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11 answers

Gibt es eine Bedeutung des "Kraweel, Kraweel" Gedichts von Lothar Frohwein (Loriot)?

Das in der Lesung des Kulturvereins von Frau Lohse von Lothar Frohlein Frohwein persönlich verlesene Gedicht geht so: Melusine! Kraweel, Kraweel! Taubtrüber Ginst am Musenhain! Trübtauber Hain am Musenginst! Kraweel, Kraweel! Für mich, als relativ…
bitmask
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Warum Infinitiv anstatt Partizip-Perfekt? ("Ich habe dich gar nicht kommen gehört" vs "Ich habe dich gar nicht kommen hören")

Possible Duplicate: Why no perfect participle? “Sie hat sich scheiden lassen” Die folgende Frage kommt von dem Einstufungstest des Goethe Instituts. Die richtige Antwort ist a) aber ich habe c) gewählt. Ich verstehe hier die Grammatik gar nicht.…
KennyBartMan
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2 answers

Beziehung zwischen dem Warten von Maschinen und dem Warten auf ein Ereignis?

Warten im Sinne von Instandhaltung von Maschinen (engl. "maintenance") scheint für mich wenig mit "auf etwas warten" zu tun zu haben, ist aber das gleiche Wort. Gibt es da eine Verbindung? Wenn ja, welche und warum?
bitmask
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4 answers

How widely used is the term Treppenwitz? Is it something that most Germans know?

One of my German teachers taught me this very cool word. My current teacher didn't know it. How widely used is the term Treppenwitz? Is it something that most Germans know? https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treppenwitz
Arjuna Deva
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5 answers

Usage of Perfekt and Präteritum in the spoken language

I have read the question When to use Perfekt and Präteritum? but it doesn’t answer my question. I am looking for a rule for beginner/intermediate level learners which tells when to use perfect (Perfekt) or preterite (Präteritum) in the spoken…
Ali
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For a foreigner in Switzerland, how much practical value is there in being able to speak German?

While people in the “German-speaking” areas of Switzerland read and write Standarddeutsch, they speak Schwyzerdütsch – which linguists might describe as a dialect of German, but which to a casual observer is a different language. In its article on…
Brian Nixon
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"Cute" in German

Is there any difference between all the translations of "cute" listed here? It's quite confusing. Except the one tagged [ugs] which means colloquial, I'm not sure which one is preferred in which situation: niedlich, possierlich, hübsch, süß, nett,…
Gigili
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12 answers

Good online resources for improving German over Summer Vacation?

I recently finished an evening class in beginners German (Common European Framework A1/A2), and plan to take an intermediate class in September. I don't want to slip out of practice over the summer. What are the best online resources to enable to…
Twelve47
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Using gender specific pronouns for inanimate objects

I realise that German words have specific genders, but does that apply to pronouns as well? For example, if I wished to say: I searched for my bag, but I didn't find it Would I say: Ich habe meine Tasche gesucht, aber ich habe es nicht…
Prestidigitator
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8 answers

Is "Schmeckt es Sie?" correct?

Yesterday I was in a restaurant in Bonn, and the waiter (who sounded and looked local) asked me: Schmeckt es Sie? I only heard it with “Ihnen” before. Is it a local thing, did he just misspoke, or is there a third solution?
András
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Use of das vs die in a sentence

A german friend of mine wrote simple sentence today "Das sind beides schöne Akzente", to which I asked her, shouldn't it be "Die sind beide schöne Akzente"? She told me my version sounded wrong but she couldn't tell me why and provided a few more…
Aesir
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"Mir war nicht danach."

I happen to know that Mir war nicht danach. ... translates to I didn't feel like it. ... but I would have never been able to figure it out on my own. Is it short for something?
kjo
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When to use “Bedürfnis” and “Bedarf”?

What is the difference between Bedürfnis and Bedarf when meaning the need? I am confused when I want to say the need; I dont know which to use.
Hussien Chahin
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Woher kommt der Ausspruch "Es zieht wie Hechtsuppe"?

Beispiel: "Mach doch mal das Fenster zu, hier zieht's ja wie Hechtsuppe!" Alles, was ich zur Herkunft finden konnte war dieser Artikel im Abendblatt, wo es aber nur heißt: So soll das jiddische "hech supha" die Bedeutung "starker Wind" haben,…
waka
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Difference between "ziemlich" & "ganz"

I learned that ziemlich means "quite, rather" and ganz means "whole, entire." but I just encountered this tweet: ganz leichter Schneefall. sehr dekorativ. My dictionary agrees that ganz can also mean "quite." So now I'd like to know what…
Arthaey
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