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German Language/Questions Answered by Expert Kevin Johnson
| Subject | Date Asked |
| Family saying | 8/26/2009 |
| Q: My grandfather used to use a German expression whenever we asked a questions such as, "What am I ... A: The metaphor I can find in what you have written is "auf den Mehlsack tippen/klopfen" = "to tap/hit ... | |
| Grammar Question | 8/24/2009 |
| Q: I was wondering how to say this sentence properly in German: "They called her." They called her -- ... A: They called her (as in "Come here!"): "Sie riefen sie." / "Sie haben sie gerufen." They called her ... | |
| Subjunctive | 8/23/2009 |
| Q: I have a translation that I'm having trouble with. Here's the line: ...ubrigens wirke ... A: to affect someone -> auf jemanden wirken In German there is a preposition to make clear that K. is ... | |
| Soaps again! | 8/22/2009 |
| Q: This is a short piece from Wiki about a character from the soap "Alisa". Liliana Castellhoff ist ... A: I will just translate the sentence, hoping this will make things clear. Liliana, eigentlich Vera ... | |
| baby bonus | 7/13/2009 |
| Q: I heard that a german citizen mother having a baby in germany gets 30'000 EU. is this true? i've ... A: About two years ago the so-called "Elterngeld" (parent premium) was introduced in Germany. It was ... | |
| Bei mir bist du schön | 7/13/2009 |
| Q: "Bei mir bist du schön" is the title of a song. I don't know the rest of the text, but is it ... A: Indeed, "bei mir bist du schön" is meant to express something like "to me you are beautiful". This ... | |
| Differentiating German words | 6/29/2009 |
| Q: One of my favorite characters in a comic book is German, and often uses short German words or ... A: You are right, the words "Liebling" and "Liebchen" are indeed used like "sweetheart" or "darling" ... | |
| Pronounciation of German surname | 6/12/2009 |
| Q: I need the proper pronunciation of the German surname "Suhren". I had German in high school many ... A: The surname "Suhren" is most probably pronounced ZOO-ren, but as given names are, they might be ... | |
| medal?token? | 6/1/2009 |
| Q: Kevin could you possibly help me to get the translation and maybe a date i can find no"I have this ... A: The "Deutscha Adels-Genossenschaft" (=German noble association") was an association of members of ... | |
| Rutschpartie | 2/22/2009 |
| Q: Greetings Kevin, Please, what exactly does “Partie” mean in “Das war eine schöne Rutschpartie“. I ... A: "Partie" can best be translated as "party" or "game". A group of children on a playground slide, a ... | |
| German for "to suspend disbelief" | 2/20/2009 |
| Q: Do you have a way off expressing the idea of “suspending disbelief” in German? In order to enjoy a ... A: Samuel Taylor Coleridge's theory of "(willing) suspension of disbelief" is translated in German as ... | |
| Dornröschen | 2/19/2009 |
| Q: The telenovela “Wege zum Glück” recently referred to “The Sleeping Beauty” by the Grimm Brothers. ... A: "Dornröschen" The name indeed means "little thorn rose". This name derives from the thorn hedge ... | |
| Searching for German Word/Phrase | 2/18/2009 |
| Q: I recall there being a word/phrase in German which refers to the sense of security/smugness you get ... A: OK, second try at guessing: Perhaps you mean the phrase "innerer Reichsparteitag"? It is used to ... | |
| Searching for German Word/Phrase | 2/17/2009 |
| Q: I recall there being a word/phrase in German which refers to the sense of security/smugness you get ... A: The gloating, spitefulness and malicious joy over someone elses misfortune is called ... | |
| “Da müssen Sie durch.“ | 2/16/2009 |
| Q: In “Wege zum Glück”, Richard tells Frederik that he is a real hero. Frederik modestly denies it, ... A: "Da müssen Sie durch" could be translated as "You will have to deal with it" or "You will have to ... | |
| last name meijer | 2/15/2009 |
| Q: I am interested in my German family background on my last name and would like to know the meaning of ... A: The name Meier (or other versions like Meyer, Maier, Mayer, Meijer, Mayr) derives from Latin maior ... | |
| 3 Questions on Phonology | 2/11/2009 |
| Q: 1)In the German Language are there certain sounds that are allowed at the beginning of a word but ... A: 1) The voiced postalveolar affricate (like in "Dschungel", pronounced the same as in the English ... | |
| translation | 2/4/2009 |
| Q: I wrote to you yesterday about translating the first page of a book I have. I have the pictures now ... A: The pictures are excellent. I will reply to this first post of yours and include the second part ... | |
| Idiomatic expressions | 2/4/2009 |
| Q: Greetings Kevin, Apparently the German equivalent of “Queen Anne is dead!” is “So ein Bart!” Why ... A: "Queen Anne is dead" is said in reply to someone who has told stale news, stated the obvious or told ... | |
| Emailing auf deutsch | 2/3/2009 |
| Q: I often write emails to contacts in Germany. Is it acceptable to apologize for any grammatical ... A: Germans tend to be quite forgiving with respect to language difficulties (they know that German is ... | |
| translation | 2/3/2009 |
| Q: I have a book that is written in German and I was wondering if I could ask you to tell me what the ... A: You can attach an image to your question by clicking on "Attach an image" under the box you enter ... | |
| gender of indefinite pronoun | 2/3/2009 |
| Q: Greetings Kevin, please see ... A: "jemand Zuverlässiges" = "someone / anyone (who is) reliable" Examples: "Jemand Zuverlässiges hat ... | |
| gender of indefinite pronoun "jemand" | 2/3/2009 |
| Q: Greetings Kevin, please see ... A: As an indefinite pronoun, "jemand" can stand for a person or persons of unspecified gender. Its own ... | |
| Hartz 4 | 1/31/2009 |
| Q: This "Harz 4" has been in the news a lot, though I don't understand why - could you explain, please? ... A: The "Hartz concept" was a package of recommendations from a commission to the German parliament ... | |
| Saarlodris | 1/30/2009 |
| Q: Hope things have eased off a bit. Anyway, there's really no hurry as far as I'm concerned. I live in ... A: The moniker "Saarlodris" (singular: "Saarlodri") was the winner of a naming contest in which the ... | |
| name tattoo | 1/27/2009 |
| Q: I am considering getting my daughters name which is Sophia for a tattoo. How would you say it or ... A: "Sophia" is a name of Greek origin, meaning "wisdom". As such it is the same in most European ... | |
| Halb so wild! | 1/24/2009 |
| Q: I notice that you're very good at really looking below the surface when it comes to expressions, so ... A: sorry you had to wait so long this time. I was really busy. "Halb so wild!" is most appropriately ... | |
| erleidet sie von den Strapazen gezeichnet einen Schwächeanfall | 1/23/2009 |
| Q: Please see http://derlandarzt.zdf.de/ZDFde/inhalt/3/0,1872,7507075,00.html Als Carmen die Nerven ... A: "As Carmen loses her nerves and turns violent in a heated argument, marked by the stresses and ... | |
| Factory + dazu stehen | 1/17/2009 |
| Q: Here in Turkey I get excellent reception for ARD, ZDF and RTL, and yesterday I was watching the ... A: Historically the word "Manufaktur" described something in between a single craftsman's shop and a ... | |
| Tonkreuz | 1/16/2009 |
| Q: I wasn’t sure whether or not to make this a follow-up; in the end I decided to make it an ... A: In 1926 the Filmstudios Babelsberg (near Berlin) built Germany's first soundstage, with four studios ... | |
| Auftragsproduktion | 1/16/2009 |
| Q: Greetings Kevin, Please see this web page: http://www.serien-verzeichnis.de/wege-zum-gluck.html My ... A: Those are abbreviations for German, Austrian and Swiss TV channels: ZDF = Zweites Deutsches ... | |
| Kurschatten | 1/14/2009 |
| Q: I recently came across the word “Kurschatten”, meaning a romance at a spa. Can you perhaps please ... A: The word "Kurschatten" needs some cultural context to understand fully. In Germany almost everyone ... | |
| Physics in Germany | 1/13/2009 |
| Q: I am a freshman at the University of North Texas, double majoring in music performance and physics. ... A: The German university system is pretty egalitarian in the sense that there are no big differences in ... | |
| Article on Kurt Hager of the DDR | 1/13/2009 |
| Q: Many thanks for the excellent recent help. Re Kurt Hager, the article to be found on this page ... A: 1. Being careful not to impose any personal interpretation I would translate "Professor ... | |
| German | 1/13/2009 |
| Q: Kevin I am coming back as I have found a couple of things more. They can´t have been injured. Sie ... A: I am afraid that for a follow-up question to a public question the system of AllExperts does not ... | |
| German | 1/11/2009 |
| Q: Kevin I am coming back as I have found a couple of things more. They can´t have been injured. Sie ... A: I would translate in the following way: They can't have been injured. -> Sie können nicht verletzt ... | |
| german prayer | 1/11/2009 |
| Q: I found the english translation of Ich bin klein, mein Herz ist rein, in your files. Do you the ... A: Linsenmeyer is not a very common last name, but Germany is not a small country so that there are ... | |
| german prayer | 1/11/2009 |
| Q: I found the english translation of Ich bin klein, mein Herz ist rein, in your files. Do you the ... A: If it is spoken as a good night prayer you can add the second verse Ich bin klein. mein Herz ist ... | |
| a random word - whats it mean?????? | 1/9/2009 |
| Q: ok, umm im sarah... and in music they forced us to watch a german opera without subtitles... anyway ... A: Unfortunately you do not give me any context for this single word (not even the title of the opera). ... | |
| blühen/erblühen conclusions | 1/8/2009 |
| Q: Kevin I appreciate your explanations very much indeed. I was to have told you that you were a maths ... A: Although it did take some time to think about and formulate an answer, I enjoyed your question(s) ... | |
| 3 short translations | 1/5/2009 |
| Q: I don't understand the meaning of Mittelpunkt here. I am writing the whole context: Er arbeitete in ... A: I am indeed a university teacher, but I teach theoretical physics, not anything to do with language. ... | |
| kk vs ck | 1/5/2009 |
| Q: In a children's Liederbuch, I notice that some songs use "kk" where one might expect to see "ck" I ... A: You are right, the normal word order should be "der muss sieben Sachen haben". But the usage in the ... | |
| 3 short translations | 1/5/2009 |
| Q: I don't understand the meaning of Mittelpunkt here. I am writing the whole context: Er arbeitete in ... A: sorry that I missed one question - it was late in the night for me here :-/ You use the subjunctive ... | |
| kk vs ck | 1/3/2009 |
| Q: In a children's Liederbuch, I notice that some songs use "kk" where one might expect to see "ck" I ... A: The ck was once (a very long time ago) a kk, but I doubt the Liederbuch is that old. As a ... | |
| 3 short translations | 1/1/2009 |
| Q: I don't understand the meaning of Mittelpunkt here. I am writing the whole context: Er arbeitete in ... A: "Im Mittelpunkt stehen" = to take center stage, to stand in the spotlight, to be the focus of ... | |
| Genitive Case | 12/30/2008 |
| Q: I have noticed that some words in the genitive case are written/spoken in two ways - for example ... A: Only masculine or neutral gender nouns receive the ending "-s" in the genitive case. In some cases ... | |
| English/German word usage | 12/29/2008 |
| Q: I have often wondered where the actual word "German" or therefore "Germany" comes from for we who ... A: The ethonym (=name of a people) "Germans" is of unclear origin, but it is certain that it comes from ... | |
| pronounciation | 12/26/2008 |
| Q: how do you pronounce this word: Hallöchen in let's say english letters A: The phonemes "ö" and "ch" are not representable in English letters in a satisfying way. The closest ... | |
| Tshirt | 12/22/2008 |
| Q: I went to Germany and i got a T-shirt from a festival and i am going to give it to my daughter but i ... A: The T-shirt comes from the Gäuboden folk festival (the second largest beer fest in Old Bavaria after ... | |
| german poem | 12/19/2008 |
| Q: do you know the song Erlkonig by schubert??? I sing it LOL Well with the text (a poem by Johann ... A: "Du liebes Kind, komm, geh mit mir." is the line where the bad fever dream vision of the child, the ... | |
| high five = abklatschen | 12/17/2008 |
| Q: How do you say hi5? or hi five? A: The Enlish idiom "high five" has become customary for young people to use untranslated: "Gib mir ... | |
| grammar, sentence structure, correct use of words- Help!!! | 12/17/2008 |
| Q: I lived in Germany for a while as a teenager. 6 years on and I have just started a German, however, ... A: I think you mean the site "StudiVZ" (short for "Studentenverzeichnis"="student directory") and the ... | |
| Arbeit | 12/14/2008 |
| Q: I'm currently studying abroad in Munich, Germany and many of my courses an der LMU require that I ... A: You do not write which academic discipline you study. The conventions and requirements vary greatly ... | |
| pronunciation | 12/11/2008 |
| Q: I teach music and cannot guarantee that I am correctly pronouncing the name most commonly associated ... A: It would have been nice if you had told me the name you need to know how to pronounce. Well, ... | |
| German prayer | 12/8/2008 |
| Q: Please translate: Come Lord Jesus, be our guest and let our daily food be blest. 50 years ago, my ... A: The prayer "Come Lord Jesus, be our guest and let our daily food be blest." in German goes like ... | |
| German Prayer | 12/4/2008 |
| Q: Kevin, Hi! I'm doing a research project of Germany. My grandma is from Germany and i know how to ... A: The first prayer goes Ich bin klein mein Herz ist rein dass niemand drin wohne als Jesus allein. ... | |
| Design Guides | 12/2/2008 |
| Q: Wie sagt man "Design Guides" auf Deutsch? This is in reference to technical literature that assists ... A: In German, guides (guidebooks) are called are called "Führer" (guidebook, also can mean the person ... | |
| Bit of a followup | 11/26/2008 |
| Q: A few days ago you translated 'threesomes solve everything' from English to German for me, and I was ... A: "Dreier lösen alles" is pronounced a bit like DRY-er LER-zen ULL-ess The first word "dreier" is ... | |
| A quick translation please. | 11/23/2008 |
| Q: I was wondering if you could tell me how to say 'Threesomes Solve Everything' in German, as I need ... A: A wise decision not to use automatic translation engines like babelfish for anything you want to ... | |
| Please translate.. | 11/6/2008 |
| Q: Would you please translate this one? I should have majored in German instead of French! A: The tombstone reads: Familiengrabstätte Hier ruhet der ehrengeachte Georg Hutter Wirth in ... | |
| Alle, alle auch sind frei. - good/appropriate German? | 11/6/2008 |
| Q: In response to my question about the curious idiom “olly olly oxen free”, used by a child playing ... A: The etymology of the phrase "olly olly oxen free" (or "ally, ally in come free") is not known. See ... | |
| please translate | 11/6/2008 |
| Q: Could you please translate this tombstone? Thank you! A: the tombstone reads: Ruhestätte der Karolina Hutter (?) Bindersgattin von hier geboren den 2. ... | |
| Bismarck quote original German | 11/4/2008 |
| Q: What's the original German for this one? There is a Providence that protects idiots, drunkards, ... A: There is a widely known old German proverb that says "Betrunkene und Kinder schützt der liebe Gott" ... | |
| Correct? | 11/2/2008 |
| Q: Hey, I'm currently writing a short German essay and I just wanted to check and make sure this is ... A: I will insert my comments (preceeded by > ) into your original text below. +++ Mein bleiben > ... | |
| A very strange idiom (unless you understand it?) | 10/24/2008 |
| Q: Many thanks for the recent answer; it was very helpful indeed. I find the only way to learn idioms ... A: I like your questions. They make me think about my language and I learn some new things in the ... | |
| Rutsch mir den Buckel runter! | 10/24/2008 |
| Q: Re "Rutsch mir den Buckel runter!", which I understand to mean something like "Get knotted!", i.e. ... A: The literal translation of "Rutsch mir den Buckel runter!" is "Slide down my (hunched) back!". It ... | |
| A Sentence | 10/20/2008 |
| Q: I'm having a bit of trouble here: http://www.wer-weiss-was.de/app/archive/show/3070190 Gibt es ... A: The correct translation of the present sentence is: "Is there a Hebrew (Ivrit) etymology which ... | |
| deutsche sprichwoerter | 10/15/2008 |
| Q: Lieber Kevin Ich bin sehr neugierig,um zu wissen,ob es im Deutschen kein sprichwort mit dieser ... A: Hallo Vandad, 1) "To carry coal to Newcastle" ist eine englische Redensart, die eine sinnlose oder ... | |
| Verzeihung | 10/14/2008 |
| Q: I'm learning German on my own. What is the difference between verzeihung and entschuldigen? Thank ... A: "die Verzeihung" is a noun which is translated as "pardon, forgiveness, condonation". The associated ... | |
| german grammar | 9/5/2008 |
| Q: Schreib Satzse 1. Ist - Rajiv - Mein - Vornmae - und- Gupta-mein-ist- Familienname 2. auch - ... A: 1. Rajiv ist mein Vorname und Gupta ist mein Nachname. (Subject-Verb-Object & Subject-Verb-Object ; ... | |
| German grammar | 9/5/2008 |
| Q: I am sanchit. I will be grateful, if you could solve my question. Stellen Sie die Fragen 1. Peter ... A: When you transform a declarative sentence into a question, the order of the grammatical units is ... | |
| heal | 8/26/2008 |
| Q: I found in my etymology dictionary that the verb to HEAL (and the noun Health) comes from old high ... A: The etymology of "heal" (and the noun derived from it, i.e. "health") goes back to the ... | |
| German prayer | 8/26/2008 |
| Q: Could you please translate into German the popular Catholic guardian angel prayer? In English, it ... A: There is no definitive version of the guardian angel prayer ("Schutzengelgebet"). I know a few ... | |
| German language roots | 8/22/2008 |
| Q: is that true the German language came from Iraq as i red in on of the books(the book is Babylon and ... A: The German language belongs to the family of Indo-Germanic or Indo-European languages. These ... | |
| english translation for Dutch sentence | 8/15/2008 |
| Q: what is the English translation for waarom zijn wij niet in duis... A: This is not German, but Dutch (the language spoken in the Netherlands). But you are lucky, I can ... | |
| How to write a couple words in German | 8/15/2008 |
| Q: How do you translate, "in memory of my Mom and Dad" ,or "for my Mom and Dad". Not sure if you use ... A: "In memory of my Mother and Father" -> "In Gedenken an meine Mutter und meinen Vater" "In memory of ... | |
| Etymology of the name Dimitri | 8/11/2008 |
| Q: I've been wondering why the name dimitri or dmitry is so common in Russia. Given that Demeter was a ... A: I am no expert in history, but from what little I know I can tell you that the Russian culture is ... | |
| Etymology of the name Dimitri | 8/8/2008 |
| Q: I've been wondering why the name dimitri or dmitry is so common in Russia. Given that Demeter was a ... A: You already say that the name Dimitri is derived from the Greek goddess Demeter, the goddess of ... | |
| For a Good Cause | 6/27/2008 |
| Q: We are Americans planning on making the trip to the German "Love Parade" for the Free Hugs project. ... A: hug, hugs - Umarmung, Umarmungen free - gratis "Free Hugs" - Gratis Umarmungen pronounced ... | |
| german sentences | 6/26/2008 |
| Q: I know u might have been asked this question before. But i just don't get how to make sentences in ... A: Your question is very general in nature and would require a whole textbook on German grammar to ... | |
| etymology and Tolkien | 6/16/2008 |
| Q: Given your interest and great erudition in languages, I would like to know if you could with 3 more ... A: I am glad to hear I could help you. But I must apologize if I have given you a wrong impression: ... | |
| etymology and Tolkien | 6/15/2008 |
| Q: Given your interest and great erudition in languages, I would like to know if you could with 3 more ... A: 1) The origin of the Book of Job is a disputed subject among historians. The Talmud gives Moses as ... | |
| etymology | 6/14/2008 |
| Q: I've been very interested in your translation of the meaning of the name caroline (as you can see, ... A: As you correctly state the name Caroline is the English version of the German name Karoline, which ... | |
| translation - rude vernacular | 6/4/2008 |
| Q: i was wondering what "was fu ein schiesse ist mit diese leute ich tref mich mit" means. ? thank you ... A: With the rhetorical question "Was für eine Scheisse ist mit diesen Leute ich treff mich mit?" the ... | |
| favourite things | 6/2/2008 |
| Q: Urm, well, for my German exam I have to write about my favourite things, and I can't think of any to ... A: Your favourite things might include Lieblingsessen / Leibgericht / Leibspeise Lieblingsgeschmack ... | |
| Schlachter, Metzger, Fleischer (figurative use) | 5/25/2008 |
| Q: This is a weird question - I'm writing a book (fiction) and there is a character called the Butcher. ... A: Your question is not at all weird, but rather exposes regional variances in German language usage. ... | |
| translation | 5/15/2008 |
| Q: what is the meaning of the word "höre" and what do we mean by "alevitsche christ" and "höre auf ... A: "höre" is the imperative (singular) of "hören" ("hear, listen"), so "höre auf Jesus" means "listen ... | |
| Old German LP | 4/17/2008 |
| Q: I am looking for at least a title of an old 1960's german LP. The whole LP was about SEAMAN songs. ... A: I could only find the track listings of the currently available albums by Lolita (on the German ... | |
| Old German LP | 4/16/2008 |
| Q: I am looking for at least a title of an old 1960's german LP. The whole LP was about SEAMAN songs. ... A: Seaman songs, or shanties, are called "seemannslieder" in German. Perhaps you can find the record ... | |
| Vater Unser -- different translations | 4/14/2008 |
| Q: I appreciate you taking the time to answer questions on All Experts. I have a question regarding the ... A: you have made an interesting observation which can be explained by the different translations from ... | |
| circa 1918 german army tin | 3/31/2008 |
| Q: i've got this tin that i can't figure out exactly what it's for. it has the year 1918 stamped on the ... A: This is probably written in Old German font, which is a bit difficult to read, since some Old German ... | |
| Translate a German Prayer | 3/29/2008 |
| Q: yesu wir gein to them essen las uns deiner nicht fergessen den du fist dos himmels broad speice zu ... A: The text you write me is not modern High German. It could be Middle German or Old German, or it ... | |
| Song in "The Lives of Others" | 11/6/2007 |
| Q: In the film "The Lives of Others" (Das Leben der Anderen) there is a scene where Capt. Wiesler and ... A: The music is the song "Wie ein Stern" ("like a star") by Frank Schöbel. It is unfortunately not on ... | |
| Bewerbungsbrief | 11/6/2007 |
| Q: Are these couple of sentences correct? Ich habe sehr güte Note bekommen, durch alle meine Fächer ... A: I have corrected your mistakes in the following text: +++ Ich habe sehr gute Noten bekommen, in ... | |
| Slavic-German mythology | 10/22/2007 |
| Q: Kevin, can you please supply a basic explaniation of the following? It deals with Slavic myths and ... A: Translation: +++ We are in the same situation in view of the goddess of the neighboring tribe, the ... | |
| Saying hello!!!! | 10/18/2007 |
| Q: I was wondering if you could help me...... I am doing a project on the different ways of saying ... A: On a stationary telephone you would answer by saying your name. For example I answer the phone with ... | |
| Auf Wiederhören! | 10/17/2007 |
| Q: How long has the expression, Auf Wiederhören!, been in use? Would it have been a common expression ... A: Derived from the customary farewell "Auf Wiedersehen" ("see you again"), the telephone farewell "Auf ... | |
| Book: Falsche Slawengötter | 9/24/2007 |
| Q: I am considering to arrange an inter-library loan of a book entitled Falsche Slawengotter ("false ... A: Iconography is the branch of art history which studies the identification, description and the ... | |
| Book: Falsche Slawengötter | 9/23/2007 |
| Q: I am considering to arrange an inter-library loan of a book entitled Falsche Slawengotter ("false ... A: The book Falsche Slawengötter by Leonhard Franz is according to my information an iconographic ... | |
| Die Welt Gehört Mir - Blümchen song | 9/3/2007 |
| Q: Would you be so kind as to translate this song for me? Ich hab' den Führerschein Und steige in mein ... A: Here's my translation: I got my driver's license And get into my new car All alone I drive far, far ... | |
| what word? | 8/22/2007 |
| Q: I keep hearing this German phrase over and over again with no translation on a CD I'm working with. ... A: "Freut mi'" is short for "(Es) freut mich". It is exactly translated by "It pleases me". It is ... | |
| could you check this please? | 8/17/2007 |
| Q: i know that you said that you couldn't fully help with homework, but i just really need to know if ... A: Below I have copied your text and added my corrections in between. I also corrected spelling ... | |
| Family Oral History | 7/16/2007 |
| Q: Kevin- I recently discovered family roots that lead directly to the Swiss March area (in the Canton ... A: ...die nach der Überlieferung flüchtige Hussiten (1434 geschlagen bei Brünn) gewesen und danach in ... | |
| Derivations of "German/Germanic" and "Lau" | 6/14/2007 |
| Q: How did the terms "German/Germanic (Tribes)" originate? Did the words have an actual specific ... A: The several possible theories on how the ethnonym (name of the people) "German" originated are ... | |
| German or Swedish? | 5/20/2007 |
| Q: Is the name 'Karin Mazen' German, or do you think it is possible Swedish? A: The first name Karin is a very common name in Germany, but the surname Mazen is extremely rare, only ... | |
| The German word "einlinig" | 5/10/2007 |
| Q: I cannot seem to find a definition for the word "einlinig". Here's an example sentence where it is ... A: The German word "einlinig" can best be translated as "one linedly", i.e. in a manner resembling one ... | |
| Präpositionen in/an/auf+Dativ | 5/2/2007 |
| Q: I am still working hard for my Deutsch learning. Recently, I am in a puzzle in the captioned topic. ... A: The principal function of these prepositions is to denote a spatial relationship or direction. The ... | |
| Grüss Gott | 4/14/2007 |
| Q: When greeted with Grüss Gott, how should one reply. Danke A: The greeting "Grüß Gott" is not (as often mistakenly thought) the imperative to "greet god" - to ... | |
| Names | 4/11/2007 |
| Q: Could you translate the names from English To German... Nicholas,,, Jordan,,, Breonna,,, Natasha,,, ... A: The male given name Nicholas is derived from the Greek ... | |
| going out with someone | 3/22/2007 |
| Q: how do you say "Will you go out with me?" like relationship wise,not on a date A: In that situation you would ask: "Willst du mit mir gehen?" literally: "Do you want to go with me?" ... | |
| hmmm | 3/21/2007 |
| Q: what does Sie sind sehr schön mean? A: "Sie sind sehr schön" means "You are very beautiful", directed to someone whom one adresses with the ... | |
| Can you help me? | 3/18/2007 |
| Q: I have 2 questions. 1) Can you give me a link to learning German or send me some information to get ... A: The answer to your first question very much depends on your age, your learning goals (e.g. crash ... | |
| Rammstein lyrics | 3/12/2007 |
| Q: I'm sorry but I have two questions. First what does, "Wollt Ihr das Bett in Flammen Sehen" meen? ... A: 1. It translates to "Do you want to see the bed/sheets in flames?" What these Rammstein lyrics ... | |
| Duden: Die Grammatik | 3/6/2007 |
| Q: I'm wondering in which years Duden have published new editions of thier 'Die Grammatik' (I think ... A: You are right: "Die Grammatik" is the 4th volume of the Duden. See this brief article for some ... | |
| tattoo | 2/28/2007 |
| Q: I would like to get a tattoo of my daughters name and I was wondering how would you write it in ... A: I don't think there is a German equivalent for Tierra, like there are equivalents for more common ... | |
| can you plz check if there are any mistakes? | 2/21/2007 |
| Q: i had to write a diary entry for my german homework, and i was just wondering if you could please ... A: > Mein Wochenende war sehr spaß und beschäftigt! better: Dieses Wochenende hatte ich viel spaß und ... | |
| questions on correct wording | 2/21/2007 |
| Q: I was wondering if the correct way to say 'god does not play dice' is 'Gott wurfelt nicht' or 'Gott ... A: Einstein coined the saying "Gott würfelt nicht" to describe his view on the probability ... | |
| possessive constructions | 2/4/2007 |
| Q: i'm doing some research into the german possessive, and i found that in addition to the possessive ... A: there is a certain parallel here with the possessive forms in English: "my father's pipe" (Saxon ... | |
| Definition | 1/17/2007 |
| Q: Please could you tell me. Is there a word spelled similarly to this word and if so what is its ... A: The words "Vodenshlagen" or "Voudenshlagen" do not exist. Was it perhaps written in "Fraktur", the ... | |
| Way to count down | 1/11/2007 |
| Q: I saw the German had count down from the news report. They said something like "Drei, Zwei..." ... A: The German count down is just like the English version, one counts down the remaining seconds until ... | |
| Translate the Prayers | 12/20/2006 |
| Q: Please tranlate "The Lord's Prayer" in German. Then I can pray in German every day! Danke Schon!! ... A: I already answered your previous identical request, but since you did not read the answer yet, I ... | |
| Help saying something in german | 12/19/2006 |
| Q: My girlfriends father is German, and I want to be able to ask him for his daughters hand in marriage ... A: Are you on first name terms with him, or is he "Mr. (last name)" ? There is an informal "Du" and a ... | |
| Translation | 12/18/2006 |
| Q: Pls advise "The Lord's Prayer" in German. I hope I can use Deutsch to read "The Lord's Prayer" in ... A: Vater Unser, der Du bist im Himmel, geheiligt werde Dein Name, Dein Reich komme, Dein Wille ... | |
| Surpise | 12/3/2006 |
| Q: Unfortunately here in the USA our shared name is fairly common. I have even received arrest ... A: Here in Germany we have an ID-card law and thus a very efficient registry that can prevent such ... | |
| grammar | 11/20/2006 |
| Q: Would you please explain when should I use "Ihr" and " Ihre". And when should I use "Mein" and ... A: "Mein" (as in "Das ist mein Buch.", plural: "meine", as in "Das sind meine Bücher.") is the first ... | |
| Could you possibly skim over this passage for grammar errors? | 11/13/2006 |
| Q: Schule in der Zukunft wird viel interessanter sein. Das Jahr 2050 werden die Studenten ... A: No problem: Schule in der Zukunft wird viel interessanter sein. Im Jahr 2050 werden die Studenten ... | |
| Is the grammar in this passage correct? | 11/12/2006 |
| Q: Im Moment finde ich die Schule sehr langweilig, weil es nichts interessant gibt. Jetzt sind die ... A: Just a few small corrections: Im Moment finde ich die Schule sehr langweilig, weil es nichts ... | |
| Wording on 3 steins | 9/18/2006 |
| Q: Kevin, Can you please translate the following from 3 steins 1. Auf der Alm da gibs ka sund 2. ... A: 1. On the alp (mountain pasture) there is no sin. with the meaning of 'there is no such thing as a ... | |
| pronunciation of | 8/31/2006 |
| Q: I am not sure how this word (used in the first line of Heine's Lotosblume poem) is pronunced at the ... A: Both pronounciations are correct. This is one of the points where local differences in ... | |
| Re-learning at an | 8/30/2006 |
| Q: I read your response to a reader on a similar matter, and thought you might be able to help me a bit ... A: Hallo Amy, Wenn du wirklich so schnell wie möglich dein Vokabular vergrößern willst, solltest du ... | |
| beer stein wording | 8/26/2006 |
| Q: Please translate stein writing if you please? Interpetation would be great. Der Trunksei Klar Dein ... A: > "Der Trunk sei klar, dein Leib sei rar." Let me first go into the details and then I will combine ... | |
| translation of beer stein | 8/23/2006 |
| Q: my name is James Schendel. I can speak German fairly well, so a friend of mine asked me to translate ... A: The colloquialism "einen Kater haben" (literally: to have a tom cat) is an expression for saying ... | |
| Would you please translate to German? | 8/9/2006 |
| Q: Sir: Your answer was very rich and I appreciate it!! Would you please change it in the way I am ... A: A group of people! I had not thought of that possibility. In English the adress "you" is not nearly ... | |
| Would you please translate to German? | 8/7/2006 |
| Q: Sir, Would you please with the following English->German translation? If too long, please proceed ... A: There is a slight difference in how to translate "you" and in the connected verb conjugation, in ... | |
| Learning German for Study abroad | 7/26/2006 |
| Q: I may have an opportunity to study abroad in Germany next summer. I don't have room in my schedule ... A: you will find that in computer related subjects most of the specialized terms in German are just the ... | |
| name | 6/12/2006 |
| Q: I just wanted to know the correct pronunciation of a name: K.Elser He is a German author. Actually ... A: The name "Elser" is pronounced with a vocal "s", like the "z" in English. "Alzer" is the closest ... | |
| hypologisch | 5/6/2006 |
| Q: What does "hypologisch" mean? It's an Erdmann's term. A: The prefix "hypo" is greek for "under", "beneath", "below" or sometimes "low". You also find it in ... | |
| Freudendirne | 5/3/2006 |
| Q: This word, Freudendirne, seems to be very rare. Mydoes it simply mean a prostitute, or is it more ... A: You are right, a "Freudendirne" is definitely a prostitute. The word is actually a pleonasm, i.e. ... | |
| Origen and meaning of name | 3/19/2006 |
| Q: Kevin, My ancestors came from Westphalila in 1848. They settled in St Louis area. I am trying to ... A: the German family name Lueking (Lüking, Lücking) is derived from Ludico, a diminuitive form of the ... | |
| Electronic Phonetic Germany Dicionary | 2/5/2006 |
| Q: I'm trying to find an electronic German dictionary that gives the phonetic pronunciation of German ... A: This is the address of a free internet translation dictionary (the site is in German): ... | |
| Language | 1/22/2006 |
| Q: I have heard that the language spoken in Luxembourg is a type of that spoken in Germany, although ... A: I don't know much about Luxembourg and Luxenbourgish language, so I would like to refer you to ... | |
| STUDIES | 12/19/2005 |
| Q: I want to study in Germany - an MS in engineering- I cant find a good rating system please tell me ... A: The German university system is different from the US or UK system, where some elite universities ... | |
| are men and women treated... | 11/28/2005 |
| Q: are men and women treated equally? A: Your question is: > are men and women treated equally? I have to ask you to state your question ... | |
| die bundestagswahl 2005 | 9/21/2005 |
| Q: 1.seit wie lange ist Gerhard Schroder Bundeskanzler? 2.Wieviele Personnen haben in dieser wahl ... A: 1. Nach dem Wahlerfolg der SPD bei der Bundestagswahl 1998 wurde Gerhard Schröder am 27. Oktober ... | |
| Genitive article | 6/21/2005 |
| Q: Johnson: I am teaching myself German with the help of tapes and books. As an admirer of the music ... A: The title "Der Ring des Nibelungen" is commonly translated into English as "The Ring of the ... | |
| about tourist | 6/16/2005 |
| Q: I CAN'T SEARCH INFORMATION ABOUT GERMANY'TOURIST. CAN YOU HELP ME? THE TOTAL OF VISITORS ( INBOUT, ... A: Try the following web pages: http://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/ ... | |
| Luther | 6/10/2005 |
| Q: I am reading something about the German reformer Martin Luther... Müntzer did not stop at ... A: 'Sanftleben' is a composite of 'sanft'='soft, gentle' and 'leben'='life'. Müntzer criticises ... | |
| relearning German | 6/6/2005 |
| Q: I just graduated from highschool. At college, I am required to take foreign language. I took 2 years ... A: Reading as much German as possible is of course a good way to brush up your language skills. But ... | |
| what's the best site for testing one's ability | 5/3/2005 |
| Q: I would like to test my ability to translate texts bearing any type of subjects from German to ... A: I don't know of any self-test web sited for translators. But if you need German and English texts ... | |
| How to say in German... | 4/18/2005 |
| Q: Would you please help me on how a 15-year old girl can say to her German guests the following ... A: "Hi, my name is Victoria and I would like to thank you everyone for being today with me in this very ... | |
| language | 4/4/2005 |
| Q: i was wondering if you could give me an opinion on this question? what are the advantages of ... A: although I am not an expert on learning, languages, neurology or psychology I will give you an ... | |
| Ich bin ein Berliner Pronunciation | 1/31/2005 |
| Q: Mr. Johnson, I'm an avid speech and debate competitor preparing for an upcoming tournament. I want ... A: I don't know English or American phonetic writing but I'll try. The phrases would be pronounced ick ... | |
| Assistance shopping | 1/26/2005 |
| Q: This might be an unusual question and I'll understand if it is declined. I'm trying to purchase a ... A: a featherbed is quite common in Germany and Austria. It is losing popularity nowadays because many ... | |
| Hallo Kevin, Ich moechte... | 1/14/2005 |
| Q: Hallo Kevin, Ich moechte wissen, warum "Jahre" manchmal ein 'e' am Ende hat, wann man zum Beispiel ... A: Hallo Myron Leathem, die beiden Schreib- und Redeweisen "im Jahr 2005" und "im Jahre 2005" sind ... | |
| stein translation | 1/3/2005 |
| Q: Hoping you can be as helpful on this one as I notice you were to a similar question. The words ... A: > Gut' Bier, frisch' Wein, Good beer, fresh wine. > Eine Musika rein War (umlaut over a) ja ein ... | |
| German as a bussiness language | 12/31/2004 |
| Q: Do you think that German is a good bussiness language, and do you know any other languages I should ... A: German is a good business language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the tiny Principality of ... | |
| What does this mean? | 12/9/2004 |
| Q: I have a plate that says " Srhaff und erirb Bahl Steuern und ftirb" Could you tell me what it ... A: The inscription on your plate is probably in Old German font. In this character set the c looks much ... | |
| Translate words on beer stein | 11/29/2004 |
| Q: can you help us translate the following: in einem kiihlen Grunde and Da gehtein Muhlen: ... A: I hope the Umlaute ä ö ü (a o u each with two dots on top) are displayed correctly by your browser. ... | |
| German- Translate THANK YOU to Australian | 11/27/2004 |
| Q: can you please translate Thank you to Australian for me please. Thank you very much. A: In Australia (where English is the official language) the people speak Australian (slightly ... | |
| german translation | 11/8/2004 |
| Q: I recently heard a German friend describe a woman as "proper" in referring to body type. What does ... A: the word is properly written 'propper'. It is a colloquial term, meaning healthy, vital and well ... | |
| What does "Wollt lhr das bett... | 11/2/2004 |
| Q: What does "Wollt lhr das bett in flammen sehen" mean in english ? A: > What does "Wollt lhr das bett in flammen sehen" mean in > english ? This is the title of a ... | |
| Someone wrote this to me,... | 10/4/2004 |
| Q: Someone wrote this to me, "abfressen die kacke blaskfopt". Whats that mean ? A: that is not correct German but I can translate three of the words (but it sounds pretty rude!): ... | |
German Language
Answers by Expert:
Kevin Johnson
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I grew up and live in Germany, so I can answer questions on the German language, culture, current events, politics and style. My field of work is science, so I will also be able to answer questions regarding technical vocabulary. I will not do translations of more than approx. half a page (typewritten), though.
Experience
I lived all my life in Germany. I have a strong lifelong interest in languages.
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