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37 votes
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Are “Kinder” still their parents’ “Kinder” when they grow up?

Absolutely; an adult is still someone’s Kind in exactly the same way as in English. Just two examples I quickly found via a web search: Vor allem diese sonderbare Hilflosigkeit, wenn die eigenen ...
chirlu's user avatar
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32 votes
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Is the genitive used at all in everyday German?

In my opinion: Yes, you should learn about the genitive. While it's use apparently is on the decline and there are many "substitutions", you should not expect it to disappear totally in the next ...
Stephie's user avatar
  • 24k
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,...".
IQV's user avatar
  • 11.5k
27 votes

Can I use ‘fahren’ when the mode of transport is not decided?

Yes. A common small-talk topic is “Wohin fahrt ihr dieses Jahr in den Urlaub?” and it is perfectly ok to answer “Wir fahren nach Island” even if you have your flight tickets booked already. Same ...
Ludwig Schulze's user avatar
23 votes
Accepted

Wie nennt man einen weiblichen Nazi?

Ganz allgemein gesprochen ist in diesem Kontext, also wenn es um Prädikative geht, Movierung nicht nötig. Viele Sprecher nehmen keinen Anstoß an Sätzen wie den folgenden, wo das Geschlecht (Sexus) ...
David Vogt's user avatar
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20 votes
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Difference between responding to "danke" with "bitte" versus "gerne"

"Bitte" is the "standard" answer to "Danke". "Gerne" is short for "Gern geschehen!". According to the Duden, "gern" means mit freudiger Bereitwilligkeit, Vergnügen It therefore implies that the ...
asdf's user avatar
  • 381
20 votes
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"Wir ziehen aus der Wohnung aus." What is the function of the first "aus" in this sentence?

The latter "aus" is, as you correctly recognized, part of the verb "ausziehen". The former "aus" is a preposition that denotes what the speakers are moving out of. Let's ...
Henning Kockerbeck's user avatar
20 votes

When should I use the different types of why and because in German?

Maybe you'll get other answers, but for me, I would straight up deny that there is any difference in meaning. Sure, you can look at their literal meaning (wie-so, wes-wegen) or their etymology and ...
HalvarF's user avatar
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19 votes
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What is the meaning and use of "zu sollen"?

Um zu and its subjects The main problem with your translation is that in German you can't change the subject (subject as a part of speech) in an "um zu" clause. You can say Ich habe ihn ...
HalvarF's user avatar
  • 25.7k
15 votes

Is there a word for “hey” or “oi”?

The usual word for that is he (often with a lengthened e and then spelt hee, heee, heeeeee or similar): He, kannst du mir sagen, wie spät es ist? Heee, was machen Sie denn da? There are also ...
chirlu's user avatar
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15 votes
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The definition of "so was von"

In fact this is an idiomatic phrase; it may communicate an elative, intensifying meaning, but usually, it simply expresses the speaker's firm opinion of a certain circumstance. It's commonly used, ...
tohuwawohu's user avatar
  • 13.6k
15 votes

"Ich habe Hunger" or "Ich bin hungrig"?

Ich habe Hunger is perfectly acceptable on all levels of conversation and used without afterthought as a viable alternative to Ich bin hungrig. The former is neither outdated, nor inappropriate in any ...
hiergiltdiestfu's user avatar
15 votes
Accepted

Fälschen oder verfälschen?

beide Sätze haben eine komplett unterschiedliche Bedeutung. Er hat meine Unterschrift gefälscht bedeutet: Er hat selbst die Unterschrift geschrieben / mit einem Kopierer kopiert / reproduziert. ...
Tode's user avatar
  • 9,438
14 votes
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Why do people say "Ich gehe auf die Toilette" instead of "Ich gehe in die Toilette"?

Because Toilette means in everyday language toilet and not bathroom, so in die Toilette gehen means to step into the toilet bowl. Auf die Toilette gehen comes from auf die Toilette setzen (to sit on ...
Iris's user avatar
  • 8,527
14 votes

What if someone says "Ich bin" as a self-introduction?

The difference is in the level of formality vs casualness here. Ich heiße Fritz Müller would be a formal, almost stiff way of introducing yourself. Someone presenting himself to a conference ...
Christian Geiselmann's user avatar
14 votes
Accepted

Adjektiv für Mehrzahl ("liebe Erika und Richard" vs "liebe Erika und lieber Richard")

Liebe Erika und Richard ist weniger ein Grammatik- denn ein Stilproblem Das Stilempfinden deutscher Prägung leidet unter der fehlenden Adjektivkongruenz. Da das Problem nicht lösbar ist, weicht man ...
Christian Geiselmann's user avatar
14 votes
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Using "um...zu" with past participle

They are both technically correct. Your answer, however, is the one that makes more sense in the context. The infinitive clause is final, i.e. it describes a purpose. Did you go to Paris in order to ...
David Vogt's user avatar
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14 votes
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Should I use "selbst" or "sogar"?

There is no difference in what both variants express. But the correct order of words is Selbst/Sogar die besten Schwimmer können ertrinken.
puck's user avatar
  • 2,137
13 votes

Can I use ‘fahren’ when the mode of transport is not decided?

Yes, but. Fahren is a generic verb that can work for more or less any mode of transport: ‘Ich fahre mit dem Bus/der Bahn/der Fähre/dem Auto’. However, it is not used as often when you are actually ...
Jan's user avatar
  • 38.6k
13 votes
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What is difference between "mir gegenüber" and "gegen mich"?

No, they mean different things. gegenüber mir (I would prefer the reverse order mir gegenüber as in your example) means towards me (e.g. in the sense “They are well-disposed towards me”, in German: „...
Janek Bevendorff's user avatar
13 votes

When and why to use a double negative by negating an adjective with ‘un-’

This is not exactly the ‘double negative’ one mainly refers to when using that word. Grammatically, it is a single negative that merely applies to an adjective whose meaning was reversed by a prefix. ...
Jan's user avatar
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13 votes
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Options for saying, "my number is"

Meine Nummer ist is indeed used quite often in German and not an "English" term at all. So if you would like to stick with your relative clause construct, it would be Meine Nummer, an die Sie die ...
Tode's user avatar
  • 9,438
12 votes

Is the genitive used at all in everyday German?

The genitive is still being used, especially in more formal contexts. So if you want to learn German beyond a basic level, it is not possible to avoid it. That being said, if you started to learn ...
user140547's user avatar
12 votes

Is the genitive used at all in everyday German?

One should distinguish at least between adnominal, prepositional and adverbal Genitive here. Genitive case as an indicator of possession is very common. This is a usage you know from English. For ...
jona's user avatar
  • 869
12 votes
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Martha zieht ihre zweijährige Tochter um. Korrekt?

Natürlich ist der Satz richtig. umziehen darf man sehr wohl transitiv verwenden. Von den drei Beispielen, die der Duden für umziehen im Sinne von "Kleidung wechseln" angibt, lautet eines: Ein Kind ...
tofro's user avatar
  • 62.8k
11 votes
Accepted

Why do we still use "Sie" even if the context is disrespectful?

As Burki mentioned in his comment: The Sie is not only used to show respect, but also to indicate distance. Apart from that it is a language convention, and as such it is a bit hard to get rid of. ...
knut's user avatar
  • 9,274
11 votes

“Ich werde” vs “ich bin”

Your conjecture is correct. Future tense is used rather rarely in German. Most of the time, present tense is used to express future actions (not just intended future actions), in particular if there ...
Uwe's user avatar
  • 10.4k
11 votes

When can you use 'meines Lebens'?

The phrase »meines Lebens« is just the genitive case of »mein Leben« (my life). You use it whenever you talk about »my life« and when the grammatical construction of your sentence requires genitive ...
Hubert Schölnast's user avatar
11 votes

What is the best way to say “gentle reminder” in German?

In the context of a business relation with a customer you'd usually ask if they require additional information before they can reply. That way you don't pressure them, but really remind them gently, ...
simbabque's user avatar
  • 510
11 votes

This/last/next year/month/week in German

in diesem Jahr in letztem Jahr im letzten Jahr in nächstem Jahr im nächsten Jahr But yes, these are fully interchangeable with dieses Jahr resp. letztes Jahr resp. nächstes Jahr in everyday speech ...
Janka's user avatar
  • 57.4k

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