German-question

[Tender Branson]

Other words:

English: last year, High German: letztes Jahr/voriges Jahr, my dialect: feascht
English: armpit, High German: Achsel, my dialect: Iaxn
English: immediately/quick, High German: sofort/schnell, my dialect: huseg

How intelligible is your dialect with regular German? (Hochdeutsch I believe it is called?)

Not very.

We need to switch into Hochdeutsch when they visit, so they properly understand us. They only understand every 2nd word or so.

[KoopaDaQuick 🇵🇸]

Not learning it right now, but I wanna learn it at some point. It's currently the only foreign language my high school offers that I haven't taken yet, as I've taken both Spanish and French. I'm much more of a fan of Romance tongues, but I could see myself taking a year or two of German.

[Nutmeg]

I strongly considered taking a job in Stuttgart a few years ago (going so far as an extended visit/tryout) and would have made an effort, but otherwise the only German I know is what my dad taught me in the 1980s when it looked like Germany and Japan were going to the economic superpowers of the future (he also tried to get me to golf because it is the "language of business" lololo). To this day I actually almost always call the gas station tankstelle because when I was 4, it was one of the first German words my dad taught me, perhaps because he ran an export business sending classic American cars to Germany.

I love traveling and languages generally (I'm fluent in Spanish and professionally competent in Portuguese, French, Italian, and Sranan Tongo, and I've learned basic phrases in places as different as Bulgaria, Rwanda, and Thailand, and in Quechua in Bolivia, to the amusement/amazement of locals), but many Germans' English is impeccable, so it kind of reduces the need to learn their language.

I also recently discovered that my great-grandmother immigrated directly from Germany. Previously family lore was that on both sides we were 100% Irish-descended. So I'm kind of reevaluating my heritage at the moment.

[Kingpoleon]

Plz don't lump Switzerland in Austria and Germany thx Nearly half of us are actually romance language speakers

But, well... for me, one of the joys of learning a new language is having this whole new world of culture, music, media, literature... that suddenly opens up to you. I find the idea of only being able to speak one language unaccountably sad to be honest - it just makes your experience of the world so much more limited.

Nearly half? Maybe a third.

I understand the French and Italian speakers get upset if you try speaking German to them and don’t like it being the majority language(>60%), but it still is.

Learning the German language, while helpful in the area and for learning other Germanic languages, isn’t especially useful. Germany has one of the highest percentage of English speakers in Europe, and it is much easier to get by with just English in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland than it is in Spain, France, Italy, etc.

[Sozialliberal]

Native speaker here.

Norden & Süden = North & South (to indicate a broader region)
Nördlich & Südlich = Northern & Southern (direction)
Nord & Süd = mostly used in geographical context such as Nordkalifornien (Northern California) to combine a region or state or ocean.

Sailors and weather forecasters use "Nord" and "Süd" as nouns. For example, they say: "Der Wind kommt heute aus Nord." (The wind is coming from the north today.)

which Germanic language (besides German itself anyway) would say Low German is closest to?

Ina Müller is a TV presenter, musician and comedian who grew up speaking Low German. In one of her shows, she said Low German seems like a mix of German, Dutch and English.

Some examples of Low German being closer to English than Standard German:

English: the clock
Standard German: die Uhr
Low German: de Klock

English: the plant
Standard German: die Pflanze
Low German: de Plant

English: little (in the sense of "small")
Standard German: klein
Low German: lütt

If a German orders a cake at an Austrian restaurant and the waitress asks: „Do you also want Schlag on top ?“ the German will be puzzled ... 🧐🤔

„Schlag“ on top of my apple strudel ? What’s that ?

Waitress: „Sahne“. Do you want Sahne for your Strudel ?“

Guest: „Yes, please. I want cream for my Strudel.“

A woman I knew once told me about her vacation in Austria. She wanted to drink a mixture of carbonated water and apple juice, which is quite a popular drink here, especially in the summertime. In most of Germany, this beverage is known as "Apfelschorle". Austrians call it "G'spritzter". So she went to that restaurant in Vienna and ordered a "Schorle". To her surprise, the waiter served her a fried fish instead: A plaice, which is known as "Scholle" in both Germany and Austria.

[Tender Branson]

Question for the native German-speakers:

Do you call a Topfenstrudel Topfenstrudel or Quarkstrudel ?

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

The last time someone tried to answer the "German-Question", it ended terribly for all involved.

[Sozialliberal]

Question for the native German-speakers:

Do you call a Topfenstrudel Topfenstrudel or Quarkstrudel ?

Oh, I love Strudel, but it's not a traditional pastry in my home region. We consider Strudel an Austrian/Bavarian speciality. To answer your question, we'd call it Quarkstrudel because nobody says Topfen here.

[Tender Branson]

Another defining word is "Haxn".

It divides Bavaria/Austria from the rest of Germany.

Haxn means "legs" and in rest-Germany it's called "Beine" or "Füße".

[Clarko95 📚💰📈]

If you have any questions about German, don’t hesitate to ask me.

I have enough time today.

Question:  what advantage do you think learning German would have for your average English-speaking American?

Probably not much unless you actively attempt to use it or just keeping your mind sharp and having a sense of accomplishment.

But for me, a language freak, it greatly helped me understand the roots of the English language (studying Italian and Swedish have helped further this goal). It also has led to me making a lot of German-speaking friends and led to a much deeper connection with them, and going to Germany is now much more enjoyable than if I wasn't able to communicate in the native language.

[Cokeland Saxton]

I only know a few words and my numbers in German. I have no intention of learning the language.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

Is Wald the German word for forest?

[Tender Branson]

Is Wald the German word for forest?

Yes.

Germans pronounce it "Wuh-ld".

We pronounce it "Woid" or as the English term "Void".

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

is it true Jagen means hunter?

[Tender Branson]

is it true Jagen means hunter?

jagen ("juh-gen", soft g) = to hunt

der Jäger ("yay-guh") = the hunter

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

is it true Jagen means hunter?

jagen ("juh-gen", soft g) = to hunt

der Jäger ("yay-guh") = the hunter

herein lies the importance of the umlaut.
Isn't the case that Muller is pronounced simple moo-ler but Muller (u with umlaut) it becomes Myu-ler?

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Is Wald the German word for forest?

Yes.

Germans pronounce it "Wuh-ld".

We pronounce it "Woid" or as the English term "Void".

So this makes names like "Greenwald", which I have to assume is to some extent Americanized, rather self explanatory (watching a show right now where a character has the name "Grunewald" which is probably closer to the mark).

[vitoNova]

Is Wald the German word for forest?

Yes.

Germans pronounce it "Wuh-ld".

We pronounce it "Woid" or as the English term "Void".

I've always heard it pronounced "V-alh-t" and is the way I say it.  

With an "Ah" sound.  And with a hard-D / borderline "T" at the end.

This was Baden Wurtemburg / Rhineland / Hesse area.  

[Tender Branson]

Is Wald the German word for forest?

Yes.

Germans pronounce it "Wuh-ld".

We pronounce it "Woid" or as the English term "Void".

I've always heard it pronounced "V-alh-t" and is the way I say it.  

With an "Ah" sound.  And with a hard-D / borderline "T" at the end.

This was Baden Wurtemburg / Rhineland / Hesse area.

Yes, because as Mr. POTUS Johnson said: Austrians pronounce the „d“ softer, the Germans (excl. Bavaria) harder.

[Tender Branson]

is it true Jagen means hunter?

jagen ("juh-gen", soft g) = to hunt

der Jäger ("yay-guh") = the hunter

herein lies the importance of the umlaut.
Isn't the case that Muller is pronounced simple moo-ler but Muller (u with umlaut) it becomes Myu-ler?

Umlauts like ü, ö, ä are very tough to learn for English speakers because their sound is so alien to them.

[Tender Branson]

Is Wald the German word for forest?

Yes.

Germans pronounce it "Wuh-ld".

We pronounce it "Woid" or as the English term "Void".

So this makes names like "Greenwald", which I have to assume is to some extent Americanized, rather self explanatory (watching a show right now where a character has the name "Grunewald" which is probably closer to the mark).

Yeah, or „Engelhart“.

Engel 😇 = Angel
hart = hard

Angelhard.

https://twitter.com/priscillawt/status/1249043727022280706

[Figueira]

Somewhere between 3 and 4. Voted 4. I wish I knew more.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

is it true Jagen means hunter?

jagen ("juh-gen", soft g) = to hunt

der Jäger ("yay-guh") = the hunter

herein lies the importance of the umlaut.
Isn't the case that Muller is pronounced simple moo-ler but Muller (u with umlaut) it becomes Myu-ler?

Umlauts like ü, ö, ä are very tough to learn for English speakers because their sound is so alien to them.

What is the rule generally when it comes to umlauts? Add a trace of a 'y' sound?

[Tender Branson]

is it true Jagen means hunter?

jagen ("juh-gen", soft g) = to hunt

der Jäger ("yay-guh") = the hunter

herein lies the importance of the umlaut.
Isn't the case that Muller is pronounced simple moo-ler but Muller (u with umlaut) it becomes Myu-ler?

Umlauts like ü, ö, ä are very tough to learn for English speakers because their sound is so alien to them.

What is the rule generally when it comes to umlauts? Add a trace of a 'y' sound?

This helps:

„ü“ is the hardest.

[Figueira]

is it true Jagen means hunter?

jagen ("juh-gen", soft g) = to hunt

der Jäger ("yay-guh") = the hunter

herein lies the importance of the umlaut.
Isn't the case that Muller is pronounced simple moo-ler but Muller (u with umlaut) it becomes Myu-ler?

Umlauts like ü, ö, ä are very tough to learn for English speakers because their sound is so alien to them.

Isn't ä pretty much the vowel in American English "bed"?