Ich spreche ein wenig Deutsch

[Mazille]

Well, it hardly is a perfect solution. That's why we have umlauts in the first place. It is a solution, though, if you lack other means.

[Regina]

Of course. As I said, pedant alert!

[Evolving]

Well, the rest of us can't be expected to cater for the idiosyncratic spellings in obscure parts of Germany.

The -ae-, -ue-, -oe- way is what I generally do if I haven't got a German keyboard (i.e. all the time these days). My post on the previous page was done by writing in Word, using "Insert - Symbol," and then pasting into my post. Rather cumbersome.

[Regina]

And Pfiat di God, as they say in your part of the world!

[Evolving]

Das geht mir am Arsch vorbei.

[Regina]

Na dann is ja alles gut! Und entspann Dich.

[Evolving]

Es ist in der Tat die beste aller moeglichen Welten.

Entspann mich? Wie soll ich micht entspannen? So viel zu tun, so viel, um das man sich kuemmern muss, so viel, das...

OK. Ich entspanne mich.

[Durro]

ARGLE !

If die, der and das weren't confusing enough, I've just learned about des, dem and den.

[Evolving]

Think of it as Latin, but much, much easier.

[Regina]

[quote="Durro";p="1266504"]ARGLE !

If die, der and das weren't confusing enough, I've just learned about des, dem and den.

[/quote]
If it's any comfort, there are enough Germans who can't do it either.
And something else: spelling! Since we had our "spelling reform" I'm totally confused myself. English spelling is far easier, in comparison.

[Regina]

[quote="Evolving";p="1265726"]Es ist in der Tat die beste aller moeglichen Welten.

Entspann mich? Wie soll ich micht entspannen? So viel zu tun, so viel, um das man sich kuemmern muss, so viel, das...

OK. Ich entspanne mich. [/quote]
Tief einatmen....ausatmen.....einatmen.....ausatmen..........siehst Du wie das Pendel schwingt? Einatmen....ausatmen....
besser?

[Mazille]

[quote="Regina";p="1266631"][quote="Durro";p="1266504"]ARGLE !

If die, der and das weren't confusing enough, I've just learned about des, dem and den.

[/quote]
If it's any comfort, there are enough Germans who can't do it either.
And something else: spelling! Since we had our "spelling reform" I'm totally confused myself. English spelling is far easier, in comparison. [/quote]
Really? I think it did get easier. But after what... two or three reforms I've been through I just go with the flow anyway.

[Regina]

There were some totally gaga things right when it was implemented here.
Two of my favourite ones: Elfriede Jelinek wrote: Die allein stehenden können sich jetzt wieder hinsetzen. (Ich glaube, man schreibt jetzt wieder Alleinstehende)
Then a headline in magazine: Die wieder kehrenden Probleme.......I had a mental image of problems with little brooms and how they were sweeping again...

[Mazille]

Yup. They got rid of most of the silliness in the last reform, though. I saw it as a bug-fixing process. I actually like how it's done now.

[Durro]

OK, I'm confused again. I'm learning basic greetings and saw recently both "mir geht es gut" and also "es geht mir gut".

Am I going slightly mad, or is the order of words in a sentence in German fairly flexible ? Is there a preferred syntax for this sort of sentence ?

[Evolving]

As long as you have the verb in second place, there is some flexibility.

In your first version you have indirect object - verb - subject - adverb

and in your second you have switched the indirect object and the subject, so you have subject - verb - indirect object - adverb.

Literally they both mean the same thing, but you can create nuances by varying the order. If you wanted to stress that you're fine, but someone else isn't, you could use the first version and stress the word "mir", and then go on to explain, for instance, about your goldfish who has a bad cold.

[Evolving]

You could also say

Gut geht's mir!

which suggests that all really is well with you, and you're not just being polite.

[Regina]

[quote="Evolving";p="1269409"]You could also say

Gut geht's mir!

which suggests that all really is well with you, and you're not just being polite.[/quote]
Das hört man gerne!
Haben die Entspannungsübungen gewirkt?

[Durro]

Vielen danke Herr Evolving. Ich mag Deutsch. Ich werde Deutsch lerne gut.

But maybe I should make my own thread entitled Durro's Dumbass Deutsch Questions rather than polluting this thread. I've only been looking at learning German for 3 days and am a rank Noob who would slow this thread down.

[Regina]

[quote="Durro";p="1269450"]Vielen danke Herr Evolving. Ich mag Deutsch. Ich werde Deutsch lerne gut.

But maybe I should make my own thread entitled Durro's Dumbass Deutsch Questions rather than polluting this thread. I've only been looking at learning German for 3 days and am a rank Noob who would slow this thread down.

[/quote]
Vielen Dank, Herr Evolving. ....Ich werde Deutsch gut lernen. Though that's rather unidiomatic. You probably want to say that you're going to work hard, or diligently to learn it. So that would be: Ich werde fleißig Deutsch lernen.