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German may be the most widely spoken language in the European Union, but let's be honest - it's just downright funny sometimes. We roasted French, so now it's time for the German language to have its turn.

People around the world learning how to speak German have long struggled with German's fearsome grammar, in which multiple funny words are stuck together to make more descriptive terms. This leads to things like long, aggressive store names and job titles, as well as migraines for tourists and expats in Germany. The spelling of these long German words is an even more sensitive subject.

Since German is an ancestor to English, a lot of funny German words were passed down to us but changed in spelling over time. The original German forms of these words now have... Well, 'interesting' connotations. See for yourself below.

Oh, and just for the lols, here is the longest word in German - Donaudampfschifffahtselektrizitatenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengessellschaft. Standing proudly at 80 letters, this word translates to "Association for Subordinate Officials of the Head Office Management of the Danube Steamboat Electrical Services" and is an absolutely real concoction of letters. Try not to break your tongue with it!

#2

Nobody Expected That From You, German Language

Nobody Expected That From You, German Language

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However, according to Olly Richards, a polyglot and the founder of I Will Teach You A Language, German actually isn't too difficult to master.

"One of the main reasons German isn’t all that hard to learn is that German and English originate from the same language families and share more similarities than you probably realize," Richards wrote. "Both German and English are Indo-European languages that stem from the Germanic family of languages. About 40% of German vocabulary is similar to English vocabulary, which is good news for native English speakers!"

#3

Mastering A Second Language

 Mastering A Second Language

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Richards said that pronunciation is also more straightforward than you might think and grammar is relatively easy to pick up thanks to recognizable patterns. "If we examine the phrases 'what is that?' and 'was ist das?', the connections are obvious."

Also, the polyglot thinks that it's is much easier to pronounce words phonetically in German than in English. "In English, letters often change sounds without any logical explanation. This isn’t the case in German."

"Although some aspects of German may seem difficult, once you break the language down, it's not actually that hard."

#5

There's A Word For Everything In German Language

There's A Word For Everything In German Language

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Talia Johnson
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Apart from 'procrastination' according to my German friend. When I explained the meaning to her, she said 'but why on earth would you put off doing something when you could do it now?' I said 'I'll tell you later' :-)

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Julia NotMyLastname
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Exactly. Sometimes the reason German words are longer is bc they use a word that is shower than our sentences but longer than our words to describe something we take a sentence to describe.

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Erwin Dillinger
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Pfusch is also german but has a different meaning than verschlimmbessern. Pfusch is simply, doing a bad job at something.

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Vaida Kuodytė
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The secret is taking all the words in the sentence and slamming them together

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Wibbi
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have a friend who is learning German right now. From time to time she asks me for words which almost always ends with her exclaiming: "I knew you have a word for that!"

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Viktoria Zellner
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

bei uns gibt´s für ALLES das passende wort. und sei es ein reines zusammensetzwort. ;)

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Alexandra Hopp
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's a word and I have heard people using it frequently. You would not find it in a dictionary though. Yet.

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Mathieu Brouwers
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Zerstrukturieren" short for "zerstören" (destroy) and "umstrukturieren" (restructure).

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TheHolyFatherOfToast
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

hmmmmm..... do they have a word for "Making something better but then screwing it up by making it better"?

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Mathieu Brouwers
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Zerstrukturieren" short for "zerstören" (destroy) and "umstrukturieren" (restructure).

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Anja Blumnau
Community Member
6 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sehr geil 😂 ja, wir haben auch dafür ein Wort was das ganze perfekt beschreibt 😂

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Robyn Scott
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They probably have a word for "having a word for everything".......

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Caroline Cassano
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not only a word for everything, but 10 other ways to say it and 1,000 words sounding just like it meaning completely different things.

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Mona Blenke
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

haha sure we got this word :D it happens all the time ... why should not name it

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Luise Kirsten
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Actually this word doesnt exist in german language :/ sorry for that, I'm German.

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xXBattleloreXx
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was surprised myself but it actually seems to exist o_O I just looked it up in the Duden ;)

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Elfi Tralala
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

nobody EVER uses this word! It only exists in articles like this one.

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farbenzirkel
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Maybe a regional thing? But i know a lot of people (including me) who are using that.

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#8

The Language Of Poets

The Language Of Poets

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Troux
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These all have direct English equivalents: "I got tossed in the back of a car" "We came together after the movie" "I gave my bird what she needed last night"

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#10

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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Juana
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why do the write the names of the languages and then throw in Mexico? For continuity they should have written Spanish. And a flag of Spain.

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#11

Hand Shoes Make Perfect Sense

Hand Shoes Make Perfect Sense

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Roman Hans
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Here Germany makes much more sense. Why make up a new word when you can repurpose old ones? Gloves really are “hand shoes.”

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#14

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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Volker Burmester
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sechs is german for six and sound almost like sex. Vier means four in german and sounds like fear. And fünf is german for five.

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#15

When German Language Wasn't Scary But Cute

When German Language Wasn't Scary But Cute

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Mary Peace
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The French say "How are you called?" when they want to know your name. I suppose it's like asking "How do I get your attention?" really.

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#16

Naming Animals In German

Naming Animals In German

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#17

Best Photo From Trip To Berlin

Best Photo From Trip To Berlin

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#18

When German Language Had Like A Gazillion Ways To Say "Why".

When German Language Had Like A Gazillion Ways To Say "Why".

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Hans
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

All of these have a different connotation and add to the richness of communication. You would also rather say "for which purpose do you use a rifle" than "why", if you seek to explore the intention.

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#19

When A Single Letter Made A Huge Difference

When A Single Letter Made A Huge Difference

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#20

When German Language Wasn't As Cold And Ugly As They Always Say … But Beautiful And Emotional

When German Language Wasn't As Cold And Ugly As They Always Say … But Beautiful And Emotional

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#21

Makes Sense

Makes Sense

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#22

This Is Why I Love The German Language

This Is Why I Love The German Language

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Tomek Sztuk
Community Member
3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Brilliant, although it's a purposefully complicated joke name :D Fahrradständer is a real German name for a bicycle stand, above says something in line of "climate protection enforcing device securing place" ;)

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#23

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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Lilya
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Person: That's amazing! Me: That's sausage to me. Person: No, the post I was talking about. Me: SAUSAGE

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#24

Have Some Class

Have Some Class

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JuJu
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nope. We use both. Usually depending on the vowel or Umlaut before the ss/ß.

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#25

When Even The Simpsons Had To Show The World How The German Language Is Trolling Everyone

When Even The Simpsons Had To Show The World How The German Language Is Trolling Everyone

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Kateryna
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Die" is "the" relating to the feminine gender... so it sounds like they are indicating Bart is female

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#26

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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#27

When Germany Showed The World What "Wordception" Means.

When Germany Showed The World What "Wordception" Means.

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Hans
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You may need context. Essen is a town in the Ruhr area. Essen means food. essen means to eat. "Wollen wir heute in Essen ein wenig Essen essen?" thus makes sense.

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#29

German Is A Beautiful Language.

German Is A Beautiful Language.

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Nadine Bamberger
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'd go with "Klugscheißer" (clever-pooper), don't know what that word above is supposed to mean.

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#30

When German Language Was Only For The Brave.

When German Language Was Only For The Brave.

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#34

When German Language Was So Logical That It Confused You.

When German Language Was So Logical That It Confused You.

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#35

Dear People Learning German...

Dear People Learning German...

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#36

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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Cat Meow
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Someone count the points please. I'm curious. (I really don't play Scrabble... XD)

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#37

German Language Jokes

German Language Jokes

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#38

German Grammar Struggle

German Grammar Struggle

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Dee Hunter
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And if you REALLY want to confuse them: Use Russian. They have two more cases.

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#39

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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Tiny Dynamine
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For your information, German isn't shouted aggressively by Germans at all. We imply that from the second world war because of how the Gestapo were. If you say the above German word normally, it sounds quite nice.

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#40

1. When German Language Nailed It.

1. When German Language Nailed It.

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#41

When Animals Sounded Way Cuter In German. Like Raccoon.

When Animals Sounded Way Cuter In German. Like Raccoon.

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Femme Finn
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Whoa! Same in Finnish, pesukarhu. I guess it comes directly from German.

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#43

When German Language Showed That Germans Have A Strange Relationship To Their Tools. Or Their Mothers

When German Language Showed That Germans Have A Strange Relationship To Their Tools. Or Their Mothers

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#44

German Language

German Language

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Nadine Bamberger
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Emphasis on the first syllable- possible grave bodily harm court case coming your way, emphasize the last part and you're good.

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#47

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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#48

When German Language Surprised You By Somehow Not Being Accurate Anymore

When German Language Surprised You By Somehow Not Being Accurate Anymore

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JuJu
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But there is only one that can suck and blow! The famous Heinzelmann.

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#49

When German Words Looked Like They Have To Be Kidding You

When German Words Looked Like They Have To Be Kidding You

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#50

Learn German If You Der

Learn German If You Der

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Femme Finn
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3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well when you really think about the word "butterfly", is it a sexy word? Butter. Fly.

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#52

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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#53

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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Sarah Schmidt
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A few years ago I saw a video about how english sounds to non-english speakers. Is there a video like that about the german language? Do we really sound that bad? I really want to know!

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#58

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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Gunnar Schreck
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Correct translation is "Wissenschaft". This here would translate into "Natural Sciences"

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#60

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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Little Menace
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The Holzweg one is a favourite of mine because you can tell where it's from. In Germany [and probably other places], there are paths through the forest that lead nowhere apart from a big pile of felled wood, stored there by the woodcutters. So if you end up at a dead end staring at a pile of wood, you are on the wood-way. I.e the wrong path.

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#61

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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#62

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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Brigitte
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Only the ballpoint pen is called Kugelschreiber. Every other pen is Stift.

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#64

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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#66

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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Francesca Bellan
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Weird! In Italian we also use smoking, mobbing and pullover in exactly the same way :-D

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#67

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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Amanda H.
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Give me your answer so otherwise (That's what it says..) I must always speak German and "give you fear"

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#68

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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Nela Rothenbach
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm sorry but it's: Blütenblätter - without n. Yes, German plural froms are just as complicated as the rest of the language; -)

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#69

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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Jörg Zingler
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thats the politically correct new name. The old one is: "Negerkuss". (negroes kiss)

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#71

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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Intensive Panda
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Those words make sense but are actually made up (as I tried to explain in the comment section on the bottom)

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#73

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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#74

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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Cat Meow
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Now I now what the inspiration to Pushing Daisies was... didn't take me like 10 years or so. Nope. XD

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#76

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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Just a Purpler
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Does it really? I mean this sentence makes sense in "Buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo", but none of us actually understand it the first time we hear it...

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#80

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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#81

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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Intensive Panda
Community Member
7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

because "Tafel" has several meanings and Google Translator somehow manages to pick not the right one. EVERY.SINGLE.TIME.

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#82

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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Hellysal
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Polish: Samolot (flies on its own) :D And for car: Samochód (walks on its own) c:

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#83

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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Anna Linnaeus
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm a 70's baby and used to read German pop mag Bravo in the 80's and remember the articles on Back to the Future. Zurück zum Zukunft takes some serious tongue-wrapping.

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#85

Funny German Language

Funny German Language

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Joe Dad
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7 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't think it's funny at all. Hitler was no laughing matter. Moreover, he was born in Austria.

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