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1500 questions
12
votes
4 answers
How should I choose between “Welcher” (Nominative) and “Welchen” (Accusative)
I'm learning German all by myself for three months with Babbel and all I can find in the internet and on that point I feel lost.
I looked on the questions already asked here, and I think maybe this one "answers" (but not really) my question.
In a…
ParaH2
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12
votes
3 answers
What do colleagues say to each other before lunch time?
I am working as an intern in a company in Germany. I noticed that as the lunch break starts, everyone says something to each other before going to the canteen, which sounds something like "Macht Zeit" or "Mal Zeit".
I would really like to know what…
Verma
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12
votes
5 answers
Why does “Schweiz” form the corresponding adjective like a city?
Is there a reason we say Schweizer Schauspielerin as opposed to schweize Schauspielerin (note lower case)? I believe this has to do with adjectives based on cities always being capitalized and ending with -r (e.g. Berliner Mauer). But why is a…
rnva
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12
votes
2 answers
How does the crew address the captain in "Das Boot"?
In the movie Das Boot, the crew address the captain with a word I don't understand.
I think it may be "Kaleun", which I assume is short for "Kapitan Leutnant".
Am I right? Is that a real word?
Matt Fenwick
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12
votes
1 answer
Herkunft von »bis in die Puppen«
Meine Frau hat eine aus Deutschland stammende Arbeitskollegin (ich glaube aus der Nähe von Dresden), und von ihr hat sie Redewendung »bis in die Puppen« übernommen:
Ich habe gestern bis in die Puppen ferngesehen.
Morgen werde ich wieder bis in…
Hubert Schölnast
- 122,799
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12
votes
1 answer
What time is it?
When learning German in college, I was taught "Was Uhr ist das?" or possibly "Wieviel Uhr ist es" (not sure which). However most online translators such as Google show "Wie spät ist es?".
What is the way to ask what the current time is?
Russell Steen
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12
votes
5 answers
Wann beschreibt das Perfekt die Zukunft?
Normalerweise beschreibt das Perfekt die Vergangenheit. Ich habe aber diese Konstruktion gelernt:
Nachdem ich gegessen habe, schlafe ich.
So sagt man vor dem Essen. Gibt es andere Konstruktionen, abgesehen von nachdem, in denen das Perfekt die…
Tim
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12
votes
7 answers
Expressing "getting into something" in German
I'm having trouble expressing "getting into something" in German.
I mean this in the following sense:
At first I didn't like the book, but then I began to get into it (started to enjoy it).
I could never get into action films (never found any…
Mark
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12
votes
1 answer
Why is "eu" used for spelling the sound "oi"?
My little daughter, allthough not being in school yet, is very keen in writing words - naturally, she writes them as she thinks they are written by translating each sound to a letter.
Recently, she wrote the word
Efeu
as
Efoi
and I had to admit,…
Alexander Rühl
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12
votes
6 answers
Difference between Austrian and German
Die Österreicher haben im Vergleich zu uns (Hoch-)Deutschen ein paar lustige Wörter und eine etwas andere (wie ich finde netter klingende) Aussprache (wobei das natürlich von Person zu Person variiert); Gibt es aber auch Unterschiede in der…
bitmask
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12
votes
4 answers
What is the correct salutation for people with an academic grade or title
Other than e.g. in France an academic grade or title is still widely used in German speaking regions. I observe that in letters the title is mostly used. But in conversations a person may be addressed differently:
1. Both, title and name
"Herr Dr.…
Takkat
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12
votes
3 answers
Usage of "Hab" during conversations
In school, we learn the conjugations of "haben", but "hab" is not one of them. When is "hab" used and is it colloqial?
Don't Worry. Be Happy.
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12
votes
2 answers
Separable verbs: “hängt von … ab” or “hängt ab von …”
For best of my knowledge, in the case of separable verbs (trennbare Verben), the verb should be divided onto two parts where the prefix should be placed at the end of the clause:
Es hängt von … ab.
At the same time, I see examples, where the verb…
Mike
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12
votes
1 answer
Foreword vs Preface in German
In the English language, Foreword and Preface are different in meaning, and books frequently have both of those:
Foreword: another author endorses the book,
Preface: the author(s) tell how they came to write the book.
However, I am not sure how to…
Felix Dombek
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12
votes
5 answers
What is the origin of the "-ingen" suffix in town names in Europe, particularly Germany?
Quite a few villages, towns and cities have their name ending in -ingen: Sigmaringen, Singen, Villingen-Schwenningen (combo), Donaueschingen, Memmingen, Tübingen, Überlingen, Uhldingen. I could go on and on.
What is the origin and the meaning of…
drolex
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