liebe dich? Both are defined as “I love you” in many dictionaries, as I’ve checked.

user508

asked Aug 29, 2011 at 21:37

30 votes

3 answers

120k views

How to read years in German?

The year 1995 is read in English nineteen ninety-five. This means we read the first two digits as a single number and then the next two digits, with the same rule. Is this rule true in German? I ...

Jimmy

1,237

asked May 16, 2015 at 5:14

15 votes

4 answers

69k views

Wie drückt man auf Deutsch die Uhrzeit aus?

Wie nennt man auf Deutsch die Uhrzeit? Ich kenne die Varianten viertel nach zwei zwei Uhr fünfzehn viertel drei Gibt es eine offizielle "Zeitsprache"? How do you express the time of day in ...

swegi

2,173

asked May 28, 2011 at 21:14

77 votes

8 answers

474k views

What is the difference in usage between “vielen Dank” and “Danke schön”?

I know that they are both essentially polite and mean Thanks a lot, Many thanks etc. but I’ve always wondered if there is a specific difference between the two. Is there a specific context or ...

CraigTP

1,141

asked Jan 28, 2012 at 19:22

19 votes

12 answers

336k views

What are informal ways to say "good bye"?

In German you may say Auf Wiedersehen or Guten Tag when leaving. Both seem rather formal and may be inappropriate in a non-formal context. What would be the alternatives? In what context can we use ...

Community wiki

Takkat

29 votes

7 answers

295k views

How does a German say "Nice to meet you"?

In English it is common to reply with "Nice to meet you" when you were introduced to somebody. Likewise you say "Was nice to meet you" on leaving. Are there any similar phrases a German would use in ...

Takkat

70.1k

asked Oct 20, 2012 at 22:19

41 votes

9 answers

295k views

Woher kommt "pfiat di"/"pfiat eich" als Abschiedsformel im bayerischen Raum?

Im südöstlichen deutschsprachigen Raum, genauer: im Bairischen Sprachraum (Bayern, Österreich {ausser Vorarlberg und Ausserfern/Reutte/Tirol} und Südtirol), teilweise noch in Bairisch-Schwaben ...

Tomalak

2,239

asked May 25, 2011 at 11:39

83 votes

10 answers

196k views

Difference between "weil" and "denn"

Both mean because. I know that denn does not change the sentence structure of the subordinate clause, but weil does, i.e. pushing the verb to the end. Other than that, is there a difference between ...

elssar

985

asked Dec 7, 2012 at 4:16

8 votes

3 answers

77k views

How to express the condolence?

How to express the condolence to someone who lost somebody? Like for example a death of a husband or wife?

BЈовић

1,345

asked Dec 2, 2011 at 9:02

39 votes

3 answers

297k views

Kommt vor "dass" ein Komma, wenn es zusammen mit einem Verbindungswort steht?

Wenn ein Nebensatz durch ein "dass" eingeleitet wird, muss bekanntlich ein Komma notiert werden: Ich finde es gut, dass ich groß bin. Was aber ist wenn vor dem "dass" noch ein Verbindungswort ...

kiritsuku

765

asked Aug 28, 2011 at 22:41

17 votes

2 answers

124k views

The difference between "mein" and "meine"

______ Hemden sind weiß. This was an exercise in the Duolingo app where you had to fill in the blank, and there were two options given: 1) Mein 2) Meine I selected Mein which I found to be ...

Four Seasons

273

asked Feb 27, 2015 at 7:40

14 votes

5 answers

219k views

What is an acceptable response to "wie geht's"?

If someone asks me how something is or how I am doing, for example if someone asks me "wie geht's?" Is it okay to respond with "alles gut" or should I say "Alles ist gut?"

user10804

141

asked Oct 16, 2014 at 22:59

81 votes

3 answers

146k views

When to use "gern" vs. "gerne"

What is the difference between "gern" and "gerne"? When should each be used? An example I used in a previous question was: Ich esse gern Pizza is that better or worse than: Ich esse gerne ...

Matt Fenwick

2,338

asked Mar 8, 2012 at 1:20

21 votes

6 answers

127k views

What is the difference between “in” and “im”?

When do you use im and when do you use in? I’m taking introduction to German, and have seen both of them being used as in in English.

alamoot

329

asked May 19, 2014 at 5:52

13 votes

5 answers

174k views

„Danke für Ihre Bemühungen/Mühe“ in Brief oder E-Mail

Die Frage zielt nicht auf formelle Brief-Gestaltung ab, sondern auf die Frage, ob ein Dank für „Bemühungen“ oder „Mühe“ das Falsche ausdrückt oder die richtige Konnotation transportiert. Während „...

dakab

2,223

asked Dec 13, 2016 at 8:23

35 votes

10 answers

194k views

Schlussformel für Beschwerdebrief?

Diese Frage wurde auch hier (auf Englisch) beantwortet: How to end a complaint letter in German Standardschlussformel für förmliche Briefe ist ja „Mit freundlichen Grüßen“. Wenn ich nun aber einen ...

magnattic

555

asked Jun 28, 2011 at 21:01

68 votes

5 answers

118k views

When to use Perfekt and Präteritum?

What’s the guideline as to when to use Perfekt and Präteritum? I was always taught that the simplest rule is Präteritum (mostly) for written forms, and Perfekt is most common in spoken language. But ...

Karol J. Piczak

933

asked May 25, 2011 at 11:26

24 votes

17 answers

72k views

Wie schreibt man Umlaute und scharfes S auf nichtdeutschen Tastaturen?

How do you write Umlauts and ß on non-German keyboards? Wie schreibt man Umlaute und ß auf einer US-Tastatur?

Phira

13.6k

asked May 31, 2011 at 18:29

34 votes

31 answers

61k views

Gibt es andere Sätze wie "Wenn Fliegen hinter Fliegen fliegen, fliegen Fliegen Fliegen hinterher"?

Man muss die Grammatik richtig verstanden haben, um diesen Satz zu verstehen: (zwei Varianten) Wenn Fliegen hinter Fliegen fliegen, fliegen Fliegen Fliegen hinterher. Wenn hinter Fliegen Fliegen ...

Community wiki

6 revs, 3 users 90%
BudgieInWA

36 votes

1 answer

190k views

»Karlsruhe, den 29. Juli 2012« – warum »den«?

Wenn man in einem Schriftstück den Ort und das Datum schreibt, dann kenne ich das so: [Ort], den [Datum] also z.B.: Karlsruhe, den 29. Juli 2012 Warum schreibt man den? Warum nicht der wie in ...

Martin Thoma

2,073

asked Jul 29, 2012 at 10:12

28 votes

6 answers

86k views

What is the difference between "wie" and "was" in a certain context?

When do you use wie and was in German? For example: What is your name? I understand you ask the question with wie instead of was.

Debbie

297

asked Apr 3, 2012 at 18:23

24 votes

4 answers

86k views

When to use "gibt es" and "es gibt", respectively?

Being new to German, I am not properly affiliated with the correct grammatical use of gibt es and es gibt. All I know is that they both mean there is in English. So in what scenarios do I use each one ...

hyp3r

365

asked Mar 26, 2014 at 19:01

10 votes

2 answers

58k views

When to use "der" or "den"?

Die Frau isst der Apfel. Die Frau isst den Apfel. Are these both the same?

Sniper Jones

145

asked Aug 20, 2014 at 2:42

4 votes

7 answers

109k views

How should I ask politely for a moment of someone's time?

How should I politely ask for someone's time to interrupt them, like in English: Do you have a minute? May I bother you for a moment even though you're quite busy?

user508

asked Jan 27, 2012 at 7:17

56 votes

5 answers

110k views

Was ist der Unterschied zwischen den Fragewörtern "wieso", "weshalb" und "warum"?

Wo liegt der Unterschied zwischen den Fragewörtern "wieso", "weshalb" und "warum"? Ist er regional, gibt es subtile Unterschiede in den Bedeutungen, oder gibt es noch einen anderen Grund für die ...

Jan

11.4k

asked Dec 8, 2011 at 7:42

9 votes

4 answers

159k views

"Sehr geehrte Dame, Sehr geehrter Herr"; mit oder ohne Komma

Ich verfasse eine Spontanbewerbung an meine aktuelle Firma, wo ich im Sommer meine Ausbildung beende. Jetzt müssen alle Azubis eine Spontanbewerbung für die Firma schreiben. Weder für eine spezifische ...

Michael Schmidt

265

asked Feb 14, 2014 at 8:27

9 votes

2 answers

93k views

Abkürzung für "Stunde" und "Minute"

Gibt es Abkürzungen für Stunde und Minute? Kann Dieser Film dauert 3 Stunden 5 Minuten kürzer geschrieben werden?

greg0ire

193

asked Oct 17, 2013 at 15:49

36 votes

11 answers

110k views

Aus vs. Von - What is the difference?

My confusion at the moment lies in the difference in the two prepositions, aus and von. Please note that Dict.cc is my main resource for words and phrases, and it shows the following: I’m fairly ...

Dustin

2,957

asked Feb 2, 2014 at 21:50

41 votes

8 answers

167k views

Does "Jawohl" carry Nazi connotations?

Would answering "Jawohl" to an order or request be associated with Nazi Germany? What about "Jawohl, mein Kommandant"? Can it be used (jokingly) without people finding it tasteless?

Tim

16.5k

asked Jun 17, 2011 at 14:19

12 votes

2 answers

39k views

What do I need to know to pass the A1 or A2 exams from Goethe Institut?

Can someone share what I need to know to pass the A1 or A2 exams from Goethe Institut? For instance, do I need to know all cases (nominative, accusative, dative, genitive)? the past form of every ...

Plus

129

asked Apr 30, 2012 at 9:20

35 votes

9 answers

97k views

How would you say, "I speak a little bit German"?

I put this into Google Translate, and it came up with, Ich spreche ein wenig Deutsch. Is this correct? I doubt so. When I look up wenig I find that it's an adjective, not an adverb, and obviously ...

ktm5124

1,799

asked Aug 29, 2017 at 6:33

78 votes

11 answers

81k views

What is the Origin of Reading Tens from Right to Left?

Latin languages, as well as English, speak numbers from left to right, in the same direction in which they are written, e.g. forty-two, quarante-deux, but in German, you write from left to right but ...

Jonas

1,111

asked Aug 12, 2012 at 3:11

20 votes

4 answers

60k views

When to use "wenn" and when to use "als"?

I’d like to know the differences between als and wenn when I want to talk about an specific time. When should I use them? In what situations would one of them be nonsense?

avm

631

asked Mar 23, 2014 at 16:51

16 votes

1 answer

81k views

"Sich freuen auf" oder "über"?

Wann benutzt man auf oder über mit freuen? Zum Beispiel: Meine Tochter freut sich schon _ die Sommerferien.

Joe

637

asked Jan 12, 2014 at 9:56

63 votes

4 answers

64k views

Word meaning "to use" – "verwenden", "anwenden", "benutzen", "nutzen", "gebrauchen"

I understand 5 words to roughly mean to use: verwenden anwenden benutzen nutzen gebrauchen When is one of these preferred to the others? I think that benutzen is the most commonly used of these, so ...

Voriki

2,497

asked Oct 27, 2013 at 17:35

13 votes

7 answers

128k views

What is the accurate translation of "Best Regards" to finish a letter?

To finish up a letter addressed to a client, I use Best Regards, followed by my signature. I've looked around for a direct translation, and came up with: ┌────────────────────────────────┬───────────...

Zuul

447

asked Aug 18, 2012 at 12:34

10 votes

6 answers

23k views

Was ist Wumms oder Doppelwumms?

In den Deutschen Medien ist diesen Tagen von einem Wumms oder einen\m Doppelwumms die Rede. Aber was ist ein Wumms? Das Wort taucht (noch?) nicht im Duden auf, zumindest nicht in der Gratisversion ...

gerrit

1,048

asked Oct 4, 2022 at 21:45

14 votes

4 answers

110k views

Usage differences of “obwohl” and “trotzdem”

I’m confused with obwohl and trotzdem usage practice. I do know their meaning (although and despite of, respectively) but what I don’t understand is when exactly I should use obwohl, when trotzdem and ...

Mike

1,154

asked Jan 1, 2016 at 21:11

174 votes

25 answers

43k views

How can I better learn noun genders?

One of the things that I really liked about German, as I was studying it in college, was the very orderly grammar, which actually helped me to understand my native English better. As a non-native ...

kmm

2,055

asked May 24, 2011 at 19:33

24 votes

13 answers

59k views

Wörter mit ungünstiger Silbentrennung

Gibt es noch andere Beispiele außer das klassische Wort "Urinstinkt", bei denen eine an und für sich korrekte Silbentrennung einen falschen Sinn suggeriert?

Phira

13.6k

asked Jul 2, 2011 at 10:16

11 votes

9 answers

60k views

How different is German handwriting from American's?

Here is a bulleted list of my specific questions in case you want to save time not reading what gave rise to them: Do German people use cursive writing often? Is it necessary for me to learn how to ...

T. G. Monk

149

asked Mar 20, 2014 at 8:59

39 votes

11 answers

121k views

What's the difference between "genau" and "stimmt"?

When somebody agrees with a point made in conversation they often say "genau" or "stimmt" (often preceeded by "ja"). So what is the difference? Is one slang and the other standard? Or is one regional?...

hippietrail

1,484

asked Jun 9, 2011 at 4:42

20 votes

3 answers

67k views

Was sind direkte und indirekte Objekte?

Ich lese hier in Fragen immer wieder die Begriffe direktes Objekt indirektes Objekt Diese Begriffe werden, meiner Beobachtung nach, (fast) ausschließlich von Leuten verwendet, die Deutsch als ...

Hubert Schölnast

121k

asked Jan 1, 2017 at 10:45

43 votes

7 answers

48k views

Difference between "antworten" and "beantworten"

Is there any difference between "antworten" and "beantworten"? In which situations should I use one and in which another?

dmitru

741

asked Nov 22, 2012 at 6:38

18 votes

4 answers

157k views

"gäbe" vs. "gebe" bei indirekter Rede

Ich komme hier jedes Mal durcheinander. Wenn ich Konjunktiv I verwende, soll das berichtend, also wertfrei sein. Konjunktiv II dagegen soll die Aussage in Zweifel ziehen. Wenn ich also keine eigene ...

32bitfloat

283

asked Sep 4, 2012 at 8:15

46 votes

3 answers

141k views

Wann kann man "in Deutsch" und wann "auf Deutsch" verwenden?

Ich kenne die beiden Ausdrücke "auf Deutsch" und "in Deutsch" (oder "auf Englisch" und "in Englisch"). Sind die beiden Präpositionen in diesen Formen immer miteinander austauschbar? Kann das jemand ...

splattne

39k

asked Jul 5, 2011 at 14:32

13 votes

5 answers

85k views

Is there an equivalent in German to "I hope this message finds you well"

In English, these two variants can be said in a letter/message: I hope this message finds you well. I hope this message finds you in good times. In trying to translate, I skipped the first as my ...

Dustin

2,957

asked Feb 3, 2014 at 18:12

28 votes

3 answers

103k views

When to say "schönen Tag", when "schönen Tag noch"?

Just wondering, when does one have to add the noch to the greetings? Does the noch implies that that part of the day (Tag, Abend) is about finishing? I'd also would like to know whether it makes ...

c.p.

30.5k

asked Aug 6, 2013 at 5:43