"Die Frauen haben Getränke."

Translation: The women have drinks.

[fokumdt]

Why is "The women are having drinks" incorrect? I am doing a strengthening exercise on an Android device.

[mizinamo]

Because in English, "they are having drinks" in the continuous tense implies that they are drinking them, while sie haben Getränke only says that they possess them.

(Compare "I have fish" and "I am having fish" -- the first one probably means "in an aquarium", the second one "for lunch".)

[JayanthVarma]

Thanks Mizinamo. I did the same mistake and was confused until I read your comment.

[gtamorim]

And how would one say the sentence below in German?

The women are having drinks.

[mizinamo]

And how would one say the sentence below in German?

The women are having drinks.

Die Frauen trinken Getränke.

[Binti275]

But in English, having fish/ drink/ any food implies to consuming them, not possessing. So in German there's no way of using "having" as "consuming"?

[mizinamo]

So in German there's no way of using "having" as "consuming"?

Correct.

[Raisinnoir]

"The women are having drinks" I find to be a correct translation. For example, if the husbands are ordering for them, that's what they'd say.

[mizinamo]

But that's not what Die Frauen haben Getränke means.

In the "ordering" scenario, the husbands would say, Die Frauen bekommen Getränke (they receive them).

[Raisinnoir]

Many thanks for the clarification, my friend!

[Raisinnoir]

Remember, not every woman ( Frau ) is a lady ( Dame ).

[JosephElDu]

Why is beverages wrong though? I used : the women have beverages and it was wrong

[mizinamo]

I used : the women have beverages and it was wrong

You probably made a mistake somewhere.

If you have a screenshot showing your answer, upload it to a website somewhere and tell us the URL, then someone can help you find the mistake.

[Herr_General]

I translated "the wives have drinks"... ERROR... checked my dictionary [it's a Barron's bilingual, Second Edition (2016)]... my statement makes sense... ergo, why the DL red flag?

[mizinamo]

I translated "the wives have drinks"... ERROR

Yes. Frau means "woman".

It only means "wife" in a possessive context, e.g. meine Frau = "my wife".

There is no possessive context here, so translating die Frauen as "the wives" is incorrect.

Remember also that words can have different meanings in different contexts, and dictionaries listing multiple translations does not mean that any translation can be used in any context.

my statement makes sense

That's not sufficient. If "my statement makes sense" were enough to get the answer right, you could simply reply "I have a ball." to every single question.

The answer also has to mean the same thing as the original.

[Herr_General]

Dear 'mizinamo',
thank you for your prompt answer... however, please, let me point out that the dictionary does NOT highlight the 'possession': it reads - under "Frau" - quote 2. [Ehefrau] wife unquote... moreover, the 'my statement makes sense' was only my intimate thought... in any case, you're right: you can't elevate an intimate thought to a general principle... a lingot to beg your pardon... thank you for reading

[steggs1]

So i put the answer in and its wrong . Help.

[mizinamo]

its wrong . Help.

Help us help you.

Nobody can see what you wrote, so you will have to show us if you want help.

When you encounter a problem with a sentence:

• Take a screenshot that shows the question, your answer, and Duolingo's response (if any)
• Upload the screenshot to a website somewhere (e.g. imgur or Google Drive -- as long as it's publicly visible)
• Put the URL of the image into a comment here on Duolingo