"You eat bread."
Translation:Du isst Brot.
24 CommentsThis discussion is locked.
"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!
1330
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")
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?