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- "Morgen werden drei Plätze ve…
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You've probably noticed that a lot of German verbs are actually made up of another + an inseparable prefix. Historically the prefixes had specific meanings that altered the meaning of the original verb to create new ones and this process is still to a large extent transparent: E.g., einladen 'to invite' is really just ein- 'in' (the prefix is not related to the indefinite article) + laden 'to load' = 'to load in, to invite' The meaning each individual prefix has is hard to predict, especially the most commonly used ones as they are usually abstract and can have multiple meanings but some are simpler and more consistent than others, like zer- which is almost always used to add a destructive nuance to a verb: E.g., zer- + stören 'to disturb' = zerstören 'to destroy' zer- + legen 'to lay' = zerlegen 'to disassemble' zer- + fallen 'to fall' = zerfallen 'to disintegrate' So getting back to vergeben. Hopefully you've noticed that vergeben is actually ver- + geben 'to give'. So in this sentence, you can imagine the three spots as things that are given and thus assigned; there is a specific direction in which the action of giving is occurring (whoever assigns the three spots --> the spots). Likewise, the same relationship/direction is present in the act of forgiving; when you say something like "I forgive you", 'I' occupies a position where it would make no sense for it to be the recipient or object of the action. And THERE is your connection, albeit it is a very abstract one.
Btw, I'm getting all this from just cross-referencing the Wikipedia article on German verbs and various Wiktionary entries. I don't claim to be a native speaker so take everything I say with a grain of salt.
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Although, the translation makes total sense, the German sentence is in present tense.
Morgen werden drei Plätze vergeben werden.
It is the english will, but only sometimes. You're right though, this is a present-passive construction, which werden is also used to signify. "Three seats ARE assigned" vs. "I assign three seats" And you can use the present here since there's a time marker--tomorrow.
I guess if it was really in the future, you would say: In drei Wochen werden drei Plätze vergeben werden.
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This is not really a course in German.This is a community working to improve the program. If something is wrong or could be improved, we report it. Errors eventually get corrected. In the meantime, we live with it. If you are fluent, you could choose to help make the program better. If you don't have that kind of patience, this probably isn't for you.
I do have that kind of patience, but when one is uncertain as to how to go about reporting an issue, then one can comment. I made a comment to inform the said community of an issue. I am the equivalent of a native speaker. My point there was that I do happen to know what I am talking about. I take this "course" in German to find the mistakes and attempt to make it a better application. I don't need the help: I am here to help.
I think the "official" translation is, though not wrong, not the best. I think places, positions or seats would be better.
"Tomorrow, three places will be assigned" was marked incorrect. I don't understand why that is incorrect. DL gives the translation as "Tomorrow three places get assigned" "will be" in English, is gramatically correct.
If you read the info link that comes with these exercises (when you do it on a computer, that is), it tells you that werden has 3 uses: with a noun/adjective, it means to become; with the infinitive, it is the equivalent of the future tense in English; with the past participle, it represents the passive voice. I guess vergeben is the infinitive and the p/part, but I have not checked, I am simply using the info link for this lesson.
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Please let me know if "Tomorrow three places will be taken" is a correct translation. Regards.
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So if "werden" in this sentence is in the passive voice, what in this sentence makes it future tense?
The root is the Latin "perdonare" (to give completely), which was literally adopted by Old German and later by Old English where ""per" became "for" with the meaning of completely: The root of “forgive” is the Latin word “perdonare,” meaning “to give completely, without reservation.” (That “perdonare” is also the source of our English “pardon.”) When the Latin “perdonare” was adopted into the Germanic ancestor of English, it was translated piece-by-piece, making the result what linguists call a “calque” (from the French “calquer,” to trace or copy) a literal transliteration. “Per” was replaced by “for,” a prefix that in this case means “thoroughly,” and “donare” with “giefan” (“to give”). The result, “forgiefan,” appeared in Old English meaning “to give up, allow” as well as “to give in marriage.” In modern English, “forgive” has also taken on the meanings of “to pardon for an offense,” “renounce anger at” (“I forgive you for feeding bean tacos to my dog “) and “to abandon a claim on” (as in “forgive a debt”).