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- Topic: German >
- "Er wird gleich frei."
17 Comments
My "he is almost free" was not accepted, even though the correct sentences are "he is available in a moment" and "he is free now."
It's a lot more likely that "er" refers to an object, for instance, a seat.
Er (der Sitz) wird gleich frei.
"He is available in a moment" sounds like the boss you want to meet with or the shop keeper...
I agree with christian. Although there may be situations in which you'd use the sentence referring to a person, it's much more likely we're talking about an object here. If you're waiting for your boss it's more likely you'll here something like 'Er wird gleich Zeit für Sie haben'. I guess it's best to just replace the 'he' with an 'it' in the English sentence.
I tried "It is almost available" and I got it wrong. In English, one would never call a "seat" "he."
Unfortunately, this problem (over-mechanizing of sample sentences) seems to persist on duolingo.
Report the fact that other sentences should be used. The Duo staff implements new suggestions on a daily basis. :)
Can you say for a prisoner who will be released tomorrow "Er wird gleich frei"?
That would sound odd to me - but if he will be released in a quarter of an hour, I might say "Er kommt gleich frei".
(So, "freiwerden" for a prisoner sounds odd, and for me, "gleich" is in a very short time, not more than maybe a quarter of an hour. Tomorrow would be "bald" = "soon".)
144
How exactly does this sentence tie into the "math" section? Aside from using the word "gleich"???
That's the connection.
Duo sometimes picks sentences at random using vocabulary from that lesson, and it can't necessarily tell the difference between different words which are spelled the same when it does so.
- 144
Ahhh. I guess that would tie in with the weird random times I've been using the iPad app and it'll give off-the-wall translations for things that are like a component of part of their translation as the correct of 3 selections. e.g. (made up example) "gehen" = "is" (where you're like "well, that's what BEST fits the bill among the 3 options, but only in specific contexts does it carry that meaning")
- gleich = very soon, in a minute
- frei = free (in the sense of "at liberty" or "not occupied" -- not usually in the sense of "without cost")
- verfügbar = available
"He is available in a moment" sounds awkward in English; "He will be available in a moment" is more natural.
