"Ihre Haare sind sonst gelb."
Translation:Her hair is usually yellow.
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149
I guess this could be said about someone who dyed her hair. Usually it is yellow, but now it's black. It's black when dyed, but otherwise it is yellow. Something like that.
- 370
Could it be said about someone who has some grey hair (not too much!) or has perhaps gotten a big streak of blue paint in her hair while doing some work around the house?
Yes, that is right. "Sonst " can mean "at other times" as well as "in other places"
So she could even paint her entire hair blue - by mistake, or in order to have a change, and you still could say: "Sonst ist ihr Haar gelb", which in that case would mean "Usually her hair is yellow."
In your example of the big blue streak it could just as well mean "Everywhere else her hair is still yellow."
- 490
Yeah, it's fine. With more context you might be able to say: "Her hair is brown most of the time, otherwise it's yellow."
- 1491
From what I understood from other commentaries in this discussion, I believe you are not quite right.
Instead, the "right" context would be something like: "Her hair is dyed brown today, but usually it's yellow."
(But I'm not absolutely sure.)
english also has a similar situation with the word "overlook", which may mean either ignore or watch over sth/sb
'blond' is an acceptable English word for yellow when applied to hair, usually, right?
Blonde Haare is the translation for blonde hair...maybe it's just the region I grew up in, but I never heard it called yellow hair in english
- 370
"I heard an old religious man But yesternight declare That he had found a text to prove That only God, my dear, Could love you for yourself alone And not your yellow hair.' - William Butler Yeats
For her, the fair and debonair, that now so lowly lies, The life upon her yellow hair but not within her eyes-- The life still there, upon her hair--the death upon her eyes. -Lenore
Fair Annie: ‘But she that welcomes my brisk bride Maun gang like maiden fair; She maun lace on her robe sae jimp, And braid her yellow hair.’
Besides the great Irish poet Yeats (noted by Soglio), I know of only one other Colossus of 20th century arts, culture and refinement that referred to "yellow hair." I give you, the archetypal US Southern Rock band Lynyrd Skynrd:
He said, "Hey there fellow / With the hair colored yellow / Watcha tryin' to prove? / 'Cause that's my woman there / And I'm a man who cares / And this might be all for you." [Gimme Three Steps]
Note also that Lynyrd Skynrd was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, the very same year as Blondie. Coincidence? I think not.
Yes, blonde is the normal word for that sort of hair. Someone might have dyed their hair yellow though
When the question asks for this to be translated into German, 'ihre Haare' is rejected and only 'ihr Haar' is allowed. Should not the answers be consistent, and which is right anyway?
"Ihre Haare" and "Ihr Haar" are both okay. At least together with "gelb" which is a bit unusual for hairs. If it were something elegant like "golden", the Haar-version would sound slightly better:
"Sie kämmte ihr goldenes Haar."
"gelb" as opposed to "blond" suggests some ugly loud colour - so with gelb you would rather say: "Sie kämmte ihre gelben Haare"
"Haare" is just more technical and "Haar" is more aesthetic.
I think "normalerweise" sounds more natural than "gewöhnlich" here, but as far as I know, they both would work here.
Shoudn't it be blond? We don't say yellow about colour of hair, do we?:)
I do say "yellow" if I want to specify that I failed to make my hair white and got this yellow tone instead.
I've learned that "sonst" is a combination of "usually" and "otherwise". So in this case, does "sonst" imply that her hair is currently not yellow?
I wrote. 'Your hair are usually yellow' and got it wrong, because of not using plural on 'hairs'. Can anyone explain? I thought hair have no plural
The Daily German has a good explanation: https://yourdailygerman.wordpress.com/2013/06/11/meaning-sonst/
I had to translate from German and Duo told me "Haare" stand for "hairs" and put "hair" as a mistake ! How is it so ?! In English the "hairs" are on the body and the "hair" (always singular) on the head...
The "sind" made me think it must be their rather than her. . but of course it goes with hairs - In german would you say Ihre Haar ist - or must it be plural?
Just now this was wrong, now its correct. Give me strength! I wish they'd make up their minds.
- 1410
There's a long discussion of "sonst" at this site: https://yourdailygerman.com/meaning-sonst/
