German Language Stack Exchange
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1500 questions
21
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7 answers

How bad does it sound in German *not* to separate separable verbs?

More to get a feeling of the severity of this error, how bad does it sound when someone makes the mistake of not separating a separable verb? For example: "Ich bereite mich auf eine Prüfung vor." "Ich vorbereite mich auf eine Prüfung." Now, 1)…
user1284631
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4 answers

Is German a VO language or an OV language?

While learning German, I came across something that really boggles the mind—my mind. While practising German on the Duolingo app, I noticed that German sentence structure is similar to that of English, i.e. VO structure. Like this sentence, for…
Momobear
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1 answer

Is there a difference between 'Gegenstand', 'Sache', 'Ding', and 'Dinge'?

Is there a difference between 'Gegenstand', 'Sache', 'Ding', and 'Dinge'? Can we use them interchangeably?
zud
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1 answer

Can someone explain the use and meaning of the phrase "leider geil"?

I see this written a lot in advertising and amongst younger speakers - often as a standalone sentence referring to an act, product or activity. Can someone shed some light on how it's used and what exactly it means? To me it seems almost…
Henry Firth
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21
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3 answers

New German irregular verbs. Are there any?

New verbs in English are invariably regular. Sneak, an old verb in English dating from the 16th century, is one of the very few that have, at least in some parts of the world, become irregular (with snuck now competing with sneaked), and only in…
CrimsonDark
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6 answers

„Mandaliet“ in den Carmina Burana

In den Carmina Burana gibt es die Stelle: Mandaliet, mandaliet, min geselle chumet niet. wobei mandaliet manchmal auch als zwei Wörter geschrieben wurde. Ich habe sowohl gehört, dass das Wort nichts bedeutet (so wie lalala), als auch, dass liet…
Phira
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21
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2 answers

Is "sitt" really a German word?

Some people use "sitt" to indicate that they are no longer thirsty. It is used in the same way as "satt" if you're no longer hungry. I've also read that this is an artificial word that people are actively looking for to close a gap in the German…
RoflcoptrException
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9 answers

"Ich habe Durst" vs "Ich bin durstig": Which is more common?

Ich habe Durst. Ich bin durstig. Both of the above sentences, as I know, mean "I am thirsty". In English, we often say S + be + Adj, but only in German do we say "I have thirst" or "I have hunger". The latter 2 just sound kinda weird in English…
ChocolateOverflow
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21
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5 answers

Do native speakers use ZVE or CPU?

"Central Processing Unit" or CPU is sometimes listed as "Zentrale Verarbeitungs-einheit" or ZVE in dictionaries, but I know in the computing world many English words and abbreviations are used. To a native speaker, which abbreviation sounds more…
Ben Jones
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21
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4 answers

What's the word Germans give to walls that aren't well soundproofed?

For example, I want to explain how I can hear what my neighbours are saying. So I would say my flat is ____________ ?
Henry Firth
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21
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6 answers

Wie kam »etwas ist alle« zur Bedeutung »etwas ist aufgebraucht«?

Wenn man bei uns in Österreich feststellt, dass kein Brot, keine Milch, kein Klopapier usw. mehr da ist, sagt man: Das Brot ist aus. Die Milch ist aus. Das Klopapier ist aus. usw. In Deutschland (vor allem weiter im Norden) scheint aber…
Hubert Schölnast
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6 answers

Is the word “Schwein” necessarily an insult?

I was having private/intimate time with a German lady. And as I started something really special for her (thinking that she would like it), in the heat of the moment, she said: Du bist wirklich ein Schwein, oder? It was not a bad action at all. I…
Joe Toe
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21
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4 answers

Sinngemäße Übersetzung von "venomous" und "poisonous"

Im Englischen wird bei giftigen Tieren unter anderem zwischen "poisonous" und "venomous" unterschieden. Zur schnellen Unterscheidung gibt es den Merksatz "If you bite it and die, it is poisonous; if it bites you and you die, it is venomous." Meine…
mtwde
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3 answers

What is the difference between “bereit” and “fertig”?

My understanding was that fertig means finished and bereit means ready. However, I observe that fertig is sometimes also used to mean ready (for example here). When I want to translate the word ready, how do I know which word to use? The specific…
lucas
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7 answers

Is there a German equivalent of "Get out of Jail free card"?

I'm looking for a phrase pertaining to an object that would release someone from any responsibility, and I'm not sure if "aus dem Gefängnis kostenlos Karte" or something would really fit the bill.
jhizzla
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