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"Sie" has multiple meanings: in addition to the two you mentioned it's also the form of "you" used for strangers/official stuff/... it's usually capitalized in

"Sie" has multiple meanings: in addition to the two you mentioned it's also the form of "you" used for strangers/official stuff/... it's usually capitalized in that meaning, and always plural even when talking to only one person. Prepare for lots of confusing moments with the Sie-vs-Du question.

wolfgke 10y ago
> it's usually capitalized in that meaning Not only usually capitalized in that meaning, but always.
- lorenzhs 10y ago
  Not everyone does it, though. I mean technically yes, it's required grammatically, but it's one of those rules that isn't always obeyed. It's a mistake but common enough to be aware of it.
  - wolfgke 10y ago
    In my opinion there is a cultural difference here: While in English, as I see it as a foreigner, if many people spell something wrong, it becomes an accepted spelling, in German if lots of people spell something wrong, it is still considered as wrong. There are even websites for common spelling errors and wrongly used words which you can link to in internet discussions to convince someone that/how their spelling was wrong, such as > http://www.das-dass.de/ http://www.das-dass.de/ > http://www.dassdas.com/ http://www.dassdas.com/ > http://seit-seid.dassdas.com/ http://seit-seid.dassdas.com/ > http://wie-als.dassdas.com/ http://wie-als.dassdas.com/ > http://einzigste.dassdas.com/ http://einzigste.dassdas.com/ > http://standart-standard.dassdas.com/ http://standart-standard.dassdas.com/
vram22 10y ago
>"Sie" has multiple meanings: in addition to the two you mentioned it's also the form of "you" used for strangers/official stuff/ Ah, thanks. I remember now that a few days ago I subconsciously noticed this - or rather, had a doubt - because I thought I had seen "Sie" used for all the three meanings, but wasn't sure (they did not all occur in the same session of using the app). Thought I had got it wrong between the meanings She/You or She/They. Good to have it cleared up.
vram22 10y ago
Interesting. Hindi has 3 words for "you": tu, tum and aap. The first is for informal usage with familiar people, such as friends or relatives, the second for more formal usage, such as in business or with people you don't know from before, and the third is the more respectful one, such as for elders or superiors in business or people of official rank, such as a judge, priest, etc.

wolfgke 10y ago

> it's usually capitalized in that meaning Not only usually capitalized in that meaning, but always.

lorenzhs 10y ago
Not everyone does it, though. I mean technically yes, it's required grammatically, but it's one of those rules that isn't always obeyed. It's a mistake but common enough to be aware of it.
- wolfgke 10y ago
  In my opinion there is a cultural difference here: While in English, as I see it as a foreigner, if many people spell something wrong, it becomes an accepted spelling, in German if lots of people spell something wrong, it is still considered as wrong. There are even websites for common spelling errors and wrongly used words which you can link to in internet discussions to convince someone that/how their spelling was wrong, such as > http://www.das-dass.de/ http://www.das-dass.de/ > http://www.dassdas.com/ http://www.dassdas.com/ > http://seit-seid.dassdas.com/ http://seit-seid.dassdas.com/ > http://wie-als.dassdas.com/ http://wie-als.dassdas.com/ > http://einzigste.dassdas.com/ http://einzigste.dassdas.com/ > http://standart-standard.dassdas.com/ http://standart-standard.dassdas.com/

vram22 10y ago

>"Sie" has multiple meanings: in addition to the two you mentioned it's also the form of "you" used for strangers/official stuff/ Ah, thanks. I remember now that a few days ago I subconsciously noticed this - or rather, had a doubt - because I thought I had seen "Sie" used for all the three meanings, but wasn't sure (they did not all occur in the same session of using the app). Thought I had got it wrong between the meanings She/You or She/They. Good to have it cleared up.

vram22 10y ago

Interesting. Hindi has 3 words for "you": tu, tum and aap. The first is for informal usage with familiar people, such as friends or relatives, the second for more formal usage, such as in business or with people you don't know from before, and the third is the more respectful one, such as for elders or superiors in business or people of official rank, such as a judge, priest, etc.