3 ms·

German also has the 2 levels, but addressing the police with the informal you might get you into trouble. There's a great clip (not sure if it's a sketch show o

German also has the 2 levels, but addressing the police with the informal you might get you into trouble. There's a great clip (not sure if it's a sketch show or a 360p mobile phone recording) of a guy peeking out of his apartment door and seeing a lot of coos, and he says to one of them, "Piss off, you (informal) asshole!." . The cop says "excuse me?", and the guy responds with, "Ah, sorry, you (formal) asshole!". The next bit is the cop kicking down the door... maybe it was one of those Cops-style reality shows.

mewpmewp2 3y ago
That's funny. But yeah, if someone has an authority over me like that, I wouldn't ever dare. It's mostly a question I guess when speaking to people I'm doing business/service with.
Aaronmacaron 3y ago
asshole is a very euphemistic translation
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- derriz 3y ago
  Could you explain. I'd guess "Arschloch"? The translation of "bad language" is very tricky. English is my mother tongue but I live in a German (sort-of, it's complicated) speaking country. I've learned that "scheisse" is not a very good translation for the English word "sh*t". It seems to me that the English word is much stronger/more offensive than the common German translation at least where I'm from. German "scheisse" seems more at the level of "damn" in my experience (maybe it varies according to region?) and so is acceptable to be used in many more situations than the common English translation - i.e. by young kids or with strangers. I think German speakers, as a result, don't realize how strong the English word is and use it a bit more liberally than would be expected. For example, I was very surprised that broadsheet (respectable) newspapers will casually drop an expression like "sh*tstorm" into a German sentence in a serious article.
  - Aaronmacaron 3y ago
    The word in question is "wichser". The dictionary says it means "motherfucker". In my perception wichser is one of the strongest insults in german. https://youtu.be/S1ZnpYEsUNs?si=nGr-2MgtBMR16dgl https://youtu.be/S1ZnpYEsUNs?si=nGr-2MgtBMR16dgl
    - trelane 3y ago
      "wichser" is like "wanker." Someone who engages in, shall we say, self-Stimulation. I don't think it's nearly as offensive as other words.
    - netsharc 3y ago
      Damn, my memory of the video is totally wrong...
  - PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago
    Words change roles, and shit is a very good contemporary example. Among my children's generation (mid-20s to mid-30s) it is now just as much as stand-in for "stuff" as it is an expression of anger or insult. "Where am I going to put all this shit?" does still carry a hint of a negative tone (directed towards the stuff), but barely any.
    - em-bee 3y ago
      ismo explains shit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igh9iO5BxBo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igh9iO5BxBo
      - PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago
        he's wrong that "shit" is the most complicated word in english. That would be "jawn" - an adjective, noun, verb and more all in one little 4-letter package, which is also true of "shit", except that nobody not raised in Philadelphia knows the true scope of "jawn".

mewpmewp2 3y ago

That's funny. But yeah, if someone has an authority over me like that, I wouldn't ever dare. It's mostly a question I guess when speaking to people I'm doing business/service with.

Aaronmacaron 3y ago

asshole is a very euphemistic translation

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
derriz 3y ago
Could you explain. I'd guess "Arschloch"? The translation of "bad language" is very tricky. English is my mother tongue but I live in a German (sort-of, it's complicated) speaking country. I've learned that "scheisse" is not a very good translation for the English word "sh*t". It seems to me that the English word is much stronger/more offensive than the common German translation at least where I'm from. German "scheisse" seems more at the level of "damn" in my experience (maybe it varies according to region?) and so is acceptable to be used in many more situations than the common English translation - i.e. by young kids or with strangers. I think German speakers, as a result, don't realize how strong the English word is and use it a bit more liberally than would be expected. For example, I was very surprised that broadsheet (respectable) newspapers will casually drop an expression like "sh*tstorm" into a German sentence in a serious article.
- Aaronmacaron 3y ago
  The word in question is "wichser". The dictionary says it means "motherfucker". In my perception wichser is one of the strongest insults in german. https://youtu.be/S1ZnpYEsUNs?si=nGr-2MgtBMR16dgl https://youtu.be/S1ZnpYEsUNs?si=nGr-2MgtBMR16dgl
  - trelane 3y ago
    "wichser" is like "wanker." Someone who engages in, shall we say, self-Stimulation. I don't think it's nearly as offensive as other words.
  - netsharc 3y ago
    Damn, my memory of the video is totally wrong...
- PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago
  Words change roles, and shit is a very good contemporary example. Among my children's generation (mid-20s to mid-30s) it is now just as much as stand-in for "stuff" as it is an expression of anger or insult. "Where am I going to put all this shit?" does still carry a hint of a negative tone (directed towards the stuff), but barely any.
  - em-bee 3y ago
    ismo explains shit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igh9iO5BxBo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igh9iO5BxBo
    - PaulDavisThe1st 3y ago
      he's wrong that "shit" is the most complicated word in english. That would be "jawn" - an adjective, noun, verb and more all in one little 4-letter package, which is also true of "shit", except that nobody not raised in Philadelphia knows the true scope of "jawn".