mgh48
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Post by mgh48 on Aug 7, 2008 10:14:21 GMT -5
Hey all!
I'm struggling with how to properly say: let me hug you (all of you or just a single person).
Lass euch in Arm?
I can't make it out in the episode, because Lydia says it too fast.
Lass mich dir? in meine Arme nehmen? Here, I'm sure of the proper form for 'you' in this case...grr. Should it be dich?
Please help.
Also, I'd like to point out that, in English (in the USA, my region at least) to say: let me take you in my arms, means something much more serious than, let me give you a hug!
In composing my letter to Jo and Thore, a German friend is helping me out and where I say:
I'd just like to give you a hug.
He translates this as:
"...ich wuerde dich einfach gerne in meine Arme nehmen."
I would just like to take you in my arms.
When I worried about this, he informed me this is how a casual 'hug' is spoken of, this is the way such a phrase is worded in German---it doesn't mean the same thing as the literal English phrase. The English phrase would mean something much more ahem, intimate and personal and I certainly do NOT wish to convey that to anyone but my lover! Certainly not to actors or people I do not know. Even if I did know them personally, I would never say this to them--as it means, well, like I said, it means I'm trying to be intimate. My friend says: I know what I'm doing, write it like I said.
heh
Geoff
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Post by lolaruns on Aug 7, 2008 10:55:08 GMT -5
He is right. Umarmung und in die Arme nehmen are a lot more serious than hug. The closest I can think of is "Lass dich drücken" (=Let me squeeze you) but to me it sounds kinda girly (like a parent might say to a child or generally an older relative). Also, to my Austian ears it sounds very German (which means bad). But it's probably closest to "Let me give you hug". It might work best if you are telling somebody goodbye, if a slightly funny/tongue in cheekness is okay or when a slightly parental/taking care vibe is okay. "Lass dich umarmen" might also work but again, it gives me a parental association, only here with an older child who is too old to want to be hugged. And for some reason it gives me more of a greeting vibe particularly of somebody you haven't seen in a long time. Lass dich drücken is closer to hug to me because it's more casual and more cutesy. I hope that wasn't too confusing. You might want to use the "Lass dich drücken" on your friend. I think at the very least you should get a laugh (BTW, Christian and Olli used "(Ich) drück dich" as a goodbye phrase during one of their chats)
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aldebaran
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Halunke, Ich liebe Dich so sehr!
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Post by aldebaran on Aug 7, 2008 10:55:37 GMT -5
Hey Geoff, it seems that you don't trust your German friend too much, do you? I hope someone here will be able to reassure you about the right things to write. ETA: Lola already has. So quick! ;D
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mgh48
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Post by mgh48 on Aug 7, 2008 10:59:28 GMT -5
Yes, I trust him very much. I asked him to help me translate the letter in such a way that the distinctions between what I mean for the ACTORS and for their CHARACTERS is very clear. I also, as a Southern Boy, am very polite and very formal in my speech--even to very good friends. So, this mannerism of mine I also wished to convey.
The problem I have is trying, once again, to translate between these languages in a literal manner. Even when I know better!
Please, lola, which form of 'you' is proper in the phrase?
And, yes, I'm confused by your answer. I am right or he is? heh
Geoff
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Post by lolaruns on Aug 7, 2008 11:02:11 GMT -5
You mean singular or plural you or polite and casual you? What is the exact context?
Oh and I just thought of another one: "Komm(t) in meine Arme" (come into my arms).
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mgh48
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Post by mgh48 on Aug 7, 2008 11:06:30 GMT -5
Scenarios: A good friend is leaving after a visit: I say, ok, later! Let me give you a hug... A couple arrives at a party which I know casually: Welcome to the party! Let me give you guys a hug! Someone I don't know, but I want to express casual affection for whatever they've done that I like (as in the case of Jo and Thore): Singluar: I just want to give you a hug Plural: I just want to give you a hug NOTE: this doesn't mean I'd actually do the hug, but that I have the feeling I'd like to hug these persons as a more overt form of a 'thank you very much'. That probably wouldn't be done in Germany, I realize---but here, in the South USA, it's become acceptable to at least say this----sometimes do it, if permission is given and the situation would logically warrant it. Like, "I could just hug you for <whatever>" heh. Thanks! PS: My friend would never come to these forums, thankfully. I hope he doesn't find out I'm double-checking his translation! heheheehe Geoff ;D
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mgh48
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Post by mgh48 on Aug 7, 2008 11:13:26 GMT -5
You mean singular or plural you or polite and casual you? What is the exact context? Oh and I just thought of another one: "Komm(t) in meine Arme" (come into my arms). Yikes! In English, this is too personal/intimate. ;D Geoff
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Post by lolaruns on Aug 7, 2008 11:25:11 GMT -5
Phew that's hard mostly because chances are German's wouldn't hug in this situation. And while the side-side-kiss-kiss thing is very widespread in Germany it's not something you actually ask for, you just do it. In German it's very much what for example could say to a son who is coming home from vacation, what a grandmother might say to her grantchildren she hasn't seen in a while, or if a parent wants to express particular appreciation (for example as a reward for good schoolwork). Or a really good friend you haven't seen in a long time. And religiously, Jesus or Mary take the believers into their arms so "Komm in meine Arme" might show up in religous songs. It's usually used in a somewhat sappy context, but I don't think it's neccessarily sexual (though I guess I can be, for example if one lover is lying in bed and suggesting the other one come into their arms. Or Christian inviting Coco to sit on his lap might say Komm in meine Arme rather than Setz dich auch meinen Schoß) "Komm her, lass dich umarmen/drücken". (both might work here) I would go for "Kommt her, lasst euch drücken" here. As for asking a celebrity for a hug. My gut instinct was that that is really just appropriate for little kids and old ladies ("Darf ich dich drücken?"). If you met a celebrity for example at an autograph signing, I'd probably just ask "Kann ich ein Foto mit dir (haben)?" (can I get a photograph of the two of us together?) Most actors would hug in this situation. Or you might say, for example if, like you said, it was a situation of expressing gratitude: Darf ich dich (kurz) umarmen? (=May I give you a (brief) hug). Again, note that to Germans umarmen/umarmung is usually a face to face hug, not a side hug. this vs. thisYou might say Darf ich Sie kurz umarmen if it was somebody who is decidedly your senior or superior (like... a politician or opera singer maybe). But with actors a Dich would be okay unless they are much older. Honestly, if you met a German celeb, I would just ask them in English because most of them speak English anyway and using English sort of establishes the "frame" that what you mean is the US tradition kind of hug.
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mgh48
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Post by mgh48 on Aug 7, 2008 11:32:45 GMT -5
thanks, lola
It's not an actual hug, it's expressing a feeling that you would like to hug the person. An expression to add emphasis or more meaning to 'thank you very much' or to show a deeper, but not necessarily overly serious, appreciation for something they've said or done or are doing.
I'll try to write examples:
You are having an argument and a stranger steps in and comes to your aid out of the blue:
I could just hug you for saying <blah>!
You and the stranger realize you never actually will hug, but you are adding deeper thanks to the simple words: thank you very much.
I had this happen to me where I work. I work for an airline and after finally finding a male passenger's missing baggage (after 3 days), he came to pick-it-up at the counter. He kept saying thank you and then finally, added right as I give him the bags:
I could just hug you for getting these back to me! I really needed them.
He and I both knew he would never actually hug me---nor would I let him. But, he wanted to convey to me a deeper appreciation for what I'd done for him.
Make sense? Perhaps there is a better way to express this in German. Get rid of the whole 'hug' issue?
Geoff
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Post by lolaruns on Aug 7, 2008 11:37:56 GMT -5
Hmmmm, Germans might be more likely say "I could kiss you for this" in this context. "Mann, Ich könnte dich/Sie dafür küssen (dass du das gemacht hast)".
I guess you could say umarmen or even drücken here, but it doesn't sound very common to me. Maybe in different parts of Germany.
I guess it boils down to that Germans and Americans hug in different social context so it just has different meanings for them. As you might have noticed most examples I gave were about greeting or saying goodbye to somebody who is explicitly a very loved one or giving comfort to somebody who is explicitly a very loved one.
To me "drücken" which is closer to the American hug is a very young term, something you might hear on German MTV and therefore might find more among younger people.
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mgh48
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Post by mgh48 on Aug 7, 2008 11:42:37 GMT -5
hah!
So that's why my German friend keeps saying 'kiss' sometimes when we are chatting! Alas, this is rarely said in English--at least where I'm from---because it's even more intimate than a 'hug' heh.
Maybe I could just mix in 'hug' in the German sentence? hehehehe.
I think I need a better way to express this.
thanks for the help
Geoff
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hach
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Post by hach on Aug 7, 2008 17:09:02 GMT -5
Also, to my Austian ears it sounds very German (which means bad). lolaruns! ;D Hmmmm, Germans might be more likely say "I could kiss you for this" in this context. "Mann, Ich könnte dich/Sie dafür küssen (dass du das gemacht hast)". I'd go for knutschen instead of küssen. The latter just doesn't sound common to me. It fits perfectly in the example with the lost and found baggage: I had this happen to me where I work. I work for an airline and after finally finding a male passenger's missing baggage (after 3 days), he came to pick-it-up at the counter. He kept saying thank you and then finally, added right as I give him the bags: I could just hug you for getting these back to me! I really needed them. He and I both knew he would never actually hug me---nor would I let him. But, he wanted to convey to me a deeper appreciation for what I'd done for him. --> Ich bin so glücklich - ich könnte Sie knutschen (vor Freude)! In fan mail I might write something like " Ich würde dich am liebsten mal (ganz fest) umarmen!" Or just leave it with a 'thank you so much' so as not to sound too familiar/intimate/girly/whatever, keeping the character vs. actor problem in mind.
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Post by lolaruns on Aug 7, 2008 17:16:06 GMT -5
Ich glaub mich knutscht ein Elch ;D
I agree, knutschen is a really good one.
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mgh48
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Post by mgh48 on Aug 8, 2008 11:19:47 GMT -5
Ok, I'm going to have to do a full re-write. It's just not appropriate to say this in German to someone, apparently. Thanks, lola and hach for the expert advice Geoff
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Kiia
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Post by Kiia on Aug 8, 2008 11:20:11 GMT -5
And there are some cases (like going to walmart aka Aldi in Germany) where it's completely regional whether you say nach Aldi, zum Aldi or in Aldi. [there is a very funny German comedian who has a sketch about this] echt? wer war denn dieser comedian? .. hab glaub ich schonmal von gehört...hehe. darf doch deutsch in diesem thread schreiben,oder? ;D
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Post by lolaruns on Aug 8, 2008 11:25:07 GMT -5
It's Bastian Sick of "Der Dativ ist dem Genetiv Sein Tod". Sehr genial.
Speaking of German and subtle differences between languages. In situations where the translation is usually Fuck you or Screw you, in German they say Leck Mich, short for Du kannst mich mal am Arsch lecken ("lick me"/"you can lick me on my ass"). The even more reduced version also exists "Du kannst mich mal" ("You can me").
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hari3669
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Post by hari3669 on Aug 13, 2008 15:49:54 GMT -5
If I keep up this subtitling... err... mission I've got myself into, I'll be able to read German quite fluently in a few months. Understanding spoken German is yet another story. Though sometimes I get a few words here and there now, and it always catches me by surprise when I realize I understood what has been said without reading the english subtitles. The first word I clearly understood when watching VL was "eifersüchtig", maybe because it's such a taboo word around Christian. Because everybody knows he is not, like not-at-all-niemals-never-in-your-dreams "eifersüchtig", right? ;D Anyway, this is me asking for help. Again. Sorry. In this transcript by Hach, can someone please tell me what "losziehen" means exactly? (line 13).
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Post by lolaruns on Aug 13, 2008 15:59:02 GMT -5
I think it' really awesome how much care you put into this with the double checking of German rather than just retranslating the English subtitles. Really cool.
As for losziehen, it's something like go out, leave, take off, set off for a particular destination, to begin going somewhere?
A famous German story is "Von einem der auszog das Fürchten zu lernen" aka "Of one who set off to learn to be afraid".
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Post by Bonobochick on Aug 13, 2008 16:06:25 GMT -5
Anyway, this is me asking for help. Again. Sorry. In this transcript by Hach, can someone please tell me what "losziehen" means exactly? (line 13). Does it mean move away? *be nice to the non-native German speaker here * seulement un peu jaloux. ETA: I see Lola answered in while I was responding, so I gues you don't need my sloppy input.
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Post by lolaruns on Aug 13, 2008 16:11:43 GMT -5
Actually ausziehen means to move out. Aus-ziehen means to move out/away from a place. Los-ziehen, I don't know. I guess it stresses that it is beginning of a journey.
Wir sind um 5 losgegangen/We started walking at 5am. To set off is probably the best translation (in the sense of going/walking, not in the sense of setting off a bomb). I think it often sort of implies that you set off to do something, but you don't know exactly how it will end (Wird sind zu fünft losgezogen, aber zwei mussten abbrechen; 5 of us set off, but two had to cancel).
In the context of the transcript it means to take off into the city to party. It might for example mean that you check out several clubs, just roam the streets till you find something you like.
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hari3669
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Post by hari3669 on Aug 13, 2008 16:26:01 GMT -5
Thank you LolaRuns for such a precise answer I get it now. Oui. Un tout petit peu ;D
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hach
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Post by hach on Aug 15, 2008 12:18:21 GMT -5
Actually ausziehen means to move out. Aus-ziehen means to move out/away from a place. Los-ziehen, I don't know. I guess it stresses that it is beginning of a journey. Losziehen is colloquial for losgehen as in aufbrechen, weggehen.
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hari3669
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Post by hari3669 on Aug 17, 2008 12:03:25 GMT -5
Oh, thanks Hach, I haven't seen your answer. I overtranslated it a bit in French, then, but it's okay. Another question from Deutsch 101 studentin here In the context of this transcript (line before last), what does Pogen mean?
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Post by babylondancer on Aug 18, 2008 3:23:08 GMT -5
I had to have a look at the transcript to understand it. lol Actually, it's not Pogen, it should have been Pogo refering to Christian dancing Pogo (I guess it was called the same in English, right? The dance where everybody bumps against each other). As to the other discussion: I always thought 'Ausziehen' means something else. ;D
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hari3669
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Post by hari3669 on Aug 18, 2008 4:44:46 GMT -5
I had to have a look at the transcript to understand it. lol Actually, it's not Pogen, it should have been Pogo refering to Christian dancing Pogo (I guess it was called the same in English, right? The dance where everybody bumps against each other). Thanks, babylondancer, I think you're right My German-French dictionary says jmdn ausziehen means... oh!... you mean... that
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