pathetic piss kitten (@kitten)

pathetic piss kitten @kitten@elizabeth.cat

if I had a cent for every time I looked for what a German word means, and it ended up also being the name of a city, I'd have......many cents

❤️1

pathetic piss kitten @kitten@elizabeth.cat

no but seriously now, this sentence confuses me (not because of the meaning, but because of the structure)

wenden Sie sich an mich

Lis (≙) retired account @lis@luisa.is

@kitten this sentence uses word order to denote an imperative. The "normal" form without the imperative aspect would be "Sie wenden sich an mich" - "Sie wenden sich" is just a reflexive verb in the formal address style.

pathetic piss kitten @kitten@elizabeth.cat

@lis okay this helps quite a bit, thanks :neocat_think:

pathetic piss kitten @kitten@elizabeth.cat

"go you yourself by myself" or something like that? I guess it's one of those where it doesn't make sense to try to understand it from an english perspective

SillyDemon @SillyDemon@eepycats.place

@kitten yes translation word by word doesn't quite work here. German sentences are structured differently.

z.B. "kann ich Ihnen weiterhelfen?"
-> can I you further help.
meaning a formal "can i help you?"

pathetic piss kitten @kitten@elizabeth.cat

@SillyDemon tbh the sentence you used as example at least only mentions "you" once :neocat_laugh_sweat:

SillyDemon @SillyDemon@eepycats.place

@kitten well yes your example has Sie and sich but Sie as addressing the person and sich in the meaning that the person should take the action.

The opposite would be.

Ich wende mich an Sie.
or
Ich werde mich an Sie wenden.

Depending on tempus

So -> I go myself to you

SillyDemon @SillyDemon@eepycats.place

@kitten we have something similar I'm English.

e.g.
Can you do something yourself.

Können Sie etwas selber tun.

Can you care for yourself

Können Sie sich um sich selber kümmern.

Doridian @Doridian@furry.engineer

@kitten "Wärmen Sie sich am Feuer" is just like that in terms of structure.

Keep in mind this is also limited to the formal addressing form, since "Wärme dich am Feuer" would be exactly like English.

Funny how the formal address is always 3rd person, which causes this structure, since 2nd person is always the informal you.

Like you'd also get "Der Fuchs wärmt sich am Feuer"

English of course has no "formal you" (at least not anymore). I think the closest equivalent I can think of would be addressing royalty? Like "Would your highness like to concern themselves with the peasants?"

pathetic piss kitten @kitten@elizabeth.cat

@Doridian okay, I think I got it with this, it's easier to understand with the whole subject in there