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Fawkes@lemmy.zip

What is the least enjoyed/most frustrating aspect of learning your target language? (lemmy.zip)

submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by Fawkes@lemmy.zip to c/LanguageLearning@lemmy.zip

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As an English speaker learning German, I face endless confusion and frustration with many of the short question words that are "False Friends"

Such as:

Wer (where) - Actually means who.

Wo (Who) - Actually means where.

Wie (We) - Actually means how.

Was (was) - Actually means what.

Also (also) - Actually means so.

Will (will) - Actually means to want.

And the completely arbitrary gender assignments!

For example.

The year is: Das Jahr, a neuter word.

The month is: Der Monat, a masculine word.

And the week is: Die Woche, a feminine word.

And then there's directly counter-intuitive examples of words that seem like they Should be a gender other than what they are, such as:

The little girl - Das Mädchen (Neuter, not feminine)

Breasts - Der Busen (Masculine! Boobs is masculine!)

Person - Die Person (Feminine! Why isn't this word neuter?!"

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[–] Multiplexer@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Regarding the times:
Took ages until I was somewhat sure on how to use that am/pm thing in English. 🙃

[–] Pipster@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

At least in the UK we just use the 24 hour clock, am/pm isn't used nearly as much

[–] Multiplexer@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Interesting, didn't know that.
I learned British English at school, yet all the learning materials focused on using the am/pm style.
Perhaps because we already know the 24h format well in Germany, as it is also routinely used here.

[–] Pipster@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 2 weeks ago

I guess in speech we tend to say something like 'eight thirty" rather than "twenty thirty" but certainly in witten communication its always 24 hour.