Larian Studios Forums General Chat Chat (Anything) German for Runaways

Hiddensee.

I don't know what this name means, but the original meaning is very likely completely lost.

Hiddensee is a small island in the east-north of Germany.

You as English-speaking persons would translate it like "hidden - seeing" or so, but "see" means "lake" or "sea" in German. The word "hidden" does not exist in the German language.

So an Island with the name "hidden lake" ? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" /> No, the original meaning is unreachable for me. I guess the original name sounded quite differently, but became distorted through the work of centuries.

Another explanation is that the word was originally a name from the language of the "Pommern", people who lived there, and that was a language close to the Polish language, because the ancestors of the people of Polen of today lived in that area, too.

I know what you mean, Alrik.
But it doesn't has to be a real "lake".

It could be that the area was swamp like in long forgotten days.
That it was hard to reach.

There are places like that in Belgium, Danmark and Holland too. With also 'strange' names.
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

hey guys & gals! been a bit busy with work so no time for me to learn german. i know this is a poor excuse but i'll try to learn & come back here 2 join u in learning.

guten tag! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wave.gif" alt="" />

How do you say "Right then you lot, get on with it"----I need this one for work,because they don't take much notice when i speak the Queens English, so i thought a more authoritarean language might get them off there ars-es <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/exclamation.gif" alt="" />

In German ??? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" />

I'd say "Los, Leute, macht mal weiter !" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

I'd say this is rather politely formulated. You could also use a more aggressive formulation, but I don't think that would be polite.

The ch there is spoken unlike the "normal" English ch, but rather like in "Loch Ness".

Thanks for that Alrik, i will write that down and try it on them tomorrow, one of them has learnt some German so it will be interesting to see if he recognises any of it <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/think.gif" alt="" />
P.S. what is "Toodle Pip" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/question.gif" alt="" />

Toodle Pip ? Never heard of this one before.

Toodle Pip = is that like see-ya later.... toodles! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wave.gif" alt="" />

pip pip and all that! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

Indeed.
It sounds more English than German.

Yep. Thats it! I'm afraid of too much English <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/memad.gif" alt="" />

Please, in the Future write English and German <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

Sternenschweif

Now a Lesson about Time. Jetzt eine Lektion über die Zeit.

In the USA and some other Contrys, have the Clock only 12 Hours!
In den USA und manchen anderen Staaten, hat die Uhr nur 12 Stunden!
Ok, 12 AM and 12 PM, for an normal German not easy.
Ok, 12 (morgens?) und 12 (nachmittags?), für den gewöhnlichen Deutschen nicht leicht.
I think AM = After Midnight and PM = Past Midday.
I denke AM = Nach Mitternacht und PM = Nach Mittag.
In Germany the Time is shown by 24 Hours.
In Deutschland wird die Zeit in 24 Stunden angezeigt.
Ok, ok it is only a small Excursion <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />
Ok, ok das ist nur ein kleiner Ausflug <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

The German Times: Die Deutsch Zeit:

Vierundzwanzig Uhr (Mitternacht), Ein Uhr, Zwei Uhr, Drei Uhr, Vier Uhr, Fünf Uhr, Sechs Uhr, Sieben Uhr, Acht Uhr, Neun Uhr, Zehn Uhr, Elf Uhr, Zwölf Uhr (Mittag), Dreizehn Uhr, Vierzehn Uhr, Fünfzehn Uhr, Sechszehn Uhr, Siebzehn Uhr, Achtzehn Uhr, Neunzehn Uhr, Zwanzig Uhr, Einundzwanzig Uhr, Zweiundzwanzig Uhr, Dreiundzwanzig Uhr

Some translations: Einige Übersetzungen:

it's twenty past three = es ist zwanzig nach drei
ten past eight = zehn nach acht
twenty to six = zwanzig vor sechs
a quater past one = viertel nach eins, oder viertel zwei <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/exclamation.gif" alt="" />
ten to eleven = zehn vor elf
noon, midnight = 24 Uhr, Mitternacht
five past one = fünf nach eins
twenty-five past one = fünfundzwanzig vor eins
quater to seven = viertel vor sieben
half past four = halb fünf
nine o'clock = neun Uhr
five past eight = fünf vor acht

The English 'past' is in German 'nach'
The English 'to' is in German 'vor'

It sounds good to say 'minutes' = twenty to six / zwanzig minuten vor sechs (Uhr)
Es klingt gut, wenn 'minuten' gesagt wird

Sternenschweif

Afraid of English?
It doesn't bite
... I think. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" />

Besides... there's just as much German on the forum.
Even more. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/think.gif" alt="" />
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

So the Germans don't say "Toodle Pip" then <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/question.gif" alt="" />
What about the abbreiviated "S'later" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/question.gif" alt="" />
or even "Chow" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/question.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wave.gif" alt="" />

Sternenschweif, I'm afraid there are quite some mistakes in your post.
Sternenschweif, ich fürchte in deinem Beitrag sind einige Fehler.

noon = Mittag, midnight = Mitternacht
twenty five past one = fünfundzwanzig nach eins, or better: fünf vor halb zwei
five past eight = fünf nach acht

The infamous "Swabian system" is only used in small parts of Germany (I know it of Swabia and Thüringen (hmm, what's Thüringen in English?)), and is known to confuse other people from Germany and foreigners alike:
quarter past three = viertel vier (quarter four)
half past three = halb vier (half four)
quarter to four = dreiviertel vier (three quarters four)

And I think AM = ante meridiem, PM = post meridiem

The 24-hour system is more formal or official. In everyday use almost everyone uses the 12-hour system, too.

Chow = Tschau, Ciao, Tschuess
S'later = Bis spaeter

Toodeloo,
Kiya <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" />

About time, Flash: I recall my confusion when I had to deal with very early am/pm stuff.

Die Zeit betreffend, Flash: Ich erinnere mich an meine Verwirrung als ich mit dem sehr fruehen am/pm Kram zu tun hatte.


Our German 0.20 is in English 12.20 am. Poor Lockmar needed quite some time to explain this to me until I understood. They don't have 0 hrs.

Unser deutsches 0.20 ist im Englischen 12.20 am. Der arme Lockmar brauchte einige Zeit zur Erklaerung, bis ich es verstand. Sie haben keine 0 Uhr. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Yoh Kiya i like toodeloo, toodle pip...spick <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/kissyou.gif" alt="" />

The English word "quit" exists in the German, language too, as "quitt".

With some slightly different meanings.

Basically, it's almost the same as "quit" : Ending of something.

The German "quit" however, is almost (as far as I know) only used in the saying "ich bin mit dir quitt !" or "ich bin quitt mit dir !"

This also means "ending of something : In this case the ending of an relationship.

This saying is not meant to be friendly; it's rather the expression of somone who has "had enough" of somebody else, no matzter what the reasons might be. It expresses the will of someone to instantly end or stop an relationship - for example because he or she is angry or doesn't trust the other one anymore.

To use the word "quitt" in other sentences like this saying sounds some kind of antiquated, but is still possible. People will understand it.

(Please note that I'm not speaking of dialects here ... actually I'm even not sure whether the use of this word is only common in dialects or not ...)

"Quitt" in German means an instantly ending of something. You should rather prefer the word "stop", because it's kind of wider known as "quitt".

The "Quitte" is a fruit of the Quittenbaum (Quitten-Tree). It has become quite rare and I think it has wandered upon the "Red List" of plants and animals that have become rare in nature. It has become a seldom sight in our nature. Nevertheless there exists some kind of liqueur of it. THe fruit itself looks a bit like a small, yellow apple, but without the apple's peel and much softer.

Dialects Oddities.

A well-known German dialect is the Bavarian dialect. Bavaria is the fedral state of Germany lying in the south , near to the Alpen (Alps ?) - mountain range. Munich is the capital of it.

The Bavarian dialect is - in its form spoken in rural areas - *very* hard to understand. Even for Germans. Someone who is not capable of the German language is surely lost in rural areas there - at least as long as an person capable of the English language isn’t found.

Well, here I present you two things I thougt which could be of interest to you.

The first thing - or rather word - is the verb „pressieren“. It’s dialect.
If it reminds you of the English word „pressure“ , then you aren’t mistaken. It’s indeeda verb with about the same meaning.
But unlike the English word, it can be used as a verb - like „to press“ trather than with „pressure“ itself.

If I say „etwas pressiert“ , I mean „something presses“. Exactly this meaning. The verb „pressieren“ means „to hurry, to press, performing pressure“. You don’t use it for pressing - I mean flattening - things.

I don’t remember whether the word can be used if you are speaking for yourself, too. I simply don’t remember whether the sentence „ich pressiere“ really exists. I doubt so.

Another oddity connected with that is that the word „Presse“ actually exists in German - and it means the whole „world“ of everything that’s printed : Magazines, Newspapers, sometimes (but rarely used in this sense) even books. „The Press“ = „Die Presse“. I don’t really know where this comes from, but I belive it comes from the same meaning as in the English language : pressing letters to books, newspapers, whatever.

A quick look into my ethymological dictionary says two things : 1. I am right about the „Presse“, 2. „pressieren“ meaning „being in a hurry“ is taken from french presser. I didn’t know that.

The second oddity is the Bavarian Dual.

A Dual is an almost died-out form of pronomen (right word ?)
Normally, we say one mountain, many mountains, or one mouse, several mice. The Dual is another form, explicitely meaning meaning two of the same kind. It’s like saying „twomice“.

In the Bavarian dialect something of that still has survived : „ess“ and „enk“ are still there , as Dual - substitutes for „their“ and „you“ (plural forms). My mother, who comes from that area, has confirmed it.

Well, that’s what I wanted to write for now. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

Alrik.

Well, I'm no Bavarian, but that word also exists in Swabian, so I can help you here. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" /> You'd say "Mir pressiert's" - which most of the time (although not always) means "I really have to go to the toilet". <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> You could also say "Es ist pressant".

Yes, I also know that. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />