The Key to Understanding the Germans
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- Опубліковано 1 тра 2024
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Language is one of the keys to unlocking culture. Many languages have certain words or phrases which are very difficult to translate into English. German is no exception. In this video I attempt to explain some of my favourite German words which I see as highly reflective of certain German stereotypical traits.
About me:
I am a Brit who lives Germany. After completing University in the UK I moved to China where I taught English for two years. I’ve learned a thing or two about cultural integration, language learning and everything else that goes with upping sticks and moving to a foreign country. I make videos about Germany, cultural differences and tend to pose a lot of questions. Join me on my exploration of life abroad.
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
01:11 - World Pain
03:26 - Safety
04:32 - Thank you Lingoda
06:13 - Distance Ache
07:54 - Spring Fatigue
09:01 - Doch
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Sobald du deine videos in gutem Deutsch veröffentlichst, bin ich bereit zu glauben, dass du weisst, wie man sprachen lernt und lehrt.
@@hansberger4939 habe ich schon…😉Breaking my Bad German Habit (Auf Deutsch)
ua-cam.com/video/T6paeYgwM0c/v-deo.html
@@britingermany Ja, ok. Einmal reicht.
A Baby held in the arms of the mother is probably the best example for Geborgenheit.
Thanks Kris
I totally agree
*or father
It is not necessaryly a question of age. A grandmother can feel "geborgen" when surrounded by her children and grand-children.
you could just say "safe and sound" :)
"Doch" as in "Das hast du doch schon gemacht" oder "Du bist doch verrückt!" is, in grammar terms, a "mood particle" (Modalpartikel) that conveys the speaker's mood. This particular one would be used to emphasize some surprise, puzzlement, or uncomprehension of the situation. I once said that the German mood particles are an early, text-based version of today's emojis.
That's a great comparison.
I really like that explaination
Although those still fit the pattern of negating a negative statement, only that that statement hasn't been expressed in words but actions.
As I watched this video I was thinking along those lines comparing it to the Russian "же", which was causing me some headaches.
Actually I was pretty delighted by the selection of "doch" for exactly this reason.
@Michael Zapt these mood particles are so important in spoken german as they are present everywhere in daily conversations. "Das ist aber schwer", "Das ist ja schwer", "Das ist schon (ganz schön) schwer", "Puh, das war vielleicht schwer", "Das ist eben schwer", "Das ist halt schwer", "Das ist mal schwer". All of these words (ja, eben, schon, doch vielleicht, halt) are different to their usual meaning, giving the sentence a certain "color".
As a native German speaker, I never had so many thoughts about "doch" Thank you for enlightening my everyday usage of expression. Truly interesting. Thank you so much for sharing and enabling me to reflect on my mother tonge. 🙏
Glad to hear it😉. Thanks for watching
I have to admit that I, as a German, the word "Weltschmerz" only comes to my mind when it is mentioned as an untranslatable German word. It is not an everyday and/or everyone thing. The other words, of course, appear often, with "doch" being a common word.
As for "Frühjahrsmüdigkeit", I sometimes say this is the feeling that comes after the "Wintermüdigkeit" and before the "Sommermüdigkeit". It usually does not follow the "Herbstmüdigkeit".
So much Müdigkeit Michael 😉
@@britingermany "Frühjahrsmüdigkeit"... yes, also we germans love spring and flowers and warm air..."Frühlingserwachen" is a very common word. But we always mean the nature. We Germans ourselves are always tired and need a reason for that. A reason that is NOT our fault. The weather? the season! GREAT! Dear boss... i WANT to work harder, but its spring...
@@britingermany The point is, I'm not sure whether most people who complain about "Frühjahrsmüdigkeit" only do that because it has a name.
"Weltschmerz" is suffering from nothing, right?
@@rolandwittig9098 No, I would explain it as being deeply concerned with the state of the world, the existence, the future ... a melancholic attitude. According to Wikipedia, the Grimm brothers defined it as "deep sadness about the shortcomings of the world".
My favorite German word is "Mutterseelenallein", about which Arte once made its own contribution. Just poetry.
That does sound very poetic 😉
@@britingermany Mine is "Wertbeimessungsstoerung" (worth attribution disorder) for 'hoarding', which highlights both the nag for lengthy combined words but also the up to the point description of what is meant.
Isn't that a misunderstanding of some French word?
@@blenderpanzi right! it is.
@@hansberger4939
Wird diese mögliche Erklärung nicht schon lange als unwahrscheinlich eingestuft?
The almighty "Doch" is especially strong when used alone as a complete statement. Someone can say a lot of things for a long time to declare that something isn't the case, wrong or not gone happen and you can just say "Doch" to negate is completely. This isn't used to express an opinion about having a different view, it's used to say "You are wrong", wiping out the whole argumentation.
It is even usable in this way in serious conversations when someone is in a strong enough position to make it happen. For example if you are in a company and discuss with the boss how to do things and explain that something will not work, the customers won't like it and it shouldn't be done, the boss can say "Doch" and depending on the way he says it, you better not ask why.
Also an absolute would be "Darum"
:)
@@randomdude8877 Especially as an answer to "Why?" xD
Yes thanks...you're right the intonation is important
@@britingermany "Warum?" - "Darum" is a bit similar to "Why?" - "For reasons".
@@KaiHenningsen Yes, allthough "for reasons", i think, is used more often to say "i don't know why" or "I don't want to explain". "Darum" feels more like "You're annoying. Stop asking questions."
For me Frühjahrmüdigkeit was always understood as the difficulty of coming out of winter hibernation.
Yes. You have more daylight time to be active. You will probably be more outside due to temperature. Lots of activities start again. The garden needs attention and so on. So your system needs to get to a higher level to accomplish all that.
@@reinhard8053 Long time ago when we used to walk to Mallorca in the winter months we had enough acitvities but nowadays with all the planes we are getting lazy.
@@IIIOOOUS You mean when you went to school. Through thick snow. uphill. Both ways.
That's because you are from the "north", where I grew up, Frühjahrsmüdigkeit is a direct consequence of Frühjahrsputz. And that's despite the year long training regiment you get from "Kehrwöchle".
As a German I think "Doch" might be the most typical word. In short term it is used to contradict another persons statement and in longer terms it is mostly used to underline the potentially obvious truth behind an own statement. I think in every case it is extremely impolite but still it is widely adopted in German language usage. It's heavily used in arguments but the more polite or diplomatic a person is, the less it will be used, I assume. So given that it's one single word with such a strong meaning tells you a lot about the mentality connected with the language.
Essentially: If you disagree with anyone else, German gives you a single word to show that without insulting them... yet. ^^
Thanks Tobias 🙏
Dank deines Videos ist der graue Sonntag doch noch interessant geworden.
Awww. Danke für diese liebenswerte Nachricht 😘
@@britingermany oh, ich weiß nicht wann ich das Wort liebenswert das letzte mal gelesen oder gehört habe. Aber ich mag es
@@britingermany Das ist doch eine Selbstverständlichkeit!
If you know how to use "doch" and "tja" you're perfectly fit for every german conversation.
not to forget genau 😉
@@britingermany Tja!
@@Dreagostini Dochdoch!... _Tja_, ich glaube die Verwendung ist nicht so schwierig. Es passt _doch_ immer!
@@hansberger4939 Genau! ;D
nu, siehste
Hello, from Finland! It is interesting to hear about your experiences from learning german. I lived in Germany as a young adult, coming from Finland. Learned two occupations there, so my best foreign language is german. Now back in Finland again I am learning italian, to keep my mind active, being quite old already😅!!
well hello to Finland. Learning a language is a massive strain on the Brain and one of the best ways to keep it ticking over
Perhaps it is helpful to remember, that "doch" is etymologically related to the English word "though". In many cases where "doch" is used in German you can use "though" in English, like in the Example: "you don´t like coffee, do you?" "I actually do like coffee though."
Do you think that the word "however" also works as "doch"?
Yes in some contexts though can be used
But do children ever argue "no!" "though!" "no!" "though!" "no!" "though!" "no!" "though!" (etc)?
(let alone "no!" "though!" "ooh" ;) )
Of course "though" is not exactly the same as "doch", as any word in any language is never exactly the same as a word in another language. But I think the relationship between "doch" and "though" can be helpful for English-speakers, who want to learn German, to wrap their heads around the usage of "doch", which can seem very strange to an English-speaker, as "Brit in Germany" pointed out.
@@brucemcpherlain1903 Might also be helpful for Germans learning English ...
There is no comparison to "Geborgenheit". It cannot replaced with any other word ever! it is pure energy of heart! "Doch" is the shorten of "Dennoch" what means "trotzdem".It can be used to finish any discussion but it is like reacting as a little child what dont gets the sweets at the grocery´s cassier and thus stumps its feet to the floor.
Um das Gefühl des Heimwehs zu erleiden muss man zunächst einmal das Gefühl des Fernwehs befriedigen. Deutsch zu sein, kann zuweilen sehr kompliziert sein. Zumal der Weltschmerz sowohl daheim als auch in der Ferne immer etwas findet, was ihn bestätigt. Und dennoch (Kurzform:doch) gibt es auch in Deutschland Menschen, die einfach nur glücklich sind.
Nein, man kann auch gegen seinen willen verreisen, z.b. in den krieg, und man hat von anfang an heimweh, ohne jemals fernweh zu kennen.
@@hansberger4939 , also entweder kommt der Krieg zu einem oder derjenige wird in den Krieg geschickt. Mit Verreisen im Sinne von Reisen hat das wohl wenig zu tun. Ich glaube auch nicht, dass man die Entsendung eines Soldaten an die Front mit einer Geschäftsreise vergleichen kann.
@@51pinn Nein, wozu auch? Aber, als dt. soldat in stalingrad hattest du heimweh.
Also, fernweh ist kene voraussetzung für heimweh. Fernsein genügt.
@@hansberger4939 für mich ist "Fernweh" die Beschreibung für die menschliche Neugier, was denn da wohl hinter dem nächsten Hügel ist. Die Neigung, das Unbekannte zu erforschen, fremde Kulturen kennen zu lernen, etwas anderes als das bereits bekannte zu sehen. Darauf bezog sich mein Wortspiel, dass man erst einmal vom Bekannten und Vertrauten weg muss um sich wieder danach zu sehnen. Und ja, der Soldat in Stalingrad hat sicherlich neben dem Willen, irgendwie zu überleben vor allem Heimweh gehabt.
My book recommendation: Roland Kaehlbrandt, DEUTSCH Eine Liebeserklärung, Die Zehn grossen Vorzüge unserer Erstaunlichen Sprache. TB published by PIPER
Thanks Jürgen :)
Ein wirklich schönes Buch. Ich habe es mit äußerstem Vergnügen "verschlungen".
Ups, typo
7:52 It is "früh", not "frü".
oops. Oh no
7:38 But while Fernweh is or can be more of a real emotional pain or sickness that you can feel in your stomach, Wanderlust describes more of an excitement of going on a trail. It‘s the joy and happiness when you making plans or already on your way.
8:21 Frühjahrsmüdigkeit is imho best described as the same tiredness you feel after you got up in the morning before you get your first cup of coffee. Your still in the process of waking up and getting your machinery oiled and prepared for running at full speed. 😉 But your explanation seems to be more accurate from a scientific standpoint.
9:44 „Nein“, „Doch!“, „Ooh.“ is a fully legit German conversation often used in the dubbing of old Louis De Funes movies, because French uses also a simple word for „doch“: si. It‘s also an example that „Nein“ kann have several meanings depending on context and pronunciation almost like the english „No“. In this case it‘s more an expression of surprise, while „doch“ is used as a confirmation of the previously said, while „ooh“ then expresses that your still surprised by the fact. At least that’s how I would interpret this exchange of words. 😉 Nein, Doch!, Ooh is also a common German meme.
Thank you 🙏
Nein!!
@@KelbenArunsun Doch!
@@larsscholz3762 OHHH!!!! *suprised Pikachu Face*
Very well explained!
Thank you
Great content!
Thank you 🙏
Das war doch ein sehr schönes Video 👍
Very good explanations!
Thanks a lot🙏
Geborgenheit to me draws a picture of a mother holding a baby in her arms. Sometimes we want to return to this time when everything was cared for and we were protected and safe and held.
Just listen to children arguing. After 10 times going back and forward "Nein..doch..nein..doch..nein..doch" you will understand what it means.
Wonderful
Thank you! Cheers!
A very good example of Geborgenheit is, if you embrace or hold your child in your arms. The child will feel Geborgenheit means nothing can happen to it because your love protects it.
Thank you
Yes. It absolutely is an emotional term and not a "technical" one.
Good video, as always. You are an astute observer, and you convey your insights succinctly.
Thanks a lot. Glad to hear it :)
Geborgenheid ( in dutch) is what a "safe haven" in English atlhough a safe haven provides that state of being as well as the the place itself. I think that is describing the word best with all it's connotations. A word that English also doesn't know (as far as I know at least) is difference between the nouns "thuis" (zuhause in german, not a noun?) and "huis (Haus in german), where the first is about the place you call home that will provide "geborgenheit" and the second is just the building itself. As far as I know, these are both called "home" in english.
We also know the word "voorjaarsmoeheid" (frühjahrsmüdigkeit) in dutch. More people suffer from this then they would admit. It's a reaction of the body to the changing weather conditions. As you would normally expect, spring would give energy but your body needs to adapt first. In our day and age, people keep working through winter the same amount of hours (since the invention of artificial lighting) and that results in a fatigue when the already exhausted body is subjected to the weather changes in spring. It has an influence on the liver and the lymphatic system.
I think the best translation of "Doch" would be "on the contrary" (not in all cases though) , although it would used with a lot of "dichtersvrijheid" (Freiheit des Dichters, Poets freedom) to effectively use it, I guess. "Dichtersvrijheid" is the freedom of a poet to write or use words in an uncommon way so it benefits the poet in rhyme, meaning, style, etc. It is also used when somebody writes a word wrong and wants to admit it with a humouristic touch to it.
Thanks so much for giving the Dutch take. I can read a fair amount of Dutch because of the similarities to German but when it comes to speak and listening. Not a chance!
@@britingermany You're very welcome. I know both languages but connotations are more clear to me in Dutch, hence why I make the analogy there. Dutch is a bit easier then German to be honoust. You can learn the structure of german for four years and then you will get to all the exceptions that make most of the structure obsolete I have the feeling. Dutch itself is just a very intuitive language (much like English) while retaining the "creative" side of German (like sentence long words, haha). One of the worst word to pronounce for foreigners must be "angstschreeuw" I guess. Anyway, keep the videos coming. Having an outside view on a language works refreshing.
Austrian here who lived in America for a long time and is now back in Vienna. Just found your channel and find your voice very soothing. Your pronounciation of German is very good!
Thanks a lot and welcome back home! The first thing I would do is go for a schnitzel 😉
@@britingermany Gute Wahl!
This channel makes me feel so much less alone. 🤗🤗🙏🏽Thank you thank you thank you 🙏🏽
So glad to hear that. Thank you for commenting 😀
For me Frühjahr not the same as Frühling. Frühjahr is Früh im Jahr- early in the year…like January/February and Frühling starts in March /April with the Frühlingsablüher Krokusses und Schneeglöckchen. Die Tage werden länger und es geht wieder rauswärts.
So Frühjahr is between winter and spring. So I think winter blues does describe the same phenomenon. The moment you realise winter takes its toll do on your mental health. But maybe only for me?
Ok that would make more sense. When waiting for spring but it’s just doesn’t come. Like right now 🤣🤣
I am impressed by the thought that has gone into this video. Thank you very much for putting it up. I think there is a lot of value for someone learning German finding out about these kinds of conceptual/cutural differences. I have been learning German for more 40 years and to my shame "Weltschmerz" has never come to my attention. I probably just ignored it whenever it came up as I didn't know about it. But now I do, thanks to this. On "Doch", I would suggest one approach to remembering to use it to contradict a negative statement rather than the English longer approach is the keep in your head a pantomime scene where one of the chacters shouts:"Oh no it isn't!". Then forget the usual English retort and simply say "Doch"; where I think I would put the emphasis on the last sound a bit more. Please keep up the good work.
Thanks a lot Justin 😀
Every German will know or at least have an idea of what Weltschmerz means, but in fact, this term isn't really being used in everyday language.
There is nothing better than sitting on my cosy couch on a sunday morning with a cup of coffee and watch your interesting thoughts about the german soul. I feel called out.😅
Awww haha thank you Ilka. It’s snowing here at the moment ☃️
@@britingermany Best weather to do some Frühjahrsputz. 😁 Is there a english word for this? 🤔
@@theHoptimist383 yes Spring clean 😉
Oh, I am fighting with my " Frühjahrsmüdigkeit" right now. Or with other words: " my spirits are willing, but my flesh is weak " , should I start the spring cleaning or keep my winter habits with a late breakfast and reading on my couch? 😜 My inner Schweinehund prefers to stay on the couch with me.
@@ilsekuper3045 haha perfect🤣
Frühjahrsmüdigkeit reffers to the Winter, the time before spring. Thats when WE have Short days and feel depressed
Und wieder hast du ein Video ohne viel Firlefanz gemacht, was ich sehr schätze! Alles ist richtig und es gabt keinen Moment, wo ich dachte: "Papperlapapp!" Du hast nicht um den heißen Brei herumgeredet und hast keine Fisematenten gemacht. Anscheinden hast du dich gut von jecken Zeit erholt. Eure Durchlaucht, macht bitte so weiter!
And again you made a video without much frippery, which I appreciate very much! Everything is right and there was never a moment where I thought: "poppycock!" You didn't beat around the bush and you didn't mess about. It seems you've recovered well from the carnival. Your Serene Highness, please keep up the good work!
Thanks a lot. I will do my best 😉and thanks for the idiom poetry. It was just a fleeting flyby of carnival this year
My favourite example for "doch": Imagine two kids arguing: "is-isn't-is-isn't-is-isn't...". In German, this would be "Nein - Doch - Nein - Doch ..."
We have the term for the spring fatigue in Czech Republic (jarní únava) and it is something that definitely affects me a lot. Maybe if it did not exist, then I would not be tired in spring.
awsome
Cheers 😉
Weltschmerz is a common example , but absolutely noone is using this word today here in germany.
Yes I think its more of an intellectual term
@@britingermany Poetic. It was invented by poets.
I had never thought about the German language before - it was just there and as natural as breathing.Only since I mainly live abroad, I became more and more aware of how beautiful and precise this language is.Now I have to constantly think about how I can explain to people in a foreign language what really moves me.If I could wish for something, it would be that all our beloved words would exist in other languages too.
genau, so isses. zwei dinge können präzise sein: mathematik und die (richtige und logische) deutsche sprache ( goethe). daher vielleicht so schwer für viele. kein vorwurf!!
Hi Kelsey. Yes a change of perspective can be really enlightening
My book recommendation: Roland Kaehlbrandt, DEUTSCH Eine Liebeserklärung, Die Zehn grossen Vorzüge unserer Erstaunlichen Sprache. TB published by PIPER
Yes,... fuzzy German,... called English, is to prefer!
Yes, it is precise, but if you write something it is very, very exhausting. Even for Germans. ;-)
You have quite a soothing voice :D i really like it
Glad to hear it. Thank you.
Wonderful video, but I have to add an essential use for "doch" in arguments:
A: "Das hast du nicht richtig gemacht!"
B: "Doch!"
A: "Nein!"
B: "Doch!"
A: "Nein!"
... and so on 😁
In English:
A: "You didn't do that correctly!"
B: "Doch!" (In this context being a stand in for "You're wrong, I did (do it correctly)!")
A: "No!"
B: "Doch!"
A: "No!"
...
Fond memories of every german child, seeing how long they can keep the Nein-Doch-train going with their siblings before being shut down by their parents 😇
Thanks Lukas..stubbon kids 😉
Wir haben nicht nur die Wanderlust, wir haben auch etliche Wanderlieder, die ich früher mit meinen Eltern beim Wandern tatsächlich gesungen habe: "Mein Vater war ein Wandersmann", "Wem Gott will rechte Gunst erweisen", "Hoch auf dem gelben Wagen" (okay, ein Reiterlied, aber die Fußgänger daneben wandern ... 😉), "Ooooh du schö-ö-ner We-e-esterwald .....", "Auf, du junger Wandersmann" usw usf. Viele davon werden heutzutage leider mit dem Dritten Reich verbunden, aber dafür können die LIeder nix ..... 😊
Das ist etwas wovon ich keine Ahnung habe. Für mich scheint es wie ein vergessene Teil des Deutschen Kultures...sorry for the mistakes
@@britingermany Ja, "vergessene Kultur", das ist tatsächlich so. Es gab wohl eine Wander- bzw. Natur-Bewegung namens "Wandervogel" gegen 1900. Und das Volksliedersingen mit den Eltern gehört wohl auch der Vergangenheit an, hat aber m. E. bei den Kinder schon früh für musikalische Betätigung gesorgt und Interesse an aktivem Musizieren geweckt, mehr als es je irgendwelche Lehrer im späteren Musikunterricht hätten machen können. Und das Spazieren bzw. Wandern war so viel schöner, wenn man dabei Lieder geschmettert hat. 😉 Liebe Grüße!
_"Viele davon werden heutzutage leider mit dem Dritten Reich verbunden, aber dafür können die LIeder nix"_
Die alten Volkslieder, z. B. die von Eichendorff aus der Novelle "Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts" ("Wem Gott will rechte Gunst erweisen"), sind doch nicht mit dem 3. Reich verbunden, was ist das denn für ein Unsinn.
Anders sieht es natürlich mit den eigens für die Wehrmacht oder andere NS-Organisationen geschriebenen Liedern aus ("Westerwaldlied", "Erika"). Militär- oder Kriegslieder sind auch nicht dasselbe wie Volkslieder. Von der Bundeswehr werden aber auch diese Lieder aus der NS-Zeit verwendet, die sind da nicht kleinlich. - Ein auf allen Seiten berühmt gewordenes Soldatenlied des 3. Reiches war "Lili Marleen", welches sich allerdings wegen seiner depressiven, den Krieg thematisiererenden Grundhaltung nicht als Volkslied eignet und auch nie zu einem solchen geworden ist.
@@heha6984 "Vergessene deutsche Kultur" könnte zu einem "geflügelten Wort" avancieren. Ich fühle da so etwas wie Weltschmerz bezogen auf die eigene, deutsche Kultur, es hat etwas von jener bitteren Melancholie wenn ich ohnmächtig zuschaue, was hier "tagtäglich den Bach hinunter geht".
Great description, i never thought about these before ... Doch has a great example from the Louis de Funes classic: "Nein! Doch! Ohh!"
I totally get spring fatigue! I like the winter and the hibernation. the darkness. Just the thought of summer makes me tired. When the sun takes an age to set, and there's too many people everywhere. No excuse not to be outside. sleepless nights and bugs.... the list is endless. Moving to Germany from Australia i felt reprieve from the 9 month summers that 95% of folks love. So its more prominent as there are definite seasons here.
Geborgenheit kann man auch mit Nestwärme vergleichen. Vielleicht gibt es für Nestwärme eine Umgangssprachliche Übersetzung ins Englische.
Habe ich so noch nicht gehört! Danke
Geborgenheit, like in the womb of the mother. describes the highest level of emotional security.
But it can also be the feeling when two loved ones are close together.
In a figurative sense, one can also speak of the security of the home.
"doch" turns a negative statement back into the positive
he saw everything negatively, "doch" luck found him
Thanks Jens
The most prolific Probably the most common context is "Kinder brauchen Geborgenheit".
It comes from bergen = to conceal, which is connected with Berg = mountain. Hide in the mountains, throw rocks at your enemies from above from your ringwall fortress or castle. That is emotional security to a German.
@@naturbursche5540ha ha, nice one.
German Words and its use aka Grammar is mostly focussed around one specific Way it works, depending on its Enviroment it is used in.
Like, on a formal Buisness Level, you will most probally use Words and Structures focussed on the Task and Outcome.
On a private Level, you use rather the ones stemming from and referring to personal Traits and Characters.
Political Basis uses more vague and ambiguous Wordings, mostly avoiding not even to be PC rather than to say nothing at all.
Words are often defined by its Definition referring to its Form or Function - like Auto-bahn "Car-Lane" referring to that Street only be for Cars and such.
Kinder-Garten (Children-Garden) refers to a Place where the former mentioned gets nurtured; like in a Apple-Garden Appletrees gets nurtured for the production of Apples.
The use, on the other Hand, is defined and contextualized strongly by its Past and History, its Origins and such. Potting a "political" Word in a Place for the personal Space can indicate an assault or an ironic Remark as well as a fineley pointed Joke or a humbled compliment, often indicated additionally by tonation.
German is a very depictive Language, but is spoken mostly "between the Lines". And to get that "between the lines" you gotta know the cultural Backgroubnd of it all - that makes German so hard to learn. This also differs immensely between the Regions of Germany due to big cultural differences. This even makes the problem with the female and male forms easier as they are determined if that Object is associated with female or male traits - like "carriing a big amount of labour (proudly and honorable silent)" is often female while the same work done with complaining is male ("der Packesel" vs "die Haltevorrichtung")
"Doch" even belongs to the first words a German baby learns. When children are brabbling their first words, a typical dialogue in German families is:
*Child wants to do something forbidden, f.e. taking a piece of chocolate but the adult doesn't allow it*
Adult: Nein! (No!)
Child: Doch!
Adult; Nein!
Child; Doch!
...
30 Minutes later:
Adult: Nein!
Child: Doch!
Can be the content of a neverending story
.
Yes never ending indeed
Doch: This is - in school grammar - one of the so called "Füllwörter", together with: ja, nun, denn, and others. Somehow in education they are considered negligeable, and to be discouraged. However in the spoken language they are extremely important. One way they work is referring to expectations. Try to translate or paraphrase them by "according to expectation" and "contrary to expectation". And note that these words are employed differently depending on whether the statements are negative or affirmative and whether they are used in a question, answer, neutral statement or order.
I'm also a fan of German, speak, read and write it fluently.... I also taught it to kids in grammar school, and making the wonderful connections with English and other languages were always well appreciated.... How "Bollwerk" became boulevard, for example. A note about the word "weh", which appears often in the language, and you mention Fernweh... ... it actually started as an interjection, it exists as such in Oj, weh (Yiddish), in the English woe, and is perhaps related to "weinen..."
And, yes; Früjahrsmüdigkeit... heard it all the time... I suspect it is one of those ways hard-working Germans explain their fatigue...
Interesting origins. Thanks for sharing 😀
I love your pictures! Even more so since they’re from Frankfurt, almost my home town. And they’re sooo beautiful! ♥️
Glad to hear it...almost? Where is your home town then?
@@britingermany Morning! I’m from Hochtaunus, quite close to where the wildfire was which you mentioned in one of your shorts recently. But I work in Frankfurt, mostly. ☺️
@@Kaderlid13 Ahhh very nice 😀
Well, about the "Weltschmerz": the phenomenon and the feelings you describe, are well known, but none of all my friends or acquaintances ever uses the term "Weltschmerz".
And about Frühjahrsmüdigkeit: You have to invest a lot of energy all winter long. And when winter is over, you do not need to invest that much energy. So now you feel exhausted. That is the lgic behind it.
What would you use now? Existence angst? Depression?
@@britingermany no word at all.
pls more of it u r so likeable 😀
Aww thanks Mike 😘
You could describe Gemütlichkeit as the feeling of Geborgenheit in the company of others. But it would just replace one untranslatable word with another.
haha right!
Not necessarily in company with others. I can lie on my couch very gemütlich without anybody disturbing me.
An important point of "gemütlichkeit" is a relaxed atmosphere. A three-star-restaurant is not gemütlich. Wearing business suits or uniforms is not gemütlich. Working ist not gemütlich, all the same how safe i feel. Feierabend can be very gemütlich.
@@hansberger4939 Ich finde "cozy" trifft das Gefühl der Gemütlichkeit sehr gut.
@@ZeroFPV Jüaaah.... kommt der sache schon sehr nahe. Ist allerdings nur ein teil. "cozy" ist das nicht eher etwas "weiches"? also, sofas, teppiche, gedämpftes licht und so?
Und gemütlich könnte auch eine einfache kneipe mit harten stühlen sein?
One of my fav german words is "Verschlimmbessern" or "Kaputtreparieren"...
It discribes a situation, where someone trys to fix something, but by doing so, makes it actually worse....
Good one🤣those are great!
Oh, Heidelberg... cue nostalgic Heimweh for Geborgenheit in the city I so loved living in!
7:19 Maroc Interieur has amazing metal-and-leather lamps, bought one ~20 years ago, still looks great. Right across the street (more of an alley, actually), there used to be a great falafel place, I wonder if it's still there?
About the similarity / difference of Fernweh and Wanderlust:
Wanderlust is about the positive exitement about going out there. Mostly, but not necessarily, over a greater distance.
So I could be in the throws of Wanderlust to go out there on a hike or even only an extended walk on a beatifull Sunday morning.
Fernweh is the more, possibly melancholic, theoretic variant. It is about the longing to see / experience distant or exotic things.
Like you said, both can also be used for describing someone who just can't stay in one place for too long and is moving / traveling a lot.
But still Wanderlust is more about the active joy of going out there and experiencing stuff, being in the moment.
Fernweh is more about following your heart and trying to satisfy this longing, and then again, because you possibly can't do so permanently.
Yes. I would say Wanderlust is about moving forward towards something and Fernweh is about looking back in pain
Nach Frühjahrsmüdigkeit
und Sommerpause
begibt man sich zur Herbstruhe
und beendet das Jahr im Winterschlaf. 😊
lovely haha
Frühjahrsmüdigkeit is something I can not wrap my head around. I think it’s just something people make up to have when they are not feeling well for whatever reason. Just blame it on the weather. Or the time of year.
We have Winterdepressionen, Frühjahrsmüdigkeit, Sommertraurigkeit (summertime sadness) and Herbstdepressionen.
There is always a good reason to be sad.
Another very interesting aspect of German language is the sound "mhh", which can have - depending on the length, pitch and the "melody" you make this sound - up to two dozen partly totally different and even contrary meanings.
Is that really a German speciality?
Haha that’s the advanced class
Can't think of that many for "mhh", but "mhh-mhh" certainly is very versatile.
Tja.
There is already a common textbook in psychology: "The 1000 Meanings of Mhmm."
So _doch_ is a good candidate to use in place of the trailing _though_ . Good to know.
well maybe in some contexts...but not exactly
I would think of "though" being the most appropiate translation for "jedoch", but not for "doch" in most cases.
Having just watched two of your videos so far, I am at the same time intrigued and also a bit confused about what your point is.
Maybe I better first explain my own background: I'm Danish, born and raised literally (well, almost) on the northern shore of Flensburg fiord, which is the current border between Denmark and Germany. As such, my first languages are the southern Jutland dialect, German and Danish, in no particular order. This makes English my "fourth" language, but I have enjoyed reading English since I became interested in computers in the early 80es (aged 13 or thereabout), and love the language, although I still haven't had an opportunity to visit the UK, unfortunately. Since highschool, Blake has been one of my favorite poets.
Now, having only seen two of your videos, I'm probably wrong, but it seems as if you are looking at some perceived cultural differences, which I somehow doubt really exist if you look deeper.
In the region I grew up in, multilingualism and multiculturalism has always been very common. Sure, many people probably would state a primary "ethnicity", but historically, this didn't become much of an issue until some time after the Reformation, although it may have begun with that religious division into catholic and lutheran, and then later evolved into the concept of nationalism in the late 17th century and onwards.
The other video I saw was about accents. Now, like many people from southern Jutland, I can switch instantly between languages in a conversation, and after living in Aarhus (middle-Jutland) for years, I have no obvious South-Jutlandic accent. A person from Copenhagen would probably easily categorise my accent as Jutlandic though, even when speaking non-dialectal Danish. Similarly, relatives of mine who have moved to Copenhagen or to Funen, have gained discernible regional accents. And this phaenomenon crosses borders easily: I have relatives in Sweden and Norway for whom the same applies.
Britain, having been "suffering" an influx of north-Germanic peoples since the Romans left, is linguistically and culturally so closely connected to the Frisians, north-Germans and Nordics, that we have much more in common than we have differences.
My point is that language is a key part of culture which often underpins opinions and values. While English and German do share many similarities there are also quite a few differences. Perhaps Germany has more in common with the Scandinavian countries than it does with the UK I'm not sure because I don't know them well. For example Frühjarsmüdigkeit and Kreislauf is just not a thing in the UK...at least I wasn't when I was still living there.
Similar and different all at the same time! I was born in Flensburg (while my mom was visiting her parents, so I never lived there, spent my pre-school years in Kiel). Supposedly as a child, I learned a little Danish but retained none of it. Computers got me into English, too. And my Grandfather apparently had some differences with his brothers when a vote about the German-Danish border came up; they voted Denmark, and he voted Germany. Supposedly I was named after a relative living in Copenhagen.
I wouldn't say I _love_ English, but I get to use it so much that I can occasionally dream English. For some reason, poetry never really grew on me, no matter the language, except in direct connection with music, and even then it doesn't ever rise above "like". Language can be fascinating, though my primary interest is more with computers.
Wanderlust kommt wahrscheinlich schon vom alten Lied das Wandern ist des Müllers Lust
Sehr schön das man auf solche Geschichten zurück greifen kann.
@@britingermany my father,and therefore we all,actually sung this,wandering!
Dear Ben,
often we find such words created in past by somebody in need to have it done short (efficient) and to the point (biunique).
Influenced by our culture of being a collection of language modulations and through history have been affected by “rhetoric figures” ( developed in its mental pictures through renaissance, humanisms, reformation and followed by the disaster for our country called 30-year-war resulting in the following periods of “enlightenment”, “sensibility” and finally the important “STURM & DRANG”) we see today our willingness and amusement by finding a single “unique” word as picture, emotion or combination of both being a full scenario “in one”.
The advantage is obvious!
Later the centuries we had a second period which turns the gained “language freedom” (creating new words) into a short classical writing, followed by the “Romantic” which has its balance act by Novalis (“courage by nature”) and Brothers Grimm (“fear by nature”)….
It turns us into a period of “young Germany” (mainly represented by the great Heinrich Heine who was responsible for turning the banal language of street into lyric poetry and added later on political statements).
In these days of 1820 to 1900 all the colours of language turned into extreme…
…it was the end of permanent wars in Europe and Germany, of course.
You will find the most ideological texts of history written in this period; you will also find the root of “Unwort des Jahres” by the movements of this time.
Never ever have been more books published, “talking” about the power of words… best example:
www.amazon.de/Die-Macht-Worte-Ideologien-Jahrhundert/dp/3412505579
Today, we are still under the impression that a new word for a new situation will help to avoid misunderstandings or give a mental picture back which is self-explanatory and therefore same for all people….. the young and old, the educated and the unillumined, the poor and rich…
….and to underline this I would call myself “einen Erklärbär” which actually fits to the above written summary.
Erklärbär is an excellent example of another passion of Germans as they want to use words which “sound also great”… but this is another story and shall be told another time (…quote from Michael Ende’s “The never-ending story”) …. if of interest: for short in-view check the following:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeoteleuton
oh I agree 100%!!
Immer auf der Suche nach der nächsten Baustelle! 😋
I haven't checked all the videos you have posted about our German language, but i would love to hear your thoughts about German diminutives or the chance of German to form small, cozy forms of nearly all nouns. For me that is another key to understand Germans (as a German myself).
Das wäre doch interessant... 😉😂
A Gläschen Wein doesn't mean the same as a small glass of vine..
Hello Uwe. Yes I love those complexities!
Die russische Sprache stellt diesbezüglich wohl die Königsdisziplin dar. In dieser gibt es sogar für Adjektive, Adverbien und Pronomen Verniedlichungen und meistens auch noch pro Wort viele verschiedene Varianten, inklusive Doppelverniedlichungen.
@@split4ss59 Danke für den Hinweis. Das hört sich interessant an, auch wenn alles, was irgendwie mit Russland zusammenhängt, im Moment nicht so wirklich Konjunktur hat 😉 Ich werde es mir ansehen.
Wie geschrieben, ich halte so etwas für einen Zugang zur deutschen Verfasstheit - vielleicht ist es auch ein Einstieg zur russischen Mentalität.
Für mich hat es etwas mit Relativierung der Dinge und damit des Selbst im Bezug auf die Dinge zu tun. Der Engländer ist verurteilt, sein bread und seinen cheese zu essen, wir dürfen auch schon mal mit einem Brötchen und einem Häppchen Käse anfangen 🤣
"a glässchen wein" very often means, drinking the whole evening...
@@hansberger4939 Yes, exactly and the Stückchen Kuchen mit einem Käffchen often ends in a caloric orgy with half a cake and lots of cream.
This is exactly why i find these diminutives - Verniedlichungsformen - so interesting. They are sometimes used to hide things, even from yourself.
Best and most versatile word in my language is (imo) .... "so" ... nice sunday.
Very nice channel... saw the video for very first time... like it...thanks... (by the way I am German from the far South of Germany, which have a strong dialect and many different words to standard German) and indeed "Geborgenheit" is hard to describe, but I would rather connect it like "having a safehaven" or like the "feeling of a child when it is so to say on its parents lap and getting embraced" or to be "comforted" by a very trustworthy and protective person.... but really it is hard to translate as it means a safety which is als safe in an emotional way.
Hello there and greetings to the south 😀. Yes it’s not an easy one but I’m glad I to have learned it
Weltschmerz: Melancholy in relation to all the bad things happening around the globe. (Not commonly used)
Geborgenheit: Feeling ease of mind, always related to a person or a place.
Fernweh: The urgent need of getting away from monotomy of daily life and seeing new things on adventures. Not so much a specific place where i want to go, it's more essential to get away from the usual.
Frühjahrsmüdigkeit: Never heard in my life (I'm a South-German)
Doch: depending on how you say it, it is a pretty universial answer to anything someone else said. The most common use is: "I disagree and I stand by what I previously said." but can also be used for "no the opposite is true", "yes", "sure", "you're right". All depending on the context and how I said the word.
Now don't get me started on "jedoch", "dennoch", "aber", "sondern"...
As you have mentioned below, there are a lot of words with a positive connotation.
Reading German literature I never felt depressed or desillusioniert. Even reading Goethe or others from this time period it always felt as if it was a "Anregung" to think about a topic and search for a possible solution, even if it is just in theory.
Slavic literature, especially Russian, always made me depressed and it was sooo hard to get to the end. Not having any strength left to move forward positively.
Maybe I am too used to the German "Weltschmerz" and therefore able to look further.
With regard to Wanderlust and Fernweh the first things coming to mind are always:
- young men (like Goethe) going "on tour" traveling to experience the world and accomplish their education (Italientour)
- regulated working hours, therefore more spare time resulting in "Wandervereine" and the love for hiking
- "Wanderjahre" or "Walz" (no idea how to translate or explain in English, sorry)
P.S.: as per usual a great video!
Walz you could translate as a journeyman .( in the original meaning ) came originally from the “Zimmermann “/carpenter who were traveling from one carpenter shop to the next for a couple of years before they could take the “Gesellenpruefung” / finish the apprentice time .
Thanks a lot. Yes today it’s definitely only related to travel but you’re right. It has a more intellectual history
excellent comparison of Russian and German literature. very true!
@@shahlabadel8628 Thanks. Do you have any preference?
I prefer Russian. it just fits my mood better.
"Geborgenheit" is like receiving deep, heartwarming comfort in an emotional sanctuary. is often reported in the media in connection with the mother-child relationship, which already begins in the embryo phase because children have a very great desire for it. in palliative care for children, many cuddly toys are placed in the patient's bed in order to achieve a feeling of security through cuddling with the stuffed animals.
"Geborgenheit" is linked to the psyche and has a calming effect and is intended to bring about a deep feeling of inner peace. It has dependency on the external environment, for example being surrounded by a lot of untouched nature with the fresh air that lets you inspire and refresh your body and mind or another example would be living in an apartment that is decorated in such a way that you feel at home and comfortable there .
"Geborgenheit" is a personal refuge that surrounds you, be it a warm coat or a warm summer rain or bathing in the sun. it can be a pleasure.
The feeling of "Geborgenheit" can be experienced together but is a very intimate experience and is isolated from the public and concerns a small frame of very close and familiar people.
everything was written in the google translator so sorry for the bad english in advance.
"Frühjahrsmüdigkeit" comes from former times, when the people have eaten only conserved food during the winter months. So the vitamine storages of the body were empty at the beginnng of spring or they suffered a vitamine deficit, resulting in weakness, fatigue and other health problems. In our days "Frühjahrsmüdigkeit" should be considered mere as some kind of a "fig leaf" to cover up occaisonal weakness or reluctance, which can be used, because it is spring actually.
Jetzt muss ich erstmal ne Stunde Rolltreppe fahren! 🙃
I can explain the Frühjahrsmüdigkeit (spring weariness/fatigue) to you, it is used to described the following phenomenon: your body gets used to the cold weather in winter. and then, when the temperature rises quickly in spring, it often leads to low blood pressure. hence comes weariness, fatigue etc that is caused by low blood pressure.
But it also gets cold in the U.K….and we don’t experience this…
Thank you for "doch"! As a native German speaker, I wasn't even fully aware (as in, consciously) of how much we actually use it. Thank you for this "foreign infiltrator's perspective"! ❤
Good jump at 2:41!
I'm now on pension, have been living in Germany for four decades and can say that "Geborgenheit" in English is that "feeling of security with warmth and inner comfort".
"Safety" is more on physical or tangible level.
the "Frühjahrsmüdigkeit" is rather because of months like march and april where its usually not the best weather but stormy, rainy and what not. basically those months where any weather could happen. just like right now. a couple days ago we had constant rain for weeks, then a few days snow and now its actually pretty "ok" weather (ugly sky but not 0 - 3°C anymore)
As a native German speaker who started to learn English in school when already over 10 years old, I watched your video mainly out of curiosity and to improve my own English. The word "weariness" was somewhat new to me. I would have translated "Schmerz" into pain. "Schmerz" is something that really hurts in a way that it distracts as much that you can't think of anything else than finding a way to get pain relief. However I'm from northern Germany and sometimes there are subtle differences how the meaning of certain German words is going to be interpreted depending on the region. One perfect example is the word "Pfannkuchen".
Yes you're right the literal translation is pain but we would never say "world pain" in English whereas "world weariness" is a common saying and so is somewhat comparable
world ache would be a perfectly feasible translation, it's just not used because anglos rather take words whole sale than use the abilities of their own language.
Unless I'm heavily mistaken, this is the first time, I have seen a video from you. I really enjoyed it - especially that you make the connection between language and the way of thinking that it entails. After you mentioned "Frühjarsmüdigkeit" (and probably you also had "Weltschmerz" in there) there was another word, that came to my mind that, while it can be translated, loses some of its meaning during translation.
The word is "lebensmüde".
The most common translation would be "suicidal" but if I were to translate that back into German, I'd probably either just use "suizidal" or something like "selbstmordgefährdet". At least to me in "lebensmüde" there is much more of a feeling of sadness and even bitterness, whereas "suicidal" and the other german words seem to be more "action-oriented" (as in they focus on the act rather than the mood). While "lebensmüde" is also used when someone does something daring/dangerous, at least to me there will always be a deep and dark sadness in the word - as if someone is literally just tired of it all.
Well, that took a dark turn... thanks for making the video. Oh, and as a side note: Your editing is absolutely gorgeous.
i'm german and i want so say: well explained 😊❤
Thanks a lot 😀
Frühjahrsmüdigkeit is the feeling, that you still stuck in winter and cant keep up with the overwhelming blooming of live around you in spring. Its more common as a excuse for been lazy too start the things you can't do in the cold period of the year.
I liked your advice on doch- cut, copy and paste.
Frühjahrs-Müdigkeit was coined in times, when in early spring you ran out of healthy food, before in later spring fresh vegetables became available again.
This was a time, when you actually had little energy and were feeling tired and exhausted.
Nowadays this is not the case anymore, at least around here, and therefore is hard to imagine.
Exactly. But it still seems to be a thing to this day.
Re: "Frühjahrsmüdigkeit" (note correct spelling) It's also the feeling of disappointment that spring is here, but not really, because tomorrow can be cold and snowy. There's always a dark lining in every silver cloud.
"Doch": you got it fairly well covered. I would add that it emphasizes a positive response when a negative one is expected. You say it in English with your voice, emphasizing the verb. Q: "Don't you think he's funny?" A: "Yes, I *do* !
.
Thank you 🙏
Appriciate the video, good job!
You misspelled "Frü_h_jahrsmüdigkeit", there is an "h" missing at "früh" which would translate to "early" more or less
Yes I know some others already mentioned that...can't change it anymore 🤷♂️. Live and learn 😉
@@britingermany you are welcome! Greetings from southern germany (Landshut)
Never used a single second to think about the word "doch", but used it all the time. Das ist doch komisch, oder doch nicht? XD
For me it was very interesting to learn a bit from your point of view when it comes to the German language.
What you said at the end is the key to any language, I believe. Trying my luck with the Russian language using this method.
Thinking about your video I came up with the word "Redewendung", because some words you can't translate literally, it's more an idea or feeling you have/transport, when you use it. "you're welcome" for instance.
Yes a lot of it is a bit the idea of feeling. I think sometimes the culture comes into that quite a bit.
"Doch" is an opposition against the previous, usually negative, statement.
Example: "You do like coffee." Answer to this non negative statement would be a simple "Yes". "Doch" would not work here.
Example: "You don't like coffee." Answer to rebuttle negative statement: "Doch...I actually do like coffee sometimes."
I love my "Feierabend" , because my Job is "Egal" To words I miss in English. Even you can easy translate them just like "Doch" , but they are kind of beautiful.
«Doch» The power of it is so beautiful. Just four letters, yet not easily translateable. I love language. Also «Geborgenheit». I am sitting here and smiling. I am not in the best mood, but I am having the feeling of «Everything will be alright.»
That’s great to hear 😀
"Doch" is an affirmative contradiction. Someone claims that something doesn't exist or that something isn't the way it is, and you contradict with "doch", that's the way it is.
But one word that reflects the German soul is still missing here:
Feierabend (Quitting time).
Arbeit ist Arbeit und Freizeit ist Freizeit (Work is work and leisure is leisure).
Arbeiten um Leben oder Leben um zu Arbeiten (Work to live or live to work).
We like our "Feierabend"
You can even experience the sense of Geborgenheit when you're watching a football match with your mates. It's all about the setting and your company and the feeling of belonging.
So like togetherness or oneness with the group…
"Weltschmerz" is also a very characteristic term for certain groups. You rarely hear this word in the mainstream but for some philosophical views or people from dark subcultures (like Gothics or Metalheads) it is more common. It is important to add that it is not necessarily a longing for a better world, but also aspect of dark romantic and therefore has an an intrinsic value for people like me, who have a strong affinity for melancholy.
For all the german-learners out there: You don't need the word "Weltschmerz" in everyday conversations but if you want to be able to have some conversations with a certain degree of profundity, you should learn it.
I also wanted to add that "Geborgenheit" (at least for me) is very strongly associated with social and even romantic bonds. To be with loved ones and receiving emotional and physical affection can make you feel "Geborgenheit".
Reiseweltmeister!could be a connection there.
Something like globetrotter…
The feeling of "Weltschmerz" is IMO rooted in a conflict of "feeling the responsibility to improve conditions" and the awareness of oneself's limitations and irrelevance.
Yes I think that’s part of it. Feeling hopelessly useless
Junge, dein Weltschmerz bereitet mir auch nur Fernweh, doch deine Frühjahrsmüdigkeit ist meine Geborgenheit.
“Doch” is a useful word for arguing with someone. I don’t know a translation for this, do you?
I honestly really like to write poetry in German. Sadly though, there are many German teens who dislike the language so much that they only talk in English for some reason, which I find kinda odd…
One sentence poetry:
Warum frag ich mich jeden Tag,
Wenn mir jemand Fremdes sagt,
Dass, wie ich bin, er mich nicht mag,
Warum ich das denn noch ertrag?
I don’t like this one, but it randomly came into my mind. 😂
Very nice, I used to writer poetry school but those days are long gone ..
Sometimes the only things you need are a pen and a small notebook. You could just start to write about a word you like. That’s what I do from time to time. I think that Denglish (German and English mixed together) could sound quite nice. For example:
Doch, I want to be!
Doch, I’d like to see
The world and things surrounding me!
Yes, I wanna be
contended, wild and free 😂
Now I know why I, as a German, love Blake and Byron so much!!!😂
In some cases you can use "doch" instead of "aber" ("but"). Example: "Ich wollte nicht ins Theater, doch ich ging trotzdem."