Top Gear - Germans can't say squirrel

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  • @BollocksUtwat
    @BollocksUtwat 9 років тому +2178

    Germans have such a great sense of humour that they retort with suggestions of trying to pronounce a 143 character word.

    • @zauselmeier527
      @zauselmeier527 8 років тому +43

      +BollocksUtwat
      143 characors, not more? You can construct German words as long as you want. But I cannot promise that she/he understand this word him/herself. This makes sense because German language is a more precise language than the English language, Thats why German is a very difficult language.

    • @DemTacs
      @DemTacs 7 років тому +64

      Schrotflintenmunitionsdosendeckelbeschriftungsetikett. :P
      Pumpgun ammunition boxlit writable label.

    • @halloiamyou6450
      @halloiamyou6450 7 років тому +26

      Zauselmeier German isn't difficult, those long words are just a lot of smaller words strung together

    • @specialuninvitedguest1498
      @specialuninvitedguest1498 6 років тому +2

      @@zauselmeier527
      Is this the reason why many germans have a hard time to learn english? Bc german is soooo "difficult" and english is sooo "easy"?

    • @specialuninvitedguest1498
      @specialuninvitedguest1498 6 років тому +8

      @@DemTacs
      This is not "one" word, but basically seven words glued together with auxiliaries (such as +n and +s):
      Schrot + Flinte *[+n]* +Munition *[+s]* + Dose *[+n]* + Deckel + Beschriftung *[+s]* + Etikett
      Needless to say that the root of the word "Beschriftung" is "Schrift";
      *[Be] + Schrift + [ung].*

  • @krazyj2010
    @krazyj2010 10 років тому +1181

    And Benedict Cumberbatch can't say penguin. xD

  • @daggel
    @daggel 11 років тому +756

    But we could build a machine that say squirrel better than any one else on the planet

    • @MrSRV94
      @MrSRV94 4 роки тому +18

      Underrated comment

    • @OffGridInvestor
      @OffGridInvestor 4 роки тому +22

      With 3 times the amount of parts of the American version. And is also has a temperature rating of no more than 35C.... which is part of the reason that a bunch of german things don't get sold in Australia regardless of us using the same power voltages for appliances.

    • @SilencedReflex
      @SilencedReflex 4 роки тому +3

      I’ll give you that one

    • @m1co294
      @m1co294 4 роки тому +11

      "You fool! German science is the best in the world!

    • @yavantii3615
      @yavantii3615 3 роки тому +15

      @@OffGridInvestor well it doestn get hotter than 35° in Germany, we built machines to ensure that.

  • @Okamitsu
    @Okamitsu 13 років тому +83

    I had some german exchange students as friends at my university, I found this video AFTER discovering it was impossible for them to say it. It was truly hilarious :)

    • @Theonefreeman97
      @Theonefreeman97 2 роки тому

      That was 10 years ago. You probably have kids now.

    • @tomthomassony8607
      @tomthomassony8607 2 роки тому

      @@Theonefreeman97 I am the father of Okamitsu’s children. But we are no longer in a relationship and I no longer co-parent our children.

  • @rdfox76
    @rdfox76 10 років тому +454

    For the record, my father was a German linguist in the Army in the late 60s, and his last year before getting out was spent as an instructor at the Army Language School (now Defense Language Institute) in Monterey, California. One of his fellow instructors there was a native German who had emigrated to the States in the 50s and spoke English without any hint of a German accent, and *could* say "squirrel" without any trouble. There was only one thing that gave him away as a non-native speaker--on the base, there was a road named "North-South Street," and for the life of him, he could not get that out as anything but "Nort-Zout-Zhtreet." In the end, he gave up on saying it at all, instead just referring to it as "That damn road!"... and everyone knew exactly what he meant.
    Also, Germans DO have a sense of humor, and usually a pretty wicked one--it's just that German humor tends to be very dry and very cutting, and often with more than a bit of a dark streak to it. So, really, it's more the sense of humor of an engineer--which I personally find hilarious, but then, I *am* an engineer(ing student)...

    • @schanninla1973
      @schanninla1973 10 років тому +18

      Most us Americans Are Germans. Germans made the usa with their work amd inventions. US culture is german and Made by Germans.

    • @artur297
      @artur297 7 років тому +14

      yeah I have the same problem. pronouncing "th" isn't a problem, even though the sound doesn't exist in german, but if it's followed my an "s", i'll inevitably get my tongue tied in a knot.

    • @Drewb18c1
      @Drewb18c1 4 роки тому +3

      That makes total sense to me. Even the word "south" alone is extremely hard for lots of non-native speakers. A good friend of mine from years ago was French, and spent ages 11-14 in the US and picked up English nearly flawlessly in the process. I visited him in France at age 15, (so a year without regularly speaking English) and he'd completely lost the ability to say "south" without a strong accent. It was kind of funny to witness because he was entirely aware of the mistakes he was making, but even with total concentration, he couldn't manage it.
      It was the transition of the "s" south to the "th" sound that was impossible and he'd generally say "sous" (like most French speakers do), but if he concentrated too much on the "th" sound, he'd wind up saying "thouth".
      If I'd have asked him to say "north-south street", he probably would have just said "that damn street" lol

    • @dontwatchmydoomvideos
      @dontwatchmydoomvideos 4 роки тому +9

      squirrel seeing nort-zout-zhtreet: finally, a worthy opponent

    • @rocknrollstar2798
      @rocknrollstar2798 4 роки тому +6

      @@schanninla1973 Wrong. We're a melting pot by nature but I'd say a plurality of the culture and law was established by English Americans.

  • @structural_narratives
    @structural_narratives 11 років тому +498

    Engländer können nicht "Eichhörnchen" sagen ;)

    • @justinstevenson3442
      @justinstevenson3442 5 років тому +7

      Doch du Depp. Jetzt sag "recipe."

    • @schwuppdiewupp7
      @schwuppdiewupp7 4 роки тому +16

      Justin Stevenson räesepi, also so würds ich sagen

    • @yeshnavale
      @yeshnavale 4 роки тому +3

      Is it pronounced eye-hörn-shen?(their isnt an equivalent form of Chen in english)

    • @LokyMusik
      @LokyMusik 4 роки тому +13

      @@yeshnavale pronounce the "CH" like an H like u would say huge
      Ei-h(uge)örn-ch(uge)en
      an easier example could be "eigentlich" whats means actually - the ch there is the same example

    • @OffGridInvestor
      @OffGridInvestor 4 роки тому +2

      Don't bet on ANYTHING. You have English speakers who can master all the twangs of asian tonal languages. And they're a MESS for most people to speak.

  • @xxMaro92xx
    @xxMaro92xx 10 років тому +205

    I'd be an awesome german spy, if it was so difficult to speak squirrel! they'd never catch me!

  • @VanoArts
    @VanoArts 10 років тому +963

    English people cant say "Tchechenisches Streichholzschächtelchen"

    • @BluestormsSong
      @BluestormsSong 10 років тому +40

      If I knew how to pronounce it, no problem, but this freaking Latin-based alphabet is useless!

    • @MrSockenloch
      @MrSockenloch 10 років тому +1

      Hahaha

    • @schanninla1973
      @schanninla1973 10 років тому +1

      Bluestorms Song Germans have their own Alphabet.

    • @QurttoRco
      @QurttoRco 10 років тому +3

      Is that a legit word?

    • @VanoArts
      @VanoArts 10 років тому +28

      QurttoRco yes it is it means Czech matchbox but the cute version

  • @sander395
    @sander395 11 років тому +27

    Exactly, it's why I love the Brits, you have the same kind of humour we Dutch do

    • @nilon5327
      @nilon5327 3 роки тому +4

      Isn't European humor generally the same, being against all the other European nations at once? We all Europeans love to joke how we all hate each other. Or is that just my feeling as a German? 😂

  • @KingCorny93
    @KingCorny93 10 років тому +153

    Come on Inselaffe, try to say "Eichhörnchen".

    • @KingCorny93
      @KingCorny93 10 років тому +6

      james eustace
      no, I mean the Inselaffe that looks like anEichhörnchen with the red hair and high school uniform.

    • @KingCorny93
      @KingCorny93 10 років тому

      james eustace
      I like the series. The younger one is a big Porsche fan. Everything the germans did was bullshit....but when it comes to cars...no competition.

    • @MordechaiShoahberg
      @MordechaiShoahberg 9 років тому

      +KingCorny93 I have no problem saying Eichhörnchen as an American, but I also took German in high school for 4 years. Also I can't roll my R's at all... oh well.

    • @maksuree
      @maksuree 8 років тому

      ache-hern-shen?

    • @noneofyourbusiness4294
      @noneofyourbusiness4294 7 років тому

      Gary not too bad, actually. But considering the usual pronounciation of "ch" as "k" in english, you might be wrong on that. It's a pretty soft one in case of Eichhörnchen ^^

  • @Nairam10
    @Nairam10 10 років тому +228

    Saying squirrel actually isn't that hard for us...
    ...cause we germans easily can do anything want - except producing good TV shows like Top Gear....
    No, seriously - I'd rather look Al Quaida-TV than german TV...

    • @szeddezs
      @szeddezs 10 років тому +8

      I second that.

    • @MuddyRacco0n
      @MuddyRacco0n 10 років тому +3

      szeddezs
      All in favore, raise hands

    • @schanninla1973
      @schanninla1973 10 років тому +2

      STFU. Germans can make great TV SHOWS. Maybe its just not your Type? Germans invented and Made the TV.

    • @47Mortuus
      @47Mortuus 10 років тому +3

      So grammar is your problem then ...?

    • @otterworldlyanomaly4997
      @otterworldlyanomaly4997 7 років тому +2

      I rather watch netflix and amazon prime instead of ever turning german tv on again

  • @TheSilleren1
    @TheSilleren1 10 років тому +18

    I gotta remember that when people think I'm from Germany. Just gotta go "Nope I'm danish, and I can prove it! Squirrel!" xD

  • @draxvalmanway
    @draxvalmanway 8 років тому +7

    0:23 Squeedivolvroy idfk that's the closet to squirrel for me

  • @slobomotion
    @slobomotion 11 років тому +11

    I've been to Flemish Belgium many times and The Netherlands twice and Dutch is a form of "low German," whereas Yiddish is a form of "high German." I've had many German speakers over the years explain words to me and how they are constructed and modified. It's really cute.

    • @AG-iu9lv
      @AG-iu9lv 2 роки тому

      Yiddish & Dutch sound nothing alike, though I can hear the resemblance of Dutch to German. Crazy that they both come from German.

    • @yannick245
      @yannick245 Рік тому

      ​@@AG-iu9lvHow's that crazy?
      They both belong to the Germanic language family.
      If you know German, you can also understand 80% of written Dutch and Yiddish _(if written in Latin letters)._

  • @ByteScout71
    @ByteScout71 Рік тому +1

    I'm german and I can say squirrel very well,
    but now it's your turn my british friends I wanna hear your Eichhörnchen !!

  • @GermanPerfectionist
    @GermanPerfectionist 7 років тому +38

    Well... It's true

  • @hanif12able
    @hanif12able 10 років тому +32

    lol 774 angry germans are here

  • @yoshi-808
    @yoshi-808 2 роки тому +1

    "Squirrel!" Take that Clarkson!

  • @zorax15
    @zorax15 10 років тому +14

    Hey, but I can write squirrel. XD

  • @gerdforster883
    @gerdforster883 2 роки тому +37

    The best part of this joke is that it works in german, too. Because no Brit, no matter how good their german is, can say "Eichhörnchen". Which is the german word for squirrel.

  • @wunderwelt75
    @wunderwelt75 11 років тому

    jetzt hab ich den ganzen Tag wieder diese Werbung im Kopf...rauf runter -.- das war böse von Dir :D

  • @21DaHoagie12
    @21DaHoagie12 4 роки тому +8

    It’s funny cuz in high school my German teacher always talked about how she can’t say Squirrel properly and we cant even come close to saying Eichhornchen 🤣🤣🤣

    • @kloschuessel773
      @kloschuessel773 3 роки тому +2

      When looking at the languages…
      What even is a squirrel? That word… is it bcs of the sound of the damn things?
      In german its eich and hörnchen. Thats funny enough. Eich bcs of the tree and what grows on it but hörnchen?
      Weird

  • @MrCrescentz
    @MrCrescentz 11 років тому +11

    I'm from Germany & I think this was incredibly funny. Oh my god! I laughed so hardly :D I'm so thankful that I'm able to talk English, so that you can't hear any german origin, 'cause I've got a British accent :D

  • @Cwmbran1984
    @Cwmbran1984 3 роки тому

    Just listen to the Deutschebahn announcement in the train as you come to a stop. Instead of “Thank you for traveling with Deutschebahn”, you here something like this:
    “Sank you for twavelling wis Deutschebahn” 😂😂😂😂

  • @MsHyde1
    @MsHyde1 12 років тому +5

    Haha, believe me, if I could make the choice again I would have definitely chosen English as my second language. I went to a girls gymnasium specialised on ancient languages. It's ideal for doctors, historians etc. and it was of some use (I'm a conservator of art and Latin can come in handy when you work on medieval art) but English would have been more useful. I practically taught it to myself because my English teacher was kind of crappy. Would have LOVED to learn Japanese!

  • @BoarhideGaming
    @BoarhideGaming 10 років тому +36

    That's so freaking true! I have an excellent pronunciation despite being as German as one gets, but I cannot get this right!.
    But, dear Mr. Clarkson, please pronounce "Eichhörnchen" for me, the German word for "squirrel"

  • @fer_cont9654
    @fer_cont9654 2 роки тому +1

    Squirrel in German: Eichhörnchen👌

  • @dalluc
    @dalluc 10 років тому +8

    lol at all the germans in the comment section getting defensive over one little joke

  • @buca9696
    @buca9696 10 років тому +28

    Watch Inglourious Basterds opening scene, when Hans Landa talks to Mr. LaPadite. He's Austrian and he says squirrel with no problem.

    • @minch333
      @minch333 10 років тому +52

      After over 9000 takes...

    • @buca9696
      @buca9696 10 років тому

      Says who?

    • @xxtalzixx
      @xxtalzixx 10 років тому +16

      tavi921 It's just a joke about your profile picture, nothing personal I'm sure.

    • @toddlestien
      @toddlestien 10 років тому

      Austria is not Germany

    • @ricardor6388
      @ricardor6388 10 років тому

      Toby Jackson So what ? They both speak the same language - not as UK and USA.

  • @qualqui
    @qualqui 11 років тому

    sunny and warm, well only in the coastal areas and the southeast, being up here on the central plateau, elevation 2,289 mts. above sea level, altitude and latitude influence the weather, it gets chilly at times, but usually the sun comes out and warms us a bit, standing water doesn't freeze and while the area around mexico city(mexico state), and the northern border states(with USA)get some snow every other year, last time we had snow(2 inches)in Querétaro was in Jan of '79, it quickly melted.

  • @Fritztoons
    @Fritztoons 11 років тому +32

    Good lord. Never been in Germany? And in return, he can not say "Doppelkupplungsgetriebe!"

  • @Atheist2006
    @Atheist2006 10 років тому +29

    Okay, Britons, now say "Eichhörnchen"! 😂

  • @deadwaldo
    @deadwaldo 11 років тому +1

    Dear German automakers, please built your next wonderful sportscar and call it Doppelkupplungsgetriebe Eichhörnchen.
    Hilarity will ensue.

  • @ElliLilith
    @ElliLilith 10 років тому +7

    No wonder they think we can't say squirrel, if the repeatedly hear the (sarcasm) incredible English skills of our chancellor. There are a lot of people who are talented with languages and can say everything.
    I am pretty sure I native speaker hears my accent when I speak English, but my pronunciation is a lot better than the pronunciation of our representatives.

    • @specialuninvitedguest1498
      @specialuninvitedguest1498 6 років тому

      May I ask if you're a man or woman? I'm just asking bc I don't want to asume your gender or use the wrong pronouns ...

    • @kloschuessel773
      @kloschuessel773 3 роки тому +1

      @@specialuninvitedguest1498 how is that of importance?

  • @gooscarguitar
    @gooscarguitar 11 років тому +3

    I mean, imagine what a double-clutch transmission squirrel would look like.

  • @eleveneleven572
    @eleveneleven572 3 роки тому +2

    Americans can't say squirrel...squirl !

    • @anonymoususer2756
      @anonymoususer2756 3 роки тому

      They can’t pronounce most words with R’s in them properly either.
      Squirrel = Skwrl
      Mirror = Meer
      Caramel = Carmul
      Error = Airr
      Orange = Oarnj
      Horrible = Whorable
      Sorry = Soary
      Harry = Hairy
      Aaron = Erin
      Marry = Mary = Merry
      I like their pronunciation of “moral” more than ours though. That’s it.

  • @Cannakin
    @Cannakin 11 років тому +3

    its easy to say Squirrel for most germans ^^
    THIS is hard to pronounce...: Desoxiribonucleidacid ^^

    • @readalotknowalot
      @readalotknowalot 4 роки тому

      That words easy. In fact you could say it's in our dna to be able to say it

  • @Stackedwithcash
    @Stackedwithcash 11 років тому +4

    i love how jeremy clarkson says squirrel

  • @colestock9980
    @colestock9980 2 роки тому

    I can offend a lot of the staff at my work by asking them to say squirrel 🤣

  • @ThorAxeTheThunder
    @ThorAxeTheThunder 11 років тому +3

    I remember Top Gear trying to say Doppelkupplungsgetriebe :D

  • @EmmanuelGoldsteinINGSOC
    @EmmanuelGoldsteinINGSOC 11 років тому +304

    Great, and now all the British, please correctly pronounce:
    "Donaudampfschifffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft" (one word) Because just saying "Eichhörnchen" (German for squirrel) might still be possible.

    • @Abby-dg3fm
      @Abby-dg3fm 11 років тому +13

      Also der Mann meiner Schwester ist auch Amerikaner ohne wirkliche Deutschkenntnisse und verknotet sich die Zunge beim versuch Waschbecken auszusprechen ;)

    • @louis-4251
      @louis-4251 11 років тому +3

      wow nicht mal ich kann das aussprechen :D

    • @FelixItaliano
      @FelixItaliano 10 років тому +10

      Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz

    • @timc.l.532
      @timc.l.532 10 років тому +35

      Do-now-dumpf-shiff-farts-alec-tree-tsi-taeton-how-pt-betreebs-waerk-bow-oonter-bae-ummton-gue-zell-shufft
      A litte help for all the Britains for how to pronounce the word^^

    • @FelixItaliano
      @FelixItaliano 10 років тому +6

      ***** But they're official words.

  • @chesto18
    @chesto18 11 років тому +1

    Yup, we laugh at ourselves more than anyone so I don't think you can claim discrimination because we don't discriminate- everyone is fair game!

  • @fizkarn6358
    @fizkarn6358 10 років тому +3

    Actually its quite easy to say Squirrel but this still made me laugh :D

  • @soulzzplaysgames
    @soulzzplaysgames 3 роки тому +3

    Fine, Jeremy, let's turn this around. Can you pronounce 'Eichhörnchen'?

  • @chessrookiesarea
    @chessrookiesarea 11 років тому

    Good one, I only knew the Donaudampfschiffahrtsgesellschaftskapitänsmütze and the -Kajütenschlüssel but I wanted to start more plain. However, I have never heard of your company though.

  • @bert1029
    @bert1029 8 років тому +16

    Well then I guess it works both ways, because I got laughed at in Germany for the way I pronounced "Eichhörnchen" (squirrel).

    • @SaschaPallenberg
      @SaschaPallenberg 8 років тому +4

      he's right. we can't pronounce it properly ;)

  • @FR0NT95
    @FR0NT95 11 років тому +8

    Well I'm german and i have no problem to say squirrel... What about an American saying the german word for squirrel, "Eichhörnchen"? :-D You would fail so hard my dear friends

    • @garouHH
      @garouHH 11 років тому +1

      Have them say "Tüte" instead. They can pronounce "ö" like the u in "burn", but there's no ü-like sound in English.

    • @Kikkerv11
      @Kikkerv11 6 років тому

      @@garouHH The u in burn is a bit different from ö.

    • @garouHH
      @garouHH 6 років тому

      @@Kikkerv11 Depends on the dialect. It can be anything from an exact match to at least strongly similar. There's nothing in English that approximates an ü.

  • @Kingofthemattock
    @Kingofthemattock 10 років тому +1

    As someone who
    Is Dutch the responses from Germans here don't surprise me,they can never take a joke.

  • @bobskie321
    @bobskie321 11 років тому +6

    I can pronounce squirrel without problem but I can't pronounce Eichhörnchen!

  • @TheRealBeatMaster
    @TheRealBeatMaster 11 років тому +15

    Squirrel isn't that hard to say, but then you should try to say "Eichhörnchen"...

    • @halloiamyou6450
      @halloiamyou6450 7 років тому +2

      TheRealBeatMaster Not hard

    • @BirdieRumia
      @BirdieRumia 3 роки тому

      @twinblade98 it's looking at you, that's why.

  • @Dan81825
    @Dan81825 11 років тому +1

    Yep, you understood it perfectly :)
    Wow, the weather in Mexico is always sunny and warm, isn't it? One day we had snow here already... (I hate winter, cos when i wanna go snowboarding, i get to the alps)
    Greetings back to you from Munich in Germany ;)
    (You know, the Oktoberfest-city^^)

  • @Winterx69
    @Winterx69 11 років тому +9

    And now repeat after me: "Oachkatzlschwoaf" - and say it like you mean it!

  • @leviathan85
    @leviathan85 12 років тому +6

    One of my friends that makes me laugh the most is German. She is hilarious and has a great sense of humour!

  • @penguinmaster7
    @penguinmaster7 6 років тому

    i think it has something to do with consonant clusters or the soft r

  • @VikingPlaysGames
    @VikingPlaysGames 10 років тому +18

    Hey there TopGear Team.....try
    Überspannungsschutz
    Übertragungswagen
    Hörbuch
    Äquivalent....
    Good Luck

    • @OEMMELGOEMMEL16
      @OEMMELGOEMMEL16 10 років тому +4

      Äquator
      Unglück

    • @TCLG6x6
      @TCLG6x6 10 років тому +2

      Heizölrückstoßabdämpfung

    • @ss3raphh
      @ss3raphh 7 років тому

      Hunter Gaming Just gonna slide Übermacht in there

  • @MakoRuu
    @MakoRuu 11 років тому +25

    I like the way English people say squirrel.

    • @MakoRuu
      @MakoRuu 10 років тому +1

      Thank you. It's how people know me.

    • @Keyt..
      @Keyt.. 3 роки тому

      @@MakoRuu You're welcome

    • @anonymoususer2756
      @anonymoususer2756 3 роки тому

      The way it’s spelled

  • @gioprox5207
    @gioprox5207 4 роки тому +1

    I can confirm. I tried it with a german friend of mine right now

  • @jonoshea855
    @jonoshea855 11 років тому +4

    Why do english people need to learn another language when most the world speak english.

  • @5HT2A292
    @5HT2A292 8 років тому +61

    Me as a German can say squirrel, but not Eichhörnchen!

  • @sapphire962
    @sapphire962 9 років тому +2

    Squi Vee Roy Roil!..... LMFAO

  • @daysofgreenday65
    @daysofgreenday65 10 років тому +5

    Dear Germans,
    Please lighten up
    Sincerely,
    Everyone else

    • @censorduck
      @censorduck 7 років тому

      indeed, not even americans get this butthurt over some harmless banter.

    • @notmontyburns
      @notmontyburns 7 років тому

      No, I need to wörk.

  • @Tyrkir100
    @Tyrkir100 11 років тому +6

    Does anyone have his number .... I just want to record him saying "Eichhörnchen" and would put that here on youtube .... for a joke .... lol

  • @ForOdinAndAsgard
    @ForOdinAndAsgard 11 років тому

    (2) It's so easy to hear if we Dutch have to do with a German or not. No matter how good you speak our language (and some are really good) those combinations of letters will give you away. There is no hiding from it for us. It all has to do with a form you take with your mouth to make the tone which you are really not used to. Anyone not born here will have difficulty with it. Plz do come and enjoy the low lands again this year.

  • @AndyOG2000
    @AndyOG2000 3 роки тому +1

    And the Brits can’t say Doppelkupplungsgetriebe

  • @MISSINGSITTERS
    @MISSINGSITTERS 3 роки тому

    I guess this is why they casted Christoph Waltz as a German in Inglorious Basterds because he needed to say squirrel 😂

  • @11Kralle
    @11Kralle 11 років тому

    a simple phonetic transcription can be your friend...
    [skwirrl]
    now try `Streichholzschächtelchen´

  • @danner253
    @danner253 8 років тому

    Surprise surprise, course he said that. My German flatmate can say squirrel, we were talking about them the other day. xD

  • @The66Channel
    @The66Channel 11 років тому

    Skwirrl....
    OK, you got me....

  • @ProfessionalBob
    @ProfessionalBob 11 років тому

    These are all things which can be overcome after maybe 1/2 an hour learning German pronunciation. I know that's how long it took me to learn all of them. With umlauts in particular, I was simply always told to view them as if the letter had an E after it. We pronounce A's O's and U's the way you guys do, we just don't add anything to the letters to actually tell you when the letter should be long rather than short.

  • @slobomotion
    @slobomotion 11 років тому

    Thanks for this clip, & my comment above may interest you. I was just writing an article this past week on the "h" sound in English and how in many languages, words which start with "h" pronounce it very softly or not at all. In Italian, a great language, they just eliminate it. "Hospital" in English is "hôpital" in French, "h" silent, and "ospedale" in Italian. Italian is my favorite language, which is why I can read a newspaper in Spanish, Joe. I miss my Austrian friend, sigh. Lovely.

  • @drdotislovinlife
    @drdotislovinlife 8 років тому

    True. I am American and lived in Germany 20+ years and always teased my German friends about saying Squirrel. It is hilarious. They also have problems saying Station Wagon.

  • @qualqui
    @qualqui 11 років тому

    lol, that's very interesting, for the average foreigner like me, these long words could be a put off on learning German, but all the more fascinating to learn this language, and yeah, Nahuatl is still around, only its most often spoken in in rural towns and villages of the central heartland, 'Chapultepec' is 'Grasshopper Hill, tepec being hill, Cuitlacoches is 'Offal of the Gods', a term used to designate what we know in english as corn smut, ugly lookin' as poop should be but the smut's yummy!

  • @zauselmeier527
    @zauselmeier527 8 років тому +1

    Once the Queen has spoaken to the former German chancelor Herr Kohl ( Mr. Kohl ) as " her coal" .

  • @TimTam69420
    @TimTam69420 11 років тому

    it comes from the latin 'visus' meaning 'sight' with the suffixes -ise, which creates verb forms of words, and -ion, which creates nouns from verbs.
    so taking the breakdown of the word literally you end up with 'a sight in your head'

  • @qualqui
    @qualqui 11 років тому

    Oh,....i understand, its like a modern day car, using the same concept of shifting manually with the stickshift, minus the clutch and main gear box that these older standard automobiles have, on Porsche and Audi, its only pedals on the steering wheel. That is Doppelkupplungsgetriebe,...german's COOL! Greetings to ya from Querétaro, Mexico! =)

  • @benjaminbryant8624
    @benjaminbryant8624 11 років тому

    Christoph waltz pulls it off in the opening scene of Inglorious Basterds, although he's not technically German

  • @FutjaBro
    @FutjaBro 11 років тому

    doppelkupplungsgetriebe - try this england - jeremy cant say this

  • @Mikeb1001
    @Mikeb1001 11 років тому +1

    Markus DeVir What about Owen Hargreaves? An Englishman who came through FC Bayern's academy, therefore plays for England but takes penalties like a German!

  • @YS3Caero
    @YS3Caero 6 років тому

    Jezza's expression at the end of the word!...

  • @Dan81825
    @Dan81825 11 років тому

    The Doppelkupplungsgetriebe is a new gen shifting mechanism... I can't explain it perfectly, cause my english skills aren't that good... Porsche and Audi for example have those pedals on the steering wheel where you can shift manually, but you have no clutch and the main gear box is auto... That is a Doppelkupplungsgetriebe^^ I hope you understand it :D Sorry for the bad explination haha

  • @zzebowa
    @zzebowa 11 років тому +1

    Ha! Its like Americans saying 'mirror'!

  • @ProfessionalBob
    @ProfessionalBob 11 років тому

    ei is pronounced like eye.
    Ch at the end of a word or syllable is very similar to how we say it but with more phlegm :P
    and the rest is pronounced exactly how it would be in English.
    It's easy if you understand German pronunciation rules.

  • @nilon5327
    @nilon5327 3 роки тому +1

    WTF!!?? I'm German and I can say Squiwirirl perfectly!

  • @chairmanalf7856
    @chairmanalf7856 2 місяці тому

    This is my German friend to a Tee 😂

  • @turkishk
    @turkishk 11 років тому

    Holland took me by surprise, I landed, everyone was speaking English at the airport, I got to Amsterdam central, everybody was still speaking English.

  • @bruderrudiger9574
    @bruderrudiger9574 7 років тому

    Come on Hammond, say Doppelkupplungsgetriebe

  • @SouthernPoint52
    @SouthernPoint52 11 років тому

    Well, it seems like SOMEONE has never seen "Inglorious Basterds"

  • @debowiec3
    @debowiec3 10 років тому +2

    Ok then mr Clarkson so let's hear you speak some German so we can all have a proper laugh!!!

    • @cameronmilne3590
      @cameronmilne3590 7 років тому

      bart gregory We've engineered circumstances were learning a language is optional.......:)

  • @everydaynormalguy1843
    @everydaynormalguy1843 4 роки тому

    would love to hear them three try to say EICHHÖRNCHEN! :b

  • @chris_sndw
    @chris_sndw 6 років тому

    I can't cook. I'm always late. I have crooked teeth and I find this joke hilarious. Sometimes I think being German isn't for me. I might make a perfect English chap!

  • @swithin78
    @swithin78 8 років тому +1

    Simply the new top gear is no contest. I simply cannot sit through a single episode

  • @chipsi95
    @chipsi95 11 років тому +1

    And that's the moment you got something like 'Eikhoenken' :)

  • @bearflipstable8365
    @bearflipstable8365 10 місяців тому

    I kind of want to try this with my German lecturer… lol

    • @mokisan
      @mokisan 9 місяців тому

      Do let us know how it goes 😂

  • @MrcWdmnn
    @MrcWdmnn 11 років тому +1

    Fußbodenschleifmaschinenverleih? Mehrfachkompositawettbewerbsausschreibungsantragsformular?
    Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz?
    Good luck :)

  • @Kessina1989
    @Kessina1989 11 років тому

    Ein süßes kleines Eichhörnchen! ;-)

  • @eleonorer.6503
    @eleonorer.6503 11 років тому

    Oh, that's interesting, we learned about the Aztecs and Nahuatl in Spanish lesson, but I didn't know this language still exists! Do they also have such funny words?
    Streicheleinheiten btw is a word to describe... damn that's hard to explain... the time when somebody pets his pet for more a certain time, like more than a few minutes, the owner gives him Streicheleinheiten.
    Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel-verordnung means regulation of contraceptive. :D
    greetings back from Stuttgart, Germany :>

  • @plerimest
    @plerimest 11 років тому

    please upload a video, I would love to hear that! ;-)

  • @blackhagalaz
    @blackhagalaz 11 років тому

    *sitting in front of my laptop while trying to pronounce squirrel... and now grinning because it doesn´t work* ;)

  • @piotrziemba158
    @piotrziemba158 11 років тому

    I'm Polish and it's so easy to say any English word. :)
    "Stół z powyłamywanymi nogami" - nice example for English to break their tongues.
    Anyway, try to say "W Szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie." or "I cóż, że ze Szwecji?". If you are English, I will build a monument to you. :)

  • @qualqui
    @qualqui 11 років тому

    Respect for those northern europeans, swedes, danes, norwegians, dutch, germans, swiss, austrians, all have a high level of IQ, something for us southerners to emulate and master, i have a video on Wonderful Amsterdam, sure would like to go someday, greetings to ya from Querétaro!