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1500 questions
47
votes
19 answers
Speaking German abroad and feeling condescended to when people speak English back to me
I've traveled to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and I found that in the big cities such as Berlin, Vienna, and Zurich a lot of people speak English. When I visited those cities I try to make the most of my trip and try to converse in German as…
mjl007
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47
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6 answers
Was ist der Unterschied zwischen "Worte" und "Wörter"?
Diese Frage wurde auch hier (auf Englisch) beantwortet:
"Die Worte" vs. "die Wörter"
Wann sagt man „Worte“, wann „Wörter“?
Beide sind ein Plural vom Singular „Wort“ und ich nehme an, dass es im Singular wirklich ein und dasselbe Wort ist, nicht…
Torben Gundtofte-Bruun
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47
votes
7 answers
How to distinguish between a female friend and a girlfriend?
The word Freundin can mean either a girlfriend or a female friend. In some cases, they can be distinguished by using the possessive pronoun to refer to the former:
Ich habe mit meiner Freundin (girlfriend) gegessen.
Ich habe mit einer Freundin…
Tim
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46
votes
9 answers
Why is "Fräulein" considered offensive, as opposed to "Frau"?
Does Fräulein imply that the woman being addressed is not fully a Frau? Does it imply a lower class status?
Dominique
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46
votes
3 answers
Why no perfect participle? "Sie hat sich scheiden lassen"
Sie hat sich gestern von ihm scheiden lassen.
This sentence uses the infinitive lassen instead of the perfect participle gelassen. Which grammatical rule causes this?
Tim
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46
votes
10 answers
Is there a good online resource to look up the etymology of German words?
Is there a good online resource — free or not free — to look up the etymology of German words?
Something like Duden's "Herkunftswörterbuch"?
Pekka
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46
votes
5 answers
What is the difference in usage between “Möhre” and “Karotte”?
I've been doing a bit of German practice and encountered the words Möhre and Karotte. Supposedly, they both mean carrot, but I can’t see where these would differ in usage. Any ideas?
It'sNotALie.
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46
votes
3 answers
Wann kann man "in Deutsch" und wann "auf Deutsch" verwenden?
Ich kenne die beiden Ausdrücke "auf Deutsch" und "in Deutsch" (oder "auf Englisch" und "in Englisch"). Sind die beiden Präpositionen in diesen Formen immer miteinander austauschbar?
Kann das jemand anhand einiger Beispiele klären?
splattne
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46
votes
7 answers
What's the difference in usage between "machen" and "tun"?
Is there any rules or guidelines when to use which one?
Du darfst mir nicht sagen, was ich machen soll.
or
Du darfst mir nicht sagen, was ich tun soll.
I find a big overlap in their usage:
Was soll ich nur machen/tun? (So what am I supposed to…
user508
45
votes
11 answers
How do you say “To whom it may concern” in German?
To whom it may concern
is a common opening statement (in an formal e-mail) in English, especially when you do not know the gender of your audience. I am looking for the proper equivalent for it in German.
I have found some links which are…
Jimmy
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45
votes
9 answers
How to say “by the way” (BTW) in German?
How can I write a by the way shortly in German?
For example:
BTW, that is my mobile number → _____, das ist meine Handynummer.
Kh.Taheri
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45
votes
5 answers
"Schlimm" vs. "Schlecht"?
Can someone shed some light on when to use "schlimm" and when to use "schlecht"?
I've found an explanation here that tries to clarify the issue, but in my opinion does a fairly poor job. Every example it gives of one word, it gives (what seems to…
Evan Cordell
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45
votes
2 answers
What is a good translation for "I wish!" ?
Often times, a situation comes up and I want to use the expression "I wish!" For instance, somebody asks me: "Is that brand new car yours?" or "Was that you who I saw winning $1000?"
However, I don't think that simply saying "Ich wünsche!" is…
ghshtalt
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44
votes
7 answers
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-ship" becomes "passion". When did the word come…
xji
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44
votes
10 answers
Does the German language have a Shakespeare?
Most English speakers cannot read for very long before stumbling onto the words of Shakespeare, one of the language's greatest playwrights, who left an indelible mark on it. A great many of his turns of phrase, from "there's a method in his…
Uticensis
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