I’ve figured for a while that German would be approximately six barrels of monkeys to learn and speak. It first came upon me whilst singing a Bach hymn that sounded like a drinking song, back in high school. And today, the resolution to learn this language came upon me with renewed force. For I am researching logistics for the World Cup in Germany. I am not sure what kind of flight or flying machine flugzeug might be (pronounced something like floog-tsoig, I would guess), but by all the Muses, a language that can produce a word like that is one that I should know.
Other gems:
- flughafen. I’ve heard this before, but it never gets old. (means ‘airport’.)
- Judging from the English site, unsere zimmer means ‘our rooms’, but I seriously assumed it meant ‘the height of luxury’ at first (the photos assisted me in forming that impression.) How much more fun is ‘zimmer’ than borin’ old ‘room’? I ask you.
- Freizeit sounds a bit more excitable than ‘leisure’, but I’m sure I could get used to it.
- lichtdurchflutete. I infer this means ‘furnished’. I am speechless.
Comments
Dane to the rescue
And you’re right about what’s involved in learning German. First of all, there’s three possible sexes for each noun, and you have to remember the right one for each and every one of them. Then they have a truckload of words for simple concepts like “the” and plural “s” depending on the grammatical context. German grammar = pain. Pain, I tell you. English grammar is so much easier, although the vocabulary is also much larger. I guess, with German, you get fewer words, but many, many more grammatical rules. And PAIN.
Re: Dane to the rescue
That makes FAR more sense (lichtdurchflutete, I mean). However, these translatey people are definitely messing with me.
And the one thing you fail to realize here is that the horror that is German grammar provides two things: if one fails to learn German to any degree, it is an EXCUSE; and if one succeeds to some extent, it adds to the BRAGGING RIGHTS :)
Re: Dane to the rescue
I reckon you’re right. So what rights does kinda-sorta-knowing-German-but-to-Hell-with-the-grammar give? The right to make fart noises with one’s armpit without people murmuring amongst themselves with expressions of disgust? :p
Re: Dane to the rescue
I’d say the right to be a German expert on the internet. I know, I know, EVERYONE is an expert on the internet! But YOU have the right to be a German expert and still feel like a good person afterwards…that’s rare!
Re: Dane to the rescue
An expert, no less. My ego feels appropriately inflated and, of course, very appreciative. But no luck on the fart thing, then?