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- Topic: German >
- "Du hast eine Schüssel."
40 Comments
ein Schussel is someone who is scatter-brained, but Uber doesn't mean anything in German (well, maybe the "taxi" company).
Wha? did I miss something? I thought uber meant super or larger in German! Please clarify my mislead mind!
über with umlaut means "above".
The use of "über-" or "uber-" as a prefix to mean "super, great, special" seems to be mostly an American thing, though there are German words such as übereifrig "overeager" or übervorsichtig "overly careful".
uber without an umlaut means nothing in German.
Fun fact: the name of the company Uber was actually designed after the true "über", because Uber is supposedly above all other methods of public transportation.
Would a key bowl (like what some people keep by their door) be called a Schlüsselschüssel? Or have I missed the rules on how to form compound words?
Would a key bowl (like what some people keep by their door) be called a Schlüsselschüssel?
Yes. And it would be feminine because Schüssel is.
Or have I missed the rules on how to form compound words?
That's actually tricky in the general case, because sometimes we add an extra sound between two components ( https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugenlaut ) and sometimes we don't -- and if we do, it might be -e- or -s- or -n- or something else.
die Orange + der Saft = der Orange-n-saft but die Kirsche + der Saft = der Kirsch-saft (not der Kirschensaft or der Kirschesaft)
Sometimes German speakers even disagree about which one to use.
And sometimes it makes a difference whether or not you use one: a Gasthaus is not the same thing as a Gästehaus, for example.
In order to remember Schüssel and Schlüssel, I can imagine a key with an L shape in a bowl
It ask Du hast eine............. and choices are schüssel schlüssel... how are we to know which is correct ? It could been a key or bowl, why is bowl correct in the blank ?
Because Schüssel (bowl) is feminine and Schlüssel (key) is masculine, so only one of them fits in after the word eine.
I noticed that it can also mean "scatterbrain." Can someone give an example of this?
I think you're thinking of "Schussel" without umlaut?
If someone is "schusselig", he's "ein Schussel".
It (Schüssel) also has the meaning of "Shaken", so meaning something like "crazy", "mad".
The ü in Schüssel is short. Ü can be either long and short, depending on the word. Wherever it precedes a doubled consonant like ss, tt, etc., it's short. When it precedes ß it's long. If you Google around for audio guides to short versus long ü, you'll find examples of the difference.
(Edit: This is according to the spelling reform of the 1990s, which established firm rules that words had to be spelled with ss after short vowels and ß after long vowels. Before then it was less regular, but since the "neue Rechtschreibung" was the only one I learned, I can't tell you just how irregular it was.)
So I could swear that when I lived in Germany, things I would call a bowl were called a "Teller" and a Schuessel was more of a small bowl/saucer type thing. Am I making this up?
1329
Zu Heathers Theaterstück : Mann : Der Schlüssel zur Tür ist weg. Uns fehlt der Schlüssel zur Tür! Frau : Hast du in der blauen Schüssel nachgesehen? Er soll in der Schüssel sein . Mann : Oh - da ist er ! Danke
Ein kleines Theaterstück: Mann: "Der Schlüssel zur Tür ist vermisst! Wir fehlen einen Schlüssel zur Tür!" Frau: Hast du in der blauen Schüssel ausgesehen? Es soll in der Schüssel sein." Mann: Oh. Es ist da dort! Danke!" Ende.
Dankeschön. Jetzt werde ich immer denken an ein Schlüssel, das in einer Schussel ist.
When used in the accusative(i think it is accusative in the case of this sentence) and nominative case, fem = eine. It changes to einer in the dative and genitive though.
She sounds like she is accusing you of having a bowl! (She is accusative). Hee hee!
In the sentence , why can't key be used ? You have a bowl, or you have a key... how is one to know which is correct ?
By reading the word carefully.
Schüssel (bowl) has no L in the middle.
Schlüssel (key) does have an L in the middle.
The gender is also different: die Schüssel, der Schlüssel.
Dacflyer asked the same question, and a great answer was given. The correct answer cannot be Schlüssel because that word is masculine and the sentence would have to be Du hast einen Schlüssel. Since the sentence uses "eine" the correct answer must be singular feminine.
Sort of.
- has must be hast
- Schlussel must be Schlüssel with umlaut (if you can't type that, then use Schluessel rather than simply leaving out the dots)
- eine (feminine) must be einen (masculine accusative) -- Schüssel (bowl) is feminine but Schlüssel (key) is masculine, so the article has to change
"You have a key" would thus be Du hast einen Schlüssel.
No. Bowl is Schüssel (capital S, ü with dots, two ss, and L at the end).
schuse is not a word in German.
No.
- You have a bowl. = Du hast eine Schüssel.
- You have a key. = Du hast einen Schlüssel.
Different gender, and Schlüssel (key) has an L in the middle.
