Questions tagged [word-usage]
Wortgebrauch - Questions on usages in German language.
1,080
questions
0
votes
0answers
27 views
In Welchem Kontext wird das Wort „dies“ benutzt?
Ich habe gelesen, dass dies ein Synonym von dieser, dieses, diese ist. In welchem Kontext sollte man dies oder die anderen Pronomen benutzen?
4
votes
3answers
187 views
Bratkartoffeln schälen
Natürlich schält man zuerst die Kartoffeln und brät sie dann. Ich würde dennoch nie sagen:
Ich schäle Kartoffeln für Bratkartoffeln.
oder
Ich schäle Kartoffeln, um aus den geschälten Kartoffeln ...
3
votes
8answers
204 views
Passt “Herzlichen Glückwunsch” zu einer erbrachten Leistung?
Vielleicht denke ich gerade zu viel über Sprache nach, aber mir kommt zur Zeit folgende Situation komisch vor.
Ich habe meine Thesis abgegeben und von meinem Vater anschließend eine Nachricht ...
3
votes
1answer
74 views
Wo er nur bleibt
Frankie unsichtbar (book by Zoran Drvenkar and Martin Baltscheit):
Als Frankie wieder wach wird, ist es schon dunkel. Er bekommt jetzt doch ein wenig Angst. Es ist spät, seine Mutter und seine Oma ...
3
votes
3answers
215 views
Role of “einfach” in a certain context
I recently saw this on someone's post on social media:
Ich bin einfach nur unglaublich dankbar.
Google translates it to:
I'm just incredibly thankful.
If I simply remove unglaublich then it ...
5
votes
4answers
299 views
Ich hätte gerne mal eine Frage
The phrase "Ich hätte gerne ein Glas Wasser." is nothing remarkable.
"Ich hätte gerne" can be used to politely ask for something.
But how about this, which I recently heard on German talk radio:
...
4
votes
0answers
87 views
Vielen Dank! - Gerne! [duplicate]
I grew up in Germany and although I moved to another country 18 years ago, I still speak German every day. I did not have much contact with German talk radio for these 18 years. Recently I've started ...
0
votes
1answer
98 views
Warum gibt es hier ein “an”?
Ich finde es verwirrend, wenn ich diesen Satz lese:
Der Rohbau war fertig, als der Zweite Weltkrieg begann. Danach wurde
nicht weiter an der Nazi-Anlage gebaut.
Warum sagt man nicht
Danach ...
4
votes
4answers
1k views
Leaving out pronouns in informal conversation
I've seen a few simple sentences leave out an "ich" and go straight to the verb, particularly in very informal conversation or for stylistic reasons.
Here are some examples that come to mind:
In the ...
3
votes
5answers
135 views
Mit oder ohne “es”?
I’m struggling with an exercise where I need to decide if I should or shouldn’t use es when rewriting a sentence.
Es hat die ganze Nacht heftig geschneit.
Die ganze Nacht hat es heftig geschneit. ...
1
vote
2answers
101 views
Correctly expressing “provisions” in German
I have a question as to how to appropriately express the word "provisions" in German. By provisions, I mean the following definition in English:
Provision: a measure taken beforehand to deal with a ...
1
vote
2answers
77 views
Questioning about “Flughafen erreichen” [closed]
So we have two steps, like "come to the airport (from home/hotel)" and "come to the destination airport (from the flight)."
Can we use erreichen (reach) in both cases?
7
votes
1answer
533 views
Phrase request for “work in” in the context of gyms
In gyms, it's common that someone wants to use the equipment that you are using and you're okay with them using the equipment while you are resting. In English, you could ask "Would you like to work ...
9
votes
4answers
2k views
'spazieren' - walking in a silly and affected manner?
In this question, a difference between spazieren and spazieren gehen was discussed. The top answer was, that the difference is slight, the same as walk vs taking a walk in English.
My question is: ...
16
votes
3answers
3k views
What is the difference between “Grippe” and “Männergrippe”?
Sometimes people say
"Er hat Grippe."
and sometimes they say
"Er hat Männergrippe."
When to use which? Where is the difference?
8
votes
2answers
2k views
How to use "Du hast/ Du hattest'?
What is difference between
Du hast mich verlassen, ohne mir ein Wort zu sagen.
and
Du hattest mich verlassen, ohne mir ein Wort zu sagen.
5
votes
9answers
4k views
To “hit home” in German
I was wondering what the correct way of expressing "to hit home" with somebody in German is. To hit home in English means: Suppose you have had a bad experience in the past, maybe a family member died ...
9
votes
2answers
1k views
Use of vor in this sentence
On the blurb of the book "Der Schwarm" the first sentence reads as "Vor Peru verschwindet ein Fischer."
I only know vor to mean before, in front of or prior but in this sentence it seems to mean from....
4
votes
1answer
88 views
Two second-person pronouns in the first sentence of the dedication from “Faust”
The first sentence of the Zueignung in the beginning of Goethe's Faust, Eine Tragödie reads thus:
Ihr naht euch wieder, schwankende Gestalten!
I am interpreting this as something along the lines ...
1
vote
1answer
77 views
Is there common pairing of different English and German prepositions in the same sentences? [closed]
German and English use different prepositions in the same sentence.
Some of these seem to me to be more often than others.
For example, "in" in the following German sentence and "on" in the English ...
2
votes
1answer
93 views
Expressing “feed off of” in German
Quick question: I am looking for the best way to express "feed off of" in a figurative sense in German. Here are some examples:
The soldiers feed off of the courage of the general.
The band feeds off ...
2
votes
3answers
116 views
Unterschied zwischen “künftig” und “in der Zukunft”
Sicher können diese beide Ausdrücke als Synonyme verwendet werden. Ich überlege aber, ob es eine bestimmte unterschiedliche Nuance zwischen beiden gibt.
(1) Man sagt, dass in der Zukunft das ...
1
vote
3answers
154 views
z.Hd. (unbekanntes Geschlecht) Mustermann
Ich habe einen Brief vom Finanzamt bekommen, der ist von einem Beamten (einer Beamtin) unterschrieben. Wie es sehr oft passiert, ist der Nachname in Klammern geschrieben.
Mit freundlichem Gruß(...
12
votes
6answers
6k views
Using “Kollege” as “university friend”?
I've heard that many people use "Kollege" to call their friends in college/university (instead of colleagues), even when they don't have jobs. It seems to mean something like "university-mate". I was ...
-1
votes
1answer
162 views
When should I use “das neue Buch” and “das neues Buch”?
When should I use "das neue Buch" and "das neues Buch"? Can you make a sentence using both?
-2
votes
1answer
48 views
“Mean”: Asking for definition and intention [closed]
What are German equivalents of the English mean, as in "What does this word mean?" or "What do you mean by that?"?
How would you translate the 2 sentences? "What does this word mean?" --> "Was _ ...
8
votes
1answer
854 views
What does “Fotze” really mean?
First of all please do not be offended by any swearing in this question, I didn't mean it.
As stated in this youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmLBk4cYP4s&t=275s (4:36)
Fot(...
0
votes
2answers
110 views
Difference of “zu X” and “nach X”
I'm having trouble with the difference between those two words ... I read a related topic here that asked the same thing, and the answer was:
"Nach Hause gehen" means "to go home" and "zu Hause" ...
2
votes
2answers
106 views
How do you say “there's a lot of X involved with Y” in German?
Let me give some example sentences:
There's a lot of strategy involved with tennis.
There's too much politics involved with a promotion here.
There's always some risk involved in an operation....
1
vote
2answers
78 views
What does “dafür” in this sentence refer to?
Could anyone tell me what does dafür in this sentence refer to? It's a bit confusing.
Wenn du kleine Lampe benutzt, sorgst du nachts bei Toilettengängen dafür, dass du nicht das Deckenlicht ...
8
votes
5answers
2k views
How to properly say “bail on somebody” in German?
I think the question in the title is clear, so let me get to some example sentences:
Me and my friends had plans to go out last night. A couple of them bailed at the last second.
We agreed on a ...
3
votes
2answers
107 views
„Verschweißter Salat” = „Fertigsalat”?
I was reading an article and came about this phrase: ”Verschweißter Salat”. I googled the phrase but the results are not very straightforward. It seems like „Verschweißter Salat” just means „...
2
votes
4answers
83 views
Angestellte oder Angestellter?
Hier auf dieser Seite (https://bit.ly/2JvtYca) ist angezeigt, das Wort " Angestellte " kann für beide Männer und Frauen benutzt werden.
Aber hier (https://bit.ly/2xy8iXe) besagt, " Angestellte " ist ...
11
votes
2answers
232 views
Tasche is used to refer to the bag of a woman, but less often to the bag of a man, is it true?
Once I asked an Austrian female colleague: Kannst du mir bitte meine Tasche geben?, pointing to my bag which was laying right next to my colleague. She then replied saying that Tasche is rather used ...
10
votes
2answers
991 views
How to properly say asset/assets in German
I am having some difficulty getting some of the financial defintions/contexts straight. I was wondering if somebody could help me with the following sentences:
A house can be considered a type of ...
5
votes
1answer
85 views
Question regarding Zweiteilige Konnektoren
Simple question:
For "Entweder..oder.." is the rule: this one thing OR that other thing, correct? So a sentence with that connector would require the singular, because in the end only one thing (out ...
4
votes
1answer
72 views
Wann wird nach “gemäß” ein Substantiv mit Artikel und wann ohne verwendet?
Öfters sieht man in Texten, dass nach "gemäß" entweder Substantiv mit einem Artikel oder ohne kommt.
Als Beispiel wäre z.B.
gemäß der Aussage von...
oder
gemäß Aussage von ...
Welche Form der ...
-2
votes
1answer
103 views
What is the difference between ein Monat, einen Monat, and einem Monat? [closed]
I am confused as to when to use each of the three phrases from the title, especially the “einem Monat”
Would saying “in less than one month” be “Weniger als ein Monat noch“ ?
Thank you!
2
votes
1answer
148 views
Use and connotation of 'gelle'
I have long been aware of the use of 'gell' as an informal alternative to 'nicht wahr'. But recently I have seen an increasing use of 'gelle', for example in the comments section of a current ZON ...
4
votes
2answers
128 views
Is the use of umgeben in the passive unusual?
Phrases like: "he is surrounded by..." always seem to be translated as: "er ist von .... umgeben". Does a passive construction like : "Er wird von Bäumen umgeben" sound strange (Or wrong) to native ...
1
vote
2answers
87 views
meaning of Selbst mit in a sentence
In the following sentence what does "selbst mit" means?
Ich habe selbst mit 18 Jahren für ein Jahr als Au-pair in den USA
gearbeitet
Does this sentence means that I have worked at the age of 18 ...
1
vote
2answers
122 views
Schopenhauer: “und selbst Ideen gewissermaßen als Musterformen dastehen”
I am striving with translating an old philosophy text on Schopenhauer:
Es ist auch aus blinder Notwendigkeit, dass dieser Wille ins Leben hinein will, und so eine erscheinende Welt, eine Welt der ...
4
votes
2answers
181 views
Abfahrt vs Ausfahrt
What is difference between Abfahrt and Ausfahrt ?
They both mean 'Exit' in the dictionary.
1
vote
2answers
105 views
Unterschied zwischen »Abfolge« und »Reihenfolge«
Gibt es einen Unterschied zwischen den Wörtern „die Abfolge“ und „die Reihenfolge“?
Beide werden auf Englisch mit "sequence/order" übersetzt.
Sind sie Synonyme?
Wenn ja, kann man sie austauschen?
6
votes
3answers
288 views
What is a “Körperklaus”?
I've heard two Germans refer to someone else (whose name is not Klaus) as Körperklaus. I didn't dare to ask them what it means. But I had heard that expression used before by others, so Körperklaus ...
17
votes
3answers
4k views
How can I grammatically understand “Wir über uns”?
A lot of German-language web sites have a section called "Wir über uns." Here's an example: Credit Suisse - Wir über uns
To me this seems redundant; I would think "Über uns" is sufficient. That ...
1
vote
4answers
224 views
“Go on, I dare you!” - Does a similar phrase or concept exist in German?
My brother in law and I were having a discussion around 'dare' vs. 'etw. wagen'. I had said something along the lines of "ich wage dich etw. zu machen" and he intimated that it doesn't really work in ...
3
votes
3answers
163 views
What does “frei bekommen” mean?
Today someone wrote to me the following:
"Da meine Bruder in Osterreich heiratet, habe ich am 16. August frei bekommen."
and the context clearly indicates that the writer will not be working on this ...
0
votes
0answers
62 views
Is there a German filler word that sounds like “gelb”? [duplicate]
I recently moved to the south of Hessen in Germany. My German is only around A2 level and I'm learning as fast as I can. One of our neighbors is a very nice elderly lady who we enjoy talking to, but ...
1
vote
2answers
199 views
Is it possible to use “oder” in this kind of context in German?
Is there any regional variety of German where it would be possible to use oder in the following question in this particular context? If yes, in which region would this be the case?
Anna geht mit ...
