"Nein, besser nicht."
Translation:No, better not.
27 CommentsThis discussion is locked.
This question accepts both "No, better not." and "No, not better." as an answer.
To me, the first sentence sounds like "No!, you better not do that!" and while as the second sounds more like "No, this ( book, movie, or whatever ) is not better.".
Does this sentence apply to both of those situations?
694
V2Blast
But it (the English) could also be a negative response to a comparison contained in a preceding statement or question, in which case the word order would be " not better".
694
LavethWolf
I think yes the German can apply to either of the different cases you accurately described, depending on the context and what the preceding question was. The fact that Duo accepts both translations of the English seems to confirm that both different meanings are possible, doesn't it?
"No, it isn't better" does not mean the same as "No, better not." Better not is roughly the same as saying "We shouldn't".
"No, it isn't better" example:
- Would you say Pepsi is better than Coke?
- No, it isn't better.
"No, better not" example:
- I think we should beat up Harper.
- No, (we) better not. We'd likely get arrested.
Hope that helps!
506
Mein Professor an Universität explained to my class that the eszett is only used after long vowels and double „s“ after short vowels
It's only bessere if it comes before a noun, and based on the gender of that noun and whether it has a definite article alongside it.
i.e. "Das ist eine bessere Katze", but "Das ist ein besseres Auto"
"Das sind bessere Autos", but "Ich fahre mit einem besseren Auto"
Also, "Das Auto ist besser" (No ending because it's not an attributive adjective)
Here's a useful resource:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_declension#Attributive_adjectives