47
votes
Making sense of the construct “Ich bin der Auffassung”
TL;DR
That's the wrong literal translation. Note that Auffassung is female, i.e. die Auffassung. Here it's in the genitive case (der Auffassung). More literal translations would thus be:
I am of the ...
- 18.6k
43
votes
Accepted
German equivalent of the phrase "poetic licence"
I think "poetic license" and "artistic license" are best translated as "dichterische Freiheit" and "künstlerische Freiheit". Those phrases literally mean "poetic liberty" and "artistic liberty" and ...
- 2,205
40
votes
Are the two uses of “Frau” in “Frau Hauptfrau” redundant?
Q: Are the two uses of “Frau” in “Frau Hauptfrau” redundant?
No. It's not redundant:
Frau is a form of address: like madam or mister, in this case the standard German female form of address.
...
- 7,305
38
votes
Accepted
Can someone explain the use and meaning of the phrase "leider geil"?
"Leider geil"
means as much as that this is inappropriate and pointless, but still nice/awesome ("geil").
The expression ("leider geil") became famous through a song by ...
- 2,260
33
votes
Accepted
How can I grammatically understand "Wir über uns"?
Let me start with your last question concerning how it works. "Wir über uns" is an ellipsis of something like "Wir berichten über uns" or "Hier schreiben wir etwas über uns".
Actually, I find the ...
- 22.9k
30
votes
Is there a German equivalent of "Get out of Jail free card"?
einen Freibrief haben.
In the middle ages, a Freibrief released bond-slaves of their masters. It was proof and garantee for their freedom.
The word is still used in the sense you asked for.
- 1,753
30
votes
„bis Sonntag“: is Sunday included or excluded?
The sentence doesn't say, probably because people don't care as weather forecasts tend to be wrong anyhow ;)
Like in most languages, bis in German expresses a time extent to a certain point in time. ...
- 66.4k
28
votes
What is the best way to say “gentle reminder” in German?
You can use "Freundliche Erinnerung". Anonther possibility often used is "Höfliche Erinnerung" (polite reminder).
And I would suggest to use the verb: "Wir möchten Sie höflich erinnern,...".
- 11.5k
28
votes
Are the two uses of “Frau” in “Frau Hauptfrau” redundant?
"Hauptfrau" seems to be a feminized version of "Hauptmann", a rank in the German army equivalent to a Captain in the US Army. However, the term "Hauptfrau" is incorrect. Military ranks do not get ...
- 1,287
26
votes
How do you say "to play Devil's advocate" in German?
Das lateinische Advocatus Diaboli ist ein im Deutschen durchaus geläufiger Begriff mit der gesuchten Bedeutung. Er wird zwar selten verwendet, es gibt aber immerhin einen Wikipedia-Artikel1 dazu.
Die ...
- 16.4k
24
votes
22
votes
Accepted
"Du hast es gut", small talk meaning?
I can not tell you anything else than you friend. "Du hast es gut" really just means that. It's going really well for you or you are lucky. Depending on context, it can refer to your life, your job, ...
- 18.6k
22
votes
Accepted
Correct meaning of noch nie
There's noch nicht and noch nie. In general, you could translate noch as still (yet can also translate to its counterpart schon 'already' in some sentences).
Noch nicht literally means still not (...
- 7,762
19
votes
Accepted
Warum diese grammatisch komische Konstruktion: "haben fertig"?
Eine solche Aussage ist in der Regel eine Anspielung auf die letzten Worte der Pressekonferenz von Giovanni Trapattoni.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Trapattoni#Zitate
- 306
19
votes
Accepted
What are the standard responses to the question "Das war's?"
I'm a native German speaker and I often answer
Das wär' alles
which is short for das wäre alles (that would be everything [I want to buy]). This also works for similar questions ("Darf's noch ...
- 18.6k
18
votes
Accepted
What is the 'mit A-Y' in 'ist dort die Firma Mayer mit A-Y'?
In ancient times, a Meier was a land agent (the administrator of an estate). The estate that he administrated was called Meierei.
Today many people have the name of this old profession as their ...
- 126k
18
votes
How do you say "to play Devil's advocate" in German?
Geläufiger als der lateinische Begriff ist "Des Teufels Advokat".
Dabei betont man, dass nur die Rolle eingenommen wird, und es nicht die eigentliche Meinung ist:
Ich spiele hier mal des Teufels ...
- 2,415
17
votes
Accepted
What does 'genau' mean in colloquial language?
Yes, Genau! is just an affirmative response, which literally translates to exactly, meaning It is exactly as you said and could well be translated into Right!, Correct!.
- 17.4k
17
votes
Accepted
How do you say "to play Devil's advocate" in German?
For the given context I would use:
Ganz provokant gefragt: Warum... (Provocatively asked: why...)
Überspitzt formuliert would be an alternative. Both reduce the full sharpness by admitting it; ...
- 29.6k
16
votes
Accepted
Is "Guten Morgen" in the accusative? Are all greetings so?
You are correct. "Guten Morgen" is short for "Ich wünsche dir/Ihnen einen guten Morgen".
Likewise, "Guten Tag" is short for "Ich wünsche dir/Ihnen einen guten Tag". Same with "Guten Abend".
As you ...
- 16.4k
16
votes
German equivalent of the phrase "poetic licence"
The idiom is "künstlerische Freiheit(en)", like this:
Die Filmemacher haben sich die künstlerische Freiheit genommen, die Handlung zu verändern. (neutral)
Die Filmemacher haben sich etwas ...
- 466
16
votes
What does "Ich wusste, dass aus dir mal was wird" mean?
It's more a set phrase than an idiom. "I always knew that you would develop into a successful person" might be a better translation. That success may refer to wealth, a professional level, or even ...
- 336
16
votes
Accepted
How does one use the expression »Mich hat’s voll erwischt!«?
Die umgangssprachliche Wendung sagt erst einmal nur aus, dass Du plötzlich massiv unter dem Einfluss von etwas stehst.
Dieses etwas kann aber sehr verschieden sein:
ein Erkältungs- oder Coronavirus (...
- 29.6k
15
votes
Accepted
Best way to say "Excuse me" to get someone's attention
The most common to an adult are
Entschuldigung[, können Sie mir sagen, wie ich von hier aus zum
Bahnhof komme?]
Entschuldigen Sie[, können Sie mir sagen, wie ich von hier aus zum
Bahnhof ...
- 16k
15
votes
What does 'genau' mean in colloquial language?
That pretty much depends on tone of voice.
Genau, used in normal voice means "exactly". Almost just a filler with confirmatory intent. Factual agreement. That is probably the most often heard case, ...
- 7,305
14
votes
German equivalent of the phrase "poetic licence"
The German equivalents to this phrase are usually
"dichterische Freiheit" and
"künstlerische Freiheit" resp.
So the example would be "Die Filmemacher nutzten die künstlerische Freiheit …".
- 11.5k
14
votes
What’s the meaning of ‘Mut zum Hut’?
It just means that Doria and Chantal are wearing a hat (probably in contrast to other, not named persons).
The literal translation would be
It is Doria and Chantal who are brave enough to wear a ...
- 17.4k
14
votes
Are the two uses of “Frau” in “Frau Hauptfrau” redundant?
The word "Hauptfrau" can have different meanings.
Normally when I hear the word "Hauptfrau" I would translate it as "first wife" or "head wife". In some cultures (Germany not included), a man can ...
- 398
14
votes
Accepted
Connotation of "Land der Sushis"
The pejorative thing is the plural because it shows that Sushi is used as a nickname for the Japanese people themselves (calling them Sushis) instead of referring to the food (as in Land des Sushis (...
- 7,762
13
votes
Accepted
German equivalent of 'sounding like'
Take your pick:
Es hört sich nach X an.
Es hört sich wie X an.
Es klingt nach X.
Es klingt wie X.
All of them mean "It sounds like X" (and I don't see a difference between them). ...
- 1,254
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