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3 votes
Accepted

Wie habe ich das nur gemacht?

You are basically correct - "nur" is used as a particle here. See also the Duden dictionary entry for Partikel "nur" (in German) In questions, this may express confusion, ...
Hulk's user avatar
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5 votes

Wie habe ich das nur gemacht?

"Wie habe ich das gemacht?" would be a neutral question, where I ask another person to tell me how I did it. For instance, an illusionist could ask this his audience, after performing a ...
user1934428's user avatar
-1 votes

Is there a German word for the exercise phenomenon "second wind"?

I would just say "zweites wind" but... I'm American and learned English and German simultaneously. While I've spent quite a bit of time in Germany, I've never lived there, so my technical ...
mindgames11's user avatar
2 votes
Accepted

What does the phrase "auf die Nase setzen" mean in "Könnt' ich mir doch noch so einen Schurken auf die Nase setzen, wie den Pedrillo" in an Opera

The expression "sich jemanden auf die Nase setzen" isn't used any more. In Grimm's Wörterbuch, you'll still find these closely related idioms (not used any more either): einem auf der nase ...
HalvarF's user avatar
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1 vote

What does the phrase "auf die Nase setzen" mean in "Könnt' ich mir doch noch so einen Schurken auf die Nase setzen, wie den Pedrillo" in an Opera

The phrase auf die Nase setzen is uncommon nowadays. Common is however the phrase vor die Nase setzen. It's meant quite literally. They put something or someone right in front of you so it blocks your ...
Janka's user avatar
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-1 votes

Is there a German word for the exercise phenomenon "second wind"?

What has not been mentioned yet is "Knopf aufgehen". It is a uncommon in the context of career, but describes the rush after a difficult problem/difficult stage in your life. E.g. In der ...
johnworchester's user avatar
2 votes

Is there a German word for the exercise phenomenon "second wind"?

While there seems to be a distinct difference between second wind and runner's high in English, I'm not able to find that in German. There is a quite direct translation with Läuferhoch available for ...
Arsenal's user avatar
  • 121
1 vote

Is there a German word for the exercise phenomenon "second wind"?

Very similar would be "die Schallmauer durchbrechen" ("breaking through the sound barrier"), but this is formulated in a very extreme way. It means being able to reach your ...
Limon's user avatar
  • 119
7 votes
Accepted

What is the meaning of "vor den Teufel" in this sentence "Mag ich vor den Teufel nicht" in an Opera?

Meaning of vor vor is archaic here and would be für in modern German für and vor have been used interchangeably, both with the meaning of Latin pro. Two examples: Petrus aber stund draussen fur der ...
Jonathan Scholbach's user avatar
2 votes

What is the meaning of "vor den Teufel" in this sentence "Mag ich vor den Teufel nicht" in an Opera?

It's difficult to say what this really meant, and it's possible that this was an idiom with bleached meaning same as todays auf den Tod, etwas auf den Tod nicht ausstehen können, or um Gottes Willen ...
vectory's user avatar
  • 2,117
3 votes

What is the meaning of "Gift und Dolch" (in Mozart's Opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail)

To me, Gift und Dolch is meant as an replacement for the common phrase Tod und Teufel. They probably used that in the libretto to add an “oriental” flair to it — as they likely don't use the same ...
Janka's user avatar
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14 votes

Is there a German word for the exercise phenomenon "second wind"?

While all the previous answers are formally correct, nearly nobody uses these terms in daily life. As far as I know, „Aufwind“ is mainly used by glider pilots and balloonists because they need this to ...
duise's user avatar
  • 157
2 votes
Accepted

What is the meaning of "Gift und Dolch" (in Mozart's Opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail)

First off: your thought, that it might mean something like "Damn it!""Sht!"* is - for your first quote - absolutely correct. As for the second quote i suppose @user1934428 got it ...
bakunin's user avatar
  • 6,947
1 vote

Is there a German word for the exercise phenomenon "second wind"?

To approach the phenomenon, you can use »Aufwind«. [wieder] Aufwind haben [wieder] Aufwind bekommen
Pollitzer's user avatar
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2 votes

What is the meaning of "Gift und Dolch" (in Mozart's Opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail)

Poison and dagger are both unpleasant means to get killed by, and I guess that the "und" is used because two unpleasant things together must be even more unpleasant. Is it archaic? Perhaps ...
user1934428's user avatar
4 votes

What is the meaning of "vor den Teufel" in this sentence "Mag ich vor den Teufel nicht" in an Opera?

It's a simple intensifier. The mention of "devil" indicates that it's a strong intensifier, but the literal meaning is arbitrary, just as something "hellishly" difficult doesn't ...
Kilian Foth's user avatar
  • 14.8k
7 votes

Is there a German word for the exercise phenomenon "second wind"?

The word I know is "zweite Luft", which may or not may not be a calque from English*. I know it from a player attribute in FIFA23, so it could actually be not so common. But I would not be ...
Dodezv's user avatar
  • 2,290
2 votes
Accepted

Frage über eine Übersetzung von Celan: die/der/das Wache(n)?

Für sich alleine genommen ist der Ausdruck "vom Wachen" nicht eindeutig interpretierbar. Bei "Wachen" handelt es sich jedenfalls um das substantivierte Verb "wachen". M.E....
Paul Frost's user avatar
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4 votes

"baking in the freezer" in Heinrich Böll

What Böll describes as Plastilin besorgen, einen Schlüssel hineindrücken, Wasser in die Hohlform gießen reminds me of producing a baking mold for Speculaas ("Spekulatius") and filling it ...
Paul Frost's user avatar
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2 votes

"baking in the freezer" in Heinrich Böll

"Backen" - in the sense of letting set. Whether the apparent oxymoron of baking is intentional when used for letting something set or harden in a freezer cannot be determined. Usually, but ...
Inge Durre's user avatar
2 votes

Frage über eine Übersetzung von Celan: die/der/das Wache(n)?

Das Nomen "Wache" kann mehrere Bedeutungen haben, bei denen es auch das Genus wechseln kann: die Wache Ist entweder die Tätigkeit, (herumzustehen und) auf etwas aufzupassen oder derjenige, ...
bakunin's user avatar
  • 6,947
3 votes

Frage über eine Übersetzung von Celan: die/der/das Wache(n)?

Da es 'vom Wachen' heisst, kann nur das substativierte Verb gemeint sein, da sonst die deklination des Artikels nicht zum Genus von den Wachen (pl.) passt. Deine Vermutung ist von wörtlichen ...
planetmaker's user avatar
  • 9,908
0 votes

"Sätze und satzwertige Infinitivphrasen können Gegenstand von Ausklammerung ins Nachfeld sein."-English translation

"Sentence-worthy" strikes me as odd, I would propose: Infinitival clauses may undergo extraposition to the Nachfeld, (or: may undergo rightward shift into the Nachfeld.) "Satzwertiger ...
Alazon's user avatar
  • 2,857
1 vote

"Sätze und satzwertige Infinitivphrasen können Gegenstand von Ausklammerung ins Nachfeld sein."-English translation

You rightly complain concerning the awful style. Referring Wikipedia: Feldermodell I see, that Ausklammerung is moving from within the Satzklammer/Mittelfeld towards the Nachfeld. (Note, that ins ...
guidot's user avatar
  • 27.9k
3 votes

Is it possible to say Ändern des Namens?

All previous answers recommend »Namen ändern/korrigieren«. I wouldn't do that since »Namen« is ambiguous (singular/plural). Better: Name ändern
Pollitzer's user avatar
  • 16k
6 votes

Is it possible to say Ändern des Namens?

"Ändern des Namens" is an absolutely correct phrase and can be used in the context given in your question. Anyway, imo the point is not to find the most accurate translation, but to find the ...
Paul Frost's user avatar
  • 10.4k
16 votes

Is it possible to say Ändern des Namens?

As a construction, the phrase "Ändern des Namens" is correct. The German infinitive can be used as a verbal noun, and in this case, it can be accompanied by a noun in genitive that would be ...
RHa's user avatar
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7 votes

Is it possible to say Ändern des Namens?

The phrase is correct in some contexts, and is possibly correct in the given context (it's not clear form the limited informastion). But I would suspect that "Namen ändern" would be more ...
Remember Monica's user avatar
4 votes

Is it possible to say Ändern des Namens?

There is nothing wrong with Ändern des Namens, since the infinitive is typically used in dialogues as in Datei speichern. You may prefer Namen ändern for the sake of brevity, however.
guidot's user avatar
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2 votes

Do German speakers who would otherwise use "Sie" ever use "du" out of anger?

As others have mentioned, it can happen, either intentionally as an insult, or in the heat of the moment. However, there is a certain resistance to switching familiarity levels, that's usually quite ...
uliwitness's user avatar
0 votes

Do German speakers who would otherwise use "Sie" ever use "du" out of anger?

Switching from "Sie" to "du" in anger is definitely a possibility. In most cases, though, I would assume that the person doing the switch is closer to the other person and the &...
speeno's user avatar
  • 1
3 votes

Do German speakers who would otherwise use "Sie" ever use "du" out of anger?

If the princess is (as princesses tend to be) of nobility, you should also consider an option that is independent of the answer to the question you raised: She could address the hero as "Er" ...
das-g's user avatar
  • 352
7 votes

Do German speakers who would otherwise use "Sie" ever use "du" out of anger?

It is my experience that when people get angry to the point of insulting others, they do indeed switch from the respectful Sie to the disrespectful du. Although it has become the convention to address ...
Ben's user avatar
  • 191
0 votes

Do German speakers who would otherwise use "Sie" ever use "du" out of anger?

It is would be very uncommon that someone switches due to anger. When angry, we are more impulsive, but we use "Sie" vs. "du" out of habit. For a video game, I could understand a ...
user1934428's user avatar
1 vote

Do German speakers who would otherwise use "Sie" ever use "du" out of anger?

You must understand that the English you does not correspond to the German Sie, but to du. So du is the normal form you normally use when talking to anyone you are familiar with: Family members, ...
Hubert Schölnast's user avatar
5 votes

Do German speakers who would otherwise use "Sie" ever use "du" out of anger?

Your title asks a different question Do German speakers who would otherwise use "Sie" ever use "du" out of anger? than the body of your post: Could someone who was otherwise ...
Stephan Kolassa's user avatar
8 votes
Accepted

Do German speakers who would otherwise use "Sie" ever use "du" out of anger?

Yes, swearing or insulting is usually done with "Du" rather than "Sie". There's also a popular meme/video around where someone says "Du Wichser" to a policeman as he ...
Yalla T.'s user avatar
  • 336
1 vote

Do German speakers who would otherwise use "Sie" ever use "du" out of anger?

Could someone who was otherwise using "Sie" switch to "du" to indicate a low opinion of someone? Unlikely. While it might happen, what I as a bystander would take from it is a ...
nvoigt's user avatar
  • 592
13 votes

Do German speakers who would otherwise use "Sie" ever use "du" out of anger?

Using "du" instead of "Sie" indeed indicates familiarity. On the other hand, using "Sie" is also a sign of respect. Switching from "Sie" to "du" out ...
bakunin's user avatar
  • 6,947
11 votes

Do German speakers who would otherwise use "Sie" ever use "du" out of anger?

In my opinion, switching from Sie to du indicates that the two persons were formerly treating each other formally/politely, but now have become more familiar with each other. Du as an insult would ...
Gerd's user avatar
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