Questions tagged [meaning]
Bedeutung - Questions on definitions and nuances of words, phrases or sentences.
2,029
questions
88
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8
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How to use "doch"
I know "doch" is used to contradict a negative statement:
A: Das ist nicht wahr.
B: Doch!
It's a great word for this usage and some languages really lack this word.
But, I found it hard to ...
user508
55
votes
5
answers
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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 ...
- 11.4k
51
votes
6
answers
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Dasselbe vs. das Gleiche, what's the difference?
How should one best interpret the difference between "dasselbe" and "das Gleiche" ? When should one use one or the other?
Is it correct that "dasselbe" is appropriate for concrete things, and "das ...
- 1,928
49
votes
5
answers
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When to use "bezahlen" and when "zahlen"?
Leo shows that both bezahlen and zahlen are translated as "to pay". I noticed that people sometimes use the one, and sometimes the other.
So, when to use bezahlen and when zahlen?
- 1,315
43
votes
7
answers
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Why does "Leidenschaft" mean "passion" while "leiden" means "to suffer"?
The word "Leidenschaft" strikes me as having a quite weird construction. The Wiktionary entry simply states its etymology to be "Leiden" + "schaft". However it makes little sense to me why "suffering-...
- 1,591
42
votes
5
answers
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Was bedeutet: "Das geht sich nicht aus"?
Die Phrase "Das geht sich nicht aus" ist denke ich österreichisch? Ich bin Muttersprachler und hatte es davor noch nie gehört. Kann jemand helfen?
- 1,276
41
votes
4
answers
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Wann wird "bis auf" inklusiv, wann exklusiv verwendet?
Ich habe mehrmals die Situation erlebt, dass jemand einen Satz mit "bis auf" verwendet und mir nicht klar ist, ob eine einschließende oder ausschließende Bedeutung gemeint ist.
Zum Beispiel ...
- 7,463
37
votes
1
answer
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What are the differences between "bekommen", "erhalten", "entgegennehmen", "empfangen", "besorgen" and "kriegen"?
Do they all mean to receive or to obtain? What are the differences in the use of these words?
- 1,019
37
votes
4
answers
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Was ist der Unterschied zwischen "reden" und "sprechen"?
Ich denke, sie sind Synonyme; aber sind sie es wirklich? "Reden" scheint mehr umgangssprachlich zu sein, während "sprechen" ganz viele verschiedene Bedeutungen hat. Warum gibt es das Wort "reden"? ...
- 1,173
36
votes
1
answer
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Are “Kinder” still their parents’ “Kinder” when they grow up?
In English, child can mean a young person, but it can also mean something like “offspring” or ”progeny”—i.e., it can denote the relationship that one has with one’s parents. For example, it is ...
- 621
35
votes
4
answers
19k
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What is the difference between “der Zug” and “die Bahn”?
What is the difference between der Zug and die Bahn (besides the gender of course)? When should one be used and not the other?
- 767
34
votes
5
answers
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"Die Worte" vs. "die Wörter"
This question also has an answer here (in German):
Was ist der Unterschied zwischen "Worte" und "Wörter"?
Worte and Wörter are both plurals of Wort.
Is there a difference ...
- 3,357
34
votes
2
answers
24k
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Meaning and origin of 'Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof'
What does the following sentence mean and what is its origin?
Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof.
I've heard this expression from some friends – I guess it's what you say when you don't really understand ...
- 2,318
33
votes
11
answers
106k
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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 ...
- 2,887
32
votes
1
answer
50k
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Difference between "kaufen", "einkaufen", "aufkaufen" and "ankaufen" [closed]
I'd like to know:
What's the difference?
Which one needs akkusativ-object?
user508
31
votes
9
answers
10k
views
Is "Busen" just the area between the breasts?
I thought "der Busen" meant breasts. But then I heard someone knowledgeable claim it was just the area between the breasts.
I didn't understand all he said and it would have been too awkward for me to ...
- 2,309
30
votes
2
answers
34k
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What is the difference between "nun" and "jetzt"?
This question also has an answer here (in German):
Wo liegt der Unterschied zwischen "nun" und "jetzt"?
I hear nun and jetzt used a lot but I've not been able to pick out what ...
- 425
29
votes
10
answers
4k
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Ist ein Buchstabe eine Nummer?
Angenommen, man hat diese Liste:
a. etwas
b. etwas anderes
c. noch etwas anderes
Ich habe "Nummer a" und "Nummer b" in diesem Kontext gehört. Sind Buchstaben Nummern? Gibt es andere Zeichen, ...
- 16.5k
28
votes
2
answers
4k
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Eifersucht vs. Neid
Was ist der Unterschied zwischen Eifersucht und Neid? Mein Wörterbuch übersetzt beide Wörter nach jealousy.
- 16.5k
28
votes
5
answers
40k
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What is the difference between “ändern” and “verändern”?
I'm still confused about the difference between ändern and verändern. I have read something about ändern only being used with small changes and verändern when something changes totally. But where ...
- 647
27
votes
12
answers
9k
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Wie viele sind »ein paar«?
It’s pretty clear that “ein Paar Schuhe” is exactly two. Nevertheless, if I ask: "Gib mir doch bitte mal ein paar Zettel.", I would not expect exactly two. Three or even more, actually.
I’ve learned ...
- 3,774
27
votes
3
answers
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Was meint ein Österreicher, wenn er am Telefon fragt "Welche Klappe haben Sie bitte"?
Ich wurde einmal während eines Telefongespräches mit einem österreichischen Kunden überraschend gefragt:
Welche Klappe haben Sie bitte?
Was wollte er von mir wissen?
During a business call with ...
- 7,543
27
votes
2
answers
1k
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Seit wann sind Dirnen nicht mehr anständig?
Der erste Satz Grimms Rotkäppchen lautet:
Es war einmal eine süße Dirne, die hatte jedermann lieb...
Dem Kontext nach bedeutet in diesem Satz "Dirne" nichts Anderes als "Mädchen".
Seit ...
- 4,566
26
votes
8
answers
18k
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Does the word "Fahrenheit" mean anything in German?
Is Fahrenheit a real word in German? Does it come from a concept or from a name?
- 387
26
votes
4
answers
10k
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A joke in German that I don't understand. Is it a language difference or is it that I just don't get it?
I am not a German speaker at any level so I used Google to translate the following:
Holy shit der spricht so gut Deutsch, meine Steuererklärung ist feucht
geworden
From a comment following this video
...
26
votes
7
answers
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What does “g’suffa” mean?
Oans, zwoa, drei, g’suffa!
The first three words in the above quote are Bavarian for “eins, zwei, drei”. Is g’suffa also Bavarian, and what does it mean?
- 16.5k
25
votes
6
answers
37k
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Is "1. Etage" the ground floor or the first floor in Germany?
I am searching for an appartement in Germany and I came across "1. Etage" which is normally the first floor.
However some countries have first floor for ground floor so I am confused now and I don't ...
- 259
25
votes
6
answers
22k
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The term "Mahlzeit"
I recently started working in a place in Berlin, Germany, and though my German is OK I guess, there's a common term that I don't understand. It's Mahlzeit.
When people leave from work around lunch ...
- 535
25
votes
3
answers
17k
views
When to use “beziehungsweise”
Beziehungsweise:
a) (stilistisch unschön) [oder] vielmehr, besser/genauer gesagt – sinnv: oder
Er war mit ihm bekannt bzw. befreundet
b) und im anderen Fall
Die Fünf- und Zweipfenningstücke waren ...
- 5,310
24
votes
3
answers
9k
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Why does "Krabben" mean shrimp?
I was in a pizza place in Bad Herrenalb (in Baden-Württemberg) the other day, and I ordered a pizza that included "Krabben". I like crab, so I ordered it, only to find that it came covered with ...
- 902
24
votes
6
answers
8k
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What's »Aldää« in »Ey jo, was geht, Aldää?«
As I was looking up the word ey in dict.cc, I noticed a rather interesting colloquial expression:
Ey jo, was geht, Aldää? [ugs.] = Whazzup? [coll.]
What does Aldää mean above? I could not find the ...
- 6,032
24
votes
7
answers
57k
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Meaning of 0815 and ger/eng alternatives?
Does 0815 simply mean something is very standard and common, or does it carry any connotations? Where can one use it, e.g. for description of processes, objects, persons? Can you give alternative ...
- 5,810
24
votes
2
answers
709
views
Was ist das (der?) Effeff?
Was ist das (der?) Effeff im folgenden Satz?
Das müsst ihr aus dem Effeff können!
- 2,173
23
votes
6
answers
20k
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"Toi, toi, toi" – was genau bedeutet dieser Ausdruck?
Ich habe gerade "Toi, toi, toi" gehört, und habe keine Ahnung, wie ich das nehmen sollte! Ist es gut? Schlecht?
Wenn man im Englischen "Tut, tut, tut..." hört, es ist nicht so prickelnd. Hat dieser ...
- 2,744
23
votes
12
answers
7k
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How to tell the difference between "ice" and "ice cream" when the word "Eis" is used?
"Ice" and "ice cream" both translate to "Eis" in German. Is the only way to differentiate between them by context?
For instance, if you want to translate the sentences
"Does this store sell ice?"
...
- 331
23
votes
1
answer
6k
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Der Fahrende Ritter: what is the joke?
I'm currently reading Harry Potter und der Gefangene von Askaban to improve my German. In the English version, Harry gets on a Wizarding bus called "The Knight Bus" after running away from home. This ...
- 341
23
votes
4
answers
7k
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stressing of "umfahren" in German dialects
The word “umfahren” has different meanings and apparently one of them is the opposite of the other.
etw. úmfahren: to hit sth by a vehicle
etw. umfáhren: to drive around sth
Example:
Du sollst das ...
- 413
23
votes
2
answers
6k
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What does “6 Waben” mean on a German train ticket?
I have have a train ticket from Germany:
von [City Name]
nach 6 Waben
What does 6 Waben mean? I found that it means 6 honeycomb, but this does not make much sense to me in context.
- 333
23
votes
3
answers
3k
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What is the meaning of 'Marsch' in Marschflugkörper?
'Marschflugkörper' is 'cruise missile' in english. And 'Flugkörper' is 'missile'. However, 'der Marsch' is the march, as in what an army troop does in a parade square. Do German speakers conceive of a ...
- 721
23
votes
2
answers
14k
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The difference between "spüren" and "fühlen"
Could somebody please explain to me, the difference between the verbs "spüren" and "fühlen"? I know they both mean to feel, but do they both have different connotations? My initial feeling was that ...
- 677
22
votes
4
answers
80k
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Difference between responding to "danke" with "bitte" versus "gerne"
I hear native German speakers respond to a danke with bitte as often as with gerne.
Is there a semantic difference between the two of them? Or a usage rule behind the choice? Is one more polite than ...
- 323
22
votes
4
answers
13k
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Woher kommt das Adjektiv "vollschlank"?
Woher kommt das Adjektiv vollschlank?
Warum bedeutet es quasi das Gegenteil von dem, was es ausdrückt?
Wie nennt man solche Wörter?
- 2,173
22
votes
6
answers
23k
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Was ist der Unterschied zwischen einer Sage und einer Legende?
Ich habe bisher die Wörter Sage und Legende synonym verwendet. Es gibt zwar Dinge die ich so nenne, und andere Dinge, die ich wieder anders nenne (bspw. würde ich nie die Niebelungenlegende sagen), ...
- 1,600
21
votes
2
answers
17k
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What's the meaning of "Deine Mudda"?
In Germany, I hear a lot of jokes containing "Deine Mudda", but I don't understand them. What does this mean and what kind of jokes are containing them?
user1145
21
votes
6
answers
9k
views
Is the word “Schwein” necessarily an insult?
I was having private/intimate time with a German lady. And as I started something really special for her (thinking that she would like it), in the heat of the moment, she said:
Du bist wirklich ein ...
- 367
21
votes
5
answers
13k
views
Is there a difference between "anschalten" and "einschalten"
Is there a difference between anschalten and einschalten?
If I turn on the TV, oven, heat, start the car etc., can either verb be used?
- 331
21
votes
1
answer
750
views
Is unwillkürlich the opposite of willkürlich?
My dictionary translates willkürlich as arbitrary and unwillkürlich as involuntary. I do not understand in what sense these concepts are opposites. Could someone give an example where this becomes ...
- 932
21
votes
3
answers
13k
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What is the difference between “bereit” and “fertig”?
My understanding was that fertig means finished and bereit means ready. However, I observe that fertig is sometimes also used to mean ready (for example here). When I want to translate the word ready, ...
- 767
21
votes
1
answer
13k
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Is there a difference between 'Gegenstand', 'Sache', 'Ding', and 'Dinge'?
Is there a difference between 'Gegenstand', 'Sache', 'Ding', and 'Dinge'? Can we use them interchangeably?
- 1,019
21
votes
6
answers
9k
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Wie kam »etwas ist alle« zur Bedeutung »etwas ist aufgebraucht«?
Wenn man bei uns in Österreich feststellt, dass kein Brot, keine Milch, kein Klopapier usw. mehr da ist, sagt man:
Das Brot ist aus.
Die Milch ist aus.
Das Klopapier ist aus.
usw.
In ...
- 116k