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Languages are fascinating! German has an almost identical word ("gesellig" - https://dict.leo.org/german-english/gesellig https://dict.leo.org/german-english/ge
by rob74 4y ago
Languages are fascinating! German has an almost identical word ("gesellig" - https://dict.leo.org/german-english/gesellig https://dict.leo.org/german-english/gesellig), but with a different meaning that can easily be translated as "sociable" (referring to a person) most of the time. Looks like the Dutch extended it to places that encourage being sociable?
- gattilorenz 4y agoSimilarly, Germans might find the Dutch usage of "lekker" (lit. "tasty", same root of German "lecker") quite... inconsiderate: it of course applies to food, but it's way common to use it for relaxing, enjoyable activities (you can sleep and sit "lekker", and something can also "go lekker" - meaning it goes well). At least, that's what I made out of, but I welcome a proper explanation from a native speaker!
- Avalaxy 4y agoIn Dutch, lekker also means tasty. But like you said, it also applies to many other things. Even to people (that woman is lekker, as in hot).
- SideburnsOfDoom 4y agoLanguages need words with specific meaning, and also words that are broad and vague. "lekker" is in the same category as "nice" in English. The imprecision is useful sometimes.
- rob74 4y agoActually in the part of Germany next to the Dutch border, "lecker" already starts being used that way. For example, someone from Cologne might call a nice girl/woman a "lecker Mäd(s)che" (https://verliebtinkoeln-com.translate.goog/die-bedeutung-von-lecker-maedche-in-der-koelschen-sprache/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp https://verliebtinkoeln-com.translate.goog/die-bedeutung-von...).
- wouldbecouldbe 4y agohahaha well for dutch the way Germans use Geil (horny) is quite funny, using it 5 times per conversation for things you like is quite normal for Germans.
- rapnie 4y agoAnd further with 'ape horny' as Dutch hear it: "Daß ist ja affengeil!" (That's awesome!)
- wouldbecouldbe 4y agoWhat makes it even funnier is it even means horny in German. The young kids just turned it into meaning "cool". So now you have 40+ year olds saying how horny a presenation is in a corporate board room.
- yamtaddle 4y agoIn English, "sexy" is routinely applied to things that are not, literally, sexy, including in many business contexts, and largely for cases in which "cool" would work just as well (especially before the meaning of the word "cool" became a bit diluted). A sexy car, a sexy logo, a sexy pivot table—potentially none of them having anything to do with sex, in fact, it just means "cool" (they may be sex-adjacent in some sense, sure, but only in the same way that "cool" things generally are—in this usage, the words are basically interchangeable). We've got "to get a hard on for" (or, "to get wet for") used for "likes very much", in "low" English registers. A bit less politely, perhaps (I don't have a read on exactly how offensive this usage is? If it is at all?) "to be gay for", as in "Tim's gay for Zelda games" is somewhat common. May have originated with or been popularized by South Park? Not sure. Though, unlike "sexy", none of those are common in business outside incredibly-brotastic environments.
- wouldbecouldbe 4y agoAgreed. We use sexy same way in dutch (we use a lot of english words, and sex is a dutch word so sexy also feels dutch). But first of all, it's still not something official, and not often used in professional settings. In german, Geil has become the standard way to say "cool" or even acknowledge something. At the same time in Dutch, we use it also, exactly the same word "Geil" with exactly the same sexual meaning, but for us it has a bit of a dirty feeling. I had conversation with Germans: "oh that means horny for us", they: "yeah for us too". As well as I find Horny in itself a bit more invasive then sexy.
- djmips 4y agoSweet! Is also used in English. But lecker makes me think of delectable.
- codethief 4y agoInteresting, it seems quite similar to "rico" in Spanish.
- Scarblac 4y agoAnd the sarcasm / hostility potential it has. Rot lekker op.
- fs111 4y agoIn German it can also mean a place is cosy and vibrant. We use it for more than just people.
- mihaic 4y agoNot a native German speaker, but for me the word "gemutlich" came to mind as their equivalent, at least from what I understood from the article.
- FlyingSnake 4y agoIMO Gemütlich is more closer to "cozy" rather than "Convival" which Gezellig is being used for in Dutch.
- mihaic 4y agoThanks for the clarification.
- pieter_mj 4y agoYou mean convivial (the same word in French, slightly different meaning)
- bedatadriven 4y agoYes convivial is the perfect translation for gezellig. I don't understand why articles about gezelligheid always claim that it is somehow untranslateable!
- Fnoord 4y agoGemoedelijk is probably the Dutch word which is linguistically related to the one you mention. Interestingly, it has no megative connotation, but it won't be a word used much in randstad (the densely populated ~West of The Netherlands). So it is by definition not as popular as gezellig.
- somedude895 4y ago> be translated as "sociable" (referring to a person) most of the time. Gesellig is also used for occasions, like a geselliger Abend as also listed on the Leo link. In Switzerland it's sometimes also used for places like a geselliges Restaurant. From that perspective I use the German word in pretty much the same way. Side note: The adjective likely comes from "Gesellschaft," which can mean "society" but also "company."
- nwellnhof 4y ago> In Switzerland it's sometimes also used for places like a geselliges Restaurant. In Bavaria and probably the rest of (Southern?) Germany as well. I doubt there's much difference between the German and Dutch words.