I went to the bakery in Germany for FIVE years saying “beschnittenes Brot, bitte” and the employee NEVER corrected me... it was so embarrassing when I found out 🤦♂️😂
naja wenn man schwul sagen würde wäre es eher ein synonym für schlecht anstatt schwül. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ES8zOnRACxA.html&t=3m44s
My Mexican friend told me that when he was still in Mexico, he and his friends liked to trick Americans by asking them "Maricón?" and hearing them reply "Si" thinking they were saying "Americano". It's not quite as easy to confuse as "schwül" and "schwul" though. It's not likely something the American tourists would have said themselves.
Schießen und scheißen and also zeigen und Ziegen are words you need to be careful with too. I've also had trouble with schmecken und schminken. German can be so tricky!
Jenny Pointner Ya it's the same in French! English is just confused because it's a Germanic language but with so many words borrowed from French, among other languages! 😅 (Native English speaker here who's studied French and German)
I was cooking with a female friend of mine in Germany. We were cooking carrots for a side dish and I mentioned that I thought they were done. She said she didn’t think so. I mentioned that I don’t like them too soft soft or mushy and her face got bright red. That’s the day I learned what “mushi” means in German 😂😂😂
When I first moved to the US I was in the fourth grade. One day my teacher asked us what we did for the weekend. I quickly replied “I went to the bitch”. After everyone laughed till they fell to the ground crying, the teacher explained that “I went to the beach”! So yeah there are English words also that can get you into trouble.
Omg I kinda had the same experience as your friend. I was in the lab and wanted to ask a lab mate if there was any clean mortar (Mörser) left to use in the back of the room. I asked her "hey gibt's noch saubere Mörser da hinten?" but instead of Mörser, I mispronounced it to Möse, which means cunt, and she was stunned for a moment before bursting out laughing like a maniac. That was really embarassing but I learned something new that day, I guess XD
Haha XD ich auch, aber ist sie deutsche oder amerikanerin? Man kann das kaum unterscheiden weil der englische akzent so gut ist, aber der deutsche auch XD
Kiefer und Kiffer :) Ich erinnere mich gerne an eine Jugendfreizeit vor ca 15 Jahre, auf der wir uns stundenlang königlich drüber amüsiert haben, dass der Busfahrer uns mehrfach auf die schönen Kiffer-Bäume aufmerksam machte, an denen wir vorbei fuhren 😂
I took German in college specifically to help my grandmother translate some old letters her mother left behind that she could not read. But the letters were in the old Fraktur script so I had to learn that too. Thank goodness my distant German relatives had excellent penmanship!
Same here, none of my teachers ever really stopped to teach us proper pronunciation, and we didn't even get very much practice speaking or listening at all. The focus was always on the vocab and grammar, mostly through reading and writing. I spent seven years learning German in school, up to and including AP level, and didn't realize until I decided to keep studying on my own afterwards that ch wasn't the same as k; l, r, and z were different than the same letters in English; s could sound like sh before another consonant; how the vowels were supposed to sound, particularly e, ä, ö, and ü ... I'd been saying all of that wrong the whole time. Basically they'd tell us a new word and we'd just learn it the way we heard it as English speakers: as long as we could be understood, nobody seemed too concerned about correcting us if we didn't get the pronunciation quite right. :/
My German wife has lived in America for 35 years. Her English gaffes are classic and extremely humorous!! And she has the sense of humor enough to pass these along!! GO West Dakota!!
When I'm practicing German pronunciation I sometimes get tired and think "why does it matter? Isn't near enough good enough?" Now I know. Thanks again Trixi.
Frank Steffahn Spuken and Spucken, and Brüste and Bürste, even though the last 2 are more different, when she said them fast, barely pronouncing the R in brüste, they sounded the same to me
Spuken has a long U, while spucken has a short one. They sound nothing alike to me. Brüste and Bürse. Also easy to distinguish to me. I guess when you are used to these words, you just pick up on where the R is. Or fill it in from context if you didn't hear it correctly. (There's also the word Büste, but the Ü has a different sound in this one, so it's not a big deal)
Yes, the main pronunciation difference is the nouns. The u’s in spuken and spucken are, well, different lengths, which in German also comes with different flavors of the noun itself. I don’t know if you like IPA, but there the difference is clear: between spuken [ˈʃpuːkn̩] and spucken [ˈʃpʊkn̩], so [uː] vs [ʊ] is not only a length difference (the [:]) but also a different vowel. Hard to pick up though probably for some foreigners, I mean, I think a lot of people even manage to get u’s and ü’s pronunciations confused somehow. For Brüste and Bürste, I’d like to add the word Büste (EDIT: oh, Yndostrui did that, too!) which finally even gets the native Germans into confusion, because it sounds a lot like Brüste. (Bürste is different enough to safely distinguish from both though.) Let’s look at the IPA: Bürste [ˈbʏʁstə] Brüste [ˈbʀʏstə] Büste [ˈbʏstə]/[ˈbyːstə] Regarding vowels, first thing you minght see is that Büste can be pronounced with a long [yː], but since I’m usually doing it with the short [ʏ], that doesn’t help. It helps as a way to clarify what you mean though. now [ʀʏ] vs [ʏʁ] might not seem like much, but it is a huge difference, because the [ʁ] is almost a vowel. The [ʀ] in Brüste might as well get swallowed accidentally [hence the huge danger as pronouncing it like Büste; btw, since Brüste is the more common word, the real danger is that people understand breasts (/boobs) when you are talking about a sculpture of someones head (bust)] So it really comes down to [ʏ] vs [ʏʁ]. The second is starting the same, but technically really becomes a diphthong, rather easy to differentiate with some practice. So in conclusion, for the two examples Allona gave, Germans are naturally able to distinguish them easily, but there’s also other word pairs with very slightly different pronunciation that, when said rather fast, become only distinguishable from context.
I say Büste with a long ü and have never heard it with a short one. Very interesting. I would've said Büste is the most easily distinguished, but I suppose it depends on the region. (I'm from the north, btw)
well, if he always said stief instead of steif, that wouldn't be such a big deal, since stief alone isn't even a word. But the other way round, it would be quite awkward if he suddenly talked about someone's stiff father instead of his stepfather
It is a very funny elaboration of this fact - very cute! Some things you mentioned might be typical for people who start learning German from English, because of the so called false friends (for example: "wickeln/wackeln" in your clip, or the most famous one "kommen/bekommen"). Things that are also for native German speakers (writers) very difficult, is setting the comma. And because people are not firm in it, they like to say that it is not so important. But setting the comma correctly might decide between life and death. Hängt ihn nicht, begnadigt! Hängt ihn, nicht begnadigt! Maybe you find a topic for a future video from this. Have a nice Sunday!
Especially though is it with the hessians - and don't let me even get started on hessians explaining the difference between Gehirn "Gehörn" (brain) and Gehörn "Gehörn" (antlers, horns).:)
Well, in some parts of Germany, e.g. Saxony, they'll actually say "Isch geh in die Kirsche!" (I (misspelled bcause dialect) go to cherry) instead of Kirche (church).
My great grandad was once staying in Germany and wanted to tell his host it was good weather for shooting and he got the vowel sound just a little bit wrong...
Many years ago I ordered a steak in Panama and accidentally ordered it "well-known" instead of "well done." One extra syllable was the difference. I imagine the waiter had a good chuckle over the crazy American who wanted a famous steak!
PewPewPlasmagun Because that joke, may be lost on foreigners, here is the translation: "What the hell!! My Grandpa served in the Air Waffle! And WHOSMAKING the toilete cleaning today? Of course, nobody."
WHOSMAKING, meaning: Wer macht (Wehrmacht = German Armed Forces of the Third Reich). The explanation of this jest has just further complicated matters.
If you weigh something on a scale it's "etwas auf einer Waage wiegen". Wheras "Wiege" means cradle. "Etwas wagen" means to dare something. But the "Wagen" is a car or something like it. Confusing.
Not always. For example if the word "Wagen" is at the beginning it's written in capital "W" but it still means "to risk/to dare"? For example: "Wage es ja nicht jetzt davonzulaufen!" or "Wagen wir es gemeinsam?". P.S.: I´m german! ^^
I remember when I was in German class ,there was a American guy trying to say： " Ihr bestes Fach in der Prüfung war die Mathematik. " but he mispronounced it to： " Ihr bestes FUCK in der Prüfung war die Mathematik. " 😂😂😂😂
To be honest. They nearly have the same pronounciation. It's all about time. You need to know when to use one of the two words then everbody will know what you mean.
7:08 😂😂 I have a job as a tutor for German and as my student said "Brüste" instead of "Bürste" I really tried not to laugh. He was just sitting there like wtf is going on.🤔😂
I once called myself a piano instead of a gentleman. "I didn't know the right word for a helpful lady when holding a door for people." 3 years, and I'm still reminded of this by my "friends" 😥
Mein Vater - nicht gut in deutsch, da Amerikaner - sagte mal "Letzte Wohnung, essen!" als wir nicht essen wollten und er uns mit Konsequenzen drohen wollte. Das fand dann sogar meine Mutter so witzig, dass sie nicht ernst bleiben konnte und mit uns mit gelacht hat :D
Here is another funny one: „Bist du gut zu Vögeln!“ now Imagine writing „vögeln“ instead. Same letters, just one in lower case, completely new meaning!
Ich denke, der Infinitiv ist hier eher adverbial, der Duden meint Knifflig wird es, wenn bei einem Infinitiv ohne Artikel oder nähere Bestimmung nicht klar ist, ob es sich nun um einen verbalen oder einen substantivierten Infinitiv handelt. In diesen Fällen kann man allerdings gar nichts falsch machen, denn nun sind Groß- und Kleinschreibung gerechtfertigt: Radfahren / Rad fahren ist ein Beitrag zum Umweltschutz. In den Ferien übte Tante Erna mit uns Kindern schwimmen / [das] Schwimmen.
A video about german words they are written the same but have mutiple meaning would be nice! Like Gericht, umfahren, Flügel, Bank, Erde, Kiefer, Band and much more
In German I, my task was to give a brief news report. The Florida high school shooting had just happened. My co-host was the one to give the update on the event. Instead of her saying, "schieße" she instead said "scheiße."
Saying something is "all guns and waffles" actually makes a situation sound like a blast. "I went to go hang out with my friend last weekend, it was nuts, it was all guns and waffles" lol
It's basically just that the 'u' sound is a bit longer in spuken. Like the difference between the 'oo' sound in 'Boo'(long) and that in 'book' (short). Of course in some pronunciations the actual vowel is a bit different too in my example, but just concentrate on the length.
Hey, I really like your videos. As I am German and studding languages your videos help me understanding why it’s so hard for non Germans to understand or learn the language. However, your pronunciation of the German words is pretty good. So here’s my question: are you a native German speaker or a native English speaker, and if so which country are you from? Thanks in advance for answering me.
yeah... I wish I saw this 10 years ago... I’ve made (and still keep making) some pretty embarrassing mistakes in Germany... Fortunately, my friends know what I mean - even though sometimes (actually pretty much always) they just looooooove to tease me. One particularly difficult thing for foreigners is to get around the intricacies of the proper use of the word “Freundin” in different contexts... Again, even the friends affected by my mistakes have used every opportunity to tease the hell out of me and leave me blushing until I look like a tomato. A video on this subject might be useful to save beginners from such situations...
+ Stormycat Blues Actually, that's a pretty easy one. When you say "Ich rufe eine Freundin an", it's a good friend. When you say "Ich rufe Meine Freundin an", you call your partner. If you're female, you can say it both. Okay, I admit, that's a little confusing.
Was mir besonders auffällt, sind spezielle wörter die je nach Region in Deutschland, eine andere Beteutung haben. wie z.b. Berliner heißt in Berlin "Pfannkuchen", was wiederum was anderes heißt im Rheinland. da meinen sie eine dickere version von Crepe .
Hey Hase... :D Kannst du das nicht auch mal andersrum machen??? Ich hatte in London das Problem das ich beim Essen bestellen ausversehen sagte: "I become a cutlet" Worauf hin der Kellner mit einem kräftigen Herren mit Hackebeil aus der Küche kam und ... eine kleine witzige Show anfing... und ich bemerkte was ich dem Kelner vor schlug. Diese "Bösen Freunde" der Sprache die gleich oder Ähnlich klingen aber ganz verschieden sind gibt es Ja auch andersrum.
The secretary of the church next door got quite embarassed when she sent out a notification about a sunday school trip that included an overnight stay. She wrote that the kids would sleep on Lustmatratzen (mattresses of lust*) instead of Luftmatratzen (inflatable mattresses). Today this is a case of funny typo, in the past with older fonts this would also (have) be(en) an easy misreading because the long s is easily confused with the lower case f. *it is also a slang term for prostitutes or 'easy' girls
There was (its a long time ago) a confusion at my dad and my grandmother. She liked to say "Wir gehen laufen." to say they are going for a walk. But at this time she was surprised, my dad said, he want to join, because he had never done this before. Then she realised, that she said "Wir gehen saufen." (We drink a lot of alcohol.)
Dein Deutsch wirklich mega gut! Du sprichst sehr sauber und deutlich, kein hörbarer Akzent (eigentlich schade 😂) und eine klare Ausprache. Mach weiter so! 😊
Berühmtes Nietzsche-Zitat: Und wenn sie sagen: „Ich bin gerecht", so klingt es immer wie: „ich bin gerächt!" (And when they say 'I am just' it always sounds like 'I am avenged!') Spucken is also a word used for 'to vomit', so maybe the ghost gets sick from all the haunting. From the annals of the German parliament (in the age of our last emperor Wilhelm II): A conservative member of the Reichstag wanted to proclaim in a debate that he would speak his mind (even) to his majesty without holding back (rückhaltlos). Instead he used 'rückgratlos' (spineless). There was great amusement on the liberal/left side of the house.
When I was learning German, I made a rookie mistake. I noticed that a young woman sitting across from me in the train had white shoes were painted with flowers. I wondered why she laughed when I asked. "Hast Du die Schuhen selbst gepinkelt? I learned soon after that that the word I meant was gepinselt, not gepinkelt. I was off by only one letter!
Da fragt man sich auch warum jemand so ein " Tutorial " macht wie man Deutsch spricht und nichts falsches sagt. Vor allem wenn z.B ein Ausländer kommt und sagt ja, hab jetzt mal Bock deutsch zu lernen und sich dann solche crincy Viedeos reinzieht, wo jemand etwas davon Labert was man auf keinen Fall verwechseln sollte...
Waffe/waffel definitely brings to mind that being a bit of a joke during the war. Luftwaffle in the English speaking world and Luftwaffel in the other branches of the German military became a unflattering nickname for the Luftwaffe and a fat joke towards Hermann Göring
Early in my carrear as German speakiing is was guiding a group in a tram here in Gothenburg and we crossed the bridge over the river and there I told the group about what they were going to see when we were "niedergekommen" instead of "untergekommen", could be a good thing in connection with your situation in this film.
Und seit wann sagt man COOL? Und wieso? Wenn es ein germanisches Wort dafür gibt? COOL gibt es in jedem versch***enen Land dieser Welt. Seid LAESSIG (meine a Umlaut Taste ist kaputt) und benutzt nie wieder COOL. Und OK ist auch nicht IN ORDNUNG.
Da Marco mit cool sagen will, dass er es gut findet, passt lässig einfach nicht, beziehungsweise ist die Verwendung von lässig in dem Zusammenhang nicht in Ordn... äh, ich meinte, nicht okay.
When I went to view the other videos she has done nearly all of them have her in the same style low cut shirt lol. She's a non musical version of Jess Greenberg.
Wurde dieses Gesetz nicht wieder abgeschafft bzw. in eine Verordnung umgewandelt? "Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsverordnung" - jetzt ist das Wort noch länger
Sorry, to haunt it not spuken (even if Leo says so), the reason being that to haunt is transitive and spuken in intransitive. The correct translation would be heimsuchen.
Ich habe ein mal neben eine Gruppe Deutsche ,,Ich werde die Flasche fühlen" gesagt alle im Zimmer haben an mir gelacht und dann habe ich verstanden, dass ich die Flasche FÜLLEN sollte. Als Spanier, wir haben keine lange und kurze Vokale und es war ein bischen schwierig für mich.
Some mistakes when speaking a foreign language can be hilarious, as that of a German Gentleman in an English restayrant waiting impatiously waitingfor his meal to arrive; He asked, in a rather less friendly voice: When shall I become a steak? Never, I hope, said the waiter.Becommen, in German of course, means get, receive etc. Hans Strömberg
4:57 Such things happen due to languages not being mindfully constructed. A good (and very similar in both minuteness and meaning) example I once saw on somebody's T-Shirt: "Let's eat kids." It was crossed out in red and right beneath it, there was the same sentence: "Let's eat, kids!" (With the comma in the same read as the crossout above.) And beneath that was another sentence in another font: "Use commas, save Lives."
usually if you ask for water at resturants they give you carbonated water instead of tap or bottled. my german teacher stopped a lesson one day to talk about that
