The Meaning of "Unterhalten"

[Dessert-Rose]

Hello everyone,

I have thought of the word "Unterhalten" recently and wondered what it means.
According to Google Translate, it means "To chat".
According to my German dictionary , it means to: Amuse, entertain, maintain.
So my question is: can it be used in the context of interviewing?

Thank you! AP4418

[AHA3006]

All translations are correct. You might say:

Wir unterhalten uns (we are having a chat)

Ich habe mich im Kino gut unterhalten (I felt amused at the movies; it could also mean "I chatted to my delight at the movies" - but probably to nobody else's delight)

Es kostet viel Geld, ein Haus zu unterhalten (It costs a lot of money to maintain a house)

You could use "unterhalten" in an interview situation, but only if it is a true conversation, not a strict question-answer version, that would be "befragen" or the germanized "interviewen".

[Dessert-Rose]

That's awesome! Thank you so much AHA3006!

[slamRN]

Danke.

[birgit72635]

Both is actually right. You can use "unterhalten" if you want to say people chat or talk to each other.

Meine Freunde unterhalten sich am Abend.

Sie unterhält sich mit ihrer Freundin.

But it can also mean to entertain.

Die Musik unterhält die Leute auf dem Fest.

Das schöne Konzert unterhält die Besucher.

If you use "unterhalten" for an interview you could say:

Der Reporter unterhält sich mit dem Musiker.

[slamRN]

Danke Birgit.

[Dessert-Rose]

Thank you so much once again Birgit! This is so useful!

[Elaine825]

Unterhalten translates better as "to converse". There are other more colloquial words for "to chat" like quatschen, plaudern, chatten etc.

[Dessert-Rose]

Thank you so much Elaine825! This is very useful.

[slamRN]

Good question Dessert-Rose. P.S. I gave you a Lingot for your question.

[Dessert-Rose]

Thank you! I love the idea of making my username German! I gave it a try to change my profile but I think I like Dessert-Rose more though. Sorry

[slamRN]

Nun, zumindest hast du es versucht.

[Dessert-Rose]

(Are you a native German?) Ja! Ich liebe die Idee aber ich denke dass ich meine Nutzername wollen (whatever "keep" is in German!).
Was that correct? I'ma bit confused about the last part of the sentence.

[Elaine825]

*ich will mein Nutzername behalten

Edit: Apparently it's meinen. Do I need to go back to school? XD

[slamRN]

Elaine - I really appreciate native German speakers help in these discussions.

[birgit72635]

Ich will meinen Nutzernamen behalten. (you would need the accusative form here)

[Dessert-Rose]

Thank you so much everyone! This makes so much sense. A lingot to each of you!

[slamRN]

Dessert-Rose - I am not a native German, just a learner like you. BTW, your sentence made sense to me.

[Dessert-Rose]

Great, I'm glad! Thank you slamRN!