Multilingual and Polyglot Wannabee Thread! MK I

Original post by aasvogel

Tu as probablement raison! Je vais me rappeler ça (please tell me that's used correctly! :colondollar:

) quand 'I am stuck!

le voyeurisme ? :eek:

Reply 3201

Octopus_Garden

16

Gott sei Dank, dass ich diese Aufgabe nicht bestehen darf!

Reply 3202

Original post by constantmeowage

le voyeurisme ? :eek:

Non - les phrases folles!

Reply 3203

Original post by L'Evil Fish

Ahah je vois :wink:

Le livre s'appelle "The Ice Princess"! C'est l'histoire... Meurtre

Il semble... intèressant.
(mais pas pour moi :tongue:

)

Reply 3204

Ronove

Original post by Octopus_Garden

Gott sei Dank, dass ich diese Aufgabe nicht bestehen darf!

Shouldn't that be 'muss'?!

Reply 3205

Octopus_Garden

16

Original post by Ronove

Shouldn't that be 'muss'?!

I'm trying to say "I need not pass". Isn't that ich darf nicht then? It's not that I'm forbidden to pass this assignment. It's simply that I don't need to.

Reply 3206

Original post by Octopus_Garden

I'm trying to say "I need not pass". Isn't that ich darf nicht then? It's not that I'm forbidden to pass this assignment. It's simply that I don't need to.

Wouldn't that mean 'I'm not allowed to pass'?

Reply 3207

Octopus_Garden

16

Great. Not only can I not handle the questions on this bloody entry-level assignment in English without the guidance at the back (Incidentally, I HATE drawing spray diagrams) but I've forgotten how to speak German at even GCSE level.

I feel grumpy. Ich gehe zu Bett!

Reply 3208

Ronove

Entertainment Forum Helper

Original post by Octopus_Garden

I'm trying to say "I need not pass". Isn't that ich darf nicht then? It's not that I'm forbidden to pass this assignment. It's simply that I don't need to.

Darf and darf nicht are both about permission. Muss and muss nicht are about having to do something or not having to do something. I'd say it actually makes more sense than the English. :tongue:

Reply 3209

Kallisto

22

I have a question to the use of the words 'based on', 'due to' and 'concern/ing' in English grammar. Although these different words have the identical meaning, I wonder whether it makes a difference, if I use one of them randomly.

Reply 3210

L'Evil Fish

OP

Original post by Kallisto

I have a question toabout the use of the words 'based on', 'due to' and 'concern/ing' in English grammar. Although these different words have the identical meaning, I wonder whether it makes a difference, if I use one of them randomly.

Based on the facts.
Due to the overwhelming evidence.

It's a subtle difference. You can use either, but "due to the facts" just sounds a bit weird. I'd use an adjective after "due to the"

Reply 3211

Ronove

Original post by Kallisto

I have a question to the use of the words 'based on', 'due to' and 'concern/ing' in English grammar. Although these different words have the identical meaning, I wonder whether it makes a difference, if I use one of them randomly.

'Concerning' doesn't really seem to fit in with the other two at all. I can't think of a situation where you'd be able to choose one of the other two over 'concerning'.

'We've recently received a letter concerning an overdue payment on your account.'

'We are recommending you make monthly payments of £40, based on the income information you have given us.'

'You will need to phone us to arrange payment, as this is not possible by email, due to security issues.'

Edit: Can you tell I was just on the phone to Student Finance? :biggrin:

Reply 3212

Original post by Kallisto

I have a question to the use of the words 'based on', 'due to' and 'concern/ing' in English grammar. Although these different words have the identical meaning, I wonder whether it makes a difference, if I use one of them randomly.

'Due to' is like a synonym for 'because of', so replace it with the latter and see if it makes sense.
'Based on' would be a bit more factual and could be used if you were elaborating on something - 'based on the fact that...'

Reply 3213

Original post by Kallisto

I have a question to the use of the words 'based on', 'due to' and 'concern/ing' in English grammar. Although these different words have the identical meaning, I wonder whether it makes a difference, if I use one of them randomly.

Concerning - bezüglich

"Concerning your recent outburst, I'm going to have to shut you in the office for a few hours to calm down."

Based on - meaning 'because of', but used when you're using something as evidence and about to make a point with it.

"Based on what you've done today, I wouldn't even leave you in control of a teacup!"

Due to - meaning 'because of', but used when giving an outcome of whatever has happened beforehand.

"Due to his getting a nosebleed, I'm banning blood in the shop!"

Reply 3214

I was flicking through forming negatives there and I have a question.

If you were saying something like 'no-one likes you' or 'no-one watches TV' or 'no-one plays football with him', what would be the pronoun?
For French btw.

Reply 3215

L'Evil Fish

OP

Original post by aasvogel

I was flicking through forming negatives there and I have a question.

If you were saying something like 'no-one likes you' or 'no-one watches TV' or 'no-one plays football with him', what would be the pronoun?
For French btw.

Nobody/no one is (ne) personne (ne)...

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 3216

Entertainment Forum Helper

Original post by aasvogel

I was flicking through forming negatives there and I have a question.

If you were saying something like 'no-one likes you' or 'no-one watches TV' or 'no-one plays football with him', what would be the pronoun?
For French btw.

Personne

But it's structured like this:

Personne ne t'aime
No one likes you

Personne ne joue au foot avec lui
No one plays football with him

It's the same with the other ones

Il vaut mieux que rien ne soit dit
It's better that nothing be said.

Reply 3217

Kallisto

22

Thanks to all! I have just read your comments which were helpful and hope to keep these differences in my mind. By the way I want to know whether there is a difference between 'try' and 'attempt'. Can you help me again, please?

Reply 3218

Original post by Kallisto

Thanks to all! I have just read your comments which were helpful and hope to keep these differences in my mind. By the way I want to know whether there is a difference between 'try' and 'attempt'. Can you help me again, please?

Not really. :smile:

Try is more day-to-day in terms of usage, you'd use 'attempt' a bit less often, but it makes you sound 'well-spoken' if you use as often as one would normally use 'try'. You can't use 'try' as a noun though, you can only say 'an attempt' (a try is something different :tongue:

).

Reply 3219

L'Evil Fish

OP