📌 The German language - questions, grammar, etc.

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Csatlakozott: 11.06.2015

Sometimes, in rare occasions, you do find surprising similarities between german and english colloquial talk.
To translate a lyric that contains puns though is very seldomly possible, without losing the joke that's in it.
It almost always has the unsatisfactory effect like telling a joke starting with the punch. (so to say, telling it from the end)
That's mostly a sad story, and therefore I hate to have to do it...
:puzzled:

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Csatlakozott: 25.02.2012

Is there a technical term for nouns that are made by just capitalizing adjectives, like Industrieller or Krimineller? I was trying to find a section on them in Duden Grammatik and I couldn't find it.

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Csatlakozott: 16.02.2011

I'd call that a "Substantivierung" or "Nominalisierung".

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Csatlakozott: 02.01.2013

May be you are looking for "substantivierte Adjektive"; you can find
a lot of examplesand explications in DUDEN grammar nr 960 - 2
Adjektive bilden dieAbleitung
or in the DUDEN Rechtschreibung R 65

o k. or more/otherquestions?
audiatur

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Csatlakozott: 26.10.2015
fulicasenia schreef:

Is there a technical term for nouns that are made by just capitalizing adjectives, like Industrieller or Krimineller? I was trying to find a section on them in Duden Grammatik and I couldn't find it.

I'm not sure these count since they are actual independent nouns.
IMO "Substantiviertes Adjektiv" is a case of creating a noun *that doesn't yet exist in the dictionary* from an adjective, such as "Schöner" ("pretty one") from "schön" ("pretty") or "Vielzitierter" ("often quoted one") from "vielzitiert" ("quoted often").

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Csatlakozott: 22.04.2011

Hi. I need help finding out what the meaning of "sitzt man im Trockenen" or "dann sitzen die auf dem Trockenen". I've come to the conclusion that it might mean something along the lines of "waiting it out"; like to wait for something to finish/complete and to see what happens.

Thanks in advance!

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Csatlakozott: 16.02.2011

I'd say "auf dem Trockenen sitzen" means "having to wait without getting information on what's the current state of affairs". So, your conclusion is quite close.

EDIT: Okay, Wiktionary lists some other shades of meaning: https://de.wiktionary.org/wiki/auf_dem_Trockenen_sitzen
Yes, it can mean all those things as well.

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Csatlakozott: 11.06.2015

We need some context for that.

It rather more means: to be left without supplies

If Putin closes the gas-pipelines to Europe, dann sitzen wir auf dem Trockenen.
The idea for the idiom probably comes from closing water supplies for some people who live in a desert, or semi-desert.

Or closer:
A ship which finds itself all of a sudden stranded, without water unter its keel.
Yeah, to be stranded - that's the literal idea.

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Csatlakozott: 18.10.2015

I may be wrong but I've a feel that rennen means to move faster than laufen (and possibly to some end in mind) like to dash and to run. It's like "I saw Peter run past me" and "I saw Peter dash past me". Laufen is much more neutral and may be applied to different things like time etc. while rennen is rather about physical movement. Sorry in case it's misleading. :)

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Csatlakozott: 28.01.2015

In Germany we say "Marathonlauf" and "Marathonrennen", so "laufen" and "rennen" mean the same; although there are some German dialekts like Schwäbisch for example. The Swabians say "laufen" and mean "gehen." But this is not Hochdeutsch.

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Csatlakozott: 16.02.2011

I wouldn't say they mean the same. "laufen" is basically "to jog" whereas "rennen" is "to run". It depends on the context; the distinction is not so clear cut, but "rennen" normally refers to something faster than "laufen".

The noun "Rennen" is different from that, it means "a race", even if it's a long-distance race where you would rather jog than run.

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Csatlakozott: 11.06.2015

Yes, Nadia, you are right.
"rennen" is to move as fast as you can, by foot. It is like "to sprint".
The thing is, that in common language "laufen", which in the strict sense of the word means "to jog", is (mistakenly) used for "walking", which is "gehen". So people say "laufen", when they should be saying "gehen".
"Wenn wir kein Fahrzeug haben, dann müssen wir eben laufen."

It is probably used, to make a difference, becaused "gehen" can also mean "to leave", or "to turn to some other place".
"Wenn wir bei Ihnen nicht bedient werden, dann müssen wir eben gehen."

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Csatlakozott: 18.10.2015

Thanks for the explanation but it was this song that got me thinking https://lyricstranslate.com/en/rennen-nicht-laufen-run-dont-walk.html I read the song and I'd translate the title like "Dash, Not Just Run". Anyway, it helps me go ahead with my German. Thanks once again.:)

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Csatlakozott: 18.10.2015

Thank you, guys! It daily makes me more confident at my yet poor German! I appreciate! :)

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Csatlakozott: 28.01.2015

Anschubsen

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Csatlakozott: 26.10.2015

Whereas "to drool over" as in "being very excited about something" would be "es läuft einem das Wasser im Munde zusammen".

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Csatlakozott: 16.02.2011

Exactly.

However, where has the comment with the question gone?
It's not even visible to me as a mod and it has disappeared from my notifications, too...

Is it still visible to you, magicmulder?

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Csatlakozott: 26.10.2015

No, I don't see it anymore either. Noticed that right away when I wanted to write my first reply. Maybe the user deleted it?

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Csatlakozott: 16.02.2011

Normally that would look different as it has replies. Also, is deleting available for users?
I now tried to delete my comment above, though, and it actually disappeared. So that might actually be what has happened.

Well, in case anyone is interested in it, I had written:

Quote:

In that context: "vollsabbern":
"Mein Hund hat meine Notizen vollgesabbert".

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Csatlakozott: 16.09.2014

auf dem Trockenen sitzen

I was reading through the above discussion. dict.cc has "to leave someone high in dry" But there's also an even closer (literally speaking) equivalent "to be left out to dry"

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Csatlakozott: 16.09.2014

ein paar Fragen:

Für ein Arsch: Ist das ein Idiom oder nicht, oder hängt das vom Kontext ab?

Und in dieser Strophe

Zu feiern die göttliche Hochzeit
Den großen leuchtenden Baldur
Dessen Wärme und Heil wieder Einzug hält
Seine Herrschaft über die Midgard-Welt

Gehen die letzte zwei Zeilen zusammen? Und was bedeutet das wenn's so ist?

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Csatlakozott: 16.02.2011
Quote:

Für ein Arsch: Ist das ein Idiom oder nicht, oder hängt das vom Kontext ab?

Ich denke, du meinst "für'n Arsch" oder "für den Arsch". Im Normalfall ist das ein Idiom.

Quote:

Gehen die letzte zwei Zeilen zusammen? Und was bedeutet das wenn's so ist?

Durch das Fehlen von Kommas ist das ambig.
Wenn am Ende der 3. Zeile ein Komma steht, bedeutet es

"To celebrate the divine wedding,
(and to celebrate) the great shining Baldur,
whose warmth and salvation arrive again,
(and to celebrate) his rulership over the Midgard-world"

Wenn das Kommas vor dem "wieder" in der 3. Zeile steht, bedeutet es

"...
his warmth and salvation,
his rulership over the Midgard-world arrives again"

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Csatlakozott: 26.10.2015

> Für ein Arsch: Ist das ein Idiom oder nicht, oder hängt das vom Kontext ab?

"Das ist für den Arsch" / "Das ist für'n Arsch" = "that's all in vain".

"Was für ein Arsch!" = "What an asshole!"

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Csatlakozott: 26.10.2015

> Wenn das Kommas vor dem "wieder" in der 3. Zeile steht

Das wäre dann aber etwas ungeschicktes Deutsch.
Als normaler Satz mit Satzzeichen würde das so aussehen:

"Zu feiern die göttliche Hochzeit (und) den großen leuchtenden Baldur, dessen Wärme und Heil wieder Einzug hält, (und) seine Herrschaft über die Midgard-Welt."

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Csatlakozott: 16.02.2011
Quote:

> Wenn das Kommas vor dem "wieder" in der 3. Zeile steht

Das wäre dann aber etwas ungeschicktes Deutsch.

Eher altertümelnd, würde ich sagen, was ja zum Text passen täte.

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Csatlakozott: 26.10.2015

Ah OK, beim vierten Lesen habe ich begriffen, wie es gemeint war. Ja, richtig. :)

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Csatlakozott: 16.09.2014

In this song: https://lyricstranslate.com/en/wizo-wahrheit-lyrics.html

What does "Ne, ne" in the refrain mean? When I first heard it, I thought he was saying "naehmlich"...

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Csatlakozott: 30.04.2014

It means "Nein, nein".

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Csatlakozott: 26.10.2015

... with an implied "oh you're *so* wrong".

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Csatlakozott: 25.02.2012

Warum schreibt man manchmals "Man(n)"? Soll das etwa "man, aber nur falls man Mann ist" bedeuten?

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Csatlakozott: 25.02.2012

Warum schreibt man manchmals "Man(n)"? Soll das etwa "man, aber nur falls man Mann ist" bedeuten?

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Csatlakozott: 11.06.2015

man steht für:
man, generalisierendes Personalpronomen der deutschen Sprache (Beispiel: „man sieht sich“), siehe -> Generalpronomen
(Wikipedia)

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Csatlakozott: 06.02.2015

Manchmal wir es ironisch eingesetzt: "man(n) macht das eben so" - soll dann bedeuten, dass es eher Männer sind, die das so machen und einfach ihr Verhalten generalisieren. frau distanziert sich also mit so einer Aussage ;-)

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Csatlakozott: 26.10.2015

Zur Vertiefung des Themas "man(n)/frau" für Fortgeschrittene:
http://www.missfits-fanseite.wilmarenz.de/seiten/feminispraech/feminispr...
;)

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Csatlakozott: 09.05.2017

Hi need help, alright the phrase "Sie stehen da, im alten Zopf"
Do they really mean "in their old braid" if I'm even correct about that or is that particular thing an idiom for something I've missed?

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Csatlakozott: 24.05.2015

Please add context or the whole text!

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Csatlakozott: 09.05.2017

Right, terribly sorry about that.
Full text:
https://lyricstranslate.com/en/ludwig²-es-ist-bei-hof-nicht-mode-lyrics....
(First sentence of the second paragraph)

And question again:
In the phrase "Sie stehen da, im alten Zopf"
Do they really mean "in their old braid" if I'm even correct about that or is that particular thing an idiom for something I've missed?

Guest
Guest

My guess would be that's a reference to 18th century wigs of the nobility. Some were plaited.
"they just stand there with old wigs on their heads".

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Csatlakozott: 24.05.2015

I agree, it seems to be a reference to the wigs and "ein alter Zopf" also means a tradition that is outdated, "alte Zöpfe abschneiden" means to finish with old and outdated traditions

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Csatlakozott: 09.05.2017

Thanks both of you for your kind help, certainly makes more sense now haha. Interesting saying.

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Csatlakozott: 25.04.2017

I've recently discovered Annett Louisan and love her songs. My favourite is "Verschwinde".
Can anyone help me to understand the deeper meaning of:
Hab' Päckchen über dem Klo zerrissen,
The English translation on this site is : "I tore packages over the toilet", which looks literally correct but does not help me to understand the context. Or is the context unclear even for a German native speaker? If anyone likes the song and can do a better translation into English than the one here, I'd be glad to help - on the English side.
https://lyricstranslate.com/en/verschwinde-get-you-gone.html

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Csatlakozott: 25.04.2017

Second question about Annett Louisan, regarding her song "Dein Ding". See https://genius.com/Annett-louisan-dein-ding-lyrics

Can anyone help me with context for this song? The context is too subtle for my limited level of German. It seems that she is complaining about a man who she had a relationship with, who turned out to be quite selfish. I think that when the relationship finished, she got her revenge on him by posting details on social media, more or less.

I think that "Ding" has different meanings in the text. In English, "that's not my/your thing" = I'm not fond of .... "thing" can also mean the male sexual organ. Any help appreciated! Thanks

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Csatlakozott: 30.04.2014
Michael Chambers schreef:

I've recently discovered Annett Louisan and love her songs. My favourite is "Verschwinde".
Can anyone help me to understand the deeper meaning of:
Hab' Päckchen über dem Klo zerrissen,
The English translation on this site is : "I tore packages over the toilet", which looks literally correct but does not help me to understand the context. Or is the context unclear even for a German native speaker? If anyone likes the song and can do a better translation into English than the one here, I'd be glad to help - on the English side.
https://lyricstranslate.com/en/verschwinde-get-you-gone.html

I think it refers to cocaine. As the other parts of that verse deal with overcoming other addictions.

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Csatlakozott: 30.04.2014
Michael Chambers schreef:

Second question about Annett Louisan, regarding her song "Dein Ding". See https://genius.com/Annett-louisan-dein-ding-lyrics

Can anyone help me with context for this song? The context is too subtle for my limited level of German. It seems that she is complaining about a man who she had a relationship with, who turned out to be quite selfish. I think that when the relationship finished, she got her revenge on him by posting details on social media, more or less.

I think that "Ding" has different meanings in the text. In English, "that's not my/your thing" = I'm not fond of .... "thing" can also mean the male sexual organ. Any help appreciated! Thanks

Yep, you got it right.
She posted his dick pic on her social media...

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Csatlakozott: 11.06.2015

>" Hab' Päckchen über dem Klo zerrissen,
Zigaretten weggeschmissen,"
I think these lines are in one context.
She ripped open packs of cigarettes and threw the fags into the toilet.
As Maluca said, it is about overcoming addictions, the last one she had was him.
;)

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Csatlakozott: 26.10.2015

And the first line "Hab Alkohol entzogen" means "I've been going cold turkey on alcohol".

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Csatlakozott: 16.09.2014

Ist es üblich für einen in der deutechen Umgangsprache "Uhu" statt "Eule" zu sagen? For the English "owl"?

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Csatlakozott: 11.06.2015

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uhu
As I understand it, "Eulen" is the superordinate (general) term, and "Uhu" a specific type of owl.
>"Ist es üblich für einen in der deutechen Umgangsprache "Uhu" statt "Eule" zu sagen?"
Wer nicht gerade Ornithologe ist, nimmt es hier nicht so genau.
Man kann nehmen, was man will.
Ob "Eule" oder "Uhu", man weiß, was gemeint ist.
"Eule" dürfte allerdings das eher allgemein gebrauchte Wort sein.

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Csatlakozott: 16.09.2014
Hansi K_Lauer schreef:

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uhu
As I understand it, "Eulen" is the superordinate (general) term, and "Uhu" a specific type of owl.
>"Ist es üblich für einen in der deutechen Umgangsprache "Uhu" statt "Eule" zu sagen?"
Wer nicht gerade Ornithologe ist, nimmt es hier nicht so genau.
Man kann nehmen, was man will.
Ob "Eule" oder "Uhu", man weiß, was gemeint ist.
"Eule" dürfte allerdings das eher allgemein gebrauchte Wort sein.

Danke. Ich spiele ein Videospiel gerade, das ursprünglich auf Japanisch ist, aber kann auch auf Englisch order Deutsch gespielt werden (indem man eine bestimmte Einstellung verwendet). Es gibt einen Charakter, der in der englischen Übersetzung "Owl" genannt ist, aber in der deutschen "Uhu" genannt ist. Wahrscheinlich gibt es keinen Grund dafür.

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Csatlakozott: 26.10.2015

Klingt vermutlich mehr wie ein Eigenname als "Eule". Bei Eigennamen, die auch Gattungsbezeichnungen sind, hat man es im Englischen einfacher, weil man da durch die Großschreibung ("Owl") den Unterschied sofort sieht.

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