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- "You eat bread."
"You eat bread."
Translation:Du isst Brot.
22 Comments
Because if you want to use the polite "you" - Sie, you should write "Sie essen", and not "Sie isst".
So I say "Du isst Brot" to keep things formal, but when I go formal I also need to pluralize the subject with "Sie essen Brot?"
Pluralize the subject? I'm not sure what you mean by that but the conjugation (verb ending) for the formal you, Sie, is always the same as the conjugation for we/they.
That's perfect, thanks. I was trying to say you're addressing a single person as if there are actually more than one being addressed (with the we/they conjugation).
"I was trying to say you're addressing a single person as if there are actually more than one being addressed (with the we/they conjugation)."
Ah, I get it now. You're right: even when you're addressing one person formally, you are addressing that person in plural form. This is true not just for German but for (at least) French (vous = plural you or formal you) and Spanish (usted) too.
In fact, I'm pretty sure English used to be the same as well, where "you" was the plural and formal you and "thou" was the singular and informal you. Turns out everyone used "you" so much, trying to be polite to each other, that people stopped using "thou" and "you" became the de facto second person pronoun, singular, plural, formal and informal. Of course, now that "you" is the normal you, "thou" is more archaic and thus, the "hipster" "I am being polite to you by using old words see?" formal you. Ay yay yay!
What about Frau being woman, what would be women. Doesn't sie mean girl? Or is it like those words we have that mean different things in different situations?
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So, every single time you address a single person formally then you pluralize? Are there exceptions? (also, "usted" is singular, plural form of it is "ustedes")
Exactly, "ustedes" (second person plural) is the plural form of "usted" (second person singular). In spanish, the form changes with the number of people being addressed; you don't use the plural form in every case.
Because you'd be saying "you eat the bread" (specifically) which is different from "you eat bread" (generally).
Esse (Eat, am eating) - refers to yourself eating instead of describing someone else. Its used when you are talking about yourself. Ex.
Ich esse Brot. : I am eating bread.
Or
Ich esse die Brot.
You would also used 'trinke' (drink, am drinking) the same way.
Ich trinke Milch. : I am drinking milk.
I got confused on why there isn't a 'bin' after "Ich" but I guess its sort of like a combined word like 'don't' or 'aren't' But then couldn't I put:
Ich trinke Milch. : I drink milk.
This confuses me because one tells you that I AM doing it right now and another says how I drink milk but not right now.
Do they just go with the situation given or... I'm confused about that.
Couldn't I put "Ich bin Trinke Milch" ? Could I put that as well? Or could I use trinkst when refering to myself?
Okay, and;
Du trinkst Milch: You are drinking Milk.
Du isst: You are eating.
Der Mann trinkt Wasser.: The man drinks water.
Or this one, that makes it a bit easier.
Er trinkt Wasser: He drinks water (is drinking)
Du isst Brot. :You are eating (eat?) bread.
And:
Die Frau isst: The woman eats. (I wonder what ate would be?)
Eine Frau isst Brot: A woman eats (is eating) bread.
Ein (die) Mädchen isst (die?) Brot: A (the) girl eats (the) bread.
I gues saying der or the would be specific.
Also someone, is das only used with woman?
because in German, there are Verben mit Vokalwechselin...
example : esse(eat) subject = verb ich(i) = esse du(you) = isst er,sie,es(he,she,it)= isst Wir(our) = essen Ihr(your) = esst Sie(their)= essen
what wrong with (du essen Brot) what is the difference between formal you and informal you
