20 Comments
A serious question though: has включить the same double meaning, or would this joke not have worked in Russian?
Nope, in Russian the joke won't work.
In Russian the similar double meaning belongs to the word "завести" but it's literal meaning is closer to "to start [an engine]", rather than "to turn [something] on".
Fridges have to be plugged in to work and some often have an on-off switch. That is how.
1204
The key is the word switch. There is nothing to turn when switching on or off a fridge. It is 'switched' on or off...
"Turn" is still used in English to express a change of state; something "is turned (into) (being) on or off"
Usually there is a "zero" setting for both freezer and fridge (assuming its a split unit) that effectively turns the compressor off. The lights still work, but nothing will be kept cold.
Ich habe den Kühlschrank anzumachen vergessen. (Oh... It seems I have choosen the wrong language)
Amuzega!! (<---EO) ---- my idea is that .... we are really all becoming polyglots, it's a free for all :D
Your response is 100% correct, but it feels more natural to say 'Ich habe vergessen, den Kühlschrank einzuschalten'
German was my first foreign language, and i had to fight hard against the urge to kick verbs to the end when learning Russian...!
Do you turn on the fridge when you want to refrigerate something and then turn it off again?
... after a year it is still not accepted. Any comment from duolingo staff on this?
- 645
I've never had a refrigerator with a switch. Yes a temperature control, so I might say, "I forgot to turn down the fridge", but most likely I had unplugged the fridge for some reason and neglected to plug it in afterwards. So could включить also mean "to plug in" or would there be a better word in Russian for that?
