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- Topic: German >
- "Meine Freunde sind alt."
28 Comments
Morally speaking you shouldn't have more than one boyfriend. Duolingo also teaches us moral values.
I keep getting "alt" wrong tue to false friend with latin languages (CA alt, ES/IT alto, LA altus...) where it means "high" (as in height), think of alto as high pitch.
Funny thing, apparently both meanings derive from same PIE root meaning "to grow", which of course can mean both "grow in age" and grow in height" ;-)
Of course, in Spanish "alto" has another meaning, halt, which comes from the German halt (hey, in English too!).
How would one say "They are old friends", as in we have known each other a long time.
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Freunden is dative. Den Freunden (dative) vs der Freunde (genitive), die Freunde (nom & acc).
Freund, Freunde; Freundin, Freundinnen are the male and female forms, each with singular and plural. For mixed groups you usually use the male plural form.
Does this mean they are old as in aged or old as in you've known each other a long time? (I know someone asked a similar question but not specifically).
Judging by your ":)", I think you already know the answer.
The German sentence uses the neutral word Freunde, so the best translation into English is "friends".
It didn't use a more colloquial/informal/intimate word such as Kumpel and so using a word such has "buddies" is not as good a translation.
I google translate "der Kumpel" and get "the Buddy" in English. So I think Freund is more 'intimate' than Kumpel? Thanks in advance
Why doesn't buddies work? It was in the suggestions. Also, in what context is this word used? Can it mean a boyfriend as in a significant other?
The English translations would be: "My friends are old," or "my female friends are old," alternatively, "My girlfriends/woman friends are old." are all precise translations as in English we do not distinguish what a friend or person's sex is. Thus, my initial answer "My friends are old" ought to be accepted as correct.
Why each time I write " meine freude sind alt", the test count it as a false answer ?
Why each time I write " meine freude sind alt", the test count it as a false answer ?
Because you used the wrong word -- Freude (joy) instead of Freunde (friends).
