German?

[Eddi]

Who here speaks German?

I know there are a couple of native speakers here...

I've started learning German on Duolingo

Is anyone else learning it? If so, how?

And how are you finding it?

I'm finding it much easier than some of the other languages I've had a go at - namely Portuguese, Greek, and Japanese

And learning the noun genders is not as hard as I thought it would be

Everyone in my family speaks German except me

That's the main reason I'm learning

I've been to Germany three times but never understood anything!

But I intend to go there again at some point in the future, once I can speak it

 

[viole]

Who here speaks German?

I know there are a couple of native speakers here...

I've started learning German on Duolingo

Is anyone else learning it? If so, how?

And how are you finding it?

I'm finding it much easier than some of the other languages I've had a go at - namely Portuguese, Greek, and Japanese

And learning the noun genders is not as hard as I thought it would be

Everyone in my family speaks German except me

That's the main reason I'm learning

I've been to Germany three times but never understood anything!

But I intend to go there again at some point in the future, once I can speak it

Ich spreche Deutsch.

Tschüß

- viole

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Ich spreche Deutsch.

Tschüß

- viole

Dutch?

 

[viole]

Dutch?

Nope, Swedish.

ciao

- viole

 

[Wu Wei]

Dutch?

Ich spreche Deutsch translates to I speak German.

 

[Altfish]

Nein

 

[exchemist]

Nicht rauchen.

 

[Sirona]

RAUCHEN VERBOTEN !!!

That's the correct way.

 

[Estro Felino]

I think my level is between B2 and C1.
In high school I used to love to study die Weimarer Klassik.

Goethe, Schiller...wow

I fell in love with Goethe's Faust. I have learnt some passages of the poem by heart.

 

[Estro Felino]

RAUCHEN VERBOTEN !!!

That's the correct way.

We Italians too use this expression (in Italian).

 

[Sirona]

Anyone remembers Hogan's Heroes ? On the wall of one of the barracks, there's a sign saying "Verboten". But "verboten" is an infinitive and cannot stand alone. It should be "Verbot" or "Verbote," which are both nouns.

 

[Estro Felino]

Anyone remembers Hogan's Heroes ? On the wall of one of the barracks, there's a sign saying "Verboten". But "verboten" is an infinitive and cannot stand alone. It should be "Verbot" or "Verbote," which are both nouns.

Rauchen verboten is the short form of Es ist verboten, zu rauchen.
I guess it is Partizip.

 

[exchemist]

We Italians too use this expression (in Italian).

I used to travel on an inter rail card as a student in the 70s. What amused me was the way the multilingual notices were phrased: Nicht hinauslehnen. vs. E pericoloso sporgersi. Clearly you could expect a German to obey orders, whereas an Italian had to be persuaded, by being gently warned of the danger.

 

[Estro Felino]

I used to travel on an inter rail card as a student in the 70s. What amused me was the way the multilingual notices were phrased: Nicht hinauslehnen. vs. E pericoloso sporgersi. Clearly you could expect a German to obey orders, whereas an Italian had to be persuaded, by being gently warned of the danger.

Omg...I remember those signs on trains.
It was written in English, French, German and Italian.
In French it was ne pas se pencher au déhors

 

[England my lionheart]

Anyone remembers Hogan's Heroes ? On the wall of one of the barracks, there's a sign saying "Verboten". But "verboten" is an infinitive and cannot stand alone. It should be "Verbot" or "Verbote," which are both nouns.

Sgt schultz,”I know nothing “.

 

[Kooky]

Anyone remembers Hogan's Heroes ? On the wall of one of the barracks, there's a sign saying "Verboten". But "verboten" is an infinitive and cannot stand alone. It should be "Verbot" or "Verbote," which are both nouns.

The verboten in "rauchen verboten" is actually the past participle (Partizip II), which is used in past perfect and passive constructions. The infinitive form is verbieten.

verbieten

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

My pronunciation must suck. I took some German, and remember the sentence, "Ohne deine kaffee, Dagmar, wurde die welt nur halb so schön sein." So, every once in a while I say it to a German speaker, and they never know what I'm saying

Here's how I would say that: Owna dina kahfay, Dockmar, vurda dee velt noor halb zo shurn zine. Am I that far off? Why am I never understood?

Fun story about the name Dagmar. I live in Mexico. Our bridge club is truly international, and one member is named Dagmar. One day at the table, somebody referred to her as Dag-mar, rhyme with wagmar (she wasn't at the table at the time), and I pointed out that she calls herself Dock-mar, like guten tag (gootin' talk, not tog). It was explained to me that that was because she had a German accent. She was unable to pronounce her German name correctly because she spoke German first.

She taught me a couple of words that I've saved, that don't seem to have an English equivalent:

Backpfeifengesicht — a face that's badly in need of a fist. The word Backpfeife means “punch/slap” (on the cheek/face) and Gesicht means “face”

Fremdscham - shame felt for actions done by someone else; vicarious embarrassment, secondhand embarrassment.

 

[Kooky]

Reading this pronunciation reminds me of Gus Backus' Sauerkraut Polka:

 

[Heyo]

Who here speaks German?

I know there are a couple of native speakers here...

As far as I know, @Sirona and I are the only active members who are native speakers.

 

[exchemist]

My pronunciation must suck. I took some German, and remember the sentence, "Ohne deine kaffee, Dagmar, wurde die welt nur halb so schön sein." So, every once in a while I say it to a German speaker, and they never know what I'm saying

Here's how I would say that: Owna dina kahfay, Dockmar, vurda dee velt noor halb zo shurn zine. Am I that far off? Why am I never understood?

Fun story about the name Dagmar. I live in Mexico. Our bridge club is truly international, and one member is named Dagmar. One day at the table, somebody referred to her as Dag-mar, rhyme with wagmar (she wasn't at the table at the time), and I pointed out that she calls herself Dock-mar, like guten tag (gootin' talk, not tog). It was explained to me that that was because she had a German accent. She was unable to pronounce her German name correctly because she spoke German first.

She taught me a couple of words that I've saved, that don't seem to have an English equivalent:

Backpfeifengesicht — a face that's badly in need of a fist. The word Backpfeife means “punch/slap” (on the cheek/face) and Gesicht means “face”

Fremdscham - shame felt for actions done by someone else; vicarious embarrassment, secondhand embarrassment.

YES! The first is a brilliant term, sorely in need of an English equivalent: a clip-round-the-ear face, or something.

In fact, in Kingsley Amis's "The Old Devils", there is a character who has just such a face, being described as "just begging for a smart clip round the ear".