All Questions
Tagged with translation word-usage
97
questions
17
votes
11
answers
4k
views
How to express "fizzle out" in German
I'm am struggling with the right way to express, "to fizzle out", in German. Let me give some example sentences:
We were very good friends at first, but over the years, our friendship fizzled out.
...
- 2,751
16
votes
5
answers
14k
views
Wo liegt der Unterschied zwischen "nun" und "jetzt"?
Diese Frage wurde auch hier (auf Englisch) beantwortet:
What is the difference between "nun" and "jetzt"?
Ich übersetzte die beiden als "now", aber ich vermute, dass es ...
- 703
15
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Blicke mir nicht in die Lieder
I recently got a Deutsche Grammophon CD with recordings of songs by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. When reading the texts, I noticed the translation of the title of one of the songs. Intuitively I knew it ...
- 151
13
votes
3
answers
3k
views
The definition of "so was von"
In a game, the characters says
"wir sind so was von tot"
I switched language from German to English, and found out that the translation is
"we are so dead"
I am confused by the phrase "so was ...
- 133
10
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Is there a non offensive word for inability?
So I recently thought about the word inability, which is a kind of neutral word in English, but in German when someone tells me »Du bist unfähig.« or »Das war deine Unfähigkeit«, it really is more or ...
- 498
10
votes
5
answers
6k
views
"Urlaub" oder "Ferien"
In my German textbook there is a sentence with "Ferien".
"Königliche Ferien im Schatten von Burgen und Schlössern."
I consulted my Wörterbuch and found "Urlaub". I am curious which word of these two ...
- 103
10
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How to properly say asset/assets in German
I am having some difficulty getting some of the financial defintions/contexts straight. I was wondering if somebody could help me with the following sentences:
A house can be considered a type of ...
- 2,751
10
votes
3
answers
993
views
Historically correct usage of "Britannien" and "Großbritannien"
Quick background: I am working on a translation from English to German of a Canadian history textbook (note: for grade 7 students).
The textbook refers consistently to "Britain" and does not ...
- 271
9
votes
3
answers
4k
views
I will not raise my voice to him ever again
I'm struggling with the proper translation for "to raise one's voice".
The exact phrase is:
"I will not raise my voice to him ever again"
The context is, two people (in this case, ...
- 469
9
votes
5
answers
2k
views
A box in packaging
We're currently revising translations for packaging machines. Box goes in, product goes in, box filled with product goes out. Confusion has risen whether to use Karton, Kiste, Schachtel, Kasten or ...
- 325
9
votes
3
answers
2k
views
How to say "take a joke" in German
When pulling a prank on someone or telling a joke that could come across as offensive, usually we say "take a joke" or something along those lines. What is the expression for this in German?
- 1,236
9
votes
2
answers
297
views
What is the difference between "härten", "verhärten", and "abhärten"?
I am looking for the difference between these three verbs. All dictionaries I’ve looked at suggest “harden”, and the boundaries between them are hard to distinguish. From what I gather:
Somebody “...
- 141
8
votes
5
answers
2k
views
How to properly say "bail on somebody" in German?
I think the question in the title is clear, so let me get to some example sentences:
Me and my friends had plans to go out last night. A couple of them bailed at the last second.
We agreed on a ...
- 2,751
7
votes
2
answers
4k
views
How to tell the difference between groß = tall or big
I recently started learning German through Duolingo and Busuu.
I came across the word groß a few times now but I'm not sure how to tell the difference between:
The man is tall vs The man is big (heavy ...
7
votes
3
answers
6k
views
Why is "Close the door." translated to "Tür zu."?
How does the meaning of "Close the door." come from "Tür zu."?
I get that Tür means door. But how does zu mean close? I thought zu means to or too, and I can't fathom what I'm not understanding.
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